New LCD TV- Please Please help!!!

agentgreen

Hi all,

Just about to finish my exams and decided I worked hard, so I'm going to treat myself to a TV for my bedroom.

Only thing is I haven't a clue what one to get.

So I heard Samsung were one of the best.

Saw this on pixmania.com http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/568690/art/samsung/le23r88bdx-lcd-television.html

or this one

http://technikdirekt.de/main/en/lcd-plasma-tv/lcd-tv-ab46/155456/-/Article.html?

but then saw some LG's that are a bit cheaper

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/529571/art/lg/26lc3r-lcd-tv.html

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/461012/art/lg/32le2r-lcd-television.html


Which one would be better spec-wise? Or would another brand be better, have roughly between €500-€600 to spend.

Also is pixmania the best place to buy it? Was in dixons and they were well pricier.

Which one will I buy???

All help would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

eamon234

You'll pick up a nice Philips 32" for 699 in Tesco maybe cheaper elsewhere if you can go the extra hundred - bit of a waste buying a 23inch it's tiny! Unless space is a problem of course...most of the main well known brands are pretty good I wouldn't say Samsung is any better than Philips or Sony to be honest although I'm sure the Know-Alls will be along any minute to poo poo my comments!!...

byte

If your budget stretched, you could go for a 37" LCD for €680. Not sure how good or bad it is.

I personally would say get nothing smaller than 32" though that'd be up to how much space you have for the set. I'd suggest Panasonic, Sony or Samsung. However, LG aren't too bad either. Not so sure about Philips, I'd imagine their LCD's are better made than their CRT televisions.

agentgreen

byte wrote:

If your budget stretched, you could go for a 37" LCD for €680. Not sure how good or bad it is.

I personally would say get nothing smaller than 32" though that'd be up to how much space you have for the set. I'd suggest Panasonic, Sony or Samsung. However, LG aren't too bad either. Not so sure about Philips, I'd imagine their LCD's are better made than their CRT televisions.

Thanks a million for the reply (and thanks Eamonn as well).

I think 32 inch is as big as I'd go and thats really pushing is. I started off looking at 20 inchs. I think 26 inch though would be the perfect size for my room, might, maybe get a 32 in.... I want to keep the money around 600 because want to pick up dvd player (a cheap divx one) and going to buy a box for the channels as well which is quite pricey, so they'll knock me back as well.

So any advice guys on what model 26 inch (even maybe a 32) to buy?????

Also where to buy it????

Thanks again.

(Also how do Acer and Toshiba rate?)

agentgreen

Anyone???????

mossym

toshiba or panasonic were my two preferences. Sony tend to be overpriced, samsung are great display panels but the sound is terrible, so if you have a sound sytem to hook them to they have great picture. lg, if you get a good deal are ok, philips i don't like..

btw, i work with most of these tv's every day, and not in sales or repair, so i've seen most of the traits of all of them.

agentgreen

mossym wrote:

toshiba or panasonic were my two preferences. Sony tend to be overpriced, samsung are great display panels but the sound is terrible, so if you have a sound sytem to hook them to they have great picture. lg, if you get a good deal are ok, philips i don't like..

btw, i work with most of these tv's every day, and not in sales or repair, so i've seen most of the traits of all of them.

Cool, thanks a million man.

I'll def look at toshisba now. Would you (or anybody else) be able to pick out a good 26 inch for me??????

Sorry it's a crappy request, I'm just completely clueless about this, all I know is I love telly

Thanks.

mossym

had a look, panasonic 26 runs around 740 on komplett, toshiba 32 is around the same. Given your budget doesn't stretch that far i'd say get the samsung..

higster

and there is a 32" for €629 http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=329508&cks=WYO
One HDMI only though

agentgreen

Cool thanks. Is komplett ok to buy off?

What do you need a HDMI for? Do you need more than one??? (see how little I know)

What specs am I looking for in a telly???

Sorry

byte

Komplett are good to buy off. I've bought many things from them in the past, never had any issues.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) will be used for any High Definition devices you plan plugging into your system in the future (eg. SkyHD, PS3, BluRay, HD-DVD).

If you consider buying from a local shop, maybe consider Panasonic, as I've found out that a lot of their flatscreens now come with a 5 year warranty. That's the longest warranty I've heard of for a TV.

agentgreen

byte wrote:

Komplett are good to buy off. I've bought many things from them in the past, never had any issues.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) will be used for any High Definition devices you plan plugging into your system in the future (eg. SkyHD, PS3, BluRay, HD-DVD).

If you consider buying from a local shop, maybe consider Panasonic, as I've found out that a lot of their flatscreens now come with a 5 year warranty. That's the longest warranty I've heard of for a TV.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Would you mind recommending me a good Samsung or Panasonic model from the site?????

