LCD Quality?

CrimE

Ok planning on getting a 32 inch lcd tv soon. All was great reading good things on the net but then...

I was in an electrical shop and was having a look. I was chatting with a staff member and noticed that the quality seemed really poor. Blurry etc. Not even watchable in my opinion.

My first thought was, "oh must be crap etc" But it was a philips for around 1700. I asked was there something wrong with the tv and he said no thats the quality you can expect.

This has really confused me. What is the story? Are lcds poor quality or is it just some makes/ prices etc?

Any help would be appreciated.
CrimE

Jammer

Bought a 32" Samsung recently, and its great. I have a 32" Sony 100HZ CRT in the living room, and it pales in comparison, im my opinion. IMO, you have better control over colors and different contrast/brightness when using LCD, its easier to adjust it to your tastes. I never did think the sony was a great TV tho.

I worked in a high street shop selling TVs for a while, and we had one signal spread between anywhere from 2 to 8 TVs, so it did degrade the more it was spread. I was in power city recently, in coolmine, and they have done an absolute brutal job, all the tvs look so bad because of the way its set up. Ask them to connect up a direct signal or a PC/DVD player to it.

The only thing that looks weird on LCD is Pro Evo, dunno why, it just does.

dancin

Quality of the signal running into the set is really important. I've a 30" Mitsubishi LCD, hooked up to SKY digital.

The image is brilliant on channels which have a high quality signal (higher bandwidth) like the movie channels or BBC.

But on channels with lower bandwidth (like UKTV Gold), the picture is poorer.

Image from a DVD player is excellent.

If you;re serious about the Philips (or any LCD TV), do what Jammer suggests, and get the shop to hook up a DVD player to it, and play your favourite movie (one with some fast action is better to show if the screen is really any good). That way you can judge for yourself, on your terms.

If the shop is really serious about shifting an expensive LCD TV, they should accomodate you. If not, then just think about the after sales service you may receive if you should ever need it...

CrimE

OK ill definitely give that a try. Im slightly reassured by what you have said cheers. With a purchase of this size I want to be positive I am going to get what I want from it.

Another question; what are the best makes? I have heard LG are good etc. Any tips?

Jammer

LG have good rep, but its best to check out reviews on the web first. Maybe ring up and see what models they have, check out reviews on the web and then go in and inspect some yourself.

Watch bits in a movie with both bright and dark scenes, so u see the contrast and refresh abilities of then panel. I find "The Matrix" to be appropriate.

Corben Dallas

LCD's are good in some areas. I have a Sony 17" which i use for games/DVD's and i think the best way to see how good any LCD screen is by seeing how good the black is one it. If you have a DVD (Crouching tiger Hidden Dragon night time ninja rooftops scene) is very good for this.Play this and see what quality/contrast you get.

Some LCD's cant do dark night time scenes at all.

rabbitinlights

I work in a shop that has a philips for €1699 (im guessing its the same model) and the picture is the worst ive ever seen...... even with a DVD its a joke. Ive been informed that its actually a 2003 model from a different maker, because philips are actually stuck for stock while they change there models (23"/26"/30") that could be the reason its soooo poor. we also have a Ambi-light philips model (~€2500) and the picture is just amazing, and the connections and finish on it looks very different from the cheaper model.

Basicaly dont buy the €1700 philips model.

The Rooster

Rabbitinlights, would that be the 32PF4320 model?

Do you know what the model is for c. €2500?

byte

Jammer wrote:

LG have good rep, but its best to check out reviews on the web first. Maybe ring up and see what models they have, check out reviews on the web and then go in and inspect some yourself.

Watch bits in a movie with both bright and dark scenes, so u see the contrast and refresh abilities of then panel. I find "The Matrix" to be appropriate.

LG and Philips work together on making LCD screens (lgphilips-lcd.com), so both should be similar, though menu and audio would probably differ between manufacturer, with only the displays being the same.

CrimE

I will have to give the direct dvd player feed a try.

Cheers for the advice lads, appreciate it.

CrimE