Need assitance in purchasing LCD 40"-46"

[pawsingh]

Hello Folks

I am planning to buy a LCD this weekend.
Screen size need to be at least 40" and max 46"
Viewing distance is approximately 9 feet and will only increase in future.
I will be watching HD mostly:
HD: 60% ( out of this around 80 %720p and rest 1080p)
Dvd: 30%
TV: 10%

My budget is around 65K.
In terms of brand i am little inclined towards Samsung and LG.
Over to you guys..

 

[sir_peter]

Sony KLV-40W550A 40" @64K if you are strict on LCD.
it has 100Hz motion flow for fast action scenes & sports.
plus at this price the best PQ for an LCD.

If you are also considering plasma then there are:
Samsung B450 42" @42K & 50" @60K
LG PQ30 50" @55K

 

[pawsingh]

Thanks Peter!
Does the motion flow 100Hz thing really make any difference. I mean is it worth the money?

I came to know about these features this week only when I started my search for LCD so I am totally noob to these things.

Also, as everybody say, Sony sound expensive to me as well.
My budget is 60k max for a 40 to 42". 65k is in case of 46

Appreciate your quick response.

 

[alokbharti]

you can take a look at Samsung 46B530 or 46B550.
These are FullHD LCDs and available at 65-70K (Hyd price).
40 inch will cost around 51-53K.

for Plasma, Samsung B450 is a good choice. about 45K.

I am also looking for a 42 inch TV. either LCD or Plasma.
After a number of demos in the shops, I have found the above TVs to be the best in this price range.

Sony has recently reduced the price for 2009 model LCDs. 40W550 has better PQ than Samsung model above. If you can spend 64K on 40 incher then this is also a good choice.

Go get the demos and take the one which you found good to your personal taste.

 

[pawsingh]

Go get the demos and take the one which you found good to your personal taste.

That is the key. +1 for this.

How is LG Jazz theater? is it comparable to Samsung or shall i stay away from Lg and stick to Samsung and Sony. Only reason I am interested in LG is for the features and someone quoted me 57K for Jazz theater 42".

 

[sam9s]

Thanks Peter!
Does the motion flow 100Hz thing really make any difference. I mean is it worth the money?

I came to know about these features this week only when I started my search for LCD so I am totally noob to these things.

Also, as everybody say, Sony sound expensive to me as well.
My budget is 60k max for a 40 to 42". 65k is in case of 46

Appreciate your quick response.

9' feet viewing distance is too close for 46/47", I'd say go for 42. I bought LG 47" and my complete review can be read HERE I have also included special note on my take on "True Motion 100/200Hz" technology, personally I did not like it at all, except if you are Gamnig on your LCD.

 

[pawsingh]

Very nice review there Sam.

Is 9 feet close for HD viewing as well? This is the distance where I will be watching the TV for couple of months, before I buy a proper table. Later the viewing distance may increase to 12 feet so i wanted to be future proof.

Anyway, if 47" sound too big then i will stick to 42.
Any idea How is LG Jazz theater compared to Samsung 40"

Also, I would like to add that I am planing to buy WD TV to run HD stuff on LCD and I already have a Logitech Z5500 speaker set. I hope this combination will work. Any Issue I should be aware of?

 

[sam9s]

Very nice review there Sam.

Is 9 feet close for HD viewing as well? This is the distance where I will be watching the TV for couple of months, before I buy a proper table. Later the viewing distance may increase to 12 feet so i wanted to be future proof.

Anyway, if 47" sound too big then i will stick to 42.
Any idea How is LG Jazz theater compared to Samsung 40"

Also, I would like to add that I am planing to buy WD TV to run HD stuff on LCD and I already have a Logitech Z5500 speaker set. I hope this combination will work. Any Issue I should be aware of?

well viewing distance is personal choise but I'd still say 9' for 47" would be too close, even for HD. Try it yourself in some demo room. 11' should be what I look at for a 47". My viewing distance is 11-12' and I am very satisfied.
Personally I did not compare Jazz with samsung, (thoug I did compare Jazz and Scarlet), I only did a comparision for Scarlet with Samsung. But I think Jazz is more inclind toward the audio quality and loudeness, rest features are same. Also Jazz has 200 Hz True Motion and if I remember correctly it does not have the option to turn it off. So that was definately a deal Breaker for me as its a godawfull technology AFA movie watching goes.

