Helppp, LCD advice for technophobe blonde

J

Jessica Payne

Guest
Hiya all... I really need help from you clever boys.

I want to buy a 26 inch widescreen LCD to watch only Sky television

No games, sometimes DVD.

I will not be getting any HD stuff, not sure what to buy as in comet i dont know what type of signal they are displayin

I have around £900 and only need 26 inch as my flat is quite small

Can you help me make the right decision :lease: :lease: :lease:
 
Hi-welcome to the nuthouse:D
Ive got a LG26lc2r which i use mainly for sky and am pretty pleased with it-(settings out the box are lousy though) as with most lcds pic quality on sky varies from channel to channel.Best thing to do is go to John Lewis or an independent retailer and see which set you prefer as they seem to have them set up better than most.(Thought the Tosh looked nice in JL the other day).
 
I've spent quite a lot of time comparing LCD TVs recently and the Sony Bravia KDL26S2030U in black (you can also get grey) would be the one I'd go for. Most of the magazine tests of LCDs also say the Sonys are best.
 
in the store i work in we get a fair few sonys back with all kind of problems... (even mines broken!) and standard definition performace (freeview sky etc) is far from the best in thier class.

also jessica, buying from the right place is pretty important. some stores can be a real pain with returns should you have any problems. have a browse around here and take a look at the feedback the stores have been given from some of our members.
 
Hi Jessica, as someone who's been through the pain of knowing little or nothing and not actually wanting to become a rivet counter (sorry boys! :hiya: ) my advice to you is to go to John Lewis. It's the only big place I've found that shows normal aerial tv out put or HD. So you can see a set that you like the look of and ask to see normal aerial freeview stuff. That way you'll see what picture you like the look of.

Go in when it's reasonably quiet, if you can, and ask for someone who really understands all this stuff. Get them to list you 3 model recommendations and why they'd reccomend them. Then look at them. Then pick it depending on what picture you like best. Ask them to flick through all available channels and show you a bit of DVD as well. Then make your choice from that.
 
Rude-dog, I'd be interested to know what sort of problems you get with Sonys.

I'd agree that the Toshibas have very good picture quality. I think Phillips ones do as well - although the stylng's not to my taste.
 
:thumbsup:
This is good help. I saw sainsburys have got a sony for 499 and thoughtthat was a good deal

As Sky is my main source I will make sure I see these in John Lewis

I am guessing JL is one of the better places to buy from ??

Reading these forums I am more confused than when I started.

Great place, think I am addicted :clap:

In my flat i will sit about 8 feet away, should I buy larger ??
 
You could use a much bigger screen than 26" at 8 feet. It depends on what you want to spend and where you're gong to put it in the room, I guess.

John Lewis are supposed to be very good at dealing with defects and they are competitive for price - especially if you get them to match other retailers' prices.

By the way, when you get one, try turning the sharpness control right down - the picture will look more natural.
 
Defo get a 32" for that viewing distance.
 
Why do people keep pushing the same old line "get something bigger"? Some of us are quite happy with 26" tvs,its equivilent to old 28"crts and most people were happy with those,plus the op said she doesnt want anything bigger.I can understand if all you watch is hd but its nice to have a bit of distance to escape sd problems.
 
Hi again Jessica, my advice on this one would be to go and stand about 8 feet away from the demo models and just actually watch the picture. If you're too close it will look horrid and you'll know you need to drop a size. Only you know what size you want (LOL!:rolleyes: )

JL is a good place to buy from because they will pricematch other shops, including online ones like Empire Direct, and they will give you advice without pressure to buy as they don't get commission. They offer a 5 year guarantee which is pretty important to me, anyway. It's a good 5 year guarantee because they will actually replace the set with a new equivalent model any time within the 5 years. And the guarantee is free - with Currys etc you're having to pay a monthly charge.

PS - the MOST important thing is don't just go and buy a model such as Sony thinking, ah it's bound to be good,without actually seeing it in action. It's not like CRT tvs, they are NOT all the same, and this is especially true if you're going to be watching ordinary normal tv.
 
:rotfl: Size does matter CCC

Today I went to JL and saw the Panasonic TX26LXD500 which looked very good on normal TV (good advice to go to JL), cost £1000

Also went to an independant place and saw a TX26LX60, which was playing Ice Age on DVD. The price was £650... £350 cheaper :clap:

Shame I could not compare the two next to each other on normal TV

Can you tell me why the difference in price, and is it worth it ??

Feel a little hungover today :devil:
 
Hi Jessica, I'm afraid I couldn't tell you why the large price difference between the models. I'm not a rivet counter like the lads! There will doubtless be good reason though.

One thing to note - JL are expensive (though don't forget the really good 5 year warranty) but you can get them to price match. Take a look at other shops, and do a google on the model you want and see if you can find it elsewhere. Then ask JL to price match - but they won't do it to online only shops like Amazon, only shops that actually have a bricks and mortar shop as part of their business.

Another thing to bear in mind - the picture on an LCD tv looks much better with a DVD on it than with an aerial plugged in. You should really just compare tvs with an aerial signal if you're mostly going to be watching standard tv.
 
A larger screen will show artifacts more, and LCDs are not as forgiving as CRTs in this respect. When you view in store, make sure you view from the correct distance. My 37" looks shockingly bad up close, but from my sofa it looks stunning.

And try with the same source, I understand Sky is a particularly poor source compared to freeview.
 

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