How bad is Sinotec actually?

Jonno2343 said:
Ok, so I went out and bought the TV yesterday at Makro for R4999.
Went to HiFi Cop before hand and looked at the LG. They said that if Makro is offering that TV for so little don't hesitate to buy it, it's incredible.
Set it up, installed firmware updates (love that - who would've thought you'd be plugging your TV into the internet and upgrading the software on it 3 years ago :P) and wow, this thing is awesome!
40" is perfect size, much bigger and it wouldn't have fit in the TV and would have been overwhelming.
LOVE the Anynet feature (turns on devices and sets them up when you want to do things like watch a movie) - now only need the one remote as the TV controls everything else.
Played a Blu-ray on it last night and picture was ridiculously clear, didn't notice any problems (such as motion blur or whatever).
Still need to use it a bit more but I am absolutely super happy with the purchase and would recommend this TV to anyone and everyone - especiall for this price (ends Sunday).

Thanks to all who helped out, very much appreciated.
Jonno
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Congrats! Enjoy it :D. If you have a smartphone or tablet you should try and play with the DLNA feature and stream your photos/videos/music over Wifi to the TV. I love that feature.

The price is amazing, don't think you can get a much better deal for that money in that size range.
 
And after the dust had settled, the trolls trudged slowly back to their caves, stopping only to glance over their shoulders periodically.
" We lost another one," said Trolidor.
" Hey, maybe we can still win the plasma debate," questioned Trolimor?
And without remorse or conscience, they proceeded to troll happily ever after.
 
My CRT just packed up so read this thread with interest. Can anyone tell me what is the warranty on the OP's Samsung?
Thanks
 
divv said:
My CRT just packed up so read this thread with interest. Can anyone tell me what is the warranty on the OP's Samsung?
Thanks
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1 year, unless extended (which also depends whether the store offers the option).

Also, because you have CRT, I assume you watch TV/SD stuff/DVDs. The OP LCD will not offer you the same picture quality. Plasma will be the best option for those tasks.
 
Thanks PP don't want to get into a plasma vs LCD war right now just looking at this one deal. A further question though to all is I see the model advertised at Makro is LA40D550.. whereas the OP had it as the LN40D550. I find reviews for LN but nothing really for LA - what is the difference please?
 
divv said:
Thanks PP don't want to get into a plasma vs LCD war right now just looking at this one deal. A further question though to all is I see the model advertised at Makro is LA40D550.. whereas the OP had it as the LN40D550. I find reviews for LN but nothing really for LA - what is the difference please?
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LA - Africa model
LN - North America model

Only known difference is the tuner

I think the OP just misspelled it. You can't normally get the LN here
 
Thanks Tim182 that makes sense!! I figure I'll go grab one and if I don't like it can always take it back...
 
divv said:
Thanks Tim182 that makes sense!! I figure I'll go grab one and if I don't like it can always take it back...
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Apparently its the last day that its on special so hurry :-)
 
divv said:
Thanks PP don't want to get into a plasma vs LCD war right now just looking at this one deal. A further question though to all is I see the model advertised at Makro is LA40D550.. whereas the OP had it as the LN40D550. I find reviews for LN but nothing really for LA - what is the difference please?
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No war, no debate. It's a fact that plasma handles SD (standard definition) content better. This includes TV/DSTV, movie/series rips, DVDs. When one "upgrades" from CRT (it's not actually always an upgrade, CRT is still the best display tech in terms of motion/colours/blacks) they are most probably watching SD content. Are you or are you not watching SD content?

If you are planning on getting a Blu-ray player (for full HD movies) or connecting to a PC to do work on, by all means go for LCD. The fact is, if you do not intend on utilising full HD/1080p, and you intend watching SD and HD/720p, plasma is a better option at the entry to the market. Furthermore, it's the best option if you watch sport.

It's really imperative that you tell us what you intend using the TV for.

I have not seen one person raving about the LAxxD550 for SD/SD TV/sport. If you read the reports, they're all using them for HD/FHD/PC stuff.
 
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I have the sinotec 47" fhd LCD , had it for +\- 2 years and it's still perfect. Xbox and bluray look fine compared to my new LG 32" fhd LCD. Plus eets nice n beeg!!
 
In parts I agree with PP :wtf:.

PostmanPot said:
No war, no debate. It's a fact that plasma handles SD (standard definition) content better. This includes TV/DSTV, movie/series rips, DVDs. When one "upgrades" from CRT (it's not actually always an upgrade, CRT is still the best display tech in terms of motion/colours/blacks) they are most probably watching SD content. Are you or are you not watching SD content?
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That's generally the case, at least for entry level/mid-range TVs. The LNXXD550 handles this stuff quite well too though, very happy with mine for SD content.

