Newby needs help spending money

[Ben070]

Hi everone, may I say thank to all of you whose post i've read the last few weeks, most informative. However now my brain crawled out my head and is lying in a heap in the corner. I never knew buying a new TV was so difficult, or that there would be so many conflicting views.

I have around £550 to spend MAX! Im looking for something reliable, with an excellent picture, 28" widescreen ??flatscreen??. Sound doesn't matter as i've got an amp, speakers and decoder already.

I really like the Panny PL1 but thinking also about ?Philips 28PW6006, ? Sony 28 KV-LS35, ? JVC AV-28WT5EK.

And to top it off from what ive read here, even the magazines reviews are now unrealiable everyone here raves for the Sony KV-35 but it only gets a 7 in what Home Cinema but everyone seems to hate to Panny PL1 but it comes up 9/10!!!!!!

HELP a man in need

Ben

 

[Ben070]

Come on guys, I know us newbies are a pain, but you guys are the ones in the know, there's so but conflicting info I really don't have a clue what to get.

 

[rct]

Hi Ben,

Don't take the lack of replies too personally. It's just that when people see a thread title like yours, a little "avoid" mechanism kicks-in. At the time of writing only 47 people have even bothered to look what the thread is about.

Since I joined the forums, I've noticed that the best way to get some attention is to be more specific. It isn't that we "don't like newbies" Much to the contrary in fact, many of us enjoy helping people new to the minefield! It really is impossible for people to advise objectively on a shortlist like you have given. Television buying is an amazingly subjective issue, and as you have noticed, magazines aren't as helpful as one would imagine!

The best thing to do is go to a shop where you can see the TVs you're interested in. Bring along a faviourite DVD and see which image is most pleasing to you . Then when you have a favourite, you can search on the forums for more info on that set. This will tell you if it has any major problems to look out for. If you're still stuck, post a request for help with a particular model.

I hope that this post doesn't seem patronising as it isn't my intention to.

Best of luck with your TV hunt

 

[Andrew McP]

I'm still in two minds about my 28LS35. Great looking set, DVD playback's great. But I never did get my audio output "whistle" sorted out (I just use cheaper headphones to listen instead!), and I'm not convinced about the terrestrial picture... especially white titles etc.. they seem very distorted no matter what picture settings I choose.

It's just that it took me so much effort to settle on this set and a supplier that I just can't face getting it swapped or starting again! Decided it's a case of better the devil you know.

I suspect the best bet for TVs is a local deal where you can go and maybe even see the set you're buying before you part with the cash. Might cost a little more but probably worth it.

Of course I migth just be jaded from a summer of gawping at websites and doing searches on here!

Good luck

 

[js]

I agree with rct. The other problem you might get is someone on here says that X television is brilliant but then another says its crap etc and then you see it in a shop and like it. All you can do is hunt around the shops until you see something you like and has the best picture and as rct said come on here to see if there are issues with that particular model.

 

[Ben070]

Thanks for the advice guys, i'll keep it all in mind!!

Ben

 

[Stiesto]

Watch out for 'TV Buzz' though Ben. My LS35 sounded like a panzer tank and so has every other modern Sony TV I've had. The problem is, its hard to spot in a shop environment due to the noise...but then, it could just be my luck getting all the defective ones.