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The TV Thread

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Wow, that Toshiba one is perfect. We even have a Toshiba outlet a mile away so they could possibly even get another hundred quid or so knocked off that! :D
 
Mr. Bauer..

I would go 40", instead of 37" you will regret it soon enough...

I would get this at that budget, and it comes with a free DVD Recorder. Does your DVD Recorder need freeview by any chance? KDL40S2030U+RDRGX120S DVD Recorder

If you plan to buy from an real store, as in the high street they won't match that price as it is an online dealer. Then try this Empire Direct Their online prices are as same as instore. Also have you got a John Lewis nearby? I would highly reccomend them, they will pricematch any store and also give you free 5 year warranty. If you want to go down this route, which is the ebst because buying extended warranty is expensive, then tell me then I can get the location of the Empire Direct stores for you.

And if you go for 37", the Toshiba 37WLT66 is propably the ebst one. Once again look on Pricerunner.co.uk for the best price and try to get the best from your retailer, also you can use the John Lewis pricematch deal. REMEMBER JL only price match actual stores and the displayed price and if it is in stock. If you consider this model, then tell me and I can find the cheapest store that sells this so you can get a price match.

And finally, if you can wait till early November and want "the best, best, best will last you a long time as in technology wise", look into this Sharp LC37XD1E
Why? At £1,250 or so, it is 1080p! So if you plan to buy SkyHD, HD-DVD or Blu-Ray then this would be perfect becasue majority of the media on those formats are 1080i or 1080p so you can watch them without being resized to 720p size.

It looks pretty nice as well

Personally I would wait for the Sharp, it will be out soon. You don't want to be left behind in technology.

Feeel free to ask for more help. And if you want try www.avforums.com it is a bit of a minefield the LCD Forum, but I'm a mod theere so I will try to help you out. If not I can help here you PES hater.
Kiddin! ;)
 
I read a few reviews of the Toshiba one last night and they weren't too kind about it. All of the Toshiba ones seemed to get a bit of a bashing actually, which is a bugger with the outlet being just down the road...

I fell in love with the Sony KDL40V2000U (even though it's not for me, sigh), but £1,500 is probably going to turn out way too much for them. I've no idea about the 720\1080 though (by which I mean I've no idea what this telly supports).

What is the 720\1080 all about? I know that the I is interlaced and the P is progressive... I thought interlaced meant sticking great big black lines between each pixel - if so, surely that's a bad thing? :eh:

Sorry lads, I know I'm worse than your gran, but I'd least I'd give you a game of footy if you asked me nicely...
 
Jack, don't take the Toshiba bashing to heart. If you look for bad things about every TV on the net, you will find it. (Just like PES I hear you say...) What Toshiba reviews did you read? Magazine or forums? And 42/47WLT66 or 32/37WLT66.

Most LCDs are 1366 X 768 and support 720p and 1080i ONLY.

720p is 1280x720, so that is streched to fit the above resolution.
1080i is 1920x1080i, which is shrinked and then de-interlaced to fit that res on a 1366 X 768 screen.

The other LCDs like that Sharp are 1920x1080 and support 720p, 1080i and 1080p.
720p is streeched to fit above resoltuion.
1080i, no streching happens as it mathces the native resolution, it is just deinterlaced by the TV.
1080p, no streching happens as it mathces the native resolution and no deinterlacing happens as the picture is progressive.

All HD coming out in UK is 1080i minimum and to get the full benefit of that you need a 1920x1080 screen. Any views on the Sharp, too expensive?

Personally Sharp LC37XD1E >>> Sony KDL40V2000U and it is cheaper.
 
Well on what you've just said (regarding the 720p, 1080p etc. - and the price) then the Sharp is by far the way to go. The release date doesn't matter because they'll probably want to buy it in the January sales anyway (even though they probably won't find it any cheaper - they're mental for a bargain, if it had a massive crack across the middle and was reduced to £500 they'd probably go "that's alright!!").

Edit: Something I've just thought of though, is the 720\1080 stuff going to be that important if the Sky box is never going to be HD (they wouldn't shell out for that)? Are DVDs HD (if you have a player capable of HD output), or is it only Blu-Ray discs that are HD? What does a standard Sky box output, 420? The 360 could possibly only get plugged into it once a month, so is it worth shelling out extra for 1080p? Or is it worth it for future compatibility?

The Toshiba bashing I read was on Cnet UK for the 37WLT66 (if I remember rightly), which seems a pretty decent review site (although saying that I've seen "sponsored by Sony Bravia" about twenty times, I wonder how unbiased that can make them).
 
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CnetUK... don't make me laff! Nealry all magazines/sites survive on sponsors so as they say, money talks. That is a joke of a review site.

