Freesat TVs

Freesat-enabled TVs are the new kids on the block but what actually is a Freesat TV and is it worth the extra price tag?  There may only be a handful of these chaps out at the moment but it won’t be long before word gets out that there’s money to be saved.

Freesat TVs have a built-in satellite tuner which offer satellite TV without subscription and includes high definition channels as well. So for anyone not too keen on joining the masses of Sky subscribers and parting with a monthly subscription fee, a television with a built-in Freesat Tuner is the answer.

Picking up channels for free will however require a satellite dish. Once installed, it’s a great way to receive digital television via satellite without the need of a separate receiver. HDTVs with Freesat built-in not only do away with the tuner box and cables, but also bring the true brilliance of high definition into your home.

By 2012 the digital switch over will be complete and a new method to convert from analogue to digital TV will be needed. Platforms to consider will be Freeview, Cable, and Broadband and of course Satellite (Freesat).

TVs with Freesat
There is a wider choice of channels with Freesat and until Freeview HD launches in 2010 is the only way to receive free-to-air HD in the UK. This is one of the reasons Freesat TVs are proving so popular.

At the moment Freesat gives you access to around 140 TV and radio channels these include all the BBC channels on Freeview (BBC1, BBC2, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC and Cbeebies). ITV 1- 4, Channel 4, More 4, Film 4 and E4. There is something for everyone, movies, sports and children’s programmes.

Panasonic and LG were first out of the traps with their impressive collection of LCD and Plasma TVs with Freesat, plus a promise of more for 2010. Sony has now joined the fray and upped the ante with two newly launched glossy HD models with integrated HD Freesat tuners: the Bravia W5810 and Z5800 series. No doubt LED TVs with Freesat will be available in the future. M & S currently have the Sony KDL-32W5810 with Built-in FreeSat and a Free DVD player on offer.

Here is a list of popular Freesat HD TVs Models currently available to buy

Sony BRAVIA Freesat LCD TVs

W5810 Series

• KDL-32W5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 32 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-37W5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 37 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-40W5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 40 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-46W5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 46 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-52W5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 52 inch LCD with Built-in freesat

V5810 Series

• KDL-32V5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 32 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-37V5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 37 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-40V5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 40 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-46V5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 46 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-52V5810 HD 1080p Digital TV 52 inch LCD with Built-in freesat

Z5800 Series

• KDL-40Z5800 HD 1080p Digital TV 40 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-46Z5800 HD 1080p Digital TV 46 inch LCD with Built-in freesat
• KDL-52Z5800 HD 1080p Digital TV 52 inch LCD with Built-in freesat

Panasonic Freesat LCD TVs

G10 Series LCD TV

• Viera TX-L32G10B LCD HD 1080p Digital TV, 32 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-L37G10B LCD HD 1080p Digital TV, 37 inch with Built-in freesat

V10 Series LCD TV

• Viera TX-L32V10B LCD HD 1080p Digital TV, 32 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-L37V10B LCD HD 1080p Digital TV, 37 inch with Built-in freesat

G15 Series LCD TV

• Viera TX-L37G15 LCD HD 1080p Digital TV, 37 inch with Built-in freesat

Panasonic Freesat Plasma TVs

G15 Series Plasma TV

• Viera TX-P42G15B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 42 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-P46G15B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 46 inch with Built-in freesat

G10 Series Plasma TVs

• Viera TX-P42G10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 42 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-P46G10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 46 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-P50G10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 50 inch with Built-in freesat

V10 Series Plasma TV

• Viera TX-P42V10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 42 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-P50V10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 50 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-P58V10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 58 inch with Built-in freesat
• Viera TX-P65V10B Plasma HD 1080p Digital TV, 65 inch with Built-in freesat

600Hz Z1 Series

• Viera TX-P46Z1 NeoPDP Plasma Full HD TV, 46 Wireless HD with Freesat
• Viera TX-P54Z1 NeoPDP Plasma Full HD TV, 54 Wireless HD with Freesat

LG Freesat TVs

LF7700 Series

• LG 32LF7700 32 inch HD Ready 1080p LCD TV with HD Freesat
• LG 37LF7700 37 inch HD Ready 1080p LCD TV with HD Freesat
• LG 42LF7700 42 inch HD Ready 1080p LCD TV with HD Freesat
• LG 47LF7700 47 inch HD Ready 1080p LCD TV with HD Freesat

latest IDTVs (Integrated Digital TVs) include a seven day electronic programme guide (EPG) that can be set with programme reminders, a favourite’s list option, and interactive TV and digital text. Up to 70 hours a week of amazing HD content can be enjoyed along with stunning surround sound.

