Thetownend.com

Morning ladies

I've been looking at getting a new tv, because I decided I should treat myself. You couldn't make this up, but yesterday, that meant my tv decided to die, so I now need a new TV.

I'm leaning towards another LCD, as I like them and fancy a 42". The trouble is I've found one, that in 47" is only £40 more than a 42" so seems a bargain. Is this too big?

I imagine that once you get used to it you don't notice the size, so for the sake of having something large and making myself feel cool, is it worth it? I won't be getting Sky HD, I can't get freeview and I'll only be watching Sky SD on it and playing consoles in HD. I imagine displaying SD through 47" would create a shittier picture than SD?

you'll want a tv that does sd content well.
there was a tv advert i saw yesterday for a panasonic plasma in currys-comet i for £450(i think)
for that size plasma is better.

Get as big as you can afford. I bought a 50" and it's awesome, although it is starting to look a little small 18 months on..

Come to Currys in Devizes!

I've seen a few decent Panasonics, but am really jittery about Plasma and both screen burn and motion blur. I also am reluctant to get something that gets so hot and likely uses masses of electricity. My sister has a 50" Pioneer and that thing could heat a house. :D She says her SD is superb, even close up, but I'm not sure comparing that to a cheap LCD is fair.

Thanks for the advice about size sutton. As a man I understand the need to get something far bigger than required regardless of whether it's needed or not!

Agree, I have a 50" but regret not plumping for the 60" - am now waiting for the 3D prices to come down a bit and will see if I can sneak it up on the wall without the missus noticing... :D

Pioneer Kuro was by far the best plasma out there but ince Pioneer stopped making TV's Panasonic has acquired the licence for Kuro technology so expect to see pannies move ahead in the game.

One other thing, if you are moving into the bigger screen market get yourself an upscaling receiver that will convert the SD picture into HD signal (its not perfect but it does make a difference) where it does make a hell of a difference is to the sound output when coupled to a decent set of surround speakers...

If you don't want Sky HD get a Freesat HD box - no cost for HD channels

Or one of these:

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_stb_terrestrial_hdfoxt2.aspx

It's single tuner FreeviewHD receiver which upscales SD to HD, will allow you to watch FreeviewHD when we get it round here (or now if your transmitter's already doing it) and, this is the cool bit, can operate as a PVR just by plugging in an external HD.

Humax are doing refurb models (with warranty etc) for 100 quid:

http://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/product.asp?ProdRef=10101&cat=Factory

I got one for my Mum and Dad - including buying a 500Gb external Hard drive, they've now got a Freeview HD PVR (which also plays other content via USB - ie media centre as well) for under 150 quid. They're absolutely delighted with it and one of the things my Dad was most pleased about was that the SD picture is better than the Freeview tuner built into the telly.

Thanks all. I've been sold on the Panasonic Arriba mentioned by some salesman in Comet. It's only £449 and seems quite good. Can't say I was happy about their total reluctance to enter into any kind of negotiation on prices, especially with most of their shit being at least 10%-20% more than Richer Sounds.

In fact I was even slightly annoyed by their salesman explaining that they only price match with a couple of select stores and "we can't price match with Richer Sounds"... So what you mean is you don't price match, but will knock off £20 if Tescos do it cheaper?

google the model number to see reviews of it.or have you bought it already?

Get your revenge by allowing him to do all the hard work then buying it somewhere else online 50 quid cheaper

The model is apparently exclusive to Comet. (TX-P42U20B.) I can't find many online reviews and to be honest, I give little weight to them because, well, my tv is 6 years old and am I really going to notice the black is a "bit grey" or "the colours are a bit dull", when my benchmark is a 6 year old LCD? Let's be honest, I'm not going to notice shit. :)

To be frank, I don't like being sucked into the modern world of televisions, and somehow allowing myself to believe I need some new tech. I barely watch the thing. I'd be happy with an old crt. I do like the idea of some Gran Turismo sessions in HD over Chrimbo though!

looks alright to me.don't think you can really go wrong with a panasonic anyway.just tweak the picture settings from a good distance when you set it up to get the best out if it.

i've been thinking of going for a bigger screen from my current panasonic 32 inch lcd, but am reluctant as it's such a good tv.dunno whether a bigger screen is worth it really....

Richer Sounds offer a reasonable price for an extended warranty too. So I'd go there anyway if buying on the high street.

Take your point on the "exclusive model" scam Currys/Comet try and pull, though its usually a small or cosmetic difference to the widely available model of normally cheaper price!

A bigger screen is only really worth it if you are going for HD/1080p... or you've got really shit eye sight

My LG is one of those "exclusives", only difference being the colour of some of the trim. Funny thing though is that was the one I ended up buying but not from them, got it on Amazon Marketplace from what I guess was a stock clearance company.

