Best 26" LCD TV ?

harrydv

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Best 32" LCD TV ? (EDITED TITLE - Earlier it was 26")

Hello all,

I came across this wonderful forum 2 days ago, when I was googling for comparison between different LCD televisions of 26" size. And I right away registered myself in. :)

I am new to LCD TVs, their specifications and their importance, etc. So I would need the advice of the Audio/Video specialists here to guide me in my first LCD TV purchase. I am going to buy it in Jan first week, 2010.

I did try searching for reviews in this forum before posting this new thread, but most of are 32 or above it, and was finding it difficult to find a post relevant to my need, so I am posting this new thread. Excuse me if a similar post is already available in this forum.

After going through the posts in this forum, I've felt that LG is not that good, and Samsung and Sony are good. And lot of appreciation for Panasonic and Philips too. Considering all this and also my budget of 25 to 30 thousand rupees, I've shortlisted these two models:

These are the two models Sony KLV-26S550A:
KLV-26S550A : S Series : BRAVIA LCD TV : Sony India

Panasonic VIERA TH-26LE8:
VIERA TH-26LE8 | LE Series | Digital AV | Panasonic India

My usage will basically be watching Tata Sky, and DVD movies. The major difference (non technical) which I found between the above Sony & Panasonic models is that, the Panny 26 inch LE8 is just 23,500 (in Panasonic showroom, Bangalore) and the Sony is 27,000 (in Sony showroom, Bangalore). And with Panny, I get 3 yrs company warranty, but with Sony I get only one yr.

So can the specialists here (people like "madbullram", etc), please advice, as I need to buy one in 10 days. Thanks in advance. :)

Regards.
 
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Hello guys,

Also suggest, if I need to consider others models/brands like Samsung, LG, Philips, etc, or if it is good for me to extend my budget till 30,000 and get the 32 inch Panasonic LE8, instead of the 26inch. Please suggest...Thanks.:)
 
Hi Spiro,

Thanks for your response. I sometimes feel Sony is the safest bet. I've been visiting lot of showrooms in the last 2 days (as I need to buy one in 10 days), and sound & SD wise (Tata Sky), Sony & Panasonic are better than Sammy & LG. But your comment has confused me.
You yourself have a Philips 32 inch, but you are recommending Sammy & LG to me, why, isnt Philips good enough?
 
well like i have said time and again all 26" are bad compared to their bigger 32" siblings.
the samsung models come with TN panels,even some sony models,but the model u have shortlisted comes with a PMVA or PVA based panel which is much better then TN based.
the panasonic comes with a CMO panel based 08 specs.
 
Hi Spiro,

. But your comment has confused me.
You yourself have a Philips 32 inch, but you are recommending Sammy & LG to me, why, isnt Philips good enough?

well ,when I was looking for my LCD,I used to compare SD on 26in too.
Samy showed good result.LG is reliable.Both companies makes good PC monitors.Even Philips panals are made up of LG.
I picked up Philips for natural colours,multimedia USB playback & good SD performance.
In 32 seg,I also was keen with Samy 450 .
 
Thanks 'adder' for your comments, I think that confirms that I need to get a Sony.:)

Oh ok Spiro. Samsung is getting better, and their LED TV is especially awesome, the 32 inch is around 70,000 INR. I had checked them out yesterday. If I had some more money, I would have definitely bought it. I strongly believe that as of today, the Samsung LED TVs are the best buys. Their clarity & audio/video quality is just awesome, far better than LCDs.

'madbullram' and others, do you've any comments for me, for my first LCD TV please? Would really appreciate your comments & suggestions. Thanks guys!:)
 
Thanks 'adder' for your comments, I think that confirms that I need to get a Sony.:)

LED TV is especially awesome, the 32 inch is around 70,000 INR. I had checked them out yesterday. !:)

Price increased?It was 60k in Diwali.
 
Spiro, the Samsung website shows its around 70 grands, but I checked out in E-Zone and they said its around 55 to 60 grands.
 
