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Help me choose an LCD TV

2K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  Haroulli 
#1 ·
ok I am looking to buy a new tv its got to be LCD. I really like the LG 32" HD ready TV has a friend of a friend has one and it looks good quality.

I was in Curry's today and have seen this package that caught my eye: -

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@2082895565.1148236432@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccfiaddhlekjlgmcflgceggdhhmdgmk.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=258371&category_oid=-25961

its ?1500 and includes a LG 37" HD TV, LG Surround Sound system, a black glass Serano TV stand & a 7" LCD Digital TV, now I have also found a discount voucher code where if you spend over ?1400 you get ?120 discount.

Are there any other packages out there that you can recommend? does anyone have any good or bad comments to say about the above TV?
 
#4 ·
There appears to be good and bad views on avforums about the LG 37" but if you read the reviews on all the contenders in the price bracket they also have good and bad. I am looking for a good package something that looks stylish with a good quality picture / value for money, the stand with this package really sets it off costs nearly ?300, the surround sound is ?230 & 7" lcd about ?190 & the cheapest I can find the screen online is ?1050 so appears to be good value for money. I was contemplating selling the 7" LCD on ebay or have it in the kitchen.
 
#8 ·
I've got a 30" Toshiba LCD (30WL46)

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Its got a great picture, very sharp and bright. But I'm wondering whether I would not have been better off buying a 42" plasma for only a couple of hundred quid more. Its quite clear that LCD are a lot more expensive size for size, however is there really that much in it quality wise? Today I was in Makro and I saw a ?999 Grundig 42" Plasma that looked the business.. am I missing something really obvious here, why do people prefer LCDs over Plasmas?

C
 
#10 ·
Well today I went to Curry's to have a look at the picture quality, they had a HD video playing and the quality was excellent, infact I would go as far as saying as one of the best in the place. I asked one of the staff if she could show me what it was like playing a normal DVD or Sky TV, she said she couldn't and pointed to a 42" Sony Plasma and said it will be like that so I said well thats a Plasma and a totally different make and size I want to see what it is like on the TV I am looking to buy, but she wouldn't so I asked for the manager and she was just as helpful, she said whats the big deal I said well when I am looking to spend 1500 quid I want to know what I am getting, she couldn't understand. In the end walked out, I think they were pleased to see the back of me! How do high street shops expect to keep business over online sales with this kind of attitude?

Rant over...
 
#12 ·
Currys and Dixons aren't exactly the most helpful places around. Comet tend to be a bit better but if you want proper service, get into a John Lewis. They'll bend over backwards for you. Hell they're so helpful it almost justifies the extra cost over the other shops.
 
#13 ·
What Ever you do DON'T buy a 32" ACER LCD TV! Buy a better Brand Name! My Rant Below will explain why!

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I bought my ACER 32" LCD HD TV at Xmas and by New Years Day the screen kept turning green! After the dumbest technician came out and left doing nothing to it, it when back to Acer at the begining of Feb. after 10days I had a brandnew one delievered as they couldn't fix it!

The problem i have with the new one is whilst i'm whatching something on normal TV it will change its self to the Scart (Sky+). Then once in Scart the only way i can change change is to press channel up and down.

Oh the remote control sucks as u can press a number or a function and it will do something completely different like "Volume Up" and it will turn to Channel 3 etc

10days later i got the old one Redelieverd out of the blue! WHICH I KEPT! It worked PERFECTLY for about 2weeks then the green crap comes back! Haven't called them back as i can't be assed to deal with them Tech support sucks and have got 2 tv's for the price of 1. Not really worth it as out of the 2 they barely work properly!

Rant over.
 
#14 ·
Currys and Dixons aren't exactly the most helpful places around. Comet tend to be a bit better but if you want proper service, get into a John Lewis. They'll bend over backwards for you. Hell they're so helpful it almost justifies the extra cost over the other shops.
here here!

john lewis are great and if you can get them into a decent pricematch you can get a bargain

for example the JL Bluewater price for my toshiba 32wlt66 was about ?1100 (inc 5 year warranty) but because another branch was price matching a local store for ?883 i got bluewater to pricematch the other JL store and hey presto ?210+ off and i still got the warranty!
 
#15 ·
here here!

john lewis are great and if you can get them into a decent pricematch you can get a bargain

for example the JL Bluewater price for my toshiba 32wlt66 was about ?1100 (inc 5 year warranty) but because another branch was price matching a local store for ?883 i got bluewater to pricematch the other JL store and hey presto ?210+ off and i still got the warranty!
thats the lcd tv i'm after! saw that John Lewis offered the 5 year warranty but don't really want to pay the full ?1100 asking price! when did you buy your tv and have you any info on the 'local store' and also which John Lewis branch was matching it?

Thansk for any info!

