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

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by shuvc

@Razor and I checked out the new LG 32 Plasma. Although I'm no expert here, but must say it's pretty good for it's price. We compared with a 32 LCD and two other 42 plasmas.
List price is 40K. Discounted price 38.5K - without any bargaining.

Great, now to add more to my confusion I've now a Plasma TV at mouth watering price.Damn, I'm totally at lost what to buy.
BTW, had almost zeroed down to Philips 7332 or LG 32LB9 and then got confused as philips 've launched a new model 7768.And now this Plasma.Now I'm in a soup.

EDIT : Also, when I checked the LG site I found that the resolution of the Plasma is 852*480 so doesn't that mean that it's not even HD ready ? Same is with their 42PC7RC.Am I missing something here ?

[anuragn]

Hi,
Here's a slightly different question. The viewing distance would be appx 12ft, so should I buy a 32" LCD or a 37" would be better?
I'm in a dilemna about screen size since my budget is 40K, stretchable upto 45K, but don't want to be stuck with a wrong-sized (read: smaller-sized) screen.

[sivakarp]

Hi anuragn,

Bigger the better, for 12ft you could go upto 55inches.

The guideline formula for HDTV in inches= (Viewing distance in feet/2.5)*12


Regards

[khanak]

Originally Posted by sivakarp

Hi anuragn,

Bigger the better, for 12ft you could go upto 55inches.

The guideline formula for HDTV in inches= (Viewing distance in feet/2.5)*12


Regards

but with a budget of 45k I dont think he will be able to go above 32

[sivakarp]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Great, now to add more to my confusion I've now a Plasma TV at mouth watering price.Damn, I'm totally at lost what to buy.
BTW, had almost zeroed down to Philips 7332 or LG 32LB9 and then got confused as philips 've launched a new model 7768.And now this Plasma.Now I'm in a soup.

EDIT : Also, when I checked the LG site I found that the resolution of the Plasma is 852*480 so doesn't that mean that it's not even HD ready ? Same is with their 42PC7RC.Am I missing something here ?

Yes, most of the low end plasmas are not HDTV, instead they are EDTV(Enhanced Definition TV),480p max. When it comes to resolutions LCD rules.Skip these models and look for 720p(1280x720) or higher plasmas/LCDs .

Regards,

[floor_it_baby]

Originally Posted by anuragn

Hi,
Here's a slightly different question. The viewing distance would be appx 12ft, so should I buy a 32" LCD or a 37" would be better?
I'm in a dilemna about screen size since my budget is 40K, stretchable upto 45K, but don't want to be stuck with a wrong-sized (read: smaller-sized) screen.

At about 12ft, your screen size should be around 60-65 inches if you are looking at 720p. In fact you could even consider 480p as you won't be able to make out the difference at that distance. But keepping your budget in mind you could get a 32" and sit at a distance of around 6 ft. to get a better hdtv experience

[anuragn]

Originally Posted by khanak

but with a budget of 45k I dont think he will be able to go above 32

Yes, yesterday I went ot the market and found that any 'decent' 37 incher costs no less than 60K, hence dropped the idea of buying anything larger than 32".
I got a chance to compare 5-6 brands side by side out of which Sony 32S310A (@Rs.44990) and LG LC7 (@Rs.42990) look good at my budget of 45K. I would prefer Sony over LG, but I want to know what is the difference between sony's v-series and s-series?

[kaushik_s]

Originally Posted by sivakarp

Yes, most of the low end plasmas are not HDTV, instead they are EDTV(Enhanced Definition TV),480p max. When it comes to resolutions LCD rules.Skip these models and look for 720p(1280x720) or higher plasmas/LCDs .

Regards,

Hey thanks, yeah I'm back to LCD's now. Now the fight is between the first 3 - >
Philips 7332 - fits into my budget nicely just 42k. Good picture quality.
Philips 7762 - more features,newer tech,3 HDMI and I liked the picture quality of it's 42 inch brethren and I found the pic quality slightly better then 7332 (but that is may be due to the settings also)
LG32LB9 - Picture quality same as 7332, looks nice but never used LG before so not much idea how the after sales are.

Samsung LA32R8B - Bit more pricey and I didn't like the too rich picture quality of Samsung
Sony - I'm fed up of paying Sony for their overpriced/overhyped models,be it TV or music systems.
Regards,
Kaushik
How is the service of Panansonic, cause when I was looking around few of the people advised me to stay away from it as the After sales is very very poor. Is it true ? Although they did admitted that Panasonic is probably the best in the lot.

