HDTV Help!

[Baby Tea]

You seem to know quite a bit about these. I want a big HDTV, but I'm afraid it will be too dark. My home has a lot of natural sunlight shining into it and I've heard that some of the LCD's are not great inside with a lot of light.
Do you know if that's true or not?

Well I'm certainly no expert. At all.
But I will say that my Samsung is in my living room, which gets tons of natural sunlight, and I can see it fine (I'm viewing it directly, not viewing on an angle). You don't ever want the sun pointed directly at it, since glare would be an issue, but a high contrast ratio should be fine for a bright room. The contrast ratio in mine isn't anything special, and, like I said, I can see it fine in my bright living room.
Failing that, I'd Google that exact problem (or concern).
I'm sure a real expert might have better advice. Plus multiple opinions are great.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

From what I could tell, HDMI cables are better than the cables you already get with an Xbox 360? I have been bought a HDTV and am yet to take possession of it. However, I would like to clarify if, when saying "HDMI is better than component", that component is these Xbox cables you have to plug into your TV. I'd also like to clarify if HDMI really is better.

 

[Danzaivar]

Before you buy it, remember that without an HDMI cable, you'll basically be throwing money down a bottomless pit.

An HDMI cable will usually run you about £30

About £3 at tesco, lol.

--

I've got a TV with 1000 ratio and one with 3000, the 3000 looks a LOT nicer. My parents have one that's 10-15k, you can't really see much difference between that and the 3000 one. If you're looking at bravias then I'd wager the contrast/backlight etc will easily be sufficient. Would definitely recommend 32" over anything smaller.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

From what I could tell, HDMI cables are better than the cables you already get with an Xbox 360? I have been bought a HDTV and am yet to take possession of it. However, I would like to clarify if, when saying "HDMI is better than component", that component is these Xbox cables you have to plug into your TV. I'd also like to clarify if HDMI really is better.

Oh, trust me, it is. I've been a long time user of both.

What's more, 1 time I bought a separate Sony HDMI cable(1 came free with my DVD player, but I needed another one) and plugged it in to my PS3, it did increase the quality further. Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I doubt that.

Excellent. That's pre-empted my having a lower-quality picture. Thank you sir!

 

[antidonkey]

Well, all the big name companies maake good LCD televisions. With that said, Samsung seems to be the top. I have a Toshiba and while it has an amazing picture and I'm very happy with it, there's something about my friends Samsung that I like better. Even at the store when all the TVs are next to each other, the Samsungs stand out. So, if you can, get a Samsung....if you can't then a Sony, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, etc are all fine choices.

 

[asam92]

Yeah I got a $7 USD HDMI gold plated from Play-asia.com
Total ripoff in stores in Australia, asking minimum $35 AUD and up to $200 AUD.
THEY ARE ALL BASICALLY THE SAME THING.
OT: I got a Sony Bravia LCD 46" and it looks amazing for PS3, I was just blown away with the graphics on Uncharted 2, my god it is beautiful.

The Biggest thing I looked for in my case was the finish on the screen. If you have a highly lit room I would deffinitly get a matte screen cuz the light (in my case the sun from the window behind me) would reflect like a MoFo. The Samsung and Panasonic had good picture too but they had a Glossy finish, and there was just way too much reflection, most of my favourite gaming is done on a Saturday morning and that was when the light cam through the window.

 

[sephiroth1991]

I got a Sony one, i don't reget it. I had a free HDMI with my Ps3

 

[mikecoulter]

Can I recommend any Samsung with those specifications.

Also, in terms of contrast ratio, 50,000:1 is far more than acceptable. The blacks look black, the whites burn your eyes, all is good.

 

[Feystar]

When I got my big telly ages ago I started doing some heavy research, I was lucky enough to find: http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/
don't worry they do lcd too: http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/

Anyway on there are all manner of reviews, faqs etc to help with making the descision. It's an American site so you're not going to be able to use everything on there but it should help answer a few questions.

These days I have a Toshiba Regza lcd screen and my xbox and ps3 look pretty sweet on it.

 

[Jebusetti]

You seem to know quite a bit about these. I want a big HDTV, but I'm afraid it will be too dark. My home has a lot of natural sunlight shining into it and I've heard that some of the LCD's are not great inside with a lot of light.
Do you know if that's true or not?

Well I'm certainly no expert. At all.
But I will say that my Samsung is in my living room, which gets tons of natural sunlight, and I can see it fine (I'm viewing it directly, not viewing on an angle). You don't ever want the sun pointed directly at it, since glare would be an issue, but a high contrast ratio should be fine for a bright room. The contrast ratio in mine isn't anything special, and, like I said, I can see it fine in my bright living room.
Failing that, I'd Google that exact problem (or concern).
I'm sure a real expert might have better advice. Plus multiple opinions are great.

I have been trying to convince my wife to let us get a 55' tv for the last couple years and as a result have done an ASSLOAD of research. If you have a bright room, go with an LCD/LED over a plasma, it is a brighter image and therefore shows up much much better. Now that the #D tvs are out you can get a brand new last-years-model Samsung 8000/9000 series for under $3k, with sales bringing em down to under 2 sometimes.

