Recommend me a 40inch TV

dlambirl

Hi all,

I was wondering if you could recommend me a TV for my new living room. Was thinking 40 inch. We would be using it with a magic eye for sky and a playstation 3 (not used very often). We would be thinking about home cinema speakers if the price was right. Always liked the look of the Samsung's, especially the one with the red hue. Not looking to spend mental money (surprise surprise) but want a decent TV.

Is there anything specific we should be looking out for to future proof the TV?

davenewt

The new philips LCD (LED edge lit) gets the thumbs up from me! Bought from Ash/Nicola around a month ago, and very happy with it

Richersounds.ie: John

dlambirl wrote: »

Hi all,

I was wondering if you could recommend me a TV for my new living room. Was thinking 40 inch. We would be using it with a magic eye for sky and a playstation 3 (not used very often). We would be thinking about home cinema speakers if the price was right. Always liked the look of the Samsung's, especially the one with the red hue. Not looking to spend mental money (surprise surprise) but want a decent TV.

Is there anything specific we should be looking out for to future proof the TV?

Dlambirl,

Thanks for the opportunity to quote - much appreciated!

If you were looking for the Sammy - I would recommend the LE40B550 at £499.95 - however if you are thinking about a Sammy I would highly recommend a separate Sound system as the audio quality does leave a little to be desired.

If you would widen the search a little - I would look at the excellent LG 42LD450 which is a 42" LCD at £469.95 - it's FULL 1080P HD as well & includes MPEG4

Also from LG we have the LG 42PJ350 which is a really nice HD ready plasma at a mad £399.95.


Stepping up a little again the new Philips 42PFL540xh is of course a 42" and as well as being FULL HD 1080P it is also 100HZ - we are doing a Boardie special on this at just £549.95 which is a cracking price for a TV of this spec & it includes a 2 year warranty as well!


On the future proofing side of things I would look out to make sure that the Tv has a decent number of HDMI sockets in the 1st instance, of course that it also has MPEG4 for digital reception, and if it was me looking to upgrade for the future I would look at a 100Hz unit (especially if I was into gaming & sports)

On the Audio side - are you looking for something like a SoundBar (we have just received the excellent new Boston Acoustics TVee Model 20 back into stock at a mad £249.95) or a full blown 5.1 system with a separate AV Receiver/AMP? - if you let me know I'll put together a full TV & AV package price for you as a Boardie special.

Keep me posted if any of these are interesting and as ever - if you do seen any of these cheaper anywhere else in Ireland we will happily beat any cheaper price with a smile!

ATB

John Mc & Crew

dlambirl

Thanks so much John for getting back to me so quick.

I would rather stick with a 40inch TV as i think 42inch would be too big for where I want it.

I was looking at the 5 series/6series Samsung TV's in the shops and liked the look of them, what is wrong with the sound of them? I would like a simple sound system if at all possible and those black glass stands.

Re: 100HZ - Not a big gamer/sports/action movies person, but do play the odd playstation game.
Would be using the playstation 3 as blueray player - could that be hooked up to the sound system?

Re: MPEG4 - I've Sky but would rather if the TV had MPEG4.

Are all those TV's you quoted on richersounds.com???

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

Hi dlambirl.

The LG screens mentioned above by John are on both the RicherSounds.ie website and .com

The Samsung mentioned is on the .com site. However the LE40B550 would need collected from the Belfast store as this screen is an in store only special:
http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/samsung/le40b550/sams-le40b550

Again all the LG screens and the Philips Screen would be MPEG4 I would need to double check on the Samsung. (I'm near sure that also is but would rather double check).

You could also check out the Philips 40PFL5605 priced at £649.95
http://www.philips.co.uk/c/televisions-5000-series/5000-led-series-40-inch-full-hd-1080p-digital-tv-40pfl5605h_05/prd/

The speakers on the Samsung are not the greatest thus giving poor sound quality compared to other screens on the market.

When you say simple sound system what sort of budget do you have in mind as there are limitless ways to put a surround sound system together

The PS3 can be connected to a sound system by either the HDMI or via the optical connection.