Well, my take:

1. No 26, def 32 for stated reasons
2. If purely PQ is important and not really worried about service Philips is best in my view. 5409 is around 31k 5609 is around 33k
3. Pana, Sony and Samsung are next
4. LG is last but very good VFM

Also, saw Toshiba in a friends place and I was really impressed but non-existent service is a BIG worry :)

ps: Me no expert just a consumer who makes manufacturers RICH :D
 
Thanks madbullram for your comments. :)

Your suggestion about 32inch made me think, and so today, I went to the Panasonic & Sony showrooms straight from my office. I saw the Panny X11 (around 33,000 INR). The manager there was very nice & professional and he explained me the features properly. I wanted to see the X9 as it is in my budget (around 30,000 INR) but they did not have a demo model. He said its a fast moving model and so the stocks will be back in 2 days (Is x9 really a fast moving model?). He said the only difference between x9 & x11 was the better sound output power in x11 (around 200 watts) and the "real mode", which is not there in x9. I told him as I want to buy the X9, I will only be happy if I see a demo of it, with a standalone cable connection plugged into it (as distributed cable is blurred). He has asked me to come day after tomorrow. I also asked him why I should go for Panasonic instead of Sony, as the latter has better market presence, better after sales service, etc, and I found his answers pretty satisfactory.
This is the Panny X9 I am considering to buy: VIERA TH-L32X9 | X Series | Digital AV | Panasonic India

Then I went straight to Sony and checked the S series 32 inch (priced 37,000 INR after all discounts). This is the model that I saw:
KLV-32S550A : S Series : BRAVIA LCD TV : Sony Middle East & Africa

I've to admit, I somehow feel the Panny X11 is slightly better than the Sony S 32 inch, in both video & audio.

So the most important points that make me feel like buying a Panny are these two:
1) The price = 30,000 INR (7,000 less than the 32 inch Sony)
2) Three years warranty, but only one year warranty in Sony.

I am going to opt for financing as I have lot of other stuff to buy (Washing machine, Fridge, etc). So through financing, if I buy Sony, there will be a very marginal difference in my EMI. So the only difference left is the warranty period. So guys, I really need your expert advice to go ahead. I will be using this LCD TV for atleast 5 years, so is the 7,000 INR extra for Sony and 2 years less warranty worth it? Or is Panasonic X9 the best choice for me?

I really appreciate your comments & suggestions guys. Thanks.:)

And hey in Panny showroom, I saw the 110 inch plasma TV in action. Wow man, it was so huge, but still the picture clarity (they were showing a football match) was superb. And when I stepped into Sony, they had their LED TV on display (I though only Samsung had LED TVs currently), and it was uber cool. But the starting model is 40 inch and it is prices at around 1.5 lacs, typical Sony pricing!:clapping:
 
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harry: My opinion is not worth the extra 7k in sony. X11 is good. Check the best price in the pricing thread.

Pana is good vfm with 3 yrs warranty
 
Thank you so much madbullram (I wonder what your real name is :D), your comment pretty much seals the deal, though couple of more comments from people like Spiro, are awaited.

I think Panny is what I am gonna get.:)
 
And one more question "madbullram"; As you're a Panasonic customer, what do you think of their after sales service?
 
I think Panny is what I am gonna get.:)


Panasonic did not add anything special this yr & are similar to last yrs models.
X9 was also the model I liked ,but just cancled as it is very basic & HD ready.
It cannot accept 24fm/s from HDMI.
But SD performance is better & you get 3yr warrenty.Last price (without free DVDs ) was 28k without exchange.
 
Harry: I am a Pana customer, only interaction with service center was for wall mounting and it was very well handled. So cant really comment. My real name is Ram :)

You should also consider Philips 5609 :) really nice TV.
 
