First Investment into Flatscreen / HD TV - Advice & Support Please

[admin_exported]

Hi (Clare Newsome et Al and other readers)

Firstly, apologies for the long post in advance! I will be soon moving into a new home and have made the decision to invest in a new Flatscreen TV and other HD products. However, having read the recent issue HD Guide (very useful), reviewed the forum (also v helpful) and spoken to several specialist stores, I am still a little confused as to what TV I should buy for my specific purposes and whether to go for Full HD or HD Ready. (I probably have too much information and just need to make a decision).

These are my "stats":



I will use the TV to watch a lot of sport (Tennis, Cricket, Rugby and Amercian Sports) as well as regular programming (I have Sky HD on order).

• I watch DVDs regularly hence a BluRay requirement.
• I will play games irregularly so it is not a priority to have a "game" specific TV however, the games I do play, and usually with a group of mates, are mainly sports / car racing games (quick, hi motion).
• My budget is not unlimited but I am happy to pay for a quality product (prob circa £1000)

Set Up so far:

• Having looked at the "what Size" post and other links I think the optimum TV for me will be 32in - 37in.
• I have Sky HD booked for installation.
• I have ordered a PS3 following the reviews as both a games machine and good value BluRay player for my budget.
• I have set aside money for uprated cables.

Questions on deciding which TV:

• I am not a TV pro / addict / expert but I do enjoy it, so may not notice really minute differences however I do want to be "impressed" by the difference in HD and "normal" display.
• I am keen to future proof my system however given the size of screen I am considering, will having Full HD on a 37in or 32in make a huge difference (esp given the 5 star ratings for the Panasonic 37in Plasma (HD Ready) and the 37in LCD (Full HD) and the recent 5 star rating for the Sony 32in LCD?
• Given the level of sport I watch (fast moving images) I want to minimise what I understand can be motion problems - e.g should I look for a TV with 100MHz technology?
• I realise not all the Sky channels are HD so I want to get maximum quality from the non HD channels and would like to be "blown away" by the HD content ( I realise this will be much more significant in BluRay DVD playback as this will be true 1080P as opposed to Sky HD's 1080i). I am concerned about the quality of images a Full HD TV will produce from the standard Sky channels.
• I am worried about black levels on LCD v Plasma - I understand that on bigger TVs (42in +) then Plasma is a better option and smaler TVs (32in -) LCD is a winner. What about on the in between 37in ?
• Will 2 HDMI inputs be enough for Sky HD and PS3?
• Should I worry about the Dynamic Contrast ratio?
• Will the TV speakers be good enough for everyday use or do I need to consider a speaker set up also?

TVs I have shortlisted so far (but will gladly take advice on!):

• Panasonic TX-37LZD70 (Full HD) - LCD
• Panasonic THPX70 (HD Ready) - Plasma
• Samsung LE37R88BD (HD Ready) - LCD
• Samsung LE-37M86BD (Full HD) - LCD (is there a difference between this and the M87 ? and the other Samsung 37in screens ?)
• Sony KDL-32P3020 - LCD

Help!

Thank you in advance for any advice and guidance and keep up the great work on the mag.

Johny

 

[Anonymous]

maybe have a look at the new panasonic TH37PX80B and the difference between the samsung 86 and 87 and 87 and 88, is a slight design difference on the bottom of the tv, where theres a bar

 

[Anonymous]

also i would reccomend going for a speaker setup aswell, especially for the dvds and games.

i definatly think you should go for plasma because you watch alot of sports and gaming.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I'd second that - and with new models coming onto the market, it's a great time to buy.

Any other advice you need, just holler!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Clare and Matthew,

[quote user="Clare Newsome"]
I'd second that - and with new models coming onto the market, it's a great time to buy.

Any other advice you need, just holler!

[/quote]

So I've cleared up that I should go for Plasma if possible (better for sport) - the 37in Panasonic Plasma seems to be reviewed very highly in the mag but it is not full HD. I will look at the new Panasonic also but will not having Full HD compromise the picture quality from HD sources like Sky HD? E.g. would there be a big difference on this size of screen if it was full HD?

