Buying a Flat Panel Display (LCD/Plasma/LED etc)

[PM - B]

@Zaks,
The FULL HD translates into a 1920*1080 resolution. Now these TVs come with built in Full HD tuners and upscalers. This means that irrespective of the input resolution the inbuilt Tuner will try and upscale the incoming signal to Full HD (normal signals are 640*480 = ~ 300, 000 pixels). The upscaler along with your image imporvement algorithms improve the picture seen.
As the scree size increases, if you do not have a corresponding increased # of pixels, the image displayed appears grainy.

When you consider a Full HD @1920*1080 this translates into ~ 2 million pixels. So obviously more is better.

A plasma TV for the same size is cheaper than a LCD. And most brand plasmas give a better picture than most of the LCDs.
Plasma screens still reflect some amount of ambient light where as LCD panels are better at this. Plasma screens have the issue of ghost, where logos, ticker tapes etc are displayed for extended durations, LCDs do not have this.
So for the kind of viewing that you have shared a Full HD LCD with a fast response time should be ideal, 120 Hz refresh rates or higher. If you do not have this refresh rate or better, fast moving scenes, especially sports will appear blurred, and this is not the way the image was shot, but because of the refresh rate of the LCD.


I hope this helps. You could however spend some time online or PM me, to get to know more. I believe bigger is better, as typically a Full HD can be kept for more than 10 years, hence suggest a 50" or bigger.

[amitk26]

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Originally Posted by gksunil

Yesterday saw an ad for Panasonic 42" LCD full HD for 55,000/- and 42" Full HD plasma for 65,000/-. I thought plasmas were cheaper. Any comments on panasonic LCD?

As per manufacturing cost goes Plasma is costlier to manufacture for same specification as compared to LCD. This is the main reason Plasmas are abandoned in favor of LCD by all major manufacturers including Panasonic. Plasmas were cheaper in market for some time possibly due to inventory clearance of older models.

Originally Posted by zaks

I have been thinking of getting myself a flat panel from some time but didn't have the time and money to be serious. Anyway this festival season I feel we can get the best bargains, what with recession and inventory clear up for new year. So I went around yesterday to various showrooms to have a look and this is what I found-

I saw the LCDs from Samsung, LG, Sony and Panny. And Bravia is good but many other have caught up with them since I saw last time. I can't remembers the models since they all have some LH/TH/LS blah blah numbers.
There was this LG PS series which was looking quite excellent. The Samsung (some model) was also ok and surprisingly the Panny (some x9) was equally good as the best there though it was kind of not kept well. The other thing was that it's colors were vibrant and the viewing angle was the best of the whole lot, even expensive ones.

I just looked at the basic specs but not too much since I think how it appeals to me when I view them live is what matters most than the actual specs.

I also went to other showroom where they had this Panny 32x9 with Panny 42c10 and they both were fantastic.

Now coming to the prices the 32" ones which I am primarily interested were all prices around 30k-35k for HD versions. The Panny LCD is at the lower end of the price band though it is as good as others in picture quality so that makes it a great bargain.

I would have liked to go for the 42c10 which was quoted at 44k and it looked fabulous but felt it's a little too big for me and I am not too much of a TV viewer. But there was this 37" FHD Panny LCD which is going for 44k which will be the perfect size.

So my question is how much is Full HD a necessity for me , beacuse it costs a full 10K more?
My viewing is mostly Sports, Discovery, Natgeo and maybe some Movies once in a while. Do Tata sky or Dish warrant a fuHD?

It's all LCD rage out there and the only plasma was one model of LG and Panasonic ones but they were not gathering much attention. The Bravias are the most expensive LCD, are they worth so much ?

Strictly speaking only BlueRay Discs warrants FullHD as of today in India, There is no FullHD satellite transmission today but situation may change very soon. So you have a choice buy a cheaper TV and change it later once you really have compelling need; but then that would always be an expensive affair so why not go for FullHD if difference is small.

Bravia is overpriced IMHO, premium pricing policy of Sony , Personally I do not see any reason for commanding such a premium but again buyers are willing to pay so why not.

I would suggest to look at something other then Sony.

[zaks]

Originally Posted by amitk26

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As per manufacturing cost goes Plasma is costlier to manufacture for same specification as compared to LCD. This is the main reason Plasmas are abandoned in favor of LCD by all major manufacturers including Panasonic. Plasmas were cheaper in market for some time possibly due to inventory clearance of older models.



Strictly speaking only BlueRay Discs warrants FullHD as of today in India, There is no FullHD satellite transmission today but situation may change very soon. So you have a choice buy a cheaper TV and change it later once you really have compelling need; but then that would always be an expensive affair so why not go for FullHD if difference is small.

Bravia is overpriced IMHO, premium pricing policy of Sony , Personally I do not see any reason for commanding such a premium but again buyers are willing to pay so why not.

I would suggest to look at something other then Sony.

Yeah that's what I am wondering about- the plasma screens are not cheap to manufacture but LCD panels can/are taking advantage of economies of scale since they are used for a wide variety of products like PC monitors etc, and hence their costs will keep coming down but not so for Plasmas. And moreover not many companies are investing into Plasma technology and many who did are winding it down but even if Panasonic does continue how many years before they bow to the market pressure?

Also finally the PQ difference between LCD and Plasma is negligible and will become immaterial shortly. So with these thoughts I feel it is better to go for LCD TV's unless you want large screens at affordable costs for Now.

