Which TV ??

[R33F]

OK, the time has come and my beloved Sony has finally said "no more" after 17 years of faithful service.

I have been hoping this day never came, but now I have to venture back into the retail nightmare of the Television market.

So, for the totally naive television consumer:

Which tele should I buy, and why ?

I don't really have a budget at this stage, although in saying that I am not going to be spending thousands and thousands.

My main objective is to get a tele that will last as long as the last one did - which by all reports isn't going to happen, as the tele's of today don't last longer than a few years.

Price - well my Sony cost me about 2k 17 years ago, and that was alot of money. It generally took 2 people to move - simply because of the size and weight of the thing, but the picture quality up until 2 days ago was brilliant - then "boom" and nothing......

I am going to look around this afternoon, and start researching....

[Matt H]

Not samsung.
That's all that contribution I can make..

[sockman]

Anything LCD or Plasma according to the sales rep at an AV shop in Lane Cove will basically crp itself in a few years... something about not being made to last i recall?:confused:

So i'd go an el'cheapo one... Sherwood or somehting...most have the same panels anyway (again this is what i've heard... could well be wrong, probably am..).

[sikpuppyonglory]

both plasma & lcd's have pro's & con's. don't really know too much regarding the rear projection units though.

I currently have a 106cm lg plasma, have only had one issue with it, the picture card or whatever it was blew up after just a year (just past it's manufactures warranty) luckily I had an additional 5 year warranty that I paid for, so it didn't cost me a cent to fix, just had to wait 2 weeks to get it back.

appart from that, it is a good tv, was also one of the first models with hi-def built in.

shop around, compare prices & screw them to the wall for best price:D

hope this helps.;)

[bazza]

shop around, compare prices & screw them to the wall for best price:D



thats the best advice i can give. we got a 42 inch plasma panasonic and it rules. got a damn good price on it as well. tv sales people are mental, and most can go bellow price. hell, even try making up a quote for some of them and see if they do it, worked for a friend up here who now has a realll nice tv for a spastic price. we got a 5 year extended warranty included in ours also. joyce mayne in townsville were really good. they delivered on the wrong day and threw in $150 of those flash cables for free because of it. ruled.
on the lcd vs plasma thing i think its one gives a better light in a light room (lcd?) and the other is better for darker rooms (plasma?).

[TheBofh]

I'd look through this forum for answers but would recommend a widescreen CRT over LCD/Plasma/rear projection for both picture quality and longevity.
http://phorums.com.au/archive/index.php/f-26.html

[Pebble]

Depends on how often you will be moving your TV as well?
Do you have digital TV broadcast in your area - are you going to want HD quality viewing?

I did a bit of research and came to a conclusion that LCD was better than plasma...well for us anyway.
It can double as a computer screen (for the laptop or pc)
No backlamp to replace (if you're buying a plasma ask how much it costs to replace the lamp!)
Great for viewing in your standard (non darkened) environment.
Also supposedly plasma TV's use a lot more power, but I'm not sure if I'd believe that without looking at specific specs (like what size they are comparing etc).
With plasmas you can get a bigger screen for a cheaper price, but size wasn't our priority.

Personally we have a 26" Phillips LCD flat panel, it's great & easily portable, so far has been running for about 3yrs without a problem, and has been through two house moves. It was a replacement for a big bulky Sony Wega (yeah I think we paid $2k for that 6yrs ago or something - prices have come down drastically since then!). I was glad to get rid of that 64kg lump of a TV! I think the Phillips cost us under $2k, we didn't want anything too big or too expensive. So it's probably a bit bigger than the old tv, it's widescreen and a hell of a lot lighter / flatter.

Certainly shop around, check out some threads on this forum too if you want to learn about the tech side of things (like refresh rates etc)...
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?
Now consider that on those forums some of the guys are pretty passionate about it all - kind of like Farkin MTB lovers. So keep in mind how much you will actually notice the picture quality in a general situation - like you probably wouldn't go up to the thing looking for dead pixels during a movie!

I would certainly not believe everything a salesman tells you either, but I'm sure you can use common sense on that one depending on the person you're talking to and how knowledgeable they seem. And I wouldn't just go for the biggest screen, take into account how far from it you will be sitting most of the time.

