well i'm going to return this cheap Dynex 32inch TV for the 2nd time (dead/stuck pixel again within a week, and Component 1 is not working properly), and ask for a refund, and i'll buy the Samsung LN32A330 instead. What do you think of this Samsung TV? is it a good choice? (i can have it for 530$+taxes here) i can also have a Sharp Aquos LCD32D44U 32inch for 550$+taxes.
I think Samsung should be a better choice, what do you think?
note that i don't mind having a 720p, and i'm looking for a 32inch TV. and i would like a quick answer since i'm going to to buy that Samsung TV tomorrow
Which LCD TV to choose?
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xan_user
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I had a TV repair gal tell me the major difference in longevity of flat panel TVs is, wait for it, what fans they use to cool em. or not as the case maybe.
I was at my friends house, hes had a economy level Panasonic that was nothing but trouble. (he won it at a casino) After 6 repairs in 4 months, the latest TV tech shows up and replaces every card in the set and decides its the display panel it self is fried.
While she was there my friend asked what to look for in a good tv. She showed us where the empty fan mounts and headers were in his tv, and said "See where the fans are supposed to go? Really good tvs have nice quite fans. Medium quality tvs have loud fans, and cheap ones have none, so they overheat a lot. Other than more connectors and some factory tweaks to the picture settings most tvs are essentially the same inside."
Obviously it was a simple answer, and there are surely exceptions.
But one thing's for sure, when my friends replacement tv comes its getting some spcr recommended fans in it!
I was at my friends house, hes had a economy level Panasonic that was nothing but trouble. (he won it at a casino) After 6 repairs in 4 months, the latest TV tech shows up and replaces every card in the set and decides its the display panel it self is fried.
While she was there my friend asked what to look for in a good tv. She showed us where the empty fan mounts and headers were in his tv, and said "See where the fans are supposed to go? Really good tvs have nice quite fans. Medium quality tvs have loud fans, and cheap ones have none, so they overheat a lot. Other than more connectors and some factory tweaks to the picture settings most tvs are essentially the same inside."
Obviously it was a simple answer, and there are surely exceptions.
But one thing's for sure, when my friends replacement tv comes its getting some spcr recommended fans in it!
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NeilBlanchard
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Hi,
LCD TV's do not put out very much heat, really. The plasma TV's OTOH are quite power hungry, and probably have a lot of heat.
I like the Sharp Aquos, Sony Bravia, and the Samsung's are pretty good, too. I'd go for the 1080P myself, but whichever you get, you should look for the highest contrast ratio you can get. Believe it or not, but black is the hardest "color" to do! And darker blacks make all the other colors look much better.
LCD TV's do not put out very much heat, really. The plasma TV's OTOH are quite power hungry, and probably have a lot of heat.
I like the Sharp Aquos, Sony Bravia, and the Samsung's are pretty good, too. I'd go for the 1080P myself, but whichever you get, you should look for the highest contrast ratio you can get. Believe it or not, but black is the hardest "color" to do! And darker blacks make all the other colors look much better.
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xan_user
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my little 22" gateway lcd puts out fair amount of heat. (edit: 99*f right above the back in a 70* room.)
As for sonys, supposedly the nearer to end of the alphabet the model name starts with the better.
As for sonys, supposedly the nearer to end of the alphabet the model name starts with the better.
Last edited by xan_user on Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
36inch TVs at 720p are like 150-200$ more that the 32inch right now where i live. If you want a 1080p 32inch TV, it's 200-300$ more only because its got 1080p instead of 720p
but 720p is good enough for me.
oh yes, i bought it, and first thing i noticed, it seem like the backlight on it is uneven since during black screens, if you look at some angles, you can see uneven backlight lightings, not like corner bleedings but bleedings around the middle of the panel.
other than that, i hope i won't get dead/stuck pixel again, i bought it in a Price Costco and i asked someone to come with me to buy it.
i mean...geez, 2 out of 2 from the Dynex-brand LCD TVs had stuck pixels, the 2nd one had problem with Component 1 connection.
my 17inch (5:4) LCD monitor is a Samsung too (bought in Nov.2005 i think, Syncmaster 730b), and it doesn't heat much. I remember the Dynex-brand one had a lot of vent holes on top and back, and this Samsung model only have vents on top of it, a bit like my LCD computer monitor.
