This question is aimed at the UK audience. Since the UK is about to switch to Digital TV can anyone advise me. I am thinking of 'investing' in an LCD system but am confused as to what I am actually getting. When I buy a regular TV I know I can take it home, plug it in, tune in the channels and that's it. If I buy an LCD TV will I get all the requirements I need in one package or will there be add-ons. Will the LCD provide digital TV for instance? I am a complete amateur at this. Thanks.
hi there blocker37 Sometimes terms are used out of context and it can be confussing so il try my best to explain, Digital TV is a new way of braodcasting the tv signal, at the moment we are using analog TV.Thier moving towards digital tv because the quality of picture and audio is better and they can also transmit other data along with the programs (you may have seen games etc through digital tv). LCD's and plasmas are different types of televisions and have various advantages over crt's (this is what you have at the moment) among te advatages are there is no flicker on the picture and they are brighter, you also dont have a big electron gun at the back of the tv so thats how they are so slim and can be hung on a wall(there are loads of articles if you wana really know the in's and outs). To answer your question you will need a digital reciver to get digital tv, this can be cable or satilite. You'll be able to get digital tv on a LCD screen or plasma but as iv tried to explain thats just the display method and you still need to get the signal - just like your standard tv wont work without the ariel. Hope that helps
Many thanks for that enlightening reply. So, even if I bought an LCD and plugged it into my existing aerial I would still only get the same channels I now get on my CRT, right? And the picture would still be a substandard picture. It's beginning to filter through now, thanks to you Haimback. There are a few more questions I have on LCDs. Do they come with Tuners as standard? Are there different types of Tuners? How do I know what should be included with the LCD?. For instance, I have been looking at prices online and the price looks pretty good and then I see Options like scart cables and all kinds of other options and I wonder where it stops. Surely an LCD should come with evrything required to make it work. Thanks again.
Hi, i know the problem you are facing, as many face it around the UK and the world everyday. Two many times the wrong terms are used for the wrong things. Let me just make a few points to help you. Firslty, moving to an LCD TV, most likely it will be less than 32" in size, will mean an improved picture. An LCD television works in Pixels, rather than in lines, such as a standard CRT would. TO get the greatest benefit from an LCD/Plasma TV you need to be aware of what the signal you are receiving will be. A standard signal is interlaced (click on the highlighted words to find out about them), whereas a Progressive Scanning image would give you a better quality picture. So, if you merely plug your LCD TV into the existing anologue arial, then although the picture will be better, you could acheive better still.... Note that although many LCD's come with inbuilt tuners, Plasma TV's dont tend to, so these need to be purchased seperately. Most of these will provide some sort of upscaling/Progressive Scan image. My advice, go to your local RicherSounds dealer, not only will they have the best prices, their employees will know what they are talking about, the same cannot be said for Dixons, Currys, etc... Chris
