LCD Tv's what brand is good?

[Pebble]

G'day,

We're looking at buying a 32" LCD (81cm). Samsung seems like the go according to the sales people & specs on paper look good.

What do you guys reckon, what brand is good, in regards to quality, service - warranty type stuff, value for money. I want to know the bad things & good things about any brand of LCD in general.

Cheers,

Pebble

[|Matt|]

My mate has a Sony one. 112 CMs is it? Its 100 and something anyways. Picture comes in crystal clear and with his Sony surround sound system (7:2) it rattles every picture frame and window in the house.

But about the TV, it was fairly pricey (dont know the figure sorry) but a great TV nonetheless.
2 years later, still doesnt show any signs of dying any time soon. Picture is as it was the day he bought it

Panasonic would also be a good place to look

[scottmeister]

Pioneer. imo.

[tonka_202]

well i am talking about plasama tv's but this might still help you!

yer well we just got a fujitsu and we are so pleased with it great service buy it from the good guys and you can talk them down so much, but what we did we have a friend that runs a company called home theater and they set it all up and they also recomened that we buy fujitsu and they set it all up for us at such a low cost with a surround sound system and we have not been more pleased. There is not a single thing wrong with it, mst tv's when you have the blinds open you get a fat glare off it, with this one, not at all. Not a single problem with it, oh except it is a biut technical and heavy that why we got home theatre to do it for us!

i really recomend fujitsu they are the best on the market and it is worth the money even though it was not much!!!, just one thing if your going to get it go the digital tv, no point buying it if you dont get digi!!


p.s. ill take some pics of it if you want!


regards tonks!!

[Dudley]

We've got a JVC lcd, and it's great.

[nick]

Weve got a Hitachi, top quality gret evrything minus the set top box we got in the package (but that was a no name)

[Renegade]

Pioneer, panasonic, LG, Sony and fujitsu

for the record, LG stands for Lifes Greek. haha

[Mo]

well from experience i can tell you that Sharp is the best of all lcd's

warranty wise go JVC.

[Pebble]

yep really set on an LCD, and definitely go digital stb. Salespeople have been saying Sharp, Sony & Samsung are pretty much as good as each other with Samsung also being made in Japan & the lcd panels are made in the same factory as Sony's. Haven't really come across JVC or Fujitsu much up here - probably just not displayed at the moment I guess.

Other thing to figure out is dvd recording. If the tv has a inbuilt hd tuner then still need a sd set top box to record! If it doesn't have it inbuilt obviously get a hd set top box - but do we then need a sd one as well??
Would you recommend going the hard drive version on the recorders?

Bugger though just sold out tv etc & it's all going on Wednesday, so we'll have to be without tv untill we decide or spot a decent sale!!

LCD's though, looks like people are generally happy with the brand they buy - whatever it it.

Keep it coming though!

[scblack]

I got myself a Panasonic plasma just before xmas. Made in Japan model.

I must ask the question - why are you deciding on LCD over plasma?

I researched the two pretty well before I went out and bought. My general conclusion is that LCD will seem a sharper picture (static), but a plasma is a better general TV, because the movement is better captured by the plasma. Basically movement is much more natural on a plasma screen. And a plasma is cheaper for the same size to boot. LCD's are excellent computer monitors as they are sharp and require little movement for computer uses, but the plasma makes a better home tv screen. This conclusion is well supported by industry professionals.

Go with a digital set top box for sure. My screen is not high definition, but I am not sure that HD box is necessary. I have a HD box with the plasma downstairs, and the HD channels seem little changed from ordinary ones. Standard definition channels are VERY GOOD viewing. The SD box I have upstairs is a Humax brand, with a 80gb hard drive, so I can record 40hrs tv without tapes or dvd's. I got it from www.dodo.com.au for $400 which is a pretty decent price.

Please let me know why you are so set on an LCD.

[wombat]

Go with a digital set top box for sure. My screen is not high definition, but I am not sure that HD box is necessary. I have a HD box with the plasma downstairs, and the HD channels seem little changed from ordinary ones.
But you said your TV isn't HD, so you probably can't expect true HD quality regardless of the top box.
Having said that, I agree that standard digital is perfectly adequate for anything I've ever had to watch.

[Wattsy]

Sony's Bravia serie's is probally one of the best lcd's out. But don't buy an lcd et, by mid year, price's will almost have halved due to new genration releases.

