dombanks Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 so somehow swmbo has agreed that if we buy a new smaller tv i can move the 42" plasma into the spare room and have a PS3 on it. (something is afoot im sure) so what do you look for in a TV? i have no idea. part of our thoughts are a size thing. the 42" Panasonic i have now has quite a thick boarder so the footprint of the tv is much bigger, almost 47" diagonal. so i want one with a really small bezel. it seems like 32" tvs are a norm and 40" is being resisted. i fear dropping to a 32 would be too much. i guess also it should be led/smart/wifi etc? but dont really know what. i dont want a 3d tv as i cant see the point. i already have a Panasonic surround sound system/dvd/bluray player so id like to keep this if i can. any comments/help?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Everall Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I have a samsung smart tv and the pic is great It is however a 48" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon besant Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I have a smart tv in fact it's smarter than me as i can't work the thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 LED TV's will be the thinnest and usually the narrowest border. You'll have to take your tape measure to a shop and see whats what. John Lewis is the best place as they will have the newest models and a large selection of brands. Stick with the Panasonic, they are the best and cheapest at `JL and will include a 5year warranty. I would never buy a smaller screen size than I have now, If you watch films they just have to be veiwed on the largest screen possible with the surround sound, Cinemas will be dead in a few years time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolf Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Opt for a LED tv as they are cheaper to run than the plasma type, they will also last longer. They measure by diagonal so take your tape measure. Samsung do a very good range and 5 yr warranty when bought thru John Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E. Coyote Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Stick with the Panasonic, they are the best and cheapest at `JL and will include a 5year warranty. We bought a Panasonic from JL last year. They ARE available elsewhere cheaper online (JL effectively "price in" the extended warranty and refused point blank to price match). Been very happy with it. Viera link is good, but infuriatingly won't transfer wifi signal from Blu-Ray to TV (the "smart" features are different on each). Either way, your Blu-Ray player will work with any brand of TV but you probably won't have the advantage of only using one remote for TV/Blu-Ray if you choose a different brand. If you go for a "smart" TV check whether it's "wi-fi" or "wi-fi enabled" (the former will work, the latter needs a ~£60 dongle to make it work!). Does mean you can watch BBC iPlayer on the TV (assuming your broadband is up to it). Seems like Panasonic or Samsung come out top with most people. In fact, I'm struggling to think of anyone I know who has bought a different brand recently or been unhappy with their Pana/Samsung. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meakin Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I've always been a sony person myself. I had a sony CRT monitor for my computer for years and the quality was excellent. Bought a TV a few years ago the LCD bravia tv 40" and the quality still is beautiful, deep colours and blacks. My next one will probably be sony too but that will be a few years away. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue ass fly Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I bought a samsung smart 3d last year when we moved Went from a 50" plasma to a 40" led Dont go smaller on the screen size dom,you'll regret it I will say that the pic was better on the plasma,most av forums say 40"+ go plasma However if you want slim,thin framed feature packed then its led I dont use the 3d,theres not much out there to watch anyway and you feel a bit of a tool with the glasses on - which if you do want them samsung supply foc-i dont think pan did Picture is excellent on hd imput,not so good on normal freeview etc Samsung has usb input that you can plug a hard drive into and watch movies directly from ,aswell as music and pics So if you download or store on a HD then you dont need a media player to play them with,its like plugging into a pc The smart part is ok for watching catchup You might want to buy a separate wireless keyboard as using the tv remote to type is a real pain Make sure your internet is fast,otherwise it keeps freezing Read loads of reviews on the one your interested in If argos do the one you choose,they sometimes do a free extended warranty and if it cant be fixed you get you purchase price in voucher to buy another one - and sale time the prices are better than jl Over and out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clansman Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Second what Steve says re going smaller I've a 50" Panasonic and wish I had gone for the 55 at the time but it is still a great TV , hardly ever use the 3D feature. Panasonic I believe have finally matched the black that Pioneer managed years ago on the Kuro ( I think) which was normally used as a 'reference" TV. I have also heard that Panasonic are stopping production of plasma's .......but don't quote me on that one. Don't use half of the features but I'm very pleased with the picture quality especially on any HD programs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 thanks for the replies, the tv doesn't fit in the room as it is, it keeps getting walked into and whacked by the shutters so bigger is out of the question. i was thinking 40" if i can get away with it or 39". she wants a 32 but thats too small for me. we don't really watch that much TV anymore (still thinking if ditching virgin too) and we are not into the home cinema thing either. so really a decent sounding smaller screen in the lounge is fine and i can **** the whole shebang into the back room . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanG1 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I recently went from a 32 inch LCD to a 39 inch smart samsung, taking into account the size of the border it wasn't that much bigger in overall size but a significant increase in viewable area. Very pleased with it and the picture on HD is superb but makes normal non HD programs look poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Surely the size of the room has a bearing on what size of tv screen is "ideal"? A very good friend of mine has a 60" wall mounted screen, but it is his snooker room (full size table that is) and he watches sport on it a lot, from the other side of the room, so it is great. But in the family "snug" he has a much smaller screen, because you sit much closer to the screen there. Then again, I know nothing about tvs, I'm still watching on a 20 year old Philips 26" screen, mainly because it never goes wrong, and has great sound, with 5 channel surround sound as standard, using quite discrete small rear speakers in the corners of the room. Mind you, Mrs H is getting on at me as the Panasonic dvd box (which we need as a digital decoder) only has one tuner, so if you are recording one programme on the hard drive, you can't watch another programme live on a different channel at the same time. So that's another expensive Christmas present needed! I shall go for a Panasonic tv, for one thing Hylands (still a family run independant) with shops in and around Stoke on Trent are always willing to haggle, even price-match. And they are an official Panasonic repairer, so ideal if I did want any warranty work. I'm tempted by the 39" LED which Panasonic do, although I need someone to explain why it is so much more expensive than the same co's. 32" LED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Surely the size of the room has a bearing on what size of tv screen is "ideal"? A very good friend of mine has a 60" wall mounted screen, but it is his snooker room (full size table that is) and he watches sport on it a lot, from the other side of the room, so it is great. But in the family "snug" he has a much smaller screen, because you sit much closer to the screen there. Then again, I know nothing about tvs, I'm still watching on a 20 year old Philips 26" screen, mainly because it never goes wrong, and has great sound, with 5 channel surround sound as standard, using quite discrete small rear speakers in the corners of the room. Mind you, Mrs H is getting on at me as the Panasonic dvd box (which we need as a digital decoder) only has one tuner, so if you are recording one programme on the hard drive, you can't watch another programme live on a different channel at the same time. So that's another expensive Christmas present needed! I shall go for a Panasonic tv, for one thing Hylands (still a family run independant) with shops in and around Stoke on Trent are always willing to haggle, even price-match. And they are an official Panasonic repairer, so ideal if I did want any warranty work. I'm tempted by the 39" LED which Panasonic do, although I need someone to explain why it is so much more expensive than the same co's. 32" LED. For starters it's a larger screen and most probably has extra features and a higher refresh rate. If you need a new recorder then the You View PVR has 2 tuners and you can catch up on the same box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Pete Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I would never buy a smaller screen size than I have now, If you watch films they just have to be veiwed on the largest screen possible with the surround sound, Cinemas will be dead in a few years time. Is this an age thing Bernie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Is this an age thing Bernie? Yes Pete, I don't want wear me specs. and how people watch films on phones and laptops is beyond me, spoils the whole experience in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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