Author Topic: How do you choose a new tv?  (Read 8902 times)

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #50 on: 28 December, 2011, 04:43:20 pm »
Hmm to JLP (with their "free" 5 year warranty) or not??  The LG32LV550t is an "online exclusive" (exclusive how?- I guess they mean online only) on JLP @ £529.  At Amazon with stadard warranty it's £402 - and an extanded warranty to 5 years is an additional £110.  :-\

OTOH aren't TV's supposed to last a "reasonable time" - something arounnd 6 years - without fault?

When I bought mine a couple of years ago I got John Lewis to pricematch with the cheapest bricks and mortar store price that I could find and I got the 5 year warranty 'free'.  Not sure if they still do this though.

Recently it's been pricematching an equivalent package - so they'll pricematch a competitor with the cost of the competitors 5 year warranty included - see my example above of the JLP vs Richer Sounds example. £529 at JLP with "free 5 yr warranty", £512 at Richaer Sounds with £110 5 year warranty cost included.

They also do this with most domestic appliances - offering a 2 year gurantee against Comet/Curry's 1 yr so not equivalent.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #51 on: 28 December, 2011, 07:08:24 pm »
Hmm....well I went to JLP and had a nose around.
They were showing the 2 Ronnies, so ancient old SD pictures - lookit all the upscaling artefacts!!

They didn't have the LG so I couldn't look at that.
The Sony CX523 was sat next to the Panasonic E30B. The CX523 looked crap next to the Panny. (The black was purple and stripey).
There was an EX523 across the way which looked much better but I don't know if it was just better set up or if it was the extra cash. Not really what I was intending to spend anyway.
Another telly which caught my eye was a Samsung UE32D5520R. The blacks on that screen were *really* black - it was a sight better than the CX523 anyway!
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #52 on: 28 December, 2011, 07:20:11 pm »
Our LG 40" plasma packed up in less than two years, wont be getting another one of those.
We went for Sharp LCD this time.

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #53 on: 28 December, 2011, 07:21:07 pm »
Hmm....well I went to JLP and had a nose around.
They were showing the 2 Ronnies, so ancient old SD pictures - lookit all the upscaling artefacts!!

They didn't have the LG so I couldn't look at that.
The Sony CX523 was sat next to the Panasonic E30B. The CX523 looked crap next to the Panny. (The black was purple and stripey).
There was an EX523 across the way which looked much better but I don't know if it was just better set up or if it was the extra cash. Not really what I was intending to spend anyway.
Another telly which caught my eye was a Samsung UE32D5520R. The blacks on that screen were *really* black - it was a sight better than the CX523 anyway!

Interesting - I'd sorta narrowed my choice to the Samsung too (if we get a 32, wife may prefer smaller so a panny 24-26 it would be then I think - cardboard cut-out time tomorrow maybe!), and it's quite a good price. The EX and the LG are just a bit too spendy for me.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #54 on: 28 December, 2011, 07:35:27 pm »
In the absence of the LG to look at, I suspect it'll be a toss up between the Samsung & the E30B. Pingu still has to come & look, but I suspect in the absence of him seeing one as being glaringly obviously better than the other he'll either let me decide, or go for the cheap one....
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Feanor

  • It's mostly downhill from here.
Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #55 on: 28 December, 2011, 07:41:43 pm »
FWIW, we have 3 large-ish TVs dotted around Lowe Towers, and they are all Panasonics.

I did some research around the time I bought them, and that was the final outcome.
I would buy the same again.
I think they all came from JL doon in George St too.

Not sure if you can see Durris Tx from where you are, ( I think you may be on the wrong side of the hill ) but it's now transmitting the HD mux.
None of ours do Freeview-HD ( too old ) but they do other HD well.
One has freesat HD built-in,which works well, and the others get their HD feeds from external boxen.

--
Ron

Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #56 on: 28 December, 2011, 10:41:05 pm »
We get a picture if we switch the box to the BBC1HD channel so I presume so...
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

gordon taylor

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #57 on: 28 December, 2011, 10:56:27 pm »
How do we choose a new TV?

a) wait till old one doesn't work.
b) decide a small budget
c) go to Tesco and pick up a box with a picture of a TV on the front and a "special offer" price tag within 20% of (b)

Come home happy!
Plug it in
Never think about it again until (a) above repeats itself.

 :thumbsup:


Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #58 on: 28 December, 2011, 11:23:06 pm »
Philistines!
I bet you drink paint stripper and listen to mp3's ripped to 64kps too. ;) ;D
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #59 on: 29 December, 2011, 12:05:28 am »
How do we choose a new TV?

a) wait till old one doesn't work.
b) decide a small budget
c) go to Tesco and pick up a box with a picture of a TV on the front and a "special offer" price tag within 20% of (b)

Come home happy!
Plug it in
Never think about it again until (a) above repeats itself.

