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

[ajmat]

As some like Gkrisn are aware, i was on the hunt for a new TV - nothing wrong with my BPL - gave it to my mum.

I was planning on a sony Bravia but felt it was overpriced, was prejudiced about plasma so I was hung up on an LCD. Decided on a Samsung LCD Mosel and planned on one subject to viewing it but...it never arrived and still has not despite their advertising it.

Went for the audio-video show in Bangalore and I could see that the current sony bravia's did not cut the mustard. Talked to Sam who persuaded me to consider plasma's. I was still hung up on a LCD and was not considering a Sharp. I was impressed with the pioneer and hitachi plasma models

I then lined up the sharp vs sony bravia X vs Phillips. Using the sony generator - they all look wonderful, if you notice the generator plays nice namby pamby stuff.

I made the dealer switch to something sensible like WWF - i noticed that everytime a fat man in a seersucker suit turned there was a blur. sony was slightly better than samsung - when playing a DVD they were almost the same.

So was it worth 2 lakhs for a 40" bravia, I think now, 1.5 lakhs for a sharp which is not perfect - I did not think so

Then the old man with his samurai struck eye for detail bellowed...look at the plasma. Could not find a dealer - emailed pioneer and hitachi - hitachi got their disti to contact me within 24 hours and put me on to his dealer.

Dealer is in start up mode so some bugs were there in his process but the TV was good, in terms of colour and value - 1.35 L for a 42". Have yet to get Tata sky but picture is good.

Plasma is no longer that fragile but if you move house a lot - you need to keep the packaging which is a lot! I bought it and am quite happy with it althoughI have only had it for two days (14 actually but I was travelling!)

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by mrhap

You seem to have quite some knowledge about these technologies.What do you have to say about the lcd vs plasma debate? I have been researching and usually its said that anything over 40 inches, one should go for plasma tvs and below it, LCDs are the best bet.Whats your opinion?

And how would you compare the LG Time machine plasma tv vs the Samsung 42 inch plasma tv?

Plasma vs LCD is a never ending debate. both have their pros and cons. I find LCD's less strain for the eye. Plasmas are more dynamic and their colour reproduction as well as response time is better.

LCD's currently have 7-8ms response time which will go down to 3ms in the next gen of LCD's.

Plasma panels are better suited for offices as their power consumption is higher as well as heat buildup due to the panel. An AC environment guarantees the best operating environment. Ideally the circuits inside are tested upto 70 degrees operating temperature inside.

There was a problem of burn in in the plasma panels which would result in permanent burning of a static display for too long on the screen. like the horizontal news bars on news channels. This is no longer an issue and has been more or less resolved.

Currently the technology is changing from plasma to LCD. In a few years it looks like OLED will surpass LCD.

LCD panels are growing in size as well. Initially 32" was the max. Now they go till 50", with 40" and 46" as well in between.

I had a 42" LG plasma and wasn't very impressed with it. I am not sure about the time machine plasma. I know the time machine LG isnt too great. I saw that with a tata sky connection and there was an issue with display rendering for any moving object on the screen. The same was fine on a samsung LCD.

The Samsung plasmas are pretty good. I believe in 42" they have the PS-42Q7H.

As rangaraj has mentioned Hitach and panasonic make very good plasmas. You'll notice hitachi has a 37" LCD as it's biggest size so as not to cannibalise the plasma of 42".

I mentioned in my previous post which of the LCD TV's are good currently.

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Dealer is in start up mode so some bugs were there in his process but the TV was good, in terms of colour and value - 1.35 L for a 42". Have yet to get Tata sky but picture is good.

Plasma is no longer that fragile but if you move house a lot - you need to keep the packaging which is a lot! I bought it and am quite happy with it althoughI have only had it for two days (14 actually but I was travelling!)

Congrats Ajmat. Hitachi LCD's are one of the best available. the price you got is very good. Which model is this? Is it the 9800TA?

[gkrishn]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Congrats Ajmat. Hitachi LCD's are one of the best available. the price you got is very good. Which model is this? Is it the 9800TA?

I think he got a plasma.
Ajmat, congrats on the new buy. As you said, neo mosel never arrived, atlest on 32. But guess i saw 2 or 3 NM 40 inchers.

I have one question here though. My parents TV in CBE, a bpl, and bunch of others in the same area got hit by a lightning. I guess the lightning landed on the cable and affected all the connected TVs. In their case, a simple fix was done and tv was back on its legs. Is there any way to protect these costly beasts from such attacks??

[vid6639]

oops. Thats what i meant but typed LCD instead of Plasma. Besides Hitachi doesnt have a 42" LCD.

gkrishn, I guess a voltage stabilizer will help in protecting against the lightning surges.

[AshOnTheRocks]

Originally Posted by vid6639

hey ash,

Currently the only reasonably priced LCD TV which supports true HD i.e. 1080p is the Samsung FHD Mosel. True HD content is still not available in India and for normal TV viewing it is overkill. There is the non 1080p model the Neo Mosel which is a better buy compared to the Bordeaux.

I am not very happy with the sony Bravia range other than the V200 series which is pricey.

Just to clarify I'm not working on any Samsung product. I just find them very good VFM.

The top quality stuff in the LCD market is Sharp with the aquaos range. Then it's hitachi with the current 9800 range. these are really expensive.

In between these is the Philips LCD range. These offer a very good display and the advantage being the audio quality is not sacrificed. The Pixel plus 2 processor with the Ambilight is its USP. Not very popular in India but doing very well in European countries and other Asian countries.

You will not be able to enjoy regular TV cable on these, you would atleast need a Tatasky DTH connection. The tuners of these TV's aren't that great so its better you use the set top box to convert to component input.