Thanks,

I feel so useless

byte

Well, what do you want from a TV?

I dunno if the 5 year warranty is for any Panasonic regardless of where it's bought, or just a special scheme offered to Panasonic retailers here.

Seems to be just retailers
http://experiencewhatothersjustsee.com/

agentgreen

Cool, thanks man

I'm just looking for a tv for my bedroom, one I can watch dvds with, hook up my laptop to. Thats about it really. Nothing fancy, don't think i'll be doing much gaming on it.

Thanks again

byte wrote:

Well, what do you want from a TV?

I dunno if the 5 year warranty is for any Panasonic regardless of where it's bought, or just a special scheme offered to Panasonic retailers here.

Seems to be just retailers
http://experiencewhatothersjustsee.com/

big_moe

panasonic 5 year warranty is a retailers only thing. cheapest 26" panny is the tx-26le7 at €750 or the 32" version (tx-32le7) at €849.

moe

agentgreen

big_moe wrote:

panasonic 5 year warranty is a retailers only thing. cheapest 26" panny is the tx-26le7 at €750 or the 32" version (tx-32le7) at €849.

moe

Thanks

Bit over my budget :-s

Looks like Samsung so... Tough decision made there.

Thanks guys.

Which models would people recommend, where will I buy it???

All the sites have loads of models, don't know the specs.

Sparky

Im slightly biased that I have had good experiences with samsung tvs

I installed a 23" one that had 2 HDMIs and i think the cost was ~600 in DID

agentgreen

Spankeh wrote:

Im slightly biased that I have had good experiences with samsung tvs

I installed a 23" one that had 2 HDMIs and i think the cost was ~600 in DID

Was it this one???? http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/568690/art/samsung/le23r88bdx-lcd-television.html

I was looking at that, think I'd like a bigger one though.

I like the slick design they have.

Is DID good so? Or is online better????

big_moe

shops are good cos u can see and use before you buy. online is good cause they are (usually) cheaper.

agentgreen

big_moe wrote:

shops are good cos u can see and use before you buy. online is good cause they are (usually) cheaper.

Yeh I went in to Dixons there about a month ago and they had the samsung 23" posted up there for 699.99, it is 555 on pixmania. that's ridiculious, isn't it?

Whats the best sites to go too?

big_moe, what specs would you look for in a telly????

big_moe

HDMI X 2, SCART X 2, Component, PAL-I compatible tuner.

fast response time (<8ms)

good contrast ratio (5000:1 upwards)

large viewing angle (170 degrees +).

the reason that pixmania is cheaper is that they are not based in ireland. a good store is worth paying a few quid extra for the service. dixons etc dont have good service.

so all in all, if you like after sales service, a good store is worth an extra few quid.

and to be honest, if its only a tv for a bedroom, it doesnt need to be of huge quality. and dont over-read into specs, you can confuse the hell out of yourself and end up not buying anything for months cos ...."some features arent on this one but it's got this instead... bla bla bla"

samsung, good. 26", grand. online or in a shop?? up to you mate

8T8

Most Samsungs aren't too different from how the look just generational improvements to success models but even the oldest ones still hold up fairly well.

If it's for TV, DVD's & PC usage then you have a tricky one as most cheap HDTV's have only 1 HDMI port & 1 VGA port which I will explain.

If you use the VGA port then the maximum resolution is 1360x768 you cannot use 1366x768 the native resolution of the display because it is not a computer resolution and neither can you force said resolution over VGA. The consequence of this is that text displayed on the screen can look a "bit off" because your not running at the native res. It largely depends on the person some don't mind it and some it bothers if you know someone with a LCD HDTV and computer do try and get a look of one in action (or keep a computer monitor just in case).

Now with HDMI or DVI you can force the 1366x768 resolution which means you get 1:1 pixel mapping and text will be rendered correctly but this requires a computer with a DVI output and forcing the custom resolution in Windows.

On the other hand you may want to use the HDMI port with an upscaling DVD player (which upscales the movie to HD resolution, native res of LCD TV) so you get slightly better picture quality.

In your price range try LG or Samsung;

Pixmania have a 32" LG HDTV for €579 which is not bad at all, has HDMI,VGA and the usual inputs.

Komplett has a 27" Samsung for €579 same as above really input wise and specifications are abotu the same.

agentgreen

8T8 wrote:

Most Samsungs aren't too different from how the look just generational improvements to success models but even the oldest ones still hold up fairly well.

If it's for TV, DVD's & PC usage then you have a tricky one as most cheap HDTV's have only 1 HDMI port & 1 VGA port which I will explain.

