How many hertz?

mallard

Going to buy a bigger flatscreen - probably 42 inch but not sure about 50 hz or 100 hz or whether it makes a lot of difference. Certainly won't be doing any game playing so just the normal tv/dvd etc usage. Any advice welcome?

Harrowing_2

Don't some people say they can see flicker at 50Hz? I've never been able to, so 50Hz has been fine for me.

DrScotsman

Harrowing wrote: »

Don't some people say they can see flicker at 50Hz? I've never been able to, so 50Hz has been fine for me.

LCD and Plasma TVs don't flicker at any frequency.

mallard, I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure frequency doesn't matter any more.

Some places try to mince terminology and use 100Hz to refer to something that many 100Hz TVs happen to be capable of - the ability to double frames to make a really smooth 100fps (frames per second) picture from a 50fps source. However 50fps is already smooth, you won't need this.

You may want a TV that smoothens 25fps to 50fps (films on DVDs or TV are almost always at 25fps in the UK), but that technology exists in non-100Hz TVs. Even then, from my own experience a lot of people can't even tell the difference between 25fps and 50fps.

mallard

Thanks - they came out with all the technobabble when we went to a few big stores - but they will do that trying to flog a toaster! Essentially then we arent going to notice any real difference by going for a 50hertz which seem to be coming down in price in preference to 100hertz. I couldn't see any difference in stores between 50 and 100 so happy to go for the most reasonable costwise

jb66

Tv (PAL) is broadcast at 50hz so for normal tv viewing you wont notice a diffrerence, you may notice a difference watching bluerays

DrScotsman

jb66 wrote: »

Tv (PAL) is broadcast at 50hz so for normal tv viewing you wont notice a diffrerence, you may notice a difference watching bluerays

Not really. 99.99% of Blu-rays in the UK region will either be at 25fps or 50fps. The highest technically permissible is 59.94/60, which you will only find on imports.

(mallard, for simplicity's sake I neglected to mention in my previous post that the so-called 50Hz TVs will be able to display 59.94/60Hz content fine, as it's required of them if they claim to be HD ready. But even if they didn't it doesn't matter as you said you won't be playing any games and I'm guessing you won't be importing many DVDs or Blu-Rays)

mallard

This has been helpful - essentially it seems that it is not going to make any real difference. Probably wont go down the blueray route - cant see any need to pay loads for a player (and the DVDs) when our forty quid one does what it needs to do.

Next stop is finding a good 42inch......grabbed one for a friend's birthday after a post on mse and with the reduction and quidco got a good deal plus free delivery. Should have ordered two at the time!

almillar

Panasonic G20 range is a good place to start and quite future-proof. Has a FreeviewHD and FreesatHD tuner built in, can get some stuff from the internet and has usb for viewing photos/videos on or even recording to a hard drive through. Oh, and a great picture of course!

mallard

almillar wrote: »

Panasonic G20 range is a good place to start and quite future-proof. Has a FreeviewHD and FreesatHD tuner built in, can get some stuff from the internet and has usb for viewing photos/videos on or even recording to a hard drive through. Oh, and a great picture of course!

Looks good and very tempting - prefer not to have a plasma though. But as you say a good starting point for looking around. Cheers:beer:

almillar

Going by your first question about hertz, you've probably been misinformed about plasma screens, and think they'll need 'regassed' or other such cack!

mallard

:rotfl::rotfl:Much needed laugh in a mind numbing day! The reflection issue of plasmas is the main thing. At the mo the TV faces a window and is okay but having looked at quite a few plasmas there is reflection onto the glass screen hence the preference for lcd/led flatscreens.