What's there to know about tvs?

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Dr3xus

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Looking to get myself a new tv (haven't had one for about 4-5 months since the old one broke), the prob is I have no clue about what spec's I should be looking out for. I remember reading a thread here about the whole LCD vs LED debate but didn't really stay till the end of that one ;)

Budget is around 8k - 10k (not sure if that's excessive), full hd and 46-50". Been seeing a lot of them on promo at the dion/makro's but need to actually know what the diff btw them are. Any suggestions are most welcome :)
 
Dr3xus said:
Looking to get myself a new tv (haven't had one for about 4-5 months since the old one broke), the prob is I have no clue about what spec's I should be looking out for. I remember reading a thread here about the whole LCD vs LED debate but didn't really stay till the end of that one ;)

Budget is around 8k - 10k (not sure if that's excessive), full hd and 46-50". Been seeing a lot of them on promo at the dion/makro's but need to actually know what the diff btw them are. Any suggestions are most welcome :)
Click to expand...

Not having done the research myself at this point, so won't be giving you advice about screens, etc.

Just wanted to mention that none of the TV's on sale at the moment have DVB-T2 tuners, which is the new standard for digital terrestrial broadcast which is supposed to be implemented in the next year or so. Which means that you'll also have to buy a Set Top Box if you want to watch any terrestrial channels after 2013 or thereabouts.
 
Also ask yourself if 50" is really needed? Personal choice but rather first measure out the size of the desired TV onto cardboard and then place it on your wall (kinda like what a 4yr old would do). Then see if you can live with something so big.

Personally anything larger than 40" would be too big even in our large flat, but I've then again seen a 50" look rather nice in a relatives lounge.
 
My Cousin bought one of those Samsung 51" Plasma's. It's the one thats going for around R11k in the Samsung Concept stores. I know this is a good buy, because HE did his research!
Sorry I couldn't be of more useful info, but that TV would be a good benchmark starting point!
 
Dr3xus said:
Looking to get myself a new tv (haven't had one for about 4-5 months since the old one broke), the prob is I have no clue about what spec's I should be looking out for. I remember reading a thread here about the whole LCD vs LED debate but didn't really stay till the end of that one ;)

Budget is around 8k - 10k (not sure if that's excessive), full hd and 46-50". Been seeing a lot of them on promo at the dion/makro's but need to actually know what the diff btw them are. Any suggestions are most welcome :)
Click to expand...

Depends what you need the TV for?
 
I heard Friday that all LG LED LCD tv,s will now carry a 3 year warranty bought before August....:)
 
NomNom said:
To watch TV :p

Grab a 46" LED full HD from where ever (Game, Makro also from House and Home at Chekers Hyper), either a Sammy, Sony or LG
Click to expand...

Well for watching TV, plasma is better than LCD at the entry level especially because plasma handles SD content better (as well as motion/sport/blacks/colours). Also, LED-LCD at the entry level is overrated hyped up marketing gimmick. Only the back-light differs, rest of the TV is identical to LCD (same LCD matrix). The LED back-light allows for a slimmer TV and it goes slightly brighter, but this in turn washes colours out more than normal LCD and makes them look overly contrasty, also more prone to uneven lighting than normal LCD.

For a budget of R8,000 - R10,000:

R7,000 Samsung PS51D550 51" HD Ready plasma
R10,000 Samsung PS50C550/PS51D550 50/51" full HD plasma

These suit TV, SD content, HD content (FHD in the case of the FHD plasma) and motion/sport.

R8,000 Samsung LA46D550 46" full HD 50Hz LCD
R8,000 Samsung LA40C650 40" full HD 100Hz LCD
R10,000 Samsung LA46C650 46" full HD 100Hz LCD

No LED-LCDs.

These suit PC use (working on the PC), FHD content (because they are all FHD), but 50Hz doesn't handle motion/sport well and LCDs aren't as good for SD content, 100Hz LCD is better for motion and will generally be better for SD as the panel is higher end.
 
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Just recently bought a TV based on my research and findings.
My tips:

  • Go for LCD not a Plasma - LCD has better resolution when connecting PC or gaming console. (Better graphics)
  • FULL HD - Dont purchase a "HD ready" screen, they are cheaper but wont support the highest 1080p quality movies/games etc
  • Rather go smaller screen with better features than bigger screen.
  • Trusted Brands like Sony, LG, Samsung, Philips - Just for peace of mind
  • USB - This is great as you don't need to purchase a Media player. I just plug my 1TB external drive into the TV and play my series + movies
  • Technical things to look for is a high contrast ration, LOW response time
  • A 40" screen is massive for a apartment lounge.
 
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I'm not too sure what you base your research and findings on? Because saying something like "Go for LCD not a Plasma - Plasma has less picture quality" clearly shows that they cannot be based on much. Both techs suit certain tasks.
 
