Hello, I want to buy an HD ready LCD tv .. any help?

Question

I am not sure what to look for (apart from screen size), i found one named BEKO, a 32" HD TV in argos for 230 quid !!
these are its specs.. are they any good?
Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.
Brightness 500cd/m2
Contrast ratio 800:1
Nicam stereo sound
2 x 10w RMS power output

thnx for the help .

Answer 1

It won't be any help to you if I just listed my favourite television sets. So, I will suggest things to look out for and then you can go around the shops and ask the assistants the right questions.

You get what you pay for.
£230 suggests something that is either very low spec, shop soiled and/or end of line.
For a decent 32" LCD set I'd expect to pay at least £800. Stick to main brands for a purchase like this. You don't buy a telly often so it should be as good as yiu can get. Anything less will lead to disapointment in a year or so. Trust me on this.

There is no doubt that the cheaper sets are not as good overall as more expensive ones. However, the features which may be less well specified, or not such good quality, on a cheap set may not be important to you.

The resolution, brightness and contrast figures should be ok. Sound should be judged by quality rather than just "Watts". A good sounding 5W is infinately better than a tinny or muffled 10W.

All televisions (except 'toys') have NICAM sound. This is simply the stereo sound system which is used on "analogue" broadcasting. Do not allow this to influence you, it should be just "there by default".

Not all television sets, even the ones claiming to be HD ready, have built in digital tuners. You need a digital tuner to receive Freeview, unless you want to mess about with separate boxes. When your area switches over to all-digital in a year or so time the analogue tuner will be useless.

Check that the "channel change" buttons on the set work when you're using the digital tuner. Not all of them do so you would be left with an untunable telly if the remote got mislaid, damaged or flat battery. It's a cheap and nasty trick by set makers so don't buy one like it. It will be false economy. They've probably also skimped on other parts of the set so you may find the 'angle of view' is limited, the colours not true, contrast ratio is poor or it's simply unreliable.

Check how many connectors it has on the back. Try and 'future proof' your set. As well as the aerial, you need SCARTs for DVD player, VCR, Satellite box and an HDMI connector for HD Satellite/DVD player. You also should have phono sockets for camcorder connection.
If you don't do this test then you'll end up either changing plugs (tedious and risk of damage) or using a bulky combiner box.

Don't buy your main set from a supermarket. Go to somewhere like John Lewis where you'll get expert unbiassed advice and not pay any more than Curry's.

Answer 2

Hi,

I don't know this name BEKO, if you can't find it on the internet. I would stay with the more top manufacturers. Such as: Sharp, Sony, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi. Basically, you are now looking at reliability, quality, and how long they will last over time. Look at the colors on this tv and see if you like your favorite colors. I forgot to mention Panasonic, they have the best black to white contrast. This means that on an LCD tv, the blacks look truer to the real black color. You also pay for hook ups in the back. Take a look and see what they have and what you might consider hooking up to this tv. This would be: audio/video receiver, DVD Player, VCR, BluRay disc Player, XBOX, Nintentdo, Sony PS3, etc.

Answer 3

Spec sheets won't tell you anything about picture quality - but the price will.

Beko is bottom of the barrel stuff, they make cheap products. How? By using cheap, sub-standard components. This results in poor sound quality, poor picture quality and poor build quality. If you buy the Beko, you will regret it from the moment you turn it on.

These are all companies whose products you DON'T want:

Alba
Akai
Akito
Akura
AOC
Atec
Beko
Beond
Bush
Cello
Compacks
Crown
Cyberhome
Daewoo
Dansai
Deccacolour
DiBoss
DM-Tech
Digihome
Digilogic
Digix
Erae
Ferguson
Finlux
Funai
Fusion
Goodmans
Grundig
H&B
Hanspree
Harwa
Hikona
HiSense
Kenmark
Konka
Lenco
Lexsor
Lodos
Logik
Luzo
Matsui
Maxim
Medion
Mikomi
Mirai
Mogen
Naiko
Orion
Phocus
Prima
Proline
Streamium
Symphonic
Tatung
Technisat
Techno
Technosonic
Techwood
Tokai
Tosumi
Venturer
Video Seven
Viewpia
Vision
Yamada
Yusmart

Answer 4

The Tank is right. You saying "for 230 quid" clearly says you know nothing about tv's in the slighest. Theres a reason its cheap, because its sh*t. You really do pay for what you get with tv's. Sharp/toshiba/jvc are above average sets that wont set you back alot. £500~

Answer 5

stay with effective style names like Vizio, Panasonic, or Sharp. carry out somewhat study at Cnet, PcWorld, Pcmag, or a shopper mag. go with 2 or 3 fashions which will be perfect for you and than flow after fee. The sale pricing will be good for the customer this 3 hundred and sixty 5 days and do not fall for the more suitable assure.

Answer 6

buy a plasma
they are better than lcd