What 32Widescreen TV to buy?

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IanL-RS3

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My sis has asked me to get her a 32 inch widescreen TV.

No need for fancy sound as surround amp to be used
Picture quality and reliability key.
Cheap as poss.
No stand needed.
oh and proper flat screen

any ideas...i have a Sony but got it cheap at a scratch and dent place my mate works at. Not an immediete option. And my old 32W (but definitely not flat) Panasonic is still running fine. and even older is a 29 4:2 Tosh at my dads. so those would be the preferred brands

cheers

ian
 
Philips CRT are regarded as generally one of the best for picture quality currently, then Panasonic and then Toshiba. I'm in the same situation, and looking at getting a Philips 32PW9309. Have a look at the reviews on www.homecinemachoice.com and www.kelkoo.co.uk for good deals.
 
If you're talking tubes then Sony are the best (technically the Trinitron cannot be beaten). You can pick up a 2nd hand 32" widescreen on ebay for next to nothing as all the "lifestyle" t*ssers are going plasma.
 
Just to let you know that phillips...toshiba....sony ......jvc in fact most of the main manufacturers use the same tubes. This is what i have been told by a service engineer that came to fix mine. Sony do make a nice box though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif but you pay the premium thats why i have a philips /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif
 
Might be true of the other manufacturers but definately not the case with Sony.
Sony only use their own patented trinitron technology. This uses their unique shadow mask (the grill at the front of the screen that provides the potential for the electrons to hit the screen). This is normally formed by both vertical & horizontal lines across the screen that you can easily see close up. With a trinitron it only has vertical lines, thus more of the picture is displayed with less obvious pixellation.
No one else uses this technique without paying Sony to licence the technology & displaying the trinitron brand name (mainly seen on computer monitors).
For once the marketing is actually true and technically you can't get a better picture from any other type of tube. Of course you pay a premium for the best, & you're mistaken if you think you're paying for just the name.
Of course Conor, if you'd bought a Sony then you wouldn't have had to listen to the BS from the service engineer as it wouldn't have gone US in the first place. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif
 
must admit i have a sony trinitron and my mate who used to be a proper tv engineer before they became replacement monkey's swears by tosh and sony for reliability. Thats is what he and all of his family have! We've got our tosh from 14 years and sony which is close to 20 but rarely used anymore still working fine.

after a bit of research.....

i'm trying to convince my sis to go sony over philips as i have a spare sony stb surround amp which i'll give her as a pressie for passing exams:) and it has the remote commander which is nice. there are few good sony models on pricerunnner around 500 from digital direct etc....she's on the 5th floor in edinburgh otherwise a trip to makro would be in, but there is no way i'm getting a 32 widey up over 80 stairs! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif....she's not keen on ebay either (sorry andy!) but have told her its the place to get a stand.
 
The Toshiba picture-frame series is pretty good. I bought one last year (the one with the built-in digital decoder, but they do it without as well) and I can't rate it highly enough.

Apart from the great petrformance, the styling is pretty impressive too. When you're watching it, you can't see the bulk of the case, and it gives the impression of a LCD or plasma.
 
[ QUOTE ]
as all the "lifestyle" t*ssers are going plasma.

[/ QUOTE ]

Bit harsh wouldn't u say.

I have 42" Plasma and to be honest the pic isn't that great.

Why don't u drive Model "T" , because we have moved on it's called progress. I'm sure that plasma / LCD's will be superior shortly. But only if people buy them so there is a market....
 
