LCD TV Buying Guide

LCD TV Buying guide :

1) Figure out what you want, this is a whole separate process !

2) Draw up your shortlist. (Here is my LCD TV shortlist)

3) Rule some out, talk to friends and family, get it down to 3 or 4 TVs

4) Use Kelkoo to search for the model(s) you want. Compare the total price including delivery and check that the item is in stock. If not clarify how long you will have to wait.

5) Consider some of the hidden extras, cables, wall-mount, extended warranty all come to mind.

6) Check for cashback at the site you have gone for.
It's such a big purchase that it will be worth seeking out some cashback.
e.g. at the time of writing they have 2% at comet, 3% at sony style, 2.5% at currys and many more.

7) Go for it ! !

Shortlist of the best LCD TVs around

This is my current shortlist of LCD TVs.
Feel free to use the comments section to let me know which LCD TV should go for or what I may have missed !

1)Toshiba 40XF-355D

2)Sony KDL-40W3000

3)Panasonic TX-37LZD70

LCD TV purchase, what to consider

Here are some of the things to think about when you are choosing one of those beautiful new flat screen LCD TVs



1) What will you use it for?
Start to think about cables and inputs. Is there enough inputs for your digibox, PS3, PC etc ?

2) Screen size
Don't get a screen that is too big for the room. For a screen over 32" you need to be at least 2 metres away.

3) Where will the TV be in your room?
Here you need to consider the viewing angle, also this is where its better to go to a real shop, make sure the image remains watchable when viewed from off-centre

See also : Handy guide to HDTV

LCD TV buying guide

Spotted this LCD TV buying guide at Kelkoo.

Some good explanations, will have to go through it soon. Hope it is all up to date. TV technology is moving so fast at the moment !

Video Review of Sony KDL40W3000

Found a video review online for one of the LCD TVs I am thinking of buying.

The Sony KDL40W3000 :


It's pretty old and seems to be from a preview show when the model was first released.

Panasonic TX-37LZD70

Option 3) Panasonic TX37LZD70

• Pros Detailed, bright picture. Low levels of background noise and digital smearing
• Cons Panasonic’s same-sized, cheaper plasma offers notably better black insight

Panasonic is one of the very few manufacturers still making both LCDs and plasmas – Sony, for example, has long since hitched its star to LCD. Its reasoning is simple: LCD suits smaller screens best, while for anything big, plasma is where it’s at.

But the new TX-37LZD70 blurs that boundary in no uncertain terms. It’s the largest LCD TV Panasonic has made to date, putting it firmly into territory the company previously reserved exclusively for plasma panels. Not only that, but it’s pitched head-to-head with a same-sized plasma rival from within the Panasonic camp, the TH-37PX70.

So what gives? Simple answer: market forces. Pressure to adopt 1920x1080 Full HD resolution has driven Panasonic to introduce a new range of Full HD sets. The PZ-series plasmas are priced to sit slightly above its HD-Ready PX-series 42in and 50in panels. The LZD-series LCD does same ‘bigger brother’ job for its 37in plasma sibling, but Panasonic has made the switch to LCD simply because packing all those pixels into a 37in plasma screen was just too difficult.

Mediocre looks
So, now you know the history – what about the set itself? It’s an elegant enough design, if not as sultry as the best LCDs from Samsung or Sony. The chassis seems wider than is ideal, with a bit too much frame around the screen.

It’s well-enough equipped for the cash though. Aside from the high resolution, you get a Freeview tuner, an SD card reader and a PC input, plus Panasonic’s well-developed Viera Link system network bus. The only downside is that there are only two HDMIs, which seems mean in the modern market.

Set-up is a doddle. This being a Panasonic, it starts to auto-install the minute you pop in an aerial, and the process takes mere minutes. The remote, while no beauty, is also superbly laid out.

Cinematic pictures
And the image quality? Largely fabulous. Panasonic has clearly made strenuous efforts to endow its largest LCD screen with something of the black depth and contrast feel of its acclaimed plasmas: the LZD70 is notably richer and more involving ‘out of the box’ than, say, a Samsung.

Of course, once you’ve fine-tuned things a little the gap closes a tad, but the Panasonic continues to impress. It’s sharp and natural to look at, even with off-air TV. Motion-handling is swift and assured, and support for 24fps video from HD-DVD or Blu-ray assures a nicely cinematic feel when you’re watching movies.

The downside – and there had to be one – comes when watching night scenes: watch the final third of The Bourne Ultimatum, and you’ll struggle to make out the action. Predictably, Panasonic’s cheaper, lower-resolution plasma alternative looks far better here.

Should that put you off? Not necessarily. We can’t think of any LCD that can go toe-to-toe with a plasma with that sort of material. For almost everything else that you want to watch, including gaming, this is a cracking TV. It also sounds better than the plasma – that wide chassis gives plenty of space for two decent, properly spaced loudspeakers, which ensure a good stereo image and fair bass for a flat TV.