this Samsung LN32A330, the HDMI 1 connector had a little problem with 1360x768 in Windows, but not HDMI 2 strangely. with the HDMI 1 i had to tweak the display with ATI Catalyst software (display is centered, but not covering the entire TV) and HDMI 2 don't have problem with this.
but 720p is good enough for me.
oh yes, i bought it, and first thing i noticed, it seem like the backlight on it is uneven since during black screens, if you look at some angles, you can see uneven backlight lightings, not like corner bleedings but bleedings around the middle of the panel.
other than that, i hope i won't get dead/stuck pixel again, i bought it in a Price Costco and i asked someone to come with me to buy it.
i mean...geez, 2 out of 2 from the Dynex-brand LCD TVs had stuck pixels, the 2nd one had problem with Component 1 connection.
my 17inch (5:4) LCD monitor is a Samsung too (bought in Nov.2005 i think, Syncmaster 730b), and it doesn't heat much. I remember the Dynex-brand one had a lot of vent holes on top and back, and this Samsung model only have vents on top of it, a bit like my LCD computer monitor.
this Samsung LN32A330, the HDMI 1 connector had a little problem with 1360x768 in Windows, but not HDMI 2 strangely. with the HDMI 1 i had to tweak the display with ATI Catalyst software (display is centered, but not covering the entire TV) and HDMI 2 don't have problem with this.
oh, i see. i usually buy them on amazon - cheaper than buying local.
underscan problems with ati? i had that with samsung, once you fix it in drivers, it's stays fixed, it's ok.
as for backlight bleeding, give it a couple of days to burn-in. if it doesn't bother you afterwords, it's ok; if it gets worth, well, it's costco
.
underscan problems with ati? i had that with samsung, once you fix it in drivers, it's stays fixed, it's ok.
as for backlight bleeding, give it a couple of days to burn-in. if it doesn't bother you afterwords, it's ok; if it gets worth, well, it's costco
.i never buy LCD TVs or monitors online, for a few reasons:
1- shipping is expensive
2- it's a lot of trouble to return something online!
3- faster to go back to the store and get a replacement instantly
Costco have 90 days warantee, much better than "Worst Buy", "Future Stop" or even "The Source Of Problems"...
well i don't see that uneven backlight while sitting on my bed and watching videos or playing games (such as World of Goo ), the TV is pretty much sitting on top of my entertainment center, and my bed is, well...in a much lower position. It might be another story when my ceiling light is closed.
One thing for sure, my TV do smell something like "new electronic" scent. You know, a bit like when you buy a new car, it have that particular scent.
1- shipping is expensive
2- it's a lot of trouble to return something online!
3- faster to go back to the store and get a replacement instantly
Costco have 90 days warantee, much better than "Worst Buy", "Future Stop" or even "The Source Of Problems"...
well i don't see that uneven backlight while sitting on my bed and watching videos or playing games (such as World of Goo
), the TV is pretty much sitting on top of my entertainment center, and my bed is, well...in a much lower position. It might be another story when my ceiling light is closed.One thing for sure, my TV do smell something like "new electronic" scent. You know, a bit like when you buy a new car, it have that particular scent.
I have a Samsung 32" series 5 LCD, and if you want to use a PC via HDMI, it has to be HDMI2. You also need to set the "name" of that input to "PC". This then allows it to run without needing any underscan/overscan settings.RaptorZX3 wrote: this Samsung LN32A330, the HDMI 1 connector had a little problem with 1360x768 in Windows, but not HDMI 2 strangely. with the HDMI 1 i had to tweak the display with ATI Catalyst software (display is centered, but not covering the entire TV) and HDMI 2 don't have problem with this.
i have another question...is that normal for a LCD panel to have fingerprints or other dirty stuff on it right out of the box?
i think it could be when someone is actually putting the LCD panel inside the TV cabinet, or an employee manipulating it (for testing?) before it goes in a sealed box.
these dirty things didn't appeared right out of the box for me, it's because i took a photo of my entertainment center in my bedroom, and there seemed to be some traces on the screen of my brand-new LCD TV, so i took a LED flashlight and took a closer look. There seem to be "scratches" too, i took a microfiber cloth and tried to clean it...luckily i think it can be rubbed off since the "scratches" seem to be only strange manufacturing dust.
also, the cabinet's glossy finish part seem to be dirty, but i tried to rub it off and it didn't worked, but this is visible mostly when using a direct light on it only (like a flashlight).
