Buying a new LCD TV

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Hello, im looking at buying a new LCD tv to replace my old (but still very good, just a bit bulky) Panasonic crt.
I had a look around the usual shops at the weekend and i have an basic understanding of what to look for, ie contrast ratio, resolutions etc.

The first thing i noticed was that different manufacturers label them up differently and basically seem to me they try to fool you into thinking that one is better than the other.

So i came home and researched a bit and was quite shocked to read that most of the contrast ratios or dynamic contrast as some see fit to call it, that are advertised are actually nowhere near that and they use "different" testing methods to come up with these figures!!

So what i wanted to ask was, has anyone bought one recently, and what swayed you to buy the one you did.
Also is there anything else i should be looking at when im comparing these tvs?

Cheers.

 

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My advice is to go somewhere like Richer Sounds who will talk you through all the different sets, set the one you like up as well as showing you different samples, however remember to bring your own - preferably your favourite DVD so you can see how the different sets perform as you know how it should look.

Secondly dont get too hung up on the high def performance as unless you are going to use it as a monitor for a console output most content people put through their tv is still standard def, so make sure you dont get a superb high def picture at the expense of the standard Def one.

Third: the sound. I will warn you now your CRT will have much better sound then the majority of flat screens because of the space to house the speakers themselves - espically at the bass end. If you are not going to be running the sound through a setup (Hi run mine through a fairly good quality hifi) ensure that the sound quality is good enough for you, as if its not it could really spoil your viewing experiance.

Last point, response times. If you are a gamer, or favour action films or sports ensure that responce times are low so you dont get ghosting.

Other than that good luck

 

I think it is only 5 - 6 companys that make the screens so when you go looking always ask who made the screen because the tv next to it for £100 less could have the same screen just different internal parts and badge.

 

Hi thanks for the replies, i was gonna go to richer sounds as i have dealt with them before and was very impressed with them.

My budget is about £500 so i wont be getting anything mind blowing but there is a good choice out there for that price.
I have found a few from trawling the net and picked some that richer sounds stock so i can have a look at them, if anyone has a spare five minutes and they are bored and wouldnt mind casting their eye over them i'd appreciate it

http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/panasonic/viera-txl37s10/pana-txl37s10

http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/toshiba/regza-37xv635/tosh-37xv635

http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/lg/37lh3010/lg-37lh3010

And this one that is not stocked by richer sounds but i thought it was a good price for a sony.

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/525774/SONY-KDL37S5500U

 

This has made me smile, when we were in the same boat a year or so ago we narrowed it down to a Sony, Panasonic and a Toshiba (nothing against LG, it just didnt make our shortlist). I spent an eternity trying to decide.

I would have a look on AV forums .com, great site for this kind of thing or if you have a spare few days to fill!

In the end we went with the Panasonic, better reviews than the Toshiba but cheaper than the Sony. A lot of people dont rate the sound on Toshibas but tbh the sound on our Panny isnt all that. Sounds great through a surround system but as the babys room is above it doesnt get used with the speakers very often.

One thing I would definitely do is make sure it has 3 x HDMIs to future proof it a bit. Wont be that long before Sky/Cable HD is standard, plus a DVD player and maybe a console? You want at least 2 but 3 would be good.

PS - we were looking at slightly different models to yours, but I dont think there have been any drastic changes since, just the usual slight updates.

PPS - make sure your screen size isnt too big for your room, you want to be a fair way from a 37 inch screen or it will look crap. There is a ready reckoner somewhere on the AVForums site.

 

I would personally go Sony right now, They are offering some good deals and you can take your old set in to any Sony Shop at the moment and get I think up to £150 or summin like that? Although whether this would work out cheaper than some deals on-line is probably still debatable! lol.

The Sony TV's on the market right now are really good picture, decent colour etc, good response. I have a 40" Sony TV and love it. I found with a lot of the Panasonics the picture seemed a bit jumpy, hard to explain but just gave me a bit of a headache.

 

I am pulled more towards the Panasonic but i think that is because my current tv is a Panny and i have had it 12 years and it is still as good now as it was when it was new, and i have seen these trade in deals but i simply refuse to trade my tv in for a max of £150 when it cost me £900 new!

They all have good reviews even the LG which im a bit wary of purely because when LG first came about they made some cheap, very bad equipment, but they have come a long way since then.
But comparing specs side by side, the toshiba comes out on top as it is 100hz and has 4 HDMI.

Im more confident about looking at them in the flesh now having spent literally hours reading up on them.

 

I am too looking at a new one as i want one with the freeview HD built in, as mine only has the standard. I could buy a box for a ton, but i dont want an extra box. I also dont want the hassle of selling my 40 inch LCD samsung on ebay, im sick of the time wasters, like the ones who when you have a buy it now price, say £300 etc, they offer you £100, and they will even pick it up, which is good of them.

Ed