TV Suppliers offering Free Delivery

Shop around and you can save even more money when buying an LCD, Plasma or LED TV if free delivery is being offered. On finding the right widescreen TV to suit your budget take a moment to check out whether this includes any extra costs.

The cheapest price for your new TV may not include delivery charges until you get to the checkout process. Some stores offer free delivery on all their TVs while other suppliers base the delivery charge on the products purchased.

For example a flat panel over 40 inch may have a charge of around £30 or £50 so its worth searching through stores that offer a free delivery service and see how competitive their prices are before deciding to buy.

At AJ Electronics they offer totally free delivery to most UK addresses so the price you see is the price you pay.

Here are a few selected TV stockists offering free delivery:

1stAudio Visual: offer free delivery (3-5 days) plus a choice of other options at a charge.

• AJ Electronics
• Amazon
• BeDirect
• Bennetts
• Dixons
• Comet (free basic delivery 5 to 10 days) or £19.95 for 1 to 7 day delivery service
• Currys
• Electrical 123
• Electric Shop
• John Lewis: offer free delivery usually within 7 working days + Express Delivery: 19.50
• The Flat TV Company

These are only a few offering free delivery on televisions but there are more. The best advice is to look at the price for your budget and then consider whether it is still a cheap TV after carriage is added on.

Same Day Delivery on TVs

Some stores offer other types of delivery options at an additional charge. So if you can’t wait for that new TV to arrive you may prefer to pay the extra.

A number of stockists offer Next Day Delivery, Next Day Delivery before 12, and Saturday Delivery plus at Amazon they are offering Same Day Delivery and Evening Delivery on TVs.

Please note that delivery information and charges may change from time to time.

Best 19″ Bedroom or Kitchen LCD TV

Whether its for a bedroom or kitchen the 19 inch is the most popular size for people looking for a small TV and all of the major brands have LCD models in this size. A 19 inch LCD can cost between £150 and £300 with some models also including a DVD player.

Recently Channel Five’s Gadget show  did a review of 19 LCD TVs with the Sharp LC19SH7E coming out top of the 3 they reviewed with good picture quality, decent sound and rich colours. The Sharp was also the cheaper of the 3 making it overall their favourite bedroom TV.

The two other LCDs in the test where the Panasonic TX-L19X10B 19-inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV with Freeview available in either black (TX-L19X10B) or white (TX-L19X10BW) and the Sony KDL-19L4000 19. The LC19SH7E is available for under £200 at a few online stores including Amazon.

Meanwhile the Panasonic TX-L19X10 is widely available at quite a number of outlets and slightly cheaper than the price quoted on the TV show TX-L19X10 Prices. The Sony KDL-19L4000 is also available KDL-19L4000 Compare Prices

Other models to look out for are:

• Samsung LE19B450C4 19 inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV with Freeview,
• Toshiba 19AV615DB 19-inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV with Freeview – Black
• LG 19LH2000 19-inch Widescreen HD Ready LCD TV with Freeview – Black

Most of the above have similar specifications with a HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and 1 HDMI connector although the sony has a a higher 1680 x 1050 resolution and 2 HDMI inputs.

TVs that can access the Internet

Internet Televisions
Web enabled TVs are the latest trend to hit the market and have the ability to retrieve and display web content on the TV screen.

It’s early days yet and you are limited to what you can access from specific channels for news, sport, and local weather and feeds from Flickr and YouTube. These are bound to be popular with fans of latest high tech breakthroughs or anyone interested in catching up on their emails from the sofa.

It can be misleading at first and you may think you can use your TV like you would on a normal computer browser but they are not all quite there yet.

It’s a great idea to be able to surf the net from the comfort of your sofa without having to switch the PC on and it won’t be too long before fully fledged web enabled TVs offer the full works.

In the mean time you’ll be able to access news channels and entertainment websites such as YouTube and photo-sharing sites like Picasa plus Yahoo! News, Yahoo! weather, Yahoo! Finance and Flickr.

The Internet TVs that are slowly emerging on the scene although rather limited in their web use gives an indication of how future multimedia televisions will be made. It is only a matter of time before the TV and computer become as one and manufacturers are getting ready to unveil their latest offerings.

