[REQUEST]:PLASMA TV (42"-50") & Home Cinema System - Any offers/bagains?

TestLink

Looking for a Plasma TV and Home Theater System with the following specs...Any genuine offers?

HDTV Specs :
Price: < Euro 2500
Size:42"-50"
Resolution:1024p
HDMI:Yes (2)
PictureInPicture:Yes
Image aspect ratio:16:9
+Any other essentials you consider important

zAbbo

You're looking for a Full HD (1080p) Plasma ! for under 2.5

Here's a 40" LCD - http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/451979/art/samsung/lcd-16-9-40-101-cm-full-h.html

grahamfitness

I got a great deal on a 40" samsung. It cost €1322.56 + €30 delivery.

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Samsung_40_Inch_HD_Ready_LCD_TV_with_Hybrid_TV_Tuner_LE40R74BDX/version.asp

They also have it in 32" for about €900.

It really was a great bargain considering in curry's & dixon's it costs €1699.:D

TestLink

That price is crazy...
Plz check DID electricals web site

http://www.didstore.com/store_subcat.asp?catid=14&subid=196

Any where still cheaper?

zAbbo

Are you looking for HD Ready or Full HD.

It's really worth getting into a store and viewing the Picture
Quality of the sets on a decent HD source.

What will the TV be used for, what's going to be connected to it ?

oleras

zabbo wrote:

Are you looking for HD Ready or Full HD.

Same thing ?

TestLink

zabbo wrote:

Are you looking for HD Ready or Full HD.

It's really worth getting into a store and viewing the Picture
Quality of the sets on a decent HD source.

What will the TV be used for, what's going to be connected to it ?

I am looking for Full HD. The TV would be used for watching mostly ordinary content from NTL/Magnet, but since this is a substantial investment i would prefer to be future ready.

I also would like to connect it with my computer for playing games...

ondafly

grahamfitness wrote:

I got a great deal on a 40" samsung. It cost €1322.56 + €30 delivery.

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Samsung_40_Inch_HD_Ready_LCD_TV_with_Hybrid_TV_Tuner_LE40R74BDX/version.asp

They also have it in 32" for about €900.

It really was a great bargain considering in curry's & dixon's it costs €1699.:D

I nearly ordered that 40' Samsung - but my friend is having terrible trouble getting his TV from Laptopsdirect recently, has yours been delivered ?

sarahn11

i had some trouble from laptops direct. they wont ship anything over 32" to ireland FYI.

thought they had terrible service

i ended up ordering from teckinkdirect.de. very good service i recomend them!

steve 0

sarahn11 wrote:

i ended up ordering from teckinkdirect.de

I think you mean technikdirekt.de, with thanks to Google
It does look like a good site.

grahamfitness

No I havnt received my tv yet but they rang friday to confirm that they will be delivering it to me on tuesday.

What problem is your friend having with them?

beolight

got a great deal on a 40" samsung. It cost €1322.56 + €30 delivery.

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Samsung_...DX/version.asp

They also have it in 32" for about €900.

It really was a great bargain considering in curry's & dixon's it costs €1699.

thats 768 resolution not 1080i or p, also its an LCD poster was looking for plasma

there are no 42" plasma capable of 1080i or 1080p only LCD and at the price indicated 2.5k the sharp x series is your best bet

Quote:
Originally Posted by zabbo
Are you looking for HD Ready or Full HD.


Same thing ?

Nope

ondafly

grahamfitness wrote:

No I havnt received my tv yet but they rang friday to confirm that they will be delivering it to me on tuesday.

What problem is your friend having with them?

He posted here :
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=52572996&postcount=44

Its put me off ordering from them....

oleras

beolight wrote:

thats 768 resolution not 1080i or p, also its an LCD poster was looking for plasma

there are no 42" plasma capable of 1080i or 1080p only LCD and at the price indicated 2.5k the sharp x series is your best bet




Nope

you might explain to me the difference then between hd ready and full hd ?

grahamfitness

Well lets hope that it doesnt happen to me.

I'll keep you informed.

Also I know that what i posted was not what the original poster was looking for but I just thought it was a good deal so i put it in.

beolight

you might explain to me the difference then between hd ready and full hd ?

HD, HD Ready....Whats the difference?

What I think you mean is the difference between HD ready & HD compatible. If this is the case, 'HD Compatible' refers to the device's ability to receive an HD signal - however, it downscales it to fit the panel's resolution.

'HD ready', however, means that the device can receive HD content as well as displaying it in its true resolution. However, most plasmas and LCDs at the moment only have the resolution of 720p content (1280x720), as opposed to the maximum HD resolution of 1080i or 1080p - both of which are 1920x1080 pixels.


The requirements for a unit to wear the HDReady logo are:

1) HDMI with HDCP
2) vertical physical resolution of at least 720 pixels
3) support for up to 1080i sources (1080p not required)

there is more I think can't remember just now...so it is not required for the panel to be of 1080 pixels physical resolution to be labeled HDReady...

