Do I want Freeview when I have MySkyHD?

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austriaco

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#26485 24-Sep-2008 09:32

I am a slow researcher so I'm still in the market for a new TV and finally I am down to either the Sony W series or the Panasonic PY800 series.

Anyway, I was thinking about how important it is to have a Freeview decoder in your TV when I plan to get MySkyHD anyway? Aren't the only two channels I am missing out 1 & 2 (which I hardly ever watch anyway).

So why would I need Freeview if I get MySkyHD? Please help this noob out.

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#166723 24-Sep-2008 12:45

Depends as to whether you want to watch TVNZ 1 & 2 in HD or TVNZ 6 , 7 in SD. Non of these will be on Sky HD in the forseaable future.. The only FTA channel on Sky HD is CH3

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Jaxson

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#166733 24-Sep-2008 13:12

Yeah to confirm, you will have TV1 and TV2 on sky, just not in HD.
Only channels on freeview but not on Sky at all are TVNZ6 and TVNZ7.
Also Stratos/Que are on freeview satellite only, not on freeview uhf or sky.

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#166734 24-Sep-2008 13:17

Noel Leemings is advertising for Pre-order the Panasonic 42" 850 (built in freeview). Selling from next week. This would give you the Freeview channela in HD with no seperate box - but you are paying about a $1,000 premium of the similar 800 set for the privilege.

But also depends on whether you were looking at the Sony W series with built in freeview.

For Me personally it's the only way I'll buy a tv so I don't need the extra box - even if and when TelstraClear goes HD (since I don;t have sky), I'll still use the TV for FreeviewHD.

But each to their own....And i wont tell you how to run your life...the cost of a TV + FreeviewHD box at the moment is cheaper than a TV with built in HD....but that should correct later on.

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turb

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#166736 24-Sep-2008 13:21

Yes, if you get the right TV...
The consensus on Geekzone seems to be that Sony and Panasonic do the best TVs. Some people say Sony is better, some say Panasonic but its pretty close.Samsung always come out quite inexpensive but I think there have been some reliabilty issues on Consumer.org. If you get the Sony you are getting FreeviewHD anyway, nothing else to buy, no other box, no other cables.I don't know if there's much of a price difference between the two tellys but I can tell you that the olympics via the built-in FreeviewHD on my Sony V 32 inch looked orgasmic...OK, not literally but pretty close!..Also if you've got the Freeview you can always ditch Sky later if they get too expensive. I've got the new Sky HDi - it's nice but it's lots of money for what you get. Built in FreeviewHD + a DVD player/recorder comes a pretty close second I reckon...I know I keep saying this (sorry) but you may not even need to spend money on a new aerial with the Freeview. Depending on where you live an old VHF one might be okay.

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#166737 24-Sep-2008 13:23

There's a bug on this site..
When you put a word in italics, it stays in italics for the rest of the post.....strange!

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Jaxson

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#166738 24-Sep-2008 13:27

Remember sky is primarily not an alternative to freeview and vice versa.
Sky makes you pay to watch anything, and they are the only place you can get any major sporting event live.

Freeview shows free to air channels, and on the UHF freeview version, some programs can be shown in HD if the program is supplied in HD.

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Jaxson

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#166739 24-Sep-2008 13:27

Sure there's a bug, you just got all excited from the word orgasmic onwards!

sbiddle

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#166740 24-Sep-2008 13:33

turb: Yes, if you get the right TV...
The consensus on Geekzone seems to be that Sony and Panasonic do the best TVs. Some people say Sony is better, some say Panasonic but its pretty close.

IMHO I wouldn't go near a Sony LCD - infact I wouldn't go near a LCD in the sub $5k price range. If you want a quality TV buy a Panasonic Plasma. It'll chew through power and keep you nice and warm in winter with all the heat it generates but if you want a decent picture you can't go past one.

austriaco

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#166751 24-Sep-2008 14:43

So many good replies -> Thank you!

I think I will go with a Panasonic TH50PY800 (although I could get the Sony KDL46W4000 at such a good price) and don't worry about Freeview as I hardly ever watch TV1 & TV2 anyway.

And if I ever get sick of MySky I can always buy one of those soon to be launched Panasonic Recorders with built-in decoder (that's what someone told me during lunch).

BazNZ

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#166771 24-Sep-2008 15:54

I bought the Panasonic 50" Plasma PY800 and I'm rapt with it. Produces a great picture! I'm glad I didn't get an LCD. You won't be disappointed.

Jaxson

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#166785 24-Sep-2008 16:40

I think the plasmas give a better picture, I have one and it's a heater but I only usually watch it at night anyway so I guess that's ok. Energy efficiency vs picture quality/vibrancy.... A TV sitting in a corner unplugged is very energy efficient but has huge response time delay etc!.. Each to their own though, if you like it go for it is what it should always come down to.

Remember TV1 and TV2 ARE on sky, so you're not going to be without it. Also 90%+ of the time the channels are in SD anyway, so mostly you'll notice very little change.

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#166793 24-Sep-2008 16:58

I reckon you should go with the sony integrated tuner for future proofing. I think people need to start thinking about freeview more as an analogue replacement - which it is, and so a digital tuner provides future proofing.

I disagree with sbiddle, theres nothing wrong with LCD's in general, especially Sony. Yes each have their advantages but thats a debate for the plasma vs lcd thread. Im not saying LCD is better, just ruling them out completely is a bit extreme.

austriaco

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#166804 24-Sep-2008 17:21

I am as confused as before

. I should perhaps go back to the stores for some more product testing.

Because the best quotes I have so far are

Panasonic TH50PY800 (without tuner) for $3699 or the
Sony KDL46W4000 (with tuner) for $2999 (through a friend)

So I'm off to the shops and may the brand with the best TV picture quality win.

PDAMan

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#166808 24-Sep-2008 17:33

Given that you will probably keep your new TV for 5 years or so, you should imho get the most up to date features you can to avoid disappointment.

I wasn't aware that the TVNZ channels would not be availble in HD on Sky, so that's a good motivation for a number of reasons. Given the great job they did with the Olympics, expect them to do more cool things when other sporting events come up like the Commonwealth Games. They are bound to leave some of the best features only for Freeview customers.

Think about the future of multiple view choices for the same program or the additional detail you can get.

HD should also mean that you can go back to the future with things like picture in a picture without sacrificing quality.

I bought an HD TV last year. When my wife lets me, I want a MySky HD and then if I want Freeview HD as well I will end up with yet another box (that I have to pay extra for) under my TV to go with the VCR/DVD Recorder, Sky Decoder and the Sub. I'm ok, but my wife finds it hard enough to cope with 4 remotes now and would struggle with a universal remote.

Resale value is no longer an issue because they are getting so cheap.

Don't forget though that you need the pixels. A lot of manufacturers are misleading when what they mean is that the TV can accept an HD signal, but it may not have the pixels for you to notice the difference. Cheap TV's are cheap because they don't have the image quality.

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davidcole

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#166903 24-Sep-2008 21:27

austriaco: I am as confused as before . I should perhaps go back to the stores for some more product testing.

Because the best quotes I have so far are

Panasonic TH50PY800 (without tuner) for $3699 or the
Sony KDL46W4000 (with tuner) for $2999 (through a friend)

So I'm off to the shops and may the brand with the best TV picture quality win.

Remember there is also the Panasonic TH-50PZ850-50" Full High Definition Freeview HD Integrated Flatscreen and next week the 42" version.

Sony are not the only ones now that do an IDTV

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