Dear God, someone help me through this decision making nightmare.

G-fella

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Hi All, I'm new here though i feel like i've read almost every post in these forums.

As you can see from the spec in my signature I am seriously struggling with regard to watching TV. My 28in TV broke a month ago. My new credit card should come through this week, and I NEED to get myself a new TV. Reckon I am willing to spend up to £1000 for 32" widescreen (36"er would be nice but depth size is problem and weight).

I've read a lot of posts about the TVs, but I really need someone to advise me on getting the right set for me.

-DVD will get used quite a bit (RGB).
-Currently using rooftop aerial, but i will get Sky+ as soon as i get the TV installed (assume 2nd RGB)
-I will occasionally use the PS2 (Normal SCART connection I guess)
-VHS will be used to fill a hole in my TV unit (with access to the SCART should i ever need to use it).

I intend to watch a lot of footy via SKY+. I dont really need anything too fancy in the audio department on the TV as my Pioneer DV99 sounds just fine to me, and i intend to carry on using it.

The TV's that I am looking at have either had good mag reviews or have been mentioned in high regard on these boards. I have every intention to go and view them for myself, but really wanted to see if you guys would rule any of them out to make my job easier.

TV's currently on list are :
Philips 32PW9509 (This was my No.1 choice, but there seem to be so many problems/issues with the picture quality from reading the boards)
Toshiba 32PZ48 (The 36" seems really popular on here, is the 32" just as good)
Sony KD32DX200U (No-one seems to say a good word about Sony apart from the magazines. Why is this ?)
Loewe 32 (Mimo or Nemos I am never sure which one is the best, and they seem expenive)
Panasonic 32PD50 (I like the look of the set, I dont know why I just do)

I really would like to get this down to a 2 TV race before I go to the shops to have a play (3 at most).

So, given my intended setup/use, anyone got any pointers as to which ones to consider. Even just a straight rating 1-5 would be of help (1 - Best, 5 - Worst).

Any other sets I am missing ?

I just want a good picture from as many of my sources as possible. I dont mind doing a bit of tinkering with settings, as long as its easy save and switch between them.

From what I've read her , this has got to be my best place to get some answers before i go crazy. :lease:

I will check here as often as possible, and answer any queries people have. (sorry for such a long message :boring: ).
 
Through recent personal experience i wouldn go anywhere near the sony- there are just to many problems with their crt range at the minute-after all samsung make them and are sold under the sony name.
Sky+ and the philips 9509 are not compatible in my opinion- skys bit rates are not great and looks terrible on the phillips over processed picture
That leaves the panasonic and the toshiba- both of them get great ratings in magazines and both dont get as much abuse as other tvs do on this site- so its down to those 2 in my opinion.
 
meath man said:
Through recent personal experience i wouldn go anywhere near the sony- there are just to many problems with their crt range at the minute-after all samsung make them and are sold under the sony name.
:eek:

That is pure fiction. Sony make Sony.
 
My two penneth. Footy and the Philips dont mix due to white line down the middle of the screen on all the models I've seen.

Wackojacko32
 
I can only speak for the tosh 32pw48, its great. even football looks better than it did on 50 hZ, plus you get 2 RGB scart inputs. :hiya:
 
Ok,

Stay away from the Loewe Nemos, I had 2 and both had a distortion at the sides of the screen.
The thoshiba picture frame crts and good if you can get a good one.
The panasoinc pd30 has lots of faults, the pd50 is the one up from that so if the faults have been fixed then you might get a good tv.

Try and get some demos of the sets you like. Take a DVD of your own and ask for rgb dvd player to be pluged in to the tv you are looking at. Also try and see if you can adjust the settings on the one you are looking at as many are not set right in the shop.

It does seem to be luck of the draw these days as to weather or not you get a good one. I gave up with crts after to many problems to mention and then just bought a plasma instead. :thumbsup:
 
meath man said:
Through recent personal experience i wouldn go anywhere near the sony- there are just to many problems with their crt range at the minute-after all samsung make them and are sold under the sony name.
Sky+ and the philips 9509 are not compatible in my opinion- skys bit rates are not great and looks terrible on the phillips over processed picture
That leaves the panasonic and the toshiba- both of them get great ratings in magazines and both dont get as much abuse as other tvs do on this site- so its down to those 2 in my opinion.

Thanks for that meath man. I will have a look at the Panny and Tosh in more detail now (they are the 2 i have looked at the least so far).

As far as the Philips 9509 goes, I dont understand what sources the magazines use for reviewing. I assume it can be DVD only (as even people on here think that the picture is great from that source). But I will be watching a quite a bit of footy via Sky+, so I think I will rule this one out completely now.

Thanks to all for replying so far, i bet you guys get fed up with 'whats the better TV' threads. :)

Anymore input to my query would still be gratefully accepted tho. I cant wait to get a new TV, watching a portable from 12ft isnt very good for the eyes you know.
 
