Need help choosing a 40" TV

crazyterrier2000

Hi all

Need help picking a 40" Tv, absolutely no idea with tv's.

Needs
40"
HD ready
backlit ccfl
USB port
at least 2 scart sockets
I use sky, so I guess freeview not really required
will be wall mounted, so stand not required
headphone socket
New TV, not refurb, or second hand
would like to connect to laptop/computer

not required
3D
anything fancy, but would like as decent a TV as possible

Cost: £400 tops (not alot I know, but does reflect we are not telly addicts) although could push a little further if the offer was that good.

cheers in advance

Ps hope I am in the right place

penrhyn

All current TVs have digital tuners, some will have HD tuners.
If you are using a modern Sky box its the HDMI port thats. needed for the TV.
You might want to look at an Internet enabled TV.
Have a look at Panasonic, Sony and Samsung, maybe Richer Spunds for a decent price.

vyle

When you say "backlit" do you want CCFL or LED?

crazyterrier2000

vyle wrote: »

When you say "backlit" do you want CCFL or LED?

sorry ccfl

Notmyrealname

crazyterrier2000 wrote: »

sorry ccfl

Really? I'd be wanting LED for a far more uniform brightness.

But then again, I'd not want either and have a THX certified plasma

electricco

I have ccfl and it is find, i wanted lcd for low power but my samsung is very good on that. I seen a 40" HD in sainsburys for £300. You might like to keep an eye on power consumption, it all adds up over the years and can come to more than the cost of the TV. Nice low powered Samsung here, 100W lower than many brands!! h t tp:/ /ww w.currys.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-ue40d5003-full-hd-40-led-tv-11559030-pdt.html It's 400 quid but there are ones as low as £269, there another samsung for 359 too. Does anyone really notice the brand when watching, it;s nice to look at the remote control and ease of use too, but often they are all much of a muchness.

Notmyrealname

electricco wrote: »

You might like to keep an eye on power consumption, it all adds up over the years and can come to more than the cost of the TV.

My Panasonic plasma is around 300W. But then again the TV was £1000 and it was bought purely for the picture quality. The fact it uses three times the electricity of the one you mentioned is incidental to me.

Does anyone really notice the brand when watching, it;s nice to look at the remote control and ease of use too, but often they are all much of a muchness.

Brand no, quality yes. They are far from being much of a muchness. There are massive differences in contrast ratio with a lot of cheap ones looking washed out. Then there's the speed of the panel and the processing meaning some blur background in fast moving scenes or you'll get vertical edges such as edges of buildings moving in a jerking motion. And then there's standard definition picture quality where there are huge humongous differences between TVs. A friend of mine had a Samsung 42" and the SD picture quality was so poor I couldn't watch it.

If you put one of those "Wongtong" TVs from Tesco against even an entry level LG 3000 series and cannot tell the difference you must be blind.

almillar

Some comments on the specs you request - USB port. Lots of TVs will have this but it's a massive maze finding out what exactly it'll do. I've got a TV that'll show pictures, but in the wrong shape, and another that's good for pictures, and also does video, but only in the format that comes off camcorders!
If the USB function is critical to the purchase, test it in store (don't believe what a salesman says!) or check the user manual online.
You're very unlikely to find a TV out there WITHOUT Freeview or a stand.
2 SCARTS - are you sure? What for? Lots of the newer TVs are cutting down to 1 SCART.
Laptop/computer - what video output does the laptop/computer have? Ideally HDMI?
You'll be looking for a Full HD Ready set (1080p) if you're going to use the TV with Sky HD.

crazyterrier2000

Ok. lots to consider, especially whether I go for that brilliant Sony Bravia, would be my first ever refurb, conflab over boddingtons with the wife required.

Many thanks for all your help

crazy

crazyterrier2000

Gratis wrote: »

Thirteen now sold and only ONE left!

The way I see it, what have you got to lose?

You can send it back if you don't like the look of it and buy something else instead. Richer are good people to deal with and it comes with a 12-month warranty.

They cost about £900 when they were first released. :eek:

there is only 1 left, because I bought the other!

Many thanks.

electricco

Notmyrealname wrote: »

My Panasonic plasma is around 300W. But then again the TV was £1000 and it was bought purely for the picture quality. The fact it uses three times the electricity of the one you mentioned is incidental to me.


Brand no, quality yes. They are far from being much of a muchness. There are massive differences in contrast ratio with a lot of cheap ones looking washed out. Then there's the speed of the panel and the processing meaning some blur background in fast moving scenes or you'll get vertical edges such as edges of buildings moving in a jerking motion. And then there's standard definition picture quality where there are huge humongous differences between TVs. A friend of mine had a Samsung 42" and the SD picture quality was so poor I couldn't watch it.

If you put one of those "Wongtong" TVs from Tesco against even an entry level LG 3000 series and cannot tell the difference you must be blind.

All I can say is you must have money to burn, I have seen plasma TV's and quite frankly their is no difference in the picture quality. The picture quality on my TV is excellent, hard to see how it could be any better. You will not get better quality on fast moving images because it is not possible to fit that quality into the available bandwidth which is pretty limited. SD will look rubbish on any 42" TV because there are not enough dots per inch to produce a sharp looking picture. No plasma can change that fact. I expect it is all psychological with you, if he had told you it was a plasma you would be creaming yourself over the picture quality. But if you have money to burn and the retail therapy makes you feel better I have no problem with that, it's your money. Good luck destroying the planet with the extra CO2 emissions. Plasma TV's should be illegal just like in incandescent light-bulbs. The irony is nobody can tell the difference between a LCD and a plasma but they can between light bulbs!!! I presume you buy a book based on the quality of the typeface? As long as it is readable it makes no difference. The picture quality on my TV is superb, even on the highest energy saving setting. I suppose one advantage of plasma is that if your gas central heating breaks down you still have a room heater.