# Recommend me a TV please **Now complete 25/01**



## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

I'm looking to buy a plasma TV (will consider LCD too) which must have the following specifications:

Screen size greater than 42" but less than 50"
HD capable
Wall mountable
Also looks good when switched off

I'll spend up to Â£3k, or more if it's really worth it.
Can anyone recommend a tele for me?

Here's one I've been looking at for starters

Cheers,
Rogue


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

That model gets the What HiFi Best 40"+ Flatscreen TV 2005 award so could be the end of your search!

The next one up is the 50" at Â£4k, which poses the question, an extra 8 inches worth a grand, even if you can fit it in?


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## alexasTT (Jan 19, 2005)

thats the one i'd go for its a great screen


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

I have a Hitatchi screen. Â£2k, 42", HD - undoubtedly one of the bargain buys.

Rated VERY highly by all the mags.


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

i have the 435xde the previous series and i love it.

The 6 series seems to be the plasma of choice at the moment if you look through the threads on this site

http://www.avforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=82


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## BAMTT (Feb 22, 2004)

Saw this on an Avforums banner, although it looks like you already have the best choice, Mind you, you could always buy a new amp with change


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

BAMTT said:


> Saw this on an Avforums banner, although it looks like you already have the best choice, Mind you, you could always buy a new amp with change


this is a good choice but it's only a panel, not a tv as such, you have to add either a freeview, sky or cable box. Also, I think have to add extra connection boards for inputs like scart, component etc and as said you will need an av amp also


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

The Pioneer one does seem to have great reviews, and they are also offering a "reward" if bought before 31st January (See here for details

I'm going to go to the local Comet after work to see it "in the flesh" and decide whether it's big enough, and whether I like it or not.
You can save Â£300 by ordering it online from Comet too.

It does seem mainly to be between Panasonic and Pioneer.
All my other AV kit is Sony, but I haven't read any recommendations about Sony plasmas.

Rogue


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## g-boy (Jun 3, 2005)

save yourself another Â£150: http://ws1.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=PION-PDP436FDE


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

g-boy said:


> save yourself another Â£150: http://ws1.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=PION-PDP436FDE


for the extra I would stick with the xde, 2 hdmi sockets, digital tuner and better pc connectivity if i recall (IMHO)


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## alexasTT (Jan 19, 2005)

make sure you get it from a pioneer approved dealer you get a 2 year warranty from them.


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

alexasTT said:


> make sure you get it from a pioneer approved dealer you get a 2 year warranty from them.


Good tip! 8)

Rogue


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## BAMTT (Feb 22, 2004)

Ikon66 said:


> BAMTT said:
> 
> 
> > Saw this on an Avforums banner, although it looks like you already have the best choice, Mind you, you could always buy a new amp with change
> ...


Talking myself into it :lol: as i have all of the above


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

I'd go with the Panny myself but if you can warrant the extra cash for an Inch i would go for the NEW 43" Pioneer 
PDP436SXE http://www.av-sales.co.uk/Pioneer-PDP-436SXE-33-16.htm


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Thanks for all the info folks, but I've decided to go with the 50" Pioneer PDP506XDETA.
It cost a bit more, but I just thought the 43" would look too small and I wouldn't be happy with it.
Bought it from Comet (in the shop) and asked them to match their own web price, which they will do tomorrow when I take my receipt back, plus give me another Â£30 off, so saved about Â£500, although the wall bracket cost me Â£200.

Getting it delivered on Monday too! 8)

Details here

Rogue


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

Very very nice! 8)


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

thejepster said:


> Very very nice! 8)


Cheers.
I'll post pics up when it's all done and dusted.
Going to be a pain to wall mount it, as it's plasterboard walls, but I've got a joiner coming out to give me advice and do some work on Monday.

Rogue


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## damo (May 7, 2002)

Rogue said:


> Thanks for all the info folks, but I've decided to go with the 50" Pioneer PDP506XDETA.
> It cost a bit more, but I just thought the 43" would look too small and I wouldn't be happy with it.
> Bought it from Comet (in the shop) and asked them to match their own web price, which they will do tomorrow when I take my receipt back, plus give me another Â£30 off, so saved about Â£500, although the wall bracket cost me Â£200.
> 
> ...


I got one of these just before Xmas (from Currys online though - they had a deal with cashback paying with an Egg credit card). The screen is absolutely fantastic, you have made a very wise choice.

Mine came with speakers and stand that I didn't need - got Â£230 for them on ebay.

Turn down the contrast from 40 to 20 for the first 200hrs use to avoid image retention. Also avoid watching the same channel (if it has a logo) for hours at a time - certainly again for the first 200 hours - some of the Pios on AV Forums have ben reported to get image retention/burn.

