Hey, I was wondering if anyone knew much about TV's.  In particular 26-32" HDTV's suitable for gaming and cost around £300-350.

I've come across these two and think they fit the bill.

Panasonic one

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse/ID69/10199303/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C10199181/c_2/2%7Ccat_10199181%7CTelevisions%7C10199303/r_1/3%7CBrands%7CPanasonic%7C1/r_3/4%7CScreen+Size+(inches)%7C32%7C1/r_5/5%7CPrice%7C300+%3C%3D++%3C%3D+399.99%7C2.htm

Samsung one

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0870443/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C10199181/c_2/2%7Ccat_10199181%7CTelevisions%7C10199303/c_3/3%7Ccat_10199303%7C32+inch+LCD+TVs%7C10199316.htm

Are there any rules of thumb like one brand being better than another? Which of the stats are more important than others? I've been looking at contrast ratio mostly.  Any tech freaks out there with awesome tv's wanna brag?

Typically the higher the contrast ratio the better they are. However, it mainly comes down to seeing for yourself the picture quality, the number of connections on the back and features. Not sure about the brands, although I've just heard from word of mouth that Samsung are pretty good. However you will probably be paying for the name, but it could be that they are just better. Was just looking at the two and they seem to be pretty similar apart from the number of features one has compared to the other. There is also a slight difference in brightness... I would just look down the list and see what you need and if there are any additional features you may get more use out of then the other. Have you been into curries or somewhere to actually look at the TV? You may see them both and decide there and then that one would look far better on your wall than the other  

--Last edited by Benjamin on 2008-10-25 16:59:54 --

Yeah I've had a look around some stores, neither were in there.  Looking at a few reviews online then the Panasonic one probably pips the Samsung one but both sound very good TV's and you're right about both things; Samsung's are good but you're paying a lot more for their name and the style than you maybe normally would.

I'll keep looking : )

we have a samsung one.  i can tell you that it's very good and big and when used with the blu-ray player on the ps3 looks actually worth it's money, right well thats my input there :P

according to mark ours had a ratio of 10,000:1 (he thinks).  that link for the samsung one looks like ours but ours is 40" but end of the day it's your pennies isn't it :P  

--Last edited by Blue Bubbles on 2008-10-26 18:47:49 --

My friends HAD a HD Samsung TV... it blew up a week ago, right before his Dad's Samsung phone blew up... Samsung seems to be a touch blow-uppy.

lol ka boom boom time or what???  i have quite a bit of samsung stuff and so far no blowing up, though i have ended up with the same mobile phone as a bloke i work in the office with which was so not cool but i have a star charm on mine so we know at a glance which belongs to whom.

I went for the Sony KDL 32V4000. Ordered Sunday night and arrived this morning (Tuesday) which is pretty good considering it was free delivery and I had the option for an "express" delivery for £5. What would that be, arrive a day before I'd actually ordered? Now that's express.

Conclusion: great TV and highly recommended for anyone looking for a cheap (£380) HDTV.

go matty and the sexy telly!!!!

From what I've seen these "HD TVs" are pretty crappy...

My neighbors who moved had one but the picture looked all yellow. They are also massively overpriced...

But meh.... I don't even watch TV so....... DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT!

Except Lost, NCIS, and JERICHO (Cancelled)

It's for my 360 and dvd's, don't think I'll have TV hooked up to it for ages

I also feel obliged to say that the picture quality over SD TV's is a massive improvement and the prices are tumbling faster than a fat kid pushed down a steep hill

haha about prcies tumbling! thats brilliant!