Buying a LCD TV

[mobike008]

How is Samsung 40" Mosel? I know its stripped down version of Bordeaux but is it worth buying it for that price? Any ideas what is it retailing now for and what discounts i can expect?

Also any chances of the prices coming down in upcoming budget?

[vid6639]

The mosel is not the stripped down version of bordeaux. it is the next version. has more features. 6000:1 contrast ratio. and 2 HDMI ports. card reader and USB port.

The stripped down version of bordeaux is the sonoma and is not worth it as the picture is very dull and dark even with full contrast and brightness.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by vid6639

The mosel is not the stripped down version of bordeaux. it is the next version. has more features. 6000:1 contrast ratio. and 2 HDMI ports. card reader and USB port.

The stripped down version of bordeaux is the sonoma and is not worth it as the picture is very dull and dark even with full contrast and brightness.

oops, i wanted to say Sonoma and said mosel. But, it anyways answers my question.

What do you suggest is the best brand ( is it samsung) and model ( is it bordeaux) to consider when choosing a 40" LCD, i mean a total VFM?

[vid6639]

VFM best is the standard mosel not the FHD model. The extra feature are worth the extra dough.

It costs 1.1L thereabouts. around 10-15K more than bordeaux.

[esteem_lover]

I feel that Plasma is a better investment than the LCD at this stage. It has better viewing at angles, better sharpness of images etc & lesser or no digital artefacts

[fb1]

esteem lover ur in the past, LCD tvs are much better than plasmas nowadays.. Checkout Sony Bravia LCD tv's... angles and all dont matter anymore

[shuvc]

Are there any Plasma display panels in the market ? i.e. without the TV Tuner ?

In these days of satellite television, the set-top box serves as the tuner, doesn't it ? In that case why pay for the tuner ? Might as well get a Display Panel ...

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by shuvc

Are there any Plasma display panels in the market ? i.e. without the TV Tuner ?

In these days of satellite television, the set-top box serves as the tuner, doesn't it ? In that case why pay for the tuner ? Might as well get a Display Panel ...

Makes a lot of sense. Why do we need the tuner & all the associated features in it ? The TV is just used as a display unit for the STB & even the audio is mostly connected to a better amp or HT. could reduce the cost of the TV as such.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

Makes a lot of sense. Why do we need the tuner & all the associated features in it ? The TV is just used as a display unit for the STB & even the audio is mostly connected to a better amp or HT. could reduce the cost of the TV as such.

There seems to be a catch here. After I posted that, I looked around in the Samsung and Sony sites.

Samsung for some reason, doesn't mention the prices of the PDP, but the 42 does not have a HDMI input.
Sony mentions the prices, the specs are also similar compared to Plasma TV's AND the prices are also similar :(

Guess it's not such a good idea after all.

[vid6639]

yes these are very much available. They are called plasma display panels. Generally offices will use this. there is no tuner and no speakers.

It just accepts a video source directly yo the panel.

Panasonic makes these panels.

[AshOnTheRocks]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Yup by the time true HD content is available there will be a newer format available and the TV's also will support more than 1080p by then.

The ones available now will become obsolete.

1080p currently is overkill and a waste of money.

At the time of 2008 Beijing Olympics we will see these. I can't give more details but I'm currently part of this product development for one of the leading LCD TV brands.

Hi!

Its awesome that you're part of a leading LCD TV brand product development!! Any more details of the project that you can share..

I am on the lookout for HD ready LCD tv ASAP due to the cricket world cup & I am looking for 40" LCD (coz I think 32" will be smaller for my living room where I intend to put up the tv)..Based on your experience, which LCD tv I should go for in 40" keeping in mind that tv is relevant (even if full HD is not relevant today but if it becomes a norm in a year or two)..

I have looked at Sony Bravia S series (40") selling at Rs.1,15,000 (down from 1,35,000) just a couple of days ago & Samsung Bordeaux (40" again) going for 1,05,000 MRP but will get it around 90K.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR VIEWS ON which LCD TV to go for..

Thanks

[rangaraj]

Well nothing secret about it.. there are a host of newer technologies that will eventually replace LCD and Plasma.. It will take time though for them to mature and become mainstream. the two prominant ones are OLED and SED.. You should see them being announced in 2008.. most of them are sorting out manufacturing issues and licensing in some cases.. Those who are interested can google these terms.. Here are a few pointers for the lazy ones ;-)..The contrast ration of these new technologies are orders of magnitude better Million:1 as compared to a few thousand:1 in the case of LCD.. The other advantage is the size of the screen, the relatively low cost of manufacturing and of course the resolution.. These can get to Film resolution - 2K or 4K lines (ordinary Standard definition TV is 525 or 625 lines and HD 1080 lines).. You could imagine each pixel being a mini CRT...

OLED TV Technology
Sony's 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio 27-inch OLED HDTV - Engadget
SED TV Technology

So if you are buying a TV now (I was forced to buy one as my old TV conked out), buy a relatively cheap LCD that you can move to another room later on once these new beasts become mainstream.. There is overcapacity of LCD's and manufacturers are getting rid of them.. prices dropping every month.. So dont go buy the top of the line, you will feel worse (My bravia model is 7k cheaper in a months time!)

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by AshOnTheRocks

Hi!

Its awesome that you're part of a leading LCD TV brand product development!! Any more details of the project that you can share..

I am on the lookout for HD ready LCD tv ASAP due to the cricket world cup & I am looking for 40" LCD (coz I think 32" will be smaller for my living room where I intend to put up the tv)..Based on your experience, which LCD tv I should go for in 40" keeping in mind that tv is relevant (even if full HD is not relevant today but if it becomes a norm in a year or two)..

I have looked at Sony Bravia S series (40") selling at Rs.1,15,000 (down from 1,35,000) just a couple of days ago & Samsung Bordeaux (40" again) going for 1,05,000 MRP but will get it around 90K.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR VIEWS ON which LCD TV to go for..

Thanks

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.

[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?

[rangaraj]

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?

Well, depends on the size/budget - generally speaking, Plasma's have better contrast ratio, the blacks and blacker and its performance (speed) is better. The flip side is that it draws more power/heat and there is a nagging thought of burn-in (which a few vendors have ways to avoid). Plasma's tend to be cheaper than LCDs as you go 40" upwards.

Between the Sony and the Samsung - the panels are the same (LCD), but difference is in the Bravia engine - the colors especially skin tones etc is noticible and that's what you pay for as a premium.

If you are looking at the Plasma's i would urge you to have a look at Hitachi (you get a 42" for around 1.1L and Panasonic - they are way better than LG or Samsung..

If you are looking at LCD's Sony, Sharp are good brands to look at.. The 1080P models currently out in the market are Samsung Full HD Mosel, the Bravia X series from Sony, not too sure if Philips has one out.. (the ambilight ones are more expensive than Sony)