HD TV choice through Virgin

[admin_exported]

HD TV choice through Virgin

I am buying a 40” TV and have been taken by the reviews for the Sony KDL40V4000, 40W4000 and 40W4500. I get that they go in ascending order in terms of spec and quality. (& price!). But what I don’t get (and I’m a complete novice in this field so please keep it simple) is whether there is any point whatsoever buying a better tv if it will be operating off Virgin TV, which as far as I can tell has very limited HD.
Is there any point spending extra on a more flash HD tv on this basis.

As far as I can work out I would benefit on DVD’s if I also had a Blu Ray player, but as far as normal watching through (not HD) Virgin goes (which is 95% of my tv time), does having an excellent top notch HD tv (i.e. KDL404500) bring any advantage? Is it worth it? Or is about preparing for greater HD content on Virgin in the future? Any advice hugely appreciated … thks

 

[True Blue]

Agreed Virgins HD content is dire. However there is OD HD material. The V+ box upscales to 1080i as well.

If this is going to be a long term investment and you are planning sometime in the near future to either connect a Blu Ray player or HD games console then I would recommend getting the set that is pretty much at the top of your budget to "future proof" your system.

There will, eventually, be more and more HD content available.

Personally the difference a good TV can have on a mediocre signal is well worth the money as the tv will attempt to scale the image to its "native" setting ie 720p or1080p. So even a DVD player will look better if connected via component.

I have a Panasonic plasma and I am very happy with it. My friend upgraded to a 40W4000 and I must say I was quite impressed (for a LCD). The 4500 brings with it 100Hz technology ie increased refresh rates so that fast moving sports etc appear smoother.

 

[matthewpiano]

I would actually argue that as you go up through the Bravia range, it is in performance with standard definition material where you make the biggest gains. The W4500 is LEAGUES ahead of the W4000 in terms of freeview and SD satellite/cable picture quality. There is less noise, the picture is more stable and that higher contrast ratio brings about much better black levels.

Whichever you decide to go for you'll need to move quickly. Stock is now becoming scarce for both the W4000 and the W4500.

 

[mikey2008]

I have the 40W4500 connected to Sky HD. Personally, if all I'd be watching was SD content, I'd be pretty disappointed with the picture (it's okay but not great). The HD content (1080i) is much better in terms of picture quality (as expected). You should probably consider a plasma rather than LCD for SD.