Buying LCD? You Must Read This

LCD? Plasma? Sony? Panasonic? Samsung? Yawn....

It's quite simple: do the research, read the reviews, check out the prices, have a look in the shops. Having narrowed the choice down to one TV - buy it.

Sit back, relax and enjoy. :cool:
Sorry, but no. I respectfully disagree.

Perhaps it's as simple as you make it out to be for true enthusiasts such as yourself but there are those of us who don't have specialist knowledge. Doing research and reading reviews can only get you so far; as you say, there comes a point when you have to go and look at the sets. But what if you can't find them? And if you can, how do you know how well they're calibrated? What if you can't find a well-calibrated one? How will what you see in the shop translate to how the set will perform in your home, under different lighting conditions?

And this is without not really knowing what you're looking for - even identifying one's own priorities can be a tough job. I think I'm concerned about black levels, but at what level does it become indistinguishable to my untrained eye? Do I actually care more about brightness instead?

For mere mortals such as us who don't know the right questions to ask, but still want to get the best out of their cash and not regret their decision, the whole process is often a long, drawn-out and difficult one.
 
My 37" LZD85 is stunning with SD feeds. It is far an away the best LCD i have seen when it comes to SD (Not seen a Philips in the home environments so just comparing with Sony, Samsung, JVC, & Toshiba) so i find it odd that you had such problems. Maybe i have a particularly good signal, although i am in an apartment block and just in my apartment the signal is split 3 ways after the booster box (which a cheap Tesco splitter & cables).
 
Sorry, but no. I respectfully disagree.

Perhaps it's as simple as you make it out to be for true enthusiasts such as yourself but there are those of us who don't have specialist knowledge. Doing research and reading reviews can only get you so far; as you say, there comes a point when you have to go and look at the sets. But what if you can't find them?
Simple, go to another shop, and if you can't find it, then you don't buy it! I believe anyone is mad to buy a TV they haven't seen for their self.

And if you can, how do you know how well they're calibrated?
simple, assume they're not. The day Currys/ Comet has a calibrated TV on display, is probably the day I will become Prime Minister
What if you can't find a well-calibrated one? How will what you see in the shop translate to how the set will perform in your home, under different lighting conditions?
Very few people calibrate their TV's, it often requires special equipment and knowledge. Most are happy playing with the contrast, brightness. I couldn't care less about calibrating mine.

I agree with Alan. It's as simple or complicated as you make it, that's upto you.
 
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As for other brands, I had a good look at tellys side by side, as well as those that mates have (in fact, I checked out a mate's Samsung again on Sunday), and I still can't find a way to be persuaded that Sony and Panasonic aren't the leaders in LCD.

As Monarch08 said, you can't make any valid judgements from looking at TVs in a store. You have no control over the quality of the video signal being fed into each panel, unless you took along your own video source. Did you take the time to adjust the picture settings on each set that you evaluated? So you checked out your mate's Samsung. Do you think that now gives you a comprehensive idea of the quality of Samsung's entire range? I would take a mid-range Samsung over a low-end Sony any day. Don't get me wrong, I have no brand-loyalty whatsoever. The point I'm trying to make is that each set has to be evaluated on its own merits. The label on the front does not mean anything. Sony has been known to get things wrong before, and trust me it will do so again. Samsung do make some mediocre sets. But to believe that one particular brand is ALWAYS better than another is a newbie mistake. This forum should have opened your mind a little more by now.

About choosing a new set for your lounge, I find that buying a couple of magazines is always a good starting point, especially those annual awards issues. I think I saw one today at WHSmith. Choose a couple from there and then hit the forums to find out what people are saying about them with regards to reliability, etc.
 
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I still fail to understand how seeing two uncalibrated TVs side by side can help you make any kind of useful judgement as to the superiority of one set over another (even assuming you have a quantifiable definition of "superiority" based on your own tastes). I could walk into a shop and see a badly calibrated Kuro next to a well-calibrated Toshiba and come out with completely the wrong impression. Given that when you walk into a store you have no idea to what extent any set's display is even remotely representative of its picture quality...well, how can you be objective in that situation?

For some of us, the cost of a new set is a significant investment, so the importance of making the right choice and getting every last bang for our buck is huge. Trying to amalgamate information from reviews, opinions, user comments and personally viewing the sets - and in the process attempting to sort the wheat from the chaff - is difficult when you've not been in the game for years.

Partially, it's a confidence issue. I'm well aware I'm at the point where I have enough understanding of the technology to ask questions and agonise over the details, but not yet at the point where I can have faith and stand by what are in my case poorly educated guesses. Trivialising the process to "go into a shop, hand over some money, walk out with a TV" really doesn't show much understanding for those of us who have put blood, sweat and tears into trying to find the right set for them and are still left with uncertainty and doubt.

