Which Tv?

[admin_exported]

Hi guys, first post and first venture into the world of tv and audio really.

Looking for my first home tv set-up, not looking to replicate a cinema but being able to watch dvds, tv and game with a bit more oomph than the current 19" 4:3 is providing is the agenda.

Pretty much set on the LG HT902TB system for sound and dvds but i'm lost when it comes to tvs.

I've found 3:

Toshiba 32AV504DB

Samsung LE32A436

Sony KDL-32s3000

They are all similarly priced and similarly specced from what i can tell. Any advice one which to get or if there is something i've overlooked?

 

[Anonymous]

What is

Your viewing distance ?

Your budget ?

Your room size ?

 

[Anonymous]

What is

Your viewing distance ?

12 ft at most i'd say

Your budget ?

£700 probably, might end up buying each bit a few months apart. I'm only a student, judging by the What Hi Fi magazine the student budget doesn't fare well!

Your room size ?

Maybe 250 sq ft, seems massive!

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

I think a 32" set might seem quite small from 12ft, especially for watching movies. Have you considered going for a 37 or even 40 inch set (if you have the space). Also, you should definitely check out some of the latest plasmas from Panasonic and Samsung. They offer great value over their LCD counterparts. The Panasonic 37PX80 and 42PX80 are both excellent allrounders and worth checking out. They're also both well within your budget.

 

[Anonymous]

What he said ......pieces of eight ,pieces of eight

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for that guys but I meant £700 including the all in one sytem as well :/

I guess that leaves £450 which i enough for the 3 above. Would it be worth just delaying the buy until i can afford something else? Its not urgent or anything, i'll just have an all-in-one system with a 19" crt! haha

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

It's a slow week. I'm spending waaaaay to much time on here.

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

Well, the Panasonic 37PX80 is £550(Richer Sounds) and can be paired with something like the 5-star rated LG HT902TB (£250 also from RS). OK, it's £100 over your budget but it's well worth it for what you're getting.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers for the help guys, that tv looks awesome Fuzzy. Didn't think i'd be able to get 1080p signal support for that amount of money.

Gonna get the LG system and save up some more cash for the Tv then it seems!

Thanks again

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

Amazingly, the 42 inch version of that tv is only £50 more.

 

[Anonymous]

I went and had a look at that panny plasma yesterday and was very impressed except that compared to the tvs around it the picture was very dark. I'm not sure if this was the brightness setting or what? Anyone else noticed this?

The Tv next to it was a Toshiba 37XV505DB which had a crisper picture but with less impressive colours.

 

[Anonymous]

It's because the Toshiba TV you were comparing it to uses LCD technology. This means light is produced by a flourescent backlight rather than phosphors, as in plasma screens, and are therefore much brighter. However, the backlight will compromise black level and if set too high will create garish and unnatural colours, as you have seen. You must consider the environment you will be watching your TV in. If, like most people, critical viewing is in a darkened room, the Plasma will be easier on the eye and you will appreciate the superior black reproduction, as any light radiating from the screen will be much more noticeable, causing the picture to lack depth or contrast.

 

[Anonymous]

Ah ok fair enough, it was a big currys showroom thing with massive halogens so not quite the typical environment. I'll see if i can get a look at it elsewhere. I guess alot of tv will be watched in a brightish room but thats when i'm not really bothered about quality. Dvds and such will all be watched in a darkened room.

Cheers for the help.

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

Hi Davesbeard, the comparison that you mention is a very common one for many people shopping for a tv on the high street. I'm not knocking people for making this comparison as where else can they actually go to view them? However, I'd take what you see in store with a large pinch of salt. LCDs are very bright out of the box and set-up for shop floor lighting conditions whereas plasmas are often the opposite and can suffer in comparison if not set up properly - which they almost never are. My parents have a 37PX80 at home, thanks to recommendations from the staff of this site and many other users, and it's plenty bright enough for daytime viewing along with watching DVDs in a darkened room.

 

[Anonymous]

I went from a CRT which was set at bright levels, although I didn't realise this at the time. Once I'd set my px80 up at the settings recommended in hdtvtest.com I thought 'Pants thats way too dark'.

However 3 days later I went in to the other lounge and thought the CRT pic was really unnaturally bright and the colours almost cartoon like. After 'running-in' the px80, the THX optimiser showed the pic was already spot on and no changes required.

It's fine in my bright room (2x6' patio doors, 2xlarge Velux windows plus mirrors a plenty) during the day and great for night watching too.

As I've said before, I bought it as a fill in 'til the new ranges were released, but I'm not in any hurry to change as it good enough to use until the new Pioneers have come down in price. In fact it may stay in the main lounge longer than that !

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

Yeah the THX optimizer is a good guide to use and is accessible to just about everyone with a modest dvd collection. For those who don't know, it can be found in the set-up sub-menu on Pixar's dvd releases and the more recent Star Wars films.