I apologise for yet another TV thread but with this kinda money in mind I rather upset a few people by starting another TV thread then purcahse the wrong one.

1080 vertical pixel resolution. (I beleive this means 1080p minimum right? 1080 isnt important?)

Needs HDMI and VGA (computer) - I will be using a media center pc, xbox 360 AND playing the occasional computer game (racing car games) on it.

The display will be in a very dark room (near total darkness) as I have been using a projector up till now for my display device and since it's not HD I decided I couldnt justify the cost of a HD projector + it's ongoing costs for the upgrade to HD (i'm upgrading to surround sound as well).

I DO NOT CARE IF ITS A PLASMA OR LCD. I think there has been enough discussion already about this and I think it's been pretty well proven that both technologies are pretty equal now.

I compiled data taken from here for a quick comparison of price vs size and have come to the conclusion that I would like to stay under the $2,000 mark. As that's where the extra size cost really starts to turn into bad size/$ increases.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/9224/capture222.png

Looks most stuff over 46 starts to waste your money. Looks like 46” is the sweet spot?

I am going to go for a look around this weekend to see what looks best in store to my eyes as I know alot of you have said to do that to people in my position.

Can you please offer you opinion on the brands and models AND A REASON that I should pay particular attention to ?

There is a 55" hisence model availiable for the $2,000 mark - would this be acceptable?

What are the major things I should cover off on or look out for when purchasing a tv?

Thanks in advance and just another reminder that I dont care if its a lcd or plasma, my opinion after seeing both technologies running is that they both perform equally well nowdays.

My advice is to figure out what size your TV needs to be, not what you can afford. If you get a TV that is too large it will be awkward. Ideally the distance between where you sit and where the TV is should be between 3 and 4 times the height of the TV (draw yourself a side-on picture and figure it out).

Then buy the newest Samsung in that size.

Done.

sounds like you need an lcd

sony or samsung, as big as you can afford;

Thanks for your advice thermite and spook.

The center mass of a person sitting upright in our lounge is around 2m 75cm from the front where the display panel will be.

I have the option to move my lounge forward by around a meter and backwards up to 2 meters (it's not against a wall, its in the middle of the living room - tv will be against the wall).

Existing configuration :
275 / 3 = 91cm / 2.54 = 35"
275 / 4 = 68.54cm / 2.54 = 25"

2.54 cm in an inch (got that from google so assume its correct)

Are those calcs correct?

Assuming a 55" display:
55" x 3 = 165" x 2.54 = 4m 19cm
55" x 4 = 220" x 2.54 = 5m 56cm

So for a 55" i would need the lounge pushed back 1 and a bit meters if you go with the 'x3' way of working out distance to tv on a 55" display.

Is there somewhere I can check on the actual number 3-4 is pretty vague?

Also how important is making sure this distance to tv matches your tv size? Your basically saying that if you sit too close to your tv your wont notice the extra definition or it will be worse are you?




last edited by gamer at 15:18:47 18/Mar/10

lol at getting the size you need
if you dont have at least 60 inches you're doing it wrong

that graph would be far more easily interpreted if it was a bar graph, lines are used for time series data.

ps. samsung/panasonic plasma or samsung lcd, anything else gtfo.

edit: check for any recent recalls/manufacturing issues. check the T&C of their warranties - they aren't all the same. e.g. Hisense have a 3 year in-home replacement warranty vs. Soniq's 1yr return-to-base repair warranty (the two extreme ends of the spectrum essentially).

check how many dead pixels are needed before it's a warrantable fault if you go the LCD route, etc.

last edited by taggs at 15:51:40 18/Mar/10

Well on second thought the distance shouldnt be a problem, since the layout of the room permits me the ability to move the couch forward or back to suite the optimal viewing distance I suppose.

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/606/room1h.png

You'd have to find out the height dimension of the actual screen, not the diagonal measurement or whatever they use to market the tv.

Your basically saying that if you sit too close to your tv your wont notice the extra definition or it will be worse are yo

No I don't think it has to do with resolution. It'd be like when you sit too close at the cinema, your eyes can't easily 'capture' the entire image, you sort of have to look around to see everything that is going on.

Forget about TVs for a second. Most of that "picture" you see in your mind of what is going on in front of you, as in your vision, is actually guesses based on cues such as size, edges, colors, as well as your memory of what you know is there. It's really only the centre-most portion of what you're looking at that is understood quickly and correctly.
Try to look at just one part of this post and read the whole post without scanning your eyes. Quite difficult, and the area before you is very small.

last edited by thermite at 15:33:21 18/Mar/10

Ah... Thermite, i see what your saying.

