[S_U_N]

Sony, Panasonic, Sharp seen as Japan’s worst performing companies in 2012

http://japandailypress.com/sony-pana...n-2012-2620417

Looks like the Koreans are going to put an end to the Japanese.
I am not sure what is the implication on the TV market, but I am not happy to hear this.

There is also news that Panasonic may end plasma line and concentrate on OLED with Sony.

However, one site has posted information on S60 model seen in a store in US.

We have to wait for CES in US to get more details from the horse's mouth.

[longhorn]

Sharp is the only brand in India that provides original JApan panel. Don't know about service but the PQ is a class apart from the rest.

[M5_fan]

Originally Posted by longhorn

Sharp is the only brand in India that provides original JApan panel. Don't know about service but the PQ is a class apart from the rest.

To correct you on this. All panasonic plasma panels are made in osaka, japan. I dont know about their lcds though.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by longhorn

Sharp is the only brand in India that provides original JApan panel. Don't know about service but the PQ is a class apart from the rest.

It doesn't matter where its made.Samsung SPVA panels for eg are made in korea as well as china and AU optronics AMVA panels are made in Taiwan which are all superior to the UV2A panels in key areas such as contrast.

[khoj]

Thank you guys, I am recuperating and will be discharged in a day or so. Thank you pankaj, I sincerely appreciate your gesture, will definitely get in touch if the situation so demands.

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by aim120

It doesn't matter where its made.Samsung SPVA panels for eg are made in korea as well as china and AU optronics AMVA panels are made in Taiwan which are all superior to the UV2A panels in key areas such as contrast.

Somehow it matters. Panasonic panels are made in Japan and the company offers 3 year warranty on the panel. Shows confidence in product to a customer like me. The TV is made / assembled in Taiwan though.

[M5_fan]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Somehow it matters. Panasonic panels are made in Japan and the company offers 3 year warranty on the panel. Shows confidence in product to a customer like me. The TV is made / assembled in Taiwan though.

Correct. Companies like samsung just offer 1 yr warranty on their plasma panels and they do not even allow extended warranty on it even if you are ready to pay for it.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

Somehow it matters. Panasonic panels are made in Japan and the company offers 3 year warranty on the panel. Shows confidence in product to a customer like me. The TV is made / assembled in Taiwan though.

The warranty applies only to the panel and nothing else,just like a A.C or refrigerator which has 3 to 5 years warranty on compressor.Most likely before the panel goes kaput, the various other components may fail like the power supply or image processing board.

Even Philips offered 4 years warranty on their entire lcd tv and not just the panel , in a bid to improve their sales.
These companies have poor market share and Panasonic in particular mainly pushes plasmas(they also don't have large screen sizes in lcd) and plasma tvs itself have low market share.So they give extra warranty in an effort to increase the sales. Also ,not all panasonic panels are made in japan,their lcd panels particularly the larger 42" and upwards are mainly made by LG in Korea.

Top first tier companies like samsung,Sony,LG don't offer more then 1 year warranty in india.Although theses companies give around 5 years warranty in some western countries and those tvs have the same panel that we get here in India.

So while having extra warranty is definitely a plus point.The same cannot be said for Made in Japan anymore,if anything it only increases the production costs.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by aim120

... theses companies give around 5 years warranty in some western countries ...

Higher sales revenues justify a risky replacement strategy (longer warranty). They can't support it in India with lower sales.

[Styler]

A 42" top of the line Panasonic VT / GT series plasmas costs over 80K. This is almost double the cost of a Samsung 40" LED. People still line up to buy it, this just shows that people who know technology are still willing to spend double for a Plasma, because it has no match in Picture quality.
As for warranty, my P42U30D panel got a vertical line, and it was replaced free of cost with a P42UT50D which is almost double the cost. This tells you about the ethics of a company.
And 3 Year warranty by Panasonic is on the entire TV not just the Panel.