i think it could be when someone is actually putting the LCD panel inside the TV cabinet, or an employee manipulating it (for testing?) before it goes in a sealed box.
these dirty things didn't appeared right out of the box for me, it's because i took a photo of my entertainment center in my bedroom, and there seemed to be some traces on the screen of my brand-new LCD TV, so i took a LED flashlight and took a closer look. There seem to be "scratches" too, i took a microfiber cloth and tried to clean it...luckily i think it can be rubbed off since the "scratches" seem to be only strange manufacturing dust.
also, the cabinet's glossy finish part seem to be dirty, but i tried to rub it off and it didn't worked, but this is visible mostly when using a direct light on it only (like a flashlight).
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aristide1
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A friend ordered one from NewEgg, they slapped a label on the original box and sent it out. It was fine but we both said "Whoa!"
Top notch units, with better color gamuts, like expensive NECs and such, will not be found easily at a local store, unless it's a specialty store? Who wants and needs such a unit? People processing photography.
I'll stick to my Sony E400 19" CRT for now. I don't have those viewing angle issues.
My next HD TV decision will include emphasis on power usage.
Top notch units, with better color gamuts, like expensive NECs and such, will not be found easily at a local store, unless it's a specialty store? Who wants and needs such a unit? People processing photography.
I'll stick to my Sony E400 19" CRT for now. I don't have those viewing angle issues.
My next HD TV decision will include emphasis on power usage.
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NeilBlanchard
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Hi,
I hope that SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) TV's (developed by Canon and Toshiba, together) will come to market, at some point -- sooner rather than later. They are better than any of the current displays:
They look like a CRT in terms of brightness, speed and viewing angle.
They are flat and geometrically perfect like LCD's and plasma, and they are as thin (or thinner?) as well.
They will have a higher contrast ratio than even what plasma can muster -- 50,000 or 100,000 to 1 !
And they use less power than all the current displays; beating LCD's by a fair bit.
The key things that will make or break them are: availability (no kidding!) and price.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/sed-tv.htm
http://www.sed-tv-reviews.com/
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/12472/1103/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-co ... er_display
I hope that SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) TV's (developed by Canon and Toshiba, together) will come to market, at some point -- sooner rather than later. They are better than any of the current displays:
They look like a CRT in terms of brightness, speed and viewing angle.
They are flat and geometrically perfect like LCD's and plasma, and they are as thin (or thinner?) as well.
They will have a higher contrast ratio than even what plasma can muster -- 50,000 or 100,000 to 1 !
And they use less power than all the current displays; beating LCD's by a fair bit.
The key things that will make or break them are: availability (no kidding!) and price.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/sed-tv.htm
http://www.sed-tv-reviews.com/
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/12472/1103/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-co ... er_display
Last edited by NeilBlanchard on Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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NeilBlanchard
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Hi Aris,
Yes, LED backlights for LCD's is probably how they achieve the higher contrast ratios that we are now getting on LCD displays; using dynamic backlights. In other words, they turn the backlight down/off when the scene is dark.
But SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) is very different than LED lights -- see the links that I have in my post above.
Yes, LED backlights for LCD's is probably how they achieve the higher contrast ratios that we are now getting on LCD displays; using dynamic backlights. In other words, they turn the backlight down/off when the scene is dark.
But SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) is very different than LED lights -- see the links that I have in my post above.
Radically higher?floffe wrote:The radically higher power consumption of plasmas mean more heat = more fans needed to cool. It might also mean that air conditioning has to work harder, thereby increasing power draw and noise even more.
You are looking at 170-200W for a 37" LCD, and 230-250W for a 37" plasma. Those are maximum values, mostly unsuitable for regular TV watching as both will burn your eyes out.
A maximum of 50-60W extra (in practice it's going to drop to 25-35W) isn't going to make much of a difference on power draw, heat, noise, or your electric bills.
The picture quality, however, is radically better in favour of the plasma.
My 40" LCD (Sony KDL-40W2000) is 185W according to spec, but at my settings it's ~100W.Matija wrote:You are looking at 170-200W for a 37" LCD, and 230-250W for a 37" plasma. Those are maximum values, mostly unsuitable for regular TV watching as both will burn your eyes out.
Plasma has it's advantages, as do LCD. Myself I'm firmly in the LCD camp.