DeVore

I have bought 3 Samsung 40 inches (two for myself and one for my folks), over the years and I'm delighted with them. Never had a moments issue with them. Great quality imho.

If you are keen on sound, then sure, go for the external sound system but the sound out of them is not really any different from any flat screen TV... I find it fine to be honest, perhaps a little "flat" (ironically), but really... its a great TV and £500 is a great price for it.

Put it this way, I didnt buy those three all together, I bought them 6 months apart and bought 3 over the 12 months so that will tell you something!

DeV.

Richersounds.ie: John

DeVore wrote: »

I have bought 3 Samsung 40 inches (two for myself and one for my folks), over the years and I'm delighted with them. Never had a moments issue with them. Great quality imho.

If you are keen on sound, then sure, go for the external sound system but the sound out of them is not really any different from any flat screen TV... I find it fine to be honest, perhaps a little "flat" (ironically), but really... its a great TV and £500 is a great price for it.

Put it this way, I didnt buy those three all together, I bought them 6 months apart and bought 3 over the 12 months so that will tell you something!

DeV.

DeV,

No problem at all with the Picture q of the sammys - as good if not a tad better than most other brands - however the Audio Q of the latest skinny/slimline ones is not great if you want to fill a room esp for movies etc - to be fair to Sammy - I guess something has to give - if the Customer wants their TV's ultra slim 'n sexy then they have to accepth that there has to be some Audio q sacrifice - it's just not possible to beat Cubic Cms when it comes to making decent speaker enclosures...

But yep I agree in general & I was not knocking Samsung in general at all!

ATB,

J

Richersounds.ie: John

dlambirl wrote: »

Thanks so much John for getting back to me so quick.

I would rather stick with a 40inch TV as i think 42inch would be too big for where I want it.

I was looking at the 5 series/6series Samsung TV's in the shops and liked the look of them, what is wrong with the sound of them? I would like a simple sound system if at all possible and those black glass stands.

Re: 100HZ - Not a big gamer/sports/action movies person, but do play the odd playstation game.
Would be using the playstation 3 as blueray player - could that be hooked up to the sound system?

Re: MPEG4 - I've Sky but would rather if the TV had MPEG4.

Are all those TV's you quoted on richersounds.com???

Dlamb,

no problem re. the 40" - the LE40B550 is £499.95 and (don't mind Kenny ) as you are a Boardie we are happy to ship it for you no problem.

We also have the Sony KDL40EX503 (forgot to mention that one 1st time around) and we can do that at just £649.95 (including trade-in offer)

All the TV's mentioned so far have MPEG4 as standard..

On the Audio system - if you want something simple - go for the LG HT304 at a crazy £99.95!!:eek: - this has a Aux input so you can plug in your PS3 or iPOD/MP3 (even tho' the 304 actually does have a built in DVD anyway).

If you wanted something a bit more upmarket we aslo have the really excellent Pioneer DCS585 with floorstanding speakers at £214.95.


DCS585

Again keep us posted if we can assist in any way - we will do our very best to get you sorted,

ATB,

John Mc & Crew

The Ritz

Mod Comment:

davenewt, Devore,

I'm sure your input is intended to be helpful but please check the Charter, particularly the part that says:

If you see a post which is looking for a quote or advice from RS, please resist the urge to offer your opinion ! Such queries are not an open invitation for posters to make suggestions etc, these queries should be left to RS to answer. If queries or requests for quotes attracted everyone's opinion, the forum would be unworkable. This is not intended to prevent the usual chat and banter which you will regularly see on the RS forum.

Please leave this thread clear for RS to deal with the OP.


Thanks,


Ritz.

stooge

Richersounds.ie (John) wrote: »

...

Stepping up a little again the new Philips 42PFL540xh is of course a 42" and as well as being FULL HD 1080P it is also 100HZ - we are doing a Boardie special on this at just £549.95 which is a cracking price for a TV of this spec & it includes a 2 year warranty as well!

