Go Flat or Stay Fat?

[admin_exported]

My beloved fat 55kg Toshiba 32" wide screen CRT is dying.

So I thought now is the time to subscribe to the flat theory, no problem got to have a TV so lets start shopping.

Now my only previous experiences of flat TV's was once in hotel in London and at my friends house. Both had rubbish pictures, the hotel one I put down to the fact that it was a 50" monster in a small room. I could only get 2 metres away from it!!! The one at my mates house I thought was bad because it was a Daewoo. Anyway I was totally unimpressed until he turned on the Sky HD. Wow now I was impressed.

So in my quest for a new TV I consulted lots of internet articles and this forum and to be honest I have the impression that unless you have Sky HD (or similar), Blue ray or an upscaling bit of kit then one of these flat thinngies is not going to perform as good as a CRT.

So do I spend £800 ish on a flat thing or pay possibly £100 on a repair and keep the fat thing.

Please discuss.

 

[Anonymous]

I would love to give you my opinion, but I better not.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="Very Annoyed"]
I would love to give you my opinion, but I better not.

[/quote]

Aw g'wan g'wan g'wan g'wan g'wan...

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Very Annoyed"]
I would love to give you my opinion, but I better not.
[/quote]

Haha...i'd better stay quiet too

 

[professorhat]

Lol! Funny responses, but not particularly helpful for you!

Anyway, my response (as it always has been) is, maybe have a read of this forum post or this one (if you can take them!) and then go and check out some of the best flatscreen TVs within your budget. Make sure you go to a decent dealer. The easy way to tell if you are in a decent dealership is, when you ask if you can see a certain source (e.g. ITV2 or 3 or 4 etc. through Freeview - easily some of the worst sources you can get!) he will actually show you rather than sidetrack the conversation to something else. Most dealers will obviously try to sweeten it somehow, but they are salesmen after all! And if they are a decent dealership, listen to them - most of them are genuinely trying to get you what you want.

Once you've seen all the TVs on your shortlist, if you really think the picture is awful and you can't stand to upgrade, repair your old CRT and await the coming of Freesat - when HD broadcasts will make you wish you'd bought that HDTV!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks professorhat a helpful comment.

I have checked out the leads you gave and they make interesting reading.

Any idea when freeview HD will be around? I might be able to limp through with a repair until then.

Thanks again

 

[Clare Newsome]

Don't hold your breath for Freeview HD via standard aerials - we're some way off, as you'll read here.

Meanwhile, Freesat - which delivers Freeview via a subscription-free satellite service - launches this Spring. It will include access to all the free-to-air HD content from BBC etc (though the latter are slacking BADLY at the moment, cutting back on HD broadcasts every week.

)

More on all things HD (TV and disc) in a special 36 page supplement free with our April issue, out March 6th.

 

[John Duncan]

Soon, soon......