Cheap LCD TVs discussion

shail69

LG 42LH3000
42 inch LCD Full HD television with a free stand(atleast for now) for £504


Technical Specifications

Design
• High gloss black

Picture
• HD Ready 1080p
• Twin XD Engine
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Brightness: 500cd/m2
• 24p Real Cinema
• AV Mode (Cinema, Sport, Game)
• Expert Mode

Sound
• Invisible Speakers
• Clear Voice II
• 2 Way 4 Speakers (10W x 10W)
• SRS TruSurround XT

Convenience
• Swivel Stand
• Simplink
• Energy Saving Recommended

Connectivity
• 3 x HDMI
• 2 x Scart (1 x Full)
• Component
• PC Input
• Composite
• Headphone


www.
electricalexperience.co.uk/product.php/3440/825

Same TV on argos £649.99
www.
argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002201&langId=-1&searchTerms=42LH3000

djhworld

Personally I'd be weary of cheap HDTV's, I'd say opt for the recognised brands and consult review websites/experts to get the best bang for your buck.

Websites such as avforums are full of AV enthusiasts, usually you'll be able to find someone in there who's got the TV you are looking for and they'll impart their opinion on the set.

I'd say for a decent 32" TV, you're best off looking at the £300-£400 price bracket

bzd

Hi,

Does anyone know what a really good quality 22" TV is? I'd really like to get an LED backlit (not edgelit) LCD TV to get a good picture quality (full or nearly full dynamic backlighting). Most manufacturer's seem to assume that anyone spending money on LED backlighting is blind and therefore needs half an acreage of screen (or maybe the technology just doesn't shrink so much yet?)!

I have good eyesight and therefore only need a 22" or maybe 23" telly that doesn't dominate the whole room. I can also tell a good or bad picture! Currently using a Full HD LG 22" which is not bad, but it still doesn't do the totally black pixels! I wouldn't mind dropping to HD Ready if it had fully dynamic backlighting.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,

Ben

specsappeal

Just thought I'd mention that today i got a 22" with freeview and built in DVD player from morrisons for £160 in case any one else is after one.

oly2c

After reading the Which? test reports on TVs I would be very wary of cheap sets. Panasonic, Sony and Samsung are the best brands but even then you need to be careful. You might need to connect to hi fi to get decent sound even with some of their models. Samsung have only recently entered the Best Buy tables and then at the high end of their range so beware of older models.
The Panasonic Viera TX-L32X10 is the cheapest Best Buy at £385 described as "fantastic value for money"

manit40

Aldi 26 inch 3 yr warranty £219 freeview where else can ya get a 3 yr warranty like that ya carnt real good vfm in my opion and richer sounds do great deals too

kcolynot

The reason there are so many cheap LCD TVs is perhaps that Freeview HD is beginning. If you want to watch the World Cup in HD this year (and you're in the right transmitter area) then you'll want a Freeview HDTV or a new set-top box. I think they're coming out around Easter. Se the Freeview site form more info.

zerolight

I say - be wary.

LCD's are great, but in order to be better than your old boxy CRT telly, they need to have more than just a high resolution. How crisp are the details? What sort of response time does the screen have? What's the contrast ratio?

These things don't just matter to the picky. Nobody wants a telly that can't deliver crisp sharp images. The average CRT delivers crisp sharp images of standard definition stuff, even if it costs £30. The average cheap LCD doesn't. They get a little better with high definition stuff but really struggle with standard definition stuff. Even high end LCDs can mush up standard definition broadcasts if they don't have lots of fancy (and costly technology in the background).

Response time matters because a cheap slow LCD screen will cause everything to get blurry whenever anything moves. Fast action movies can become a chore to watch.

The biggy - Contrast ratio. A telly with low contrast ratio struggles to differentiate between different shades - so a dark scene can become nothing but blackness - forget watching any movie or soap with nightime scenes. The higher the contrast ratio the better. Low end tellys like the Techwoods of this world have contrast ratios of 800:1. That's terrible. Mid range sets have a contrast ratio of up to 80,000:1. That's 100 times the contrast ratio of the Techwood. High end telly's have a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. That's a staggering 1000 times more than the techwood. It's not until you get up to these lofty heights that you are able to get a telly that can display a similar sort of night scene to an old boxy CRT. Mid range telly's do an acceptable job. Low end telly's just don't cut it.

The question to ask yourself. Do I want a telly that is thinner but delivers a significantly poorer picture than my current CRT? If the answer is yes, then go for a cheap LCD. Otherwise save your pennies. If you plan to use it for HD console gaming on a 360 and PS3 then you must aim for mid or high end.

Seriously, cheap telly's aren't a deal. Ever. If you really want to help people save their money, don't let them waste it on rubbish. They won't thank you for it when they realise that lump of plastic they bought makes viewing East Enders more of a chore than usual.

phoneguru_2

have a look on ebay.... brand new bush 37inch lcd tv hd with freeview.. brand new £335 thats from argos,s own clearance dept.. item number 360214504909

Bargainetta

I am in the process of buying a new main LCD TV. My old one is over 5 years old now and showing the odd horizontal line that happens when you have had the occasional electrical spike but it is better that what my old dad has so he gets a new-to-him telly. They generally only last around 5 years which is why the John Lewis free 5 year warranty is a good deal. I would suggest going on the Pricerunner site and going through their checklist. Full HD/1080p. Also if you get Widescreen the left and right edges shouldn't be cut off. look for good sound and a fast refresh rate. The Korean brand LG (Lucky Goldstar) always seems to come out really well for getting the most for the least amount of money and the expert reviews they get are good. My computer monitor is a 22" LG combined TV/monitor and that has been fine. The prices have come down massively. The TV I am looking to buy will be roughly a third of the price of the one it is replacing which I bought after a good bonus so .