Televisions, should we go LCD?

[Scott Salisbury]

Our cheapy 27" tube display TV in the living room has broke again and we're sick of paying out to get it fixed, so we're thinking of going for an LCD one.

I don't know much about the LCD TV's other than what I know of LCD monitors, is there much difference?

We don't have a lot of money to spare, so we can't really splash out a few grand for a state of the art HDTV or anything.

What are they like for watching TV on? Are they worth getting compared to just getting another tube display TV.

What about the viewing angle? In our living room we don't have a set up where we will be looking straight at the TV.

Are there any low-budget but still value for money LCD TV's avilable? What would you say to them?

And the main thing is above all else, will the damn TV last longer than 2 years? :\

Just some general advice and information would be appriciated.

Thanks in advance,
Scott.

 

[pugwash]

What do you use your TV for? Do you watch cable, digital, or just the old analogue? Have you got a DVD player, games console plugged in the back?

LCD's are getting better all the time. However, whilst they look good they are appear to have some weak points. Some LCD's are very good with DVD, but gaming may not be so hot. Ive yet to see an LCD that is a master of all formats. CRT is proven technology. Your need for very good viewing angles and a wish not to spend lots of money suggest you remain with CRT. Whist HDTV is at the frontiers of technology and promises a lot of benefits, it is still a young technology. You may find that in 18 months time the current crop of HDTV ready LCD's will be very weak compared to the new models. People with cash to burn will be happy to upgrade and swap their LCD's on a regular basis. Have a look at the av forums and you will read many posts that discuss the problems in adopting new technologies. My advice is to sit back and wait for it to become more refined. A decent CRT will better an LCD in a lot of areas. Thats my opinion of course.

 

[Scott Salisbury]

That is quite helpful indeed.

After browsing around, I found this, which looks nice and I can't find a bad comment about it yet:
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...00A0D8F4/customer-reviews/203-5841557-0398317

If we do decide to go for LCD it will most likely be that one, but we will see.

We won't be playing games on it, we do have cable and a DVD player but we still watch video's more than anything else really.

It will mainly just be the viewing angle we wouldhave to worry about.

Thanks for the reply,
Scott.

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

If you want a cheap CRT, one of the bigger supermarkets was selling off 28" Sony units at under £300, which seemed a bit of a good option.