John, quick question regarding the Phillips 42PFL540xh. You say it is 100hz but looking at the PDF spec you attached it seems it only has 60hz at full hd (and other resolutions). Can you confirm what exactly it is and the what the resolutions below mean?

Really interested in this particular model at the price but only if it is 100hz as I watch a lot of sports.

Cheers,

Stooge

Resolution
Refresh rate
640 x 480(60 Hz)
800 x 600(60 Hz)
1024 x 768(60 Hz)
1280 x 768(60 Hz)
1280 x 1024(60 Hz)
1360 x 768(60 Hz)
1920 x 1080(60 Hz)

Video formats
Resolution
Refresh rate
480i(60 Hz)
480p(60 Hz)
576i(50 Hz)
576p(50 Hz)
720p(50, 60 Hz)
1080i(50, 60 Hz)
1080p(24, 25, 30, 50, 60 Hz)

Richersounds.ie: Ashley

Nicola on behalf of Ash:

Hey Stooge,

First off let me assure you the 42PFL5405 is a 100Hz TV.

Allow me to try to explain the difference. I'm sure if I make any oopsies someone will help me out here.

The Res's you listed above are all to do with the Supported Display Resolution in relation to a PC. Generally a PC graphics card will output at either 50Hz or 60Hz up to resolutions of 2098 x 1311 for the higher end of the spectrum. (widescreen of course)

The 100Hz on the TV resolution (for PAL) refers to the refresh rate in a way. Here's the deal. Many LCDs refresh the picture at a rate of 25-60Hz, depending on whether they're aimed at the European or US markets, respectively. They essentially operate at the same rates as the HD source material: 25fps or 30fps for 720p and 1080p content, and 50 or 60 fields per second for 1080i pictures. Each field comprises only half the picture, so those 50Hz and 60Hz interlaced - hence the 'i' - are effectively 25 and 30 complete images per second.

Moving up to 100Hz means running the source at 100 fields per second or 50fps. Since there aren't that many fields or frames in the source material, the TV has to invent them, using complex calculations to work out what the extra frames and fields look like.

So if a soccer ball moves eight pixels from left to right between frames one, two and three, the TV can generate two extra frames between one and two, and two and three, in which the ball moves four pixels. The result: five frames in which the ball moves a total of eight pixels, but it does so, to the eye, more smoothly than before.

This is a rough explanation as I understand it.

Please do step in if you can word it better than me.

Thanks a mil, Nicola.

dlambirl

Richersounds.ie (John) wrote: »

Dlambirl,

Thanks for the opportunity to quote - much appreciated!

If you were looking for the Sammy - I would recommend the LE40B550 at £499.95 - however if you are thinking about a Sammy I would highly recommend a separate Sound system as the audio quality does leave a little to be desired.

If you would widen the search a little - I would look at the excellent LG 42LD450 which is a 42" LCD at £469.95 - it's FULL 1080P HD as well & includes MPEG4

Firstly, I apologise that I am a complete dunce when it comes to TV's and especially sound. You'll hit your head off the keyboard when you read what I'm gonna ask... :P

Is the Samsung LE40B550 MPEG4?
In relation to the sound leaving alot to be desired - do you mean when watching movies or in general?
I was under the impression Home Cinema Speakers only work for what is being played on the DVD player - is there a way to have the speakers working when the TV is on?
What sound speakers would you recommend to bring the sound up to scratch. Do these just plug into the TV?

Have you any idea what the Samsung LE40B550 Contrast Ratio is?
Is the Samsung FULL HD?

Gotta get a piece of Cardboard out this evening and see if a 42inch would fit (its between a wall, chimney breast and radiator)

What is the euro prices for those two? What would delivery to Monaghan be??

Richersounds.ie: John

dlambirl wrote: »

Firstly, I apologise that I am a complete dunce when it comes to TV's and especially sound. You'll hit your head off the keyboard when you read what I'm gonna ask... :P

Is the Samsung LE40B550 MPEG4?
In relation to the sound leaving alot to be desired - do you mean when watching movies or in general?
I was under the impression Home Cinema Speakers only work for what is being played on the DVD player - is there a way to have the speakers working when the TV is on?
What sound speakers would you recommend to bring the sound up to scratch. Do these just plug into the TV?

