Going shopping for a TV at the weekend, looking to spend about £500 - £700 and looking at 42". Anyone got any 'must haves' or 'must avoids'

Which is better Plasma, LCD, or LED?
Do I really need 3D?
Would a 'Smart' TV be good.
Is Freeview HD worth getting?

I'm swaying towards Panasonic, purely because I have a Panasonic HD recorder, and I could use the same controls..

Thanks

I've had a Samsung 46" LCD for about 5 years nearly now and its great.

I wouldn't bother with 3d unless you really want to wear the specs a lot to get the use out of it.

LED is worth it as it cuts back on power and offers a better picture quality.

Dont go for HD READY, always shell out a couple of quid more for the FULL HD ones.

Freeview HD comes with some tv's by default but i wouldn't pay extra for it unless you want it and don't have Sky HD or Virgin HD services already..

Thanks..

That's what puts me off 3D - really can't see me sat watching tv in the plastic / cardboard glasses

I don't subscribe t Sky or Virgin, so I think I may go for the Freeview HD.

How about this: http://www.richersounds.com/product/tv---a...47-inch-tv

Whether that one or not I'd highly recommend Richer Sounds, a million times better than any other high street retailer, and more like internet prices. Also their warranty cover is actually worth taking, good cover and reasonable price! 2012 SDV8 Vogue SE

Plasma, LCD, LED - It all depends on how you watch your TV. If you tend to watch it with all the lights on, get an LCD (Samsung make decent ones). If you tend to watch in low light or darkness, the plasma is the way to go (Panasonic make great plasma screens).

Personally I prefer plasmas as the colours are more natural, particularly the blacks. I have an old Panasonic plasma (about 5 years old) and a Samsung LCD (about 2 years old). In terms of colour reproduction, the Panasonic runs circles around the Samsung.

Something like these might help

Panasonic 50" http://www.johnlewis.com/231222456/Product.aspx
Panasonic 42" http://www.johnlewis.com/231263085/Product.aspx
Pansonic 42" 3D http://www.johnlewis.com/231263086/Product.aspx
Samsung 46" http://www.johnlewis.com/231218236/Product.aspx

3D - This is really subjective. Some will say it's the greatest thing since slice bread others think it's a waste of money. Personally, there is some good 3D content out there (Disney's Tangled comes to mind) but a lot of me too crap content. It will improve in the future. I'd say look at the experience on the TVs and think about how long you are going to keep the TV.

Smart TV/Internet enabled TVs - At the moment, it is purely for on-demand/catch up services like BBC iPlayer, 4OD, and YouTube. I would say that these services are in their infancy but should improve quickly.

Freeview HD - as the analogue signal is switched off, more channels will come online. Some services are starting to appear via Ethernet/wireless (such as Connect and Vision). At the moment it is limited to BBC 1 HD, ITV 1 HD, Channel 4 HD, and BBC HD (soon to be replaced with BBC 2 HD). Channel 5 will be broadcasting in HD soon. Freeview HD broadcasts in 720p and 1080i (BBC) which means the picture is a lot clearer than standard Freeview so yes it is worth it and in fact, most TV manufacturers are starting to include them as standard.

The other thing to think about is viewing distance (how far you sit from the TV). The greater the viewing distance, the larger the TV. A 42" TV is good for up to 9 - 10 ft.

If don't end up buying Panasonic, I would recommend getting a Logitech Harmony One universal remote. It makes life a lot easier and is really easy to set up. Install the app, connect the remote to your computer, punch in your model numbers and away you go. You can even configure it to sequence of commands e.g. Turn on the TV, DVD, home cinema, etc

Buy the TV from John Lewis and they will deliver it for free, give you a 5 year guarantee and if a high street store does it cheaper, price match it up to 28 days after the purchase. AVForums usually have a thread of what price match they got from JL. Paul

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Thanks ...

I have a slightly different view on a couple of minor points (that's the great thing about these forums ) -

Generally the plasma screens are better for brighter rooms and the LCD for darker - simply because the plasma is transmitting light in a similar way to your old cathode ray tube televisions by energising a phosphor dot which glows, whereas the LCD is passing a background light (the backlight) through a red, blue or green mask (on or off) and so they tend to be darker and less able to show a decent picture in a bright room.

The marketing teams are selling LED which is really LED backlighting through an LCD mask (allowing light to pass through or not) rather than using an LCD fluorescent backlight (generally a couple of fluorescent tubes) - but they are not true LED. A long term goal is to have true LED to replace plasma - where the screen would comprise of millions of LED's in red/blue/green clusters of three - so much brighter than having an LCD filter in the way and much faster (following fast moving ball sports at plasma speeds rather than blurring as with many current LCD/LED screens).

As menitoned by UKRangie the AVForums http://www.avforums.com/ contain a wealth of advice - including some good FAQ's which are worth ploughing through - although as with any specialist forums, they are full of enthusiasts who may suggest kit which is more highly specified than strictly necessary

A couple of very useful tips from there are a) size your screen based upon how far you will be sitting away from it b) view your screens at the same distance when you are in the shop

I bought a plasma Panasonic 42" with advice from the AVForums (it's used in a bright south facing room with lots of windows) about four years ago and have been extremely pleased with it. My only regret being I should had bought the matching Panasonic PVR because it makes it so easy to record from one on screen programme guide.

I recently bought a Sony 42" with built in Freeview HD. It is great to watch HD without having anything else plugged in. It also has Ethernet connection to watch stuff like BBC iPlayer etc. and other online content.

I also have a Sony blueray player with built in surround sound. The sub bass speaker is huge and the sound is awesome. No longer FF owner but still interested. Present car Jaguar XE
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Previous car Td6 SE
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Previous LR- Disco 300TDi Auto

I would go for Led all the way 3d is too expensive and will come down over the next few years Present :2008 TDV8 HSE
Gone Audi A5 2.7TDI
Gone Discovery 3 HSE
Gone Mercedes CLK
Gone Range Rover 2.5 DSE

I recently got a 42" LED for SWMBO and she's happy with it, in fact most nights she sits quietly watching it in the dining room. So you guessed it I'm happy too  Geoff

I bought an LG which was disappointing (pic quality and a very sluggish and crappy remote) and replaced it a year later with a Sony Bravia which is excellent.

Agree with other comments ref LED quality and 3D. Graham

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Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
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Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
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Mikeyjd wrote:

I recently bought a Sony 42" with built in Freeview HD. It is great to watch HD without having anything else plugged in. It also has Ethernet connection to watch stuff like BBC iPlayer etc. and other online content.

I also have a Sony blueray player with built in surround sound. The sub bass speaker is huge and the sound is awesome.

Can I ask what Sony Blueray player you have with surround sound.... I too have a Sony 42 inch with Freeview etc and was wanting to purchase a Sony Blueray to go with it...?

I've been looking at the Sony BDV EF200 but can't find many reviews on it....

TIA....

http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-bdv-ef2...tem_review ====================================

"Open Mike Night " sounded like a lot of fun until i found out i was going to an Autopsy

Thanks Mick....

I had read this review and a few others, just hoping that someone who has used it daily, had an opinion....

I have the BDV-E670W.

It's 5 speakers plus sub. I went for it because the rear speakers run off a seperate remote box so I don't have wires running from the main unit. The sound from the sub is fantastic. No longer FF owner but still interested. Present car Jaguar XE
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Previous car Td6 SE
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Previous LR- Disco 300TDi Auto