Bargain alert! 32" HD Ready LCD TV for £399...can you get one?

ChemicalBrother_2

sydney2002 wrote:

My old Tv was a 28" fat style Toshiba, big fat muther :-)

You're lucky it wasn't a 32" TV, my Beko CRT is absolutely massive an nearly takes up a metre deepness in the room. Fortunately I've got a ridiculously sized bedroom. The 28" Tosh is way smaller and fits in better in the living room!

Still, IMHO CRTs are the best video monitors going and if space isn't at a premium (and if money is lacking) are a much better buy.

Soon though, thin TVs with CRT technology will be entering the market. I say 'soon' but these things keep getting put back. Hopefully when they do get to market they'll be cheaper than LCD/Plasma.

sydney2002 wrote:

Never ever had issues with it freezing. Hence I thought it was this refresh rate, that a lot of people talk about on LCD's... and nobody knows what the rate is on these acoustics do they.
I hear 8ms and lower is ok ?

I've no idea about the refresh rates and what's meant to be good. No doubt in the coming weeks I'll be finding out more!

ChemicalBrother_2

sydney2002 wrote:

Rightio, I will do a signal check when I get home laters (no I wont its works xmas party tonight).

The signal check thing on Sky digiboxes (inc Sky+) only checks the signal on the 'default' transponder. In a nutshell that's one frequency your Sky box receives channels from, there's about a hundred others! You may be getting this frequency fine even if you're not getting some others. You can check the signal readings on different frequencies, but this is a bit more involved (but not too difficult) - there's info on the net for this. I'll give you links if you need them (I can do that via PMs so that we don't take this thread too off topic!)

FYI it's signal QUALITY that's the important meter reading, not signal strength.

sydney2002 wrote:

My 16 day take back to Argos expires on the 22nd though... which is a pooper.

If it turns out the set is at fault you've got 12 months not just Argos' 16 days. Plus there's another 5 years on top of that if it turns out a fault was from manufacture.

sydney2002

ChemicalBrother wrote:

I take it you have Sky (a question not as silly as it sounds!)?

1) Go to Interactive (one of the four big oval buttons on the top of the Sky remote)

2) Choose 'Sky Customer Service'

3) Then choose 'Your Sky Remote' and follow the prompts

There's instructions there on how to program your remote and the codes for different makes and models of TV. If your TV isn't listed, try codes for other well known cheaper brands (Alba, Bush, Beko etc)

Your box DOESN'T need to be connected to the phone line for this service and you don't even need to be a current subscriber.

perfect, it worked as a Bush :-)
thanks pal

paxy

I have gone through 3 of these sets from Argos and have now given up.

The first made a buzzing noise when on cinema mode...

The second had about 10 dead pixels in a cluster...

The third (and the first two) juddered and froze every few minutes which became noticeable and annoying. Note this did NOT happen when I played DVD - only through Sky or Freeview (connecting using RGB through scart). I never experienced juddering with the other TV sets connected before or after using the same setup - so assume it must be a fault with the TV.

My conclusion is that these are just not up to the job!

sydney2002

paxy wrote:

The third (and the first two) juddered and froze every few minutes which became noticeable and annoying. Note this did NOT happen when I played DVD - only through Sky or Freeview (connecting using RGB through scart). I never experienced juddering with the other TV sets connected before or after using the same setup - so assume it must be a fault with the TV.

My conclusion is that these are just not up to the job!

This is exactly what I am suffering from at the moment, its so annoying. I sit there and wait for it to freeze, then shout when it does actualy freeze.

I have a SKY engineer coming out on christmas eve, to check signal, and cables and place a new sky+ box in to see if any diff, that should rule out the signal.
So I guess if it still freezes once the engineer has done all his goodnes then I guess its the TV , so its back to the shop for this one if so.

paxy

I would be suprised if it was Sky box...That is what I thought (hoped?!) but it did the same with the freeview...Please post an update after your visit!

Chrysalis

ebuyer selling 28" widescreen crt's for under £130, matured technology.

misco under £100.

both will work fine with digital set top boxes.

codger

Just watch out for P&P charges where some eBay sellers are concerned though: for CRT TVs, they can be wa-a-a-a-aay high!

sydney2002

Well the SKY engineer made his visit, and he replaced the SKY+ Box for a brand new one, and it has made no difference what so ever... well it has actualy, the signal in the bedroom is a lot better :-)

So it is obviously the TV, so I guess I will have to get it boxed up and take it back. Not sure when, as go on holiday on the 29th for a week.

The freezing piccie has now become very very annoying indeed, even for £399 I cannot put up with it.

Think I will buy that toshiba one that lots of people are getting, the one with built in digital receiver. Anyone know if its for sale with any sort of voucher or such like?

codger

The freezing piccie has now become very very annoying indeed, even for £399 I cannot put up with it.

Even for 39p you shoudn't have to put with it!

Thanks for the update; it's just reinforced all my wariness about bargain-buys of unknown brands.