J
 
#16 ·
JL bluewater pricematched JL Cheadle who were matching a local shop that was selling for ?883

unfortunately i think that pricematch has ended now but have a look of avforums.com as thats where i caught wind of the deal, theer may be others to be had

basically JL will pricematch any shop that has a physical presence, shelf edge price labels, and has stock
 
#17 ·
JL bluewater pricematched JL Cheadle who were matching a local shop that was selling for ?883

unfortunately i think that pricematch has ended now but have a look of avforums.com as thats where i caught wind of the deal, theer may be others to be had

basically JL will pricematch any shop that has a physical presence, shelf edge price labels, and has stock
excellent greenbeast, thanks for the info!

J
 
#18 ·
Try 'Ebuyer.co.uk'

They have some excellent deals...a 32'' Hyundai LCD for ?599 inc VAT. Ok not a good brand name but advice from what plasma etc say always compare spec. eg contrast ratios and how quick the response time is etc. There is also a 46'' LCD by Samsung on there for ?1700! I reckon go on there and compare price/spec etc.

Also it's apparently true that 95% of LCD & Plama screens are made by LG under contract to other name big brands. I watched on a documentary. Basically LG make the screens & other companies simply re-brand them. The difference being that it depends what spec LCD is ordered from other manufactures and LG just supplies the screens and the companies 'decorate them' ie the plastic surrounds, colours etc.

It is also important to remember that later in the year theres somethng comming out called 'Full HD' If you note that most LCD'S and Plasmas are branded 'HD ready'. There is apparently a huge difference between the 2. I suppose places have dropped prices to sell of the 'HD Ready' TV's before the new ones come out which will mean any left over stock of 'HD Ready' stuff will really depreciate.

Hope this helps you.
 
#19 ·
LoEnuff,

I got my ACER tv from Ebuyer and however good they've been in the past when i've bought notebooks and other expensive gear. They sucked when it came to helping me with my TV. They kept refering me to the Manufacturer and didn't want to know.

I admit they have cheap prices but i think it comes with a price. No after sales care.
 
#20 ·
Also it's apparently true that 95% of LCD & Plama screens are made by LG under contract to other name big brands. I watched on a documentary. Basically LG make the screens & other companies simply re-brand them. The difference being that it depends what spec LCD is ordered from other manufactures and LG just supplies the screens and the companies 'decorate them' ie the plastic surrounds, colours etc.
There's a lot more to it than that - there is video signal processing and driver circuitry, this makes a significant contribution to image quality, much like an amplifier does to sound from a loudspeaker. Hook one model of loudspeaker to ten different amplifiers and you'll get different sound from all of them. Of course, the raw panel is important as well, but the differences between screens are not purely cosmetic.
 
#21 ·
Haroulli,

Thanks for info on Ebuyer, not cool getting that response when you've forked out loads for your screen. I have nbought a screen from them & touch wood, I don't have to deal with them on the aftersales bit![:O]

Shiuming,

I agree with you, I think I've come across wrong. Just wanted to say that the panels ostly come from LG and other manufacturers put their own unique bits in, like adding on their own remotes and from what you say the signal processing etc. I have to admit don't know much about that stuff but just wanted to state that the panels themselves are made from mostly one company.[:)]
 
#23 ·
Haroulli,

Thanks for info on Ebuyer, not cool getting that response when you've forked out loads for your screen. I have nbought a screen from them & touch wood, I don't have to deal with them on the aftersales bit![:O]
Yeah i just want people not have the same problem i did. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if the actual manufacturer was competent too. Acer seem to have real problems getting things done and every time i talk to Tech Support i'd be fobbed off with some sympathy. At the end of the day u spend a lot of money on a TV u expect it to work like new not people to tell u they're sorry. I don't think u would have that much problems with a bigger company like Sony etc.
 
#24 ·
I think the Panasonic Viera range are rated highly. I know people who have from these guys with no problem:
http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/

I've been told that flat screens (still) don't offer the picture quality of CRT TV's - shop assistants words not mine!!

I was disappointed that most flat panels I looked at don't offer the same native res or repsonce time of my Samsung computer TFT (1280 x 1025 8 ms) - perhaps its asking too much of a screen that size?
 
#25 ·
I've got an Acer 26" LCD in bedroom and it is good but not fantastic image quality (will update review when I get some kind of HD source) also the blacks could be better - however it does the job I wanted and hasn't broken down. The remote control is good / clear and works. Best of all when I bought it it was the cheapest brand I would trust at the time ?499 inc vat only recently has it dipped below this

Downside no SKY remote codes for it.
 
#26 ·
I think the Panasonic Viera range are rated highly. I know people who have from these guys with no problem:
http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/

I've been told that flat screens (still) don't offer the picture quality of CRT TV's - shop assistants words not mine!!
Picture quality encompasses many things. For geometry (that never drifts) and sharpness, flat panels hands-down. Refresh, black level and colour gamut, CRT still leads. The gap is closing, though.
 
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