Looking for advice in purchasing an LCD TV

Hi,

I am looking for advice in purchasing an LCD TV. Here is a few points.

1. I know I want a 81cm-82cm or 32 inch LCD/LED TV. I've made my mind up on that. I have no want for a larger one.

2. I was told in a shop that TV manufacturers interchange the terms LCD and LED in TV specs. I know what LED and LCD is. But why would the store person say this. Is there any difference when the manufacturers say LCD or LED on the boxes on the TVs.

3. I've heard many people on this forum find Samsung customer service a nightmare. And because of this I will not choose that brand.

4. I would like a 1080p TV. That is HD yes. But if the resolution is slightly off HD I think that's a bad thing. Is that a bad idea to get. Will it distort the image much? Or should I stick with exactly 1920 X 1080 which is 1880p?

5. And what Hz should I be looking for. I have it written down somewhere. But does it matter if this is off. Like I always thought you want 60hz or a multiple like 120 hz etc. Is something like 50hz bad? I think 50hz TVs are a not a good idea but I'm sure one of you will point me in the right direction.

6. A lot of the TVs are only 1366 x 768. Not full 1080p. I want to steer clear of tvs with this less than HD resolution. That's the right thing to do yes?

7. Here is a few of the TVs I have looked and what is your all opinion on them?

Panasonic VIERA 32'' Full HD LCD TV - Led, Lcd, 3D, Plasma TV - JB Hi-Fi - Smashing Prices!

Sony BRAVIA 32" Full HD LED LCD TV - Led, Lcd, 3D, Plasma TV - JB Hi-Fi - Smashing Prices!

http://****smith.com.au/product/GE6174/toshiba-81cm-32-quot-full-high-definition-lcd-tv-32cv700a

http://****smith.com.au/product/GE6087/lg-81cm-32-quot-full-high-definition-lcd-tv-32ld460

Replace the **** with "d ick". Yes that's his name. Australians will be familiar with him. Just silly forum censorship

8. What are your opinions on the matter? What TV would be the best one for me to get. Cause to me I know TV specs but I know nothing about what brand is better then any other. And if you want to suggest a 32 inch tv that is not on the list by all means do so.

Thanks.

Go with the Panasonic Veria as they are absolutely brilliant.


Have a read of this:-


http://www.mactalk.com.au/23/94301-purple-vertical-line-2-month-old-sony-kdl46hx800-3dtv.html

My initial reaction - brand name wise - I'm a fan of both Toshiba and Panasonic with the Sony a close third - I've owned multiple sets of all three of these brands just in the HD age over the last 5-7 years - won't go back any further than that.

Have no issues with LG, their gear just never seems to make it to the top of any of my lists. They just always seem to be short on something.

Heading to the manufacturers sites for a quick look, here's how I narrow the list.

HD Inputs - HDMI & Component
Toshiba - 4 & 2
Panasonic- 3 & 1
Sony - 4 & 2
LG - 2 & 1 - See what I mean - this one gets kicked after looking at the first spec.

Sony - you're looking at paying that extra $100 for the ethernet technology that's integrated into it. I'm really not interested in what it offers for that money - would rather save the $$ for another piece of hardware that would do more of what I want.

Between the Panasonic and Toshiba:
the Panny is using an IPS panel, the Toshi - ??
the Toshi is LED backlit, the Panny - ??

My best guess - the Panny may have a touch brighter colors and the Toshi may have a touch better blacks. Check the warranty there - over here, I think the Toshi is 2 yrs and Panny is 1.

I'm down to 2 sets - time to take a trip to compare viewing angle and aesthetics in person.

You cannot compare PQ in store - at least not in any big box store - don't even try.

edit: While I have connected my Macs to several models of both Toshiba and Panasonic via HDMI and had no issues, I do not believe all the issues we see are related to the TV vendors alone - I believe Apple and their implementation of the HDMI/HDCP spec plays a part. Therefore, the other comparison you might want to do, see if you can find the owner's manual for each model and verify that they will accept 1920x1080 via their VGA (PC) input.

