Looking for new tv - help needed

vanpopple

Hello all, not sure if this is the right post i dont usually stray into these boards, but we've had some good fortune and decided we want to upgrade our current 37" lcd tv.

We think we want to spend no more than £300 and we want a FULL HD 1920 x 1080 Res tv, maybe with apps, maybe 3d?
maybe freeview, maybe recordable, maybe usb inputs to play movies from external devices.
Must have HDMI/DVI and ideally red/white audio out so we can put our surround speakers on it.
Basically thats why im asking as we want the best we can find for the price, i dont really know of tv shops and online tv shops as havent had a new tv for 7 years.

Any recommedations would be greatly appreciated.
VP

bsms1147

You might not get all that for the price you want. How big a screen are you looking for?

I appreciate your budget is £300, but here's a £395 one with everything, that you can use as a baseline to compare others with.
http://www.ebuyer.com/501948-toshiba-40-l7355-3d-smart-led-freeview-hd-tv-40l7355db

OldGreyFox

Its become confusing since recent changes your actually posting on the Main Home Phone Board .


The sub board to discuss the provision of TV/Cable Services is here

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=183

Better boards could be "I wanna buy it !"

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

Or the Techie Board.:D

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

onewhoasks

Hi. Argos has an outlet store on Ebay (presumably for their end of lines etc...) might get a good deal there? We recently bought a phone from there.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Argos-Outlet/

Keenan

I understand your budget is £300 but It's very hard to find full HD smart TV's for under that! Here's one from the co-op for £319.99!

coopelectricalshop.co.uk/Samsung-UE32F5500-Black-32Inch-Full-HD-Smart-LED-TV-with-Freeview-HD/id-SAM-LED-UE32F5500-S

bsms1147

Keenan wrote: »

I understand your budget is £300 but It's very hard to find full HD smart TV's for under that! Here's one from the co-op for £319.99!

coopelectricalshop.co.uk/Samsung-UE32F5500-Black-32Inch-Full-HD-Smart-LED-TV-with-Freeview-HD/id-SAM-LED-UE32F5500-S

Linkied: http://www.coopelectricalshop.co.uk/Samsung-UE32F5500-Black-32Inch-Full-HD-Smart-LED-TV-with-Freeview-HD/id-SAM-LED-UE32F5500-S

Again boils down to

bsms1147 wrote:

How big a screen are you looking for?

vanpopple

Thanks for advice folks.
I have found EXACTLY what i wanted and for £10 less than i budgeted -

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1474680.htm

Hitachi HXT12U 42 In Full HD 1080p FVHD LED TV + Smart Apps..:j:j:j:j


This is an absolute steal at the £289.99 price (even the smaller 40" is still £399.99)

1 year manu guarantee, and £43.99 for 3 year accidental damage/faults guarantee with full replcement to a brand new tv if it cant be fixed (and as hitatchi now arent making any more guess it would be an even better upgrade if reqd)
I went into the local argos today to ask if i can pay cash as it is a delivery only tv it said online, however by some pure miracle or luck he said 'we've actually got one coming into the store later today, and i can reserve it for you if you cant get back today..

Sorted am picking it up tomorrow and cant wait!!!!!!!
Product description / spec

This Hitachi 42 Inch TV with Smart apps boasts Full High Definition 1080p picture quality on a contemporary and sleek design. This TV offers you a range of fantastic online content to keep you and your family entertained. Enjoy even more of your favourite programmes with integrated Freeview HD, allowing you to view over 50 subscription free channels in stunning Full HD.
Television picture quality:

• Smart TV.
• Screen size: 42in (106cm).
• Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels.
• Motion rate 50Hz.
• Response time 15 milliseconds.
• Viewing angle 178/178 degrees.

Connectivity:

• 1 SCART socket, 2 USB ports and 2 HDMI sockets.
• PC input socket.
• Composite.
• Headphone socket.
• AV socket.
• Requires Wi-Fi dongle (sold separately).
• Ethernet connection.
• DLNA compatibility.

