Looking for a 32" HDTV

Demoniser · 28 May 2006 at 16:06

Well title says it all really, at the moment i have a 28" JVC CRT, and i feel like its time to get with the times.

Basically im a complete novice to HDTV, so i thought the best place to ask would be here.

Ive been looking around these forums and the one HDTV that seems to fit for me in dimensions and features is the Toshiba 32WLT66. Of course any others would be a good suggestion (some of the LG Models look nice but might be too large).

What i would like the tv for is.

1) Xbox 360 use. This is what it will be mainly used for.
2) Pc Monitor, at the moment im using an LG L1720B which is superb but i would like to use the HDTV for pc gaming from time to time, particuarly WoW Raiding.
3) Generally future proofing for HDTV Broadcasts, now this brings me on to another point, atm i have a cable telewest connection, ive had a look at the telewest site, and would i just need to get one of their three Digital TV Packages with a TVDrive to recieve HDTV?

Additional Notes:
1) The tv must fit into an alcove of approx 850mm.
2) I have an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro with a normal D-Sub connector connected to my monitor, with a free DVI Input of some sort, how easy would it be to start using a HDTV out of the box with my pc, as ive heard about different resolutions etc, quite confused about that.

Hope you can help me out.

deSade · 28 May 2006 at 16:47

This is a real tricky subject. Loads of people go for the Samsung models, but they also get criticised by some on these forums for not being that good because of the price!!

I've never seen any real proof that by spending £750 - £800 on a Samsung, you'll get any real difference to spending £1,000 - £1,500 on other makes such as Sony.

Most forums/reviews I've read suggest that the extra £££££'s don't really equate to particularly better sets, so I'd go with the Samsung's if money is a consideration.

Voy06 · 28 May 2006 at 17:07

I have the Samsung 26". Great for PC, great for gaming and TV giving a clear, sharp and vibrant picture plus has all the connections you'll need.

The Sony LCD's from what I've heard give the best picture quality but I don't know how well they fare in the PC territory.

turtle3 · 28 May 2006 at 18:26

Voy06 said:
I have the Samsung 26". Great for PC, great for gaming and TV giving a clear, sharp and vibrant picture plus has all the connections you'll need.

The Sony LCD's from what I've heard give the best picture quality but I don't know how well they fare in the PC territory.

i can say that with a pc over the vga connection the sammy 26'' i have is crystal clear because it supports 1:1 pixel mapping,, hdmi does not and looks pretty crap tbh..

Dougsnake · 28 May 2006 at 18:43

Well i went from a JVC widescreen 28" flat crt to my current tv another jvc JVC LT-32DX7BJ does everything you are requiring.
Dont take any notice of the spec sheet saying it only supports 1024x768 on the d-sub connection as it supports its native res of 1366x768 taken from the word of a jvc engineer on the avforums and its 100% true MCE 2005 looks awesome

Screen is only 800mm wide too thanks to its hidden speakers in the bottom of the panel which sound great which i wasnt really expecting so a bonus.
can be found for around 940 -ish online bit cheaper than what i paid (1049) for it but i did get it as soon as it came out.
100% happy with mine anyway worth a look anyway as look at thet toshiba wlt66 seems to be quite popular atm.
Have a look through the avforums threads too.

stu.artd · 28 May 2006 at 22:51

I have a 26" Sony S2010 and use it for SD TV, XBox 360 (component) and 2nd monitor for my PC via VGA from a Radeon X800 Pro. Display from the PC is at 1:1 pixel mapping - so 1360x768, although you have the option of stretching it to fill in the 3 black pixel wide columns at either side. I'm very happy with the TV.
One downside is that the Sony only has 1 HDMI port while the new JVC and Toshiba models have 2.

I've attached some pics below to give you an idea of what you can expect from it or the 32" version.

Digital TV tuner - Supernatural from earlier tonight

XBox 360 - PGR3

XBox 360 - Natasha Bedingfield HD video

stu.artd · 28 May 2006 at 22:52

PC via VGA - Desktop image and HD footage

vodkacokebloke · 28 May 2006 at 23:26

One more quick point. While 32 inch is nice, its not quite large enough to FULLY reap the benefits of HDTV.

40 makes HD far more visible.

Mud · 29 May 2006 at 00:26

I always wonder about people saying you need a XX" screen to experience HD properly, its quite plainly visibly better on any HD screen (23" even). I've got a copy of New Electronics here that says that 'at least 60in will be needed in order to see HDTV at its best', then prophesises that this could lead to an increase in projector popularity.

I've returned a 32" WXGA and am getting another on tuesday, HD content looked great on the one I returned...I realise less screen area is usually a financial decison however...

gib786 · 29 May 2006 at 01:18

ive been looking for a 32" hdtv for a while, finally decided on the Hyundai Imagequest Q321, just working out my poor student finances before i buy it for £615

Voy06 · 29 May 2006 at 12:06

turtle3 said:
i can say that with a pc over the vga connection the sammy 26'' i have is crystal clear because it supports 1:1 pixel mapping,, hdmi does not and looks pretty crap tbh..

Totally agree, much better to use VGA than HDMI when connecting PC to Sammy.