[NCR600]

Why bother getting a big, expensive TV?

It has the same crap on it as my 20 year old National does, and costs 100 times more.

:)

[Wattsy]

Why bother getting a big, expensive TV?

It has the same crap on it as my 20 year old National does, and costs 100 times more.

:)

Not true, your national 20 years ago probally would have cost around the same as the lcd's.

[NCR600]

Ah, but I didn't buy it 20 years ago!

I bought it for 10 bucks off a mate a few years back, making it top value for money, when you consider the rubbish they show on TV.

I'd pay $1000 for a TV that only gets ABC, SBS, History channel, Discovery channel and Nat Geo though. More if it played obscure heavy metal/punk/hardcore video clips between shows instead of ads.

[Pebble]

decided on lcd because:
we don't want to go bigger than 32"
good for computer display
good for future gaming - when kids get older
no burn in issues to worry about (maybe dead pixels or something though)
more energy efficient than plasma
mainly want a lcd due to size & weight - we move around a fair bit so thinning out belongings.

Having a set top box with a hard drive sounds good!
Not planning on getting any surround sound system either - unless we end up going for a package deal.

[Pebble]

currently have a sony 68cm crt, it's big enough & good enough but weighs 60kg! and a pain to move around (if I decide to rearrange the house etc!)

[lotec]

I got myself a Panasonic plasma just before xmas. Made in Japan model.

I must ask the question - why are you deciding on LCD over plasma?

I researched the two pretty well before I went out and bought. My general conclusion is that LCD will seem a sharper picture (static), but a plasma is a better general TV, because the movement is better captured by the plasma. Basically movement is much more natural on a plasma screen. And a plasma is cheaper for the same size to boot. LCD's are excellent computer monitors as they are sharp and require little movement for computer uses, but the plasma makes a better home tv screen. This conclusion is well supported by industry professionals.

Go with a digital set top box for sure. My screen is not high definition, but I am not sure that HD box is necessary. I have a HD box with the plasma downstairs, and the HD channels seem little changed from ordinary ones. Standard definition channels are VERY GOOD viewing. The SD box I have upstairs is a Humax brand, with a 80gb hard drive, so I can record 40hrs tv without tapes or dvd's. I got it from www.dodo.com.au (http://www.dodo.com.au) for $400 which is a pretty decent price.

Please let me know why you are so set on an LCD. to answer your question plasmas get halo effect, LCDs dont, a lot of people cant even pick it, i can and it gives me the shits though...
edit: lcds have their own little quirks too though...

[scblack]

Here's a link to a comparison between LCD and plasma, which echoes what's been said by Pebble and myself.

http://cnet.com.au/hometheatre/tvs/0,39026023,40036500,00.htm

Plasma vs LCD: Which is right for you?
By Randolph Ramsay, CNET.com.au
31 January 2006


Update: If you're in the market for a flat screen television, then you probably have one big question you want answered: plasma vs LCD, which is right for me?

The two different camps of flat panel display standard will, of course, gladly spruik the advantages of their own standard and the deficiencies of the other. But which type of display, plasma or LCD, is better? And which will give you more bang for your buck?

1. Plasma and LCD - what's the difference? | 2. Picture quality | 3. Plasma's advantages over LCD | 4. LCD's advantages over plasma | 5. Which is better value?


1. Plasma and LCD technology - what's the difference?
Plasma and LCD panels may look similar, but the flat screen and thin profile is where the similarities end. Plasma screens, as its name suggests, uses a matrix of tiny gas plasma cells charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. LCD screens (liquid crystal display) are in layman's terms sandwiches made up of liquid crystal pushed in the space between two glass plates. Images are created by varying the amount electrical charge applied to the crystals. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, as you'll read below.

2. Is there a difference in picture quality between plasma and LCD screens and normal CRT TVs?
It's not what's happening behind the screen that's important - it's how the screen performs as a television that matters the most. In that regard, both plasma and LCD sets produce excellent pictures, although many home entertainment specialists and gamers still say CRTs produce the best overall images (although plasmas and LCD sets are quickly catching up in terms of quality).

Those same home entertainment specialists will tell you that for basic home theatre-like usage, plasma screens have a slight edge over LCDs. This is because plasma screens can display blacks more accurately than LCDs can, which means better contrast and detail in dark-coloured television or movie scenes. The nature of LCD technology, where a backlight shines through the LCD layer, means it's hard for it to achieve true blacks because there's always some light leakage from between pixels. This is steadily improving with every new generation of LCD, however.

