A bit confused about lcd tv's

callistris

To go with my recent purchase of my freesat hd box, I would like to get a hd ready tv:cool:

My budget is £300 max;)

While looking at 32" I see alot of something called contrast ratio. Most of the tv's within my price range have only 1000:1 or 1500:1 which seems low compared to some which are alot higher.
The reviews all state excellent picture quality, which is where im confused!
Does a telly with only a low contrast ratio as stated above have that much of a worse picture that that of say 18000:1?
Am I really gonna notice a difference?

If i would notice the difference would it then be better to downsize to get the better quality?

The tv is for my living room:D

Thanks all

Traveller1981

By a winking smilie next to your max limit, I'm guessing this is adjustable?
If I were you, I would spend a little more, maybe £350/£400 and get something like this
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/6615245/Sony-Bravia-V-Series-32-32V4000-HD-Ready-Freeview-Widescreen-LCD-TV/Product.html
Will be better than the vistron branded stuff you are probably referring to from the likes of ebuyer. This is something you are likely to keep for a while and as you have an HD freesat box, it is worth spending a little extra. Just my 2p worth.

4743hudsonj

well contrast is literally how black are the blacks and white the whites if you get me...


1500:1 isnt bad for you budget


i mean i have a 30,000:1 and my brother a 1000:1 and to be honest, with a bith of tinkering with the settings theres no noticeable difference for standard definition stuff like freesat, for hd content there is a difference but its not drastic like i said jsut richer colours that appear more vividly

my opinion is that if you had 2 identical tv's in every respect but contrast ratio, on being 1500:1 and the other .... lets say 10,000:1 the first being £300 and the latter £400-£450 (which is what you can expect to pay for this spec) then i would go for the lower contrast as unless your really not bothered one bit by spending that amount more than your budget its not worth it

out of interest, what hd sutff will you run from it and how often

aliEnRIK

Thats a cheap tv even for a 32"

Id say go for this (If your not willing to pay for the sony which I would recommend you do) ~
LG ~ HD Ready, 3 hdmis and inbuilt freeview
Contrast ratios mean NOTHING to actual picture quality so dont worry your self over that

***You get what you pay for***

esuhl

I suspect that the higher contrast ratios are dynamic, whereas the lower ones are not.

The info at the link below can probably explain better than I can!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_contrast#Dynamic_contrast_ratio

callistris

Thanks for all your input and yes things are a bit clearer now, basically as I had thought to my untrained eye then I will hardly, if at all notice a difference:cool:

I have found on ebay (listed as new) delivered for under £290 this 32" toshiba

Looks like it will be good enough for me which will be for watching hd telly no gaming.
Look ok?

davethorp

Sorry to thread hijack but I'm also going to be in the market for an LCD TV soon and wouldn't mind some advice.

Currently have a 32" CRT Philips. We have sky+ but no SkyHD and don't plan to upgrade in the foreseeable future (can't justify paying them an extra tenner for what is essentially prettier versions of channels we already have and we don't have sports or movies so no big deal really). I do have a PS3 which is used for gaming and will be used for blu rays

Budget £400 max

I've currently been looking at the LGs from Richer sounds (the 32" someone else posted in this thread and the 37" model up from it for £399). Are these TVs any good or can someone else come up with any suitable alternatives within budget.

Cheers guys and sorry again for the hijack but seemed better than posting a new thread

Marty_J

aliEnRIK wrote: »

Contrast ratios mean NOTHING to actual picture quality so dont worry your self over that

I agree totally, it's pretty much a made up number.

Even if it did mean something, different manufacturers use different methods for "measuring" the contrast ratio, which makes comparisons useless.

vodkandredbull

davethorp wrote: »

Sorry to thread hijack but I'm also going to be in the market for an LCD TV soon and wouldn't mind some advice.

Currently have a 32" CRT Philips. We have sky+ but no SkyHD and don't plan to upgrade in the foreseeable future (can't justify paying them an extra tenner for what is essentially prettier versions of channels we already have and we don't have sports or movies so no big deal really). I do have a PS3 which is used for gaming and will be used for blu rays

Budget £400 max

I've currently been looking at the LGs from Richer sounds (the 32" someone else posted in this thread and the 37" model up from it for £399). Are these TVs any good or can someone else come up with any suitable alternatives within budget.

Cheers guys and sorry again for the hijack but seemed better than posting a new thread

Its probably better to start a new thread, that way people can see your title and respond accordingly.

LG and Samsung are the brands I would reccomend in that kind of price bracket, and for what you need then you don't really need to spend any more.

Don't plan too much if you want to purchase from Richer Sounds as their stocks are usually limited...if you see it...you have the money...grab it. If you are a planner then its probably better to look for a source other than RS.

davethorp

Richer sounds were out of stock of both the LGs we were interested in. On the off chance we looked in the sony centre expecting the TVs to be stupidly expensive and walked out with a Bravia KDL32V4200 for £399. Older model but for that price and with a 5 year warranty included we were pretty chuffed

callistris

Nice find davethorp:D

I wish my budget could have stretched enough to get a sony:o I instead went for the toshiba i linked to in my previous post my friends have the 37" version and its very good, just waiting on its arrival now:D