BEST HDTV

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nadeem_k

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Hi

I want to get a full hd LCD.
I am a bit confused of what to choose. I am looking at 32 or 40inch with a budget of around 5-6k more or less

I saw the Sony 32EX400, is it good?
I also saw a Sansui LED FHD 32inch for R4400

Then Hifi corp has those "Design" tvs.
Or please suggest any other options....

Does the brand make a difference and is LED alot better?
I play ps3 but I guess tv viewing will be in SD
 
Branded ones are usually better for TV viewing. When it comes to other media sources like PC, PS3 etc., then the differences are a lot smaller, and the non-branded sets do quite well. Honestly though, don't expect a decent SD TV picture on mid range TVs (EX400/Samsung 5 Series).

If SD TV is a priority (and especially sport), then you should get a plasma - Samsung PS42C430 42" for R5699ish at Game/Makro. Plasmas are superior for TV/sport and for the price you will get a better looking TV/sport picture than on some higher end LCDs! Not to mention how amazing HD stuff/Blurays look on plasma - colours are richer than LCD and blacks are deeper.

Some things I am compelled to tell you about plasma though is that it is a HD Ready set and not Full HD - but this won't matter with TV and most PS3 games since they are 720p/HD Ready. In fact, from viewing distance/3m+, the difference between HD and FHD is unnoticeable. Another important point about plasma is that if you have a static image displaying for long periods of time (such as game health bars, Windows Start bar etc.) then plasmas are prone to burn-in. The risk of burn-in is eliminated if you are cautious with your plasma and run the "screen image sweeper" every 1.5 or 2 hours or so. Sucks, but the effort is worth the superior picture quality over LCD. ;)
 
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Thanks for the reply
I have a plasma LG and a samsung LCD
The LG is about 4yrs old HD ready
The samsung is a year old and and full hd

I agree that the plasma looks better for sd, like sports

But the image retention sucks
even like the score at the top left corner

And is LED backlit alot better than normal LCD
 
nadeem_k said:
Thanks for the reply
I have a plasma LG and a samsung LCD
The LG is about 4yrs old HD ready
The samsung is a year old and and full hd

I agree that the plasma looks better for sd, like sports

But the image retention sucks
even like the score at the top left corner

And is LED backlit alot better than normal LCD
Click to expand...

You should be made aware that plasma as a technology has improved a lot since 4 years ago. I'm talking much less image retention, much longer lifespan and much lower power consumption. Quite often there are people on this forum who don't understand this and slate plasma based on their understanding of older generation plasmas.

No LCD/LED-backlit LCD will give you as good a picture quality as your LG. Seems you know this.

LED-backlit is a gimmick and 98% the same as LCD. About the only benefit is thinner panels.

If you really want good TV but don't want plasma, look at the Samsung 6 Series 40" for ±R10,000. I still urge you to check out the Samsung 42" plasma though because of plasma's improvements, as well as that it fits in your budget.

I have no image retention on my Samsung 42" plasma after long games of sport, whole day of golf, etc.
 
Confused ??

Thread title is "BEST HDTV" ... and then you start talking about LCD's :twisted:
 
Well isnt a LCD tv an "HDTV"
Since I am talking about plasmas, normal lcds and led lcds arnt they ALL High definition (HD) Televisions (TVs)
 
... LCD technology has chanced alot too ;)

In fact, my black levels are equal to many plasma and beyond some of the budget ones.

*whistle*
 
nadeem_k said:
Hi

I want to get a full hd LCD.
I am a bit confused of what to choose. I am looking at 32 or 40inch with a budget of around 5-6k more or less

I saw the Sony 32EX400, is it good?
I also saw a Sansui LED FHD 32inch for R4400

Then Hifi corp has those "Design" tvs.
Or please suggest any other options....

Does the brand make a difference and is LED alot better?
I play ps3 but I guess tv viewing will be in SD
Click to expand...

I have a 40ex400 and I am very happy with it. PS3 and Xbox are jaw dropping!