Styler

[longhorn]

Originally Posted by M5_fan

To correct you on this. All panasonic plasma panels are made in osaka, japan. I dont know about their lcds though.

I should have made myself clear. I was referring to the LCD/LED panels. In India we get AUO panels for the Samsung LED TV's while in Europe they provide Samsung/Sharp/Chei Mei/AUO panels on the very same model. Samsung SPVA panels are the preferred one among these. In India only Sharp provides Japan manufactured panels for their LCD/LED range. Everything else is local/China/Taiwan/Malaysia made.

Originally Posted by aim120

It doesn't matter where its made.Samsung SPVA panels for eg are made in korea as well as china and AU optronics AMVA panels are made in Taiwan which are all superior to the UV2A panels in key areas such as contrast.

Where the panel is manufacuterd has an impact on the quality/life of the product. My 21 CRT Sony was assembled in Malaysia with parts supplied from Japan. That TV lasted 17 years.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by Styler

A 42" top of the line Panasonic VT / GT series plasmas costs over 80K. This is almost double the cost of a Samsung 40" LED. People still line up to buy it, this just shows that people who know technology are still willing to spend double for a Plasma, because it has no match in Picture quality.
As for warranty, my P42U30D panel got a vertical line, and it was replaced free of cost with a P42UT50D which is almost double the cost. This tells you about the ethics of a company.
And 3 Year warranty by Panasonic is on the entire TV not just the Panel.

Styler

As of today the lcd/led are still more expensive to buy then plasmas.
When you are comparing panasonic VT/GT plasmas to samsung lcd ,you must compare it to a equivalent samsung model such as the series 6, 7 and 8 which are priced similar to the VT/GT plasma and in larger sizes lcds are even more expensive.
Secondly the panasonic/Sony models are directly imported and are subjected to higher custom duties of around 35% or so,where as samsung and Lg tvs are assembled in india ,their panels are still imported but are taxed at only 5%.

[vista_qjd]

I am scouting for a LED TV and have been interested in two models - Toshiba 40 PX200 and Panasonic 42E5D.
Both are priced competitively (~56K) and offer internet applications like youtube. Toshiba has a 3 year warranty and looks pretty good, while the panasonic has a larger (42 inch) screen. Anyone who has reviewed these TV options, can you please let me know your thoughts.

[negativeH]

Guys need some advice.
Have been thinking of buying a full HD 40" LED for sometime now. However, my insistence on full research before buying has delayed the purchase a lot already.

Now I have two doubts:
- LED or Plasma?
Yes, the Plasma quality is better, but for a 40" screen, is the diff in quality that apparent? Nobody in my circle has a Plasma, and the Sales guys just push LEd's blindly so can't check that. The TV would be used for watching normal channels and the occasional USB powered movie, so keeping that in mind I think LED should suffice, right?

-Smart TV. Is it worth the extra dough?
The TV is to be used by my mother mainly, and internet is not going to be used on the TV. If I get the basic model, I have to skip features like Eco sensor and Pic-in-Pic. Is that a deal breaker?

My 2 shortlisted choices are:
-Samsung 40" 5330 (or 5600 if Smart TV proves essential)
-Panasonic P42X50D
Any other suggestions/improvements? Budget ~~50K

I'd be buying from a dealer only, so Manu Warranty is essential.

[LionX]

Hi NegativeH,

My reply is purely based on the fact that your mother will be the primary user.

Yes, the picture quality of Plasma is way better, BUT only to a trained eye. The main differences are black level and picture depth which will be visible even for a smaller screen like 32".

I would recommend an LED, not the smart one for her because,
1. She might not even notice the quality difference between plasma and led.
2. Dull look of the plasma picture might not be very pleasing vs high contrast of leds.
3. Power consumption, 300w vs below 200w for led.
4. She might not going to watch high resolution content where plasmas shine.
5. SMART tv might be too complicated for her as the menu is cumbersome.

Don't get me wrong here, i am a user of Panasonic X10 42" plasma for the past 3 years and never regretted the decision.