best TV for SD viewing

[admin_exported]

Dear fellow users,

We are looking to buy a new TV and need your help. We watch mostly Indian channels and they are still in SD (Standard Definition) format and they don't have any plan, in near future, to move to HD (High Definition) format. So, I need a tv which should be good in showing SD channels. Can you please suggest anything?

1. which technology (Plasma or LCD) is better in showing SD channels?

1. will it make big difference in picture quality (SD channels) if I go for 46'' rather than 42''?

2. can you suggest any tv? (btw..my budget is £1200 but can go up to £1500 if its worth paying extra)

Thanks in advance.

Kind Regards, Harry

 

[Anonymous]

check out the sansung 40b650 and sony 40w5500 , both lcds that are good with sd and hd , or the panasonic 42inch g10 plasma , all can be had for under £1200 , if you sit more than 8ft away from the telly then either of the above in 46inch can be had for less than £1500 , any closer than 8ft and 46inch is a little big for sd in my opinion , hard to say if lcd or plasma is best , i think both are very good , but just prefer plasma , go and have a look in the shops and see what you like most , the g10 plasma has a built in freesat tuner , if you have a satellite dish you can connect it and get some hd channels , only bbc hd and itv hd , but great if you watch sports , champions league football , wimbledon tennis , golf etc are all shown in hd , maybe thats not your thing but its nice to have the choice .. if you watch a lot of bollywood movies than the 46 inch panasonic would show them off nicely , i bet shilpa shetty would look good on it

 

[Anonymous]

It's not so much about plasma vs LCD but rather how good the image processing system is. There has been a lot of improvement in this respect in the recent year. Taking a lower resolution SD image and scaling it up to a decent looking image on a full HD panel takes some doing.

The 2009 offerings from Samsung has impressed me. Not a big fan of Samsung but I must say they've set a new benchmark for TV image processing in the "affordable on a normal paycheck" class.

Mr K.

 

[Andy Clough]

We generally find that the current range of Panasonic TVs have very good TV tuners for standard definition. If you're not concerned about Full HD, then it might be worth choosing an HD-ready set with slightly lower resolution so it doesn't have to scale up SD pictures quite so much. The Panasonic TX-P42X10B plasma is an extremely good value plasma at around £700.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with Andy's comments above. I dont know what your viewing distance is but the P50X10 can now be had to ony £750.

 

[Bazzy]

Hi,ÿ

I was in the same situation as you - my folks subscribe to many of the Asian Channels and they are all on SD (and knowing the poor value for money one gets with them and the mentality of the people that operate these channels, they will be remaining SD for a very long time!) and we have well over a 1000 Bollywood movies (others may watch them for the near endless stream ofÿscantilyÿclad ultra gorgeousÿsuper-babesÿthey always have but I watch them for the deeper cultural, meaningful and spiritual side of things of course!) - I looked at dozens of sets from LCD to Plasma including the new Panny's. In the end, there was only one set that offered anything close to acceptable performance on SD TV, especially off air and sat channels and that was the Pioneer Kuro - it was in a different league to be honest. To be truthful, I think you will be quite disappointed with the quality of the Asian Channels on most other sets but the Pioneer is not exactly the cheapest TV around. If you can afford it, then do not think twice.

ÿ

Bazzy!ÿ

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

if pioneer had made a 46inch kuro plasma with built in speakers , for around £1500 the competition may as well have stayed at home , shame ...

 

[Bazzy]

maxflinn:if pioneer had made a 46inch kuro plasma with built in speakers , for around £1500 the competition may as well have stayed at home , shame ...

ÿ

Hi,

Could not agree with you more!

Bazzy!ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Andy Clough:We generally find that the current range of Panasonic TVs have very good TV tuners for standard definition. If you're not concerned about Full HD, then it might be worth choosing an HD-ready set with slightly lower resolution so it doesn't have to scale up SD pictures quite so much. The Panasonic TX-P42X10B plasma is an extremely good value plasma at around £700.
Thanks Andi, rewerb, Bazzy and others.

Finally, Pioneer Kuro 5090 is
available for around £2100. Having said that, I am still waiting for
Samsung UB468000 review from What Hifi and would make decision after
that.

I could have gone for HD Ready Tv but I would be watching blue-ray movies and HD channels as well...want to be on latest technolgy side