how on earth do I chose a tv?

markandkate

HI can any one help? The last time I bought a TV there was only a limited choice but now it is so confusing I don't knowwhere to start. I know that I want a flat screen and probably about 40+" but beyond tha I really don't know. Also I don't understand the differnce between Blue Ray and DVD. Will one play on the other and vice versa? Are there any compatbility issues eg if I buy one sort of TV will I have to have Blue Ray rather than DVD? Please help a very confused person. I know to some extent you get what yo pay for but I do try to pay as little as I can too. Many thanks

nickj_2

if you go to amazon they have a great range plus users reviews
i've just got a 32" samsung from there and it's great
blue ray is the next generation of dvd's supposedly even better than dvd , but then they said that dvd's were the greatest thing since sliced bread when they came out - what ever tv you choose , it will cope with both

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

Blu-ray provides films in high definition (HD). They will look better than normal DVD's.
A DVD player won't play Blu-ray films, but a Blu-Ray player will play DVD's.

You have to decide what sort of budget you're looking at. This will help is with recommendations.
Do you have or plan to have any high definition inputs into the TV? Examples like HD TV from Sky, Virgin or Freesat. The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 can also give you HD.

JoeA81

I'll guess you have heard that most TVs these days say HD or HD Ready?

Blu-ray is basically the HD version of DVD

Generally as long as you have the correct cables, you can display any input source (DVD player, Blu-ray player, freeview box, sky box etc) on any TV. Its just that if you display HD content like a Blu-ray disc on a non-HD TV it is a little pointless! The TV will show the video fine but it will not look as good as it could on an HD TV.

markandkate

Hi thnaks for the info so far. I guess that we would probably go for a HD TV as it will hopefully be fairly future proff but isn't there more than one HD standard? or am I getting confused. Thanks for the help about the Blue Ray player but presumably you need HD to get the best out of this

KateKate_2

Make sure it says Full HD (1080p)

Christina1982

I'm looking for a new tv for my room too and digital recorder come dvd player and I hate to say it but theres too many to choose from!!
Hell I'm sounding like my dad!!!

DCFC79

JoeA81 wrote: »

I'll guess you have heard that most TVs these days say HD or HD Ready?

so whats HD ready then, is it true HD or not

JoeA81

markandkate wrote: »

Hi thnaks for the info so far. I guess that we would probably go for a HD TV as it will hopefully be fairly future proff but isn't there more than one HD standard? or am I getting confused. Thanks for the help about the Blue Ray player but presumably you need HD to get the best out of this

Any modern TV that is 40" is going to be HD or HD ready. You are correct in that those are the two standards of HD. Its all about the pixel resolution, the bigger it is, the greater the detail.

Non HD (or SD) is 720x576
HD Ready on most TVs is 1366x768
HD (or Full HD as it is sometimes called) is 1920x1080

As you can imagine the bigger the better! But will you notice the difference? Who's to say? If you want maximum future proofing then Full HD is the way to go, but HD Ready would be more than adequate for most peoples purposes especially if mostly you are watching terrestrial TV.

Oh yeah, and the maximum resolution of a blu-ray disk? You've guessed it - 1920x1080! But blu-ray will still be perfectly watchable on an HD ready TV, as indeed will DVDs.

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

As above, HD ready TV's are usually 1080i/720p. This is what Sky, Virgin and Freesat broadcast their HD channels at.

Full HD ready is 1080p. This is your Blu-ray, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Full HD TV's do cost more.

DCFC79

Phantom_Flan_Flinger wrote: »

As above, HD ready TV's are usually 1080i/720p. This is what Sky, Virgin and Freesat broadcast their HD channels at.

Full HD ready is 1080p. This is your Blu-ray, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Full HD TV's do cost more.

could you not use an xbox 360 on a hd ready tv