Low Energy 40" with good sound?

Juliesinar

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Hi,

I currently have a Panasonic TX-32LXD600, it's quite old, but it was quite a good TV in its day.

I'm looking to upgrade, I want a 40" set, with at least 4 HDMI sockets, and freeview HD.

Ideally I'd like a set with low power consumption, as I'm trying to keep my electricity bills in check, I'm prepared to sacrifice a bit of quality to achieve this.

I've looked at a few LED sets and the picture quality seems acceptable, but I'm concerned about the sound quality as its hard to judge this in a large store, the TV I have now has good sound (for built in tv speakers) , so I'd hate to step backwards as far as sound is concerned.

I did previously have a full DD 5.1 set up, but stopped using it a few years ago in order to reduce clutter and power consumption.

I'll be using the Tv for the usual things, TV, gaming, and movies.

Thanks for reading, any comments and suggestions appreciated.
 
The issue is that the low energy TVs are the edgelit LED-LCDs with the skinny cases, leaving little room for reasonable speakers. You could always add a soundbar as a compromise step

40D5520 is a popular choice

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-ue40d5520-ue32d5520-201107121282.htm

http://www.johnlewis.com/231209826/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=40d5520

You don't mention budget by the way :)

Thanks, I did *consider that the skinny cases would be detrimental to the sound quality, I suppose it's just a case of whether I can find an acceptable compromise, I'm not particularly concerned about volume, and big bass.

My budget is quite flexible, no more than £1000, £600-£800 would be more in my comfort zone.
 
For that sort of budget any savings made will be gon in the cost of the set, to get equivalent PQ, then I guess you say youre willing to take that hit. Richer sounds have the ST30 for 500 now, cheaper than many LCDs with better PQ so even taking the PQ hit youd be spending more than youll save, then I guess it depends how long you plan on having the set.....just my rambling thoughts.
 
Do you have any interest whatsoever in 3D?

I'd probably choose that Samsung and a decent soundbar in your shoes if not interested in 3D

Another nice option is the Panasonic 42E30, good rep for gaming and it's bigger :)

http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/panasonic/viera-txl42e30b/pana-txl42e30b

Review of the baby here http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs/1283560/panasonic-viera-tx-l32e30b

I keep going round in circles about 3D, I think I can live without it, that Panasonic seems nice
 
3D option would be the Samsung 40D6100 or the 6530 which has more Smart stuff
 
For that sort of budget any savings made will be gon in the cost of the set, to get equivalent PQ, then I guess you say youre willing to take that hit. Richer sounds have the ST30 for 500 now, cheaper than many LCDs with better PQ so even taking the PQ hit youd be spending more than youll save, then I guess it depends how long you plan on having the set.....just my rambling thoughts.


I see where you are coming from, but it's not just about saving a few quid on my electic bill, I'd also like to do a little bit to reduce my carbon foot print, I know that's a bit hypocritical, given that I don't really need a new TV anyway.
 
3D option would be the Samsung 40D6100 or the 6530 which has more Smart stuff

That's a good value option, the only problem is if I went for a 3D set I'd probably have to get the samsung 40D7000, as it looks so lovely, but it's pushing my budget, and I'm still not convinced I'll get a lot of use out of 3D
 
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Just to tempt you... http://www.avforums.com/review/Samsung-D7000-(UE-40D7000)-3D-LED-LCD-Television-Review.html

http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/samsung/ue40d7000/sams-ue40d7000 - £900 with 5 year warranty

Scooby has a point, plasmas eat more juice but cost less and they have less skinny cases and better sound

The ST30 is not the prettiest thing however

I have a Samsung 46C650 and I have to say the sound is actually really good, especially with an HD input like Sky or BR

I'm going to look at some in store tomorrow, no doubt I'll be drawn to the D7000
 
Where are you based as some retailers are definitely better than others!

JL have the same deal on the D7000 http://www.johnlewis.com/231218240/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=40d7000

and Sevenoaks - they have demo rooms, so if you can find a store with stock you'll get excellent service and a proper demo

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision....E40D7000/1765.0.4.3.1003132.83594.0.0.0?pp=8&

Actually Sevenoaks no extended warranty it seems :(

I'm based in Gainsborough, but I will probably buy from John Lewis for the extended warranty.
 
