Which 32" NICAM TV to get?

[imranthebinman]

Hi all,

With pay day looming ever nearer, and after months of indecision, it's time to finally make up my mind as to which TV to buy.

It's got to be 32", and it's got to have NICAM sound (as I already have an external DD 5.1/DTS/DPLII amp + speaker setup), and it's got to be under £900.

My first choice is the Toshiba 32zd26 (after having read excellent reviews of the set) mainly because of the NTSC progressive scan which it supports (I have a chipped Xbox which could utilise this), although the purchase of this particular model is not set in stone.

Have read many of the threads on this and other forums conerning the 32zd26, and am aware of the most common problems associated with it, but have decided that no TV is wihtout it's problems, and apart form some minor (and one or two rare major) problems, it looks like a very good set.

I would only get this TV with an open cabinet (the closed "mesh" effect doesn't work for me at all), and have seen that Robertsons Online are doing it for £822 here inc VAT.

Should this be my TV of choice? There is absolutely no way I can afford to spend any more than £900 on a set, otherwise a Loewe would be my first choice.

Any help/feedback is greatly appreciated, as this is an massive amount of money to spend on one single item. I've got to make sure that this is the right decision, and I know that I'll get honest, unbiased, genuine advice here.

Thanks to all who take to the time to read and reply,

-Steve.

[nabby]

How about this one?

http://www.allders.com/id-5108/Product.go

[NinjaKi11a]

Got my 36zd26p coming on saturday. Will let you know what I think.

Incidentally I wanted an open stand, but Toshiba told me this wasn't an option as it wouldn't take the wieght of the 36" set.

[Vipen]

can someone tell me exactly what all that mesh is on the front? is it detachable?? i mean, where will you put all your dvd and consoles. i presumed it comes away and you place everything behind it? if that's the case though, ewhat about games consoles? i just don't get it, am i stupid???

hyperfi are doing the 32" for £699 and the 36" for £899. not sure on availability though.

[imranthebinman]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Picture quality, as I'm sure you've realised, is top priority for me. Basically, I want a 32" screen with the best image quality possilbe for under £900. Not fussed about IDTV though.

The good thing is, I'm not hearning anything (yet) to discourage me from the Toshiba.

Keep the opinions coming, all are greatly appreciated and carefully considered.

Cheers,

-Steve.

This is a bargain, although I would not buy from ED.

http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/produc...OS-42PW23P.htm

32" with uncorrectable geometry or a 42" that's slimmer and has correctable geometry? Hmm tough choice. It lacks progressive though.

I own a 42PW23P, btw. ;-)

[imranthebinman]

Blimey, that is a bargain!

Am a bit sceptical of rear projeciton TVs though, you can't seem to see the picture from any angle other than if you are smack in front of the screen.

Still, I am waiting to be convinced otherwise...!

Cheers for the link, now convince me!

A 42" would be bloody huge in my room though...mmm...huge bloody great big TV in my room (cue Homer Simpson style voice and tongue hanging out side of mouth!)

Cheers Nathan,

-Steve.

32" depth-548mm
42" RP depth-415mm

So depth wise, the RP is slimmer.. although it's bigger due to the CRT's being at the bottom of the cabinet.

What's your viewing angle? A last check 160' gives the best brightness. This set does lack progressive- it's interlaced only, however I would go the 42" despite of this. Oh and this set is 50hz.

[imranthebinman]

Is Prog Scan all it's cracked up to be then?

What about 50 v 100 Hz? Is there a noticable difference? I know technically what the difference is, but what is the actual difference when watching TV?

-Steve.

Can't help reg. progressive, as I haven't had a set thats progressive.

However with a 42" 50hz set- 50hz flicker (I have tried R2 PAL DVD's) is noticeable by 3 people who've used my set. So if you play PAL games and collect R2 DVD's I would not get this set. However if you buy NTSC games and R1 DVD's - we can't see any flicker due to NTSC being 60hz. I don't own R2 DVD's so this doesn't bother me.

[imranthebinman]

Cheers Nathan, but I think I'll mainly be watching/playing PAL stuff (apart from the odd NTSC encoded divx/SVCD movie - gotta love the modded xbox), so I think I'll pass (the 42" would have looked pretty kick-ass though!), thanks for the heads up though !

Any more advice or suggestions from anyone reading this with regards to my choice of TV (Tosh 32zd26 w/ open stand)?

If not, what dealings have people had with Robertsons? Have checked out a few of the threads here concerned with such questions, but if there is any more recent feedback, I'd be very grateful if you'd post your opinions.

Thanks again,

-Steve.