There's a way you can check how many hours the set has done by going into the service menu - I'll post it later whan I get home.


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

Since the BBC has the World Cup rights but no HDTV platform, they've started negotiations with Sky to broadcast it... on the tele you've just got yourself, that would be a great way to relax with a few beers!


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

damo said:


> I got one of these just before Xmas (from Currys online though - they had a deal with cashback paying with an Egg credit card). The screen is absolutely fantastic, you have made a very wise choice.
> 
> Mine came with speakers and stand that I didn't need - got Â£230 for them on ebay.
> 
> ...


Hi mate.

I read about the image retention yesterday on AV forums, which is a good thing cause I'd never heard of it before.
Does the picture still look ok with the contrast down?
And also, did you mount yours on the wall?

Glad to hear I've made a good choice, as it's a big investment, but we watch lots of tele and films in our house when we're relaxing, so it's definately worth the extra dosh.

@TheJepster

I was more thinking of Xbox with the HD output mod 8)

Rogue


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## p1tse (Sep 20, 2004)

would you guys buy HDTV when getting new TV's when spending over Â£1k?


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

p1tse said:


> would you guys buy HDTV when getting new TV's when spending over Â£1k?


HDTV is still in it's infancy here in the UK, sky will be transmitting HD content soon, but you wil l need a new box and prolly extra subscription, then there will only be a few channels initially.

HD players such as blue-ray should start appearing from the spring time, course as already stated XBOX 360 the PS3 output HD.

HD will be the future but as you know early adopters always pay a premium price.

1K will not get you HD ready at the moment though


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Ikon66 said:


> p1tse said:
> 
> 
> > would you guys buy HDTV when getting new TV's when spending over Â£1k?
> ...


Yes it will.


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## p1tse (Sep 20, 2004)

cool,
but i meant if you were paying a Â£1k plus TV, say a plasma for Â£1.5k would you buy that or pay the extra Â£300-500 for HDTV, for say Â£1.8k?


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

jampott said:


> Ikon66 said:
> 
> 
> > p1tse said:
> ...


no large plasmas are, spose there are some smaller lcd's you could get, unless you would like to further enlighten?


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Ikon66 said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > Ikon66 said:
> ...


Perhaps nothing 42" or above, but there are plenty of HD screens around and below the 32" level, some WELL under a grand that will provide HD with the correct input.

Your "1k will not get you..." comment was a little ambiguous. Some people don't have the room for a 42" screen, and for those people size isn't everything.


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Ikon66 said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > Ikon66 said:
> ...


Perhaps nothing 42" or above, but there are plenty of HD screens around and below the 32" level, some WELL under a grand that will provide HD with the correct input.

Your "1k will not get you..." comment was a little ambiguous. Some people don't have the room for a 42" screen, and for those people size isn't everything.


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

If I had to buy now, I don't think I'd spend over a grand on a new tv without it being HD ready. You can still get the benefit of the better picture through dvd's and games consoles, and the launch of HDTV broadcasts are due later this year. It would be a shame to spend Â£1.5k on a big tele, only to find for an extra Â£300 you could get so much more out of it for longer... and whilst Ikon is right about there being no big screen plasma tv's available for less than a grand, as Jampott says, there are plenty of good, smaller, LCD's that are HD Ready.

I would, with all things being equal for me, wait for 12-18 months or so before I buy, as I believe the price is due to drop significantly what with the increase in manufacturing capacity and the maturity of the chip sets. But if you have to get a new tv, I'd definitely make sure it's HD ready.


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## spain (May 28, 2005)

correct me if im wrong but i have read that LCD isnt freat unless youre looking directly at it and that new plasmas have a much better life and quality than LCDÂ´s.

there is a 32" LCD HD ready over here on sale for 799 euros, was considering it as I dont have a bid place anyway.

trouble is never heard of make - SKY or something, but I dont think its SKy as in the TV programs so not sure.


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

spain said:


> trouble is never heard of make - SKY or something, but I dont think its SKy as in the TV programs so not sure.


sky is a satallite provider


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

I made sure my TV was HD ready.
I didn't want to spend all that dosh for it to be obsolete in a couple of years.
It also has two HDMI inputs, as opposed to the usual one.

Rogue


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## Ventura (Sep 7, 2005)

Great choice. I bought the 436XDE a couple of weeks before christmas and it's an amazing piece of kit.

The XBox 360 looks great on it and there is nothing better than switching off all the lights and playing a decent DVD with the sound turned up loud!