Web Viewing Technology

You already have the big guns releasing their version of web enabled TVs. Manufacturers have their names for the Internet features and accessing web content including:

• Samsung – Internet@TV system
• Sony – Applicast,
• Panasonic – Vieracast.
• Philips – Net TV system

No doubt LG and Toshiba will have web enabled TVs available in the UK in the future.

It looks like things will be hotting up as manufacturers race for top spot in producing the best web TV experience.

Here is a taster of some:

Philips Web Enabled Internet TV

Philips have their Net TV system enabling you to connect to the web via an Ethernet cable or wirelessly to the World Wide Web. New models featuring Net TV include Philips series 8000 (connection via Ethernet cable) and 9000 plus their cinemascope TV Cinema 21:9 (both Wi-Fi enabled) due for release in early 2009.

Cinema21:9

• 56 in Full HD 1080p LCD 56PFL9954H

9000 series

• 37 in 1080p LCD 37PFL9604H
• 42 in LCD 42PFL9664H

8000 series

• 32 in LCD 32PFL8404H
• 42 in LCD 42PFL8404H
• 47 in LCD 47PFL8404H

The online web service is accessed via the remote control; it is more advanced and user friendly compared to teletext. Internet TV will appeal to many who like sharing online video content and web content with others; viewing will be better on a larger screen rather than gathered around a PC.

Manufacturers have teamed up with their various service providers: Philips is linked with YouTube, eBay, MeteoGroup (Europe’s largest private weather company), Funspot (an online gaming company), MyAlbum (a photo sharing website) and NetLog (an online social networking site).

Panasonic Web enabled Internet TV

Panasonic has partnered with Google’s Picasa, the free downloadable photo editing software and photo-sharing website. A dedicated button on the remote brings up a variety of on-screen widgets.

Panasonics gizmo for accessing the web is called Viera Cast and with the touch of a button you access YouTube^TM, Eurosport^TM and Google’s Picasa Web Albums^TM directly from your compatible VIERA TV. Models that can access the internet via Ethernet connections include:

• Panasonic TX-L37G15 37 in Full HD LCD TV
• Panasonic TX-L32V10 32 in Full HD LCD TV
• Panasonic TX-L37V10 37 in Full HD LCD TV

Sony Web enabled Internet TV

Sony’s web gadget is called Applicast and enables you to interact with a range of internet based applications on Bravia TVs. The picture frame widget is one of the five that you can add once connected to the internet. This allows you to download images from the Sony picture gallery or from your own photo collection to display on the full screen.

As well as giving you internet-on- TV functionality Sony boasts its 2009 LCD line-up of Bravia TVs is its “greenest ever,” These include TVs from the following series: WE5, W5500, E5300, E5500 and V5500

Models with Applicast include:

W Series 32 inch KDL- 32W5500 37 inch KDL- 37W5500 40 inch KDL- 40W5500 46 inch KDL- 46W5500 52 inch KDL- 52W5500 32 inch KDL-32W5710 37 inch KDL-37W5710 40 inch KDL-40W5710 46 inch KDL-46W5710	WE Series 40 inch KDL-40WE5W 46 inch KDL-40WE5W
E Series 22 inch KDL-22E5300 22 inch KDL-22E5310 32 inch KDL-32E5520 40 inch KDL-40E5520 32 inch KDL-32E5510 32 inch KDL-32E5500 40 inch KDL-40E5500	V Series 32 inch KDL-32V5500 37 inch KDL-37V5500 40 inch KDL-40V5500 46 inch KDL-46V5500 52 inch KDL-52V5500

Samsung Web enabled Internet TV

The Samsung Internet@TV Content Service is available on the latest 8000 and 7000 series TVs, which offer both wired and wireless Ethernet connection options. Samsung has teamed up with Yahoo! to bring a selection of widget-based internet options to the TV and you will also be able to build a collection of new widgets offered by any of the content providers.

Current widgets, which will sit in a scrollbar along the bottom of the TV’s screen, include access to on-screen content from Yahoo!, Flickr and YouTube. This is a free service but further widgets are offered at a fee. You can access the content using the simple user interface and enjoy a selection of videos, photos, information, shopping etc.

