New 26"+ TV and Blu-Ray player

Soldato
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14 Apr 2007
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Hello,

I'm moving into a new property soon and as I have a bit of spare cash, I think the home cinema deserves a bit of a revamp!

Budget is £400.

The TV ideally needs to be bigger than 26" (as that's what i'm currently using) with quality sound and picture. No real requirements for the Blu-Ray player as i'm new to this format!

I can always stretch to a higher budget but it really has to be justified. I'm upgrading from a 4 year old Sony 26" and DVD Upscaler so anything new is going to be a big improvement.

What would you guys recommend?
 
How about the 40 inch samsung c530 which is £340 (I just bought it and its pretty awesome for the price!) and then a Panosonic BD75 (Absolutely fantastic bluray player) for £90 - total £530. Or there is the BD45 which you can get for £69

For the money I don't think there is a better setup.

TV review -

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-le32c530-le40c530-20100813815.htm

BD review -

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/blu-ray-players-and-recorders/panasonic-dmp-bd75-review-50003059/

Note that they mark it down for being too expensive, but its now only £89!
 
If you don't have surround sound and you are going with an entry level TV - not very much at all. I have the BD40 player and its a fantastic piece of kit that BD75 is much better and the original retail price was about £150 not so long ago.
 
How about the 40 inch samsung c530 which is £340 (I just bought it and its pretty awesome for the price!) and then a Panosonic BD75 (Absolutely fantastic bluray player) for £90 - total £530. Or there is the BD45 which you can get for £69

The 40C530 is available from Tesco at the moment for £399 and comes with a free Samsung BluRay player! I'm pretty sure the offer ends around 10th May, so check it out! :)
 
What about the LG 32LD690? I've found it for £299.

100hz, Internet, Freeview HD and 1080p HD Ready.
 
mate you got a healthy budget to a certain extent:P iv seen 37-42 inch led tvs going for 399-499. And thats an LED from makes such as samsung and LG.
 
What's the difference between LED and LCD?

I would rather buy a quality 32" panel than stretch and afford a very basic / low quality 37 / 42.
 
What's the difference between LED and LCD?

I would rather buy a quality 32" panel than stretch and afford a very basic / low quality 37 / 42.

u got a point as long as its quality. But led is the new generation of tv's the backlit is amazing and the colour display is mind blowing. Dont forget these tv's are amazingly thin. Now is the time to buy an LED a year ago they were £1500+ as now u can grab them for £400.
 
u got a point as long as its quality. But led is the new generation of tv's the backlit is amazing and the colour display is mind blowing. Dont forget these tv's are amazingly thin. Now is the time to buy an LED a year ago they were £1500+ as now u can grab them for £400.

Is it really worth it?

I can get a top spec 32" LCD with Internet, Freeview HD, 100hz and 1080p Ready for £299.

The cheapest LED (37) within my price range is £350 but lacks Freeview HD, 100/200hz and the Internet feature. Obviously its a larger screen and LED, worth the difference?
 
Is it really worth it?

I can get a top spec 32" LCD with Internet, Freeview HD, 100hz and 1080p Ready for £299.

The cheapest LED (37) within my price range is £350 but lacks Freeview HD, 100/200hz and the Internet feature. Obviously its a larger screen and LED, worth the difference?

This is where it gets a bit messy :S when aiming around £400 budget u wont get the best of the LED range as the budget is low, so id stick with the LCD as with that price range you will get more for your money as LCD's are usually cheaper.

The question is are u going to use freeview? or use sky/ virgin etc...
 
This is where it gets a bit messy :S when aiming around £400 budget u wont get the best of the LED range as the budget is low, so id stick with the LCD as with that price range you will get more for your money as LCD's are usually cheaper.

The question is are u going to use freeview? or use sky/ virgin etc...

Not massively concerned over freeview as I can easily purchase a cheap box.
 
another thing is i wouldnt chose a screen because of the size is bigger i would go for the lcd in ur case due to the fact u get more for your money. However, the ultimate question is what will fit best in your room your putting the tv in? 32 or 37 inch?
 
I have both a 42inch Panasonic G15 Plasma, and the Samsung LEC530, and the picture on the Samsung fares very well against the Panasonic, and it can produce some very deep blacks. Obviously the panasonic is a better screen, but the Samsung 40 inch at £339 really is an excellent TV. There is barely any input lag for gaming (14ms) and no motion blur even with a game like black ops. I've not had a chance to play a bluray through it yet but from what I've seen so far, I would buy it again over any of the other tv's in the price range at the moment.
 
I have both a 42inch Panasonic G15 Plasma, and the Samsung LEC530, and the picture on the Samsung fares very well against the Panasonic, and it can produce some very deep blacks. Obviously the panasonic is a better screen, but the Samsung 40 inch at £339 really is an excellent TV. There is barely any input lag for gaming (14ms) and no motion blur even with a game like black ops. I've not had a chance to play a bluray through it yet but from what I've seen so far, I would buy it again over any of the other tv's in the price range at the moment.

Do you think its worth spending a little extra on a low-mid end LED TV? I'm not that concerned about the Internet, as i've got a 360 and mostly watch DVDs / football.

I've managed to find the LG 32LE4500 for £274.99, it was rated 9 out of 10 on testfreaks. Well within my budget and its full 1080p with Freeview.
 
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I've read a few reviews on that LG tv and there is a large forum thread on AVforums and a lot of people are experiencing washed out colours. I personally think plasma is the way to go if you can afford it, especially for sport.

If you can, go and look at the TV's in the flesh and make a decision based on what you can see, I looked at those LG LED cheapo's in the shop and the Samsung was the one I purchased.
 
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