If you use the VGA port then the maximum resolution is 1360x768 you cannot use 1366x768 the native resolution of the display because it is not a computer resolution and neither can you force said resolution over VGA. The consequence of this is that text displayed on the screen can look a "bit off" because your not running at the native res. It largely depends on the person some don't mind it and some it bothers if you know someone with a LCD HDTV and computer do try and get a look of one in action (or keep a computer monitor just in case).

Now with HDMI or DVI you can force the 1366x768 resolution which means you get 1:1 pixel mapping and text will be rendered correctly but this requires a computer with a DVI output and forcing the custom resolution in Windows.

On the other hand you may want to use the HDMI port with an upscaling DVD player (which upscales the movie to HD resolution, native res of LCD TV) so you get slightly better picture quality.

In your price range try LG or Samsung;

Pixmania have a 32" LG HDTV for €579 which is not bad at all, has HDMI,VGA and the usual inputs.

Komplett has a 27" Samsung for €579 same as above really input wise and specifications are abotu the same.

Thanks a million for the informative response. I would sacrifice the PC is I had to, wouldn't bother me much at all. It was only for larger video streaming is all I wanted it for. But dvd is more important to me. Would that change the specs so?

Pixmania and Komplett have Samsung 32s for ~625 ~650 how would they rate?

big moe wrote:

HDMI X 2, SCART X 2, Component, PAL-I compatible tuner.

fast response time (<8ms)

good contrast ratio (5000:1 upwards)

large viewing angle (170 degrees +).

the reason that pixmania is cheaper is that they are not based in ireland. a good store is worth paying a few quid extra for the service. dixons etc dont have good service.

so all in all, if you like after sales service, a good store is worth an extra few quid.

and to be honest, if its only a tv for a bedroom, it doesnt need to be of huge quality. and dont over-read into specs, you can confuse the hell out of yourself and end up not buying anything for months cos ...."some features arent on this one but it's got this instead... bla bla bla"

samsung, good. 26", grand. online or in a shop?? up to you mate

Thanks again. If you were recommending a retailer who would it be?

(Sorry guys, had an exam today, went crap so pretty scattered)

big_moe

for samsung etc.. i dunno... they're mostly sold in the big retail shops..

so currys, harvey norman etc is your only place i think.

moe

agentgreen

How would these guys rate???

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=329508

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=333288

http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/388982/art/samsung/le32s71b-lcd-television.html

http://technikdirekt.de/main/en/lcd-plasma-tv/lcd-tv-ab46/155484/-/Article.html?

Thanks

Sparky

agentgreen wrote:

Was it this one???? http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/568690/art/samsung/le23r88bdx-lcd-television.html

I was looking at that, think I'd like a bigger one though.

I like the slick design they have.

Is DID good so? Or is online better????

Thats the one indeed.

I don't mind buying online, but when you buy in bricks and mortar, although dearer than online, if anything goes wrong with the TV you have more hassle in sending it back to France than dropping it back into DID.

But thats a customers decision and don't use it at something to put you off buying it online when it's cheaper.

8T8

For video streaming from the PC the HDTV VGA port is perfectly fine so you can use that with your PC no problem.

If buying from Komplett then my suggestion is to get the Samsung LE-32S81B, it has better contrast, dual HDMI ports & a newer gen panel than some of the other Samsung TV's on the site.

(Most of the HDTV technical specifications can be found on Samsung Germany among other Samsung national sites)

agentgreen

8T8 wrote:

For video streaming from the PC the HDTV VGA port is perfectly fine so you can use that with your PC no problem.

If buying from Komplett then my suggestion is to get the Samsung LE-32S81B, it has better contrast, dual HDMI ports & a newer gen panel than some of the other Samsung TV's on the site.

(Most of the HDTV technical specifications can be found on Samsung Germany among other Samsung national sites)

Thats brilliant. Thanks so much. Going to try get some money together to get that one and if I can't, I get the 32 LG you mentioned (which also has good specs, yeh?)...

You know with Samsung how do you read the model numbers between new and old? Like is there much difference between LE-32S81B and LE-32R81B????

Thanks again.

P.S. Is the an post option OK and fast on Komplett????

8T8

The An Post option on Komplett isn't terribly fast about a week, if you want it quickly pay the €20-40 for the DHL service which I would recommend with such a high value item.

As for reading the model numbers it is quite complicated and and not much point as the only constants are LE-32 to which 32 means the size of the TV in inches and D or DX at the end means a digital DVB-T tuner is present. The B means black the colour of the casing so it can be w as well for white.

e.g LE-32{R41}BDX

Everything in between can be a variation of another panel or alternative casing of the TV even though it has the same panel as another model but with a different name.

