Currys HDTV offers
July 13, 2008
Currys are keen to push their high definition TVs at the moment. They have launched a significant press and TV campaign (voiced by Patrick Stewart) and they have some good prices on a large range of TVs. Highlights include:
Samsung PSS0A456 50″ HD Plasma - Was £999.99 Now £799.99
Sharp LC42X20 42″ HD 1080p LCD - Was £949.00 Now £799.00
Philips 42PF5532 42″ HD Plasma - Was £699.99 Now £599.00
Sony KDL40V3000 40″ HD 1080p LCD - Was £799.99 Now £649.95
Samsung LE37A456 37″ HD LCD - Was £699.99 Now £569.00
LG 32LG3000 32″ HD LCD - Was £599.00 Now £399.00
Toshiba 42Z3030DB - 42″ Widescreen 1080P Full HD LCD TV
March 10, 2008
As 42 inch TVs go this one isn’t very big. Actually, let me re-phrase that, of course the screen is 42 inches but what Toshiba have managed to do is wrap that screen within an impressively slim frame which means it actually takes up little more room than an average 37 inch screen. Bit like the Tardis, except it cant travel in time and space…erm and its not actually bigger on the inside.
Philips 42PFL9900
March 9, 2008
Philips have designed a remarkable looking TV in the 42PFL9900, no two ways about it. The first in Philips new range of Aurea TVs, the 42PFL9900 features 2 new innovations, namely the Ambient spectra and the Light Frame. Ambient Spectra? What? Sounds like something from Captain Scarlett, thought I - because I can be a tad random at times.
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Loewe Connect LCD TVs
February 24, 2008
When it comes to making HDTVs Loewe have always lead the way in the style stakes. But now with the release of their Connect Range they are proving that they are more than capable of substance as well. Not only do they TVs boast the obligatory features such as a 1080p Full HD resolution screen but they are also packing an integrated 160GB PVR and Wi-Fi for streaming videos, music and other content from PCs and media boxes. Of course Loewe arent the only manufacturer offering PVR technology in their TVs, but they do seem to be ahead of the game as far as WiFi streaming goes. The Loewe Connect TVs are available in 32in, 37in and 42in sizes and in three colours: high gloss black or white and matt chrome silver.
LCD Screens under 32 inches
February 15, 2008
A lot of attention is paid to the size of modern day LCD TV, with popular consensus being ‘bigger is better’. However, as with most things there can be a pretty decent clamour for the opposite end of the scale too. Especially if you are looking a a second TV to live in your kitchen or bedroom for example. With a little digging there are just as many gems to be had in the 15 to 26 inch range as there are their larger counterparts. Here are a few of the more highly rated: Read more
LG 42LT75 + 160GB Hard Disk
February 2, 2008
The LG 42LT75 is one of the UKs first HD Ready, Digital LCD TVs with a built in 160GB hard drive which will allow you to pause and rewind live TV, just like a Sky+ box - just without the Sky channels. Read more
Samsung LE52F96
October 14, 2007
Samsungs latest offering features an innvoative LED backlight system to replace the standard cathode ray backlight used to date. The thinking behind this is that the TV can intellegently make black areas of the screen even blacker, resulting in an incredible claimed contrast ratio of up to 500,000:1. In addition the screen is Full HD as you’d expect these days and comes with 3 HDMI 1.3 sockets as well as built in speakers, and a freeview receiver. Typically the set will retail at £2,600 if bought from the high street but a bit of digging around online and it can be had for as little £2,300 at time of writing.
Cnet reviews the Samsung LE52F96 and writes:
For high definition material we found the 52F96 to be a solid performer. Motion was smooth and the picture quality was excellent. Upscaled DVDs looked great, too, which is encouraging for people with large movie collections. Freeview picture quality was distinctly lacking. We accept that standard definition doesn’t scale well to 52-inch screens, but we’ve seen decent performance from Samsung’s own 50-inch plasma.
If Freeview is important, you may need to look at the Samsung PS50 or one of Panasonic’s excellent plasma TVs as a strong alternative.