I would stay away from ByDesign and such things, stick with name brands.

PostmanPot said:
Branded ones are usually better for TV viewing. When it comes to other media sources like PC, PS3 etc., then the differences are a lot smaller, and the non-branded sets do quite well. Honestly though, don't expect a decent SD TV picture on mid range TVs (EX400/Samsung 5 Series).

If SD TV is a priority (and especially sport), then you should get a plasma - Samsung PS42C430 42" for R5699ish at Game/Makro. Plasmas are superior for TV/sport and for the price you will get a better looking TV/sport picture than on some higher end LCDs! Not to mention how amazing HD stuff/Blurays look on plasma - colours are richer than LCD and blacks are deeper.

Some things I am compelled to tell you about plasma though is that it is a HD Ready set and not Full HD - but this won't matter with TV and most PS3 games since they are 720p/HD Ready. In fact, from viewing distance/3m+, the difference between HD and FHD is unnoticeable. Another important point about plasma is that if you have a static image displaying for long periods of time (such as game health bars, Windows Start bar etc.) then plasmas are prone to burn-in. The risk of burn-in is eliminated if you are cautious with your plasma and run the "screen image sweeper" every 1.5 or 2 hours or so. Sucks, but the effort is worth the superior picture quality over LCD. ;)
Click to expand...

It depends hey Postman. SD images upscaled by an HDPVR are very good in my opinion.

So it depends on if Nadeem has an HDPVR. If not, then perhaps the plasma is a better option
 
Dolby said:
... LCD technology has chanced alot too ;)

In fact, my black levels are equal to many plasma and beyond some of the budget ones.

*whistle*
Click to expand...

What LCD do you have?
Is the Sony EX400 range beacuse I guess thats an entry level tv
 
nadeem_k said:
What LCD do you have?
Is the Sony EX400 range beacuse I guess thats an entry level tv
Click to expand...

I've got a Samsung B650 ... Postman - tell him how the black levels compare?
 
I dont have a HDPVR but play alot of PS3

And seeing AVAtar in full hd at rage makes wana buy Bluerays

BUt is the SD viewing on the EX400 range or the like crap?

And is Hisense & Sansui a decent enough brand compared to Sony LG and Samsung
 
Here is a review for the 32ex400

Although it is known as the ex403 in the UK, it is the same TV.

I think that SD looks great, but I have an HDPVR.

The bravia engine 3 does upscale pretty well anyway.

Its a very good TV in my opinion, and in the reviewer's opinion as well :)

Hisense and Sansui are not as good as the three you mentioned, but they are far from Being terrible
 
Dolby said:
I've got a Samsung B650 ... Postman - tell him how the black levels compare?
Click to expand...

Couldn't care much for one online review. You'd be in hot water comparing it to a mid-high end FHD plasma under best (dark) viewing conditions.

Compare apples with apples. Not your high end LCD with our mid range plasmas.
 
The best fhd lcd in the range of R4400-R5000 is probably the Samsung 5 series 32", game has a special on these models now and they are going for R4400 if im not mistaken, i own one of these and they are excellent models, picture quality compares well with my higher end led unit, good black levels and excellent sdtv display. Samsung usb media play is also very good if you dont have a dedicated media player, all popular formats are supported from avi to mkv. If you are willing to spend a bit more the later models in the samsung range are your best bet.
 
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I think Full HD is marketing bullcrap. The only current full HD source you'd get is with a Blueray DVD player. And from the majority of reviews I've seen its almost impossible to tell the difference between 1080p and 720 p sitting from 2.5 meter away.
 
Full HD is the way to go if you're sitting around three times the screen height for a full-blown movie experience. That might be a bit close for 7de Laan, but then you wouldn't need Full HD for that :)

Despite all the pros here for plasma, they still haven't solved the noise issue, even on the latest sets now in stores. Even on a paused image, flat, static areas are fuzzy and in constant motion. Plus they get hot and use a lot more power. I like LED.
 
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