Gonna buy a TV would this be rude?..

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elldizzle

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#70808 31-Oct-2010 12:40

So I'm probably gonna be picking up another TV. Most likely a 42". Ive seen a lot of good deal lately around the $1500 mark.
But i'm not to sure on how a lot of these models perform. And as most places have about 5-6 models available in this price range I was wondering if it would be rude of me to take in a laptop with some HD material on it for testing on the displays in store?....Has anyone ever done this before?... Ive read the reviews on a few of them and they all have there pro's and cons. But im more of a person who makes up my own mind on things from whats in front of me. Anyway just thought I would see if anyone has ever done this before. I mean you wouldn't buy an audio equipment without a listen. And I don't trust those horrible vivid modes they use for TV's in store.

These are the models iv'e seen and am considering if anyones interested or has any experience with them.
Samsung LA40C650
Samsung LA40C550
LG 42LD460
LG 50PJ350
Sony KDL40EX400
LG 42LD560
LG 50PJ550

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#398041 31-Oct-2010 12:42

not at all. you are spening fair bit of money. this is something you are going to keep for 4~5 years in your house.

Do whatever you want to do man.

gehenna

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#398044 31-Oct-2010 12:56

Whatever the case you won't get a true representation of the display characteristics in store lighting. Your best bet is to find a store that has a dedicated viewing room with proper low lighting that you'd experience at home. And if a store has that level of expertise then they're bound to have their own HD content that you can view.

LittleDude

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#398045 31-Oct-2010 12:57

I've got the Samsung LA40C650 and I'm really pleased with it. I was going to hold out for a Panny plasma but got impatient. Get picture but mediocre sound, though adequate for TV. For me the best feature is the USB imput. Really great decoder built it that even plays MKV. My friend's Sony EX500 is useless in comparison...hates custom matrix AVIs(increasingly common these days). Not an issue if you are using something else for playback though.

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elldizzle

91 posts

Master Geek

#398046 31-Oct-2010 13:04

Thanks guys thats good to know. I have been drawn towards the samsung. Ive always liked them. They seem good quality. I guess in store bright lighting won't give me the best impression but it'll give me a comparison between the other models especially things like Blacks. Sound wont really be a problem as these will be hooked upto to my receiver and surround setup. Also media will be handled through HTPC but its good to know I have the USB plug and play option.

ZollyMonsta

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#398048 31-Oct-2010 13:06

When testing, turn off all that 'motion flow' and other noise reduction crap too.. since it clouds the judgement.

We have a Samsung LCD at home. Chose it since I got a good deal and because I didn't like the video on Sony, Panasonic or Phillips TVs.

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nakedmolerat

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#398052 31-Oct-2010 13:28

elldizzle: So I'm probably gonna be picking up another TV. Most likely a 42". Ive seen a lot of good deal lately around the $1500 mark.
But i'm not to sure on how a lot of these models perform. And as most places have about 5-6 models available in this price range I was wondering if it would be rude of me to take in a laptop with some HD material on it for testing on the displays in store?....Has anyone ever done this before?... Ive read the reviews on a few of them and they all have there pro's and cons. But im more of a person who makes up my own mind on things from whats in front of me. Anyway just thought I would see if anyone has ever done this before. I mean you wouldn't buy an audio equipment without a listen. And I don't trust those horrible vivid modes they use for TV's in store.

These are the models iv'e seen and am considering if anyones interested or has any experience with them.
Samsung LA40C650
Samsung LA40C550
LG 42LD460
LG 50PJ350
Sony KDL40EX400

LG 42LD560

LG 50PJ550

I have one suggestion. Most of these TVs have USB ports. Just put one or two HD movies on the USB sticks and played it in the store. I bought LG 42LD560 3 months ago and satisfied with my purchase. Do not use external harddrives as some of these tvs can only played movie from the usb sticks.

