# Help Choosing A New TV



## MikeTyson (Sep 14, 2011)

Hey guys, haven't been on here in a long time...

Basically I'm looking for a new TV that I can use for my PS3, it's pretty much just gonna be solely for gaming

I'd like something along the lines of about 40", and forgive me for saying this but my local Tesco has got this deal on a 40" 'Technika' (nobody knows who they are) LCD TV, and it's actually pretty good with regards to blacks and stuff judging by the display model in store, supports USB movies and shit like that, and it's only £299!

Anywho, what I'm wondering is are there any alternative TV's, or bigger TV's around the same pricemark!? Whether it be internet or in store 

P.S. I live in the UK, South East

Thanks


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## qubit (Sep 14, 2011)

For gaming, get a plasma. It wins over LCD hands down, as there's no motion smear and no lag. The picture is also generally better in my opinion and has the richness of CRT without any of the drawbacks.

Also, I'd spend the extra and go for a Panasonic, because they're very good quality. Two of my friends have them and they're awesome, with superb picture and sound and are reliable.


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## Jetster (Sep 14, 2011)

IMO I wouldn't say Plasma is hands down better. There are advantages like Plasma tends to not need as high of refresh rate to prevent blurring but some LCD have very high refresh rates and are extremely fast. You need to try them before you buy. I do agree with staying away from unknown brands. Personal I like LG, Panasonic and Toshiba


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## MikeTyson (Sep 14, 2011)

Any recommendations as to what TV's I should actually go for?! As I know nothing about them 

As I say I'd like to keep within around the £300 mark but I don't mind shopping either online or in stores ^_^

With regards to Plasma, I've always thought plasma was really blurry compared to LCD?


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## BumbleBee (Sep 14, 2011)

MikeTyson said:


> Hey guys, haven't been on here in a long time...
> 
> Basically I'm looking for a new TV that I can use for my PS3, it's pretty much just gonna be solely for gaming
> 
> ...



Technika might be a house brand. Insignia and Dynex are Best Buy house brands. 

these 2010/2011 LCD televisions have low input lag


Samsung LEC530, LEC580 
Panasonic D30, DT30
Sony KDLEX403, KDLEX703

with LCD it's either good picture quality and high input lag or decent picture quality and low input lag.

if you want great picture quality and low input lag I recommend a 2010 Panasonic Plasma.


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## jasper1605 (Sep 14, 2011)

MikeTyson said:


> With regards to Plasma, I've always thought plasma was really blurry compared to LCD?



Nah, the early gen plasmas were slightly better than rubbish with really short lifespans, burn-in issues so on and so forth...  But they are much better nowadays (like 4th or 5th gen I believe)

I've never heard of a blurriness difference between TVs, but I can tell you the differences that are there.  Plasmas will use more electricity, they will essentially not blur because of how they are designed, and they typically give more natural colors whereas LCDs tend to oversaturate the colors to make it look "pretty but not real".  If they have any LCDs next to plasmas at the store by you take a look at the color differences in them.  If it's snow on the landscape, the LCD will look like good snow but then evaluate it and look how much blue is actually in the snow.  If it's a person on the screen, look at how red and flushed the LCD looks.  Now having said that, it can be tuned down once you buy it to make it more natural.  The plasma showing the exact same thing is going to have the colors toned down a bit to give a more natural look right off the bat though they can sometimes err on the side of being flat.

Hopefully that's slightly helpful.  I don't type that to be an end all be all authority on it, but that was my experience when I worked at Best Buy comparing our TVs against themselves.  Hopefully it helps a touch.  

One thing to watch out for is the brightness of the room:
If the TV is going to be in a brighter room then do not get a plasma, the screen will reflect light like mad and you won't be able to watch it during the day especially w/ gaming which tends to be darker.  Also, don't get anything Samsung (LCD or plasma) for a bright room.  This is because of the gloss they put on the screen.  While Samsung, to me, makes some of the best TVs on the market but they do not hold up against light at all.  I had both an LCD and an LED/LCD TV from them and I had to block off all the windows with black sheets in the living room just to use them during the day.

If light is not an issue then LCD or plasma will fare well.


