Digital Switchover - New TV needed!

[ladylottie]

Digital switchover will come to my area at the end of March. At the moment I am struggling along with on old TV (DVD combi).

This means that I will soon be buying a new lcd flatscreen TV - screen size 23" to 26" maximum (I think they all come with freeview built in, is that right?).

I would like it to have an integrated DVD player as well. Price up to £250 at the very most. Don't want much do I?

And please remember that I am not very good with electrical equipment

So - can any of you grapes recommend a good one for me to have a look at please?

[Madasafish]

I bought an Argos digital Freeview box - new - but branded on ebay for £100.
Worked perfectly.

[ladylottie]

I bought an Argos digital Freeview box - new - but branded on ebay for £100.
Worked perfectly.

Thanks for info, I'm sure it would work, but I've rather set my heart on a flat screen one - because the one I've got is only about a 13" screen and it's old, unpredictable and clumpy. I think it's seen better days to be honest!!

[snuffer]

Oh I'm dreading the switchover here. Our TV is so old it's steam driven. We don't bother watching enough to make it worth investing in a new one until it's absolutely necessary.

I have no idea when it comes to new fangled technology. I'm fed up with gadgets that are suposed to be easy to set up and use that come with instruction books the size of 'War and Peace'. The one that really gets me is 'The Simple User Interface' which is usually a single button / knob that performs every function detailed in the instruction manual. Trouble is the function it performs is never the one I want it to be performing.

[Capsid]

This appears to be a common misconception, you don't need to buy a new TV for the digital switchover. All you need is a Freeview decoder and maybe a new aerial.

[ladylottie]

Oh I'm dreading the switchover here. Our TV is so old it's steam driven. We don't bother watching enough to make it worth investing in a new one until it's absolutely necessary.

I have no idea when it comes to new fangled technology. I'm fed up with gadgets that are suposed to be easy to set up and use that come with instruction books the size of 'War and Peace'. The one that really gets me is 'The Simple User Interface' which is usually a single button / knob that performs every function detailed in the instruction manual. Trouble is the function it performs is never the one I want it to be performing.

I will be hanging on to my old Telly until the very last minute. I don't watch much tv either - nature programmes, a nice period drama, that sort of thing. Nowadays because my telly is so old and the picture so rubbish, I tend to watch things I'm really interested in on the computer or on the Iplayer.

So I do need a new tv, but it will have to be easy to set up! That simple single button never performs what I want it to do either!

[Capsid]

I recommend Panasonic or Pioneer but perhaps outside your price bracket?

How about this?

Buy Toshiba 19DV665DB LCD HD Ready Digital Television/DVD Combi, 19 Inch, Black online at JohnLewis.com

ETA: you should also think about having to buy a new aerial. If the signal strength is sub optimal then the picture breaks up.

[ladylottie]

Thanks Capsid, I'll have a look at those.

A friend has told me about a Technika 24" (with freeview and a DVD player) at a cost of £229.97 (saving £50) from Tesco's.

Would this be ok do you think?

[smallblueplanet]

I'd not recommend a piece of technology that does more than one thing - if it goes wrong then they've all broken. I'd just look for a lcd tv & a freeview box (price starts from £20).

[Capsid]

Thanks Capsid, I'll have a look at those.

A friend has told me about a Technika 24" (with freeview and a DVD player) at a cost of £229.97 (saving £50) from Tesco's.

Would this be ok do you think?

I reckon Toshiba have a better reputation as a manufacturer. The Toshiba I linked to also had Freeview and a DVD player and was 22" in size for just £20 more.

[ladylottie]

I reckon Toshiba have a better reputation as a manufacturer. The Toshiba I linked to also had Freeview and a DVD player and was 22" in size for just £20 more.

Thanks again Mark - I really like the look of this Toshiba. Checked it out via a google search and it seems to have good write ups and it does everything I want it to do. Found it for £249.99 as you say. This could be the one!

[lynda66]

Aria PC - Computer Hardware, Components, Monitors.. at lowest prices do some good ones .... my son got a 24" technika pc monitor/ tv with dvd player and freeview ... for £200 no problems whatsoever they also do ones not for use as a monitor cheaper...

and no issues at all with the quality and its shiny black and really nice looking..... they are in manchester, always answer any queries or will get someone who can ... very knowledgeable and wont try hard sell with you .... and they deliver all over the country very quickly .......... i have bought all my pc stuff from there for over 10 years and the first pc i bought from there still works .... and if anything goes wrong they are really good too ...... i should be on commision lol ... anyway they're great x

[selfraising]

not very hi tech. Will the switchover affect my portable tv upstairs?

[lynda66]

not very hi tech. Will the switchover affect my portable tv upstairs?

it will if it doesn't have digital to it, ie a freeview box .... without one you wont get any channels at all cos theyll be switched off .... if it works with a freeview box now it should work exactly the same .... even though some people have spent fortunes replacing stuff they didn't really need replacing, just cos their box needed resetting.

[selfraising]

ooops that could be a problem then, only got digital downstairs on main tv