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 Topic: Buying a TV. Any advice?

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  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #30 - July 06, 2010, 05:48 PM
    Quote from: J4m3z on July 06, 2010, 05:43 PM
    I don't think that'll be a problem. I've never been addicted to the tv before.


    I still don't see how you're gonna be able to afford that penis reduction surgery Ferrero keeps asking for on your income if you keep wasting money on shit like new TVs.
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #31 - July 06, 2010, 05:58 PM
     Cheesy Cheesy
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #32 - July 06, 2010, 05:59 PM
    Quote from: Iblis on July 06, 2010, 05:13 PM
    Cheesy

    and does response time and refresh time really matter that much? Just go watch the screens at the store and if it looks nice that should be enough.


    There's gonna be alot of TV's which look good in store but not at home or vice versa for some reason that I'm not knowledgeable enough in these matters to understand.
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #33 - July 06, 2010, 07:21 PM
    Quote from: Iblis on July 06, 2010, 04:47 PM
    I got a 40" LCD HDTV Samsung 2 weeks ago. Fucking sweet.

    Yo Iblis you remind me of this guy:




    Even though I saw your picture, I still imagine you as a brown version of him.  grin12
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #34 - July 06, 2010, 07:28 PM
    lol.. who the fuck is dat
    Quote from: thinkfree on September 28, 2010, 07:58 PM
    Iblis has mad debaterin' skillz. Best not step up unless you're prepared to recieve da pain.

  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #35 - July 06, 2010, 07:42 PM
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_%28Entourage%29
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #36 - July 06, 2010, 07:43 PM
    Quote from: J4m3z on July 06, 2010, 05:03 PM
    OK, and what is the difference between response time (measured in milliseconds) and refresh rate (measured in hertz)?

    Response time is the time a pixel needs to change its colour. Everything below 25ms is fine. The refresh times you quoted are probably GtG response time (the time it takes for a pixel to change from one shade of grey to another) and is usually quoted for marketing reasons (because its the fastest one; they never quote the BtW one - black to white). The difference between 5ms and 8ms is irrelevant - forget about all that crap, its marketing gimmick.

    Refresh rate is the number of times per second that a given TV refreshes the picture on the screen. 50Hz (50 times per second) is standard because there are 25 half frames per second and these are refreshed 50 times per second which gives 25 full frames per second - human eye percieves 25 and more frames per second as fluid motion and more is more or less a marketing gimmick. Some say that displaying 100 half frames per second (100Hz) makes a difference but personally I couldn't see any.

    Quote from: J4m3z on July 06, 2010, 04:46 PM
    So how much are the cables needed to make a HD ready tv start receiving HD signal? Is it just a HDMI cable that's needed?

    You obviously need a source of HD signal. What are you gong to connect the cable to? Virgin HD box, Sky HD box, Blu-ray player, PS3, XBOX360? Not sure if there are any freeview HD channels as of yet, but there will be - you obviously do not need an HDMI cable if you are only going to watch freeview HD channels. A semi-decent HDMI cable (1.5m or so) will cost you approx.  £30

    Quote from: J4m3z on July 06, 2010, 05:59 PM
    There's gonna be alot of TV's which look good in store but not at home or vice versa for some reason that I'm not knowledgeable enough in these matters to understand.

    The magic word you are looking for is called calibration.


    Some of the best deals around atm:

    If you can stretch to £380 buy this 42" plasma: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5368699.htm?storeId=10001&referredURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argos.co.uk%2Fstatic%2FProduct%2FpartNumber%2F5368699.htm&jspStoreDir=argos&_%24ja=tsid%3A11674|prd%3A1546795&referrer=COJUN&cmpid=COJUN

    These are all decent budget 32" LCDs (the first one even has a USB port which can be really handy):

    £300: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/-/318/404/-/13646568/Samsung-Series-450-32-inch-LE32C450-HD-Ready-Freeview-LCD-TV/Product.html?searchtype=genre&P36=P53T76&affid=hotukdeals&awc=buyat&_$ja=tsid:11516|prd:hotukdeals