3. What advantages does plasma have over LCD?
Apart from better contrast due to its ability to show deeper blacks, plasma screens typically have better viewing angles than LCD. Viewing angles are how far you can sit on either side of a screen before the picture's quality is affected. You tend to see some brightness and colour shift when you're on too far of an angle with LCDs, while a plasma's picture remains fairly solid. This is steadily changing, however, with more and more LCDs entering the market with viewing angles equal to or greater than some plasmas. Plasmas can also produce a brighter colour, once again due to light leakage on an LCD affecting its colour saturation.

Plasma pundits will also tell you that some LCD screens have a tendency to blur images, particularly during fast moving scenes in movies or in sports. While that was true for older generation LCD screens, newer models have improved significantly - so much so that the differences in performance between LCDs and plasmas in this regard is almost negligible (here's a tip -- if you're shopping for LCDs, check the refresh rate. The lower it is, the better the image quality in fast moving scenes).

Perhaps the biggest advantage plasmas have now over their LCD cousins is price, particularly in the large screen end of the market. Plasmas typically come in larger sizes than LCDs at a cheaper price. Plasmas being sold in Australia generally run between 42-inches and 63-inches wide, with the cheapest 42-inch selling for approximately AU$3,000 (although you can expect to find sets cheaper than AU$3,000 in real world prices). 60-inch and above plasmas can go for as much as $20,000. LCDs, on the other hand, top out around the mid 40-inch mark, and are more expensive than similar-sized plasmas. Sharp's high end 45-inch LC45G1XSYS LCD, for example, retails for AU$8,999, while Pioneer's top of the line 43-inch PDP-436HD plasma goes for AU$5,999.

4. What advantages does LCD have over plasma?
It's not all doom and gloom for LCD though, as it has the edge over plasma in several key areas. LCDs tend to have higher native resolution than plasmas of similar size, which means more pixels on a screen. If you're a true high-def junkie who's keen to see every pixel of a high-res 1080i/p image reproduced pixel-by-pixel (providing you have a source that high, of course), then LCDs are the way to go.

LCDs also tend to consume less power than plasma screens, with some estimates ranging that power saving at up to 30 per cent less than plasma. LCDs are also generally lighter than similar sized plasmas, making it easier to move around or wall mount.

LCD pundits also point to the fact that LCDs have a longer lifespan than plasma screens. This was true of earlier plasma models, which would lose half of their brightness after more than 20,000 hours of viewing. Later plasma generations have bumped that up to anything between 30,000 and 60,000 hours. LCDs, on the other hand, are guaranteed for 60,000 hours.

You might have also heard that plasmas suffer from screen burn in, an affliction not as commonly associated with LCDs. Screen burn in occurs when an image is left too long on a screen, resulting in a ghost of that image burned in permanently. Newer plasmas are less susceptible to this thanks to improved technology and other features such built-in screen savers, but we still hear anecdotal reports here of burn-in with new plasmas.

5. Which is better value for me right now: plasma or LCD?
If you're in the market for a big screen television -- and we're talking 42-inches and above -- then we'd suggest plasma as a safe bet. Plasmas give you more bang for your buck at the big end of town, and while LCDs can give you better resolution, the price difference is currently too wide. However, if money's not an issue and you want the sharpest image in town, then a large LCD is for you. At the smaller end of things (15" to 36" TVs), LCD is the only way to go if you want something slim and tasteful. And the best thing is that LCDs are getting cheaper all the time.

[scblack]

to answer your question plasmas get halo effect, LCDs dont, a lot of people cant even pick it, i can and it gives me the shits though...

Never heard of it Lotec - what's it supposed to be?

[lotec]

its like lag, during really fast action scenes stuff will have a shadow behind it, apparently only 5% of people or less can pick it, so you can see it as a disadvantage but if you cant pick it i guess its not a problem, thats why with computer screens people get the fastest refresh rate possible, its the same thing, so i guess lcds can get it too, plasmas do it more though

edit: crt still pwns :P

[Pebble]

I've been reading on dvbt forums or something like that. Alot of info & different opinions! I've also read that blu ray will be coming around by mid year & hd-dvd is supposedly being released early this year too.

That makes the lcd tv choice relatively simple: probably just choose between what I've learned so far are better specs (Samsung & Sony are the highrunners & others still in consideration).