A tv + xbox 360 package would really be awsome. They used to be everywhere, are they a thing of the past?

last edited by gamer at 15:52:10 18/Mar/10

lol at getting the size you need
if you dont have at least 60 lawsuits you're doing it wrong

I brought a series 5 Samsung 40" HD LCD 1920x1080 from Hardly Normal in January for $940, it is a perfect size for 2.5-3m distance viewing in a standard lounge room. Picture quality is great and it has all the features you asked for, it was superseded by the 7 series which made it a bargain, I would suggest looking around for a run out model.

I got a 46" Samsung and I'm very glad I didn't get any smaller than that, any bigger would be a bit silly for my viewing distance though. 42" is pretty much standard now for lounge room.

I nearly got a Hisense - they are very affordable and have onsite 5 year warranties. Not a big name brand here yet but they're sponsoring every sporting event under the sun to try and change that quickly. I believe they're owned by whirlpool. Great picture on them but not as bright and 'sharp' as the samsung but that's why there's a price difference.

I love my 42"

Get a TV with a USB input. Used mine lots.
Get one that can run on low power mode. I use it most of the time on my TV
(LG Plasma) and then use full power mode for Movies or Sport.

Electricity aint getting any cheaper.

A friend just bought a Panasonic S 46" for $1300

if you dont have at least 60 inches you're doing it wrong

erm, if you're measuring it in inches you're doing it wrong. man up and get a projector.

:)

I've got a 42" Panasonic plasma 1920x1080. Lovely picture and blu ray stuff looks great on it.

I DO NOT CARE IF ITS A PLASMA OR LCD. I think there has been enough discussion already about this and I think it's been pretty well proven that both technologies are pretty equal now.

If your selection criteria are:

1. Bang for bucks;
   
2. Picture quality / contrast ratio / colour reproduction - (subjective).
   
3. Viewing angle - yes I have to throw that in there. And if you've been reading Plasma vs LCD flame wars on QGL you'd know which tech clearly won this battle :)
   

Since #3 won't really be an issue for you that just leaves #1 and #2. #1 is easy because from that list Plasma easily won out for inches / $ ratio.

#2, at then end of the day you're going to be the one looking at it so I'd compare the style of picture quality you'd like to see on your panel. I personally prefer "traditional" / accurate colour reproduction that Plasma can do so I pick Plasma.

As for brand, I wouldn't get a yum char brand, get premium brands such as Samsung/Panasonic for Plasma or Samsung/ Sharp/Sony for LCD/LED. But if you're on a tight budget you should consider an LG.

Lastly not sure how you calculate your distances but here's one:

http://www.av-products.com/ScreenCalculator.htm

I put in your room size (2.75m = ~9 feet), 55", 16:9 and the "Viewing Distances Based on Visual Acuity - Maximum Viewing Distance for HDTV(Fully resolved 1080i; 1920 x 1080)" equates to 7.2 feet or roughly 2.19 meters. Or 6.1 feet if you want "Recommended THX viewing distance (36 degree viewing angle)", in any case about perfect for your room size. For the record my Plasma is 50", 1080p, 16:9 and I sit about ~2 meters from it so about the optimal.

So to me looks like > 55" is what you'll need if you want 1080p (IMO why wouldn't you? future proofing your toy? :))

And given that Plasma has very wide viewing angle you can leave the TV in the middle of the room and people sitting on the edges of your sofa will still get optimal picture quality.

Have fun :)

I've got a 32" Samsung series 6 LCD at the moment which is very nice but after awhile of using it i'm going to upgrade and use the 32" for a computer monitor.

Seen a series 6 samsung lcd 46" for $1550, good deal?

go a projector man, its the best. i have a 120 inch screen to view myself.

I sit a bit closer then i should be "technically" but honestly its purely awesome, feels nothing like sitting too close to the cinema screen.

Xbox 360/PS3 rocks on it too!! :)

^^^ Yeah personally my dream setup would be to have flat panels for viewing day to day stuff like you know TV shows etc, and then to have projector for Blu-ray movies. Alas that's a long way off.....

your f***** console games will look equally gay on anything

I nearly got a Hisense - they are very affordable and have onsite 5 year warranties.

it's 3 years, but still pretty much the best manufacturer warranty on the market that i've come across

http://www.hisense.com.au/help/warranty/television

Okay the pricing you are looking at there is a pile of s***e. Who pays advertised price for TVs these days? Certainly not anyone smart enough to use a computer. Head over to http://www.dtvforum.info they even have a wiki that people are positing their deals on. Most importantly you need to be prepared to haggle and walk away if they won't come to the party. You say you have $2K to spend. Then walk in and offer that for a 50" Plasma or 46" LCD (and not just the yum-cha brands). I bought my 50" Pana Plasma about 15mnths ago, I talked them down to $2600 (from their "sale price" of $3200(rrp was $4499) and got 4yrs extra warranty thrown in).

i got sony bravia 40" lcd with ps3 and 3yr warranty for $1350. SUCK IT BITCHES

I've got a 32" Samsung series 6 LCD at the moment which is very nice but after awhile of using it i'm going to upgrade and use the 32" for a computer monitor.