Sorry didn't I sugar coat it enough for you?
So you're saying we have to buy outrageously priced Plasma screens which are far inferior in quality to the tube it's replacing in order to generate enough R&D for the poor manufacturer to come up with a decent alternative?
Umm I think I'll hold on to my money thanks.
I was referring to the footballers wives generation who have to have the latest gadget regardless of the sub standard quality and with no regard to the fact that it will be superceded with the long overdue HDTV (sometime next year?).
LCD is getting close but still not as good as a well setup tube.
And what is the benefit exactly in the average living room? There's usually no space gain as the obvious place for a TV is usually in a corner anyway, so people end up mounting them high on a wall with everyone straining their necks to watch.
Plasma/LCD is suited to HDTV, end of story. Just like a computer screen, you need the additional resolution to make it shine. HD will deliver it eventually and then there will be a definate benefit to going own the flat panel route.
At the moment people are swallowing the hype & marketing without looking at the bigger picture (no pun intended).
And before everyone piles in defending their ludicrous purchase, I've heard it all before. These are the facts and as ABM says "the picture isn't that great", so why buy one? Surely the quality of the picture is the only thing the device has to do well.
Regaring your comment about the model T, not a particularly good analogy as I would argue we haven't exactly come on in leaps & bounds since the model T. We all still pretty much drive cars with the same internal combustion engine from 80 years ago, not huge progress really.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sorry didn't I sugar coat it enough for you?.........

.......I was referring to the footballers wives generation......

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif That should smooth things over a bit.
 
I'm sure if heard it somewhere " SIZE MATTERS"

Pics only really poor when watching football
 
I found this out more by luck than anything else but I think it makes a difference. Most widescreen tellies have a way of 'detecting' the incoming picture format and adjusting the screen to suit it (by stretching the picture to fit). Most of them will do this automatically but some manufacturers seem to have done a better job. I have a JVC set which works really well but a friend that has an older Sony often has to override the automatic detection as it gets it wrong and cuts half the picture off. Doesn't sound like much of a sellling point compared to picture quality but it can get very annoying if it doesn't work well!
 
ABM said:

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure that plasma / LCD's will be superior shortly. But only if people buy them so there is a market....

[/ QUOTE ]

Andymac said:
[ QUOTE ]

So you're saying we have to buy outrageously priced Plasma screens which are far inferior in quality to the tube it's replacing in order to generate enough R&D for the poor manufacturer to come up with a decent alternative?


[/ QUOTE ]

You're both right, up to a point. It's an accepted truth that when a new technology is introduced, the first to buy (the "early adopters") pay very high prices for what is a relatively under-developed product, and that subsequent buyers will enjoy better products, at lower prices, as the revenue from the early adopters is used to fund the improvements. That is the way of the world; always has been, always will be. After all, none of us would be able to buy multi-media PCs for £500 if enough early adopters hadn't paid upwards of £3000 twenty years ago to buy something with the processing power of a cordless kettle.

So long as we all accept this, then those who choose to buy early are not being ripped off, nor are they necessarily making bad decisions. They're making an informed choice to be in at the beginning, with all of the perceived kudos that brings them, but trading that off against the knowledge that those who follow them will get a better deal.

So, if Andymac prefers to keep his dosh, fair play, but no need to knock (or mock) ABM if he chose to adopt early.

That said, I don't agree with ABM that size matters (& please, no kn0b jokes). It all depends on the application. A 32-inch CRT works perfectly in my living room (in fact, it fills the othwerwise dead space in the bay window), but would look ****** silly in the third bedroom that passes for a study. So I have a 15-inch LCD in there, that works just as well.

Horses for courses.
 
Agree with everything you say there Jeff, but the PC example was fuelled by commercial use not personal end user use. Initially the market for PC's was purely in the commercial space, as the benefit to companies was obvious regardless of cost. It wasn't that long ago that it was uncommon for households to have a PC but unheard of not to have them in the office. If there was no internet then that would probably still be the case. A PC in the home with no onternet or email is a pretty redundant piece of kit.
You could draw parallels with VCR's but again this was something completely new, it didn't replace anything so couldn't be compared to the older devices.

I used to be an early adopter, so know all about that "just gotta have it" mentality, but the plasma thing is just flawed in so many ways:
1. The quality is worse than what it replaces
2. The benefit of panel over tube is purely a status thing (very few people benefit from the space saving unless they are using it as a secondary set in a kitchen etc)
3. We know these devices will be redundant with the advent of HDTV.

