HDTV buying advice template

[Gannu]

HDTV buying advice thread

Please include the following information before attempting a query. This should help others in recommending the suggestions.

1. Budget.

2. Viewing distance.

3. Sources/inputs such as HD DTH/consoles/stand-alone media players etc.

4. Preference for plasma TV/LCD TV/LED-LCD TV.

5. Preference for brands.

6. Willing to purchase it from the grey market?

7. Ambient lighting conditions of the room.

8. Any other feature you are looking for such as 3D support on the HDTV, DLNA capabilities etc.

In the meantime, please refer this chart (Courtesy: Carlton Bale) for a comparison of viewing distance against the screen size.

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For the uninitiated, Samsung has a panel lottery policy for their LCD lineup. Which means, if you walk into a store and pick up a panel, you might end up getting an average, mediocre or an awesome panel! In essence, based on the type of panel technology used in the LCD, you may end up getting an A-MVA panel, S-MVA panel or a S-PVA panel depending on the version number mentioned on a small sticker on the right side of the LCD. The good thing is based on the version number, you can find out the panel you are getting. The bad thing is, as long as the seal of the box is broken and the TV is taken outside you cannot find out the version number! Some retail outlets may let you pick and choose the LCD, some may not. Ensure that you get an SS/SQ based panel, since S-PVA offers superior contrast levels, deeper blacks, excellent color reproduction among the lot!

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...C4znRg&t=1&usg=__4FOFOMMQEpyx6ddzq75PPIWirI4=

Here's the version number and the type of panel corresponding to it:

SS01 /02,03,04/ or SQ01 (02,03,04) S-PVA from Samsung

CN01, CN02 - S-MVA from CMO

BN01 ,BN02 (05,06,07) - S-MVA from CMO

ÐÐ01 (02,03,04),ÐC02(04)- A-MVA from AUO

AC02 - new panel A-MVA3 from AUO

I haven't seen the BN, AC series retailing in India though.

PQ wise, S-PVA>A-MVA>S-MVA.

How To Find Your Model And Serial Number

Lastly, don't let Samsung fool you! Good luck!

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Sony's panel policy for the 2010 lineup:

EX300/EX400/EX500 - SPVA panels from Samsung except the 37 inchers which uses the AMVA panel from AUO.

EX710 - ASV panels from Sharp except one model which uses a SPVA panel.

HX700/HX800 - SPVA panels.

NX800 - ASV panel.

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Guide to setup the DLNA server on the Samsung HDTVs - 2010 lineup

Calibration settings for the Samsung LA40C630 SQ panel

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Reliable Grey Market locations:

1. Bangalore - National Market near Majestic.

2. Bombay - Alfa, Vile Parle West, Irla.

3. Chennai - Burma Bazaar.

4. Delhi - Gaffar Market, Karol Bagh.

 

[Sei]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

OT : Great idea.. will be useful for everyone to have a glance at once instead of searching for old threads!

 

[bsd]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Thanks for this thread , i am considering to buy a

1. Budget.= 45000-50000

2. Viewing distance.=10-12feet

3. Sources/inputs such as HD DTH/consoles/stand-alone media players etc.=cable STB, DVD player with upscale ability

4. Preference for plasma TV/LCD TV/LED-LCD TV= LCD or PLASMA

5. Preference for brands.=SAMSUNG or LG

6. Willing to purchase it from the grey market?= NO

7. Ambient lighting conditions of the room.=have windows opposite to tv stand, but can control through screens

8. Any other feature you are looking for such as 3D support on the HDTV, DLNA capabilities etc.=NO

 

[Gannu]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Thanks for this thread , i am considering to buy a

1. Budget.= 45000-50000

2. Viewing distance.=10-12feet

3. Sources/inputs such as HD DTH/consoles/stand-alone media players etc.=cable STB, DVD player with upscale ability

4. Preference for plasma TV/LCD TV/LED-LCD TV= LCD or PLASMA

5. Preference for brands.=SAMSUNG or LG

6. Willing to purchase it from the grey market?= NO

7. Ambient lighting conditions of the room.=have windows opposite to tv stand, but can control through screens

8. Any other feature you are looking for such as 3D support on the HDTV, DLNA capabilities etc.=NO

Samsung LA40C530 perfectly fits the equation. Not aware of any LG model. Perhaps others may comment.

Please be warned that Samsung has a panel lottery policy though. Refer this post for more details on finding out the right panel. Ideally, you should go for the panel whose version number reads SQXX or SSXX.

 

[bsd]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

I have visited showroom and took a look at 40C530 and 40C550, both are 40 inches but 40C550 looked bigger than 40C530.

SHUBAM quoted me 40C530 for 51000rs and C550 for 54000, is these prices are ok or can i get better than these prices. and also one question what is the price difference when compared to Retailer and distributor.

 

[Gannu]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

^The C550 has a thinner bezel so may appear slightly smaller than the C530. The C550 offers DLNA capabilities via the ethernet port so you may connect your PC to the TV and stream the media. I am not aware of the price difference offered by the retailer and the distributor but your price quotes seems fairly okay. You may haggle a bit since the C550 in Delhi costs around 51k IINM.

 

[Shakensoul]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

How is the Panasonic L42U20 LCD TV for 47k ?

 

[PhOeNiX]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Need a 32" Screen for gifting to my folks.