What's really bugging me now is: what set up to do along with it? A pvr, a dvd recorder, dvd recorder with hard drive? Probably go for a dvd recorder with some hard drive space I guess, but doesn't that mean I need a sd set top box (or is it ok just to record analogue & have a hd box for the tv?)

Doe anyone run a tv receiver & record stuff on their computer (I've got a laptop) and then play it throught the lcd???

Bit of a bugger sold the tv, it's going tomorrow, so wont get to watch anything for a couple of weeks! Ah at least I've still got the computer!

[ona rampage]

I agree with Scblack; went through the same circuse a while ago, and went with plasma over LCD.

Re burn in; urban myth. There was a test done (look through the forums on DBA, there is a link in there somewhere) where they left the plasma on all weekend on one screen (xbox paused on a game by memory). When they came back on Monday, there was burn in, but 24 hours later of playing straight DVDs the burn in was gone. Basically the technology these days will repair any burn in with ordinary use.

However, pixel burn out is a completely different beast! A couple of pixels will destroy your viewing pleasure, and depending on the manufacturer warrantee there is no replacement available! You need to read the warrantee before purchase to ensure you can get it repaired/replaced.

I have a topfield PVR box with 120 gig, and by god it is THE best thing for viewing; it changes the way you do watch TV. We record everything, and watch it later on (next day/week whatever), and skip all the ads! Pause/rewind live TV (good for when a wicket falls in the cricket or the wife starts talking during something you are watching), and with the topfield you can be recording two seperate programs whilst watching a third! Best thing ever! I recommend it over a DVD recorder, just for the versatility and features it has over the DVD (mainly the twin tuner setup!).

One thing I didn't know is that all DVD is actually only Standard Definition quality! So, recording analogue is no worries; you can't do much else. The only other option is a High Def PVR; Toshiba make one, and LG is supposed to be releasing one (they keep delaying the release date). The toshi however has more bugs then a cheap Bondi apartment....

As for why NCR600; well at least with the set top box you get a couple of more channels then you do without, and the picture quality is superb (makes watching sh1t a little easier :D )

[MasterOfReality]

My parents bought a 42 inch Hitachi HD plasma 2 years ago with a Pioneer surround system. 1024 x 1024 resolution, everything made in Japan.

Cannot fault it. Hell, i'd buy it now even if its 2 years old.

[lotec]

1024x1024? you have a square tv? or is everything just really squished like an elephant sat on the picture? :confused:

[scblack]

As for your topic question, I really didn't care what brand too much, as long as it was Made in Japan.

As long as thats the case, I reckon you can't go too wrong.

For the record mine's a Panasonic 42" plasma.

[scblack]

1024x1024? you have a square tv? or is everything just really squished like an elephant sat on the picture? :confused:
Good point, I'm fairly sure the highest is 768 X 1024.

[ona rampage]

Nope, Hitachi (like the one in my loungeroom) and Fujitsu come out in a 1024 by 1024 pixel configuration.

[MasterOfReality]

No, check the stats on the Hitachi website. This is a link to the one my parents bought. It has since been discontinued, but the newer models still carry the 1024 x 1024 resolution.

http://aus.hitachi.com.au/hitachi/content/template_products.asp?ID=1550

Its just a slightly higher resolution in one direction.

[lotec]

well if the link says so it must be, i just dont understand how that can work, unless what your watching was encoded that way, without squishing the picture:confused:

[Pebble]

ona rampage made some great points about pvr's
I would also have to agree with the made in Japan statement

So I guess the made in Japan list goes as follows (from the ones I know of so far):
Sharp
Samsung
Sony

Made in Korea is:
LG & Phillips which I've read quality wise are about 10% difference to the Jap stuff.

China: probably everything else and I've read it equates to about 30% less quality

Feel free to add to the list

From the reading I've been doing (including blu-ray release potentially end of this year & hd-dvd coming out some time early to mid year) I was thinking of going a dvd recorder with some harddrive space. I guess that way if we record stuff to disk my husband can take it to work & watch on his laptop or we can watch stuff in our bedroom on my laptop.

A hd pvr really sounds great! But doubt wether I would pay the $$ for it as I imagine it would be pretty pricey atm.

What about something like the fusion hd tv external digital tuner for pc's or laptops? Anyone have one of those?? Only $198 from AUSPC market online.