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Ikon66 said:


> spain said:
> 
> 
> > trouble is never heard of make - SKY or something, but I dont think its SKy as in the TV programs so not sure.
> ...


Sky do make a Plasma well re badge it, Think its eiteher LG or goodmans but could be wrong :? 
From what I've read they're not that good.

I would rather have a good Non HD ready screen with decent inputs than a poor HD ready screen :wink:


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## Hilly10 (Feb 4, 2004)

I have just brought Panasonic 42" HD plasma with Panasonic 880 home cinema it is awesome


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## damo (May 7, 2002)

Rogue said:


> damo said:
> 
> 
> > I got one of these just before Xmas (from Currys online though - they had a deal with cashback paying with an Egg credit card). The screen is absolutely fantastic, you have made a very wise choice.
> ...


It looks fine with the contrast down, and the first 200 hrs flies by. Here's how to check the number of hours:

set in standby
hold INFO for 3secs
then LEFT
UP
LEFT 
RIGHT
then POWER
Be quick with your fingers as you only have about 2-3secs to do each!

Mine is on the wall, or rather in it. I had a new stud wall built and mounted the main body of the screen in the wall. It's fastened to vertical batons, with a fake wall covering the rear.


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Cheers for the tip, Damo. 8)

Rogue


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

damo said:


> Rogue said:
> 
> 
> > damo said:
> ...


Be carefull not to alter any settings in the service menu unless you know what you are doing


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Well, it arrived yesterday afternoon, and it looks absolutely stunning.
It's going to be a problem mounting it to the wall, as the wall consists of a layer of plasterboard, a layer of toughened cardboard, another layer of plasterboard, a layer of foam insulation, and then finally the concrete block (which makes up the garage wall).
This means cutting out a hole in the wall, and securing batons to the concrete, then securing the wall bracket to the batons.
I've got a joiner coming this morning to help me, and I'll try to take pictures of the install, as well as (hopefully) the completed installation, and post them here.

Rogue


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

OK, so I'm halfway there in installing the TV.

First job was to do an "exploratory op" to the wall that I need to fit the bracket to, so the joiner had a heads up of what to expect.
The findings weren't good news.......










Basically, there was 5 inches of plasterboard, core and insulation to go through before I got to the concrete block that makes up the garage wall.
The concrete block is six inches thick.
A building engineer the joiner spoke to said this is uncommon in modern builds, but we knew our house was built to a high standard so it's nice to see the proof  
This is all the stuff the joiner had to cut out to get to the concrete.










My wall now has a new hole in it.......










Next up, he fitted two batons horizontally to the concrete block, using 6" bolts.
Next, he fitted another two thicker vertical batons to the horizontal ones, to form the frame that I can fit the wall bracket to.










He left just enough space for the new bit of plasterboard he cut to fit flush onto the new batons, meaning I won't get any drafts coming through the wall 

I've tacked the plasterboard in temporarily.










So, now I'm waiting for part 2 tomorrow night, when my Sky engineer mate is coming out to help me wire everything up, and drill holes through to the garage to run all the cables.

Here's all the stuff that was delivered with the TV (tv stand, speakers and media box).










And here's a pic of the new TV next to the old (32") one.
The old one looks like a portable now, and the new one doesn't even have it's speakers attached yet. 










Excuse the quality of the pics (camera phone, and re-sized), I'll take pics of the final part tomorrow with my digi-cam.
Also, excuse the decor.
We just moved in 4 months ago, and the house hasn't been decorated since it was built 9 years ago (magnolia walls and bowling green carpet throughout).
That's next on the list to tackle, but the TV was my priority 

Rogue


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

Well, that's it all done now.
Now I'm just praying I don't get up tomorrow morning to find the TV in bits on the floor 

Just need to get a cabinet to hide all the AV equipment in, and wire up my surround speakers.

The TV is awesome.
Picture and quality are superb, and it just looks gorgeous in glossy black.










Rogue


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## mike_bailey (May 7, 2002)

That wall might need a lick of paint though 

Congrats and well done, not sure this would get very high on the Bailey family priority list anymore but I'd love to have this in a spare room with some plush cinema seats (I saw a site that makes them specifically for the home cinema buff last week). There'd never be any need to leave the home again


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## thejepster (Mar 29, 2005)

ooohhh.... niiiiice..... looks good fella! non wonder you're chuffed to bits with it!


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## g-boy (Jun 3, 2005)

Rogue said:


> Well, that's it all done now.
> Now I'm just praying I don't get up tomorrow morning to find the TV in bits on the floor
> 
> Just need to get a cabinet to hide all the AV equipment in, and wire up my surround speakers.
> ...


add it to your home insurance asap. the insurers will need the model and serial numbers. i did with mine. thought of it shattered on the floor was causing me too much grief!


