Digital Tv

Woby_Tide

charlieheard wrote:

Agreed - but when reviews of cheaper IDTVs say the digital element isn't ideal, why pay extra for IDTV if you might bypass it? It's still early days, so the "best" design hasn't been designed yet...

so Phillips (and evidently Panasonic/Sony et al) are now cheaper IDTV's?

having just looked at homecinema website reviews they tend to get similar reviews. How much exactly is the difference between a non -IDTV and it's equivalent IDTV model. And I also assume you have some personal experience to back up your assumptions rather than completely gathered from magazines?

Poppycat

Indeed I have a integrated lcd tv with freeview and analogue tuners, and also have a twin tuner pvr and it give me so much more options particularly if there 3 programs on at once or overlap I find it great for times when there begger all on tv.

jjames_3

Nothing wrong with the current crop of IDTVs, the set-top box technology has reached a level of maturity now where any box/integrated receiver performs reasonably well with full EPG/interactive, decent speed and stability etc.

However, look at it this way. An IDTV costs around £100 more than a TV without the digital tuner. For that £100 you can get an STB with hard drive built in, which is far more flexible than a simple DTT receiver built-in which isn't even an ideal solution for recording to video/DVDR (recording a DTT channel when the TV is off is impossible)

charlieheard

I looked at getting an IDTV, but at my end of the market (aka cheaper), the reviews weren't that good. I don't have personal experience of buying a cheap IDTV - that's why I read reviews :rolleyes: If I'd wanted to spend more on a Sony/Panasonic, the cost difference is smaller.

In the end, I went for a more expensive Topfield PVR with 160Gb HDD (~80 hours recording) which you can customise using 3rd party add-ons. It means I can totally configure my STB to be better than Sky+ (IMHO) while still not splashing out on IDTV.

I'm now waiting for HDTV to settle down before I buy again...

Poppycat

In the case of my Samsung HDTV with Freeview ths cost was only about £30 more than the one with the analogue tuner, however I got two tuners, one analogue and one Freeview. Its worth paying the extra as long as it isn't much more, the tuner is built-in less circuitry, less connections outside, and I actually get a very slightly better picture than my Humax pvr.

SallyD

WOW, I did not reckon on getting so much information. The aerial is at least 25 years old, no problems receiving all analogue channels. No too bothered about recording because my Mum reckons there is so much rubbish on the box in anycase. I have bought her a DVD player so she can watch all the films we buy. Always rented for the past 35+ odd years, so at very long last looking at the Phillips 32" PW6720D.

ericpode

No too bothered about recording because my Mum reckons there is so much rubbish on the box in anycase.

Just wait 'til she gets freeview, then. She'll have more rubbish than she knows how to cope with!! ;-}

Poppycat

Sounds like you could do with a new areail tbh and new cabling as the sun can corrode the outer cabling and let water in and effects picture quality.

If you live close to the mast you dont need an expensive wide band aerial either but the further you are from thetransmitter the better ariel you may need.