 :thumbsup:

A man after my own hert! (I don't have a telly but have similar philosophy for other goods.

Await need.
Define budget.
Source stockist.
Find item which has criteria which satisfy on short list. (Availability, ize, price specs)
Decide these thingsare all much of a muchness and will do job.
Purchase.
Enjoy.
Move on, don't mither.
If item fails/disappoints,
COMPLAIN LOUDLY and tell all your friends.
It probably won't.

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #60 on: 29 December, 2011, 12:16:30 am »
We've just bought a 32 inch Samsung for £300 from PC world. Paid a little more to get an LED backlit version, mainly for weight saving as it is mounted on an "arm"

Picture is excellent - sound a little weak.

Valiant

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #61 on: 30 December, 2011, 08:02:09 am »
Calibrate it. You'll be amazed at the picture and energy consption improvement. Same with all TVs when first brought actually.
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

Support Equilibrium

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #62 on: 30 December, 2011, 10:27:00 am »
Calibrate it. You'll be amazed at the picture and energy consption improvement. Same with all TVs when first brought actually.

How?
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #63 on: 30 December, 2011, 10:50:51 am »
HDTVtest appear to put all their calibration settings on facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/HDTVTest
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #64 on: 30 December, 2011, 10:58:35 am »
Ah ha! I was reading the review of the Samsung there (which has annoyingly gone up £50 overnight whilst still out of stock at JLP! - Matching Richer Sounds I guess) but didn't twig that the settings were actually part of it.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #65 on: 30 December, 2011, 11:23:35 am »
Ooh, that's a bit cheeky isn't it...
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #66 on: 30 December, 2011, 02:21:04 pm »
I thought so! And it makes the decision less clear cut as the Samsung (which has the best overall reveiws at it's (former) price point) is now closer to the LG and Panny E30B. Bugger!
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #67 on: 30 December, 2011, 02:27:30 pm »
I bought an LG about 15 months ago and I like it, but I'm not very particular. Nobody looks green and the picture is the right way up so I'm happy. I have no idea what all that calibration nonsense is.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Mrs Pingu

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #68 on: 30 December, 2011, 02:49:41 pm »
Ha, I just saw the Cx523 in the Sony centre and it looked a million times better than it did in JLP so now it's back on the list.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #69 on: 30 December, 2011, 02:57:51 pm »
Calibrate it. You'll be amazed at the picture and energy consption improvement. Same with all TVs when first brought actually.

How?
By default they're usually on "display" settings rather than "home" or "movie" settings, which are dimmer.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

redshift

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #70 on: 30 December, 2011, 10:12:02 pm »
Calibrate it. You'll be amazed at the picture and energy consption improvement. Same with all TVs when first brought actually.

Hah, now you're in my domain...

That's where I've been spending most of today.  Unfortunately, the colour analyser I'm using is a bit costly for home use.   ;D
L
:)
Windcheetah No. 176
The all-round entertainer gets quite arsey,
They won't translate his lame shit into Farsi
Somehow to let it go would be more classy…

Wombat

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #71 on: 31 December, 2011, 10:05:45 am »
I got as far as page 8 before I gave up....  You are a much more cleverer person that wot I is, Redshift.


And for the original question, why not consider the Sony 524, not just the 523?
Wombat

Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #72 on: 31 December, 2011, 10:56:48 am »
I got as far as page 8 before I gave up....  You are a much more cleverer person that wot I is, Redshift.


And for the original question, why not consider the Sony 524, not just the 523?

The EX range are Sony's LED lit (as opposed to ccfl), and are about £100 more expensive (than the CX) as a result.  So a 32" Sony EX is around £500, whilst the competition are around £400 for similar (and in some cases "better") spec - the Samsung at £429 has a 100hz refresh rate and the Sony's a 50hz one.
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

redshift

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #73 on: 31 December, 2011, 11:12:44 am »
I got as far as page 8 before I gave up....  You are a much more cleverer person that wot I is, Redshift

Nah, I'm just looking at the pretty pictures, mate...   ;D
L
:)
Windcheetah No. 176
The all-round entertainer gets quite arsey,
They won't translate his lame shit into Farsi
Somehow to let it go would be more classy…

eck

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Re: How do you choose a new tv?
« Reply #74 on: 31 December, 2011, 11:35:44 am »
The "Click" programme on BBC News Channel has what they call a "handy guide to buying the right TV" some time in the next few minutes. I think Click is repeated quite often, and it's prolly on i-player too.
It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.