PostmanPot said:
If you are planning on getting a Blu-ray player (for full HD movies) or connecting to a PC to do work on, by all means go for LCD. The fact is, if you do not intend on utilising full HD/1080p, and you intend watching SD and HD/720p, plasma is a better option at the entry to the market. Furthermore, it's the best option if you watch sport.

It's really imperative that you tell us what you intend using the TV for.
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Agree here too. The benefit of the LCD really lies in HTPCs and Bluray

PostmanPot said:
I have not seen one person raving about the LAxxD550 for SD/SD TV/sport. If you read the reports, they're all using them for HD/FHD/PC stuff.
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I am actually very very happy with mine for SD/SD TV/sport. I do mostly use it with FHD stuff but SD still looks really great.


Point is both options are good choices. One has the benefit of handling SD content better and offering more size for less money, the other has the benefit of FHD, more connectors and DLNA. I personally also prefer the colours on the LCD but that's personal preference.
 
Yeah, the LA40D550 (sorry about the LN - was reading the LN reviews) handles SD surprisingly well I thought - much better than other LCD TVs that were around it in HiFi and Makro.

As an aside, my Atom home server and part-'HTPC' with its 'Max output resolution of 1366x768' (according to all Intel specs) is now outputting in Full HD glory onto the screen. Took me a few minutes to get over that :).
I have one of those Broadcom Crystal HD cards that they use in netbooks (just a hardware decoder of 3 video formats) so I can now play full HD Youtube / videos without a problem. Very very cool (considering it's R600 for the Mobo + CPU combination).

Watched a few more Blu-rays / DVDs and XBOX stuff and still extremely impressed - best purchase I've made for a long long time.
Would recommend it (last day today?) and if you don't like it, Makro has 14 day money back guarantee.
 
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Jonno2343 said:
Yeah, the LA40D550 (sorry about the LN - was reading the LN reviews) handles SD surprisingly well I thought - much better than other LCD TVs that were around it in HiFi and Makro.

As an aside, my Atom home server and part-'HTPC' with its 'Max output resolution of 1366x768' (according to all Intel specs) is now outputting in Full HD glory onto the screen. Took me a few minutes to get over that :).
I have one of those Broadcom Crystal HD cards that they use in netbooks (just a hardware decoder of 3 video formats) so I can now play full HD Youtube / videos without a problem. Very very cool (considering it's R600 for the Mobo + CPU combination).

Watched a few more Blu-rays / DVDs and XBOX stuff and still extremely impressed - best purchase I've made for a long long time.
Would recommend it (last day today?) and if you don't like it, Makro has 14 day money back guarantee.
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Try and set your home PC to 1080p @24Hz with the TV. The result is amazing when watching movies :D
 
PostmanPot said:
I have not seen one person raving about the LAxxD550 for SD/SD TV/sport. If you read the reports, they're all using them for HD/FHD/PC stuff.
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The difference (if at all) is marginal and depends on input source.

Actually sitting at Rapsody's in CPT Intl watching SS2 on a 50" FHD Plasma (Panasonic Viera) which looks to be RF fed. Must be a low end model cause its got no AR, the reflections are terrible unless you stand directly in front of it.

PQ and motion clarity/distortion look very similar to my 50Hz LA40C530 LCD viewing RF of my SDPVR. The Panny still displays a minor amounts of edge corruption & artifacting with very fast movement & a bit of judder on slow pans.

To me this would indicate most of the distortion/lag is coming from source i.e. SD DSTV decoder outputing via RF. In general, the picture off my Sammy viewing a 1080i encoded SD signal from my HDPVR2P is much better, with very similar motion characteristics.
 
Well in the end I decided to go to my local Game (because I have one a block away as compared to Makro about 15-20km away). They did have stock and matched (not beat!?!) the Makro price. They have a 7 day return policy (didn't realise Makro's was 14 days!!) so if I don't like it I will return it.
Yes all of my stuff at this point is DVD's etc (I DETEST sport) and maybe a plasma may be better as PP says but it was a time-sensitive thing with the special ending today (also I had to get to work)!

For interest sake, what does the extended warranty cost at Makro? I would prefer more than 1 year...
 
divv said:
Well in the end I decided to go to my local Game (because I have one a block away as compared to Makro about 15-20km away). They did have stock and matched (not beat!?!) the Makro price. They have a 7 day return policy (didn't realise Makro's was 14 days!!) so if I don't like it I will return it.
Yes all of my stuff at this point is DVD's etc (I DETEST sport) and maybe a plasma may be better as PP says but it was a time-sensitive thing with the special ending today (also I had to get to work)!

For interest sake, what does the extended warranty cost at Makro? I would prefer more than 1 year...
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Its an awesome TV. Enjoy it. I love my lb46d550 to bits. Didnt regret my purchase for one second :-)
 
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