Please help £500 TV (37 - 40")?

[Shabs]

I went to look at some cheap TV's today and quite liked the Samsung 40" B550. I also like a Toshiba, it was 37" but I do not recall the model number.

I went home and did a little research and found that the Samsungs blow up their PSU after 14 months and it costs a fair amount for the repair - so this scared the bejebiz out of me!

my needs are nothing fancy, I would like 37 - 40", Full HD, can be plugged into one of those hard drives that store movies (Popcorn hour or the like). Budget is around £500 for the TV. What would you guys recommend?

Shabs

[i'm no superhero]

Shabs said:

I went to look at some cheap TV's today and quite liked the Samsung 40" B550. I also like a Toshiba, it was 37" but I do not recall the model number.

I went home and did a little research and found that the Samsungs blow up their PSU after 14 months and it costs a fair amount for the repair - so this scared the bejebiz out of me!

my needs are nothing fancy, I would like 37 - 40", Full HD, can be plugged into one of those hard drives that store movies (Popcorn hour or the like). Budget is around £500 for the TV. What would you guys recommend?

Shabs

Do you have a Blu Ray player, XBox 360 or PS3? How far away are you sitting from the TV?

Do you watch sports or movies mainly, or just a "general" TV watcher?

I think a 37 Panasonic X10 is the answer to this question, but it isn't 1080p. If you don't have a 1080p source/are sitting far away that doesn't matter, though.

[Shabs]

Hi,

I do intend to go fully HD 1080p and I am upgrading everything at once - I only like to do this once in a blue moon, my current tv is CRT! My uses include xBox, Movies, Sports and my room is not that large, maybe sitting anywhere from 7 - 15 foot away from the TV

I saw a Panasonic TX-L3710B Full HD advertised for around £500 - is there a difference between this and 1080p? It seems from the threads on here that Panasonic is the trusted brand.

Shabs

[98C4S]

Samsung LE40B550 all day long.

Can put you in touch with someone to get one for about £450 (PM me if required)

Dont believe the hype about psu issue, one or two models suffered (very early batch) and were sorted under warranty in home for any customer.

Samsungs Aftersales service is the best in the industry.

[Shabs]

Thanks mate - will end a PM!

[Plotloss]

7ft from a 37" = no benefit whatsoever from 1080p

37X10 if you can still get one is the correct choice.

[headcase]

Dont be put of by internet scare stories, all TV's have common faults but your unlikely to see it.

[i'm no superhero]

98C4S said:

Samsung LE40B550 all day long.

Samsungs Aftersales service is the best in the industry.

No, and definitely no.

[IforB]

98C4S said:

Samsungs Aftersales service is the best in the industry.

I've no opinion on the telly, but if my xperience of Samsung customer service is typical, then if they're the best, then everyone else must be mindbogglingly bad.

[hornetrider]

i'm no superhero said:

98C4S said:

Samsung LE40B550 all day long.

Samsungs Aftersales service is the best in the industry.

No, and definitely no.

And thrice no. Surprised at Plotters actually. Must have been on the chill pills.

[PJ S]

Just to reiterate, if the closest you're sitting is 7' from the TV, then to make use of the extra definition 1080p sources provide will require a 42" at the very least, preferably a 46".
If you're sitting 15' away, forget it unless you go to projection, and 80-85" image size on the screen.

Any reason you're limiting yourself to 37-40" as per your title? With 15' available for viewing, it can't be a small room concern.

[Shabs]

Seriously, I just don't like huge TV's. My main concern is to provide a level of future-proofness that will let me watch TV on the same set for the next 5 or 6 years. My current TV is amazing - it cost £199 from Comet, is a 32" not-wide screen Matsui CRT device that just won't die. It is actually my wife who is sick of not being able to read subtitles on movies because several inches are cut off on either side due to screen shape - not kidding, on the weekend I watch "liens" not "Aliens"

So this 1080p - I thought it meant HD (clearly not). If not, what does it mean and if I don't get it, am I somehow buying something that will be out of date sooner?