Compare Prices of the Samsung LE52F96
SONY KDL-40W2000
October 6, 2007
When the 40 inch SONY KDL-40W2000 debuted in 2006 it came with a price tag of £2000 and with the bold claim the of being the first LCD screen to rival plasma’s of a similar size. Part of Sonys much lauded Bravia Range, this set was, and still is a true winner. Its been said that if James Bond were to buy an LCD TV he would have bought the KDL-40W2000. Not surprising when you take it out of the box to reveal to cool, compact exterior and very stylish design, you could be forgiven for thinking it has leapt straight form the laboratories of Q branch itself. No need to worry though, its doesn’t come with an ejector seat - although that is possibly the only thing thats missing from this wonderful set. And now, a mere 12 months after launch it comes with an added bonus - affordability. Since the turn of 2007 this particular model has dropped from an already reasonable £1400 to todays prices of roughly £899. Boasting both analogue and Freeview tuners, 1080p HD and twin HDMI inputs, the picture quality is still what makes this TV stand out from the crowd. The analogue picture is clear and stable and the Digital Freeview is even better, but undoubtedly this will be affected by the the strength of signal you can receive. However when moving onto to more stable input sources like upscaled DVDs we see this set truly come into its own and is found to compare very favourably with a similarly priced plasma screen with very impressive contrast and black tones throughout and clearly defined lines and edges. And of course HD input is even better, with the imroved source material leading to amazing on screen clarity that simply drops the jaw. Put simply for this price, you cant really go wrong with this TV. Highly Recommended.
Buy your SONY KDL-40W2000 from Amazon today, or Compare Prices of the SONY KDL-40W2000
SAMSUNG LE40M87BDX
September 23, 2007
Yesterdays post about Samsungs LE40M86BDX (Note the 6) available for a bargaintastic price of £800 has prompted this post today. The LE40M87BDX is essentially the same TV as the LE40M86BDX. The M86 model is exclusive to Currys and Dixons and the difference between the two is purely a cosmetic one - the M87 TVs have a silver strip running along the base of the screen, the M86 does not. So now that we’ve cleared that up, whats the LE40M87BDX actually like? Well as with other Samsung ranges, the first bite is taken with the eye and the nicely curved shiny black bezel is nothing but appealing. But picture performance is where it truly excels; the already impressive FULL HD 1080p screen is enhanced by an adjustable backlight and Samsungs proprietary ‘Super Clear Panel’ which boosts the contrast ratio and significantly improves colour rendering. Samsung have also incorporated something they call ‘Movie Plus’ which uses some technical wizardry to reduce ‘Motion Judder’ and produce a much sharper picture. A lot of the time we find that titles such as these are designed to gloss over a products inadequacies, however this is definitely not the case here. Perhaps what is most notable about the M87 is the impressive black levels produced by the screen, the depth of blacks have been favourably compared to a similarly sized plasma, indicating therefore that the ‘Super Clear Panel’ is much more than a marketing tag line.
Standard Definition performance is more than adequate for an LCD TV of this nature (remember a lot of HD LCD TVs suffer here) and fast moving sources such as sports are inevitably prone to minor motion smearing. High definition sources are as about as good as it gets on an LCD screen. All this and 3 HDMI ports too. Safe to say that Samsung have a cracking TV here and at price that is becoming increasingly more affordable.
Buy the SAMSUNG LE40M87BDX (actually M86) from Currys or Compare prices of the Samsung LE40M87BDX here
Samsung LE32R87BDX
September 17, 2007
There can be no denying when it comes to making an attractive looking TV Set, Samsung need not look up to anyone else. With the LE32R87BDX they have created a TV that looks almost good enough to take home to meet your mum. Curved in all the right places with a glossy black surround, a slim bezel and an appealing price tag it will almost certainly court approving looks from the old dear, and she’ll be positively frothing at the mouth when you tell her about the 3 (count em 1,2,3..) HDMI v1.3 ports it comes with, meaning it is fully future proofed (well for the next 6 months at least…), and you can enjoy all sorts of HD input such as SKY HD, a PS3 and a HD-DVD player without having to constantly unplug one device to plug in another.
The picture quality isn’t too shabby either, although it doesnt support the full 1080p resolution, on a screen of this size that probably doesnt make much difference. Black levels are deep, and colours are vibrant. However, fast moving scenes are prone to a bit of motion blur, which even the integrated Movie Plus system can’t quite deal with. You’ll probably want to invest in a seperate audio system too, since the speakers arent quite meaty enough for a home cinema experience, but all in all the LE32R87BDX can count itself as a solid performer for ordinary TV viewing.
Buy it from Amazon or Compare Prices for Samsung LE32R87BDX here