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LittleDude

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#398059 31-Oct-2010 13:49

The Samsung will happily play an 11GB MKV of Avatar off my WD portable(USB powered and formatted to NTFS) hard-drive. It looked stunning

LittleDude

nakedmolerat

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#398082 31-Oct-2010 14:18

LittleDude: The Samsung will happily play an 11GB MKV of Avatar off my WD portable(USB powered and formatted to NTFS) hard-drive. It looked stunning

I have 500GB WD usb-powered attached to my LG, and yes - it played MKV files perfectly. which samsung model is it?

LittleDude

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#398084 31-Oct-2010 14:23

The Samsung LA40C650

LittleDude

Dunnersfella

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#398187 31-Oct-2010 19:46

Pretty much any store will be able to provide you with a DVD or BluRay player, as well as HD content. However, I recommend you take in something you're familiar with.
Re: bright lighting, I wouldn't worry too much as a lot of TV watching tends to be in well lit environments... just make sure you have the opportunity to tweak at the TV's so the comparison is fair.
As an aside, I'd avoid the 50PJ350 as it looks okay on Full HD material, but poor with SD content. You can use the on-board calibration guide to get a quick idea of how good the set can be... but really, it'll be smashed by the likes of the Panasonic plasmas.
Also... it's HD ready, not Full HD like the rest of the TV's you've listed.

Have you had a look at the Panasonic plasma range? The 42U and 42V are great sets (in particular the TH-P42V20z) - definitely worth putting on your list.

elldizzle

91 posts

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#398204 31-Oct-2010 20:30

So I ended up taking My Laptop with a few choice HD Blu-ray rips. Took Alice in Wonderland 1080p for some really colourfull contrasting stuff. Took Terminator Salvation for that gritty grainy look as well as dark scenes. The incredible's 720p for some good animated stuff. And Worlds fastest Indian cause thats just a really well encoded movie....one of the best. Especially the morning scenes on the flats.

I narrowed it down to the Sony KDL40600.......Did not like. Colours were flat and some images a tad fuzzy..

Then the Samsung LA40C550...As soon as I played a dark scene it basically looked like grey they were crap... tested a few different picture settings but still no better.

I finally settled on the LG 42LD560 and the Samsung 6 series LA40C650. As soon as I played a dark scene on the Samsung I was immediately impressed. Blacks were substantially better then the 5 series. Colours were detailed and vibrant but not overly offensive.

The LG was equally as good but picture was slightly less sharp and blacks not as deep....
Was a tough choice as the LG was slightly bigger and $100 cheaper. But went with the one that impressed me the most the 6 series Samsung.. Ended up talking him into giving it me for the same price as the LG. $1739

Also turns out that people that work in electrical stores don't give a crap what you put on there screens. lol

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Jaxson

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#398344 1-Nov-2010 08:48

Cool story, good on you for going with what you like and being proactive. Enjoy.

michaelmurfy

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#398370 1-Nov-2010 09:25

Good on you! Yeah I did the same while shopping for my parents TV 2 years ago, it really paid off and now they have a really nice Sony 46" Z Series LCD. The Sales Reps don't mind, at the end of the day it's more of a chance of them getting a bigger sale and since I used to be a appliances sales rep I have seen my fair share of people bringing in media to test.

The only one I didn't like though was when a customer bought in Marilyn Manson to test on a Home Theatre system, well - not that I didn't like it but the customers didn't. He ended up buying quite a bit of gear so I was quite happy with that.

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ilovemusic

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#398615 1-Nov-2010 16:13

elldizzle;

The Samsung is a good choice, nice set, nice price.

Is that an actual picture of your room ?

If so, pulling the main speakers away from the cabinet will improve performance.

You do not want the main and centre speakers in a line but in a curve so that each speaker is the same distance from your ears.

merve0o0

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#398724 1-Nov-2010 19:06

I've been looking at getting a 50" plasma soon and went in today but they didn't have the one I wanted samsung PS50C6500.

I asked if I would be able to bring in a USB stick with some mkv's on so test they said they would like me to cause then I get what i want.

Just got to decide if I want a new tv or a new gearbox

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