By small I'm thinking about 23"-26" to use as a second tv in the bedroom
By mid-size I'm thinking 32"-40". I don't have the room for 42"+
I would like an idiots guide to shopping for these HDtvs. What are the key things to look out for and what extra or advanced specs are going to cost me more money but which I won't benefit from.
To help you help me I should say that these tvs will not have a focus on gaming or sports. We'll watch some dvds, and sometimes we'll connect the laptop to watch a movie from there - or else we'll put the movie onto a usb and plug the usb into the tv. Blue-ray will not be a feature in our household for a few years i'd expect.
I'd also like to see the picture clearly in a range of light settings ie we don't have a home theatre set up. On that note I'll also add that we'll generally not be hooking up speakers etc. Finally, my dvd player is playing up so I'll be buying a new one unless I get a tv with built in dvd player.
My plan is to look for the features and specs that I NEED and then shop around to get the best price from there rather than to get the best tv for a set price range.
Thanks in arrears
Hi Jug_head,
First thing to look for is 'Full HD' meaning that the native resolution is 1920x1080 - known as "1080p".
Most modern larger size 40"+ TV's have this, but not all so you need to be careful. I wouldn't bother with anything less than 40" as it defeats the purpose of High Definition.
I have a Samsung Plasma 50" (PS50B850) and Sony LCD 40" (HX700) and the picture of the Plasma is overall much better but for movies hardly any different. That said I'm not sure many plasma's less than 50" are Full HD, and plasmas certainly use more power.
As far as playing back recorded / downloaded content both have USB Media feature but the Samsung plays more video formats than the Sony so definitely something to be aware of. Both also have a feature called DLNA which means I run a little program on any computer on my home network and the TV's can play the video, photos, and music files on the computer… but same format issue applies. Samsung can see all 600+ of my videos - Sony currently can't see any due to format. (I will have to convert the files to a format Sony can also see)
Both TV's have selective internet content as well - Samsung's 'Internet@TV' only useful one is YouTube but somehow this plays better than the Sony's 'Bravia Internet' which doesn't buffer correctly (for my slow internet connection) causing continuous stop-start. The Internet content of the Sony is much more significant however. Overall though this feature is pretty much a novelty feature at this stage until they add things like Hulu and Netflix which hopefully happens soon. LG call this feature 'Netcast' and Panasonic 'VieraCast' I think.
If you have a lot of light in the room you probably want to avoid a reflective screen so look for appropriate features.
LG actually have some great looking panels these days (esp. LX9500) and Panasonic are very reputable, but I'd avoid other brands.
You might find www.comparison.com.au useful for getting a rough idea of what TV's is best for you, but do not take their specifications for gospel - I have noticed quite a few errors.
http://www.comparison.com.au/televisions/__Screen+Size%3A40-…
With regard to DVD vs Blu Ray I must ask why? Blu Ray's are quite cheap now and can still play DVD's etc.
Hope this helps
Dobs
Forgot to mention - Some of the latest TV's (like Samsung UA40C7000 and some LG's I think) now have a PVR functions which means you can record straight to your USB device which I think is awesome. Samsung UA40C7000 is also 3D which due to non-existent content is another novelty at this stage.
P.S. I'm looking to get another Samsung myself but will wait until after Samsung either drop their price or have a great bonus when buying. Sony recently finished their free PS3 offer and soon after prices dropped by up to $600. Samsung recently finished their free Home Theatre / Blu Ray promotion and prices have stayed about the same.