Monitor / TV for £200-250?

[sburrell]

Hi,

So I'm hoping to get a refund for the crap Samsung monitor I purchased recently (see the thread FreeSat broadcast quality for the full background), but I still can't really afford more than £200-250.

Requirements: 1 x HDMI plus 1 additional digital input (HDMI or DVI-D); at least 23''.
Not required: speakers; VGA input; audio outputs.

It can have a Freeview tuner but it's not crucial, as I intend to use it with a FreeSat HD box. I'll happily go second-hand if that'll help.

Thanks guys

[Alex_UK]

This any good? http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12992

[ursus262]

~That sounds like a good deal.

Alternatively, you should try another Samsung monitor, as we love ours. Ours is 24in with two HDMIs and 2ms response time. I just think you got a dud, and I recommend you try again with another Samsung.

[Alex_UK]

Actually, there's probably not enough inputs on the one Joe has for sale. (Only one DVI as far as I can see.)

[sburrell]

Hey Alex,

Yeah there's no HDMI either. That and the fact that there isn't a single online review that I can find, coupled with the fact that this model was being sold on clearance for £99 recently in Manchester suggests a non-starter.

Dave: I'm open to another Samsung, but I'd need good supporting reviews before a purchase. Which model do you have?

[ursus262]

Hey Alex,

Yeah there's no HDMI either. That and the fact that there isn't a single online review that I can find, coupled with the fact that this model was being sold on clearance for £99 recently in Manchester suggests a non-starter.

Dave: I'm open to another Samsung, but I'd need good supporting reviews before a purchase. Which model do you have?

I have the BX2450, which is excellent

[sburrell]

Dave: reviews look good - I'll speak to Samsung about a straight swap and see what happens. Thanks.

[sburrell]

Just an update cos it's funny: I decided to just give up and accept a refurb(!) as a replacement for my faulty model. It's due today, sometime. Anyway, I just checked the tracker, and they sent my refurbed model - get this - all the way from Newcastle to Birmingham, so that they could send it to me here in Edinburgh! *cries*
Newcastle to Edinburgh: 104 miles.
Newcastle to Birmingham: 206 miles.
Birmingham to Edinburgh: 291 miles.

And don't get me started on the fact I'm getting a refurb after spending £200 on my first-ever brand-new monitor that was glitchy from day one… Not to mention the £20 in phone calls to their customer service team because they would never call me back when they said they would.

*cries into his porridge*

[sburrell]

André: What happened is that I bought this monitor July 10th, and used it with my Grundig box for a month before becoming convinced it had a fault. By that time it was too late to fall on the seller's 30-day return policy, and I had to pursue the warranty route.

As for "throwing in the bin": lol, I'm poor, just like you, so that ain't going to happen. And as far as I'm aware, the reason why older products last(ed) so much longer is because when they were first manufactured, technology and material sciences hadn't progressed sufficiently that manufacturers were able to foresee, with any kind of certainty, how long a given product would last - so they over-designed it to last as long as possible. These days, of course, the opposite is true - manufacturers can practically guarantee the longevity of certain products to within a matter of weeks. I'm sure we'll all experienced the just-out-of-warranty scenario that plagues modern consumer electronics