So I'm in the market for a new LCD tv obiously it should be 1080p but what else should I worry about?
32" is the max I can get away with as my flat isn't exactly huge, anything bigger would just be silly.
Would I be better off buying a cheaper LCD and a PS3 rather then the £700 Panasonic, to be honest I've no idea as the tv is likely to be on a wall with a sofa at right angles I spose I should worry about viewing angles.
Help I need lots of help with this one.
At 32" 1080p is unnecessary.
At 32" 1080p is unnecessary. It's nice if you can get it without spending much more, but I wouldn't pay a premium to go above 720p (I'm not sure about current pricing.)
As for manufacturers; I'd at least look at similar panels from Samsung and Sharp. They both make great TVs at very good prices; I'd say better than Sony/Panasonic/LG/etc at a few hundred quid cheaper, usually. If you can, it's worth getting a couple demoed in a hifi/ home cinema shop; they'll be properly set up with decent lighting and a clean input signal. But buy it from ebuyer or someone - no point paying the 'audiophile tax' on a commodity item.
No LCD is going to look very good at the viewing angle you're talking about, but it's definitely something to consider. Some cheap panels are virtually unviewable outside a 120 degree cone, although that tends to be monitors, and TVs are usually fine up to 160 or so, beyond which geometric distortion (or foreshortening, if you prefer) is a pretty much insurmountable problem anyway. Is there no way you can rearrange the room? It's the only way you're going to get a really good experience.
The problem with 32 inch and
The problem with 32 inch and 1080p is that to actually get much benefit from the extra resolution you'd need to sit within about 4 feet of it. This is one of the reasons that they started offering 1080p at the higher screen sizes... that and as a differentiating feature to charge more.
The vague discussions that I've seen on the web seem to say that if you want worthwhile 1080p at Tv viewing distances (rather than sitting right in front of it as you do a monitor) you're looking at about 40 inch ish. Some say 42, some say 37, but 32 is generally considered to be too small...
If 32 is as big as the room will reasonably take (which sounds about right from beer-fuzzed memories of your flat) then you might want to save the premium to get 1080 and get a good 720 set and some other stuff ;)
[edit] um, in summary, what he said.
I think I will have to
I think I will have to rearrange the room trouble is it rather small.
Learning new things about Hi
Learning new things about Hi Res TVs here.
Ebuyer have a 32" samsung at
Ebuyer have a 32" samsung at 720p for £360, it is £530 for 1080p.
You would need to be sitting at about 4ft from the screen to notice any difference at that size.
(edit: yeah, what byrnie said)
You could mount the screen on a wall bracket with swivel capability and turn it if using both sofas. http://www.rs100.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=30_97&products...
If you are further than 4ft
If you are further than 4ft away from a 1080p screen at 32" you won't see any benefit.
(I just wanted to join in)
Thats not bad for the Samsung Fish mentions...lots of HDMI connections as well...If I wasn't getting a bathroom I'd be tempted...
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144348
[edit: byrn]OK, I'll say it
[edit: byrn]OK, I'll say it again: don't start posts with links, it breaks the formatting of the site :P
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/action/ViewPropertyMediaAction?p_...
Thats the flat across the hallway from mine its the same layout except mines a mirror image of that.
Here are two good articles
Here are two good articles on the tradeoffs between resolution and viewing distance and field of view and viewing distance:
one two
That 720p Samsung is a
That 720p Samsung is a bargain.
If you'd budgeted 700 squid, it sounds like you could probably get the 720p telly, a halfway decent wall mount (Fish's idea was great; angling the telly even 20 or 30 degrees more towards the sofa will get you much more benefit than going from 720p to 1080p) and a PS3.
Very tempting. After
Very tempting. After trawling through the reviews apart from a clunky remote control no issues at all, and under £300!
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134824