[MdaG]

I'm thinking of getting a wide screen TV. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should get? I'm thinking in terms of size, update frequency, LCD or plasma, True HD or HD ready etc.

I don't think I want to invest more than €1500. It should be more than enough though for a decent screen.

Suggestions?

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I use a Dell 24" Widescreen 2407WFP. Is there any reason you need it to be a TV as well?

[Lucien21]

I've got one of those.


But for the living room I have a 32" Samsung LCD which is brilliant with the 360.

You can get this one for about €1500 http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/stor...ory_oid=-28723

40", 1080p, 3 HDMI connectors, built in Freeview digital tv, etc

[Litrick]

I have a Sharp 37" LCD, which is brilliant for gaming, great response times, awesome contrast ratio and vibrant colours.
I did a lot a research before buying and found Sharp LCDs to be the best, but a little more expensive. Sony and Samsung (which are made at the same place) are also good.

If you can afford to get a 1080p TV then do, and make sure you get one with multiple HDMI inputs and component inputs.

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by Not A Speck Of Cereal

I use a Dell 24" Widescreen 2407WFP. Is there any reason you need it to be a TV as well?

Well, playing on my 20" monitor or 24" (90's model) TV is ok, but since gaming is a hobby of mine I want to maximize the experience by having a larger screen with a nice image quality. There are still a lot of things I'm unsure of. Like what's the minimum response time I should have, is HD-ready good enough or is it a lot better with full HD? stuff like that. The TV should be able to handle whatever connectors the 360 and PS2 and PS3 needs. I'm currently using a VGA-cable to connect my 360 to my LCD monitor and a regular scart for my PS2 to my TV.

[Litrick]

Originally Posted by MdaG

Well, playing on my 20" monitor or 24" (90's model) TV is ok, but since gaming is a hobby of mine I want to maximize the experience by having a larger screen with a nice image quality. There are still a lot of things I'm unsure of. Like what's the minimum response time I should have, is HD-ready good enough or is it a lot better with full HD? stuff like that. The TV should be able to handle whatever connectors the 360 and PS2 and PS3 needs. I'm currently using a VGA-cable to connect my 360 to my LCD monitor and a regular scart for my PS2 to my TV.

Response time is the most important thing. It is hard to tell by the rating, so its best to go by brand, or get a demonstration and compare. For example older Sharp Aquos LCD tvs with a 16ms repsponse time rating, were better than many LCDs with an 8ms rating.

The difference between 1080p and 1080i is huge, and 1080p looks amazing. But if you just cant afford it 1080i on a good tv still looks very good.

Try and get one with at least 2 component, 2 hdmi, and a VGA imput.

[jedicri]

I have a 42" Sharp Aquos LC-42D72U 1080p HD LCD TV. I use it mostly for watching DVDs (and in the future HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies) and playing my X-Box 360 but I do want to try how my computer looks on it.

The basic question you want to ask yourself is: what are you going to use it for? How far will you be sitting from it?

There are various opinions on whether one should go plasma or lcd and some of it boils down to visuals and usage, and of course the pros and cons for both technologies.

I personally decided on LCD due to the better viewing angle.

As for 1080p, the general consensus is that it's not worth it 37" and under. 1080p is particularly recommended if you plan to get HD DVD or Blu-Ray and on a screen 40" and above.

Consider the following links which helped me decide on what to get, lcd-wise. And do not get caught up with issues/problems that certain brands have since there are no such things as a perfect set. As long as you personally are happy with it, that's all that counts. I've read through too many threads where people have themselves hung up on banding and clouding issues on certain lcd models and whatnot to the point where they cannot decide what model to get; or they have numeorus times returned the set in exchange for another.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=166
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=167

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by jedicri

The basic question you want to ask yourself is: what are you going to use it for? How far will you be sitting from it?

I'm going to use it for playing console games and watching movies on DVD, Blue ray and HD-DVD.

So unless I'm going larger than 37" I can skip the Full HD part. My distance from the screen will be between 2 - 3 metres depending on which room I decide to place it in.

I've found screens with a response time of 6 ms. But with my new found knowledge I better do some real time comparison at the stores. I'll probably do my purchase sometime in September.

[jedicri]

Here's another link for your perusal:

http://www.thehighdefinitionstore.co...center-40.html

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by jedicri

Here's another link for your perusal:

http://www.thehighdefinitionstore.co...center-40.html

Sweet! Thanks, thats just what I need.

[MdaG]

Would you say this is a good buy?

