Buying a flat screen TV nightmare,anybody bought one recently or know anything about them?

[Prarieflower]

So TV just died which we soooo don't need atm but to make things worse we just realised how shite flat screens are picture qualitywise as compared to our huge 12 year old TV.

Are they really better at home,shops keep telling us they are and is it best to get a smart TV or separates????

TIA(all info gratefully received)!

Displays in shops can be misleading, for some reason they often show low definition or poor quality channels on their TVs. Having said that, some TVs are worse than others so make sure you've seen one displaying a good HD channel well before buying.

You don't need a smart TV, depends what you want if for, but despite being a self confessed geek, I'm quite content with a regular HD LCD TV (no 3D either thanks). You can pick up reasonably decent 40 inch models for a couple of hundred quid. Smart TVs are all about internet, but the only real benefit of these is for steaming movies, etc. but if you have a PS3 or can connect your PC or smart phone to the TV then this can be achieved in other, cheaper ways.

Yes we're thinking no to 3D(makes me feel sick and I worry re the dc's eyes) are we likely to regret it if this one lives another 12 years?Don't mind the odd 3D film at the cinema.

Streaming movies can you not do that via that free Sat box thing?Also recording live TV is that only poss with a Freesat box thing?

TIA

TVs in shops are set up to look good under the shop lighting, not in your home. Read reviews online to find out what real people recommend. We have a Sony KDL-32EX653 which isn't the cheapest but it's got a great picture. We don't use the speakers so I can't tell you what it sounds like. We have Freesat through a hard disk recorder so it will record, pause live TV, series record etc etc. We can also stream on-demand through the Freesat box.