Samsung really is on top when it comes to LCD/LED technology, whereas Panasonic seems to be the best for Plasmas. If you are a gamer and will be gaming primarily on the tv though, do not get a plasma, due to the chance of burn in. I know they have made huge advancements in this area, but the fact that it still COULD happen and ruin the tv makes me leery... Avoid Sony for the most part (except killer sales), their tvs consistently rate lower(although sometimes not by much...) than the samsungs and panasonics in both areas, and come in at a significantly higher price point.

So for the OP, get yourself a Samsung LCD for sure, anything 6 series and above should do you quite nicely, and if you shop around online etc you can easily find one in ur price range. Hope this helps!

P.S. with HDMI cables, make sure you get one that has a solid connector, there are several issues with HDMI cables "breaking" due to faulty or weak connectors, or where the cable meets the connector. Good idea to set your system up, make sure there is no strain on the hdmi cable, and LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

 

[KaosuHamoni]

I've saved up for about a month and a half now, and i have enough for an HDTV. I'm not geting anything over £350 and nothing bigger or smaller than 32", and it has to be full HD (1080p). I was looking at a Sony Bravia, as it was cheap and seemed to fit the bill, but now i have people telling me, contrast ratio this, backlighting that, confusing me and putting me off. What should i get? Keep in mind that it will be used for gaming and blu-rays primarily, and television second.

my favorite companies are Vizio and Sony. Sony's are pretty cool, because you can sync you PS3, Sony TV, and other Sony devices to eachother. Thus, when I turn on my PS3, I turn on my tv, for example. It's also kind of fun cause the TV Settings Menu is based on the same design as the PS3. Vizio's are just cheap, well put together, awesome machines. the biggest thing is that you want all the numbers to be high. Sometimes, for example, it would be better to have a 720p HDTV with a high contrast/refresh rate than it would be to have a 1080p HDTV with a lower contrast/refresh rate. make sense?

Just looked on the Vizio website. They don't retail in the UK, and no TV uses a PAL signal -.- I found one for $470. $470 = £305 D= It had a 100000:1 contrast ratio, Full HD, the works... Bastards...

 

[KaosuHamoni]

You seem to know quite a bit about these. I want a big HDTV, but I'm afraid it will be too dark. My home has a lot of natural sunlight shining into it and I've heard that some of the LCD's are not great inside with a lot of light.
Do you know if that's true or not?

Well I'm certainly no expert. At all.
But I will say that my Samsung is in my living room, which gets tons of natural sunlight, and I can see it fine (I'm viewing it directly, not viewing on an angle). You don't ever want the sun pointed directly at it, since glare would be an issue, but a high contrast ratio should be fine for a bright room. The contrast ratio in mine isn't anything special, and, like I said, I can see it fine in my bright living room.
Failing that, I'd Google that exact problem (or concern).
I'm sure a real expert might have better advice. Plus multiple opinions are great.

I have been trying to convince my wife to let us get a 55' tv for the last couple years and as a result have done an ASSLOAD of research. If you have a bright room, go with an LCD/LED over a plasma, it is a brighter image and therefore shows up much much better. Now that the #D tvs are out you can get a brand new last-years-model Samsung 8000/9000 series for under $3k, with sales bringing em down to under 2 sometimes.

Samsung really is on top when it comes to LCD/LED technology, whereas Panasonic seems to be the best for Plasmas. If you are a gamer and will be gaming primarily on the tv though, do not get a plasma, due to the chance of burn in. I know they have made huge advancements in this area, but the fact that it still COULD happen and ruin the tv makes me leery... Avoid Sony for the most part (except killer sales), their tvs consistently rate lower(although sometimes not by much...) than the samsungs and panasonics in both areas, and come in at a significantly higher price point.

So for the OP, get yourself a Samsung LCD for sure, anything 6 series and above should do you quite nicely, and if you shop around online etc you can easily find one in ur price range. Hope this helps!

P.S. with HDMI cables, make sure you get one that has a solid connector, there are several issues with HDMI cables "breaking" due to faulty or weak connectors, or where the cable meets the connector. Good idea to set your system up, make sure there is no strain on the hdmi cable, and LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

Absolute LEGEND =D You just told me everything I needed to know =]

 

[Blemontea]

I would recommend mine, its an Emerson 32" HDTV, mainly becuase it has tons of video plugins for HDMI, Composite, and HD Cables. Plus it looks good but i dont know how much it would cost in Euro though.

 

[hungoverbear]

I've saved up for about a month and a half now, and i have enough for an HDTV. I'm not geting anything over £350 and nothing bigger or smaller than 32", and it has to be full HD (1080p). I was looking at a Sony Bravia, as it was cheap and seemed to fit the bill, but now i have people telling me, contrast ratio this, backlighting that, confusing me and putting me off. What should i get? Keep in mind that it will be used for gaming and blu-rays primarily, and television second.

I actually did this exact same thing in January with the exact same standards. What I ended up buying was a Samsung touch of color 32 inch LCD. 1080P and running at 120Htz. it has 4 HDMI ports, 2 component ports and one A/V port plus a game mode that helps make the frame rate run even smoother. Its a hell of a tv at a very good price. Course my model was a 2009 so here is the 2010 model.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32B550-32-Inch-1080p-Touch/dp/B001U3Y8PE/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1280508294&sr=8-9

Trust me you wont regret this one.