lcd (which?)

[Edge]

Anyone on here subscribe to "Which" ? Wondering what "which" advise to be the best buy?
Been looking at lcd tv's for under £1000! One of the guys at work is directing me towards the samsung le40m87bd. I've checked out various reviews online and it does seem to blow other makes like sharp/sony/panasonic/toshiba costing over £1k out of the water with its features/picture quaity.
Cheapest le40m87bd ive found is £699.

Also...
Whats the difference between: le40"M"87bd/le40"N"87bd? is it just the contrast ratio's of 15,000:1/10,000:1 respectively?

Many thanks.

[Buddha]

Don't know about the M versus the N, but I've an LE40M86BD. The 86 is a Dixon's group special build which doesn't have the chrome trim of the 87 and looks better for it IMHO.

I too really rate it. Also, when I bought mine Dixon's were running a promotion which meant I also got an upscaling DVD/Home theatre set-up for under your target price.

I'd check AVForums.com for definitve info on what the Samsung product code really means.

[discowoman]

If your after a Samsung, get your self over to one of heir main depots in Telford - as they sell 'Cosmetic' 2nds ie the box either got damp or creased - but tv's are 100%, my mate had a £1000 42"  for £399  :shock: ... its just off Junction 4 of the M54 - Huge place

[Boggert]

I'm looking for a new TV and have been totally lost by the whole experience, Digital I get, HD I dont get, then there are Pixels and scart leads, built in DVD's not to mention the size, 26,27,29,30,32, and then there is the cost some are £399 for a 32" and others are £1000... it just too much I havn't got a clue... Blue ray??? what the hell is this....??

[Disco Matt]

HD is just higher resolution (like a computer monitor). Scart leads connect your DVD/Video/Satellite boxes to the TV.

HD is supposedly going to become available on either terrestrial digital or free satellite at some point, although you'll need another new box (what a surprise...). We just use it for the PS3 at the moment although I'm not sure how much of the improvement in picture quality is due to the PS3 and how much is due to HD!

[Buddha]

When I started looking, all I knew was that I was soon to be redecorating the lounge and as part of that I wanted a wall mounted flat screen TV. I since gone the whole hog - Full HD TV, PS3, Sky HD, home theatre etc, but as everyones' need are different, the only recommendation I'll make is get down to your local market stall, buy one of each of the Audio & TV magazines as you can find. These old issues will cost you a fraction of the cover price.

All the magazines tend to cover which screen size is right for your size room, LCD Vs Plasma etc in each issue.

Swot up on the jargon, find a magazine with a writing style you don't mind, then get the most recent copy of that - no point in paying £5 a magazine before you know what you want from the reviews etc.

This should get you a shortlist of possibles, then it's a case of going to see 'em in the flesh & checking AVForums or similar for any horror stories before parting with your hard-earned.

[richo]

Check out play.com .I've just brought the samsung 37" lcd tv and its fantastic,great value to at £549.99 with free delivery.
Like you i looked around and my mate had the 32" version of the one i've just brought.
Trust me you will not get a better looking tv and being a 37" it looks massive It also has freeview and is hd ready .
Richard..

[Disco Matt]

Bear in mind that you can probably go up a screen size if you're replacing an old CRT TV with an LCD one - the fact that they're thinner will make a larger screen less obtrusive than it would be with a CRT.

[Edge]

Thanks people :D .
Just off to subscribe to "which?". I'll post results for best buys asap.

Bogert. Steer clear of lcd's with a contrast ratio of 5000:1 or less... 1920*1080 is full hd
hd is ideal if you have an xbox or playstation..... but there aint many hd channels on sky or cable (could be another decade before hd becomes the norm???).
Check how many scart/hdmi/usb ports the tv has (is there enough for your needs?).
Dont buy extended warranty for any electrical item from the store... you can buy it direct from the company the store gets it from at a fraction of the cost (this goes for tv's fridges dvds "absolutely any product these stores sell). I'll get the name of the company and post it later.

edit
Top lcd Buys
The warranty company is www.domgen.com

[Boggert]

Dont buy extended warranty for any electrical item from the store... you can buy it direct from the company the store gets it from at a fraction of the cost (this goes for tv's fridges dvds "absolutely any product these stores sell). I'll get the name of the company and post it later.

edit
Top lcd Buys
The warranty company is www.domgen.com

Thanks Edge, thats sound advice.

[NY4x4]

I just bought this one today from Currys - http://www.recommendedbuys.co.uk/electronics/lcd-televisions/sony-kdl-40v3000.htm

They have £500 off in the Sale, now £899  :shock:  :D

[Smego]

BUY A Toshiba, I have never found anything get close to the price and the service if they ever go wrong is  fab, they bend over backwards to help....

...guess my staff discount helps ;)

[Smego]

p.s. when I am back in the office I know of a secret public Tosh site that has some pretty hot end of line deals if anyone wants to PM me for it...

[Bulli]

i got a sagum dlp last year and have been very happy with it.  HD, great sound and got brilliant reviews.
they dont seem to be very common but are great value, i got 48" for less than a grand, ports galore ....even take sd/flash cards so you can view your piccies.
Boggert, Blu-ray is sonys version of HD. Currelty dual later with triple layer due out....75gb of storage anyone.
Disco Matt the inprovment in quality when using the PS3 is because they are bluray and so give high definition. Stick a ps2 on and see the difference.

[Fuddy as muck]

The Samsung's get my vote. I have the first gloss black 40" that they bought out. The LE40R i think and really cant rate it highly enough. Its 18 months old and still blows most new ones out of the water. I'm actually looking at upgraing to a 50" Samsung plasma and putting the 40" lcd on our bedroom wall. Theres a 50" Samsung plasma in argos at the moment for £1100.

Darren

[Edge]

...guess my staff discount helps ;)

I worked at the Plymouth site many "many" years ago (only worked there for 3 mths) AV testing. One lady got electrocuted and the electric came out of her body via a tooth filling, 2nd time she got it, it exploded out of her shoulder into a rsj she was standing next too. You gotta be careful fiddling in the back of a tv,  thats on an electrified conyeyor, whilst checking the screen.
(pm me the web address, if you get chance. Thanks)

[Edge]

Just got the samsung le40m87bd from Apollo2000 :D, unlike comet/curry's (who i visited yesterday), Apollo matched the lowest "in-stock" internet price i could find £741:50p :D. Comet wanted £999 for the same lcd tv . As for the extended warranty link i posted earlier in the thread.... avoid it (i was mis-informed, could actually cost you more buying seperate warranty).
Besides if your tv breaks down within 6 years (tv's should last 10 years min), the manufacturer is liable as long as you can prove its broken due to manufacturing/internal fault (not your kids pouring coke down the back of it).
www.moneysupermarket.com has top tips and facts on warranties and how worthless they are ;).

[JumboBeef]

I have a Panasonic 42" plasma, which I bought in 2004 for more than £3,000!  The picture still looks totally fab and I have no plans to upgrade............