Have you any idea what the Samsung LE40B550 Contrast Ratio is?
Is the Samsung FULL HD?

Gotta get a piece of Cardboard out this evening and see if a 42inch would fit (its between a wall, chimney breast and radiator)

What is the euro prices for those two? What would delivery to Monaghan be??

Ok where to start!

No problem being a dunce - with the rate thing move we are only just a couple of steps ahead of you (we hope ) and we are here to assist if we can at all!

Is the Samsung LE40B550 MPEG4? - Yes it is - no problem.

In relation to the sound leaving alot to be desired - do you mean when watching movies or in general? - In general, the thing is the Sammy is only 7cms deep and whilst I really don't want to make an issue about the Audio quality of the Sammys specifically - you will see that generally most AV reviewers/people in the know will recommend a separate Audio system to enhance the audio with most flat screens - basically with very few exceptions flat screen TV's just do not produce great sound!

I was under the impression Home Cinema Speakers only work for what is being played on the DVD player - is there a way to have the speakers working when the TV is on?
What sound speakers would you recommend to bring the sound up to scratch. Do these just plug into the TV? Ok there are several different types of Home Cinema Speakers from the most simple to a full blown 5.1 or 7.2 system with an AV Receiver - the simplest (which will still blow away the Audio quality on almost all TV's) would be something like the new Boston TVee Model 20 this is a simple sound bar that just sits under your TV but also has a really neat (but very powerful) wireless subwoofer that completely transforms your TV sound quality. This retails at £249.95.

Alternatively you can go for a separate 'packaged' audio system - something like the LG HT304 - this is a DVD player with a built in amplifer, 5 speakers a subwoofer & auxiliary input (for a games machine or MP3 player etc) this is £99.95.

Next level is where you start to really transform into a serious system - this is where you match the TV with a separate receiver & 5.1 speaker system - if you ask ANYone they will tell you this is the way to go if you are after the best quality (unfortunately it can be the most expensive as well ) Systems like this would be like the Onkyo HTS3305 which include 5 speakers, a subwoofer and a central receiver which acts as a hub for all your other components and will deliver really suberb audio and video - this unit will also take the sound from your TV & play it via the Onkyo to enhance ALL your viewing.

Have you any idea what the Samsung LE40B550 Contrast Ratio is? To be honest no - Samsung don't normally quote contrast ratios anymore - their only claim for the 550 contrast ratio is 'HIGH' whilst this annoys most people I to be honest don't mind a manufacturer not quoting CR as I feel that Customers have become completely caught up with Contrast ratio & frequently ignore a TV with a lower contrast ratio but with a patently better picture - whilst I do understand that CR is an important measure it is only one measure!

If you look at some of the latest generation LED models like the LG 42LE5300 for instance they sport massive Contrast Ratio (3,000,000:1) & this is reflected in the picture quality!

Keep me posted if we can assist and sorry for being so long winded,

ATB,

John Mc & Crew

dlambirl

Thanks John.

Just to clarify that the only speakers to lift the sound of the TV in general would be Boston TVee? Anything cheaper do the job?

I will tell the OH what you've said and hopefully be getting back to order something off you in the next couple of weeks.

Could you give me a euro price on the Sammy LE40B550 and LG 42LD450 and could it be delivered to Monaghan??

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

Hi dlambirl.

The Samsung LE40B550 is priced at £499.95 / 624.99 Euro (We would need to order this screen in)
http://www.richersounds.com/product/lcd-tv/samsung/le40b550/sams-le40b550

LG 42LD450 priced at £469.95 / 589.99 Euro (In stock)
https://www.richersounds.ie/asp/product.asp?ObjectID=930&Mode=0&productid=1048&Results=true&keys=42ld450%20

Delivery would cost £30 / 37.50 Euro

Let me know what you think

dlambirl

Thanks Kenny. Will be in touch over the next fortnight or so.

Richersounds.ie: Kenny

Hi dlambirl.

No problem at all. Give me a shout when your ready