    £300: http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/samsung/le32b530/sams-le32b530

    £280: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/technology/footballfever/113694897_toshiba_regza_32av615db_32_hd_ready_digital_lcd_tv.html?network_id=cj&source=cj&affiliate_id=1546795
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #37 - July 06, 2010, 07:57 PM
    In-store can be misleading. They generally use shitty video distribution systems out of the ark, which can make it difficult to tell what really looks good. Check out avforums for advice / reviews and deals. Personally, I'd go "FullHD" (1920x1080 aka. 1080p) if possible, especially if you're hooking up to a PC or future BD player via HDMI primarily for movies, as you will get the benefit of being able to natively reproduce the source resolution on your display. "HD ready" is generally a by-word for 720p (1280x720) screens, although they are usually more likely to be 1336x768 or something. Ignore anyone who tells you to buy an expensive cable for consumer-grade digital interconnects - it's only even slightly relevant for analog cables (eg, speakers).

    My advice would be to get the best branded 1080 LCD screen you can within your budget - there are good review sites around to can sanity check your shortlist. Since you're after a panel for films, 24p is probably more desirable than 100hz+ support and of course good colour reproduction / black levels. Latency (response time) is more relevant to live action / sports / games - decent current gen displays are unlikely to let you down in this department, imo.

    Finally, don't watch TV. It's 99% shit and horrible quality, to boot. If you want to watch TV buy a second hand CRT, it'll be more forgiving of the horrible compression artefacts.
    Each of us a failed state in stark relief against the backdrop of the perfect worlds we seek.
    Propagandhi - Failed States
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #38 - July 06, 2010, 08:00 PM
    Ta, Kenan + thinkfree. We're up to our necks reading reviews but will start shortlisting. We're popping into richersounds tomorrow.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #39 - July 06, 2010, 08:10 PM
    Quote from: thinkfree on July 06, 2010, 07:57 PM
    Ignore anyone who tells you to buy an expensive cable for consumer-grade digital interconnects ...

    You mean like a £100+ Monster? Yeah, I agree - a waste of money.

    However £5 1m HDMI cables you can buy at Tesco's usually aren't even 1.3b certified and do not support the bandwidth required for a PS3 or a decent AV receiver.


    @Ferrero
    Goods in store @Richer Sounds are priced differently compared to internet prices. Print off the stuff from their web-page and take it into the store with you.

    And haggle, politely ask for a deal on the stuff you will be buying - usually you can get a few quid off or a bigger discount on a Blu-ray player or HDMI cable.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #40 - July 06, 2010, 08:17 PM
    Quote from: Kenan on July 06, 2010, 08:10 PM
    You mean like a £100+ Monster? Yeah, I agree - a waste of money.

    However £5 1m HDMI cables you can buy at Tesco's usually aren't even 1.3b certified and do not support the bandwidth required for a PS3 or a decent AV receiver.

    1.3a, b or c? Wink

    Honestly, for a 1m or 2m cable run a £2.50 cable will either work or not work. Buy "gold-plated" USB cables or don't, your choice. Tongue

    Quote
    And haggle, politely ask for a deal on the stuff you will be buying - usually you can get a few quid off or a bigger discount on a Blu-ray player or HDMI cable.

    Always worth a go.
    Each of us a failed state in stark relief against the backdrop of the perfect worlds we seek.
    Propagandhi - Failed States
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #41 - July 06, 2010, 08:28 PM
    Quote from: thinkfree on July 06, 2010, 08:17 PM
    1.3a, b or c? Wink

    Afaik they are all the same. The reason why I mentioned 1.3b is because they are the most common - I think it has to do with adherence to industry standards and how the cables are tested. Or something.