We have one of these in our bedroom, it's a winner.

erm, if you're measuring it in inches you're doing it wrong. man up and get a projector.

I used to have a 720p BENQ projector and there's no way I'd ever go back to that kinda setup, turning the projector on/off was a PITA because you had to wait for to heat up every time and if you were going to leave for 10 minutes you'd have to power it off + wait for it to cool down before you could power it back on

plus nothing beats plasma for clarity and color sharpness, even an LCD is better than a projector lulz

Weighing in with my Hisense TV being awesome and have had 0 problems with it. Also gamer don't use VGA to connect your computer, use DVI or a DVI -> HDMI adapter.

Needs HDMI and VGA (computer)

You're better off going from pc to tv with a HDMI cable. The VGA connection will make games look like complete ass.

vga cables for pc to tv are fine at native resolutions

hdmi is obviously preferred, but theres nothing wrong with vga;

I've said it before and I'll say it again for this debate.
Every one will have a different preference so my advice is.

go to the store, the usual bunch like, JB, WOW, Harvey's, etc, and get them to show you the various outputs from the thing you are going to use, xbox, ps3, pc (if possible), blu ray if that floats your boat, DVD, blah blah blah. and make sure the environment you are watching it in is similar to that of your room. IE lighting and distance. so for example don't go watching a DVD in a home theatre room at the store if you can't replicate that at home. get them to put the lights on. also get around to some friends places and do the same.

personally I have a 50" plasma in the main lounge which is low lit (in a ground floor unit) about 3 mtrs from the lounge and it is great. also have a 42" plasma in back room for 360 about 2 mtrs from lounge. also great.
good luck!

So where are you buying from?

Go Samsung LCD or Sharp LCD (i only say this because they are the best at replicating the extra frames) and it provides the best colour for gaming.

pm me

oh if you can hold off for 1 month - new samsung range is coming out and they are 3d tv's (full hd)

if you dont want the 3d tv, get the lcd / led at a reduced price then :)

Samsung

Hey rev, I tried running hdmi from my PC to my TV and for some reason the colours go really washed out and the picture doesn't "fit" in the tv (black bars around the edges) even though it's running at the correct resolution. What's the deal? i'm sick of vga.

go a projector man, its the best. i have a 120 inch screen to view myself.

I suggest you re-read my entire OP.

I'm moving away from a projector setup. I've always had a projector. I know all too well just how much of a pain in the arse they are and how costly they are to run.

I've got a 50" Samsung Series 5 plasma (PS50B550)

It's awesome. Great size and plenty of features. You can get it for about $1500 from www.theelectricaldiscounter.com.au. Or, you can just use them as your bargaining position when you shop elsewhere.

Gest, thanks for that link. That looks amazing.

I looked at that tele and I found this one for slightly more that does internet and movies.

http://www.theelectricdiscounter.com.au/asps/brand-type1.asp?brand=Samsung&type=Plasma%20Television

then search for PS50B650

Samsung - Plasma Television Model PS50B650S1FXXY
127 Cm - Slim 50

Click on Picture for Larger View - please use Broweser Back to return to this page.PS50B650 Samsung Plasma TV Features Dlna Wireless, Content Library, Internet TV, MEGA Contrast Ratio, USB 2.0 and Wide Colour Enhancer 3

DNLA WIRELESS: Watch multimedia content stored on any PC connected to your home network directly on your PS50B650S1F. Stream Movies, Music and photos from your PC onto your Plasma

CONTENT LIBRARY: Fast access to a variety of non-broadcast entertainment. Fitness, Children,Cooking and Gallery features give you a TV experience well beyond standard TV. Built-in flash memory allows you to easily access, download and control the content

INTERNET TV: PS50B650S1F is part of a new range of Internet equipped TVs that also feature Yahoos new Widget Channel technology for direct access to YouTube, Weather, Web content and Flickr images direct to your TV

MEGA CONTRAST RATIO: The Samsung PS50B650S1F provides powerful images that are vivid and realistic with a maximum 3,000,000:1 Contrast ratio

USB 2.0: A Wiselink USB 2.0 port on the side compartment on the PS50B650S1F allows you to view MOVIES, JPEG photos and listen to MP3 music

WIDE COLOUR ENHANCER 3: Add depth and intensity to the reds, greens and blues to ensure you are seeing true, lifelike images on screen

here are the specs

http://www.theelectricdiscounter.com.au/images/visual/Plasma Television/Samsung/PS50B650S1FXXY/PS50B650S1FXXY3.jpg

Do you guys think the below warranty is worth it?