Andrewc said:
Just recently bought a TV based on my research and findings.
My tips:

  • Go for LCD not a Plasma - LCD has better resolution when connecting PC or gaming console. (Better graphics)
  • FULL HD - Dont purchase a "HD ready" screen, they are cheaper but wont support the highest 1080p quality movies/games etc
  • Rather go smaller screen with better features than bigger screen.
  • Trusted Brands like Sony, LG, Samsung, Philips - Just for peace of mind
  • USB - This is great as you don't need to purchase a Media player. I just plug my 1TB external drive into the TV and play my series + movies
  • Technical things to look for is a high contrast ration, LOW response time
  • A 40" screen is massive for a apartment lounge.
Click to expand...

Esh, what a collective bunch of useless wrong information. I take it your research source is a friend/family member who is just as clueless.
 
Andrewc said:
Just recently bought a TV based on my research and findings.
My tips:

  • Go for LCD not a Plasma - LCD has better resolution when connecting PC or gaming console. (Better graphics)
  • FULL HD - Dont purchase a "HD ready" screen, they are cheaper but wont support the highest 1080p quality movies/games etc
  • Rather go smaller screen with better features than bigger screen.
  • Trusted Brands like Sony, LG, Samsung, Philips - Just for peace of mind
  • USB - This is great as you don't need to purchase a Media player. I just plug my 1TB external drive into the TV and play my series + movies
  • Technical things to look for is a high contrast ration, LOW response time
  • A 40" screen is massive for a apartment lounge.
Click to expand...


Is this guy serious? Where did you do your "research" ... out of a colouring book?
 
Andrewc said:
Go for LCD not a Plasma - LCD has better resolution when connecting PC or gaming console. (Better graphics)
Click to expand...

Nope, still clueless. 50" 5 Series Full HD plasma goes for R10,000. Closest thing to it in terms of picture quality from LCD would be a 46" Series 6 LCD which costs R12,000+.

And, plasma is actually preferred for gaming because it has a faster response time (handles motion better) as well as lower input lag...

:erm:
 
I'm getting the feeling that plasma is what most people here are punting :)
Gonna go look around at the local dions/makros/hi-fi corps etc in the next few days.

Any other places (online or offline) where I should be looking? Also, any rule of thumb in terms of which specs (atm I'm focusing on response time - looking at least 100hz?) I should be particularly worried about (and around what range the spec should be)
 
Andrewc said:
Just recently bought a TV based on my research and findings.
My tips:
Click to expand...

  • Go for LCD not a Plasma - LCD has better resolution when connecting PC or gaming console. (Better graphics)
Click to expand...
This is not good advice at all. This all depends on what you mainly use your TV for. Full HD LCD's have the same resolution as Full HD Plasma's.

  • FULL HD - Dont purchase a "HD ready" screen, they are cheaper but wont support the highest 1080p quality movies/games etc
Click to expand...
Once again depends on what you have connected to the tv. If you are not connecting a PC or watching BluRays, then its really not going to make much of a difference.

  • Rather go smaller screen with better features than bigger screen.
Click to expand...
Depends on how big your room is.

  • Trusted Brands like Sony, LG, Samsung, Philips - Just for peace of mind
Click to expand...
Agreed.

  • USB - This is great as you don't need to purchase a Media player. I just plug my 1TB external drive into the TV and play my series + movies
Click to expand...
This is very useful. Pretty much all of the new TV's have USB inputs. Just make sure in any case.

  • Technical things to look for is a high contrast ration, LOW response time
Click to expand...
They BS you most of the time anyways. Best way to judge is to compare the TV's with your own eyes.

  • A 40" screen is massive for a apartment lounge.
Click to expand...
I've got a 40" in my small apartment and it was only big the first day - now I wouldn't mind getting a bigger one. I guess this is a personal preference.
 
Dr3xus said:
I'm getting the feeling that plasma is what most people here are punting :)
Gonna go look around at the local dions/makros/hi-fi corps etc in the next few days.

Any other places (online or offline) where I should be looking? Also, any rule of thumb in terms of which specs (atm I'm focusing on response time - looking at least 100hz?) I should be particularly worried about (and around what range the spec should be)
Click to expand...

Plasma offers better value for money in terms size, also at each price point picture quality is usually better on plasma as they tend to have better colours (more natural, less washed out ala LCD) as well as deeper blacks. Higer end LCDs offer excellent picture quality, colours, blacks, but at a higher price point. Samsung PS51D550 5 Series plasma is comparable to a Samsung LA46C650 6 Series 100Hz LCD (an excellent LCD).

LCD does have its positives like less reflection and better suited for PC work. Also cheaper for full HD screens (although entry level).

Just make sure the reflections on the plasma don't bother you. Definitely best to check them out with your own eyes!
 
as far as I can tell it seems plasmas generally have better contrast ratios and response times but with the downside of burn-ins, bulkier (in terms of mass) and consumes more electricity. is that basically the summary? trying to get these things in check before I go out and look :)
 
Im now a wiser man thanks @PostmanPot & @timvdwest

Just played portal 2 through my Samsung LA40d550 and LCD suffering from those ghost image issue. So response time on the LCD is to blame... luckily I'm not planning to play games with it.
 
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