Shabs

[PJ S]

HD comes in 3 flavours - 720p, 1080i, and 1080p.

720p is best for fast paced stuff - action movies and sports.

1080i, when deinterlaced to a progressive signal, which all the panels use nowadays, is around 820 lines of resolution, and best used with period dramas, etc.
It's rather a pointless broadcast only standard, as HD Ready TV's are 720/768 pixels, so you lose some of the 820 in downscaling, and the Full HD TV's are 1080, so it scales a little bit better than 720p, but not night and day difference.

1080p is video games (natively rendered rather than console software upscaled) and B-R movies only, and requires you sit close to the TV to be able to gain anything from the extra pixel count.

There's nothing in the next 5 years, that will change any of the above, so it's only a matter of perception as to whether a 5 yo TV sold on ebay is worth more in Full HD guise or pretty much on a par with an HD Ready one.
Both will serve to allow you to watch any HD material, but if you're not sitting close enough (or the screen isn't big enough from your sofa's position) then it's arguable that a Full HD TV is a 'must have'.
If the likes of Panasonic's current G10 (≥42) having FreeSat, a higher actual/true contrast ratio, etc is deemed better to have, then choosing that over the same 42" X10 (only HD Ready) is a no brainer.
Otherwise, the X10 will serve its function very well, and for many a year.

[Shabs]

OK so panasonic seems to be the best bet based on you guys - I will look into a John Lewis 5 year warranty 37 or 42 inch jobbie

Thanks for the help and explanations

[98C4S]

hornetrider said:

i'm no superhero said:

98C4S said:

Samsung LE40B550 all day long.

Samsungs Aftersales service is the best in the industry.

No, and definitely no.

And thrice no. Surprised at Plotters actually. Must have been on the chill pills.

Any product that develops a Fault within 28 days of purchase is an instant exchange.

After 28 days, the customer calls Samsung, if before 12pm, they can in some areas come the same day to repair on the spot. If after 12 - then next day.

The service agents, put sleeves on their shoes, and find out what product you have and have the typical parts on the van.

If its not repairable, they arrange an exchange.

Ive been in the industry long enough to know what goes on.

Please dont judge Samsung on their service 3-4 years ago, base your opinions on what happens now.

If you are in doubt - ask any Samsung Retailer

[IforB]

98C4S said:

hornetrider said:

i'm no superhero said:

98C4S said:

Samsung LE40B550 all day long.

Samsungs Aftersales service is the best in the industry.

No, and definitely no.

And thrice no. Surprised at Plotters actually. Must have been on the chill pills.

Any product that develops a Fault within 28 days of purchase is an instant exchange.

After 28 days, the customer calls Samsung, if before 12pm, they can in some areas come the same day to repair on the spot. If after 12 - then next day.

The service agents, put sleeves on their shoes, and find out what product you have and have the typical parts on the van.

If its not repairable, they arrange an exchange.

Ive been in the industry long enough to know what goes on.

Please dont judge Samsung on their service 3-4 years ago, base your opinions on what happens now.

If you are in doubt - ask any Samsung Retailer

As a Samsung customer who has had a myriad of problems in the last 8 months, then I'll respectfully disagree. They certainly never came to repair anything and whilst the turnaround was fairly good once they got going, it was a painful process.

[98C4S]

Could you PM me the details - what model and who you bought it from.

[IforB]

It wasn't a telly, but a laptop. I think the old one was an R700, it developed numerous faults and went backwards and forwards until it was finally replaced, which was a monumentally lengthy task. I spent hours on the phone getting it sorted. It had to go back twice for the same fault (The screen kept turning itself off) and then finally it started to whistle through the in built microphone and I sent it in again. Finally it was replaced (as is standard I believe, if it gets repaired 3 times, then it gets replaced.)

I now have an R710 that is about to be sent back as the keyboard keeps sticking and the power connection won't stay in.

I haven't done anything about that yet though. I'm not particularly happy with the quality of product to be honest.

[98C4S]

Ahh right, we are in the Home Cinema and Hi-Fi section.

I cant comment on I.T Products.

Hope it gets sorted