Here is a page from a decent forum: http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=318277
The thread is pretty long though LOL! Just ask people tell you the pro's and con's.

Sky and Freeview outputs at 576i.
PAL DVDs are 576i, NTSC 480i. There are DVD Players that upscale the DVD to 720p and 1080i but they are no where near as good as real HD video.
Blu-ray and HD-DVD are true high definition films. HD-DVD player can be had for £399, whereas the Blu-Ray ones are £999+ LOL!

Is it worth getting 1080p insterad of 720p. Toughie! If your parents will ever get SkyHD, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD in the lifespan of how long you want to keep the TV (I know some people who upgrade every 2 years, others every 10, and some never, environmentalists come to mind LOL) If so, then 1080 is the way to go because unlike in USA we won't get much 720p, majority 1080 and 1080p. And the difference isn't much? I am sure the Sharp will be £1.1k in January, but don't quote me on that. Better safe than sorry. Also take into mind that this time a brand new picture processing technology has been added to the Sharp...

And the Sharp will get cheaper in January, by £200 at most, but you never know. I am also thinking of buying this if it comes to 1k for my 360.

EDIT: Don't you ever sleep?

EDIT 2: I forgot, you are Jack Bauer.
 
Don't you forget... :ram: (That is my new favourite smiley, it's going to have to go in the sig or something)

Anyway, I doubt that they will get SkyHD in the future - the only thing they're likely to get is normal Sky and freeview. For as long as they're not planning to make any HD channels available for free, then it looks like 1080p isn't a neccessity... It's one of those things though, isn't it? It's like the wireless headset for the 360 that's out next month... You see it and you think "I don't want that, I don't need that" but then when you're lying in bed at night you think "well hold on... It would be worth the money... Even if it never gets used... Why buy something outdated? I'll have to get it... Won't I? It's the latest thing, it will last a few years at least... Probably..."

What is the "brand new picture processing technology" added to the Sharp, is it anything revolutionary from what the previous Sharps do (there's a much cheaper Sharp HERE that does pretty much everything they'd want it to do, I think, but not if the picture was rubbish) or what the Sony Bravias etc. do?

I had a quick look at the AV Forums link you suggested... I made it through about ten pages before I thought "what am I getting into here?" :oops: I wouldn't really like to post there, I'd feel like a cat in a dog pound.

Cheers for all of the help by the way. You'd better not be giving me fake advice because I think PES6 is rubbish. :ram:
 
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Jack.. ash knows his TVs... I'm going for the Sharp 42'' when its out, from all the scouting I've done in the past few months it looks like the best, Sony top of line are very good but too expensive...

Ash I'll need a surround sound system and a pull out tilt bracket too.... which would you recommend, can I get a surround system with an inbuilt HD recorder without paying silly money?? or will I need a separate player/HD recorder..

Not to make it harder but I'd like an optical input...
 
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Good luck Jack Bauer. You can all me Curtis Manning please.

You want a Surround Sound System and a Hard Drive/DVD Recorder? Am I getting that right?

That is pretty hard to find. I would personally go with amplifier + speakers setup. If you find that to technically challenging, go for an All-In-One System, i.e. DVD Player and Surround system in one. This varies in price from £99 to £400. And then buy a Hard Drive/DVD Recorder seperately.

I did a search an no luck on a Hard Drive/DVD Recorder All-In-One Surround system :(
 
Cheers ash, yes I have not come across one but thought you may know of one!!
I thought the amp and speaker option would be more expensive and given I have a decent separates system already, it would be solely for TV, gaming and Movie use, I was hoping one of the DVD surround systems would fit the bill.

Found a few brackets but all around the £300 mark..
 
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You already have a 5.1 seperates system? i.e. speakers with amp? So why not use that, or keep the speakers and upgrade amp.

As for All-In-One system with DVD player, I'll look around and get back, haven't decided to upgrade that... yet LOL!

As for the brackets, check the AV Forums Plasma and LCD Sub-Forums in those departments called "Power Buys" :)
 
My music system already runs speakers in four rooms and the speakers are not setup right for the TV, plus it would be a pain to connect as its in the room off the the main room if that makes a bit of sense??
I want a surround system set up just for the TV and gaming that will use the optic feeds and I can just leave everything plugged in.
 
Okay I understand now. How much would you be lloking to spend on a All In One System? They range from £120-£500 I owuld say.
 
Hmmm depends on what I get from it, needs good bass and to be able to take 2 or 3 feeds... If I can't get one with a HD then I'll end up getting a separate to do both that and burn DVDs on so just a player will be fine... must come with full surround speakers, not sure about the wireless type though, none of that full surround from three speaker rubbish... the ones I've seen are around the £300 mark but if you can tell me why I should pay more I'd listen... Total output is not the main thing as unfortunately I've moved back into semi detached land for the time being so I have to think of the neighbor...
 