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Looks lovely, but any reason its mounted so high up the wall?


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

jampott said:


> Looks lovely, but any reason its mounted so high up the wall?


To keep inquisitive nieces and nephews away 

It's actually not as high as it seems, it's difficult to tell from the picture.
When you're sat down watching it, it's perfect.
Also, we're having a boxed in ledge built along the bottom of the wall, which will house all the 5.1 cabling, with the front 3 speakers sat on top, and this will make the tele look more "in the middle", height wise.
There's method to my madness :wink:

Rogue


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Rogue said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > Looks lovely, but any reason its mounted so high up the wall?
> ...


OK 

Having said that, my task this week is to relocate the 22" LCD panel I currently have on a cantilever wallmount in the corner of my bedroom, to a tilting wallmount practically at ceiling level  Decided it would look better there. Virtually the entire wall facing the headboard is made up of "doors" (the main entrance to the room, plus a pair of fitted doors to a built in wardrobe) and the room is too short to put the TV on a stand in front of them, so it has to be wallmounted. I did cram it into a corner on a cantilever, but decided there's enough space ABOVE the doors to mount it there... so I'm going to be almost the KING of mounting a telly "high up" 

I kept my plasma on its own stand, though - partly because I didn't want to lose the remote swivel base functionality (!) and partly because I wanted a nice stand for all my AV stuff anyway, so perching the TV on top of that looked fine. Also, the wall I would have wanted to mount on is just a stud partition - no brick behind it, its just a barrier between my lounge and study - so I don't think it would have taken proper wall mounting without some additional strenghtening...

On the plus side, I can swivel my screen to match the viewing angle wherever I'm sitting in the room (sofas are place in a right angle "L Shape") which is pretty cool


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Very neat...I'm off shopping while "she's" at work :lol:

Still undecided if plasma or LCD is the way to go ??

Dave


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> Very neat...I'm off shopping while "she's" at work :lol:
> 
> Still undecided if plasma or LCD is the way to go ??
> 
> Dave


If size is important, PLASMA ALL THE WAY


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

@Dave,

I was an ardent LCD fan until about 6 months ago but, as Jampott says, if you want something 42" or bigger then for the money you're better off getting a plasma.
You have to be careful and let it "settle in" for 200 hours or so of viewing, meaning turning the contrast down from 40 to 20, trying not to watch channels with permanent logos in the corners (the zoom display mode helps erradicate this) etc.

@Jampott,

I've got a similar problem to you with a telly in the bedroom.
I was thinking about fixing a motorised bracket to the ceiling, so that the TV flips down to view, and flips up to lie parallel to the ceiling when not in use.
I've not looked into it in detail yet though, so haven't looked out any suppliers/prices.

Rogue


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

40-42" probably. F-in-L recently bought a Sony Bravia LCD, now it's been connected up with decent cables etc the picture is very, very nice. Tempting.

Though the Pioneer plasma has got some excellent reviews.

Dave


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## Jac-in-a-Box (Nov 9, 2002)

Thanks for adding to my "indecissiveness" Rogue :wink:

Going to have a look 

Dave


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Rogue said:


> @Dave,
> 
> I was an ardent LCD fan until about 6 months ago but, as Jampott says, if you want something 42" or bigger then for the money you're better off getting a plasma.
> You have to be careful and let it "settle in" for 200 hours or so of viewing, meaning turning the contrast down from 40 to 20, trying not to watch channels with permanent logos in the corners (the zoom display mode helps erradicate this) etc.
> ...


Can't be bothered motorising it 

Despite it being a new house, its built with almost Victorian proportions, so the gap above my door(s) is more than tall enough to permanently mount the panel without it fouling anything. I can take both aerial and power cables into the fitted wardrobe, and bring them back through behind the panel to get them hidden out of the way, so it should be relatively neat...

Might get around to it tonight.


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

jampott said:


> Might get around to it tonight.


Pics please! 

Rogue


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## Ikon66 (Sep 12, 2003)

I've got my LCD TV on a shelf inside my fitted wardrobes, I know it takes up some space but it's very neat, have the doors open when watching in bed and all hidden when not needed


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Ikon66 said:


> I've got my LCD TV on a shelf inside my fitted wardrobes, I know it takes up some space but it's very neat, have the doors open when watching in bed and all hidden when not needed


I couldn't be bothered opening and closing doors, any more than I could be bothered having it motorised...

Besides, the dogs would keep closing the doors as the walked past (mine aren't sliding doors, but normal interior doors that open into the room)

I picked up a dirt cheap standard tilt bracket yesterday that fits up to 23" panels. (Â£9.97 it cost me!) so apart from having to fill a couple of holes if I don't like it, its really not costing anything to try...

