Oh dear®

[John Duncan]

Well I can certainly give it (finally!). The Sharp's good - it's only 20", but it's bigger than the Sony CRT it replaced. Freeview tuner is excellent - right now it's better than the Humax box plugged into it, but I suspect severe SCART cable issues are to fault there, haven't investigated. Colour and motion are good, even backlighting, reasonable sound (certainly better than the LGs I was also looking at, which were truly - unspeakably - dreadful). Not going to set the world alight, but it's just the kitchen telly, and I couldn't find any others Available Right Now to fit the bill.

You may also wish to consider the Samsung alternatives, as I expect they're pretty good, and much cheaper in the given retailer (£200 versus £300 for the Sharp), though tbh I couldn't be doing with that weird curvy none-more-shiny-black aesthetic they have going on.

I can feel name confusion coming on here, btw.

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="JDuncan"]I've not found anything that dunks as satisfyingly as Rich Tea. Not the best biscuit, but the most satisfying "dunker" imho.[/quote]

Oooh, the old Fox's Golden Cruch Creams are marvellous for dunking... hold in the hot tea until the biscuit is almost falling apart, then quickly transfer to your mouth and feel it melt. Glorius!

EDIT - just noticed - did you set up a new account John, just so you could ask about your Sharp TV?!

 

[John Duncan]

No, I'd have covered my tracks better with a non-identifiable username - HobNobsRock or something like that.

 

[professorhat]

Clever...

 

[Anonymous]

What was the model no. of the Sharp if you don't mind my asking? I do worry that with these things one model in a range can be quite exemplary and yet another a complete lemon.

"none-more-shiny-black" - great phrase I'll have to remember that. For that exact reason they've already been discounted. I was probably leaning towards Philips as a brand, just because they seemed to have a number of offerings and looked 'ok' in JL in MK.

Name confusiong - apologies. The "J" is for James if that makes you feel any better I wonder if I can change it?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

I bought this 20 inch Bravia a few months ago for £330 (rrp £480). It is excellent. Check out the reviews (you always get one silly one!) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-KDL-20S4000-Widescreen-Bravia-Freeview/dp/customer-reviews/B000VYYTS4/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_pop_hist_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&customer-reviews.start=1&qid=1209839683&sr=1-247#customerReviews

 

[John Duncan]

The Sony was on my original agenda, but was ruled out on budget grounds (since I went out with a stated budget of £200, and going 50% over is usually my limit)

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="JDuncan"]
What was the model no. of the Sharp if you don't mind my asking? I do worry that with these things one model in a range can be quite exemplary and yet another a complete lemon.

"none-more-shiny-black" - great phrase I'll have to remember that. For that exact reason they've already been discounted. I was probably leaning towards Philips as a brand, just because they seemed to have a number of offerings and looked 'ok' in JL in MK.

Name confusiong - apologies. The "J" is for James if that makes you feel any better I wonder if I can change it?
[/quote]

Not at all - it was this one. Four stars when it was reviewed last year (at £500, I dug it out) - a steady, rather than glowing review, and I'll take an extra star for the 200 quid off

. I originally though the LGs nearer the £230 mark would fit the bill (since 20" was on the limit, tbh), but web reviews pointed to an issue with sound quality, so I made a point of listening to them in-store. I'd rather poke my eyes out with a blunt stick, they were that bad.........

I too like Philips as a brand, but I'm not especially keen on the design of their weeny sets - they have a bit of a sucked-lozenge look about them which I thought was a bit weird (feel free to use that one too). Good quality though, last time I looked - my main telly is one of theirs, and their ambi-lights are fantastic.