2 or 3 feeds! That's tough. What are you connecting up? For the 2 channel audio stuff, you can use the audio out from your TV. By 2 or 3 feeds, what type optical, coaxial, analogue and how many of each.

XBox360 which you don't have is optical.
PS3 is optical as well.
SkyHD is optical.
 
My old ps2 and xbox can be fitted optically and I'm having cable fitted and would imagine that will be the same..


hmmm can't find one that takes opticals ....
 
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Sony about to launch new Bravia line : the Sony X2500 series

Sony is to bring out the new Bravia LCDs that'll make up the X2500 series. The X2500 will be available in three sizes : 40", 46" and 52" and support Full HD resolution at 1920×1080 pixels. You'll even have to choose between a black, silver, white, blue or brown finish.

701.jpg


The X2500 series uses the new color norm xvYCC introduced with the HDMI 1.3, to guarantee a wider color range display, well-defined colors and excellent blacks. The series also comprises a high quality image conversion engine that converts all input signals to 1080p.

As for sound quality, the surround sound is issued by the TruSurround XT DIGITAL 5.1 that delivers a premium virtual surround sound experience from any multichannel source over just two speakers or headphones, transforming any audio material, including mono, stereo or surround encoded content into breathtaking virtual surround sound. And what's more is that these LCD's are equiped with six inbuilt speakers. In addition to this they sport a Digital tuner, 3 HDMI terminals all enclosed in a sleek finish.

Expected prices in Japan :

KDL-40X2500 : 450 000 Yen or 4000$
KDL-46X2500 : 550 000 Yen or 4700$
KDL-52X2500 : 800 000 Yen or 7000$


5 September 2006
http://www.cinenow.com/uk/news-2150.html

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I know Sony work with Samsung, i hope Samsung out a TV with the HDMI 1.3 on a tv wth lower price :)
 
That Sharp LC37XD1E is very tempting, ashmufc. The more Sony tease us with their 1080p output, the more I want a TV that supports it. And just today, the new dashboard update for X360 was released which upgraded the console's output to 1080p too.

But seeing how the PS3 isnt out here till march, do you think the price of 1080p TVs will have gone down by a significant amount in that time?
 
Would you be going Sony X or W?
Personally I would try to demo the Sony 40X and Sharp 42” and see which one you like. Always go for the top model IMHO.
 
True, but not as good as plasma ;)

It also depends on the feed, if it is Freeview/Telewest/Sky SD you watch all the time, don't go expecting miracles.
 
I've posted this in AVForums - just hoping to catch Ash somewhere:

Is the KDL-26S2010 the best 26" available?

Right...gonna splash out big time! I was originally planning to buy a Mirai but have had a change of heart as I have decided against purchasing a Mac mini. I'm using the extra funds to purchase something better :)

Want a 26" for my room - ideally the best available. Read quite a few good reviews about Sony's KDL-26S2030 (aka KDL-26S2010 in black) so might go for this....any better alternatives though?

The main features I need are excellent HD and SD playback & 1-1 pixel mapping for PCs. Something with at least a VGA connector (for PC use) is also essential.

I also need a wall bracket - but I'm not looking to spend too much on this. Have you guys got any recommendations of a wall bracket for the 26" Sony?
Click to expand...

As soon as I get this, I'm off to buy Gears of War! :twisted:
 
Nick Cave said:
Ahh ashmufc and your plasma... I'd go for the 40"X2000on the Sony, though I've yet to see anything about the new X2500 ?? or the Sharp 42" I can't find anyone who has the Sharp.
Click to expand...

I don't think X2500 is coming out in UK. Only in Japan and maybe US so you are safe there.

And kabir, go for the 26S2030, it is the same TV, just different and better balck fascia and also cheaper in most places than the 2010.
 
ashmufc said:
True, but not as good as plasma ;)

It also depends on the feed, if it is Freeview/Telewest/Sky SD you watch all the time, don't go expecting miracles.
Click to expand...
I saw a couple of plasma screens too, they didn't look nearly as good, though I think they were only showing Sky +, the X was showing Sky HD, so it wasn't really a fair comparison.

I think the X will do for me though, I can't be doing with all the worries of plasma and I'll be mostly HD soon (HD-DVD, Sky HD, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3).

Hopefully Sky can get a bit more high definition stuff to show too.:)
 
can anyone help me double check which HD resolutions my TV supports? right now i can only confirm 480p and 1080i.
my tv is a Panasonic ColorVideo Projection System. the model is PT-51HX41CE. its pretty old too. got it back in 2002.
 
Nick, any news? I would reccomend you for the Sony X Series now if you want 1080p :) But plasma would still be first.
 
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