I realise I'm skating on thin ice in arguing senior members who doubtless have years more experience and knowledge than me, but I feel it has to be said nonetheless.

(Clarification: I use the word "calibrated" in my posts to mean everything from what ISF people do in the service menu to what amateurs do fiddling with the brightness and contrast.)

And finally, a smiley to cheer up this incredibly serious post! :D
 
I still ain't seen a Sony LCD that matches the motion handling of a Panasonic (LCD or Plasmas). Pioneer will stop manufacturing/marketing flat screen TV's at the end of this year. Pioneer LCD's use Sharp ASV panels AFAIK

No, Panaonsic LCDs do handle motion very well (plasma is a given to be honest) but other aspects don't match the top spec Sonys in my opinion. Anyway, as mentioned above there is no benefit from brand loyalty, yes some brands do tend to make better sets but (Sony being a good example) you might not get a very good set from them. There was a TV in Currys a while ago which was unbranded, it was only about £200 (32") but it was actually very good, it used Toshiba technology and the same panel from the 2008 range. I get it didn't sell well though.

On a general scale different brands have different pros and cons, Panasonics handle SD feeds very well and motion is generally very good, Sonys often have better blacks and are probably better for gaming, LGs often have nice colours and often very crisp pictures, Samsungs have very good sets when you get into the top ranges, with black levels and colours among other competing with Sonys. There are others but I will stop. Also, despite Panasonic LCDs having a good SD picture, none of them match the SD picture on any plasmas I've seen, Panasonics, Pioneers, LGs and, although I haven't personally looked at any in detail (I hear good things) Samsungs all make excellent plasmas, again, all with different pros and cons
 
Hi paradigm

I've been picking my way very carefully through the minefield of your interesting posts and note that the name paradigm is not all it seems.

We are all mere mortals and work within our own terms of reference. I quite understand your viewpoint (I think) but would suggest the purchase of a TV need not involve blood, sweat or tears. Far from it, in fact it's great fun.

Alan
 
Hi paradigm

I've been picking my way very carefully through the minefield of your interesting posts and note that the name paradigm is not all it seems.

We are all mere mortals and work within our own terms of reference. I quite understand your viewpoint (I think) but would suggest the purchase of a TV need not involve blood, sweat or tears. Far from it, in fact it's great fun.

Alan

i wouldn't say it was great fun, it overtook my life for the few months that I was doing it for, constantly in deliberations between two sets, wondering whether that other set which is jus tover my budget will drop in price in the next few weeks, or wondering if the price of the one I wanted would stay at the low level that I needed it at! It was agony!
 
nahhh..!! there's some great sets out there from loads of makers sony and panna are very good but there's better as we all know, but can say about 32" cos never had a tv so small..:boring:
 
nahhh..!! there's some great sets out there from loads of makers sony and panna are very good but there's better as we all know, but can say about 32" cos never had a tv so small..:boring:

32" is only small if you're far away!
 
I've been picking my way very carefully through the minefield of your interesting posts and note that the name paradigm is not all it seems.
I am incredibly curious as to what you mean by this :D
 
Ah, but a paradigm shift is a change in your world view...I don't currently have one beyond "oh god this is all so confusing" :D
 
Hi paradigm

Ah well, it just goes to show the power of a word. Has been picked by Ziffius as a shift or bending away from a course or position.

I've used it in it's grammatical form as in presenting different forms of inflection. Paradigm of a word or sentence changing or shifting the meaning.

What I was trying to say is that you have a way with words!

It just goes to show that when expressing an opinion in a forum there are many ways of doing so, from the straight forward to the complicated.

When purchasing a TV I love the research part of it, the actual purchase I find boring. The best bit though is the setting up of the TV and going on the forums! :)

All the best
Alan
 
Wow! Some excellent discussion points raised so far. I agree though, it is fun trying to get a new TV, especially with the way this market has exploded technology wise. It is also damn frustrating - is the set I have finally chosen really the right one? Man, so much to digest!

Now, as I am in the market fro a 42"-plus plasma (as all the knowledge on AVF points to plasma when you reach this size), this is an interesting line I picked up on this thread:

Quote by Boostrail
"I still ain't seen a Sony LCD that matches the motion handling of a Panasonic (LCD or Plasmas). Pioneer will stop manufacturing/marketing flat screen TV's at the end of this year. Pioneer LCD's use Sharp ASV panels AFAIK"

Pioneer is by all accounts the top dog in plasmas. However, if the above statement is correct that they are halting manufacture, is it wise to invest in a Pioneer now?
 
Pioneer is by all accounts the top dog in plasmas. However, if the above statement is correct that they are halting manufacture, is it wise to invest in a Pioneer now?

Yes! If it breaks then they still have to provide replacement parts for 10 years or something. And they're just ending production, they're not technically out of business
 

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