Samsung LCD

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mrgts4

16 posts

Geek

#27246 19-Oct-2008 18:37

I am looking at upgrading our 29" crt to an LCD. I have my eye on a Samsung LA40A450. Does anybody know what they are like compared to the others in that same price bracket. My mate can get sony products at a discount from the suppliers so really want to know if the sony would be a better buy.

Cheers

1101

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#172216 20-Oct-2008 11:12

The LA40A450 is a lower end (budget) model.
I hope you are getting it very cheap

http://www.samsung.com/nz/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=television&type=television&subtype=lcdtv&model_cd=LA40A450C1XRD

Heres a review of a series5 (a model up from the 450)
http://www.cnet.com.au/tvs/lcd/0,239035307,339292000,00.htm

I guess everything depends on how much you want to spend.

Dingbatt

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#172221 20-Oct-2008 11:28

If you are in an area that receives Freeview Terrestrial (HD) you may be better to consider a telly with an inbuilt freeview tuner (I don't think the one you referenced has one).

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

whatty

42 posts

Geek

#172284 20-Oct-2008 16:00

Dingbatt: If you are in an area that receives Freeview Terrestrial (HD) you may be better to consider a telly with an inbuilt freeview tuner (I don't think the one you referenced has one).

Agree, the samsung units with freeview should be out in the next few weeks. Unless you want my 3 month old 46F86 100hz unit with a free Freeview box thrown in!

mrgts4

16 posts

Geek

#172310 20-Oct-2008 17:07

Thanks for the replies, not too keen on spending big money, just saw Dick smiths had a couple of 32" for $800 and thought why not at that price, then decided for a couple of hundred more whay not get a 40". I can get the Samsung for $1150. I dont do gaming, infact I only own a PS1 which hasn't been used in 6 years. It is for in the family room where we do our TV watching. Will have to wait for the sony prices from my mate. What is the better one to go for between the samsung and sony. Also is the Samsung LA40R81BX any better than the A450?

Cheers

Rocky80

47 posts

Geek

#172332 20-Oct-2008 18:22

I have got the Sammy LA40R81BX. I paid $2200 for it 6 months ago, i've seen it for $1300 in JB Hifi at the weekend. Picture quality is excellent, HD especially. Only downfall is internal speakers are crap. Need to make sure u have a reciever otherwise will detract from overall pleasure of TV.

Once it's been calibrated the picture looks stunning for an LCD

Samsung LA40r8bx 40" LCD - Samsung HT-X250T Home Theater - Mysky Hdi - Nintendo Wii - Multiroom
Toshiba A500 Laptop ATI HD 4650 1Gb Ded graphics

Karnage

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#172540 21-Oct-2008 15:53

Hi mrgts4,

I bought a LA37A450 a couple of weeks ago from Harvey Norman. I am really surprised that you have a price of $1150 as the 37" retails at $1599. I did a lot of negotiating and got mine for $1250 which I thought was pretty good until I saw your price.

I did plenty of research before deciding on the 4-series Samy. Actually I originally had my heart set on the 5 series (Full HD) until I saw them side by side in a store. They were both running from the same Blu-ray and I could barely tell the difference in quality. The 5 Series certainly wasn't $500 better.

The lack of a freeview tuner doesn't bother me too much as I will get sky shortly.

The LA40R81BX is just an older model. The newer models are the Series 4,5 and 6. They are up to series 9 in the States but I haven’t seen any of those here yet. Here is a link to a site explaining the differences http://www.productwiki.com/samsung-4-series/. Scroll to the bottom to see the links to the other TV’s. The NZ tv’s and USA TV’s don’t always have identical spec’s.I also slightly preferred the rounded bottom of the Series 4 and definitely didn’t like the red on the series 6 but I guess it is a matter of preference.

DSE currently has the 40" at $1,999. A nearly 50% saving on the floor price sounds pretty good to me. I would grab it.

Karnage

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mrgts4

16 posts

Geek

#172608 21-Oct-2008 20:48

Thanks for the reply Karnage,

Another Q now, was talking to my brother and he reckons I should get a plasma, says LCDs aren't any good for fast action programes like motorsport and rugby, says you can see it shadowing. What is everybodys thoughts on this, have seen the Samsung ps42a410. Maybe I should just stick with my old Sanyo CRT 29" for the time being and save my money, its all to confusing for this tradesman.

Cheers

butlerboy

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Ultimate Geek
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#172622 21-Oct-2008 21:44

I've got a 42" Panasonic PV8 plasma. I paid $1399 a few months ago for it and it's great value for money. I saw it in Harvey Norman at the weekend for $1299. I can definitly recommend it!!

Dingbatt

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#172627 21-Oct-2008 21:50

mrgts4: Thanks for the reply Karnage,

Another Q now, was talking to my brother and he reckons I should get a plasma, says LCDs aren't any good for fast action programes like motorsport and rugby, says you can see it shadowing. What is everybodys thoughts on this, have seen the Samsung ps42a410. Maybe I should just stick with my old Sanyo CRT 29" for the time being and save my money, its all to confusing for this tradesman.

Cheers

The sticky thread at the top of this section may provide you some answers. In the end trust your eyes (and ears) but could I suggest when you audition a TV you use material you know well, perferrably something with a full colour palette and plenty of movement and certainly not anything animated. And watch the same thing on each different TV. Both LCD and Plasma have their benefits and drawbacks, if you are unsure don't spend a fortune on bleeding edge technology.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Karnage

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#172754 22-Oct-2008 12:36

I agree with Dingbatt.

There is always lots of debate on LCD v Plasma but I think it comes down to personal preference. Go into store and compare them side by side if possible. Try and view the tv’s displaying what you will be using them for. Take a favourite dvd or sports game in with you. I took in my laptop so I could see how well they work as a monitor. The sales people are pretty hungry for sales at present which also makes them very accommodating. Look up close at the panels but also step back to the distance you will be watching from at home as well. You may be able to notice shadowing up-close but when you step back you don’t see it.

My overall impression of flat panel tv’s was that Sony, Panasonic and Samsung (my initial subset based on brand preference) all have pretty good displays. On both LCD and Plasma at 4-5 meters with sets 40” and smaller, I didn’t notice that much of a difference. Some displayed black a little better, some had crisper whites but that was because you were comparing them side by side (an potentially because of how they had been calibrated in-store). At home without something to directly compare against they will all look pretty good.

I guess my overall view is that you watch a tv to be entertained. The tv itself should not detract from that entertainment so that you are thinking about the tv rather than enjoying the entertainment. Most of the newer model tvs will do this for me, but it really comes down to how picky you are about your display. Have fun deciding

[EDIT MOD RC: changed hyperlink to user only, not entire post]