I see where you are coming from, but it's not just about saving a few quid on my electic bill, I'd also like to do a little bit to reduce my carbon foot print, I know that's a bit hypocritical, given that I don't really need a new TV anyway.

Insulate your house better, get solar panels, Keep your old car and cycle more, holiday at home, buy local produce. Just a few things that will make a bigger differance. Not intended to be a lecture and you may already be doing this.:) Not leaving the bathroom or landing light on when away will save more or not leaving things on standby. With plasma dont go by the big number, plasma works differently to LCD, during some viewing a plasma can actually draw less powerthan LCD, the differance isnt as huge as people think.
 
Insulate your house better, get solar panels, Keep your old car and cycle more, holiday at home, buy local produce. Just a few things that will make a bigger differance. Not intended to be a lecture and you may already be doing this.:) Not leaving the bathroom or landing light on when away will save more or not leaving things on standby. With plasma dont go by the big number, plasma works differently to LCD, during some viewing a plasma can actually draw less powerthan LCD, the differance isnt as huge as people think.

Not really relevant to this forum, but I'm doing quite well, I've dropped my electricity consumption down from £35 PCM to £16 PCM, and my gas bill from £40 to £20 per month, * so suffice to say I don't think I'm wasting energy anywhere in my home, one way I've done this is only replacing appliances with those that use less energy than the ones they replace.

You're right, there is always more that can be done, and we all have to choose where we draw the line.

Anyway, back to TV's, I've monitored mine and it uses about 125 watts, some of the newer ones with bigger screens can use a little as 70 watts, so I'm hoping to upgrade to a larger screen and cut energy consumption, which is a win win situation (for me)

Plasma *may* end up using less, I don't know, I just know that a LED *will* end up using less.
 
Not really relevant to this forum, but I'm doing quite well, I've dropped my electricity consumption down from £35 PCM to £16 PCM, and my gas bill from £40 to £20 per month, * so suffice to say I don't think I'm wasting energy anywhere in my home, one way I've done this is only replacing appliances with those that use less energy than the ones they replace.

You're right, there is always more that can be done, and we all have to choose where we draw the line.

Anyway, back to TV's, I've monitored mine and it uses about 125 watts, some of the newer ones with bigger screens can use a little as 70 watts, so I'm hoping to upgrade to a larger screen and cut energy consumption, which is a win win situation (for me)

Plasma *may* end up using less, I don't know, I just know that a LED *will* end up using less.

Far enough thats great cutting.:smashin: Need to cut mine more mrs loves using a fan even now and has the bloomin windows open at night.:rolleyes: driving me mad as its just throwing money away.
 
we bought a new washing machine recently and I was getting into the A rating versus A+++. Saw something on the energy saving trust site which put the difference over a year of normal use as about £1.

Do the maths before deciding if power use is really a factor. If it's costing more than about £15 more for the lower power one, I suspect you'll never get the money back. And you may be putting up with an inferior picture/sound.

As for the carbon, plant a tree. As you're forcing someone to make you a telly and ship it half way round the world, you better plant a couple even if the TV you find runs on the breath of baby rabbits.
 
we bought a new washing machine recently and I was getting into the A rating versus A+++. Saw something on the energy saving trust site which put the difference over a year of normal use as about £1.

Do the maths before deciding if power use is really a factor. If it's costing more than about £15 more for the lower power one, I suspect you'll never get the money back. And you may be putting up with an inferior picture/sound.

As for the carbon, plant a tree. As you're forcing someone to make you a telly and ship it half way round the world, you better plant a couple even if the TV you find runs on the breath of baby rabbits.

lol great post....feel like I need to go plant a tree or two now, you know where the gas for plasmas come from.:laugh::devil:
 
we bought a new washing machine recently and I was getting into the A rating versus A+++. Saw something on the energy saving trust site which put the difference over a year of normal use as about £1.