2. Because the salesman doesn't have a clue. LED sets are LCDs. LED sets are backlit by LEDs. Some use white LEDs and some use RGB LEDs - these are better. A manufacturer calling their set an LCD usually means it is not LED backlit, but not always.

4. They all should be 1920x1080 at the price range you're looking in.

5. What's your source? I think most of European TV is broadcast at 50hz while here in the US it's broadcast at 60hz. 50hz is said to give you a better static image and 60 hz is said to give you a better moving image. Been a long time since I even looked at this info that much. But, for this TV purchase, I think you're going into overload on the technology side maybe just a little. ;D

Practically all HDTVs made in the last 2 years blow away almost all the HDTVs made during the first 2-3 years of HD. You'll more than likely be happy with just about anything you bring home picture wise in that small a size.

It is possible to have an LCD tv with LED, in almost all the first released "LED TV's," they were LCD with a back lighting sourced by LED(white). These usually had brighter pictures, and tended to look more vibrant due to the bright white light emitted from the white LED's. The easiest way to tell if a tv is pure LED is to check out its thickness. If it's an LCD-LED, it will be as thick as a regular LCD. If it's a pure LED, it would be about 1" thick.

Honestly, pure LED tv's are nice, but the deals on an awesome LCD LED tv are so good, that I would easily pass up on pure LED tv's.

If your mind is truly set on a 32", make sure you get 1080p, and get one that has a higher frequency rate than 60hz, especially if you want to use it with your computer. The only exception to that is Toshiba, which has a "Game" mode that increases a videos on-screen frame rate, even if you only have 60hz. I have now owned 2 toshiba LCD's for a about 3 years, and they have been absolutely perfect. My friends have also been lured into buying a 40" and 55" inch Toshiba, and they are all really happy with them. Just saying.

I also think 600-700 bones is a lot for a 32" these days. Newegg had a SWEET deal on a 32" 1080p for $350 just recently...here it is, was able to retrieve the sale ad from my email trash. For the price of $350us, this is what I would buy!
Newegg.com - Toshiba 32" 1080p 60Hz LCD HDTV 32E200U
This has the "Game" mode I was talking about!

This is the actual whole ad listing, if you want it:
http://promotions.newegg.com/neemail/mar-0-2011/madness15/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL031511&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL031511-_-EMC-031511-Index-_-E0-_-PromoWord

1 other thing. Sony and Samsung make great TV, but unless I was looking for 46" or above, I would not spend the extra $$ on them.

You forget he's down under - $$ don't go quite as far down there. ;D

Toshi & Panny both have that Gaming mode. As Idrinor's review above goes to show, you're just not going to find much negative surrounding either one of these 2 companies when it comes to TV sets. I've had 2 Toshi's in last couple of years, a 37" and a 65" - both of them great sets and still going strong in their new owner's homes. Currently using two Pannys - 42" & 58". Some folks accuse me of changing electronics the way others change clothes.

bobtomay said:

You forget he's down under - $$ don't go quite as far down there. ;D

Click to expand...

Well, ain't that a deal screwer! Should've been obvious with the links...

To Harry B.

I had a look at the Panasonic Veria's in a few stores and they looked just fine to me. Yes I know that the TV screen settings are set for the store and need to be reset for home use when you get home, so I read up a few reviews and they look just fine. So they are on my list.

Your link though. It really has a lot of people on it complaining about Sony TVs. And I've heard the same. Yeah I know others here have recommended Sony's here but I dunno. This makes me think.

To bobtomay.
I want to buy this TV to use it as a TV. Not as an external computer screen. Not really as a gaming screen. I do own a Wii though but I don't use it that much these days. And all I will have hooked to it will be a dvd player and some external speakers I own. So the number of ports don't bother me too much.

So I'll look around for the Panny and the Toshi TVs. I did quite like the Panny though. Thanks.