I really like the look of the LG LE9500 with the tiny bezel/frame.  Don't think they're out and about yet and I dread to think what the price is.

I am tempted with a 3G TV but having a bash on my brother's latest effort despite it being 42" I found the thick black frame took away some of the 3G magic.  I have to say in all honesty though I can see myself getting pissed off with the 3G lark pretty quickly.  Keeping the glasses charged is one thing but I dread to think what it's like after a few beers.

[url width=500 height=469]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/01/500x_le9500_r45_logo_on.jpg[/url]

3G = Three Gimensional?

Triple Ginormous

I tried out 3D and found it made me feel a bit Nauseous. My sister went as far as to say she absolutely hated it. I certainly couldn't watch it for any length of time. I also don't understand the appeal of going from flicker-free, crystal-clear viewing to what can only be described as watching something with unbelievable flicker and curious clarity.

Won me an auction tonight. I feel like I've been sucked into a dick waving techno fest by reading Avforums and to be honest bought something far better than I think I need or could make use of. I got a 46" Panasonic G20 for £645.56, which feels and seems like a bargain.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Panasonic-46-Plasma-1080p-TV-TX-P46G20B-T47-/170574781702?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Televisions&hash=item27b70c9d06&autorefresh=true

looks like you've got a stonking bargain there.

That's what I'd like to think, although I noticed, after winning, that he's sold a 50" of mine for £555 and another 46" for only £415 at one point. Still, I think they just got a steal.

"Cash on collection only from our warehouse"? They might well have got a "steal" :)

Ignore me, I'm just jealous, that looks like a cracking telly

Notice it has Ethernet too, very handy. Just the sort of thing I'd be after when the crt blows up. Good buy Barry

Yeah, I liked that, just hope they add iPlayer, 4od, and the like, to their Viera Cast thing. (It only has YouTube plus a few other token gestures.)

And we all know only new equipment dies. CRT's simply last forever. :)

This thread is making me want a new telly.

You should be able to access iPlayer through the Freesat tuner

I'm a bit of a telly retard, so don't understand this. I presumed it was an internet thing, but you can get it over Freesat? How does that work then?

As long as you have the ethernet connection sorted then

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2010/01/update_iplayer_on_freesat.html

Apparently they were going to do an OTA update to enable iPlayer on non Humax boxes, this was ages ago so hopefully will be sorted

If you can't hard wire it from router then now might be a good time to invest in some homeplugs

Ah, I see now. Suppose I could have used Google! Fortunately my router is right by my TV, so all will hopefully be well. It'd be nice if the PS3 and freesat also had 4od though.

best purchase i've made for my internet connection was some 200mbps homeplugs. always getting a connection speed of 196mbps.

only cost me £30 and they're passthrough ones too.

I've been using them for donkies years now, you don't even know they are there

exactly. using Usenext i constantly hit 6.3mbps download through my homeplugs. and for gaming online with my PC my pings are still extremely low

Patience padowan.

http://www.reghardware.com/2010/08/06/4od_ps3/

Good god, I need shooting.  I spend all day talking about 3G networks and services.

ITV player coming soon as well. Hopefully that'll be deletable though. Or Drury can be at the very least.

http://www.reghardware.com/2010/08/18/sony_ps3_mubi_itv/

Yes mate. PS3 keeps getting better and better. You used Lovefilm on yours yet? It's fucking ace.

I had a look at it and some other obscure, indie-movie app thing, but refrained from signing up, or whatever it was I had to do! I think I will when the streamable stuff looks a bit better.

Have you got the TV yet Barry?

Are these used for the TV or just general internet use?

I use mine to connect my pc to my router.  so mainly internet and the odd bit of streaming from pc to ps3.

Ah right. I've just got the normal ADSL filter. I take it they're used in place of them for a better connection?

No No!

Homeplugs are used to transport ethernet  (LAN) traffic around over your mains suply. It's used instead of wireless (wifi) or direct ethernet cabling.

For example, the wifi signal in my front room is not good. Its not practical to run a long cable from my room to to connect to my router. So I use homeplugs instead. One plugs into the main socket in the front room. One plugs into the mains socket by my router. I then run an ethernet cable from my computer to the homeplug, and an ethernet cable from my router to the other homeplug. I can then use the computer as if it is directly wired to the router.

You can add more (compatible) homeplugs about the house and create a network, they all communicate with each other.

It's witchcraft I tell you!

Homeplugs with mains pass through is useful - it allows you to plug an electrical device into the homeplug so you don't lose an electric socket.

Homeplugs work in most houses but there are some houses where they don't. But if you get em off the net you can send them back within 7 days under distance selling rules!