1. Budget - Rs 40,000+/-5000

2. Viewing distance. - 10-15Ft

3. Sources/inputs such as HD DTH/consoles/stand-alone media players etc. - Cable + Adding a HTPC soon

4. Preference for plasma TV/LCD TV/LED-LCD TV. - LCD/LED-LCD TV

5. Preference for brands. - Samsung/Sony

6. Willing to purchase it from the grey market? - Nope

7. Ambient lighting conditions of the room. - Windows and Night lights in multiple positions to control lighting

8. Any other feature you are looking for such as 3D support on the HDTV, DLNA capabilities etc. - USB

In the meantime, please refer this chart (Courtesy: Carlton Bale) for a comparison of viewing distance against the screen size.

 

[Gannu]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Need a 32" Screen for gifting to my folks.

1. Budget - Rs 40,000+/-5000

2. Viewing distance. - 10-15Ft

3. Sources/inputs such as HD DTH/consoles/stand-alone media players etc. - Cable + Adding a HTPC soon

4. Preference for plasma TV/LCD TV/LED-LCD TV. - LCD/LED-LCD TV

5. Preference for brands. - Samsung/Sony

6. Willing to purchase it from the grey market? - Nope

7. Ambient lighting conditions of the room. - Windows and Night lights in multiple positions to control lighting

8. Any other feature you are looking for such as 3D support on the HDTV, DLNA capabilities etc. - USB

In the meantime, please refer this chart (Courtesy: Carlton Bale) for a comparison of viewing distance against the screen size.

Samsung Series 5 32" LED TV or going by the model number, it should read UA32C5000. Or the Sony 32EX600. Should fall well within your budget although the Samsung model should let you play a whole lot of formats through the USB unlike the Sony.

@Shakensoul: No clue about the Panasonic lineup. It has an IPS panel and offers a 3 year warranty whereas other displays offer a 1 year warranty. Perhaps you should drop in at an outlet and give it a shot in person.

 

[PhOeNiX]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Sounds good.I was inclined more towards the Samsung lineup myself. Does it have the mkv playing capability off the USB like some other Samsung LCD's ?
BTW the UA32C5000QM shows up as 52k. Are the retail shops substantially cheaper (considering the Diwali DC etc ) ?

 

[arun687]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Sounds good.I was inclined more towards the Samsung lineup myself. Does it have the mkv playing capability off the USB like some other Samsung LCD's ?
BTW the UA32C5000QM shows up as 52k. Are the retail shops substantially cheaper (considering the Diwali DC etc ) ?

Just purchased the Samsung LA40C530 from Jumbo Electronics in Inorbit mall, they gave me the best quote of the 5 odd places I asked, it was 47.4k in exchange to my old 21" CRT. You can get the LA32C530 if you want the 32", which would be well within your budget. BTW this is LCD, not LED. The salesman did demonstrate the TV playing an MKV file through USB port.

 

[Gannu]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

^Awesome pricing indeed. Congrats! What panel did you get? Version number please!

@Phoenix: Yes indeed. Plays a lot of formats with a wide variety of support for containers. Download the user manual just for kicks! It explains everything and the formats supported by the TV.

 

[PhOeNiX]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Thanks. I guess i need to make a trip to Jumbo and Croma etc to get an idea before i decide.

 

[m0h1t]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

I have visited showroom and took a look at 40C530 and 40C550, both are 40 inches but 40C550 looked bigger than 40C530.
SHUBAM quoted me 40C530 for 51000rs and C550 for 54000, is these prices are ok or can i get better than these prices. and also one question what is the price difference when compared to Retailer and distributor.

I have been able to haggle down the price of 40C550 to Rs. 49.5k

 

[Gannu]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

^I really wish we could get TVs that cheap everywhere but sadly that isn't the case. We were getting a quote of 53k after haggling with the dealer for an hour! I think HDTVs retail a lot cheaper in the NCR region. Or maybe I am wrong.

 

[mohit1981]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Any good offer for 32" LCD TV Delhi (NCR)?

 

[Shakensoul]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Got the Panasonic L42U20 for 47k . I got Panny primarily for the 3 years warranty and easy EMI option offered, didn't want to rack my brains with multiple options, usb playback was not so important becaused its already hooked to a htpc.

Down payment - 17625 + 700 (processing charges)
EMI - 1959 x 15

BTW, Vijay sales and croma quoted me ~55k for this model.

 

[arun687]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

^Awesome pricing indeed. Congrats! What panel did you get? Version number please!

Thanks mate, indeed pretty good pricing for Mumbai. Got the AA02 panel unfortunately. But I guess I'm not good enough to notice the difference between this and the S panel. :ashamed:

 

[Gannu]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

Any good offer for 32" LCD TV Delhi (NCR)?

List down your requirements as suggested in the first post. It is hard to get responses otherwise.

Got the Panasonic L42U20 for 47k . I got Panny primarily for the 3 years warranty and easy EMI option offered, didn't want to rack my brains with multiple options, usb playback was not so important becaused its already hooked to a htpc.

Down payment - 17625 + 700 (processing charges)

EMI - 1959 x 15

BTW, Vijay sales and croma quoted me ~55k for this model.

Congrats! The 3 year warranty is an awesome bargain indeed. Post some snaps.

Thanks mate, indeed pretty good pricing for Mumbai. Got the AA02 panel unfortunately. But I guess I'm not good enough to notice the difference between this and the S panel. :ashamed:

So are most of us but if you were to compare the SPVA panel with the AMVA panel, you are bound to observe the differences. So much for Samsung's ridiculous policy! :\

 

[Shakensoul]

Re: The "Help me buy an HDTV" thread!

^^ Thanks.

BTW, I am using Windows 7 and from a close distance, the fonts do not appear as smooth as in laptop or LCD monitors, cleartype is enabled. Any tweaking required for the fonts to appear smooth ? THE HDTV is running in its native resolution of 1920 x 1080.