Flat Screen Tellies: The Emperor's New Clothes?

phat-ant

you could get a samsung slimfit crt which can display HD pictures is a crt but slightly slimmer than a normal crt. sadly they only make it in a 32" but its about 400 pounds if you look about.

Samsung WS32Z409TQX/XEU

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Samsung+WS32Z409TQX&btnG=Search&meta=

new_leaf_6

Do TVs have a predetermined life? I've got a Sony 28" widescreen one. I've had it for 2 years. My last Sony TV lasted 12 years so that's why I bought a Sony one again. I'm not in fashion but I don't care. I'll only change it if it gives up on me.

magyar

BillScarab wrote:

I agree with you original point Magyar but surely LCDs and Plasmas use far less power than a CRT?

There's an article here about it (amongst others). Apparently, in a nutshell, plasmas use more than CRTs, LCDs use less. But you've got the additional factors that

• People usually buy larger TVs when going up to an LCD/plasma
• The wastage of loads of perfectly good CRTs which go on the scrapheap, plus if LCDs/plasmas aren't repairable then there's additional wastage if they go wrong.

I was mostly thinking of the latter, really.

BillScarab wrote:

If you haven't got HD the only reasons to buy one are if you want to save space or you want a big telly as CRTs over 36" are huge and I think they start to get more geometry problems the bigger they get.

Well said. Even then, you'll probably only save space if you're mounting on a wall. If you're taking up a corner then you'll probably lose what's behind it anyway.

mrs_deadline

magyar wrote:

but if your budget is £300-400 then you are probably (far?) better off staying where you are or, if you really need a new telly, then buy a good (maybe 2nd hand) CRT.

Don't forget the option of a rental deal. We had to sign a credit agreement for, I think, 2 years at £24 a month for a £900 Toshiba HD widescreen and show proof of home contents insurance. When the agreement expires we can just hand it back and upgrade. In the meantime if it goes wrong it's someone else's responsibility, not that it has been any trouble at all. My OH would be lusting after a new model within 2 years in any case, so it's a good solution for us.

Also it does take up a lot less room than a CRT which makes me happy as well.

theloft

Mr_Meanie wrote:

Snip from Panasonic web site:
The LCD panel has a service life of up to approximately 60,000 hours." Do your own maths based on your average daily viewings hours.

Just purchased a TOSH 32WLT66 for £569 from Dixons using Codes (from that section). Using say 12 hours per day for 350 days per year = 14.28 years of life !! And that is probably exaggerated figures. If I've got my maths right, that means this set will outlast my 12 yr. old Tosh CRT. And the picture is 10 times better !!
PS. Forgot to mention that I also received 1 year extra warranty with my Nationwide Credit Card !!!

chrisw

I've also just bought the Toshiba mentioned above from Dixons. I was worried about the SD picture as I'm not bothered about HD for now and I also thought all the pictures on the tvs in shops looked rubbish, but now the tv's arrived, the picture is stunning and faultless.

It's a hundred times better than my old crt, but then that was a 10 year old 28" Bush. So perhaps it depends on what you're used to.

magyar

phat-ant wrote:

you could get a samsung slimfit crt which can display HD pictures is a crt but slightly slimmer than a normal crt. sadly they only make it in a 32" but its about 400 pounds if you look about.

Samsung WS32Z409TQX/XEU

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Samsung+WS32Z409TQX&btnG=Search&meta=

I actually saw one of those in Curry's the other day and it looked pretty good, although of course it had a usual crap Curry's signal going into it, so it was hard to compare against the LCDs (and anyway, most of them had an HD-DVD playing - hmmm what do you think Curry's are trying to promote... and why do they care?)

Saw some reviews on the web say it has geometry issues, especially with high-def signals.

Personally, I think as/when it's right to move to HD, then LCD will be the way to go. I just don't think that time is now.

magyar

mrs_deadline wrote:

Don't forget the option of a rental deal. We had to sign a credit agreement for, I think, 2 years at £24 a month for a £900 Toshiba HD widescreen and show proof of home contents insurance. When the agreement expires we can just hand it back and upgrade. In the meantime if it goes wrong it's someone else's responsibility, not that it has been any trouble at all. My OH would be lusting after a new model within 2 years in any case, so it's a good solution for us.

Also it does take up a lot less room than a CRT which makes me happy as well.

Yes, I think people often discount the idea of rental very quickly; in fact I was sad enough to do a quick calculation. If you assume you put the money for the telly in a savings a/c and depreciate the rental payments using RPI (OK so I really am sad...) then the cutoff time is four years, i.e. if you're someone who would expect to replace a telly in four years (if you don't save the money it's just over three years) then it's cheaper to rent. [Discounting any residual value in the set, but equally I've put no value on what is effectively a free lifetime warranty].

In your case, if you're definitely going to replace in two years, then it's by far the best deal.

magyar

chrisw wrote:

I've also just bought the Toshiba mentioned above from Dixons. I was worried about the SD picture as I'm not bothered about HD for now and I also thought all the pictures on the tvs in shops looked rubbish, but now the tv's arrived, the picture is stunning and faultless.

It's a hundred times better than my old crt, but then that was a 10 year old 28" Bush. So perhaps it depends on what you're used to.

And I think therein lies the problem. Most people are comparing it to a 10 year old set (which is only fair of course).

I think enough people have convinced me that most LCD sets aren't a complete rip off (although I would argue the £300-400 Aldi ones are), but that for me, it's not the right time.

Thanks all for opinions.

Omertron

mrs_deadline wrote:

Also it does take up a lot less room than a CRT which makes me happy as well.

This was the other major factor in my decision. There is no way I could fit a 32" CRT in our living room (I have enough problems with a 48" fish tank :rolleyes:)