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## MikeTyson (Sep 14, 2011)

Hmm my room is usually pretty dim so light shouldn't really be an issue  It's gonna go at the end of my bed so when I'm horny it's an easy access wank, and when I wanna watch TV or play games can just roll over and HIT THAT STANDBY BUTTANNNNN!

BumbleBee, really thanks for the suggestions  But all those TV's seem a bit on the pricey side 

Is there any recommendations as to something a bit less pricey but still around the 40" mark!? 

And thanks for the info jasper, it was actually really useful


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## qubit (Sep 14, 2011)

MikeTyson said:


> Any recommendations as to what TV's I should actually go for?! As I know nothing about them
> 
> As I say I'd like to keep within around the £300 mark but I don't mind shopping either online or in stores ^_^
> 
> With regards to Plasma, I've always thought plasma was really blurry compared to LCD?



No, plasma's are just as sharp as LCD's because both use discreet pixels to display the picture.

If £300 is all you have to spend, then you won't be able to get a new Panasonic 1080p plasma I'm afraid, as they start at around £600. You could go for a second hand one, but I don't recommend it.


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## BumbleBee (Sep 14, 2011)

MikeTyson said:


> Any recommendations as to what TV's I should actually go for?! As I know nothing about them
> 
> As I say I'd like to keep within around the £300 mark but I don't mind shopping either online or in stores ^_^
> 
> With regards to Plasma, I've always thought plasma was really blurry compared to LCD?



I wouldn't say that...

























MikeTyson said:


> Hmm my room is usually pretty dim so light shouldn't really be an issue  It's gonna go at the end of my bed so when I'm horny it's an easy access wank, and when I wanna watch TV or play games can just roll over and HIT THAT STANDBY BUTTANNNNN!
> 
> BumbleBee, really thanks for the suggestions  But all those TV's seem a bit on the pricey side
> 
> ...



you're welcome. one television I forgot to mention was the LG 42LD450.


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## BumbleBee (Sep 14, 2011)

still not convinced? 



Spoiler


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## MikeTyson (Sep 14, 2011)

hmm thanks all, certainly cleared up my interpretation of Plasma that's for sure 

i'll carry on looking around for cheap TV's, defo gonna avoid 2nd hand stuff... 

worst case scenario I'll just go for the Tesco TV out of desperation but should be able to find something else!


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## BumbleBee (Sep 14, 2011)

good luck and long live the empire!


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## qubit (Sep 14, 2011)

Technika is Tesco's own brand and is rather cheap and not very chearful.

I bought a 22" 1080p TV a little while ago for £130 (reduced price). The sound was awful and the picture very average watching TV. Now, as a PC monitor, it was very poor, since at a native resolution desktop of 1920x1080 through the HDMI port, the picture was a little blurry. Yes, actually not completely sharp! Being an all-digital signal path right to the pixels on the LCD panel, it's harder to achieve than actually show a perfectly clear picture. wtf?  I tried fiddling with the picture controls, but it made no difference. Also, the colours were somewhat off. At least the feature set wasn't too bad.

I returned it for a refund.


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## jasper1605 (Sep 14, 2011)

quite honestly I would recommend you save some $$ 'til you can afford a good mid-range to mid/high-range TV.  That way you'll be more satisfied with a better and more reliable product later on down the road.  But that's just my recommendation; you gotta do what suits your personality haha


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## ron732 (Sep 14, 2011)

Read some reviews before spending your money. I would avoid the Technika after reading this Tesco Technika LCD.


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## techguy31 (Sep 15, 2011)

Check out the Sony HX800.  The picture on it is simply amazing.  However mines have some blotches of clouding.  Sometimes it's noticeable and sometimes it's not.  Definitely a great television for pc setup and just watching tv.  However, it is around $1200.


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## MikeTyson (Oct 6, 2011)

Went for a TOSHIBA 42Inch LED Full HD TV in the end, was really cheap ;D

Thanks for all the help ^_^


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## brandonwh64 (Oct 6, 2011)

I love my 2 year old LG 52inch 1080P TV! Even the WII on 720P looks super sweet! I watched my first bluray on it not too long ago and it was so bright and colorful. This TV is everything I will need for a while (unless 3D gets bigger)


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## jasper1605 (Oct 6, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> WII on 720P



The Wii can only output at 480p with the component cables afaik.


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