The best way to spot the oldest generation panels in Samsung TV's and the newest ones is that the newest ones are always the most expensive so if you have two 32" TV's for example one at €600 & one at €1000 the €1000 model is the latest version with everything in between a generational improvements over the cheapest model, however this should be treated as a rough guide only as prices can change rapidly and the latest model could be replaced by something with a few superfluous features tacked on like card readers but the panel inside is the same as the previous one.

agentgreen

8T8 wrote:

The An Post option on Komplett isn't terribly fast about a week, if you want it quickly pay the €20-40 for the DHL service which I would recommend with such a high value item.

As for reading the model numbers it is quite complicated and and not much point as the only constants are LE-32 to which 32 means the size of the TV in inches and D or DX at the end means a digital DVB-T tuner is present. The B means black the colour of the casing so it can be w as well for white.

e.g LE-32{R41}BDX

Everything in between can be a variation of another panel or alternative casing of the TV even though it has the same panel as another model but with a different name.

The best way to spot the oldest generation panels in Samsung TV's and the newest ones is that the newest ones are always the most expensive so if you have two 32" TV's for example one at €600 & one at €1000 the €1000 model is the latest version with everything in between a generational improvements over the cheapest model, however this should be treated as a rough guide only as prices can change rapidly and the latest model could be replaced by something with a few superfluous features tacked on like card readers but the panel inside is the same as the previous one.

Cool very informative post. Thank you. So this model: Samsung LE-32S81B, has most the things a new Samsung has, like I know it won't have everything, but would it have the majority????

Thanks again.

8T8

Yeah the Samsung LE-32S81B is one of the newer displays & has pretty much most of the latest features found on Samsung TV's. Dual HDMI ports which the LE-32S81B has is also quite recent so thats also a teller about the generation it belongs to.

agentgreen

8T8 wrote:

Yeah the Samsung LE-32S81B is one of the newer displays & has pretty much most of the latest features found on Samsung TV's. Dual HDMI ports which the LE-32S81B has is also quite recent so thats also a teller about the generation it belongs to.

Thanks a million man for all your help, I really apperciate it.

You seem to know your Samsungs, do you have one yourself? Do you recommend them? Like ever had any problems?

8t8 wrote:

8T8

Yeah had a few Samsung's owned about 3 of them which I've sold off to others at various stages and just got a newer gen one. My current is that LE32N71B which was €1300 when i bought it & is now €949 but I'm still very happy with it.

Picked up info about them because in first gen Samsung LCD HDTV there was a v-sync bug so had to scour the net to find out why then found group with same problem then Samsung set us all the fix and I flashed the firmware of the TV and it was fixed (you also had option to send TV back), after that whole business picked up a fair amount of info on Samsung TV's.

In my own opinion they are good value TV's that have very nice picture quality with lots of inputs and a very reasonable price which is why I recommend them.

agentgreen

8T8 wrote:

Yeah had a few Samsung's owned about 3 of them which I've sold off to others at various stages and just got a newer gen one. My current is that LE32N71B which was €1300 when i bought it & is now €949 but I'm still very happy with it.

Picked up info about them because in first gen Samsung LCD HDTV there was a v-sync bug so had to scour the net to find out why then found group with same problem then Samsung set us all the fix and I flashed the firmware of the TV and it was fixed (you also had option to send TV back), after that whole business picked up a fair amount of info on Samsung TV's.

In my own opinion they are good value TV's that have very nice picture quality with lots of inputs and a very reasonable price which is why I recommend them.

Sound man, thanks a million. For all your help and recommending that telly for me....

agentgreen

Hi,

I was just about to buy the other telly when I saw this one on pixmania "Samsung LE32R88BD LCD Television," Its their number one selling TV I think, and its €22 more expensive than the Samsung LE-32S81B, only thing is I can't click into it to compare the specs.... Can anyone tell me is there much of a difference between these tvs and would I be better with the more expensive one?????????

Thanks.

8T8

The specs for almost all Euro Samsung TV's are always found on Samsung Germany so you can always look there for info. The UK site also carries the specs for the R88 series but they are sometimes wrong so go with the German one.

The LE-32R88BD is one of the very latest generation Samsung TV's and has improved brightness and contrast over the LE-32S81B, it also has a built in DVB-T tuner for digital over the air TV plus some other enhancements like a movie mode reverse pull down.

So if you can afford it then the LE-32R88BD is the one to go for.

Lenny

byte wrote:

If your budget stretched, you could go for a 37" LCD for €680. Not sure how good or bad it is.

I personally would say get nothing smaller than 32" though that'd be up to how much space you have for the set. I'd suggest Panasonic, Sony or Samsung. However, LG aren't too bad either. Not so sure about Philips, I'd imagine their LCD's are better made than their CRT televisions.

Anyone able to comment on that?
I have a maxium 15-34 or 15-70 can't remember I am going to bring it back, the picture quality is all discoloured and try get my money back