Very few early adopter type products have a specific shelf life. They are usually superceded over quite a long period of time, with new products with slightly better features, slightly cheaper etc like PC's. It has taken nearly 20 years of continuous development for the £500 powerpc/media centre to be available.

It's horses for courses in regard to smaller screens in the home office, kitchen or bedroom but as the main set in the lounge a tube cannot be beaten (yet).
 
[ QUOTE ]
Of course Conor, if you'd bought a Sony then you wouldn't have had to listen to the BS from the service engineer as it wouldn't have gone US in the first place. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah Andy you are probably very correct!! I think Sony will be on next purchase list as this telly i have now is on its way out after 5 years /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Thanks for the info anyways /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]

3. We know these devices will be redundant with the advent of HDTV.



[/ QUOTE ]

Now you've confused me... My Pioneer Plasma quotes as being HDTV ready. I even had HD DVD that came with it. Are you saying that it's not?

I agree that a lot, no most, of the Plasma's a poor in quality, but without being biased the poineer PDP-435XDE that i have knocked the socks of all of the others in the display room and has a fantastic picture quality. I can't fault it.

This Plasma also replaces my old 32" Panasonic TX32PL10 which was voted the best TV for picture quality in 2003 by all of the top home cinema magazines. I took ages to that particular model and the picture was pukka but the pioneer plasma is also top quality.

This is my Plasma

Ade
 
Well there's HD ready and HD ready, true HD transmissions will (apparently) be broadcast at 1920x1080, so you'll be missing quite a bit of quality on that screen at it's specified 1024 (Hor) x 768 (Ver). Because panel screens are effectively just big laptop screens then they can display anything given the right adapter, but whether this is true HD quality is a big big question. Again misleading the public with HD Ready logo's when they can't be sure the customer will be getting the real deal.
 
Andy, i think people are allowed to have different tastes, you think anyones a To&sser just cos they don't beleive in the same as you.


Yes i would much rather have a 43" plasma stuck to my wall then a massive 32" CRT peice of sh*it taking up half the room. So what if part of the reason i brought it is just becuase it looks much better, and makes the room in general look much better/smarter. And if i don't think theres much difference in picture quality, then i'll go for it. Don't mean im a tos*ser cos i didn't do the same as you.

And anyway i personally think theres not much difference in picture quality between a well set up plasma and CRT (ie obviously the CRT is going to be better but theres not enough difference in it to put me off buying a plasma/LCD). Many people might not agree but if i have a 43" tv, i'm going to watch it from a much bigger distance then if it was a 32" tv and from there you don't notice the minutly inferior quality difference between CRT and Plasma. Well i don't anyway, and thats good enough for me.
 
Ian,

Not going to offer advice on what to buy.

I bought a Toshiba 36" pictureframe widescreen over 3 year ago now. Still happy with it and, touch wood, it has given me no bother at all.

What I would say is make sure you shop around with whatever you go for.

Costco is very reasonable for their TV's and offer a 3 year guarantee compared to Makros 2 year.

I eventually went to TV & video Direct in Bolton and ordered mail order. 01204 395999. Just phoned them and quoted model no. etc and they gave me a good price.

Eventually saved £500 from the price my local Comet were quoting and was about £100 cheaper than Costco.

Good luck anyway.
 
Ahh pimp thought this thread would get a reaction, so predictable.
As always, if you'd bothered to read what I said, I was referring to lifestyle /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/swear.gif, i.e. people who just buy the latest thing because it's the latest thing with no regard to whether they need it or whether it gives them what they want, just need to cross it off the list and brag about it at the golf club. I never said "anyone who buys plasma is a /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/swear.gif".
If someone's weighed up the pro's & cons, like yourself, then fair play, you've made an informed decision and the benefits to you outweigh the cons in the technology.
I also think referring to a "massive 32" CRT peice of sh*it" isn't really helping Ian who is about to buy such an item.
If this "massive 32" CRT peice of sh*it" will take up "half the room" as you say, then I think you have a very small room not really suitable for a 32" TV of any kind let alone 42".
 
nah thats not mine CJ, its someone else. But it is probably the best plasma you can get.
 
well, if your gonna buy a 32" then i would say go for sony/phillips/panasonic for picture quality, also toshiba for reliability, although you can't beat sony. Parents had one for over 20 years, had water spilt down the back, still worked until we threw it away cos it looked horrible.
 