Just do a fair bit of research on the topic first so you at least know what all the numbers & terms mean.

[maxwolfie]

thats the best advice i can give. we got a 42 inch plasma panasonic and it rules. got a damn good price on it as well. tv sales people are mental, and most can go bellow price. hell, even try making up a quote for some of them and see if they do it, worked for a friend up here who now has a realll nice tv for a spastic price. we got a 5 year extended warranty included in ours also. joyce mayne in townsville were really good. they delivered on the wrong day and threw in $150 of those flash cables for free because of it. ruled.
on the lcd vs plasma thing i think its one gives a better light in a light room (lcd?) and the other is better for darker rooms (plasma?).

+1 Plasma Panasonic.. I have the same

[BM Epic]

Reef,
I would stick to normal cathode ray television,or tube tv,there is still no technology yet that puts out a better picture,lasts more than ten years,and you can get them in widescreen and they are a lot cheaper.
No other technology ie:lcd,plasma,or rear projection can match the quality,viewing angle and longevity of crt tv's.
Remember,this is only my opinion,a lot of other people may disagree,but on the subject of longevity,there is no argument!

[maxwolfie]

A big CRT would be really... big.. depth wise!

[BM Epic]

A big CRT would be really... big.. depth wise!Yeah,thats one thing thats NOT good about them,especially some of the slimline panels you can get!:)
How is it maxwolfie?

[Customjimmy]

I went through the new telly bit about 18 months ago, so here's a summary.

I went with plasma over LCD due to a bigger screen size for the money but predominantly because for fast moving images like cricket balls or racing cars the LCD TVs had a noticable image lag time which shat me to tears.

Didn't worry about CRT TVs (I can hang mine on the wall out of reach of the ankle-biters) and they don't compare definition-wise. Plus when my computer and TV become the same thing, I just plug the computer into the TV.

I ended up with a standard definition LG 106cm plasma at around 2k 18 months ago. The HD was several hundred bucks more and didn't look that much different to me when side by side with a SD. Now they're heaps cheaper and I would definitely go with the HD.

My TV has both a digital and analog receiver but 2 digitals would have been handy for the picture-in-picture feature. Otherwise, never had a problem with it in 18 months and do a dance of joy everytime I put a movie on in surround sound. Never once have I wished I had high definition, either.

[Steve-0]

After doing a little research on the same subject a few weeks ago i found that you can get a big Plasma/LCD screen for really cheap BUT watch out for the resolution and inputs... for example.. if you got a tv with low res around 720p and only standard Y/R/W rca conections, the same size tv with 1080p (1900x 1080/ 2mp) and HDMI and HDTV inputs it will cost 3 times that of the cheaper version.

Now with standard analoge tv soon to be cancelled... and with the growing market of HD those extra pixels and inputs help so much. If you bought a 720p tv with no hdmi inputs.. in a few years you will be so annoyed that you didnt go for the more expensive option.

However.. with digital tv now standard.. its never going to stop getter better. Later on it will be 3mp HD then 4mp then 5 and so on.

LCD's vs Plasmas? No difference IMO. Older LCD's were way behind because of the laggy picture but the newer ones dont.

[R33F]

I currently have a 106cm lg plasma, have only had one issue with it, the picture card or whatever it was blew up after just a year (just past it's manufactures warranty) luckily I had an additional 5 year warranty that I paid for, so it didn't cost me a cent to fix, just had to wait 2 weeks to get it back.

I ended up with a standard definition LG 106cm plasma

Guys, thanks for the replies.

I did a heap of researching and reading after my post this morning, and went shopping this afternoon.

I ended up with a 106cm LG Plasma Digital. Bang for bucks I think I got a great deal. I got the salesman down to $1'400 for the tv with a 5 year warranty (thanks sikpuppy) ! ;)

The tv sales market is a crazy place, and I didn't want to spend more than 2K total, so I have got the tv, and a surge protector power board (6 outlet) for $100 bucks.

I have it set up, and combined with my existing surround sound - Earthed 5 has never looked so good !! :p

[at the drive in]

Buy a cheapie brand LCD tv and spend the rest of your money living your life instead of living your life through a television.