Internet@TV Content Service is available on a range of Samsung LCD and Plasma TVs including:

Samsung Series 7

• 32 inch UE32B7020, UE32B7000
• 40 inch UE40B7020, UE40B7000
• 46 inch UE46B7020, UE46B7000
• 55 inch UE55B7020, UE55B7000

Samsung Series 8

• 40 inch UE40B8000
• 46 inch UE46B8000

New LED Televisions

LED Flat screen TVs
In the past the first decision when buying a new flat screen TV was usually the choice between a Plasma screen and an LCD – well times are changing.

Plasma screens where recognised for availability of larger screen sizes, display of deeper blacks, rich colour and the handling of fast moving scenes.

LCD panels where seen as lighter making them better for wall mounting and suffered less screen burn-in. However, recent technological advancements is changing things. You can now buy slim plasmas for wall mounting and LCD televisions with 100Hz or 200Hz technology that are great at handling fast moving action scenes.

2009 also sees most of the top brand manufacturers unleashing TVs with internet functionality, LED (Light Emitting Diode) and OLED technology. On the one hand selecting a flat screen TV is not that simple any more but getting it right opens up a whole new world of home entertainment features like never before.

Manufacturers may not be quite ready to take the world by storm with full web enabled internet access but the arrival of LED TVs is sure to. Samsung is the world’s largest television producer and is a key driving force behind LED technology although others are not far behind.

LED Technology

You will be seeing adverts of Samsung’s Next Generation LED TVs boasting all the benefits and improvements that LED backlighting brings. Sharp, Philips, Samsung, LG, and Sony have launched their own LED televisions offering ultra slim panels, greater contrast levels and environmentally friendly models.

The main difference between the LCD and LED televisions is the backlighting system used to create the picture on the screen. Ordinary fluorescent backlights on a LCD (CCFL) illuminate the entire screen from the rear and contrast ratios can suffer when these are dimmed.

The new LED technology is resulting in some incredibly thin flat panel screens with high contrast images. LED panels have multiple LEDs that can be individually adjusted to brighten, dim or turn off depending on what’s being displayed on the screen.

This results in better contrast with the deeper black levels that you would normally associate with plasma screens.

Other benefits from the use of LEDs are improved colour, sharper images and ultra thin panels. LED TVs are also less power hungry making them kinder to the environment.

LED TV Manufacturers

In an ever growing market LCD and Plasma TVs are advancing at such a rate that the future looks exciting and can only get better. Manufacturers like Sony are already producing televisions that are astonishingly thin at just 9.9mm thick thanks to their edge lit LED technology.

Sony LED TV

Sony boasts the worlds slimmest TV as of October 2008 with their ZX1 series. Sony’s Edge LED Technology is used in their super thin 40 inch KDL-40ZX1 model. LEDs are arranged around the side of the screen resulting in these really thin screens.

Sony’s other LED TVs use RGB Dynamic LED backlighting these include the KDL-55X4500 and KDL-46X4500. These TVs use red, green and blue diodes for backlighting rather than the white ones used on the KDL-40ZX1.

Sharp LED TV

Sharp produce 52 inch (LC-52XS1E) and 65 inch (LC-65XS1E) LCD 100Hz TVs that use the RGB LED backlight system. These screens are just 22.8mm thick at their thinnest part although with a price of around £9000 they won’t be in everyone’s shopping basket just yet.

Flat TVs that use RGB (red, green, blue) LEDs are more expensive due the processing system so there is not going to be a great demand at the moment.

Philips LED TV

Other contenders with releases in 2009 are Philips and LG. Both favour white backlighting in their models and the Dutch giant already has an impressive model out the Philips 42PFL9803H featuring LED Lux display. LED back lighting has local dimming with over a 1000 LED’s operated selectively to generate brilliant light in bright areas and dim dark areas of a scene.

Samsung LED TV

Leading the way with an impressive range of LED TVs is Samsung. Samsung produce LED TVs in a range of sizes from 32 inch to 55 inch.

Samsung Series 6

• 32 inch UE32B6000
• 40 inch UE40B6000
• 46 inch UE46B6000

Samsung Series 7

• 32 inch UE32B7020, UE32B7000
• 40 inch UE40B7020, UE40B7000
• 46 inch UE46B7020, UE46B7000
• 55 inch UE55B7020, UE55B7000

Samsung Series 8

• 40 inch UE40B8000
• 46 inch UE46B8000

You can expect more LED releases in 2009 and 2010 with Samsung, Sony and Sharp being joined by Philips, Toshiba and LG in the race for the growing LED TV market.