Sound quality:

• NICAM sound system.
• 2 x 8 watts RMS power output.

Digital features:

• Freeview HD digital tuner.
• 7 day electronic programme guide (EPG).
• CI+ slot.

Additional features:

• Sleep timer.
• Child lock.
• Size of TV H57, W97, D10cm.
• Weight of TV 11kg (unpackaged).
• Size of TV with stand: H61, W97, D220cm.
• Weight of TV with stand: 11kg.
• Suitable for wall mounting 200 x 200 bracket.

Energy efficiency information:

• Energy efficiency rating: A.
• On mode power consumption 49 watts.
• Annual power consumption 72kWh.

bsms1147

Nice spot.

My holdups would be backlit LED (more even lighting but a much thicker panel), Hitachi, and no USB recording or 3D, though obviously less important features. Glad you found what you were looking for.

Don't forget that 'Please note that this product is excluded from our 30 Day Money Back Guarantee' if you change your mind.

Ben84

I went TV shopping a few months back, although I ended up deciding to keep my old set as it compared well against the new ones under the conditions we view it.

However, from what I saw, I wouldn't worry too much about full HD by itself. After a certain distance the pixels simply merge together. A little is just right as you need the individual red, green and blue dots to merge to make the colours, but too much and entire groups of pixels merge and you're not seeing the finer details any more. Quite where the ideal point is depends on your eyesight, the screen size and how many pixels there are. Surprisingly, at some distances, I even find a good quality SD set will beat some not so good HD screens (and vice versa, of course). So don't go around the shop looking at everything from 1 meter away to judge the picture quality, unless that's how you plan to view it, as it simply won't replicate what happens in your sitting room. The aim is to match the size and resolution to your viewing distance, then to compare other important qualities like brightness, black to white ratio, colour and smoothness of motion.

Anyway, just let your eyes guide you, you'll know which ones you like best. The resolution numbers really aren't the last word on picture quality and you could end up paying more for higher ones that don't actually look better to you.

vanpopple

Thanks for those points.

Forgot to say i will have my desktop pc connected to it via hdmi so i can game.
This was the ONLY reason i want 1920 x 1080 res.
As otherwise pc games dont look as good with each resolution you go down - 1600 x 1200, 1680 x 1050 (my 22" samsung pc monitor is this i usually would still have 1920 x 1080, but this is the 3D monitor i use with nvidia 3d) 1440 x 1080 and so on..

My favourite GAMING resolution has always been 1920 x 1080, and that was actually the first thing i look at when i was looking to buy the new tv, sorry i forgot to put in my op.
Its just 'ben84' reminded me.

I have tried a 42" tv that was 1280 x 1024 and for tv purposes it was great but for gaming i hated it, hence wanted max hd res for my games.

I cant wait im counting the Hours!!!!!! (been wanting to upgrade for 3 years but never had the luxury of justifying the cost)
I will post a few pics of the tv in action, maybe a few others might fancy snapping up one if it turns out to be good..

Thanks again
VP

P.S -'bsms1147'
I would love sony or bang & oulfsen' but costwise and for features its look like it will exactly suit my needs.
Not bothered about 3DTV yet - i have my pc monitor which is 3d so thats fine for now.
And we have a Freeview recorder anyway (just means tv progs will be in sd but thats fine for us)
I do like the idea of backlit led as like you say it will be more uniform all over ideal for gaming.
And finally yep hitatchi dont make tvs now but with a 3 year warranty with full replacement if needed i say cant go wrong.

thanks for your inputs
VP

Ben84

vanpopple wrote: »

I would love sony or bang & oulfsen' but costwise and for features its look like it will exactly suit my needs.

That would be nice. Well, actually I have two bang and olufsen sets, but they're from 1981 and 1984. Still look and sound great for watching films and general TV, so no need for me to replace them yet. As you might have guessed though, I don't use them for gaming :rotfl:.

However, much more recent 720p B&O sets are available often for decent prices second hand. Might not be the latest technology, but in my opinion they look and sound better than just about anything new in the average shop today and are a not too expensive way to have a very nice TV.