HD Ready LCD TV recommendations

[Tezcatlipoca]

I'm on the look out for a new HD Ready TV to replace my ageing 28" widescreen CRT iDTV.



I thinking either LG or Samsung, so far.


I had a quick look on the Dixons () website last night, & the prices don't seem too bad, much cheaper than when I was initially considering getting one earlier in the year.


27" LG HD Ready LCD for £470something (27LZ55), 26" Samsung HD Ready LCD for £499 (LE26R72BX). No built-in Freeview for either though.


26" Samsung HD Ready LCD with built-in Freeview for ~ £580 (LE26R73BD).


32" LG HD Ready LCD, no Freeview, for £590 (32LX2R).


32" LG HD Ready LCD, with built-in Freeview, for ~ £620 (32LC2DB).


32" Samsung HD Ready LCD, no Freeview, for ~£630 (LE32R72BX)


32" Samsung HD Ready LCD, with built-in Freeview, for ~ £690 (LE32R73BD).




Seeing as the normal native resolution tends, AFAIK, to be 1366 x 768, is it actually better to get a 26 or 27", as the 32" would have the same res. but have bigger pixels?



Anyone got & can recommend any of the ones I've mentioned above, or got another not listed that's worth a mention?


EDIT: I'd be hooking up an XBox 360 (using Component or VGA), a normal Sky Digibox using RGB SCART ('till I can eventually convince the other half to then get Sky HD ), an old XBox using RGB SCART, & possibly later on also the 360's add-on HD-DVD drive. I'm not too fussed about built-in Freeview, but it is quite handy (I suppose if I got one without integrated DVB-T I could just buy a separate Freeview box & use it as an excuse to get a Freeview PVR).

[jellybaby]

I was reading somewhere that to get a true HD picture, it has to be 32" or above. Just trying to find the link now.

I would go for any with res of 1080p, myself.

And probably at least two HDMI connectors (set top box and DVD)

[SnoopZ]

I'm waiting until 1080p comes out and a cheap price. I think 12 months might be worth the wait rather than jumping in early as most Tv's aren't 1080p.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by jellybaby

I was reading somewhere that to get a true HD picture, it has to be 32" or above. Just trying to find the link now.

As long as it can do 1366 x 768, & so do 720p, plus has HDMI (or DVI with HDCP) then it's "HD Ready".


You can get "true HD" on a 19" PC monitor.

Originally Posted by foreverwar

I would go for any with res of 1080p, myself.

And probably at least two HDMI connectors (set top box and DVD)

1080p isn't as rare as it used to be, but is still way too expensive (& tends to only be on the larger sets AFAIK).

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

I'm waiting until 1080p comes out and a cheap price. I think 12 months might be worth the wait rather than jumping in early as most Tv's aren't 1080p.

1080p is still too pricey now. I guess it could be worth the wait, my problem is I'm impatient. I've already held off for a year, I suppose I could try & resist a bit longer.

[SnoopZ]

The price of LCD's are dropping very fast so it might be worth seeing what happens in 3-6 months?

[pedantic]

Stretch your budget, and get a plasma.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

The price of LCD's are dropping very fast so it might be worth seeing what happens in 3-6 months?

True. I don't think I'd get anything until at least the new year, anyway. Just thought I'd start looking around now.

Originally Posted by pedantic

Stretch your budget, and get a plasma.

lol. I'd have to stretch my lounge too though!

[pedantic]

Originally Posted by Matt D

lol. I'd have to stretch my lounge too though!

I take it space is an issue then ?

What about a wall mounted plasma then ?

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by pedantic

I take it space is an issue then ?

What about a wall mounted plasma then ?

Wall mounted plasma...


My girlfriend's brother has one of those. He also has a huge lounge though.



Space is an issue, plus it can't be wall-mounted 'cos we rent (too expensive to buy in Cambridge ).


My current WS TV is a 28" CRT. I think the screen size is just about right for the size of the lounge, although I'd be tempted by a 32" LCD as physically it'd still be smaller/lighter than my current beast of a TV.

[pedantic]

There are plenty of reviews of LCD's here.

I've always found good advice over at avforums

As for Dixons, you can get better deals using pricerunner, Dixons aren't always cheap, and they tend to sell older sets.

[Stephen]

Thanks to AV forums I heard about this make

However I decided to go for the 27" version as I thought it looked nicer. Have had it a few days now and its fantastic, watching BBC HD on it just cause it looks so fantastic.

Link to the 27" version

TV has all the connections and is fully HD ready. I have yet to find any faults with it. and for a 27" for under £400 you can't go wrong.

There is a thread over at AV Forums all about the TV manufacturer.

[Mr Angry]

After several months of extensive research Angry Towers has just had a 42" plasma occupy the corner of the lounge. I can honestly say there is a lot to be said for plasma over LCD.

As suggested above - if you can - hold fire until the sales and what savings you make will pay dividends.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Cheers, guys

[Kneebs]

I've just bought the Sammy - LE32R74BDX (with built in freeview), got it from play for £639. I originally bought (and quickly returned!!) the Polaroid 32" LCD that PC World were selling for £500, and I'm so happy I paid the extra - the difference is picture quality is well worth the extra £s.

Overall it's a great tv for the price - the 360 over component looks amazing. (I'd go for component over VGA as the colours seem slightly faded through VGA - I've got a lend of a friends VGA cable and there is a noticable difference.) This isn't a problem with the tv though as I've read others have the same issue with other tvs.

Oh, and after I bought this tv, I found this link http://www.dixons.co.uk/martprd/edit..._id=ppc_tvcamp - £609, inc free delivery - it's dixons "exclusive" version of the tv I have, although I'm not sure of the differences other than the blue strip beside the power button