[jassi]

Originally Posted by zaks

Also finally the PQ difference between LCD and Plasma is negligible and will become immaterial shortly. So with these thoughts I feel it is better to go for LCD TV's unless you want large screens at affordable costs for Now.

the price difference is negligible, but the picture quality is not negligible. The PQ you get on the panny plasma displays is better than lcds at the same price range. You can compare the HD ready plasmas with the HD ready LCDs at the same price and see the difference. Same rule applies for full HD. Check particularly for SD pic quality on the hd ready displays. Plasmas will far exceed the lcds. I can speak on behalf of all the plasma owners here, there are no ghosting issues or image retention, burn-in, etc. Thats a story of the past now used by lcd sales folks. Due to contrast based variable power consumption, monthly power bill is at par or even at times lower than lcds.
Technology to replace plasmas/lcds is local dimming LED LCDs (not the currently selling edge-lit LED LCDs). You can wait for local dimming LED LCDs to become economical enough, but till then plasmas will continue to offer value for money.

Edit - compare the 45k 42" panny hd ready plasma or 60k 42" panny full-hd plasma with equivalently priced LCD model. If you see no difference, buy what suits your eyes and wallet.

[naveenroy]

I recently saw the L42S9 model from Haier for 40K in Croma. Thought that was a good deal for a FullHD model. Any feedback?

[Maverick5490]

Hey Guys,

Am about to buy a 42" Plasma and have shortlisted the Samsung PS42B450 and the LG 42PQ70. Am ok with the features and prices of both the panels, please let me know which is the best out of these two and why..

[aadix]

Originally Posted by Maverick5490

Hey Guys,

Am about to buy a 42" Plasma and have shortlisted the Samsung PS42B450 and the LG 42PQ70. Am ok with the features and prices of both the panels, please let me know which is the best out of these two and why..

any reason in not picking up anything from the panny range?

[Sahil]

Got a quote of 52k(with b&w) for samsung series 5 LCD 40inch. Is it a good buy?

I already have a 37inch samsung series5 and very happy with it's performance. Two of my TVs conked off this monsoon due too high mositure in the air(one sharp LCD and one hitachi plasma) They are a nightmare to repair as I bought from grey market 3 years back and both companies don't have established service here. Hence I want an LCD with good service back up this time.

What other options do I have?The TV will be used mainly for DTH viewing. Size: min-37inch,max-42.
Would prefer a brand that offers extended warranty,do any?

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Got a quote of 52k(with b&w) for samsung series 5 LCD 40inch. Is it a good buy?

I already have a 37inch samsung series5 and very happy with it's performance. Two of my TVs conked off this monsoon due too high mositure in the air(one sharp LCD and one hitachi plasma) They are a nightmare to repair as I bought from grey market 3 years back and both companies don't have established service here. Hence I want an LCD with good service back up this time.

What other options do I have?The TV will be used mainly for DTH viewing. Size: min-37inch,max-42.
Would prefer a brand that offers extended warranty,do any?

Good choice I would say is it 530 or 550 ? Processor is good and picture quality is quite good specially in normally lit rooms it is lot better then any plasma. PQ is not just level of black ( Personally I do not find any less black on this but each to his own).

Actually series 6 is even better as it has DLNA and DVIX and MPEG4 decoding support from USB so you do not need any thing else to play your digital media.

These days LG models are more VFM though.

[Maverick5490]

Originally Posted by aadix

any reason in not picking up anything from the panny range?

Well.. basically because am not really sure about the service back up. When it comes to Sam or LG, they are pretty established.

[zaks]

Bangy Guys, what kind of deals are you getting in the EMI scheme for these panels? Whats the % interest?

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Got a quote of 52k(with b&w) for samsung series 5 LCD 40inch. Is it a good buy?

Someone I know bought the 40" 530 for 50.5K in cal.

I bought the 32 530 a few days back. While Airtel looks fine from 8ft, even with the much higher pixel density (FHD@32"), DTH looks better on my PV8(HDready@42"). Pixellation is pretty evident in the LCD for DTH.

Originally Posted by Sahil

Would prefer a brand that offers extended warranty,do any?

I vaguely seem to recall Panasonic offering a 3yr warranty on some panels. You may want to cross-check.

Originally Posted by zaks

Bangy Guys, what kind of deals are you getting in the EMI scheme for these panels? Whats the % interest?

Although not from B'lore, I got a 0 processing fee, 0% interest scheme (Bajaj Auto Finance) for the Samsung. Basically price of TV divided by 12. 4 EMI's upfront followed by 8 EMIs.

[santosh.s]

Originally Posted by shuvc

While Airtel looks fine from 8ft, even with the much higher pixel density (FHD@32"), DTH looks better on my PV8(HDready@42"). Pixellation is pretty evident in the LCD for DTH.

Interesting! I suppose pixellation is in the source itself (Airtel DTH). If so, the set which reproduces it should technically have a better PQ, rather than the one that masks it. Right?

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by santosh.s

Interesting! I suppose pixellation is in the source itself (Airtel DTH). If so, the set which reproduces it should technically have a better PQ, rather than the one that masks it. Right?

Well, if pixellation is in the source, should it also not show up in CRTs?

[Ajaybiz]

Few dealers in Bangy are offering 0% finance scheme from Bajaj finance that too just one month EMI in advance.