@ ian - I think you hit the nail on the head here. For most people 'good enough' is all they're after and budget sets fit the bill. They watch the programmes rather than study the picture.
And those that do splash out on a decent 'brand' rarely know what they are watching. Before I bought my TV I was at a friend's house with a newish 40" Sony TV and he thought he was watching HD when he wasn't, presenters were a lovely glowing orange color and the brightness was at retina burning levels. And he loved it.
@basicasic - Haha! Those last two sentences are priceless! Sums up consumer mentality. My neighbour got a cheapo LCD panel TV with a TN panel, and the thing is unwatchable unless you're sitting straight on. Blacks are grey, and the thing looks as high-tech and visually appealing as a plastic milk bottle. LCD TV tech may be affordable, but at what cost?
Modern CRT TVs were simple to set up, problems only came when we switched to widescreen broadcasting and half the population were sometimes watching stretched images without even knowing/caring about it. Now we've added HD and different HDMI standards etc. into the mix, and sudddenly people need their techie friend to point out how badly set up their TV is. Oh dear...
"but I sometimes wonder if TR reviewers are too much more demanding than the average consumer".Qte Ian.
Thank God they are ! precisely the reason for reading reviews at sites like TR, there were issues that related to the usability of this TV and the not inconsiderable matter that for ten quid or so, the consumer/viewer can find much better value, I really could not give a toss what the Tesco purchaser does, as long as he doesn't write the reviews or ask Panasonic to market groceries.
I am absolutely baffled why anyone reads this sites' content, then quieries why a writer reviews a product in a thorough manner, a bit like boarding a bus and then asking the driver to go somewhere different to the advertised route.
There are no doubt many circumstances where a cheapie of something is usful as a bridge until what we want becomes available, nothing wrong with something to tide one over but the point here is that for ten quid more you can get something that is far better.
"the traditional budget brands are really struggling to be necessary any more".
Always agreed with this. Any kind of cheap product should be avoided. This doesn't mean that expensive ones are always good, usually they are crap too.
I have seen many cases like yours too, basicasic. No cure.
@basicasic: Yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean. It's that kind of voluntary self-inflicted torture through... a lack of knowledge that we're trying to eliminate at TR.
@GherkinG: Indeed. Good old CRT, RIP. Our lives were easier, but our eyes and backs sorer, and our consoles looked so much worse than high-res PC games. I think the gain's been worth the pain, though it does leave many people at a loss.
@Frank: Couldn't have said it better myself, mate.
Hi I am looking at buying a 26 lcd for around £250-£300 for use with my XBOX 360, I read your article and I'm now stuck between this and the toshiba, one question I have regarding both is that alot of xbox 360 games require a television that requires 60hz picture frequency support, I was hoping you could tell me if either or both of those do or don't, thankyou
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