Do the maths before deciding if power use is really a factor. If it's costing more than about £15 more for the lower power one, I suspect you'll never get the money back. And you may be putting up with an inferior picture/sound.

As for the carbon, plant a tree. As you're forcing someone to make you a telly and ship it half way round the world, you better plant a couple even if the TV you find runs on the breath of baby rabbits.

this is all going off topic of course, but remember what the OP said. For some people, saving energy is not just about saving money, but also reducing energy use, and they are willing to pay for that.

I agree with you, it really depends on the product and just like car consumption, the numbers don't necessarily mean all that much. Having said that, the differences can be quite big. Going from a A++ to an A+++ fridge freezer for example almost halves energy consumption (on paper).
 
we bought a new washing machine recently and I was getting into the A rating versus A+++. Saw something on the energy saving trust site which put the difference over a year of normal use as about £1.

Do the maths before deciding if power use is really a factor. If it's costing more than about £15 more for the lower power one, I suspect you'll never get the money back. And you may be putting up with an inferior picture/sound.

As for the carbon, plant a tree. As you're forcing someone to make you a telly and ship it half way round the world, you better plant a couple even if the TV you find runs on the breath of baby rabbits.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm happy to persue my quest for a low energy TV, I understand that it may not be entirely rational.
 
I'm energy conscious, however, I would never sacrifice picture quality in return for a few quid off the annual electricity bill. Even Which? allocate only 10% of Review Scores to energy consumption.

With your budget I would opt for the Panasonic TXP42G30. Typical consumption about 120W. Reviews...

Panasonic TX-P42G30B/ TX-P42G30/ TX-P50G30B (G30) Plasma TV Review 'Highly Recommended'

Panasonic Viera TX-PF42G30 - DigitalVersus '4/5'

Thanks for the reply.

I don't really care what percentage Which allocate to energy consumption, I only care how importantly I rate it, as part of my buying decision.

Unlike you, I'm happy to sacrifice some picture quality go reduce my energy consumption.

I'm using an old (maybe about 5 years) LCD panel, all the TV's I've been looking at, many of which have been suggested on here, seem to have better picture quality to the old LCD I have now, so even if they do not match the qualities of a Plasma, they will be a significant upgrade from what I have (at least visually and regarding features)

As I stated in my first post, my only real concern is with the sound, as compared to the TV I have now.
 
Thanks a lot for all the replies and suggestions.

Yesterday I went looking in Currys/Comet and liked most of the TV's suggested here, they all tick the boxes regarding size, 4 HDMI and energy consumption.

The thing I'm no closer to finding out is how they might sound in a regular domestic environment.

I think my next step will be contact Richer Sounds *to see what models they have from my shortlist, and ask if I can demo them, their demo rooms seem quite small and would be similar to the size of room I would be using my TV in, so hopefully I can get a reasonable idea of the differences in sound quality.

I'm happy to buy from Richer sounds as the do a 5 year warranty for just 10% extra.

If I'm not happy with the sound of the sets, then I probably will have to consider other options.
 
Juliesinar said:
Thanks for the advice, but I'm happy to persue my quest for a low energy TV, I understand that it may not be entirely rational.

In that case I'd find some TVs that you like/ are willing to pay for and look through their specs for energy consumption in use, not standby (I'm taking it as given you wouldn't leave on standby). The figures probably won't be exact for real use but you'll be able to see which one uses the most energy to allow you to narrow it down. From that you could ask about sound quality of your short list on here and you'll probably get some detailed responses.
 
In that case I'd find some TVs that you like/ are willing to pay for and look through their specs for energy consumption in use, not standby (I'm taking it as given you wouldn't leave on standby). The figures probably won't be exact for real use but you'll be able to see which one uses the most energy to allow you to narrow it down. From that you could ask about sound quality of your short list on here and you'll probably get some detailed responses.



Thanks, that makes sense, as you state standby consumption is not an issue as its always off if I'm not using it.

I suppose I should also look into the ease of access to the on/off button, mine has a huge button on the lower left hand corner of the set, some I looked at I could not immediate see the button, so I would imagine its hidden somewhere.
 

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