@rangaraj, nice find on the OLED. that looks more promising in the future compared to SED. But remember LCD is relatively still unexplored. there's a lot of development happening on this. So I guess theres a still long way till LCD goes out. Till the next world cup I would say it is safe to say that LCD will be dominant.

Hi,

Valid observations,there..Thanks.I have seen Sony Bravia X & S series (the dealer was pushing S series 40 incher..(is it a 2005 model??) Full HD X series 40" is retailing for 1.9L hence totally ruled out..Haven't yet checked Samsung Mosel (Samsung happens to be my client and discounts can be worked out)..Samsung dealer was pushing Bordeaux 40" and hence yet to check out the Mosel 40"..So what would you say : a Mosel 40" or Neo Mosel 40"(Bordeaux 40")?

Plasma Vs Lcd debate is never ending..Wish we can have one last word..So that one can move on..I am yet to decide on which tv to buy and world cup is starting :-(

[yogi1771]

hi members is it advisable to get a lcd or a plasma tv from singapore if so whats the price difference going on a trip to singapore

[vid6639]

I guess the charges for excess baggage as well as customs will negate the lesser price in singapore.

Plasmas are heavier so will pose a bigger problem getting it back.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by vid6639

oops. Thats what i meant but typed LCD instead of Plasma. Besides Hitachi doesnt have a 42" LCD.

gkrishn, I guess a voltage stabilizer will help in protecting against the lightning surges.

A voltage stabiliser will not help if the lightning hits the RF cable of the cable operator.

The best way to avoid it is to get a STB which will be the first to go if such a thing happens & the damage is minimal.

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

A voltage stabiliser will not help if the lightning hits the RF cable of the cable operator.

The best way to avoid it is to get a STB which will be the first to go if such a thing happens & the damage is minimal.

Yeah I didn't read the edited post that it was on the cable line. I thought the power line. In which case the STB will bear the brunt but if hits the antenna the LNBF should blow.

[mrhap]

Thank you guys, your responses have been quite informative. I have decided to go in for plasma tv as compared to lcd tvs because of following reasons -

Better contrast ratios, better brightness(1200cd/m^2 vs. 600cd/m^2), more natural colour reproduction, no problems of fast moving image blurring and cheaper price per inch of screen.

If plasma tvs have so many better features, why are the lcds supposed to be taking over plasma tvs????

One help required, am zeroing between the Samsung 42 inch plasma tv and the Hitachi 42 inch.....suggestions please? How big is the quality difference between the two and how good is the Hitachi after sales support in India?

Thanks

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by vid6639

I guess the charges for excess baggage as well as customs will negate the lesser price in singapore.

Plasmas are heavier so will pose a bigger problem getting it back.

Believe it or not, the hitachi plasma is cheaper in India than Singapore

I got a 9500 - why pay 30k more for a card reader and stuff to plug my lap top in

[esteem_lover]

Believe it or not, the hitachi plasma is cheaper in India than Singapore

Are you sure it is the same Hitachi ?

[AshOnTheRocks]

Originally Posted by yogi1771

hi members is it advisable to get a lcd or a plasma tv from singapore if so whats the price difference going on a trip to singapore

Hi Yogi,

I was speaking with my bro-in law who works in Singapore & the price diff.between there & here that he mentioned to me made me stop & reconsider picking up an LCD/Plasma from there..Infact,the IT expo just got over in Singapore & ppl who waited till the last day got amazing discounts on left over pieces..Yes,the price differential is as high as 20 -30% across brands and more so on plasmas & older gen.(read not-full HD) LCDs.

But the reality is with the custom duty (any idea how much..) & excess baggage charges,dunno if it would be worth to do so..Another thing note is that the global warranty may not be applicable in India & the headache of carrying it,risks involved & getting it set up will be at additional cost & one may not be able to get the right technician to do it..Therefore I have felt its not worth the effort to lug a delicate piece of plasma/LCD all the way from Singapore or else where..

[AshOnTheRocks]

Originally Posted by vid6639

hey ash,

Currently the only reasonably priced LCD TV which supports true HD i.e. 1080p is the Samsung FHD Mosel. True HD content is still not available in India and for normal TV viewing it is overkill. There is the non 1080p model the Neo Mosel which is a better buy compared to the Bordeaux.

I am not very happy with the sony Bravia range other than the V200 series which is pricey.

Just to clarify I'm not working on any Samsung product. I just find them very good VFM.

The top quality stuff in the LCD market is Sharp with the aquaos range. Then it's hitachi with the current 9800 range. these are really expensive.

In between these is the Philips LCD range. These offer a very good display and the advantage being the audio quality is not sacrificed. The Pixel plus 2 processor with the Ambilight is its USP. Not very popular in India but doing very well in European countries and other Asian countries.

You will not be able to enjoy regular TV cable on these, you would atleast need a Tatasky DTH connection. The tuners of these TV's aren't that great so its better you use the set top box to convert to component input.

@rangaraj, nice find on the OLED. that looks more promising in the future compared to SED. But remember LCD is relatively still unexplored. there's a lot of development happening on this. So I guess theres a still long way till LCD goes out. Till the next world cup I would say it is safe to say that LCD will be dominant.

Thank You for your inputs..

Few questions that comes to my mind is : I have CAS set up box installed instead of a DTH (I am in South Delhi)..Do you think it will work well on LCD tv or I have shift to a DTH..Secondly set top box have an output which can be connected to the TV input..

What would be a very good option in plasma tv : a present day 42" hitachi,panasonic (have panasonic flat screen crt tv for the last 5 yrs...still good),samsung,sharp or to go for present day 40" LCD tv..Samsung,Sony,Sharp,Phillips.. Guess I am asking you to repeat urself .