We should set up a pimp v andy section /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I love reading them....i might just start another thread on best home speaksers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

my sis is keen on the philips in the makro mail this week 399 plus vat. problem is getting it up to her flat and home in her 206 cc!!

macca will ask my sis to pick a tv from sony/philips/tosh and try TV and Video direct as delivery i reckon is the only option for her and i can't be bothered to go to edinburgh to help her carry a tv up 5 flights of stairs /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. when i got my sony the picture frame tosh's were up near the top of the list, but i got a scratch and dent sony which had never left the box very cheap /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif plus its nice to have all sony gear for remote controls

cheers
 
Of course, you could always sell your sis, and use the dosh to buy yourself a new CRT/LCD/plasma instead! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Getting us back onto topic, last night I read a test review in What Hi-Fi, of four back-projection DLP televisions. They were in the £2-3K price range, with screen sizes around 50 inches, and the general view was that these could offer a better quality/price equation than plasma.

Anyone got a view on DLP?
 
I bought a Sony projector a few years back, brilliant fun, I used to point it out the bedroom window at night onto the lawn and play FIFA with my mates I also projected Big Ben onto the side of the house at New Year which went down great with the neighbours, another good thing about the projectors is that you can pick up cheap screens and when watching the football when your team isn't performing you can chuck things at it without damaging any equipment.
On topic though I've not long bought the Panasonic TX36PD30 and after a lot of checking different models out the Panasonic far out done the competitors and it also comes in 32" although a bit pricey. Asda and Tesco are selling some good 32" for good money at the moment
 
i recently bought a 32in sony tv,its awesome.£700 includes tv,video,dvd &stand. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ok.gif
 
I suppose my old JVC 28" widescreen tv is getting old at 7 years.

Any suggestions for plasma widescreens to replace the above, also looking at small plasma screen for the master bedroom. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beerchug.gif
 
audi upgrades
Look for ones with the best pixel ration.
Most Cheaper Plasma screens are not very good at repoducing fast moving actions with out slight blurs also there is bleeding with the colours like red into white etc.
The best ones are the expensive one still at the moment it is only the lesser not as good models that are coming down quickly in price.
Shop arround and view as many are you can.
I know that the Dell ones are good as we have some of these at work. But they are not cheap.
 
I do like the dell gear, my pc has the dell 19" ultra sharp monitor, and i have been looking at the 17" wide screen dell tv/monitor for the bedroom. Seen it in the flesh, and it did seem first class for picture and build quality.

Shame Audi don't make tv's......
 
Plasma is on the way out,as witnessed by Sony's decision to withdraw from Plasma altogether.

LCD,with HDTV capability,is the logical option at the moment.
My current object of desire is a Sony KLVL32M1 for around £1700.00 from unbeatable.Here's the link.

http://www.unbeatable.co.uk/CatalogueItem_19782.html

With regard to small 'plasma' screens then I assume,again,you mean LCD as you don't get small plasma.

After a few attempts ( philips-which was crap,Hitachi-which was a glorified PC monitor with a cheap tuner chucked at it ) I plumped for a 17 inch JVC for around £450.00

Chuffed to bits with it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Shame Audi don't make tv's......

[/ QUOTE ]

Gawd help us all if they made TVs as good as their ICE systems.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Shame Audi don't make tv's......

[/ QUOTE ]

Gawd help us all if they made TVs as good as their ICE systems.

[/ QUOTE ]

audi dont make ICE systems either! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
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