Cheap LCD tvs?

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ooogz

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Hey guys

Any one here own a cheap Lcd tv?
Like the obes u vuy at hifi corp for example? Brands like: ByDesign, AIM or hisense etc?

Reason why im asking is myelf and my sister wanna buy my dad a tv...
His currently watching on a 51cm normal tube tv..
We looking at a 32" HD ready tv that is under R3000.
Do any of you guys have a cheap LCD tv and what is your experience with tvs like this?

Pick and pay currently has an AIM 32" HD ready tv, 2 year guarntee and a free wall bracket for R2700.
We looking at something like this...

He doesnt watch anytging in HD really. Its just so he can watch sports on bigger, clearer tv..

Thanks guys
 
if you have your heart set on those cheaper sets then go for it, be advised that with hdtv you generally get what you pay for though.
if you want a good mid range lcd tv i would advise you to rather go for the Samsung series 5 (la32c350 i believe), its fhd and you should be able to get it at about R4000, maybe less on special, excellent picture quality on all sources and a built in media player that plays just about everything including mkv, unlike other models on the market in that price range. Also have a look at the newer mid range LED models, prices have dropped on these as well, check game and makro, watch out for game specials on thursday.
 
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I would probably recommend you head off to Game and check out the Sinotec or Hisense. They always have great specials.
 
Smurfatefrog said:
SD sport on HD LCD is not going to give him a clearer picture that's for sure
Click to expand...

So its not going to look better?
My new hd tv plays normal avi files clearer then my old sd tv?
Well it looks clearer i think:-/
 
It will look different, and possibly a lil bit brighter and more colourful..
 
SD sports will have some motion blur on a LCD tv.

Sent from my Desire HD using MyBroadband Android App
 
Ignore these guys, at 32" he won't notice any difference and it's certainly a better viewing experience than watching on a CRT. I haven't noticed any of these negative symptoms on my 32" in the bedroom.

Sinotech is one of the better "cheap" brands IMO. Makro have them at R2999 for the 32" HD ready.
 
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Mike Hoxbig said:
Ignore these guys, at 32" he won't notice any difference and it's certainly a better viewing experience than watching on a CRT. I haven't noticed any of these negative symptoms on my 32" in the bedroom.

Sinotech is one of the better "cheap" brands IMO. Makro have them at R2999 for the 32" HD ready.
Click to expand...

+1

unless the tv is poorly calibrated or you are sitting with your face against the screen it will look better than what he is watching on now.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
Ignore these guys, at 32" he won't notice any difference and it's certainly a better viewing experience than watching on a CRT. I haven't noticed any of these negative symptoms on my 32" in the bedroom.

Sinotech is one of the better "cheap" brands IMO. Makro have them at R2999 for the 32" HD ready.
Click to expand...

Not true. For SD TV and sport, cheap entry level LCDs will actually be a downgrade!

I am assuming a little here, but I think that dads would tend to watch SD TV/sport.

It's basically quality vs quantity. SD TV/sport is going to be terrible on these cheap LCDs. The entry level Samsung 5 Series is even crap for SD TV/sport (SD channels on HD PVR will be improved).

It depends on what the dad's going to be watching. For SD TV/sport, 42" plasma at ±R4,500 - R4,999 is a must. This is cheaper and bigger and better quality than a entry level LCD like the Samsung 5 Series.

If budget is very tight, go for Hisense - they are the kings of the cheapo brand market.
 
Also take into account he will likely be watching 4:3 sport on a 16:9 screen and will probably end up watching it stretched which makes it look worse
 
PostmanPot said:
Not true. For SD TV and sport, cheap entry level LCDs will actually be a downgrade!

I am assuming a little here, but I think that dads would tend to watch SD TV/sport.

It's basically quality vs quantity. SD TV/sport is going to be terrible on these cheap LCDs. The entry level Samsung 5 Series is even crap for SD TV/sport (SD channels on HD PVR will be improved).

It depends on what the dad's going to be watching. For SD TV/sport, 42" plasma at ±R4,500 - R4,999 is a must. This is cheaper and bigger and better quality than a entry level LCD like the Samsung 5 Series.

If budget is very tight, go for Hisense - they are the kings of the cheapo brand market.
Click to expand...
I've watched sport (mainly football, rugby and cricket) on a 32" Sinotech at my buddy's place, and it's really not as dramatic as you guys are making it out to be. SD sport will not be terrible on these cheap LCDs, well it certainly wasn't on the Sinotech that I saw. It's certainly not a downgrade from CRT, and will appear to be of the same quality to the ordinary person who doesn't inspect the blacks for the slightest bit of pixelation. The viewing experience is of a higher quality because it is a larger screen obviously, despite there being no noticeable difference in SD quality between it and a CRT.

If we were discussing proper HD sets at 40" and larger, then I would agree that LCDs fall behind when it comes to sport, and a plasma would be a better choice. But we're discussing an upgrade from a 51cm CRT here.