[ona rampage]

Hey Pebbles,

I am not 100% sure where the Fujitsu and Hitachi are made, but I would have put money on them being Japanese. However, there aren't that many factories that actually produce plasma screens (three from an old document that I read)....

Regarding the DVD bit; the Topfield can output to a laptop via the USB that comes with it. From there, you can burn to a DVD if you have the software/proceedure/patience.

I opted to not go for the HD PVR, as they are way expensive, very buggy (I managed to completely freeze the Toshi in under two minutes, just trying to get picture in picture going :eek: ), and not really worth it given the amount of HD TV actually available (not as much as you may think). Besides, if you keep in mind that SD is actually DVD quality, HD is a little over the top IMHO.

As for the blue ray & hd-dvd stuff; beware of being on the bleeding edge of technology. For my money, buy a TV that is a future proof as possible (i.e. HD capable), and then look at the components when they are out, bug free (relatively :D ) and affordable.

$0.02.

[bigsteve]

Howdy,

I've spent alot of time with LCD's, i've worked on Serveral roll outs to supermarket, news agent & bottleshop chains which TV's ranging from 17inch right up to the big suckers

For the larger sizes i've rarely seen problems with LG's and for smaller siuzes nebq was quite good.

Funny story though I reccomended an LG to the inlaws (as i'd used so many through work), their 50 something inch got delivered and had dropped a pixel. Replaced the next day though no questions asked it pays to use the preferred installer to install/tune it so if anything does fault your hands are clean.

[Pebble]

Definitely with new technology coming out I'm just keeping it in mind in regards to what we buy now - hopefully something that we won't loose too much money if we decide to upgrade in say 2yrs when new technology prices have settled etc. I wouldn't wait out for it & buy it first thing that's for sure!
Like you say a future proof tv for starters.

[Pebble]

Damn we consumers get sucked in to aim for the "best" brands!

After alot of reading and research the following comes up trumps!

Pioneer: 160gb recorder & hd stb price $1099 & $700 respectively (were talking rrp here)
with this I would be able to record sd tv at same time as watching hd tv both have HDMI

Sony 160gb recorder & hd stb price $100 & $700 respectively
probably same as the pioneer but not 100% on that but both have HDMI too

Sony 32" bravia V series LCD $4k
I thought I saw a combo deal for the tv & stb $4200

Samsung
32" LCD (m series) tv $3500 - probably get it for $3000 or so.
160GB dvd recorder $700

What are thoughts on that. Not sure on whos got longes warranty etc. But is it bost to keep stb & dvd recorder same brand? The bravia is proably a bit dear considering the Samsung is as good & offers longer warranty.

So hard to go past the SAmsung & either Pioneer or Sony for other bits - possibly samsung for the recorder?

Thoughts?

If we decide to look at in built tuners it's a different kettle of fish. Umm at this stage can't really see us going with the pvr - but possibly not a bad option considering new disc recording technology is coming around the corner!

All this amounts to more than we wanted to spend though!! Unless we get some sweet deals! Anyone know of sales coming up???

[echo]

yeah i got a phat nec lcd screen tv and its absolutly fab

[Pebble]

Ok, well in the end I brought a tiny usb2 (external usb hd tv tuner for the laptop) but it was USELESS! couldn't even pick up & display one channel! Very dissapointing seems as though I could get all the channels fine through my old samsung sd set top box! A waste of money unless you live in a capital city I guess!

So we went out & got a Topfield PVR & Phillips 26" LCD yesterday, $2700 (that could have got me a nice bike:( ) including extended warranty not a bad deal from Harvey!

What you think??

Sold my old bike too - for pittens, now waiting waiting to get my Trance 3 later in the year.

[apsilon]

IMO Sharp currently have the best LCDs around. I went through all this not long back and ended up with a fine pitch 76cm widescreen CRT. Far cheaper with better PQ than most of the more expensive options. Of all the plasmas and LCDs I looked at the Sharp was the only one I would've even considered buying.

As for the Toshiba HD STB/PVR - DO NOT BUY ONE! They're crap (I should know, I unfortunately have one). Have a look at the numerous threads and hundreds of posts about the problems on www.dtvforum.info

[ona rampage]

Mate, you will be very happy with the Topfield! It will change the way you watch TV, and (hopefully) reduce the amount of crap you do have to sit through.
With the LCD you should get a very nice picture as well!
Enjoy!

If you do have any problems, take apsilons advice and head over to www.dtvforum.info; heaps and heaps of good advice over there!