HDTV Hunting in Sweden

[Color me Dan]

I've been hunting for a new TV to replace my old CRT one which is kicking the bucket any moment now i fear. But the funny thing is, there is no freaking way to get good reviews of a TV set in Sweden. And since names change with region for the same product i'm hard pressed to find any reviews or comparisons. Some of you guys must have similer difficulties, please help a guy in need.

I also remember a link on this forum to a article on 720p vs 1080i/p in different TV sizes. I can't find it so if someone remembers it could s/he just post it here real quick? It'd be much appreciated.

 

[Zaphod]

You could try looking for opinions/user reviews or whatnot at a place like http://www.minhembio.com/

 

[Arwin]

I've been hunting for a new TV to replace my old CRT one which is kicking the bucket any moment now i fear. But the funny thing is, there is no freaking way to get good reviews of a TV set in Sweden. And since names change with region for the same product i'm hard pressed to find any reviews or comparisons. Some of you guys must have similer difficulties, please help a guy in need.

They don't necessarily do so though. Mostly the same names are used throughout Europe. And if not, you can often find out what's inside the TV, and then compare it with others.

I can summarise 720-1080 for you quickly:

720p, good for up to 32"/82cm.
1080i - not interesting for a display device these days.
1080p, I would go for it for any TV size larger than 32", if I could afford it.

If you sit 2.5m from your TV in daily live, then 32" is large enough anyway, and I would go for a good 720p.

If you sit more than 3.5m away from your TV, then larger than 32" becomes interesting, but if the increase in distance from the TV is equivalent to the increase in size of your prospective TV, you could still go with a 720p.

1080p sure looks pretty, but it depends on your budget, and you have to make sure you get a TV that also shows a 720p signal very nicely (so a good scaler is important). Also, sometimes the 1080p displays haven't looked as hot as the 720p screens in terms of contrast and color, so that's something to look out for also.

 

[alt_nick]

and pretty much every single 720p panel is 1366 x 768, always causing a bit of scaling.

I've been waiting for a decent TFT HDTV to appear for two years, but there's always some new feature that comes along that'll make you wait for the new model to drop

 

[Zaphod]

I've been waiting for a decent TFT HDTV to appear for two years, but there's always some new feature that comes along that'll make you wait for the new model to drop

I did that too, but solved it by picking up the absolute cheapest 32" I could find (eqiv. $470 + VAT) a year ago. Frankly, its SDTV processing quality is atrocious using normal cable signals, but I hardly ever watch that anyway. OTOH, I can't really fault it (even compared to more expensive sets) using component, VGA, and HDMI inputs. I haven't regretted it, and eventually I'll upgrade to a 'proper' set. Now, a year later, I've seen sets at similar prices on models that are noticeably better than mine and all-round actually quite nice (there's a cheap & competent Tatung around for one, and the cheapest Toshiba 32" can be had for less than €500 + VAT).

IMO, nearly all cheap TVs these days will be fine if inputing progressive HD signals is the primary use (as they tend to do pixel mapping, have lots of settings available in the menu, and scale decently). Signal processing on interlaced SD may be poor, though, but if this isn't an issue, just ask yourself how much you're willing to pay (or how long you're willing to wait) for better blacks.

 

[Arwin]

I settled for a 720p 32" screen myself at the end of December (Samsung N71-series) and I absolutely love it. I knew I would probably want a 1080p screen eventually, but not before its price had gone down to the level of the 720p 32" screen ...

I was going to wait even longer but my wife wanted a flat-panel in our new home rather than the 65cm deep CRT widescreen we had before ... so I caved, and the prices weren't that much down by the time the need for one came (the PS3), so no regrets!

The best thing about the new TV is not just the resolution, but the colors! Just stunning. Love it.

 

[Color me Dan]

I've been eyeing a Sony KDL-32V2500 and i seem to have jumped the gun with my statement, Arwin is right. At least the UK and Sweden has the same names. What troubles me the most is the internals of a LCD, everyone of them have some kind of image processing which is better/worse then the other. Read about the Sony one though and since i've always been a bit partial to Sony and it's gotten great reviews, it might just be worth my money.

I'll be using it in my bedroom untill i move out so i'll be about 2m away, and i read somewhere that 720p and 1080p is almost identical at sizes below 36-40" soooo i think that's it for me. Going to be buying a PS3 when they drop the price over here and i'll be using it for dvds and bd discs and gaming obviously. It's going to bankrupt me for a month or two... i'll bite that bullet when i catch it.

 

[Zaphod]

What troubles me the most is the internals of a LCD, everyone of them have some kind of image processing which is better/worse then the other.

This is true. There used to be (to put it simply) two different camps when it came to flat TV internals: The camp that came from a PC monitor background and those that came from tube TVs. The former used to expose a lot of settings and be good as HTPC displays, while the latter used to have good picture processing but often only supported the official (HD)TV timings on their auxiliary inputs. However, this separation isn't as distinct anymore and it's possible to get both good and cheap sets that do both.

If you're going to use a lot of SDTV (i.e. coax antenna/cable or decoder via SCART), I'd have a look at Sharp. I really like their PQ on 'normal' TV. Bought their cheapest 37" model for my parents this spring and was impressed for the money. I've also seen the LC-32GA8E and that's a very good price for a great TV (might be about to be replaced in the lineup & it's a poor choice for a HTPC). If you're planning on hooking the set up to a PC make sure you get one that supports 1:1 pixel mapping. Also, as mentioned, if you're primarily using HD sources (or a SD decoder that can output progressive over HDMI/Component) the quality image processing in the TV is of much lesser importance (except that you might want the option to turn it off).

 

[Color me Dan]

I'll keep all of this in mind for the next month or so before i buy the TV should something more attractive come up, as you said. I thank all of you for your advice, it's been very helpfull.