Z5500 are desktop speakers, so they only have 6 Analoge direct connectors (for 5.1 audio), you would not be able to connect WD player. WD Player only has HDMI for HD Material. Either get a reciever and use the speakers and sub from 5500 or get an HTiB, just like me.

 

[pawsingh]

well viewing distance is personal choise but I'd still say 9' for 47" would be too close, even for HD. Try it yourself in some demo room. 11' should be what I look at for a 47". My viewing distance is 11-12' and I am very satisfied.
Personally I did not compare Jazz with samsung, (thoug I did compare Jazz and Scarlet), I only did a comparision for Scarlet with Samsung. But I think Jazz is more inclind toward the audio quality and loudeness, rest features are same. Also Jazz has 200 Hz True Motion and if I remember correctly it does not have the option to turn it off. So that was definately a deal Breaker for me as its a godawfull technology AFA movie watching goes.

Z5500 are desktop speakers, so they only have 6 Analoge direct connectors (for 5.1 audio), you would not be able to connect WD player. WD Player only has HDMI for HD Material. Either get a reciever and use the speakers and sub from 5500 or get an HTiB, just like me.

If Jazz does not have a option to turn off true motion then i am not going for it.

Z5500 has a optical input. I am using the same to transmit audio from my PC to Z5500 via a optical cable ( i believe its called SPDIF). I noticed that WD TV has a optical out so i thought it might work with my Z5500. I configured my PC to passthroguh DTS and Z5500 decodes DTS fine. So if i connect WD TV to Z5500 using optical cable, will that work?

 

[sam9s]

If Jazz does not have a option to turn off true motion then i am not going for it.

Z5500 has a optical input. I am using the same to transmit audio from my PC to Z5500 via a optical cable ( i believe its called SPDIF). I noticed that WD TV has a optical out so i thought it might work with my Z5500. I configured my PC to passthroguh DTS and Z5500 decodes DTS fine. So if i connect WD TV to Z5500 using optical cable, will that work?

Ok if 5500 has optical, It should work with WD player. But remember optical cannot transmit multichannel PCM or lossless codecs such as TrueHD and DTS MA. Though WD Live passthrough only DTS and DD currently, it does not do the same for True HD/DTA MA so you are safe for now though this might be possible in future firmware update.

 

[sir_peter]

the 100Hz motion flow is really good in sony. i have heard bad reviews for LG.
when watching sports or fact moving action motion flow helps a lot. also its helps remove judder in 1080p vids.

 

[pawsingh]

Ok if 5500 has optical, It should work with WD player.

Phew.. I feel good now.
Here is how I am planning to connect WD TV:
LCD TV <--(HDMI)-- WDTV --(Optical)--> Logitech Z5500

the 100Hz motion flow is really good in sony. i have heard bad reviews for LG.
when watching sports or fact moving action motion flow helps a lot. also its helps remove judder in 1080p vids.

I am ready to spend some more if Sony does better in terms of Motion flow so I will check out Sony as well.

Planning to go to couple of outlets today evening and purchase the LCD on Saturday, will share what i find today.
More questions will follow..

Thanks everyone.

 

[sam9s]

the 100Hz motion flow is really good in sony. i have heard bad reviews for LG.
when watching sports or fact moving action motion flow helps a lot. also its helps remove judder in 1080p vids.

Well I found it same in all the brands, infact the better it is the worst it becomes for movies. Better motion plus means the picture flows more fluidly and more it make a movie look like a cheap handheld camera documentary. I would still go for LG just for the fact LG has far more features than sony and PQ is at par with SONY.

Also LG uses IPS pannels for their LCDs which are better then the TN pannel which Sony/Samsung uses.

Last but not the least..... LG prices are seriously down to earth and far suited for an end user

 

[sam9s]

Phew.. I feel good now.
Here is how I am planning to connect WD TV:
LCD TV <--(HDMI)-- WDTV --(Optical)--> Logitech Z5500

Yep that's the way it should be....

 

[chirag007]

Ideally, for 47"/46" LCD -> you can differentiate quality difference between 720p and 1080p at the distance 6 ft and below. After 9 ft distance human eye with 20/20 vision can not differentiate quality difference between 720p and 1080p for this size TV.

