In TV world 2009 has been Disappointing.............

[staggerlee]

Now that the hype has died down and we are near the last quarter of the year. I don't think 2009 has been great for TV's. I've been following the new releases but generally feel a bit deflated.

The pansonic plasma's haven't acually set the world on fire.

Pioneer stopped.

The LED backlight technology i think is still in its infancy. In 2/3 years time I am sure these sets will be amazing

The sony TV's are excellent but their backlight issues are a no no.

You have better chance of tracking down Osama Bin Laden than a Philipps set.

Or am I just being pessimistic.......................

 

[j4mm3r]

No, you've nailed it in one!

Cant wait for the hype & forums to start on 3d tv personally ill give it at least 10 years to evolve, who wants to look like a geek and wear coloured glasses to watch a slightly 3d effect movie......

 

[Anonymous]

staggerlee:
Now that the hype has died down and we are near the last quarter of the year. I don't think 2009 has been great for TV's. I've been following the new releases but generally feel a bit deflated.

The pansonic plasma's haven't acually set the world on fire.

Pioneer stopped.

The LED backlight technology i think is still in its infancy. In 2/3 years time I am sure these sets will be amazing

The sony TV's are excellent but their backlight issues are a no no.

You have better chance of tracking down Osama Bin Laden than a Philipps set.

Or am I just being pessimistic.......................

and the moral of the story is , dont believe the hype (ie, panasonic z1 , v10 , phillips 21.9 etc ) , but we probably will , when all the details of next years sets are drip fed to us , whats next ? 900hz ? 1trillion to 1 contrast ratio ? , neo plasma cyberdine systems orbit panel ????????????????/ for god sake tv makers cut out the BS and just beat the kuro at an affordable price ....

 

[Anonymous]

I bought the v10 plasma based not on its 600hz IFC SFD, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and all the other claims but on a picture I was impressed with at a price I was happy with. Itïs no kuro, fine, but as long as Iïm happy with it thatïs all that matters. Every year, tvs come out that beat the previous generation (okay not the kuro) - just enjoy your tv, donït strive for perfection, just get the best you can with what you can afford now, and upgrade when you feel the need to. There are always going to be tvs which are better than yours at some point.

I canït see myself buying another tv though - my next purchase will most likely be a projector, and the same principle applies.

I spent since late 2008 looking for a tv, struggling to decide what to get and being disappointed by certain aspects of each tv and with the 5 star tvs outside my price range. Itïs too frustrating trying to figure out what the best tv is, especially when you know the following year will bring improvements and will be the must have set. Improvements may be slight, but manufacturers live off the hype.

As does this magazine presumably. This is not a criticism by any means, but if people were happy with their equipment long term, advertising revenue would likely decrease as consumers where less likely to upgrade. Also circulation would likely drop. Having said that, both the magazine and this forum have been an invaluable source of information and help, so thank you.

The moral. Buy something you like and are happy with, enjoy and donït second guess your decision.

If not, you may feel comfort in a future of OLED (maybe), 3d tv and blu ray! Technology these days has such a short shelf life.

 

[Anonymous]

Good post hmtb.

 

[strapped for cash]

Agreed. We're a whiny bunch, indeed. If you consider the fact that what was previously high end technology has filtered down into mid price sets during the last year or so, and the effect of the credit crunch on tv prices, we have got a lot more bang for our buck in 2009. Everybody seems to still be obsessing about the now discontinued Pioneer sets, but we should remember that these are high end sets with a price to match. The Kuro may still be desperately clinging onto its crown as 'the greatest tv ever' -- a subject extensively debated on another thread -- but sets costing half the price now come close to the Kuro in terms of performance. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure some people will), but this was not the case a year ago...

Advances in TV technology and performance may have been incremental rather than evolutionary leaps (with perhaps the Philips 9664 being the exception to this rule), but the whole point of buying a TV is to enjoy it, not sit and obsess over every barely discernable picture flaw. Don't get me wrong, I'm as fussy as the next man, but by shopping around it's possible to get some stonking deals at the moment. I, for one, am extroadinarily happy with the performance of my recently purchsed G10, particularly at the ludicrously low price I got it for.