If the screen doesn't physically have enough lines to display 1080p, They scale the image (hence the term processing) to 768 lines. Much like you can "resize" an image on a computer!!!!. Hence the majority of the LCDS/plasma you see in currys/dixons etc labelled as HDTV are in fact 768i or p

A plasma with 768 will scale the 1080 picture to 768 lines much like the horizontal resolution of 1920 will be scaled to 1024 on both the panny as the hitachi


BEAR IN MIND that these new 1080p panels will display images at 1920x1080 but can't actually accept an input of 1080p and can only upscale 720p & 1080i to this resolution.

That begs the question .... are ANY of the 1080p TV's able to accept this input as I am ideally looking for a TV that will be futureproof (as much as you can be anyway)?


I think the Pioneer 5000 series can accept and display 1080p but costs STG£5k plus and from what I have seen is not better than the 507. Unless you have a habit of sitting 3 feet from your TV you are wasting time and money looking for a 1080p set... IMHO





more important you should be asking is what happens to the signal once you send it to the panel

A PS9 panasonic deinterlaces 1080i video correctly, and it has only 480 pixels vertically, the other electronics are critical to the quality of image produced, at least as much as the pixel count. It's the likes of Sony, who make 1920/1080 LCD panels of dubious merit that wish you to think dot count is crucial. Strangely they also have the deinterlacing trouble on some of their screens



Poor deinterlacers simply take field 1, 1st 50th of a second, call it 540 lines, display it, take 2nd field, 2nd 50th second, cal it 540 lines, display it. This process loses exactly half the resolution of 1080i. Not very hi def then! Pal is 576 lines thank you very much. Good screens rebuild 1080 progressive frames from 1080i signals, and display them twice every 25th of a second. There are other ramifications, really good ones have motion compensation, helps allow for the fact that fast moving objects will have moved between interlaced frames. Lurking around somewhere in a thread about viewing distance, is a chart showing you what can be seen at what size and distance. You have to be awfully close to a 42" screen to see the benefit of 1080 lines. About 4-5ft if I recall. That would be unbearable for SD stuff.

There is very little true 1080p content available. Most HD material is currently filmed in 720p anyway so anything that outputs 1080p is most likely upscaling it. As said above, you will not notice a difference between 720p or 1080p unless you have a very large monitor, or sit very close to it.

Again 1080p is currently overkill unless you want to use a plasma or LCD as a Monitor/PC.


TV manufacturers are now using pixel count as a sales gimmick.

If you really want a 42" 1080p screen then you may be forced down the LCD route, as I don't think there are any 1080p 42" plasmas due from any manufacturer. Popular LCDs at the moment are the Sony W and X series (as misae mentioned) - both 1080p. Sharp XDE series may also be worth a look.

if you go lcd 1080p route your buying into beta testing/first generation stock

oleras

beolight wrote:

What I think you mean is the difference between HD ready & HD compatible.

No ! what i asked was whats the difference between hd ready and full hd...:rolleyes:

I don't think there are any 1080p 42" plasmas due from any manufacturer

http://www.engadget.com/2005/12/08/fujitsu-hitachi-unseat-panasonic-for-title-of-worlds-smallest/

Whats this ? hmmm a 42" plasma that does 1080p, and that article is over 12 months old.

you might want to have a read of this.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_ready

slave1

I think beolight posted a good reply that answers your ambigious question, full HD being 1080p ( I presume ), if your query was better presented then you would get better replies

There is very little true 1080p content available

this is the killer at the moment, in the US for example there is NO 1080p TV broadcasts, they are slpit 50/50 between 720p and 1080i, only HD broadcast available to the masses here is 1080i through SkyHD

beolight

why did u ask then if you already knew the answere then

i pretty much explained the difference but b4 this develops into a bitch fight and takes the thread way off topic i will sum it up,

hd ready = 768i or p(more than likely)
full hd = 1080p

regarding your 42" 1080p plasma

"Fujitsu and Hitachi have reached a new "low" in the somewhat humorous competition among display manufacturers to produce the "world's smallest" 1080p plasma. The new 1920 x 1080 42-inch PDP snatches the title from previous record holder Panasonic, whose 50-inch model seems positively huge in comparison. This 16:9 widescreen features a 3000:1 contrast ratio and 1000 cd/m2 brightness—no word yet on pricing or availability, but we'll be following this story closely, as you can be sure that the 42-incher isn't the last contender we'll see in this heated battle."

did u care to check the price and availability of it or did u check to see what processing technology is behind this, this panel never made it to mass production or were u more interested in point scoring??

LCD technology is cheaper to produce

i posted in the interest of being helpful so that people could make a lot more informed decision and not get caught up in the hype about pixel counts

viking

beolight wrote:

i posted in the interest of being helpful so that people could make a lot more informed decision and not get caught up in the hype about pixel counts

Appreciate your post beolight, it has helped me understand the hype/mis-information surrounding HD.