Yeah, got it 2 days ago and finally got it set-up tonight. Just enjoyed a few games of PES with some friends. Can't get freesat working though, but it's to do with the cabling, I think. I'm running a splitter out of my Sky feed, splitting it in 2 and running one into my Sky box and one into the TV. Both the sky box and the TV says there's no reception in this config, I think the cables, or splitter, are shagged, so will try to take them back tomorrow!


 

Not really a good idea to use a splitter for sat. Twin output lnb and another cable run would be a better idea, but see how you get on. Have you connected ethernet?

I should have gone online and read it up first, it seems quite clear that it's impossible now. :D

Plugged in the ethernet and the Viera Cast thing is pretty wank to be honest, so have only used to it to update the tv so far. There doesn't seem to be much use for it without iPlayer on freesat, which I obviously can't use until I get more satellite feeds in to my flat.

There appears to be quite a lot of that in this thread  ;)

I'm also curious to know if it's possible to stream movies direct from your pc

Glad i read this thread. My rooms 3 floors up from the router and this sounds like just the thing i need.  Which ones do you use?

I've had a look at Amazon and was looking at these 2

NEWLINK 200 MB/S POWERLINE ADAPTER/HOMEPLUG - TWIN PACK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NEWLINK-200-POWERLINE-ADAPTER-HOMEPLUG/dp/B001BP215K/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1292062819&sr=8-8

Comtrend Powerline ethernet adapter with Filter

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comtrend-Powerline-ethernet-adapter-Filter/dp/B001M06Y0M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292063609&sr=8-1

Interesting bit of info

There are great networking capabilities with the Panasonic VIERA TXP46G20 as it has it compatible with Skype, it is dlna certified and Wi-Fi ready. Using the Wi-Fi and dlna ready features on the Panasonic VIERA TX-P46G20B you have the capability of sharing media from your pc in another room, or accessing catch up TV providers. With these facilities you are able to watch your movies or share photographs with family and friends on the main 46inch plasma television.
All you gamers out there might also be interested to learn that the Panasonic TX-P46G20 has a special game mode. The Game Mode option gives you a faster response time, which might give you a slight advantage of your rivals if you play online. The Game Mode combined with VIERA creates multiple levels of black, producing more detail in darker games.

It doesn't say what speed the Comtrends are

2. It will not work with Audio Video Surge protectors. They see the signal as noise and cancel it out; i.e. the AV surge protectors do their job very well.

try the original feed used for your sky to check the freesat.without any splitters...

i've recently extended my dish feed from my sons room into my daughters.
i got a 15 meter cable with connectors for about £5 on e-bay.works a treat

I use some Comtrend powergrid 902, only because they were bloody cheap. Seem to do the job in my house. No idea if they are considered good or shit though!

From memory they aren't compliant with the homeplug standards, meaning you may not be able to add other brands homplugs to your network in the future. Not an issue for me I bought 4 at the same time and that's more than enough for me!

s said, homeplugs aren't always suitable for use in every house depending in how its wired up in regards to phasing.  But there is only one way to find out....

Ok thanks.  At present i'm only get 1 bar strength on my wireless connection so i though if i bought the homeplugs it would help improve the connectivity.

I was just browsing to see which ones would be a good investment as there seem so many.  

I've heard it's better to pkug them into the mains socket as plugging them into an extension as you say sees thesignal as noise and cancels it so i'll make sure i buy a belkin pc AVV Surge protector

Cheers for the info. Well if it can improve my 1 bar signal strength then i'll take the risk. 

As you discovered, it is apparently. Seems a bit complicated though, from just having a gander at it, and I'd just bosh them on a USB stick and use that instead I expect. (My technological know-how doesn't extend beyond computers and even then isn't very deep!)


I tried to split one line into 2, which apparently can't be done due to something called an LNB or voltages or some shit. I'm convinced Sky sent me an offer of upgrade to HD and get 6 months free and free fitting or something, but be damned if I know where it is. (And I don't want HD, but it would provide me with Sky+ and freesat.)

i phoned sky and said i was going to virgin unless they could offer me a better deal.
got sky-hd box,a new dish,my old sky+ box moved to my sons room,all for free.and the sky hd package half price for 6 months.

You can use something like this, but you will be restricted to what you can watch on the "slave" (same pol and v as master)

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=9273

Better to get a quad LNB and run a new cable from it.

That's what I want to do, but unfortunately if they stick my postcode into Virgin's website, they'll see I can't get it. :(


I live in flats and it's a communal dish, so I can't add an LNB thing and we're not allowed to put our own dish up. (Even though there's about 20 of the things, hence why I think I'll just roll the dice and put one up.)

Better to get the quad lnb rather than the twin as batch said. You just never know

My Sky dish is pointing at the ground at the mo, the bracket has rusted through. Thank heavens for the 1.2m motorised  ;)