G-fella,

If you really have read most of the Forum, you'll know I'm a big John Lewis fan. :)

Their "Customer Satisfaction" policy means they really will keep swapping TV's until you get one that you like. :clap:

What more could you ask for?

You'll also know that their Pricematch is a bit of a hassle but, with the 5 year free guarantee, I would strongly recommend that route.

Good luck! :thumbsup:
 
G-fella said:
Anymore input to my query would still be gratefully accepted tho. I cant wait to get a new TV, watching a portable from 12ft isnt very good for the eyes you know.

If you are watching from 12ft then I would definately go for a 36". Both the Tosh and Panny have a small frame and so do not look too big in a room. My Tosh 36ZP48 arrives tomorrow.
 
Samsung have definately been making sony crts for a while know- anyone sales assistant who knows anything will tell you this.Sony are concentrating on lcd and plasma and are fooling everyone into buying a crt because its got the so called quality sony brand on it. search this forum, its new range of crts are a joke 1. sony kv 36hq100- huge amount of problems 2. sony kv28fq86- i had 2 in the last month and sent both back with numerous problems 3. sony kv 32cs70- again huge amount of problems 4. sony kv21cl10- just sent that back as it had a similar problem to the fq86.
6 months ago i waas nieve when it came to tvs. i now know its all about luck- i.e your very lucky to get a tv without a problem these days. i have become completely disillusioned with the whole issue of buying tv ( i bought a jvc lt26ct1 lcd tv on the back of a great magazine review- it was a joke and i was done out of 200 euro for returning it by www.rgbdirect.com)
Im going to stick with my 18 inch 4:3 for a while now.
 
Try a JVC HV32D40

Had mine 4 months now, absolutely brilliant.

My father in law just got the new Toshiba 32" picture frame, because he prefered the look of the set from the side due to it's location in his living room.

He still thinks that the JVC has the more detailed picture without any side effects
 
I think warning someone off a television just because one or two individuals have had a problem with it is wrong imo. Every product line will have problems be it tv's or cars. If someone you knew had a bit of a problem with a new ford fiesta it certainly wouldnt put me off buying one just based on that instance alone. The same has to be said for tv's.

Most people on here are here because they have some kind of problem with their sets (not everyone but a large %) You usually dont hear about the people having no problems atall. So all im saying is if you like the look of a cretain set and the features is has dont mark it off your list because someone has had a dodgy one.
 
meath man said:
Samsung have definately been making sony crts for a while know- anyone sales assistant who knows anything will tell you this.Sony are concentrating on lcd and plasma and are fooling everyone into buying a crt because its got the so called quality sony brand on it. search this forum, its new range of crts are a joke 1. sony kv 36hq100- huge amount of problems 2. sony kv28fq86- i had 2 in the last month and sent both back with numerous problems 3. sony kv 32cs70- again huge amount of problems 4. sony kv21cl10- just sent that back as it had a similar problem to the fq86.
6 months ago i waas nieve when it came to tvs. i now know its all about luck- i.e your very lucky to get a tv without a problem these days. i have become completely disillusioned with the whole issue of buying tv ( i bought a jvc lt26ct1 lcd tv on the back of a great magazine review- it was a joke and i was done out of 200 euro for returning it by www.rgbdirect.com)
Im going to stick with my 18 inch 4:3 for a while now.

So why do they still have 2 of the biggest CRT manufacturing sites in Europe (Barcelona & Pencoed)!!

I don't know which sales people you have been talking to, but I can assure you that what they have told you is 100% incorrect.
 
I thoroughly recommend the Toshiba 32ZP48. Regards, yt.
 
Well i've got an HQ100 and i've had my share of problems(this is the SIXTH HQ100 and NINTH Sony TV in 13 Months) I would STILL recommend the HQ100!! The picture is amazing. My problems have been due to outside circumstances we believe(magnatism) and mis handling in transit(try picking one up!!) BTW,the tube in the HQ100 is made in the USA ;) When mine had the recall done the stickers said USA-i was VERY surprised-the tube weighs a ton! It must cost ££££ to ship then to Spain where they are assembled. Sony make their own CRT's and have done for years,they have also got,as has already been mentioned,manufacturing plants in Wales & Spain. I did read somewhere that Sony use Samsung Plasma panels though? Never checked this out and was surprised to hear that!!
 
quadmad said:
Try a JVC HV32D40

Thanks quadmad, I will have a look at the spec tonight when i get home.

schnipps said:
I think warning someone off a television just because one or two individuals have had a problem with it is wrong imo. Every product line will have problems be it tv's or cars. If someone you knew had a bit of a problem with a new ford fiesta it certainly wouldnt put me off buying one just based on that instance alone. The same has to be said for tv's.