[mobike008]

I watch my LCD ( 40 inches) from a viewing distance of approximately 12ft-13ft and it looks very nice. However, i have noticed if i inch a feet or two backwards the viewing becomes even better.

[sivakarp]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I watch my LCD ( 40 inches) from a viewing distance of approximately 12ft-13ft and it looks very nice. However, i have noticed if i inch a feet or two backwards the viewing becomes even better.

Actually there are four factors which affects the theater like feel;

1) The TV size
2) Aspect ratio (16:9 is a must)
3) Display resolution
4) Viewing distance

So the optimal distance is where you are not able to see the individual pixels.Lower resolution leads to higher viewing distance.

[Su-47]

Originally Posted by anuragn

I got a chance to compare 5-6 brands side by side out of which Sony 32S310A (@Rs.44990) and LG LC7 (@Rs.42990) look good at my budget of 45K. I would prefer Sony over LG, but I want to know what is the difference between sony's v-series and s-series?

Sony's V series has WCGFL, (wide color gamut). The wide color gamut flouroscence is supposed to deliver more vibrant colors. I think the greens benefit the most.

I was in the same dilemma some time back, and chose LG over Sony S series.

[mobike008]

LG would be much better deal than a Sony S-series. Sony products are always overpriced and they stand by their pricing and don't offer any discounts ( even if it means low sales)

[sivakarp]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Hey thanks, yeah I'm back to LCD's now. Now the fight is between the first 3 - >
Philips 7332 - fits into my budget nicely just 42k. Good picture quality.
Philips 7762 - more features,newer tech,3 HDMI and I liked the picture quality of it's 42 inch brethren and I found the pic quality slightly better then 7332 (but that is may be due to the settings also)
LG32LB9 - Picture quality same as 7332, looks nice but never used LG before so not much idea how the after sales are.

Samsung LA32R8B - Bit more pricey and I didn't like the too rich picture quality of Samsung
Sony - I'm fed up of paying Sony for their overpriced/overhyped models,be it TV or music systems.
Regards,
Kaushik
How is the service of Panansonic, cause when I was looking around few of the people advised me to stay away from it as the After sales is very very poor. Is it true ? Although they did admitted that Panasonic is probably the best in the lot.

Hi,no idea about these models,however some technicals;

1) LCDs has very poor reproduction of blacks.Darker screen images never show up as true black, but rather as various shaes of gray.Select the one which produce closer to black color.

2) Response time <= 5ms, just to avoid seeing the moving ball trail.

3) Resolution as stated previously, should be >= 720p. You get the best feel when the viewing distance is less. For the same size,higher resolution TV allows to sit closer.


I own Panasonic(very good) and here are the specs;

Model:TX-32LX700C
Display Type:LCD
Price:Rs.48500(Jan08)
Response Time:5ms
Aspect Ratio:16:9
Visible Screen Size: 80cm(Diagonal)
Display Resolution:1366x768
Speakers:Woofer(120mmx60mm) 2 numbers, Tweeter(23mmx100mm) 2 numbers
Audio Output:29W rms
HDMI: 2 ports
SD Card slot
SRS TruSurround XT


Panasonic after sales service no idea, so far no issues.


Good luck for your hunting

[kaushik_s]

Only 48.5 k for Panasonic 32LX700 ? I was quoted something around 60K if I can remember correctly.
BTW, out of all the models that I've mentioned only LG has response time of 5ms others all are 8ms. So you mean to say that should I go for LG ? LG is available for around 43k.

[sivakarp]

Originally Posted by kaushik_s

Only 48.5 k for Panasonic 32LX700 ? I was quoted something around 60K if I can remember correctly.
BTW, out of all the models that I've mentioned only LG has response time of 5ms others all are 8ms. So you mean to say that should I go for LG ? LG is available for around 43k.

Yes,got this price thru an insider in Panasonic.



Just by looking at response time, yes, but then check other parameters like black reproduction, display resolution,sound quality(if you are going to use TV speakers), connections like composite,S-Video,Component,HDMI(these requirements will be based on your video sources).

If you have game console(PS3) look for two HDMIs

For your portable video sources like camcorder you need to look at the connections on the front/side.It is lot easier to make a quick temporary connection.

And for the contrast ratio there isn't a standardized,approved way of measuring, so one manufacturer's 1000:1 may not be the same as another's.Use your own eys or look at the reviews of the product.

If your are going to use composite cable anytime, then comb filter is a must, minimum look for 3D-Combo.

Good luck and let me know your selection