That means sitting at 12 ft, run either 720p or 1080p both will look almost same for 46" TV. So there is no point in spending money on 46". Either save money and go for 42" or spend more money and go for 60" but this is not advisable.

I'll tell you why.

We have to understand this matter of differentiation properly. For Large TV, if source video quality is not good (cable TV), sitting at relatively close distance will give you pathetic viewing experience. Sitting at relatively far distance will not help you to understand the difference between 480p/720p/1080p and all quality pictures will look more or less same.

Conclusion for 46:
9ft and less: Enjoy only 1080p;
14 ft to 9 ft: Enjoy 720p and 1080p as more or less same;
14 ft or more: Enjoy 480/720/1080 as more or less same


For 42"

8ft and less: Enjoy only 1080p;
12 ft to 8ft: Enjoy 720p and 1080p as more or less same;
12 ft or more: Enjoy 480/720/1080 as more or less same


For complete details please check this link:

Home Theater Calculator: Viewing Distance, Screen Size | CarltonBale.com

Please do a proper demo as these are theoretical figures. I would suggest have 480/720/1080 i and p sample video ready with 24p for 1080 resolution and take demo of 42" and 46" TV at different distances for all kind of videos and decide.

P.S.: I don't have LCD TV and also looking to buy one but with patience. I saw a demo of Samsung LED with 100/200 Hz and was not impressed. A more goes into algorithm which decides where to insert extra frames. This may not be accurate for non-linear movements of the object as well as objects changing shape on TV.

 

[saumitra]

If you are looking for a full HD LCD, I think LG's 42LH90 (42" LED backlit LCD model with local domming) is one of the best option.
It has 200 Hz TruMotion, but more importantly (as highlighted by sams9), user has the option to turn it on (low/high) or off. I got it for 68.5 k this week. It may be a little more than your 65k budget, but I would say it is worth its price. People who bought this from the 1st batch (2009 stock) had a few issues, but as I (& and some other people who bought LH90 recently from the newly arrived stock) have found and confirmed on the this thread on LH90, these issues don't exist any more.
You can also see the other thread on LH90.
There is also another thread on best 40-50" LCD/plasma that has a lot of good inputs from expert forum members.

 

[sam9s]

Conclusion for 46:
9ft and less: Enjoy only 1080p;
14 ft to 9 ft: Enjoy 720p and 1080p as more or less same;
14 ft or more: Enjoy 480/720/1080 as more or less same

Yep even I have gone through so many site that gives the same theoretical figures, but practically and specially at home (at store you sill might feel ok) in your living/bed room 9' feels too close for 47". Not because of any PQ artifacts, the eye moment becomes very rapid in fast action scenes, and so you might feel good at first but after a while you start to feel the fatigue. Somewhere around 11-14 is what I feel is right. Rest anyway is an individual preference

 

[pawsingh]

Thanks a ton for all your help friends.

I think I am going to stick to 42" max after reading your reviews.

I went to the nearest Samsung dealer today, He only had 40"LCD B530 model. Quoted 53K with camera and approx 50K without camera. Is this a good LCD?

I will check other brands tomorrow and hope to come home with one and I am glad i came here before buying LCD. You guys cleared a lot of doubts.

Thanks again

 

[BLASTO]

If you are looking for a full HD LCD, I think LG's 42LH90 (42" LED backlit LCD model with local domming) is one of the best option.
It has 200 Hz TruMotion, but more importantly (as highlighted by sams9), user has the option to turn it on (low/high) or off. I got it for 68.5 k this week. It may be a little more than your 65k budget, but I would say it is worth its price. People who bought this from the 1st batch (2009 stock) had a few issues, but as I (& and some other people who bought LH90 recently from the newly arrived stock) have found and confirmed on the this thread on LH90, these issues don't exist any more.
You can also see the other thread on LH90.
There is also another thread on best 40-50" LCD/plasma that has a lot of good inputs from expert forum members.

How is your experience with LH90 so far?
Especially, 200Hz motion flow, Night time viewing and USB movies?
Do you see uneven brightness due to local dimming in dark scenes?
Also, how is the look and feel? Hope you are enjoying yout TV.

 

[chirag007]

please check LG 42LH50/70 as well. LG 42LH50 is little higher but i think it has better features. Please compare them in demo.