TVs....where to start?

Tech, TV, Mobile, Internet and Geek Corner
41
A Wii is ONLY SD so probably ANY TV will do. Guess you will need a spare SCART or S-Video + Audio input.

42
You should all check out www.digitec.ch

They have AMAZING prices and good service. You can pickup or they ship to your home/office address. My brother used them over 10 times for various items and they are EXTREMELY reliable!

Alternatively, the best option for electronics (if you know what you want exactly) is Mediamarkt. Don't go there for information (as half the people have no idea what they are selling) but if you know what you want exactly, find it, and you will most probably get a decent price. Check their weekly specials in most newspapers (a supplement) in order to see if they have your item on sale!

Ciao

43
The prices at digitec are usually excellent, however I have had mixed quality on their delivery service. In fact, thinking about it more carefully, I've actually had consistently bad quality on their delivery service - four out of four deliveries were delayed by over one week (against their stated time when the order was placed).

However you can pick the goods up in store, which is what I'll be doing if I used them again. Can't fault them on price or selection, I just no longer trust their delivery process.

44
I cant let that sweeping statement go, I went to Mediamarkt here in Fribourg to get info on LCD and Plasma Tv's and the sales chap was brilliant, it was a busy Saturday afternoon and he spent 1⁄2 hour with me explaining everything, comparing TV's hooking up stuff side by side, explaining pros and cons of each technology etc. I have to say I learnt more in that 1⁄2 hour than I had pouring over stuff on the internet. OK I'm not saying everyone will be like him but there are some good guys at mediamarkt as well as no doubt some not so clued up up, but don't be put off about going for advise in these shops.

Nick

45
Can someone tell me the pro's & cons for HDDVD & BlueRay and how they differ...in very simple terms. My current HDMI DVD player will upscale to 1080, and I have a 37" LCD tv, so would I notice any any measurable performance if I change.

Thanks in advance

46
I reckon it's luck of the draw there. At the one in Sihlcity in ZH I've experienced both ends of the scale, from one clued up tech guy discussing different data storage options, to a chump trying to sell me some satellite gear who came across like it was some kind of miracle he remembered the way into work in the morning....

47
Some TV's have a 'computer' input.

You can also go from HDMI to DVI (digital vidoe from Mac or PC). The issue here is finding a resolution that displays well on the TV. TV's have a Native resolution i.e. the exact number of pixels it has on the screen. They can display other resolutions but have to convert and adapt to display the picture.

The gap between LCD's in price quality etc.. have shrunk dramatically.

LCD's -

Tend to use less power

Lighter

Have less of an issue with Glare

Things to look for:

resolution - HD Ready 720p, Full HD 1080p (need 42inch or bigger to benefit)

refresh rate - the smaller the better, especially for sport or action (5ms ish)

contrast ratio - decieving due to how they measure this

Inputs - No of HDMI, Scarts, S-Video, Audio, PC

frequency - 100Hz, 120Hz, 240Hz

frame rate - 24p is native film format.

Do some googling, there are tons of articles. Also checkout AVS forum.

For prices, checkout toppreise, Interdiscount, Fust, stegpc

48
Yes.... HDDVD is now basically dead. It lost the format war which Blu Ray won.

Basically blu ray gives a sharper picture than dvd. Your upscale player tries to approximate the same resolution, and a good one does indeed improve the picture quality, but there is a bit difference between upscaled dvd and a nice blu ray transfer.

49
Indeed, while an upscaled DVD gives a nicer picture, it misses the detail present in a blu ray.

50
Thanks for the info' guys. Again this might sound stupid, but will a blu ray player play ordinary DVD's. Also people talk about PS3's etc, so if I change should I go for one of those rather than a straight player and why?

51
It'll play DVDs too. A ps3 is actually quite a decent choice. I don't know now, but when they came out they were the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market.

It's also a nifty media centre, I use it to stream music, photos and downloaded shows from the Mac to the living room.

Plus, you get a games console.

52
Someone should tell Amazon.co.uk that They have a sale of HDDVD's now !!!!

But yes HDDVD died this summer. Toshiba, the main backer is now trying to push upscaling technologies etc...

Upscaling will never be as good as having HD content, but depends what you want.

HDMI - High definition Multi-media interface (basically the Digital version of Scart but far better). i.e. transfers audio and vidoe signal from a source (HD Player) to your TV. There is also some intelligence/control/hanshaking data-exchange possibilities.