Where to get a cheap TV?

puddy

We use an apple mac to watch TV on. Its bust and we think it will cost at least £150 to fix it (or £300+ if its not just the power supply). Thats on top of what it costs to investigate what is wrong.

We then bought down my tiny 10" portable from upstairs and yesterday that bust too, we think the power supply has gone as I heard a large click and it turned itself off.

so firstly we need a new power supply for the portable, we hope we can get this for about a tenner.

However, to make a decision on whether to get a new TV or not, Ive been looking at amazon, dabs, currys etc etc

Now, I dont want separate boxes or whatever so if I get any telly nowadays (we want an LCD flat thing) do they all come with freeview? I thought digital meant freeview but I notice on looking at lists of them on websites some say freeview and others dont? How come?

The other thing is, if a tv is capable of playing a DVD (integrated dvd player) then will it be able to tape dvds and play them back?

Sorry for the dim questions. I dont even know if we can afford a telly but I cant face the winter without one to be honest. It means we hav to put it on the credit card

neilwoods

yes 99.999% of all LCD tv will have freeview tuner built in.

When you say tape dvd's, do you mean record them on the TV with the built in DVD player. If so then most TV combi's will be just DVD player not recorder. But if you mean play DVD that you have recorded yourself, then probably yes, just need to check what format the DVD plays.

http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pricelow&store=36&cat=133&filtersubcat=2193&limit=10&page=1

Benergy

Ebuyer is always a good option.

You could always try Ebay as well but you have to make sure that the electronics that are sold there have a valid UK warranty. Sometimes the electronics are shipped in from abroad without a licence and so the manufacturer doesn't honour the warranty.

Hope that helps

fwor

Also, take a look at Richer Sounds, as they often have good deals - provided that you have one nearby, as a lot of their stuff seems to be "collect from store" only.

I'd also try to avoid unheard of makes such as F&H and stick with the better known names. The really cheap ones often use correspondingly cheap power supply components which can fail quickly.

puddy

neilwoods wrote: »

yes 99.999% of all LCD tv will have freeview tuner built in.

When you say tape dvd's, do you mean record them on the TV with the built in DVD player. If so then most TV combi's will be just DVD player not recorder. But if you mean play DVD that you have recorded yourself, then probably yes, just need to check what format the DVD plays.

http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pricelow&store=36&cat=133&filtersubcat=2193&limit=10&page=1

yes i was hoping to find something that i can tape programmes on to play back. with the apple it came with some sort of record thing (never really understood it, but it was next to useless as it only recorded whilst the programme was on!)

spakkker

Some tv's have usb record or pvr facility. These record to a usb stick or drive.

macman

For 'cheap' just got to Tesco and buy a branded model like a Technika. But the quality is terrible, and it'll probably last you no more than a couple of years. Better to pay a bit more and get a budget model at somewhere like RS-look at Samsung and LG.
Remember that you will probably need a proper rooftop aerial to get a decent Freeview signal. All new TV's come with a Freeview tuner, but not all with Freeview HD.
If you just want a near-free replacement, you can easily get a CRT TV for nothing on freegle and use it with a £10 Freeview box.

karl-123

lg and samsung are the top bananas

everyone knows that i get lg every time...

Skymist

puddy wrote: »

I dont even know if we can afford a telly but I cant face the winter without one to be honest. It means we hav to put it on the credit card

I know it's not what you were asking about, but, being strapped for cash, and not wanting to spend cold winter days TVless, don't forget, if you have a PC/laptop, you can watch all the freeview channels on

http://www.tvcatchup.com/

and I think, if you have Windows Media Center with the requiered TV tuner, you can record too:-


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/help/windows-media-center

I know a PC is not as good as a TV for watching stuff on, but at least you'd be able to without a spending any more cash! Hope that's of some help.

S

mbugle

I got my 32" Samsung off amazon and it was relatively cheap. I also recently found Amazon warehouse where they have returns and that sort of stuff there, always good for a bargain! I can't post a link to it because I'm a new user, but Google it and it is the top result!

Neil49

fwor wrote: »

Also, take a look at Richer Sounds, as they often have good deals - provided that you have one nearby, as a lot of their stuff seems to be "collect from store" only.

I'd also try to avoid unheard of makes such as F&H and stick with the better known names. The really cheap ones often use correspondingly cheap power supply components which can fail quickly.

I recently bought a 19" Bush led tv/dvd combo from Argos for £120. The picture was very impressive but the sound was dreadful.

While I was deciding whether to take it back for a refund inside their returns period it developed a fault!

Got my money back and got an LG tv (only) from Richer Sounds. Yes, it cost a bit more but the sound is in a different world and the remote is nice and solid to use.

Buy a decent make of set otherwise you will be regretting not spending a little more in a few months time. Richer Sounds often have promotions or end of range sets which can be very good value.

Hope this helps.