Page 1 of Got a Widescreen - what now ?

Im looking at getting the Philips PW6006 widescreen but I need some advice.

Would i be better off paying £200 more and getting a set with Dolby Pro Logic built in, or is it ok to buy an all in one addon to add Dolby Pro Logic in the future ?

How much are you talking for an all in one soulution, and does anyone have any reccomendations ? Are you better off buying seperate amp, speakers ect........ ? Is that a lot more money ?

This will be my first widescreen (finally been sold on them after seeing a friends set) and Im very new to all this home cinema lark.

Will I be at a disadvantage if wish to have a setup that will make good use of my dvd player and tv if the set it only nicam, and upgrade to pro logic in the future ?

It would mean a longer wait if I get an all in one set.

Any help or reccomendations are most appreciated.

I`d personally save the cash and not go the Pro Logic route. With most TV`s you can route the audio out so you can add an external amp. External amps are always better than the ones in the tv.

Save the cash and go for an amp with Dolby Digital and DTS. You can pick up good amps from as little as £300. Or get a complete solution, take a look at the hardware review for the The VideoLogic DigiTheatre DTS, http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/reviews/hardware.asp?Index=2487

Hope this helps!

Anil

I`ve got the PW6515 on order from Littlewoods (high time I updated my kit) but I ordered that over the PW6006 because of the flatter, higher-spec tube and overall higher spec of the telly rather than the Virtual Dolby.

The price hike is only about £100-150. A decent amp set-up would blow around £300 for starters.

I`ve got a set of surround speakers on my Aiwa stereo that are still working well, so I`m hoping to save my pennies for after Xmas and get a Sony amp from Comet - around £225 and it does Digital 5.1 and DTS.

Is Littlewoods the cheapest place you could find? Just looked there at the 32" 6515, and it`s £949. At http://www.unbeatable.co.uk it`s £740 (+ delivery, so let`s say £770). You can buy it without the cabinet if you wish, too, for nearly £100 less. Not trying to be "smart", but perhaps you have got a good deal somewhere from Littlewoods - if so, I`d be interested to hear about it!

Do you know what the difference between the BlackLine S RealFlat tube (on the 6515), and the BlackLine S SuperFlat tube on the 6006?
I have also been looking at getting the 6006, but it seems it is not yet available (according to Unbeatable) - 3-4 weeks - maybe when it is we`ll start seeing some reviews, so I may wait until I see some opinions.
Richard

This item was edited on Sunday, 7th October 2001, 08:23

Well, I`m not getting the 32", I`m getting the 28" (personal preference and budget). Littlewoods are quoting £699.99 with free delivery. I know I could get it cheaper elsewhere, but I also want a five-year extended warranty which L/woods will do for £99 compared with £180-200 for the warranties from Comet or D*xons. Although I buy a lot of stuff online, I`m squeamish about parting with so much money to an online company I don`t know.

I`ve seen a RealFlat compared with a SuperFlat. The first is an FST style tube with a slight curvature where SuperFlat is as advertised - sheet of glass time.

Oh, and with L/woods I can always call them back within 14 days and have them take the set back if I don`t like it.

Update:

Just been to have a look at Unbeatable. B****cks! Double B****cks!! If I`d known about Unbeatable, I`d probably have got it from them. What burns me up is I searched for best prices using Kelkoo, Shopsmart and a couple of other of those useless price guide sites! Now, where`s that Littlewoods phone number?

This item was edited on Monday, 8th October 2001, 21:45

Good luck with Littlewoods! Understand what you say about unknown on line companies. However Unbeatable are a reputable company - many people on this forum have bought from them.
Thanks for the info re difference between 6006 and 6515.

Richard

This item was edited on Monday, 8th October 2001, 21:57

Last thought on Unbeatable:

One of my main concerns is the lifetime of the set. I`ve got a Sony 21" 4:3 that I got from Comet about four years ago. It`s been absolutely perfect and I`ve got that on an ExWarranty that I can cash in for its full value at the end of five years if I don`t call them out to fix the set. Before that I had a Ferguson that went to meet its maker after two years. The set couldn`t be repaired, so I got the aforementioned Sony as a replacement for the cost of the extended warranty (also mentioned above). I wanted a reliable set, so I chose the Philips as the best value option, and the warranty with L/Woods is £99 for five years or £79 for three years.

Unbeatable do the set for £573.49 including delivery and 3yr warranty. It sounds good, but I`m not convinced about their after sales service. I`ve been doing a bit of research on the firm, and in another forum Stiggy has been telling how his Sony kit has been on holiday with Unbeatable and came back with more problems than it went away with. I still feel the Littlewoods deal is better than Comet or Currys. I`ve checked the price of the set around the `net and the £650-£700 price tag seems pretty average. The Unbeatable deal sounds just a little too good to be true, if you know what I mean.

At the end of the day, you`ve got to be happy with your purchase, and so if the Littlewoods deal gives you the security that you want, then that`s best for you!
Enjoy your new telly!
Richard