Thanks for your comments Spiro. Just because you vouched for Philips and as also you yourself have a Philips, I gave a visit to the Philips Exclusive showroom in Jayanagar, Bangalore today. The model that I was interested in was the 5409 ( I would love to have a 5609 like you, but my budget is a concern, and also the only difference that I saw was that it is Full HD. Please comment) .I should admit, the physical looks of the 5409 were stunning. I was surprised to see that it looks as beautiful as it looks on the Philips India website.

I checked a HD video, Tata Sky, and the guy there (very informed & professional, the best sales guy I've seen when compared to Sony,Panasonic,Samsung & LG) also showed me a .avi movie (The Bee Movie which is the regular 700MB size video file, so not full DVD quality also) from a pen drive, and I was very impressed with the video & audio quality.

So my mind is between Panasonic 32 inch X11 (32,000 INR) and the Philips 32 inch 5409 (31,000 INR).

And the Philips guy told me that the 2 yrs additional warranty that Panasonic is giving is only on the LCD panel, but is not the full & regular parts & spares warranty that is given in the first year. And he also said that LCD panel has a lifetime of close to 60,000 hours and so additional 2 yr warranty on the panel is not a big thing. I called Panasonic now to confirm, and was shocked to hear the same from them. :sad:

And one more thing I noticed was that the Philips India website is far far better than Panasonic, infact just like Sony's, with all relevant links for support, drivers, Live Chat, good user interface, etc. Infact there is not much information about Panasonic X9 in the Panny India website, but Philips has got lot of information about 5409 and other TVs on their India website.

And the big question: the after sales service of Philips (which madbullram felt is not good, and which Spiro said is good, considering his own pleasant experience)? I asked the sales guy (I think he is the son of the owner of the showroom) at Philips, and he admitted that it was not great 5 yrs ago, but has improved a lot since then, and now they have 5 service centers in Bangalore, and are doing pretty well.

So "madbullram" and especially "Spiro" (as you own a Philips TV), its now between Panny x11 and Philips 5409 (dropped Sony, as suggested by madbullram). Can you guys please give your final thoughts (I know I've asked lot of questions here :p)? Then I can decide by tomorrow and arrange for the financing and delivery next week.

Thanks a lot to you both, and others for your patience & advice. :)
 
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Thanks Ram for your comments. Just saw it. Oh I feel weird adding the prefix "mad bull" before such a famous name "Ram" ;)

Oh yeah 5609 is good, but except it being Full HD, I dont see any difference. Here is the comparison I referred:
Philips - 5000 series - Sound and vision - Televisions

And I really dont see any actual use of that additional feature right now atleast for me (like watching really High Definition videos, etc will be rare). So I can use the extra 6,000 INR to buy a fridge (putting couple of thousands more, as I need one soon.

And I need you to comment on this thought of mine. Panny & Philips are not well known for their LCD TVs, atleast in India. So if I plan to sell it after 5 yrs or even before that, I dont think I will get a resale value like Sony, even though technically Panny & Philips seem to be better than Sony. But the general public feels Sony/Samsung is the best. So shouldnt I be considering that aspect also, when I am buying a Panny or Philips? Infact I just pinged one of my friends in GTalk now and gave him the link to Philips 5409 TV and told him I am gonna buy it, and he said "Hey, you wanna buy a Philips? Why man? I've never heard of Philips in home entertainment segment. Are you sure? Buy a Sony dude, they're the best"

So Ram & Spiro, I am waiting for your final comments on:
Pany X11 vs Philips 5409.

I really appreciate your advise. :)
 
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So my mind is between Panasonic 32 inch X11 (32,000 INR) and the Philips 32 inch 5409 (31,000 INR).

:)

Try for philips 5609 .It is HDCP enabled,Full HD, 24/sec,Good SD performance too.
Panasonic offers IPS panal which is harder than philips.Philips is grp test winner of whathifi mag.It plays more media in USB than other.

Panasonic has edge with clear panal else not special.It has standard 1yr warrenty & rest service.Philips has everything warrenty including panal.I liked pany last yr model than this & got for my sister LE8.

Finally you need 1k more than Pany to get 5609.
Lastly believe on your eyes.
 
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