Team-BHP - The TV Thread

Guys
its finally time for me to change my TV of nearly 10 years. The Sony Trinitron TV has served me well all these years without any hitch but recently started giving some odd problems. as you know, there is no longer any reliable service support for these models and hence thought of going for an LCD/LED

My requirement is to view regular TV channels in good picture quality and occassionally watch videos through a DVD player or a external storage device. Size does not matter ! I am looking for the 21-24" segment only

need your tips on the below
1) I understand LED is the technology to have ? But i notice LCD TVs are cheaper than LEDs. for my requirement will an LCD do ? what is the trade off ?
2) I want to avoid Koreans and go for the Japs ( Sony/Panasonic/Toshiba ) - is this a smart move ? or the fact that all TVs are made in China finally catches up with you no matter what the brand is ?
3) Should I buy from a showroom or online ( flipkart ) ? If the price is lower online, does it make sense to just go ahead ? it looks so convenient to me - but are there any trade offs ?

appreciate your help. I am sorry if some of these questions are answered already in this thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by narayan (Post 2997096)

I am recommending the below because I followed this path first around 6 odd years ago and again for one more room in the house just 4 months ago.

Change your world and viewing experience by getting yourself a nice Full HD LED flat panel Tv accompanied by a Tata Sky HD Plus DTH Dish connection and a nice DVD player with HDMI.
Go with Sony Toshiba, Panasonic and Sharp or other Japanese manufacturers if you are absolutely fixated but otherwise Samsung is just as good in terms of quality.
Believe me this will be a life changing feeling especially when you are moving from the CRT Tv and Cable Tv services.
The life changing experience can be achieved at fair prices now that the festive season deals are everywhere! So think indicatively of maybe 30 to 35k for a top 32 inch TV and DVD player plus another 4 or 5 k for the DTH.
Flipkart is a great option but check the fine print about availability in your city. Also check Croma, Ezone and any local electronics store like Viveks, Abhirami etc in Chennai before you buy. Well worth doing some research. Lastly buy the HD Tv which has at least 2 or 3 HDMI ports so as to be reasonably future ready.

Quote:

Originally Posted by narayan (Post 2997096)

My requirement is to view regular TV channels in good picture quality and occassionally watch videos through a DVD player or a external storage device. Size does not matter ! I am looking for the 21-24" segment only

What viewing distance do you have?
If the room is very small, then go for 24 inches, else go for 32 inches.

LCD typically consumes more power than LED of the same size. Plus there is no 3D option in LCD.

Consider minimum 2 HDMI inputs for your requirements and 1 USB.
Since Toshiba is on your list, have a look at 32PB21ZE. This supports 28 video formats from USB and should cost less than 20K.

Else, you can go for 24 inch LCD's which should be between 11K and 15K price range. However most of them won't have video format support from USB.

Thanks Guys for the feedback. I can see that LED is the way to go from the pov of having a USB/power consumption.

Viewing distance is about 15-18ft easily. Can rearrange and get even 30-35ft lengthwise.

Since I'm the only one who watches TV at home ( wife and son hardly watch. My mom does when she visits us ), I wanted to keep the budget tight ( funny thing - once u have a family you think the most when ur spending for urself ! ). What would be the best model LED with HDMI/USB <15K ? I presume expecting 3D @ this budget will invoke some infractions !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by narayan (Post 2997287)

Even 15 feet is overkill for a 22" LED
I suggest increasing the budget or decrease the viewing distance.
Maximum Viewing Distance for a 22" LED should be around 8-10ft.

Quote:

Originally Posted by k2max6 (Post 2997469)

Even 15 feet is overkill for a 22" LED
I suggest increasing the budget or decrease the viewing distance.
Maximum Viewing Distance for a 22" LED should be around 8-10ft.

k2max6 - guess i will go for reducing the viewing distance. What exactly is the issue with the distance per se ? I have a 22" flat screen LCD monitor for my computer and I am quite ok watching movies in this from about 15-18'. Does the distance affect the clarity ?

which models would be the top picks in the 22" segment ?

@Sachinj12

22Inch? For sure?

I would get a computer monitor with matte finish from Acer. My Computer monitor is 26 inch :) so 22 has become such a small size for any reasonable viewing and you do not need HD at that Size.

In fact a CRT tv will give you better picture on a simple SD connection. YOu can save a lot on TV, cable connectivity etc.

HDTV for 22inch is an over kill personally to me. I have tried using both HDMI and simple vga cable and i can say the difference are visible if you are sitting at 1 feet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sachinj12 (Post 2997630)

Hey guys, need some help. I am looking for a 22inch LCD TV, any suggestions which one I should pick up? Viewing distance is around 8 feet, so dont want a bigger screen.

Requirements : 1) Should be full HD 2) Should have USB slot

Please explain in noob language :)

Need to buy one ASAP. Thanks in anticipation.

I hope you mean 32 inch

For 8 feet distance on 32 you won't even find diff between hd and full hd

For a distance like 8 feet go for at least 32

Need one clarification regarding HDMI cables. Does HDMI cables support two way communication?
I was checking out some home theatre systems yesterday and was checking with sales person about availablity of multiple HDMI input ports in the same (for connecting STB, gaming consoles etc), however all theatre systems on display was having only one port and as per sales agent ie since HDMI cables offer two way communication. I know of systems which have more than one HDMI In ports, but just wanted to know if there is any truth in what sales person was talking to.
My question is, suppose I have two HDMI supported devices (play station and STB) as per my understanding I would have connected HDMI out of both to HDMI in of HTS and then HDMI out of HTS to HDMI in of TV so that I get both play stations and STB's audio over HTS.
However as per sales person, best option was to connect play station directly to HDMI of TV and STB through HTS to second HDMI in of TV (remember HTS has only one HDMI In port). However when I asked how come audio of play station will come through HTS in this case he answered it will come through TV since connection from HTS out to TV in will have two way communication. Iam not sure of this, please help.