[bitterbro]

LCD's don't really cut the cake when watching sports. They have great picture for movies and other stuff, but if you are going to watch sport, weatehr a little or alot, i would definately reccomend a plasma. Fujitsu at that

[bazza]

Buy a cheapie brand LCD tv and spend the rest of your money living your life instead of living your life through a television.

i said that for a long time. than we got a nice tv. and yeah hahaha. its like saying 'i would rather spend my money on life instead of clip in pedals and sheos' than you get them and you never go back, even sometimes wishing you got the nicer one (yes my analogy rules.....don't question it....) same thing with tv's. i only spend maybe MAX 3-4 hours in front of a tv a week as well. but its nice to have it there when i want to enjoy it! TOTALLY different experience.

[sikpuppyonglory]

Guys, thanks for the replies.

I did a heap of researching and reading after my post this morning, and went shopping this afternoon.

I ended up with a 106cm LG Plasma Digital. Bang for bucks I think I got a great deal. I got the salesman down to $1'400 for the tv with a 5 year warranty (thanks sikpuppy) ! ;)

The tv sales market is a crazy place, and I didn't want to spend more than 2K total, so I have got the tv, and a surge protector power board (6 outlet) for $100 bucks.

I have it set up, and combined with my existing surround sound - Earthed 5 has never looked so good !! :p


no worries mate, glad I could force, sorry, persuade you.:D
Just waiting for that excellent response against my i-trader icon to go up another notch;) :p 'hint hint'

[olly1oo6]

Heres some real advice from someone who works regularly in a retail store which sells TV's:

Try and find a Hitachi set. L42X01AU (1920x1080 full HD - 42"), P50H01AU (1280x1080 - 50")

Both are going VERY cheap right now (if you can still find one) as Hitachi are pulling out of Aus. You will still be able to get service and parts and warranty.

the 42" should go for around $1800, the 50" the same. Definetly a look into; as you wont find a FULL HD TV for that price any other way.

also shop around for Sony, Panasonic, Phillips, Toshiba (really surprisingly good) and sharp aren't bad.

[wombat]

the 42" should go for around $1800, the 50" the same. Definetly a look into; as you wont find a FULL HD TV for that price any other way.
I was terribly suprised to see this (http://www.jbhifi.com.au/tv-plasma-lcd-home-theatre/tv-plasma-lcd/) the other day; it might be a no-name, but $1599 is cheap (and they're rumoured to run Samsung panels?).

[olly1oo6]

I was terribly suprised to see this (http://www.jbhifi.com.au/tv-plasma-lcd-home-theatre/tv-plasma-lcd/) the other day; it might be a no-name, but $1599 is cheap (and they're rumoured to run Samsung panels?).

Yeah that seems very good value. The store I work in is also owned by the company that owns JB Hi-Fi, although our product range is different.

The problem with budget TV's is simply the amount of faulty ones get produced. If you're lucky and get a good one, you will probably be fine. It's true that it probably would be a Samsung panel, but the rest of the electronics are their own.

Our faulty bay is filled up by no-name brands; it really opens your eyes to the relative amount of products that keep coming back with problems.

One of the best brands is actually Sony. They have a very good standard, and you'd see one of their TV's in the bay only a few times yearly. Whereas other brands such as Conia/Palsonic etc. are weekly events.

[Pebble]

:rolleyes:

[bazza]

current thing that pisses me off is super clear digital normal tv and very average austar in comparison. sucks we have a shitty old austar box.

[scblack]

No backlamp to replace (if you're buying a plasma ask how much it costs to replace the lamp!)

Please do tell us how much a backlamp on a plasma screen costs.

I am terribly interested to know!

Disclaimer: trick question.

[Pebble]

Please do tell us how much a backlamp on a plasma screen costs.

I am terribly interested to know!

Disclaimer: trick question.

LOL, yeah sorry bit of a mix up there . . . it's obviously referring to those rear projection tv's that look like plasma displays. The lamps seem to fail more often then they should some times and cost a bunch to replace, and of course it's not generally covered by warranty.

Plasma uses electrodes and ionises the gas.