£500 - £700 for a Television

Twinny99

Hi I wonder if any of you guys could give me a quick bit of advice.

My flatmate has got £500 saved and she wants to buy a new TV but hasn't got a clue where to start. She doesn't mind if she has to pay up to £700 but she wants a good one that will last a good few years. It has to be 37" full HD ready but apart from that she doesn't really care which make / model it is as long as its good picture / sound etc.

We are intending to upgrade our sky+ box to an HD one and it wont be used for gaming or anything we just want a nice looking TV

As you can tell I haven't got a clue - I told her to get a Sony Bravia cause I 'heard' they were good but I dont even know where I heard that from. We are going to choose it tomorrow (typical of her not to give me much notice) so I haven't really got time to do any proper research :rolleyes:

Any help or advice would be gratefully received.

cajef

I would recommend looking at Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba or Samsung models they all have a good reputation, avoid some of the cheaper makes.

moonrakerz

cajef wrote: »

I would recommend looking at Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba or Samsung models they all have a good reputation, avoid some of the cheaper makes.

...........and buy it from John Lewis, you get a 5 yr guarantee on all TVs.

Twinny99

Thanks!

I'm going to John Lewis to look at them tomorrow - I just hope the salespeople don't try to flog me the model that won't sell cause all the experts know better! :rolleyes::D

macman

If you possibly want the Freesat HD option, rather than waste your money on a Sky sub, you might look at the Samsung and Panasonic models that have built in Freesat tuners.
Personally I would hold off buying just now-you've just missed the lower VAT rate, and now with integrated HD around the corner there will be some new options to consider in the next couple of months.

Edinburghlass_2

Twinny99 wrote: »

Thanks!

I'm going to John Lewis to look at them tomorrow - I just hope the salespeople don't try to flog me the model that won't sell cause all the experts know better! :rolleyes::D

I don't think you'll find that in JL to be honest. I suggest you have a look on the likes of Argos tonight where you can compare up to 5 sets for the different features like how many scart/HDMI sockets etc. and have a read of the reviews for fairly unbiased opinions.

Write down any make/model you like then do some research for prices on that model so it gives you an idea of what to expect.

wayne99

we have had a 42" LG tv now for two years its fantastic, my friend got a samsung and was using the in built freeview and to be honest the picture was not fantastic alot of screen break up when things moved fast on the screen, we have no issues like that with the LG.

I would recomend in no order: LG, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba.

if you decide to wall mount the tv we got our wall mounts (x2) from http://www.bracketsrus.co.uk/ i couldnt recomend them enough, we got a tilting bracket i think for about 35 quid, with free next day delivery, came with all screws and wall fixings, the same bracket in argos was 79.99 and came with no screws or wall fixings.

example:
http://www.bracketsrus.co.uk/Tilting-Arm-LCD-TV-Wall-Brackets,-Plasma-TV-Brackets-p88.html dont worry about the 34-40" thing when the bracket came in the box it stated it can fit upto 60" tv's

argos bracket:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5345966/Trail/searchtext%3EWALL+BRACKET.htm

they are the same ones.

have fun !

moonrakerz

Twinny99 wrote: »

Thanks!

I'm going to John Lewis to look at them tomorrow - I just hope the salespeople don't try to flog me the model that won't sell cause all the experts know better! :rolleyes::D

I think that you will find their staff to be much more knowledgeable than C***t, C****s, D****s, etc, etc, etc.
I got mine from them.

moonrakerz

Edinburghlass wrote: »

I don't think you'll find that in JL to be honest. I suggest you have a look on the likes of Argos tonight

Disagree strongly with that ! Lewis stock a range of "quality" TVs: Argos and many others stock a limited number of makes of TVs which they push hard to sell saying they are as good as S**y, P*****c - which to be blunt - they ain't ! The quality of staff in may of these places is dreadful.

My test: ask the staff if they will connect one of their HD televisions to an SD aerial - THAT will tell you who is being honest about what they sell ! Not one of the "names" would do that for me - except my local J Lewis (Waitrose actually ) who got a lead and connected it to each TV that I asked for.

Edinburghlass_2

I suggested Argos as a website they can look at TONIGHT where TV's can be compared by features as they don't actually know what they are looking for yet, I'm not suggesting anything else.

cajef

Have to agree with moonrakerz, I got a Panasonic from John Lewis, the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful but do not try to push any particular make, plus as stated a 5 year warranty.