Sony KDL-40W3000

Option 2) Sony KDL-40W3000

• Pros Sharp, bright, colourful pictures. Very impressive contrast for an LCD. Plenty to play with
• Cons Same-priced plasmas offer better blacks. Not cheap

After a slow start in the flat TV business, Sony has caught up in some style: the company is now firmly at the head of the pack, its vast range as comprehensive as it is slightly confusing.

A devoted advocate of LCD technology – once, you could buy Sony plasmas, but no longer – the Japanese giant proffers no less than seven Bravia TV ranges, within which this, the W-series, is almost the top dog, being beaten only by the pricier X-series line-up.

The grey sheep
Dressed in dark grey, rather than the me-too black finish sported by almost every telly on the planet these days, the W3000 is bang-up-to-date on every spec front: it boasts Full HD resolution, three HDMIs (one of which is side-mounted to suit PS3 users) and much more besides.

Most intriguingly, it includes a high-definition-capable TV tuner: should free-to-air HD ever become a nationwide reality (as opposed to the very limited trial service that ran in London last year), this Sony is poised to receive it.

As there’s no likelihood of that happening until after the digital switchover is completed – and even then, there are no guarantees – it’s not necessarily a killer feature, but bravo to Sony for thinking ahead, if nothing else.

As with most Sony products, the KDL-40W3000’s on-screen menus are models of clarity: it’s a breeze to set-up and a delight to use, helped by an oversized remote that, while not especially elegant, is undeniably well laid out.

However, delve deeper into the set-up menus, and you’ll find every manner of adjustment imaginable. This multi-faceted adjustability is one of the Sony’s biggest attractions: it’s either plug-and-play simple or endlessly adjustable, as your needs dictate.

Stunning pictures
And the performance? One word: superb. Okay, let’s try a few more: we’d really, really like one. Even with the pixellated stodge that is Freeview TV, the Sony manages to be spectacularly sharp (which isn’t just a factor of its high resolution), defining edges with a confident vibrancy that eludes almost any rival.

It also punches out the colours – as you’d expect from a company that places a fair bit of emphasis on ‘colour like no other’.

1080p from Blu-ray suits it better, of course, with terrific edge-to-edge colour consistency and a wonderfully three-dimensional feel, although very fast motion can produce some slight lag, even when the set is being fed film-quality 24fps content.

And while we’re nit-picking, a same-priced Pioneer plasma will also give you notably more insight into black areas of the screen – as, in fairness, will a cheaper Panasonic. That’s not enough to mar our enjoyment: consider it more ‘food for thought’.

Toshiba 40XF-355D Reviews

Option 1) Toshiba 40XF-355D,

• Pros Excellent picture performance. Comprehensive spec. Gorgeous styling. Compact dimensions for screen size
• Cons You can get better black depth for this price from a plasma

Toshiba is one of the biggest names in flatscreen television, but its success has mainly been with affordable, smaller-sized screens. To date, most of Tosh’s larger offerings have struggled against the best Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung and Sony can offer, despite being competitive enough in terms of specification and often more aggressively priced.

But with the 40XF355D, things are set to change. This is a TV giant pulling out all the stops in a bid to get noticed –and boy, has it succeeded. This so-called ‘Picture Frame’ set succeeds on every level: it’s technically competitive, its picture performance is excellent, and it looks, as you can quite clearly see, the nuts.

Super-slim set
The 40XF355D has a notably smaller screen surround than a conventional flat TV: it’s just 23mm thick. Aside from making the set far easier on the eye, this approach also means you can buy a bigger screen without taking up any more space in your living room.
Compared directly to a conventional 37in set from Toshiba’s range, the new 40incher is only slightly wider (14mm) and considerably less tall (30mm) – it really is something of a televisual Tardis.

Of course, size isn’t everything: the Toshiba has to have what it takes in the ability department and here the 40XF355D is more than up to the job. A Full HD 1920x1080 screen, support for Deep Colour and 24fps content, three HDMI ins, admirably powerful video processing and a PC input. There’s no card-reader, but superior loudspeakers, courtesy of audio specialists Onkyo, provide considerable compensation.

Superb image quality
Image quality is almost uniformly superb on this set. It works best with Full HD signals from Blu-Ray or HD DVD, or from a console: here, the combination of sharp edge-to-edge definition and considerable brightness helps to deliver an image that’s always involving.

However, the Toshiba copes just as well with off-air TV: the low quality of Freeview broadcasts can sometimes betray it, giving rise to some uncomfortable shimmer in backgrounds, but overall, this is a composed and convincing picture.

It’s also one blessed with decent black levels: like the Panasonic TX-37LZD70, Toshiba seems to have tried to endow this set with a more plasma-like black depth and, largely, it’s succeeded. Only low-light scenes – which are especially demanding of contrast – really trouble it.

The rest? Given that it’s hard to see the speakers at all, they sound rather good, with more weight than we’d expected, and if the usability isn’t quite up there with the best Philips and Sony sets, it’s still very impressive. As, indeed, is this whole package.