Samsung 40' LA40A650 Full HD LCD TV

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lindylou

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#27776 6-Nov-2008 14:14

I'm in the market for a new tv. I have no idea what I'm looking for except that I'm after something below 2k and bigger than 40".

I can get a really good deal on Samsung 40" LA40A650 LCD which I'm pretty keen on. Only hesitation is that people say plasma is better for sports and movies. But I've also been told that a good quality LCD (like this one) is comparable to a more average plasma (which is what we would end up with).

So, I guess there's are the three main questions I have for anyone who has this tv -

1) our living room is very light, lots of windows, and we don't want to have to draw the curtains every time we want to watch tv. i understand that LCD tvs are better in a light room than plasmas, but can anyway let me know their experiences of this?

2) is it just as good as a plasma for sports?

3) is it true that i can't record to a dvd recorder? If so, how about if i use My Sky.

I'm completely technically unsavvy, so i hope someone can help me in a way i understand! I'm a mere female...

Thanks!

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#176297 6-Nov-2008 14:21

I have a 42" Panasonic plasma in a well lit room and find its pretty good, I dont find myself reaching over to close curtains etc....
LCD's can give a spot of motion blur for fast moving things....but Ive heard that they have improved lately.
As for not being able to record.... pass, I dont own a DVD recorder myself but I dont see any reason why it wouldnt record..... did a salesman tell you this ? Did they give a reason why ?

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lindylou

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Wannabe Geek

#176302 6-Nov-2008 14:38

Just seen a forum on here that seems to imply that - but maybe i've misunderstood. anyway, i think it will be ok with Mysky a the very least.

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=34&TopicId=27597

Nety

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#176304 6-Nov-2008 14:45

lindylou:
1) our living room is very light, lots of windows, and we don't want to have to draw the curtains every time we want to watch tv. i understand that LCD tvs are better in a light room than plasmas, but can anyway let me know their experiences of this?

2) is it just as good as a plasma for sports?

3) is it true that i can't record to a dvd recorder? If so, how about if i use My Sky.

It is really for you to say if LCD or plasma is better. It is a personal thing. Some people like the look of plasma (tends to be a softer picture) some prefer LCD. Best thing to do is watch both showing the same video and make your own mind up.

Just be aware that often HD displays do not look good with standard definition material. Something like sky digital really suffers. However now with Sky HDi and Freeview HD not to mention the move to blu ray there are options out there to supply a HD signal to your HD TV.

Also I would suggest that you want to look forward not backward. Buying a standard definition TV at this point will just leave you kicking yourself down the road.

1. As above decide what you like the look of. LCD does tend to be a bit brighter so will handel a lighter room better however plasma still gets better blacks so when watching that movie in the evening you will get nicer blacks.

2. I have not ever noticed any issues with fast moving images on our LCD. I do understand it has been a problem in the past but I think with modern pannels you would be pushed to notice ghosting on LCD's.

3. This is no different to any other TV. When you think about it VCR's, DVD recoders have always used internal tuners not your TV's tuner. At this stage My Sky or better yet (to go with your HD TV) My Sky HDi is your best bet here. If you are with Telstra then they are going to release a product much like My Sky HDi but does not look like it will be this year.

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Jaxson

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#176308 6-Nov-2008 15:12

Yeah back in the day there was a significant delay between telling an LCD pixel to change and when it actually did. These days though that's not really an issue, in fact it was typically agreed that this was not really an issue with a refresh rate quicker (smaller number) than 8ms.

Plasma's didn't have much of a delay at all so it was considered negligible. Buy a cheap plasma or lcd and you risk the electronics controlling the panel will be crap and you'll notice blurring regardless of the panel being lcd or plasma. In my opinion.

The freeview HD standard is in place now and not going anywhere in a hurry, it is the future for the NZ TV broadcast standard. Get the best TV you can with what you have to play with. The ideal really if you're going to spend a bit, is HD ready or full HD and with inbuilt freeview.

Looks like freeview HD Hard Drive recorders are on their way so that would be the best bet for recording. Not entirely sure what you're asking though with this question.

kiwitrc

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#176314 6-Nov-2008 15:56

I have LA40A650 and watch stacks of sports ( League, motor racing etc), it is absolutely great! I have a personal preference for LCD as I like the crispness of the picture over plasma, however as a previous poster said, it comes down to you. I wandered into Harvy Normans and Noel Lemmings a number of times before I bought, and always found myself heading to the LCD TVs, and then the Samsungs.

BTW the LA40A650 has a 4ms response time so plenty quick enough.

jjnz1

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#176357 6-Nov-2008 18:00

ooooooo samsung very nice.. the 6 series LCD's have a very very good picture. We recommend this series to our customers.
Samsung tv's in my opinion are one of the best styled tv's on the market. You should go for the model with builtin Freeview HD tuner, normally only about $300 - $400 more.
I think noel lemming are offering 36months interest free on all freeview builtin lcd's.

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NZRobin

161 posts

Master Geek

#176869 8-Nov-2008 22:56

The Samsungs do have a nice screen which helps give it a greater contrast and perceived range of colours, but it is a glossy screen. Just like modern computer screens look nicer because of the same type of technology they are much more reflective in bright conditions but shouldn't be too much of a problem unless in direct sunlight.