Similarly does the 37in Panasonic Plasma have 100Mhz technology (does it matter?) especially when it comes to motion?

Do non HD Ready TV display "standard" channels accurately and in good quality?

And finally should I be concerned that I am not "future proofing" my technology?

Clare of these TVs which would yours / the mags pick (there only seems to be £100 or so price difference between the 2 Panasonic Plasmas so is there much quality difference?). Are there any other plasmas you would recommend me looking at at this size?

• 
  Panasonic TX-37LZD70 (Full HD)
• 
  Panasonic THPX70 (HD Ready) - Plasma
  
  Panasonic TH37PX80B (HD Ready) - Plasma
  
  Samsung LE-37M86BD (Full HD)
  
  Samsung LE3787

Thanks again!!!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well you're stuck with Panasonic if you're after a 37in plasma - no-one else makes them this small any more (more's the pity). Not that it's a worry: they've all been great sets so far.

Don't get too hung up on the Full HD matter- the Panas can handle 1080p/24fps, and what you might lose in the last nth degree of detail you'll more than make up in superior contrast, colour and black-depth. Oh, and better motion-handling, too (again, forget the specs when it comes to LCD/plasma comparison).

HD Ready also has the advantage over Full HD of being more flattering to lower-quality SD content (TV and DVD), as you're asking less of the set/source's upscaling (in other words, you're stretching the picture less!)

We haven't tested the PX80 plasma yet, but if the new season sets we have seen so far are anything to go by, there is a year-on-year improvement in several brands' offerings, so i'd definitely get to see the sets in the flesh (with SD and HD content, ideally - remembering that LCDs tend to flatter to deceive in shops cos of their brightness).

Hope this helps - again, anymore you need, let us know; there's a lot of people here to offer advice and opinions!

 

[Andy Clough]

[quote user="johnym"]will not having Full HD compromise the picture quality from HD sources like Sky HD?[/quote]

No, because Sky HD broadcasts in 720p or 1080i, not 1080p. Nobody broadcasts in 1080p at the moment, so an HD-ready set is fine for HDTV.

As for Blu-ray, most new sets will downscale a 1080p picture to fit the resolution of the screen with no problem.

[quote user="johnym"]Do non HD Ready TV display "standard" channels accurately and in good quality?[/quote]

Very few manufacturers make non-HD-ready sets these days. Good HD-ready sets display standard-definition TV channels fine.

[quote user="johnym"] And finally should I be concerned that I am not "future proofing" my technology?[/quote]

At 32-37in screen sizes, the benefits of Full HD are hard to see, so I wouldn't worry.

Of the sets you've mentioned, I'd go for one of the Panasonic 37in plasmas - either the TH-PX70 (if you can find one), or wait for the new TH-37PX80.

 

[Anonymous]

Clare & Andy - once again thanks for your advice!

Final questions (I hope!) as Saturday is shopping day.

I've found the new Panasonic PX80 at Dixons well within my £1000 budget (this is the screen I will probably get given what you've said above). However, having re-looked at my room dimensions and layout there might be a possibility of sticking a 40inch screen in (I am still tempted by the benefits of Full HD from the BluRay PS3 and possible future broadcasts).

Are there any 40inch screens you would recommend at this level within this price range?

As I mentioned, I have set aside some money for cables. Where do I start with these as there seem to be so many? These would be for connecting SKY HD and the Ps3 to the TV.

I've been browsing the whole site and forums now and would like to say great work - informative, unbiased and easy to use (I am trying not to A: get hooked on all these new toys B:become single very quickly as a result and C: Watch sporting career going down the pan by watching rather than doing!)

Thanks( or not???) again!

Johny

 

[Anonymous]

Apologies fo the bock text - I can't seem to separate the paragraphs working from my lap top.

 

[Clare Newsome]

If you've got the latest issue (I believe you mentioned that earlier on), the 37-40in Supertest should covers off the best current 40-inchers - the Toshiba and Sony models are particularly good...