Just picked up the sony KDL40V4000U from commet, got the last one.

Just need to try and make room for it, :( bit of a size difference compared to the old 28" one its replacing.

I started off convinced i needed an LCD and nearly got the Sony 40v4000. Compared to a plasma though side by side, with a variety of inputs.. i was soon switched to the plasmas. The Sony looked awful compared.

Got myself a Viera 42px80 as an xmas present to myself, after loads of research. I nearly bought one on the 23rd for £599, managed to use a dixons voucher on xmas day to get it for £450!!!

I suspect you would be dissapointed with the LCD .. especially if you still watch "standard definition" tv on it. Don't get brainwashed by the old 1080p is better than a 720p set either! Because it isn't allways the case.

It beats all the 1080p competitors here:
http://whathifi.com/Review/Panasonic-TH-37PX80B/

Iv got it now & am very pleased with it.

It was a bit of a fart on fitting it to the stand

:( Only disappointing thing about it is bloke assured me the TV had a S-video connection so i could connect it too my laptop. :( it doesn't.

Its not so much the fact it doesn't have one that bothers me, its the fact i asked, so if i needed any other cables i could have got them when i was there to save me going out again.

Just need to work out if its SVGA i need or VGA, then buy one.

If your lappy has DVI you can go DVI to HDMI to get a better picture :idea:

What did you prefer, as the Sony is currently top of my shopping list?

:( no laptop doesn't have a DVI connection

Are SVGA cables back compatible ?

For example say if my TV is SVGA & my laptop is only good for VGA will it step down too VGA or not work at all ?

Like USB & USB 2.0 if you get what i mean

How old is that laptop :wonder: Laptops have been SVGA since the early 90's !!! :D

You'll probably find its actually XGA (although I am yet to see it labelled as such on the connector)

But yes it'll work as it they all have to comply with the same common VESA standards for resolutions/signal timing

Can be had again for £450!!

Panasonic TH42PX80B plasma 42" TV @ Dixons + hdmi cable for £459.76 or cheaper delive - HotUKDeals Forum

Thanks ali the laptop is only about 18 months old.

I forgot about this but when i was in comet the bloke tried selling me a power fancy power strip surge protector.

He gave me a demo along with another bloke who was buying a new TV, the other bloke started laughing & said your trying to teach a electrician for the past 40 years about electricity. So i didn't bother with one either.

But are they worth it ?

I just tried and now its out of stock:cry:

For a PC or file server which handles critical data that mustn't be corrupted? Sure. But it would be the first time I've ever heard of one being used on a television.

The cynic in me would suggest that they're not making anything on the TV itself at that price, so they'd like you to buy something with a high markup to go with it.

FWIW I use a surge protector and a UPS on my file server, but nothing on any other equipment - and I've never had anything damaged by a power surge.

Even if it doesn't have the mini-DIN connector you may well find that all you need is a SCART-to-SVHS lead or adapter. Most TVs have at least one SCART socket that will accept an S-video input.

You'll get a much better picture if the TV has a VGA input, though - but you might need to drop the resolution on your PC to match the TV's capabilities - eg. if you normally run 1680x1050 then you might need to drop to 1024x768. Try it and see.

The samsung. Didn't see the extra quality for 20% more money.... If you can hold off a couple of weeks I'll have it hung & cabled up. Today have been mostly chasing walls to hide cables....

I went plasma and never looked back!

Need some advice please! Just has our Sony Bravia delivered and connected it up to the VirginMedia Vbox and DVD player - gone to auto tune and it keeps telling me it's not finding a signal. Have double checked all connections at Vbox end and TV end and all seems correct - just the TV won't find a signal at all.

Any bright ideas please!!!

How is it connected ? SCART ?

Unless you have an aerial lead, auto tune won't find anything. If they are connected direct with SCART, HDMI, S-Video etc, then they will be on one of the direct inputs.

I reckon the salesmen were having a bet to see if they could find anyone gullible enough - never heard of anything like it.

As Andy says, maybe for a PC or server, but I've never heard of one for any other equipment.

Connections are an hdmi and a scart lead from the vbox. No aerial lead from the vbox as it runs on the cable from the wall only. Should I connect an aerial cable as well?

Let me know if you need a hand!

Auto-tune will find all the available DTV and analogue terrestrial signals from an aeriel, your V-Box and DVD player are AV sources which don't require tuning. Just connect them to the desired socket (HDMI-1, 2, Component In, Scart or whatever) and select that input on the TV using the 'AV' button. Often the TV will automatically switch to any AV source when it detects a signal from it, usually as you switch it on.

When i was setting up my sony one of the steps of the auto tune was to select either Aerial or cable

You don't need to tune.

Depending on the remote, it may say AV, or have a square with an arrow through, or just be numbered inputs.

Corradobay/Alistair - spot on answers thanks! Put the playstation on, found that through the menu and from there I can select HDMI/AV1 etc as needed - cheers. It's just that following the instruction manual, it asks you to do the autotune first - doesn't mention looking at the menu for source selection.

:( having a right faff on getting the cable i need

Most places only seem to sell VGA/SVGA extension cables. However the VGA connection the back of my TV is female, so i need a male to male cable.

Play.com (UK) : 15HDPP02 1.8 m 15 Pin HD Male To 15 Pin HD Male SVGA Cable : Electronics - Free Delivery

Not sure if it will be any use to me as my laptop is not HD. :( This AV lark aint half confusing.

I think this sort of thing is what you are after.

That cable is (on play.com - not the Ebay one) is fine. In this case the 'HD' abbreviation stands for High Density, referring to the fact that the VGA connector has 15 pins. (Earlier so-called 'D-type' connectors were the same physical size but only had 9 pins - hence the name).

It's very expensive, though - have a look instead at 2m VGA Cable / SVGA Cable Only 11.00 at TVCables (or just Google for "cheap VGA cables").

Thanks for the help lads

Iv found a few cheeper alternatives to the one from play so will order one soon.

kenable - for cables, networking and peripherals

Also worth a look :thumb:

PM me your address & I'll post you one

Wish id saw that reply a bit earlier.

:( I ordered one from a PC component shop i have used before. It said they had them in stock so i placed my order. They confirmed it & took the money out of my account.

Heard nothing since & my order was stuck on processing. Spent 40 minutes on the phone on hold before finally getting through. Turns out there were out of stock & were due to be getting more in today. You can once again order them online but my order is still stuck on processing so doesnt look like it has been sent.

:( not got much hope of getting it for tomorow when i wanted it for. Really annoys me, they could have comunicated a bit better. If i knew it was out of stock i would have went else were.