Sky onto my new 40" Sammy?

[XD-3]

Hi All

I am getting a Samsung LE40R51B 40" LCD on Friday for my main TV.
So I was just wondering if anyone can recommend me a way of getting sky on it from the box downstairs.

I was thinking along the lines of an audio video sender like the SkyFunk SL3? But I was told the picture might not to be to go as the screen is large.
Can anyone hear recommend the SL3? As I have read good things about it.

Or does anyone no of another why I can get the sky onto the LCD picture quality is most important really.

Thanks in advance
XD-3

 

[XD-3]

Sky digital is kak even when connected directly to the TV due to the high amount of compression they use. Forget HD I'd be happy if there SD didn't look like the worst kinda divx most of the time.

Yes I no what you mean that is what I am afraid of even on my mums 28" CRT the sky looks rubbish so I don't no how well the funksky SL3 will cope.

I mean if it can give me the same picture as the CRT. Then that would be ok... ish but any worse and there would be no point.

XD-3

PS: I was thinking about running a direct cable but my room is in the attic so I thought it was a bit of a no go...

 

[XD-3]

Can you run a coax externally? I'm sure a sky engineer would only charge £30 or so to break the existing cable and run it straight from dish through to attic. I'm assuming that can be done of course

i never thought of that. This would mean the same channel could be watched on my 40" and the CRT downsters?

So if i am reading right all i would need is an IR eye and another sky remote to change the channel from the 40"?? as i am only going to use the sky when the perants have gone to bed so then it will not matter about the channel changing downsters aswell. Or would an IR eye not work?.

XD-3

 

[XD-3]

Hi XD-3. I`m thinking about getting the same sammy TV it does look stunning!! You`ll have to let us know how you get on with it as I`m feeling money burning a hole n need to be ordering soon!!! Is it ok for you tell me how much you paid and where from as OcUk dont sell them???
cheers

hiya m8 i will not actually get the tv until monday but i will be posting pic's and a mini review will follow

I am getting the LCD for £1299.99 and £16p£p if this is any cheaper then your getting it then post your e-mail or msn addy on here or just add me to msn. If you use it

babum2k @ msn.com (without the spaces)

Thanks
XD-3

 

[XD-3]

The 51B is last years model and is being withdrawn from stock, you may want to consider the newer and higher specified m51 or m61 models. They look a lot nicer in the flesh as well.

ya i no i would like the M51B but i just cannot afford it being only 17 and not on a lot of money. it has took me since just before crimbo to save for this one.

And IMO it looks nice. i do like the sound of the 16 billion color thing, and the 8ms but the R51B has 12ms so thats ok and it also has the 3000:1 dynamic contrast and the DNIe engine. So apart from the 16 billion colors there isn't much in them.

But if you would like to deposite £300 into my bank so i can get the new model that would be great

Thanks
XD-3

 

[XD-3]

Pinkardvark - you are basuically wrong.

Your LCD is nowhere near 5000-1, it may claim it but its nowhere near it.

It is a combination of LCD tech + the cheap scaler. I am fussey beyond belief. I will be spending more on a scaler than you have on your screen to put it into perspective. I have tried a Lumagen, iscan + crystalio scaler and i am going for a cryastalio (maybe 2) scaler to get a better dvd + sky picture.

Lets clear a few things up here. The Sammy is one of the worst LCD screens around on SD material (im talking major brands not supermarket specials) The best screens are the Sony + Philips - both destroy the Samsung on SD material, both are destroyed by a Panasonic or Pioneer plasma on SD + HD. There is no comparison. Nobody who has tested them side by side has ever picked the LCD as being better (im talking mag reviews, ISF calibrator reviews + mine and many of my HC friends) If cost where no object nobody would pick a LCD over a plasma.

Simply put LCD's can not do blacks, have a worse contrast ratio, smear, have higher response time + generally FRC all sources. These are simple facts, this is before we get to the terrible scalers in the lcd's. I guarantee you that if you picked up a cheap £300 Lumagen Vision scaler and ran Sky+ into that and then to your screen the jump in quality would blow you away.