If I get it up (ooer) later, I'll take you a pic


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## jonah (Aug 17, 2002)

Jac-in-a-Box said:


> 40-42" probably. F-in-L recently bought a Sony Bravia LCD, now it's been connected up with decent cables etc the picture is very, very nice. Tempting.
> 
> Though the Pioneer plasma has got some excellent reviews.
> 
> Dave


Have alook at the Pannasonic screens Dave


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

jonah said:


> Jac-in-a-Box said:
> 
> 
> > 40-42" probably. F-in-L recently bought a Sony Bravia LCD, now it's been connected up with decent cables etc the picture is very, very nice. Tempting.
> ...


Or, for sub Â£2k, the Hitatch 42" 7200 screen. Its a cracker.


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Jesus H Christ.

I shouldn't have attempted this on my own...

I struggled with it, nearly dropped it a few times, left it hanging by basically nothing while I repositioned myself&#8230;

You're supposed to attach the whole thing to the wall, THEN attach it to the telly with 4 screws which (obviously) point away from the wall. Absolutely impossible to hold the telly in position while you do that, and no room to work in even if you could. I tried that. With 1 person holding the telly, I'm sure its possible... 

Then I tried to attach half of the stand to the telly, and the other half to the wall, then join the 2 with the pivot bar - but the TV is too wide for 1 person to do that, and its impossible to hold in the right place. Again, I'm sure this is possible with 2 people... 

So I took the whole thing off the wall, attached it to the telly and then tried to screw it directly into the wall - but of course the telly fouls getting a screwdriver to the back plate. It ended up with about 3 turns of one screw into the wall, holding it in place, and I couldn't get it further on or off, and was exhausted!

Eventually managed to get it off, reposition again, and hang it from 2 screws which I was then able to get tight. Then I did the others. Took about 2 hours to complete, in the end, by which time I'd pretty much done a full workout.

At one stage I thought I was going to have to leave it hanging from 1 screw all weekend!

For the money, the bracket seems fine - just a major fiddle for 1 person to do themselves.










Very happy with the end result, though. Sound is better (coming from the centre of the wall) and its easier to see from the bed. Looks better than being crammed in (was 3/4 of the way up the right-hand wall as you look at that photo, on a cantilever bracket) - next step might be to hook it into a bedroom 5.1 system and hang some speakers too  :lol:

Oh, and I have to neaten the cabling. I made a temporary 10m aerial cable just to get a picture so I could try it out - but I'll make a hole behind the telly and pull the cables through from behind (its a wardrobe).


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

jampott said:


> Jesus H Christ.
> 
> I shouldn't have attempted this on my own...
> 
> ...


It's a bit high, isn't it?  
Nah, seriously, looks good mate.
Having those cupboards behind it will make the whole "cable tidying" bit a lot easier.
What kind/size of tv is it, as it looks like a nice bit of kit?

Rogue


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Its a Sharp Aquos 22". Its a pretty good screen for the money, although the prices of larger (26" screens) has now come down - but I might have had problems mounting one of those in the room. Luckily there isn't much wasted "height" with this model, just additional width for the speakers.

Having the wardrobe behind will make it dead easy. I'm just in 2 minds whether to do a "proper" job (run an aerial cable directly from the aerial amp in the loft, which distributes my Sky+ around to all the other rooms) or whether to be a little bit more lazy and simply run the cable from within the bedroom. The socket is fed by the amp anyway and saves a trip into the loft, and drilling holes through the ceiling (in the wardrobe...)

Power is dead easy to tidy - no real choices there.

The other dangling wire is the TV Eye used to change the Sky+ channel (box is downstairs) remotely.


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## Rogue (Jun 15, 2003)

jampott said:


> Its a Sharp Aquos 22". Its a pretty good screen for the money, although the prices of larger (26" screens) has now come down - but I might have had problems mounting one of those in the room. Luckily there isn't much wasted "height" with this model, just additional width for the speakers.
> 
> Having the wardrobe behind will make it dead easy. I'm just in 2 minds whether to do a "proper" job (run an aerial cable directly from the aerial amp in the loft, which distributes my Sky+ around to all the other rooms) or whether to be a little bit more lazy and simply run the cable from within the bedroom. The socket is fed by the amp anyway and saves a trip into the loft, and drilling holes through the ceiling (in the wardrobe...)
> 
> ...


If it were me, I'd take the time to do it properly.
I know if I didn't it would annoy me when I was lying watching TV in bed.

I've read good things about the Aquos screens.

Rogue


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