Yes the salesmen had no clue. I told them LCD is not the same as LED and he was like yes it is. He just didn't understand the difference. Oh well.
PAL is 50hz which is used in Australia. I'll try to look for a higher hz model but I think most should just be fine by me.

To idrinorbarsaku:
Firstly your Newegg link is a no good. As that is a US link with US prices. And I am Australian. And I linked places with Australian prices. Yes I know there is less shipping distance from China/Japan to Australia than the US but they charge more here. Maybe it's to cover the fluctuating exchange rate of our dollar. I don't know. But we do get the raw end of the prices when it comes to electronic goods.

Everywhere I have looked the prices for 32 inch TVs are $400-$800 roughly. So yes that's the price that must be paid here. Sad but that's life and I've gotten over that fact.

Thanks for the links though. The info there is useful.

******************

So it seems these are the basic facts from all your helpful info.

Samsung - Steer clear.
Sony - Mixed reviews + I don't need the ethernet technology.
Toshiba - A good buy.
Panasonic - A good buy.
LG - A good buy too but less ports for the same rough price.

So pretty much from this info I'm down to the Toshiba and the Panasonic. I'll hunt around more places on the weekend and see what good deals for paying cash I can get. And I will let you know on that one I end up purchasing.

Thanks a million for all the info. It's been really helpful.

And one last thing. Why I want such a small screen is because a rarely watch TV. Just the occasional DVD or news update or 1-2 shows a week. But I only own an old analogue CRT and they are killing the analogue signal in my area soon. And only having the digital signal. So I need to upgrade. And paying $100-$200 for a set top box is like what's the point if for $400-$800 I can get a whole new TV. So that is my motivation to get a new TV. And get it before the hordes buy the TVs just before the analogue signal is switched off.

Take a couple of minutes to watch this short - but very well done video - and you'll know 100x what the avg sales person does about LCD displays. LCD technology torn down and explained in the most lucid and accessible terms yet (video) -- Engadget

Well I can tell you what TV I ended up with.
They had a sale on the LGs. $499 with a free Blu Ray player. And my folks just bought it for me. And rocked up at my place with it. And said early birthday present, but you pay $300 and they paid the other $199. So looks like the choice was taken from my hands.

The LG looks good. Only 2 ports. But all I needed was 1 HDMI port for the Blu-ray player and some standard video/sound ones for my Wii (which I hardly use to be honest), and 2 audio for my external speakers. So it has enough ports for me.

Yes I think that's a good deal. Maybe not the one I wanted to go with but eh kind of took the choice of of my hands. But it's not bad though.

Thanks for the advice though.

I'd say that's a nice deal in aussie dollars. If you need more devices, you can step up to an A/V receiver to handle the switching later on. And there's not that much difference in PQ between any of the TVs over the last couple years. Am sure it looks nice sittin' in your house. Congrats.

Thank you bob.
Well it does look nice. The old CRT had a boot that weighed a ton (the picture tube). I'm glad I own a TV now I can move on my own. And yes sure I can set that up if I need more devices. But at now I have one set of video/audio ports free and one HDMI port free. That should be enough for the future I think.

And I agree the PQ for most is roughly the same. But customer service between the companies if anything goes wring can be very different. I heard LG is alright. And the 3 year warranty it has is also nice.

And you would laugh at this. But for me the screen is so big. Yes I know. By old CRT was only 26 inch and my imac is only 17 inch. So yeah that new 32 inch is the biggest screen I've ever seen in my house. So yes I think it was a good buy.

Thanks a whole heap for the advice. Can't rep you cause I need to spread it round first.

bobtomay said:

2. Because the salesman doesn't have a clue. LED sets are LCDs. LED sets are backlit by LEDs. Some use white LEDs and some use RGB LEDs - these are better. A manufacturer calling their set an LCD usually means it is not LED backlit, but not always..

Click to expand...

Unless you get an OLED which is not and LCD but a true LED.