Many people still prefer plasma over LCD for movies because they tend to be more film-like which basically means they are not as sharp as LCD's. I should qualify that and say that LCD's tend to show objects more 'sharp edged' than Plasma's which many think give LCD's a more artificial looking picture.

Although very close in regards to plasma's and CRT in regards to movement such as sport, in my opinion they are still not quite there yet.
I noticed it particularly during the Olympics on panning shots, such as following a runner around the track. The runners head and body would be quite sharp as the camera panned with the runner because they were relatively still in relation to the camera's movement, but the legs, arms and background crowd would to a lesser or greater extent be blurred because they were still moving in relation to the camera. As soon as the race finished with the runner not moving the runner and background crowds would snap back into focus.

Of course like everything you live with for a while, you tend not to notice this problem so much because you are concentrating on the action instead of the picture quality.

Unfortunately shops tend to show either very slow moving pictures such as a model slowly walking down a closed off street, or very quick camera shots of fast moving objects so that its hard to see if the screen has motion blur.

Try and buy the latest technology TV you can afford as they tend to have minimised the flaws of earlier TV's and so show the best picture. The LA40A650 you have chosen has very good reviews and would certainly be in the top few of my list of 40"ers. If your one has a Freeview decoder in it then that sounds like a good price if under $2 thousand.

I don't know of any TV's that output to a recorder. Normally the signal goes through the recorder to the TV! If you are watching analog TV then yes you connect it up the same way as you did on your old TV and the TV will up-convert to fill the screen. On freeview you will only be able to record those programs that are broadcast in standard definition until you upgrade to a high definition recorder when they become available, but you will still be able to watch freeview HD 'live' with the TV's built in Freeview decoder.

Hope this helps. Good luck and happy viewing!

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lindylou

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Wannabe Geek

#177028 10-Nov-2008 09:42

Thanks for all your help. Have compare the viera plasma and the Samsung LCD side by side like you suggested and decided I like the look of an LCD better. That coupled with the advice that it's good for sports etc cemented my decision and am now waiting for my Samsung 40" LA40A650 to arrive. Yay, very excited and glad to have had all the assistance with my decision. Thanks everyone!

kiwitrc

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#177030 10-Nov-2008 09:46

Good choice, you wont be disappointed. We used the picture in picture on Saturday night to watch the election in one half of the TV and the Kiwis in the other, and flicked back and forward as stuff happened.

Let us know what you think once you have it set up. Oh and get a HD box or MySky HD, its worth it.

tkr001

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#177128 10-Nov-2008 14:40

kiwitrc: Good choice, you wont be disappointed. We used the picture in picture on Saturday night to watch the election in one half of the TV and the Kiwis in the other, and flicked back and forward as stuff happened.

Let us know what you think once you have it set up. Oh and get a HD box or MySky HD, its worth it.

I think you will find the advice was Plasma is better for Sport not LCD. LCD can suffer from motion blur for fast moving scenes, something plasma does not.

Anyway I am sure you will enjoy your new purchase very much.

kiwitrc

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#177131 10-Nov-2008 14:41

tkr001:
kiwitrc: Good choice, you wont be disappointed. We used the picture in picture on Saturday night to watch the election in one half of the TV and the Kiwis in the other, and flicked back and forward as stuff happened.

Let us know what you think once you have it set up. Oh and get a HD box or MySky HD, its worth it.

I think you will find the advice was Plasma is better for Sport not LCD. LCD can suffer from motion blur for fast moving scenes, something plasma does not.

Anyway I am sure you will enjoy your new purchase very much.

Not my advice. I have one of these and have not noticed any bluring on sports at all.

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tkr001

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#177134 10-Nov-2008 14:43

clicked on wrong quote button. Meant this one

lindylou: Thanks for all your help. Have compare the viera plasma and the Samsung LCD side by side like you suggested and decided I like the look of an LCD better. That coupled with the advice that it's good for sports etc cemented my decision and am now waiting for my Samsung 40" LA40A650 to arrive. Yay, very excited and glad to have had all the assistance with my decision. Thanks everyone!

Yep, it is only a gross generalisation.

lindylou

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#177142 10-Nov-2008 15:01

Yeah, I got the distinction between plasma and LCD generally, but was particuarly interested to read a first hand account of the model in question. Also I took the advice to have a look at them side by side which was really helpful. Figure at the end fo the day since i got such a fantastic deal on the LCD that I couldn't have gotten the same quality Plasma for the same price. So...here's hoping! i'm sure it's a million times better than my old fashioned one i have now. Thanks again!

martin308

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Master Geek

#177300 11-Nov-2008 10:26

Where abouts did you see this for under 2K? Im also looking for a good tv, not sure which shops tend to have the best prices though

georgea

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#178107 15-Nov-2008 09:15

Hi. Yeas where abouts did you get the LA40A650 for under 2k! The cheapest I can find it is $2600! I'm trying to choose between this and the Sony 40W4500.

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