    Quote from: thinkfree on July 06, 2010, 08:17 PM
    Honestly, for a 1m or 2m cable run a £2.50 cable will either work or not work. Buy "gold-plated" USB cables or don't, your choice. Tongue

    USB1.0 = 12Mbit/sec
    USB2.0 = 480Mbit/sec

    "gold-plated" USB  Cheesy

    HDMI1.3 = 8Gbit/sec

    A bit different methinks.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #42 - July 06, 2010, 08:47 PM
    Here you go James - not bad for 300 nicker, the only thing is you have to pick it up in store.

    http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/toshiba/regza-32lv665/tosh-32lv665
    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #43 - July 06, 2010, 08:58 PM
    I'll have a look to see what reviews there are to those TV's you've mentioned, Kenan and Mixu.

    I haven't looked at reviews of this one either but the specs seem impressive, if the specs are anything to even go by...

    http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/lg/32lh7000/lg-32lh70starstar

    Full HD (1080p)
    50,000:1 contrast ratio
    2.4ms response time
    100Hz refresh rate

    But it's £400
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #44 - July 06, 2010, 09:01 PM
    Quote from: Mixu Paatelainen on July 06, 2010, 08:47 PM
    Here you go James - not bad for 300 nicker, the only thing is you have to pick it up in store.

    http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/toshiba/regza-32lv665/tosh-32lv665


    You are the limeyist of the limeys here, Mixu.
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #45 - July 06, 2010, 09:05 PM
    Quote from: Kenan on July 06, 2010, 08:28 PM
    Afaik they are all the same. The reason why I mentioned 1.3b is because they are the most common - I think it has to do with adherence to industry standards and how the cables are tested. Or something.

    Yeah a/b/c really only relate to cert standards not cable specs, per se. The only technical difference between 1.3 and minor revs is some new control command sets, iirc.

    Quote
    USB1.0 = 12Mbit/sec
    USB2.0 = 480Mbit/sec

    "gold-plated" USB  Cheesy

    HDMI1.3 = 8Gbit/sec

    A bit different methinks.

    The USB2 spec required a little extra shielding, afaik. HDMI isn't so different in that they haven't bothered changing the connectors because the cables aren't substantially different enough to warrant it. Most cheap cables are going to be 1.3 but the manufacturer saved money on the cert and extra rubber insulation which would have made it look nice. If I were doing something mission-critical, a long cable run or 2K+ res, I might consider a more expensive cable. Otherwise I think it's like upgrading the ethernet cable bundled with your domestic router to Cat6 STP. ie. It will either work or it won't, and you won't notice the difference between the two.
    Each of us a failed state in stark relief against the backdrop of the perfect worlds we seek.
    Propagandhi - Failed States
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #46 - July 06, 2010, 09:07 PM
    Quote from: Fecal McAngry on July 06, 2010, 09:01 PM
    You are the limeyist of the limeys here, Mixu.


    Whatever do you mean?!  Cheesy
    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #47 - July 06, 2010, 09:10 PM
    I dunno, you just come across as one of the more stereotypically "English"-type folks here to me, despite being from a non-English ethnic background.
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #48 - July 06, 2010, 09:13 PM
    Lol - To be fair, I do get called a "coconut"! - Was it the use of the word "nicker" for money?
    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #49 - July 06, 2010, 09:19 PM
    Yeah, that would be the most recent thing.  Smiley
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #50 - July 06, 2010, 09:22 PM
    I've just realised how you probably imagine me!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGMTCfjnP6Y

     Cheesy
    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #51 - July 14, 2010, 08:30 PM
    So we just bought an LG 32 LF2500 from Argos but we actually got an LG 32 LF7700 instead. It has built in Freesat HD  grin12

    But we don't know how to connect it up to the Satellite dish or Terrestrial antenna. Tried connecting to both and then auto-tuning it but no luck. It's even telling us our postcode is invalid  Cry
    The unlived life is not worth examining.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #52 - July 14, 2010, 08:33 PM
    Quote from: J4m3z on July 14, 2010, 08:30 PM
    But we don't know how to connect it up to the Satellite dish or Terrestrial antenna. Tried connecting to both and then auto-tuning it but no luck. It's even telling us our postcode is invalid  Cry


    just hit it
    Quote from: thinkfree on September 28, 2010, 07:58 PM
    Iblis has mad debaterin' skillz. Best not step up unless you're prepared to recieve da pain.