Smurfatefrog said:
Also take into account he will likely be watching 4:3 sport on a 16:9 screen and will probably end up watching it stretched which makes it look worse
Click to expand...
That can easily be fixed by selecting the correct option from the decoder. Movies (DVDs etc.) will simply have a black border if it doesn't support 16:9, so there will be no stretching unless you deliberately stretch it on the TV itself.
 
Unless he has an HD DSTV subscription, it won't matter much. We got a 32" Sinotec on the farm (also replaced an old 54" tube) and it's MUCH better than the old tube.

Sure, it doesn't come close to the more expensive 46" LED TV, but it's well worth the R3.5K we spend on it 2 years ago.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
I've watched sport (mainly football, rugby and cricket) on a 32" Sinotech at my buddy's place, and it's really not as dramatic as you guys are making it out to be. SD sport will not be terrible on these cheap LCDs, well it certainly wasn't on the Sinotech that I saw. It's certainly not a downgrade from CRT, and will appear to be of the same quality to the ordinary person who doesn't inspect the blacks for the slightest bit of pixelation. The viewing experience is of a higher quality because it is a larger screen obviously, despite there being no noticeable difference in SD quality between it and a CRT.

If we were discussing proper HD sets at 40" and larger, then I would agree that LCDs fall behind when it comes to sport, and a plasma would be a better choice. But we're discussing an upgrade from a 51cm CRT here.


That can easily be fixed by selecting the correct option from the decoder. Movies (DVDs etc.) will simply have a black border if it doesn't support 16:9, so there will be no stretching unless you deliberately stretch it on the TV itself.
Click to expand...

You're wasting your time arguing with PostmanPot. At 32" SD quality isn't that bad, on the little 26" we have in the room SD quality is actually better then the old CRT we used to have, and the jump from 54cm to 66cm in a smaller form factor was like wow I can read the text now.
 
Just check the maths on this one. If he watches in 4:3 (black bars) on the LCD, is the total picture size any bigger than a 54cm CRT? I don't think so.
 
Smurfatefrog said:
Also take into account he will likely be watching 4:3 sport on a 16:9 screen and will probably end up watching it stretched which makes it look worse
Click to expand...

And this is why particularly the 42" plasmas are the best for SD. They are 1024x768, but also 16:9 due to rectangular pixels. SD quality is phenomenal considering you pay R4,500 - R4,999 for them. Blows any similarly-priced LCD out the water.
 
Compare it to plasma and CRT and it is dramatic. SD TV and sport on entry level 60Hz LCD is crap. Fact. Anyone who says different is simply wrong. Yes, I agree it will be better on a 32" than on a 40" and bigger, for obvious reasons. But still crap. And even more crap on a entry level cheapo brand. Tell me, which DSTV decoder does your buddy have?

To say "no noticeable difference in SD quality between it and a CRT" is ludicrous. Unless the viewer is the most layman person you can find without a clue. As a sport fanatic, I would be mad to take a 32" 60Hz LCD for SD/sport over a 72cm CRT which could be up to about half the price of the LCD and will blow it out the water at those specific tasks. Does not matter about black levels etc. (the CRT will own in that regard, too).

Yes, a 32" LCD is an upgrade from a 51cm CRT in terms of quantity over quality. The CRT will still be better for SD and sport, guaranteed.

Mike Hoxbig said:
I've watched sport (mainly football, rugby and cricket) on a 32" Sinotech at my buddy's place, and it's really not as dramatic as you guys are making it out to be. SD sport will not be terrible on these cheap LCDs, well it certainly wasn't on the Sinotech that I saw. It's certainly not a downgrade from CRT, and will appear to be of the same quality to the ordinary person who doesn't inspect the blacks for the slightest bit of pixelation. The viewing experience is of a higher quality because it is a larger screen obviously, despite there being no noticeable difference in SD quality between it and a CRT.

If we were discussing proper HD sets at 40" and larger, then I would agree that LCDs fall behind when it comes to sport, and a plasma would be a better choice. But we're discussing an upgrade from a 51cm CRT here.


That can easily be fixed by selecting the correct option from the decoder. Movies (DVDs etc.) will simply have a black border if it doesn't support 16:9, so there will be no stretching unless you deliberately stretch it on the TV itself.
Click to expand...
 
Lupus said:
You're wasting your time arguing with PostmanPot. At 32" SD quality isn't that bad, on the little 26" we have in the room SD quality is actually better then the old CRT we used to have, and the jump from 54cm to 66cm in a smaller form factor was like wow I can read the text now.
Click to expand...

Still pointing those fingers I see. Why not go back to your posts from last week where you pointed the same fingers, to which I replied in detail? Not surprised why you haven't replied tbh, even xrapidx pointing out a factor in your childish behaviour.

Maybe I should take a picture of SD on my 19" Sinotech LCD. According to all your arguments, smaller will be better. Well not in this case. My 52cm 12 year old Goldstar (LG) CRT obliterates the 19" LCD. I will take a picture of it too. Any takers? You can also take pics of your LCDs displaying SD/sport so we can do a good comparison.
 
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