I got the Sharp Aquos 32" "Gamer" model. LC-32GP3U-B
I wanted a 1080p TV for futureproofing and I like the gamer model because it supposedly eliminates latency between the input and output signals, a must for Guitar Hero.
It cost a little more, but I am very satisfied with it.
I got it from beachcamera.com.
I wanted a 1080p TV for futureproofing and I like the gamer model because it supposedly eliminates latency between the input and output signals, a must for Guitar Hero.
It cost a little more, but I am very satisfied with it.
I got it from beachcamera.com.
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NeilBlanchard
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Hiya,
To my eyes, the latest LCD's (Sony and Sharp in particular) are equal to or slightly better than plasma -- so why bother with plasma? These 1080P LCD's with 10,000:1 contrast ratio are just about the best displays that I have ever seen.
I have seen a Sony LCD right next to a Sony plasma; both were rated at 10,000:1, but the LCD clearly had "blacker blacks", and there seemed to have much better shades of gray, as well. The viewing angles for all intents and purposes were equal, and any differences in speed were not apparent, either.
To my eyes, the latest LCD's (Sony and Sharp in particular) are equal to or slightly better than plasma -- so why bother with plasma? These 1080P LCD's with 10,000:1 contrast ratio are just about the best displays that I have ever seen.
I have seen a Sony LCD right next to a Sony plasma; both were rated at 10,000:1, but the LCD clearly had "blacker blacks", and there seemed to have much better shades of gray, as well. The viewing angles for all intents and purposes were equal, and any differences in speed were not apparent, either.
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aristide1
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Those are new "dynamic" contrast ratios, which can not be directly compared to old static contrast ratios.
Hey Buddabing, are you still folding?
How about your close friend Buddaboom?
Check out this animal:
http://www.necdisplay.com/NewTechnologi ... edDisplay/
Hey Buddabing, are you still folding?
How about your close friend Buddaboom?
Check out this animal:
http://www.necdisplay.com/NewTechnologi ... edDisplay/
I doubt SED will ever take off in the consumer market. The delay caused by the lawsuit has set back the market introduction of the technology by several years, and now LCDs have improved massively and OLED TVs are now commercially available with similar or better specs than SED TVs. It has been left behind by the march of technology, they will never be able to get the economies of scale for it to be more than a niche product.NeilBlanchard wrote:Hi,
I hope that SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) TV's (developed by Canon and Toshiba, together) will come to market, at some point -- sooner rather than later. They are better than any of the current displays:
They look like a CRT in terms of brightness, speed and viewing angle.
They are flat and geometrically perfect like LCD's and plasma, and they are as thin (or thinner?) as well.
They will have a higher contrast ratio than even what plasma can muster -- 50,000 or 100,000 to 1 !
And they use less power than all the current displays; beating LCD's by a fair bit.
The key things that will make or break them are: availability (no kidding!) and price.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/sed-tv.htm
http://www.sed-tv-reviews.com/
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/12472/1103/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface-co ... er_display
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NeilBlanchard
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Hi James,
I think one of the articles I linked to said that the lawsuit had been settled? They may still have plenty of issues to work through.
Can you say more about OLED, and/or link to places where we can learn about them? I know that it means organic light emitting display, but I had no idea that they were up and running for large displays -- do all the colors last about the same length of time? I had also heard that the blue faded rather quickly...
I think one of the articles I linked to said that the lawsuit had been settled? They may still have plenty of issues to work through.
Can you say more about OLED, and/or link to places where we can learn about them? I know that it means organic light emitting display, but I had no idea that they were up and running for large displays -- do all the colors last about the same length of time? I had also heard that the blue faded rather quickly...
i have another question, do some peoples using LCD TVs have "clouding" on their panel? clouding looks like an uneven backlight spreading, resulting in cloud-like shapes when you look at your TV, mostly on the sides, usually visible when the screen is black. I tried putting myself on the front of the TV and i can't really see this, but it's visible on the sides. But i think the clouding effect doesn't "lighten" or "darken" areas when you watch movies or cartoon on your TV (i don't see any "clouding" when watching anime episodes on it, since most of the time it have bright colors).
I suggest that you check the LCD TV Ratings of various brands. Most of the time, it can help when you make a decision. This is what I do when I don't have an idea about certain products.
Good luck.
Good luck.