  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #53 - July 14, 2010, 08:41 PM
    +1  Afro

    Remember back in the day when that shit actually worked for TVs and a lot of other electronics?
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #54 - July 14, 2010, 08:41 PM
    ^he's old
    Quote from: thinkfree on September 28, 2010, 07:58 PM
    Iblis has mad debaterin' skillz. Best not step up unless you're prepared to recieve da pain.

  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #55 - July 14, 2010, 08:46 PM
    I'll take that as a "No"

    But seriously, you never had a projection tube TV where the picture was fucked up and you just hit the side of it and that fixed it, or a malfunctioning VCR, cassette tape player or even some of the early CD players?

    Geez, man, you're younger than me, but not that much younger.
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #56 - July 14, 2010, 08:49 PM
    lol Actually I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah we had those. We were slightly behin in tech back in Kuwait and bangladesh when I was younger so I'd have seen the same shit as you. It was really a great generation to be born into, because we got to see all the changes that took place right in front of our eyes. Remember cassettes and the changeover to CDs? That was epic, we thought *that* was the pinnacle of technology when we got our first "CD Player".
    Quote from: thinkfree on September 28, 2010, 07:58 PM
    Iblis has mad debaterin' skillz. Best not step up unless you're prepared to recieve da pain.

  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #57 - July 14, 2010, 08:54 PM
    Buy one from Tesco. If it goes wrong they have a no quibble money back policy. If you know a member of staff there, they get a good discount that you can split with them. they consistently come up as the cheapest on many models.
    Don't buy a Phillips - they're crap. Some of the cheapest brands have built in digi-boxes and are HD ready.
    It's really annoying to burn out even 1 pixel on a plasma screen.
    Don't forget that under the 'Sale of goods Act' you can get your money back , proportionally, for up to 6 years, on a decreasing scale, but remember to keep your receipt. You don't need either the retailers or the manufacturers guarantee and you certainly don't need an insurance in case anything goes wrong. Your contract is with the retailer and they must make good any faults or defects under the Act.
    Religion is ignorance giftwrapped in lyricism.
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #58 - July 14, 2010, 08:56 PM
    Quote from: Iblis on July 14, 2010, 08:49 PM
    lol Actually I know exactly what you're talking about. Yeah we had those. We were slightly behin in tech back in Kuwait and bangladesh when I was younger so I'd have seen the same shit as you. It was really a great generation to be born into, because we got to see all the changes that took place right in front of our eyes. Remember cassettes and the changeover to CDs? That was epic, we thought *that* was the pinnacle of technology when we got our first "CD Player".


    Yeah, that was a big shift, though not as big as the shift to electronic file music on computers-- completely changed the format of production/distribution-- up until maybe the mid 60s the emphasis had always been on singles, not creating good entire albums-- now it's back to that again, to how popular music was produced/distributed before our parents' generation even.

    But yeah, we got to see both happen. Fuck, I'm just old enough to remember the switch from vinyl and 8-track over to 16-track cassette tapes. I mean, I was really young when that happened, but I still remember it.
    fuck you
  • Re: Buying a TV. Any advice?
     Reply #59 - July 14, 2010, 08:57 PM
    Quote from: J4m3z on July 14, 2010, 08:30 PM
    So we just bought an LG 32 LF2500 from Argos but we actually got an LG 32 LF7700 instead. It has built in Freesat HD  grin12

    But we don't know how to connect it up to the Satellite dish or Terrestrial antenna. Tried connecting to both and then auto-tuning it but no luck. It's even telling us our postcode is invalid  :'
    (

    get the right code then -_-
    [13:36] <Fimbles> anything above 7 inches
    [13:37] <Fimbles> is wacko
    [13:37] <Fimbles> see
    [13:37] <Fimbles> you think i'd enjoy anything above 7 inches up my arse?
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