nc7r Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 (edited) I was just wondering if anyone would like to give any kind of input as to what they would suggest that me and 6 of my friends do for a TV and such next year, in our apartment for our second year of Uni.We obviously need a TV, Broadband and Sky so we're looking for a good deal that suits our needs, which are:We're looking at either the Sony Bravia KDL40D3500 or at a real stretch Sony KDL 40V3000.We're using it for XBOX, Apple TV and PS3 so 1080p is a requirement really, as are 2 or 3 HDMI inputs. I've seen these in the flesh today and the picture quality is really good plus they're in put budget of £650-700 max.Broadband we're thinking of going with Sky, and getting a 3 mix variety pack. What are peoples experiences with Sky broadband? I have a Netgear router so will probably use that for wireless. It's £10 extra a month to Sky subscription which is £16 a month, which is unlimited downloads and up to 16mb download speeds.Any input or ideas would be helpful! Edited May 20, 2008 by nc7r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bionic Balls Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 jeeez...thats a nice tv...are you sure its worth buying an expensive tv? house may well come with a tv....most tv/broadband packages are min 12 month contract, so make sure you work out how much it'll actually cost, if you plan to leave earlier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Who is going to own this TV? Splitting the cost is a bad idea IMHO - what will happen in 12 months when you move out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 you can get a thomson? 37" lcd hd tv for £420 , i saw it while having a crap the other day looks quite nice.i wouldnt know what any of the specifications meant, i got a bargain on ebay in December which was a hyundai 32" lcd that ive been impressed with, but i imagine your electrical standards are higher than mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc7r Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 The thing is, they're difficult to gauge if they're any good unless you see them in the flesh and showing video. Plus Thompson are a pretty shit brand.We're all putting £100 together to get the TV and are going to sell it after the year and then split the price we sell it for 7 ways again. The place we are moving in to doesn't have a TV, don't you think we'd know if they gave us a free TV when we move in 6 week's time?We've already explored renting and buying second hand and we're much happier buying from brand new, having warranty and then selling it with warranty to maintain value. Plus we know it won't f**k up as we're there for a full year, and all over the summers on our own.We're gonna start the Sky contract as soon as we move in, then have the possibility of paying to buy out a month early but no doubt one or two of us will be staying there until late in the contract anyway, working at our jobs in Sheffield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bionic Balls Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 guess everything moves a bit more slowly up there then! i've only ever seen the places i'm moving into at most 2 weeks before i move in....and things change alot between tenants...anyways...sounds like a plan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc7r Posted May 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 guess everything moves a bit more slowly up there then! i've only ever seen the places i'm moving into at most 2 weeks before i move in....and things change alot between tenants...More like we viewed the place for the next academic year this year early on and put a deposit down to secure a good location and apartment / floor number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 Don't buy Sony. Your paying a premium for the name. Get something like a samsung. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 +1 For Samsungs mate, they are great screens and a good price too.Philips and that are ok for a budget set too, if you guys wanna save pennies.Avoid Thompson like aids, unless of course you like aids... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boswell Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 All plasma screens are made in the same factory in china or somewhere and have different cases put on them! I'd get a cheap one, aslong as it is HD you'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 who told you that, the milkman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deonn h Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 (edited) We have sky broadband , to be honest its terrible the wireless is always cutting off , its pretty slow sometimes fast but just depends when it is. Customer service isnt good eitherended up ringing them up put on hold , they gave us advise that didnt help , then they said they had to sent a new router which took like a week to come.As for tv's i would get the cheapest on in your links ive got the same but 32" in my bedroom amazing quality on hd with xbox, i was also looking at the samsungs but thesound quality was crap. Also look in sainsburys lol , thats where i got mine alot cheaper than i could find it anywhere else by a long way.actually im lieing ive got sony kdl32 u3000 but it looks pretty much the same thing. Edited May 22, 2008 by Deonn h Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 All plasma screens are made in the same factory in china or somewhere and have different cases put on them! I'd get a cheap one, aslong as it is HD you'll be fine. No they aren't.Cheaper Plasma screens are B grade Samsungs, or Samsung rejects if you like.LG also produce a lot of screens for cheaper manufacturers.Sony, Samsung and other more expensive brands all manufacture their own.i was also looking at the samsungs but thesound quality was crap.The majority of Plasma / LCD screens are crap quality sounding, purely because you can't fit decent speakers in such a tiny space. I'd always recommend a stereo / surround kit to be used with one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the666ers Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Look out for the hidden costs is my advice.I'm in a student house and we have sky. It was a big mistake to be honest with you. Quick breakdown of fee's.£125 to get a BT Line installed£150 installation fee for sky£10 per month for BT line rental£35 a month for Sky tv/broadband/phone packageNow.The broadband is shit, poor browsing speeds and nothing like Virgin which I'd argue is the best broadband to get. Tv is shit most of the time, we gernerally watch freeview channels most of the time so the sky package was a waste basically. Worst part is we stupidly tied ourselves into a 12 month contract which finishes after we move out. Cancellation fees for sky and bt = not nice.It may seem like a good idea but speaking from experience we've found sky to be pretty shit. Get a decent broadband supplier (not sky) and d/l everything you could hope to watch, and spend the money saved on a love film account or something.Just my 2cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc7r Posted May 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Thanks for the help so far.I'm going to go to house of frasier and currys etc again to watch some SD contenton them to check they're okay. I'm not sure if 40" might be too big as 1080p on a 40" will look worse than 1080p on a 36/37" TVAlso what do you all reckon to getting the 'set' of speakers that most manufacturers sell with them for £100 ish. I do have some good mission floopstandibg speakers and amp so could get the phono line out from the tv in to those? Opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 When they sell you the speakers to go with the TV, don't do it.For £100 you could get something much better than the "stylish" ones they sell you. They fit with the TV, but sound pants.Go with your amp and speakers, much better option!Size wise it all depends on where you sit - 42" you should be sat around 10 foot away really so it'll still look sharp, 32" I'd say about 6 foot away... SD doesn't really look good on anything over 26" normally, unless you stand back a bit...When I was selling these people would come in the shop, stand with their noses nearly touching the 50" screen and they'd moan that it was not a good picture. So I'd say they were meant to be about 15 foot away, then they'd reply "Well it's bound to look ok from there". Erm, duh, so you just proved yourself wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
br3n Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Possibly not true because it was on the gadget show (shall i shut up now? no.. will carry on, see where it goes... )But, LG pioneered the hole high definition project, they showed some massive box thing which was in actual fact the first high def decoder, LG also make a lot of the screens for others companys although no mention who for obvious puposes.Personally, In your case id go for LG but if it were for myself, id spend more and get outside of the high-street "pimp" tv's and look towards lowe or bang and olufsen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 bang and olufsen.Not sure if they still do, but about two years ago B&O used LG panels too So you were paying for the design and name, getting LG quality :| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Random Fact. Apple monitors are LG's. Even if nick doesn't believe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMack Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 True story. Hence why I bought an LG monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nc7r Posted May 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Lol. I do 'believe' you. I know theyre LG panels, the cinema screens have always been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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