Most people on here are here because they have some kind of problem with their sets (not everyone but a large %) You usually dont hear about the people having no problems atall. So all im saying is if you like the look of a cretain set and the features is has dont mark it off your list because someone has had a dodgy one.

You are quite right ''schnipps'. I will obviously make my own mind up in the end, but its the one thing this board has made me see, is that despite all the good reviews of say... Philips PW9509... the amount of comments from different people saying how poor the image quality is on certain sources and how tricky it is to set up have really made me see sense.

The recommendations of the Panny, Tosh and even the JVC have opened my eyes that bit wider. (personally i think they all look better than the PW9509 as well :D )

Anymore suggestions of CRTs to look at ? Any body really happy with any of these sets (say no problems, everything fine straight from the box) ?

Also if I go to JL to have a demo of these sets, any tests (or even films) that I should try that really highlight problems that other people have had ?

Keep it up guys, all your input has been useful so far. :smashin:
 
I always put the screen onto an AV input with no signal to get the blank screen. If its a bright colour, like on the Philips, then you can easily see any variations in the contrast which MAY lead to dirty screen effects on Football and other fast panning sport etc.

Have you got, or know anybody with a DVDR, as you could record some footy to take with you as this is one of your specific requirements.

Wackojacko32
 
G-fella said:
Also if I go to JL to have a demo of these sets, any tests (or even films) that I should try that really highlight problems that other people have had ?

The problem with that approach is that there are good and bad examples of every TV on the market.

You can bet your last penny that the one on display is not one of the bad ones!

So, unless you insist on the one in the shop, which has probably been on display for months, it's very much pot luck.

I would suggest you choose a TV because you like the spec and styling, and then try one out at home and keep swapping until you get what you want.
 
Wackojacko32 said:
I always put the screen onto an AV input with no signal to get the blank screen. If its a bright colour, like on the Philips, then you can easily see any variations in the contrast which MAY lead to dirty screen effects on Football and other fast panning sport etc.

Have you got, or know anybody with a DVDR, as you could record some footy to take with you as this is one of your specific requirements.

Wackojacko32

I'll ask around at work, someone must have one. Thanks for the tip I will try that.

Tight git ? Is JL's customer service that good that they will keep delivering me new sets ? Sounds too good to be true :eek: What's your record number of changes ? And any hints on who JL have matched price with you in the past (i'm sure i saw this on another thread, but I thought I'd ask again). ?

I'm just measuring up my TV space again, to see if i can fit a 36inch in :devil:

Again cheers for the help/advice so far.
 
G-fella said:
Tight git ? Is JL's customer service that good that they will keep delivering me new sets ? Sounds too good to be true :eek: What's your record number of changes ? And any hints on who JL have matched price with you in the past (i'm sure i saw this on another thread, but I thought I'd ask again). ?

Yes, it really is!

I was lucky and got a good'n first time, but I believe there's someone on the Forum who's on their 12th!!!

Obviously don't "come it", but if you've got genuine cause to be dissatisfied, it would appear you can just keep swapping! :clap:

As for the Pricematch, that's been done to death on the Forum recently, so do a search for info.

Good luck! :thumbsup:
 
If there are so many duff CRTs TG is right about choosing a good supplier.
Just got a 36PD50 which is fine - no dirty screen or wonky geometry and
ok with footy via NTL (but it does have a buzzing transformer!)
JL don't sell but I had little trouble getting a local shop to more or less
match best internet price.You can get a 5yr warranty from warrantyex
for around £160 I think.House of Fraser were also doing a good deal incl
warranty.
Good luck
 
Its a fact that samsung make sonys crts. The sony centre and also sony head office admitted this, i also know someone heavily involved in the av business and he told me this a while back.
I dont know what places youre on about in spain but its not sony who make their own crts any more.
 
meath man said:
Its a fact that samsung make sonys crts. The sony centre and also sony head office admitted this, i also know someone heavily involved in the av business and he told me this a while back.
I dont know what places youre on about in spain but its not sony who make their own crts any more.

HQ100 has made in Spain on the back-as do all the Sony Plasmas i looked at. The tube IS made by Sony-no one else makes Tribntron,and the sticker on the Tube also has SONY on it. Who at Sony head office told you this-I've been in constant contact with them over mine.Sony centres don't know their ass from their elbow!!!!

EDIT

I don't think Sony would announce job cuts(bad PR) if they weren't making them!! It would be Samsungs problem.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4191301.stm
Strange that the tube in the HQ100 is from the USA tbhough.............
 
meath man said:
Its a fact that samsung make sonys crts. The sony centre and also sony head office admitted this, i also know someone heavily involved in the av business and he told me this a while back.
I dont know what places youre on about in spain but its not sony who make their own crts any more.


Meath Man, who at Sony's head office did you speak to then? I know a number of people there and they all say it's a load of rubbish.

Here is the website from their Wales Plant : http://www.bgd.sony.co.uk/aboutus.htm
 

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