Sloppy translation of the specs.
•j 176 degree view
•i Response time 6 ms
•i Contrast 1200:1
• 450 cd/m2 "Light strength"
• 3D jY/C kamfilter
• TruD Image processing
• Quick shoot for handeling fast movement 6 ms DCE
• (Dynamic Contrast Enhancement) Text 2.5 with 2000 lsid memory
• iNicam stereo 2x15W with Clear Voice functions as well as ASC
•l PC connection jW-XGA,i Komponent via PC port
• 2 scart, Composit, RS232C
• VGA port for use with computer.

The price will translate roughly to €1600.

[Lucien21]

Not if it doesn't have any HDMI ports.

HDMI is replacing the old Scart sockets.

[MdaG]

What does a contrast of 1200:1 compare to? I have no idea if that is good or bad, but since I've seen offers of TV's where the numbers have been 15000:1 I'm guessing it's not that good... :-/

Also is there any reason to get a Full HD TV if I'm going max 42" or is the difference too small to notice or not good enough to justify the price?

[jedicri]

If I'm not mistaken, that link you gave looks like the 42" Aquos LC-42D62U. But if it doesn't have an HDMI connection, I'd forego getting it and get a set that does have one (preferably an extra one to boot) since HD DVD will eventually replace regular DVD.

[MdaG]

You're right. I'd like to find one with VGA, HDMI and SCART.
*sigh* I still haven't found the TV I want (that's got a reasonable price). *Keeps looking*

[Spiwak]

All I'll say is you should avoid Samsung like the plague. We bought a relatively cheap HDTV from them, 30" I think. It's heavy as all get-out, but I suppose considering the lower cost this is a minor complaint. But one corner has a big blue blob permanently, apparently because the speakers were built in too close to the screen. Also, not too long after we bought it the thing started ghosting bright images (that is, it would sort of shift into two images not in sync when a particularly bright image was displayed). At first this wasn't too big a deal, but then it progressively got worse and now on bright screens the image will separate to ridiculous proportions, reset, do it again, over and over. It's barely watchable.

Since you're working with a budget, just avoid Samsung as their lower-priced line are just not manufactured well. Or something.

[MdaG]

Just found this and this. The price (< €1300 & < €1600) is ok for a 42" (or 47") Full-HD LCD-TV, but the contrast seems low (1200:1), also I've never heard of "Anderson"...

[jedicri]

Well at least you found two models that have 2 HDMI inputs, a pc input, 2 composite and 1 component... and can't make it out for sure but is that a DVI output?

Never heard of Andersson either but that's a Swedish brand I'm assuming?

[Endosanity]

Originally Posted by Spiwak

All I'll say is you should avoid Samsung like the plague. We bought a relatively cheap HDTV from them, 30" I think. It's heavy as all get-out, but I suppose considering the lower cost this is a minor complaint. But one corner has a big blue blob permanently, apparently because the speakers were built in too close to the screen. Also, not too long after we bought it the thing started ghosting bright images (that is, it would sort of shift into two images not in sync when a particularly bright image was displayed). At first this wasn't too big a deal, but then it progressively got worse and now on bright screens the image will separate to ridiculous proportions, reset, do it again, over and over. It's barely watchable.

Since you're working with a budget, just avoid Samsung as their lower-priced line are just not manufactured well. Or something.

You said it. I thought, "Hey, I have absolutly non-HD everything so I'll just get a run-of-the-mill TV for videos and basic cable." So I pick up a Samsung SDTV on sale and lo-and-behold 5 months later I get this blue haze in the upper right hand corner of the screen. I call Samsung and tell them the issue and now I have to travel 2 hours to get to a authorized repair center to fix it.

I hate CRTs altogether. And now I'm expected to chug a TV down 2 flights of stairs, travel for 2 hours to drop off the TV then wait for it to be repaired. I'm just about ready to forget that route and just get an LCD tv. One thing is for sure, I'll sooner pay for a no-name LCD tv then attempt Samsung again.

[MdaG]

Originally Posted by jedicri

Well at least you found two models that have 2 HDMI inputs, a pc input, 2 composite and 1 component... and can't make it out for sure but is that a DVI output?

Never heard of Andersson either but that's a Swedish brand I'm assuming?

The "Sharp LC-42XD1EA" I referred to earlier had two HDMI outputs as well (the specs just didn't show it :-/). So far Sharp seems like the best "bang for the buck". It's gotten nice reviews all over the net. Any here that's got any experience with the "Sharp LC-42XD1EA"? I can get one for around €1500. The only drawback I can see is that it doesn't come with pixel mapping through VGA (it does pixel map through HDMI though), but that might not be a big deal.

Should I buy a better cable for my PS2 to minimize noise or will it be "fine" anyway?