So, if you theoritically had 2k to spend right now, what TV would you buy?

oleras

beolight wrote:

why did u ask then if you already knew the answere then

Because when i asked if they were the same you came back with "nope", people should know there is always inacurate info on the interweb.

this panel never made it to mass production or were u more interested in point scoring??

This panel is due for relese in the second half of '07 http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/09/16/hitachi-cedia-42-inch-1080p-plasma/

and as for prices, this one is under $1.5k http://www.ibuydigital.com/product/?39635&hit_id=9175463&Campaign_id=195&CFID=37582949&CFTOKEN=17230922

enough of off topic. Apologies to OP.

beolight

@oleras

no offense taken, i realised my nope reply was a bit vague which is why i added a "little" more detail in next reply

regarding 42" plasma 1080p i did say i dont think

as I don't think there are any 1080p 42" plasmas due from any manufacturer.

if they are in fact using their "ali" panels they are suspect i would stay clear of them, i dont know i havent read into it as of yet. At the price you indicated they do seem a bargain if they have moved from their ali panels. CAVEAT: Research the processing technology they are using first before committing

So, if you theoritically had 2k to spend right now, what TV would you buy?

:eek: im setting myself up for another fall here

first off i wouldnt buy a tv i would buy a commercial grade panel. The Panasonic PHD9 Series Display, the PHD9 is a commercial grade panel and in my opinion looks far nicer than the PX60 'TV'. This assumes that you have a sound system and either sky or freeview box (the PHD9 does not have speakers or a tuner, hence more money goes into the screen and PQ).this would be my preferred option

First you have to decide on whether you want LCD or plasma, personally i think plasma wins hands down.Only the Windows Desktop looks much better on an LCD, but hey, who cares? . Their are pros and cons to both sides do your research and try and view them personally in surroundings somewhat akin to your own living room.

Next you have to weigh up whether it is worth getting caught up in the whole 1080i/1080p, personally unless LCD rocks your boat i dont think it is worth it. i would concentrate my attention on plasma 768 panels or tvs

But hey if you go the LCD route you may as well start with the 1080p models:D sony 1080p LCD(x and w series) is very good for a LCD TV,if you can get hold of one without a cloudly backlight...(But still a long way from plasma PQ standards ::black level & motion is still far superior on a good plasma. Sorry at 2k they may be out of your budget anyways the Sharp XDE series is a better 1080p option for money and quality.


For plasma look at the following

The Fujitsu 42XHA58EB in a lot of people's opinion the number 1.
The Panasonic PHD9 Series Display
Pioneer PDP-4270XD.
The Panasonic PX60 'TV'.

Steer clear of Philips the ambilight fails to make up for the fact that the Philips is really not that good for PQ when push comes to shove.

For the handful of minor flaws in the Panasonic PX60 (accepting that you could encounter the Purple Snakes problem), it really is near-unbeatable, especially for the price

Check the Fujitsu, it cost a bit more, but its really good.

Overall,I would say panasonic for excellent black level with very good image quality and pioneer for decent black level and excellent processing, followed closely by the Pioneer and Fujitsu. Philips is a plasma turkey.

Others will have differnt opinions depends on your own circumstances for example if you watch movies with the light turned down I would go for the panasonic if its in a reasonably bright environment pioneer should be ok as blacks may look very dark grey in a darkened room



Please don't forget though, at the end of the day your "helpful dealers" are trying to SELL you a screen (i'm sure they have your best interests at heart though ) So do your research first their are known issues with almost of them (remembering this is new technology well relatively newand they are all rushing panels into production claiming to be to be the next greatest thing) so best to know what the problems are first and then when you buy check the panel/tv thouroughly for these issues and if they are present return it.

probably best to post any other questions on this in a new thread in the appropiate forum

To any philips owners out there im sorry

grahamfitness

Beolight,

What do you think of the samsund 40" tv I posted earlier.

Is it worth €1350 or am i F**ked.

Please give me some good news.

beolight

samsung LCDS are overall top quality, i cant remember the model number of their 1080p but yeah their good, they supply Bang&Olufsen with their LCD screens too so this should reassure you further

TestLink

Is it advisable to buy a TV from an online shop?

In case if any problems I have to ship it back (some times another country) and it might eat off the price difference i got from the online store when compared to the retail store. Any one got any experience to share in this regard?

If there wont be any problems with online buying the following are some of the shops i found via google.ie.

Any other online stores in Europe that would deliver to Ireland?

www.komplett.ie
www.shopireland.ie
www.elara.ie
www.pixmania.com
www.didstore.com
www.technikdirekt.de
www.powercity.ie

TestLink

Please check the following sites for excellent Plasma & LCD TV buying resource
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com