 

[staggerlee]

good post hmtb........my normal motto has always been buy the best you can afford. However, with £1500 to burn on a TV this year, the money is still in the bank. May be next year.......i hear 3D is coming and i can't wait for the day when me and my mates with a few beers watching the footie wearing our 3d glasses !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mikey2008]

How much better can TVs get, in all seriousness? There has to be a limit at some point.

 

[sonycentre]

Ditto mikey 2008.the public are very strange folks.all wanted for nothing,maybe we should live back in the 80s with 14"crt sets with just 4 channels,people seemed happy back then.

 

[bigboss]

I don't think there'll ever be any limit. I can't think of one thing that has not evolved over the years.

 

[mikey2008]

Okay, maybe not a limit, but certainly some sort of plateau where the increments are minimal...

 

[Anonymous]

There may be a limit with existing technology, and we may be reaching a stage where improvements are incremental rather than revolutionary. LED backlit tvs are an improvement over traditional lcds but does it completely change the way you view films/tv? I would say not. 3D tv on the other hand will (though Iïm reluctant to embrace this at the moment). OLED has the potential to. I read that screens could be borderless and that you could attach more than one screen to another one, which would be recognised and distribute the picture to match the size.

The ïproblemï is one of choice. Weïre not ïhappyï because there is so much choice. Everyone wants to feel like they have the best tv (or the best they can get). We always look at and want that which we donït have, rather than consider ourselves fortunate for what we do. TV shopping was far easier 50 years ago when there wasnït as much choice - you either had a tv or you didnït. Weïre also assuming that within this wide range of choice, there are significant quality differences. Iïm not saying there arenït, but these may not be all that huge (I donït know, I havenït seen enough tvs). I have seen the pioneer kuro with an sd feed in John Lewis and being equally unimpressed with that as I was with others on the shop floor.

 

[Anonymous]

Ditto mikey 2008.the public are very strange folks.all wanted for nothing,maybe we should live back in the 80s with 14"crt sets with just 4 channels,people seemed happy back then.

I still have a Sony 14" Crt Trinitron tube TV and it is the best picture quality I have seen. Nothing comes close, and not any picture judder at all. Now I accept that it is not a flat screen and it is not large enough for a living room, but the quality has not been matched.

 

[Anonymous]

Very Annoyed:
Ditto mikey 2008.the public are very strange folks.all wanted for nothing,maybe we should live back in the 80s with 14"crt sets with just 4 channels,people seemed happy back then.

I still have a Sony 14" Crt Trinitron tube TV and it is the best picture quality I have seen. Nothing comes close, and not any picture judder at all. Now I accept that it is not a flat screen and it is not large enough for a living room, but the quality has not been matched.
i beg to differ , the best of the latest tvs showing hd content would be sharper , richer in colour , much more vibrant and detailed , are you looking at your old sony while wearing romance goggles ??

 

[Alec]

sonycentre:maybe we should live back in the 80s with 14"crt sets with just 4 channels,people seemed happy back then.

Them were the days...

 

[Anonymous]

maxflinn:Very Annoyed:

Ditto mikey 2008.the public are very strange folks.all wanted for nothing,maybe we should live back in the 80s with 14"crt sets with just 4 channels,people seemed happy back then.

I still have a Sony 14" Crt Trinitron tube TV and it is the best picture quality I have seen. Nothing comes close, and not any picture judder at all. Now I accept that it is not a flat screen and it is not large enough for a living room, but the quality has not been matched.

i beg to differ , the best of the latest tvs showing hd content would be sharper , richer in colour , much more vibrant and detailed , are you looking at your old sony while wearing romance goggles ??

Well I will take your word for it, but I have yet to see it. By the way, how much is this quality going to cost me? Because my little Sony cost £189

 

[Anonymous]

37inch panasonic plasma about £450-£500 , lovely picture , hd ready , or £770 for a £42inch full hd one ... 14inch sony at £189 = £13.50 per inch , 37inch panasonic plasma at £475= £12.83 per inch ....