Big telly

[reg]

I'll soon be moving into a new flat and thought it was time to get a decent TV.

Up till recently I've never been that impressed with flat screen TVs as I find the picture a bit blurry, and as in the title, it looks like you're watching TV through a fishtank.

However on a recent trip to a Sony centre I was amazed with the quality of the new Bravia sets. Then last week I saw the same set in Dixons and it was back to the fishtank effect.

Thinking about it, in the Sony centre it was a DVD and in Dixons it was East Enders. I'm guessing that in the Sony centre it was some sort of High definition source and for 99% of my viewing I'm back to square one.

Looking at other threads I think this is the case. Am I stuck with the fishtank until HD Tv comes in, or is the Bravia actually a superior TV.

cheers

Reg

 

[meninblack]

Most TV's in Dixons/Currys/Comet etc are really badly set up and look awful. Sometimes this is just incompetence, sometimes they deliberately make sure that only the high-margin sets look good.

You might be better dealing with a shop like Audio-T or Sevenoaks who could set up a proper demonstration for you. Sony centre are good, but obviously they will only have Sony!

 

[reg]

I guess they probably don't spend much time setting these things up

However I'm not that interested in the whole AV 5.1 etc. My main source will be the TV with the occasional DVD possibly using my amp and speakers for sound.

If the TV signal is the limiting factor I'll need to see them at their worst.

 

[Brown Bottle]

Reg - have you considered a CRT, certainly not fashionable but some cracking pictures on Sony or Tosh models, better than any Plasma or LCD IMO and very cheap now.

 

[cjr]

Reg, yep the old looks “good with DVD and crap with Sky/Freeview Scart†is the problem with LCD/Plasma TBH, unless your talking HD-DVD via a Bravia then LCD-Plasma lag behind CRTs by quite a margin. Also worth noting that many current HDMI players whilst offering supoosedly superior PQ are slated by many users on the AVForums and knocked into a skip by well designed old fahsioned PAL PS DVD players into either CRTs or PJs.

So the choice is yours dude, wait till HD gets sorted out (5 years by my guess) or get a good CRT with Component & RGB Scart inputs, and use a good old DVD player with excellent component PAL PS, or conversely look at DLP PJs.

FWIW Reg, I saw a Sony Bravia HD-DVD demo and it blew my socks off. But so does DVD-V into a PAL-PS CRT. But that type of “standard†is a long long way off dude for Freeview or Sky ie all programs.

 

[iann]

As prices of LCDs have plummeted over the last year or so (and if you can afford it) it's well worth getting a good one now that will last for the next few years.

I'm waiting for my Toshiba 37WLT66 to come on Friday and I;m confident it will look great with DVD and TV from Telewest (both SD and HD).

Roll on World Cup in HD!!!!

Try and get along to a branch of Sevenoaks or other AV dealer to see much better quality than Dixons/Comet etc where signal is split 20 ways.

 

[reg]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'll definitely consider a CRT. My thoughts had always been that they had better picture quality so I'd wait till LCD improved until I got one.

My experience at the Sony centre made me think that time had come. Based on your replies it obviously hasn't.

Is it in the near future and so the short term poor picture is worth itI'll have to think.

cheers

 

[Guest]

i,ve got a cheap samsung plasma.

but feed with a good signal the picture is awesome. spend 2 or 3 hours tuning it and hey presto. no flickering at all and i'm super fussy with my tv picture quality. just buy one but make sure you have a 100% good signal going into it.

garbage in garbage out as they say in hifi terms. and it's the same for tv's.

 

[wolfgang]

rudolph hucker wrote:

i,ve got a cheap samsung plasma.but feed with a good signal the picture is awesome. spend 2 or 3 hours tuning it and hey presto. no flickering at all and i'm super fussy with my tv picture quality. just buy one but make sure you have a 100% good signal going into it.

garbage in garbage out as they say in hifi terms. and it's the same for tv's.

Bestreply in months............. in this lonely corner of the tent.

 

[JohnD76]

I recently bought a Pioneer Plasma and am amazed with the picture quality. It destroys our panasonic CRT by a huge margin, though did cost substantially more than the CRT.

Most stores have got the panels very poorly set up all sharing the same analogue feed.

I am over the moon with my Plasma and would also recommend looking at the new Panasonic Plasmas and the Sony Bravia LCD's.

John.

 

[reg]

Cheers guys.

Sorry for being naive. Which one is better a plasma or an LCD?

I'll have to get some time down at Sevenoaks or the like....