Which TV?

[TEAK36]

I am looking to buy a new TV and have narrowed it down to 2 models, but the jargon often confuses me.

Below are links to the 2 models I have short listed, and I was hoping for some opinions on which is the best TV.

http://www.directtvs.co.uk/Toshiba_37X3030D_37 _inch_1080p_HD_Ready_LCD_37X3030D/version-1.as p

http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products /details/index~modelcode~SHA-LC37XD1E.htm#_

[TEAK36]

I have just been looking at the specs of these 2 TV's again, and I noticed that the Toshiba (my preference) one only has 1 Scart, and this worries me a little.

At home my current TV has 2 Scart sockets, one of which is connected to my Sky Digi Box (not HD), and the iother s connected to my DVD player.

If I were to purchase the Toshiba TV, how would I be able to connect both my Sky Digi Box and my DVD player if there is only one Scart?

I am planning to get a Sky HD box, which is why I want the 1080P resolution TV, but I wont be getting the Sky HD for several months yet.

[Ethel]

You can buy a scart adaptor like these two here:

http://www.johnlewis.com/Audio+and+TV/TV+Acces sories/TV+Accessories/Cables+and+Connections/2 120/230334214/Product.aspx

There is not enough info on either of those sites - you need the refresh rate and viewing angle. A good refresh rate means less 'judder' or flicker and a small viewing angle means the picture is distorted if not viewed full face on.

Of those two the Sharp has the better resolution but there is no info re speakers.

In this weeks edition of Computer Active there is an excellent article about hd tvs and it concludes don't bother buying one unless you absolutely buy a new tv - there are too many teething problems and they are still not truly hd compatible. The way the industry is going they could well be superseded by bluray or something else entirely. Remember the vhs and betamax war and be careful.

[TEAK36]

Ethel,

Many thanks for your advice, it is most helpful.

I think I will not bother with 1080p at the moment, I will wait to see what happens with the technology over the next couple of years. Instead I might just buy a standard HD ready TV, but I just wondered if you (or anyone else) could answer a question regarding response times. I understand that it is best to get a TV with as low a response time as possible, but I have no idea what is considered to be a good response time. I have found a TV with an 8ms response time, is this good? Also, this TV has a viewing angle of 176, is this good also?

[ACtheTROLL]

for TV 8ms is good.

because of the poor bandwidth TV uses (even HD) a slightly slow response time (within reason) is desirable to smooth out the motion.... and remember you are viewing from 10'+ so "reasonable" resolution is all you need

A gaming PC on the other hand requires biggest fastest ....

my two tips would be
1 .... lurk in your local supermarket and read "what TV" - or whatever it's called - see what the real experts say

2 Go down to a good size shop with lots of choice ... be a pain ... ask questions ... watch TV ... go back again and ask more ... then buy the one YOU like.

the "tekkie" mags argue over 1/100000000s of a second
or frequencies only a dog can hear
x has a responce of 1/1000000/s
y is better because it's response is 1/1000000.5/s

to wait a dayor so is sensible ... impulse is often wrong.
once you see one you like .... the only other question is can you afford it ....
and just accept that tomorrow a "better" one will come out - and be cheaper.

[khana]

Both are very good TV's and I am sure you would not be disappointed with either of them.

I appreciate that you are currently using SCART sockets, but to be honest it's a technology that is becoming more and more redundant. The more HDMI ports the better really as they have the advantage that they give a much better picture due to them being entirely digital. They also carry sound so there are no separate cables, lastly to make the most of your new HD TV you could purchase a pretty cheap DVD player that will upscale your DVD's (requires a HDMI port). This will give you a pseudo HD effect with your existing DVD's and keep you going until you install Sky HD.

A HD TV without any HD sources is pretty useless really .

As to 1080P, well the key is in the letter P, which means that it displays the picture in one pass and so reduces jitter when things are moving around on screen.

One last thing, you really need a minimum 42" screen to make the most of HD, otherwise you really wont notice much of a difference at normal viewing distances.