EWPPT2000
This is a Warranty Extension plan for Plasmas* that sell between $1501 and $2000. Increasing the Manufacturers warranty by 1 year to a maximun of 5 years.
$129

2EWPPT2000
This is a Warranty Extension plan for Plasmas* that sell between $1501 and $2000. Increasing the Manufacturers warranty by 2 years to a maximun of 5 years.
$239

3EWPPT2000
This is a Warranty Extension plan for Plasmas* that sell between $1501 and $2000. Increasing the Manufacturers warranty by 3 years to a maximun of 5 years.
$289

4EWPPT2000
This is a Warranty Extension plan for Plasmas* that sell between $1501 and $2000. Increasing the Manufacturers warranty by 4 years to a maximun of 5 years.
$349

Guys? Can anyone see anything in the specs that shouts 'stay away' ?

yer, i can

Everything I've seen about plasma says Panasonic is considerably better than Samsung.

The flower thing is kind gay, dunno if that really counts as a reason to stay away though.

Harvey Norman have got Panasonic 1080P 42" Plasmas for $799 !
Just saw a TV ad on ch-7.

Spook: What did you see?

Faceman: Thats a 42" though? I've already got one of those! I want a bigger tv with 1080p etc.

do i really have to spell it out?

its pretty obvious

oh your refering to the lcd vrs plasma debate etc. no worries, i wont go there in this thread. thanks though, i think plasma and lcd are both quite fine in todays day and age :) i've seen both run movies fine and both run as a computer display (for games) quite fine.

They have YouTube on TVs now?

First the Internet is on computers and now it's on TVs!

clazy.

hahaha. 'The Electric Discounter' is just Bi-Rite. You should buy it off me @ Beenleigh and save even more money. Don't buy it off Rob, he's nowhere near as nice as I am.

Call me at my shop - (07) 3807 5555 and ask for Brent. 8-)



----EDIT: and dont buy the 6 series. buy the 5 series (PS50B550) as the panel is just as good, still 1080P and 100Hz with 600Hz Sub-field it just doesn't have the internet TV crap, which you wont need if you use a PC on this TV anyway.


----EDIT 2: $1395 if your wondering

They just told me my order has been declined because the P550B650 ... model is not sold anymore.

It's been replaced with the C series model. P55C650...

Do you stock this yet? When will your first stock of it be in? What can you do it for?

Can the internet 'crap' play divx/xvid etc from a windows file share?

last edited by gamer at 16:36:11 22/Mar/10

No pricing or ETA on new models yet, I will call my rep and post back with more information. The LG panels have just had a pretty nice price drop too, worth looking at.

Just had a look at LG, they have a 50inch 1080P Plasma in their new models with the "Razor Edge" design (just means a very thin frame on the TV) and its only $1404, not bad for the new model.

Can the internet 'crap' play divx/xvid etc from a windows file share?

Possibly but I wouldn't bother, DLNA / WisLink are such a pain in the arse to setup right. You'd be better off just use your HTPC to stream stuff and save yourself the bulls***.

So you think LG is better then samsung?

Are you one of the beleivers that say you have to go LCD if you connect your computer?

Whats the biggest LCD you have for under 2k? (Including extended warranty for at least a year)

One of best value LCD's out there at the moment is the LA55B650. for a massive 55inch screen @ $2109. Its 1080P, 100Hz with all the same features that the 6 series come with. There is plenty of stock at the moment, so you don't even have to wait for the boat to arrive. The extended warranty to give you 3 years total (extra 2 years after manufacturers) is only $120 too.

Plasma is by far the cheapest alternative for a 50inch+ screen, but for features and quality of panel the Samsung LCD is outstanding. It will come down to what quality panel you want and how many dollars you are willing to part with.



Coldy
8-)

Fark that sounds cheap for a 55" FHD LCD :/

I have an LG and it's pretty good. A samsung is better. Get it.

Damn coldy that's an awesome price. There goes the #1 on my list heh.

There is just some awesome prices out there at the moment. If you want a good quality LCD they are so well priced as the LED Backlit LCD's have caused such a dramatic price drop on the CCFL Backlit units. I don't know about you guys, but I will happily spend $2109 on a CCFL unit than $3557 on the LED version.