Im not knocking LCD (im getting one for the bedroom - i can accept the drop in quality there) and i am the first to say that a CRT projector blows my plasma away. If SED is all its cracked up to be my plasma will go and a SED will be on the wall. Price is not an issue for my main screen (daylight viewing is before Jes sells me a barco ) but quality of picture is and LCD's can not touch a plasma. Having personally seen a ED Panny PW7 42" next to the 40" Samsung HD screen the owner and i both picked the Panny on both HD + SD - yes HD material looked better on a non HD screen than on a full HD screen. The sammy went back.

Sky+ can look stunning on a good HD screen, even the lowest quality chanels look fine on mine, certinally not as good as a movie chanel or bbc1 or C4 but the worst on mine look as good as the best on any LCD ive tried. Thats partially the limitations of LCD but mainly the cheap and frankly rubbish scalers used in most of them.

Hi well after reading your post i dont no weather i should get the sammy or not if the picture is going to be really bad

I mean i have seen it going in the shop and that looked fine to me rather good actually but it was probably some really high quality content to show the screen of...

So i was just wondering if you could recommend me any other 40" LCD makes models for around the £1350 range ?? with HD and HDMI and such.

And also if there are no other what could i get to improve the quality on the sammy??

Thanks
XD-3

PS: or would you say a plasma is better?? as i can get a
Pioneer PDP-42MVE1 42" WVGA Dark Grey Plasma
for £1291

Spec:
Product Type: Plasma panel - colour
Width: 101.8 cm
Depth: 8.9 cm
Weight: 28.5 kg
Height: 61 cm
Technology: Plasma (PDP)
Diagonal Size: 42" - widescreen
Resolution: 853 x 480
Image Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Additional Features: Gamma correction, video noise reduction
Image Contrast Ratio: 1500:1
Brightness: 700 cd/m2
Pixel Pitch: 1.08 mm
Color Depth: Up to 68.7 billion colors
Reception System: PAL, NTSC, SECAM, PAL 60, PAL-B, PAL-G, PAL-M
Remote control: infrared
Connector Type: 1 x VGA input ( 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ) ¦ 1 x DVI-Digital ( 24 pin digital DVI ) ¦ 1 x RGB input ( BNC x 5 ) ¦ 1 x composite video input ( RCA phono ) ¦ 1 x composite video input ( BNC ) ¦ 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) ¦ 1 x component video input ( BNC x 3 ) ¦ 1 x component video input ( RCA phono x 3 ) ¦ 3 x audio input ( RCA phono x 2 ) ¦ 2 x speakers output
Power supply: internal
Voltage Required: AC 110/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Power Consumption Operational: 270 Watt
Power Consumption Stand by / Sleep: 0.9 Watt
Included Accessories: Cleaning cloth

The resone i did not wont to go with a plasma is becouse they are not HD so that would mean it is not as future proof. I am wanting to purchase this friday so any help would be great

 

[XD-3]

Simply put you will not beat the Sammy for that size at that price. To get a better screeen you will need to pay a lot more for the Sony or Philips LCD and even more for a pioneer or panny plasma (i would probably take the sony or philips over most of the budget plasma's as they are usually poor)

What you need to do is too see it with a Sky feed and make up your own mind. I know lots of peeps with LCD screens and they are all happy with them, they are not as critical as me and in all honesty they would sacrafice quality just to get a 'cool' flatscreen tv.

To improve the Sky picture quality (and DVD) you would want to add an external scaler. The cheapest will be a 2nd hand Lumagen Vision at £300 - new scalers start around the 1k mark and go up and up in price and quality !!!

sorry could'nt get to post about the plasma in time.
What would you say to that pionner plasma? any good? also what about HD and plasma's are they just not hd at all?

Would you say that plasma is better then the sammy or is it budget.

XD-3

 

[XD-3]

ok then well thank you very much for you help shimmyhill. as i only have a budget of £1350 i think i will just go with the sammy.

If you no of any other 40" HD LCD's at that or around that price please could you post them and i will check them all out so i can make a better decision.

Thanks
XD-3