Need help w/ 4K TVs: LG 55UB850T vs 55HU8500 (non-curved)

[tellanand]

I'm in the market for buying a 55" - 65" TV for my HT setup. I currently have a Sony 46" that I would like to move to the living room. Given the not so good experience I have had owning Sony, I would like to avoid buying a Sony again.

So my choices are LG, Samsung. The following are my options:

1. Samsung LED 4K 55HU8500 (about Rs.2.1L - not negotiated yet)
2. LG LED 4K 55UB850T (about 1.65L - negotiated quite a bit from Rs.1.89L)
3. Samsung Plasma 64F8500 (about Rs.1.9L)

I was almost convinced on LG, but then before I almost bought it, I wanted to take a look at Samsung. I demoed Samsung HU8500 and I must say that I am impressed with Sammy's pic quality. However, I'm not sure if the Rs.35K is justified for the pic quality (this is where I'm looking for guidance / help).

About 6 months back I was gungho about Samsung Plasma, but after I heard the news that Samsung has no further roadmap for plasma panels, :sad: I'm not sure if its a good thing to buy now! Any suggestions / comments on this? I love this TV though!

I'd really really appreciate your comments and suggestions! It'd also be very helpful, if there are other options I must consider for this budget?

Thanks
- Anand

 

[tellanand]

Re: Need help w/ 4K TVs: LG 55UB850T vs Samsung 55HU8500 (non-curved)

Bump.. Any help / advice would be highly appreciated!

Thank you.

 

[madbullram]

suggestion, go with plasma, the PQ is awesome and u can get extended warranty for 3 more years which will give peace of mind. And you are getting 64 inch at 1.9 or 1.8 without samsung tab4 which is a good price

 

[gp_freak]

Get the 64F8500 and get extended warranty. If incase it conks off in extended warranty and Samsung says it cannot be repaired, then ask them to replace with an LED of similar quality. either ways you win.
8500 Sammy LED also have excellent PQ for an LED, but nothing in the league of the plasma.

 

[madbullram]

If incase it conks off in extended warranty and Samsung says it cannot be repaired, then ask them to replace with an LED of similar quality. either ways you win.
8500 Sammy LED also have excellent PQ for an LED, but nothing in the league of the plasma.

if it conks and they cant repair, they pay money back. Thats much better as you can buy locally at better price as they will replace with model of MRP

 

[tellanand]

madbullram, gp_freak - Thank you very much for your advice.

I checked out the TV and the PQ of Samsung 55HU8500 is mind blowing. They did not have a 64F8500 on display for me to compare. And this one is not 4K correct?

0. Will the HD content viewing on both HU8500 and the F8500 be comparable?
1. Do you think buying a 4K TV right now is not a good idea?
2. Also, the extended warranty can be bought from the dealer when I purchase the TV? Do they really honour it (I'm just weary of these guys selling stuff and not honouring it).

Thanks a lot for your advice
- Anand

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Anand,

If you value picture quality then the Samsung is the best choice. You can look at either 64F8500 plasma or the 55HU8500 LED LCD. The LCD cannot surpass plasma picture quality. Having said that with native UHD source the display is super but there is very little to no content available. UHD from Samsung is future proof with the UHD evolution kit but that costs extra and you will have to keep upgrading as and when the UHD standards change.

I understand it is tempting and there is no harm with UHD provided you stick to Samsung 8 series and above.

Advice would be to allow UHD/4K to evolve before buying. In 2015 there will be bluray standards for 4K and that will be another upgrade. Manufacturers are pushing UHD/4K so hard because 3D didn't fly much.

I own a 64F8500 plasma and every time I watch movies on bluray I feel proud to have this display. If not plasma then Samsung UHD (or non-UHD).

Final decision is yours (but stay away from LG).

 

[gp_freak]

madbullram, gp_freak - Thank you very much for your advice.

I checked out the TV and the PQ of Samsung 55HU8500 is mind blowing. They did not have a 64F8500 on display for me to compare. And this one is not 4K correct?

0. Will the HD content viewing on both HU8500 and the F8500 be comparable?
1. Do you think buying a 4K TV right now is not a good idea?
2. Also, the extended warranty can be bought from the dealer when I purchase the TV? Do they really honour it (I'm just weary of these guys selling stuff and not honouring it).

Thanks a lot for your advice
- Anand

What will your viewing distance be ? for your question Zero and one, the answer depends upon the viewing distance. If you are going to sit at 9 feet and above, you will not notice any difference between both TVs, except for appreciating the extra 9 inches in the plasma.

TV Size to Distance Calculator and Science

Take a demo from some one who has 8500 plasma in their home. Run Darknight and see. You will not even take a second look at the LED

 

[madbullram]

Anand: U can come home for a visit to check, but I can tell you personally, i have done the comparison and F8500 is simply too good even for SD content!

 

[tellanand]

Shaiju, gp_freak - thank you for your valuable advice.

I'm thinking thru' this and will let you know what I've decided. I'm leaning towards the Sammy Plasma!!

 

[madbullram]

if u decide, speak to JD Electronics, and I can help negotiate to the same price i got. also go with 0% emi schemes, much better saving by investing the money, even if you have it ready for payment

 

[tellanand]

if u decide, speak to JD Electronics, and I can help negotiate to the same price i got. also go with 0% emi schemes, much better saving by investing the money, even if you have it ready for payment

madbullram - WHich City are you in? I'm in Chennai. Is JD Electronics in Chennai? And you said you paid 1.9 w/ Tab?

 

[gp_freak]

madbullram - WHich City are you in? I'm in Chennai. Is JD Electronics in Chennai? And you said you paid 1.9 w/ Tab?

Check on the right side against his Handle, he is also from Chennai, so am I ;-)

I will check my sources and tell you what best the price can be done. But you need to tell your final model clearly.

 

[tellanand]

Check on the right side against his Handle, he is also from Chennai, so am I ;-)

I will check my sources and tell you what best the price can be done. But you need to tell your final model clearly.

Yeah, right! my bad!! hyeah: Thanks for pointing out!!

Thanks for your help - please do let me know the price / offer from your sources. I'm interested in Samsung 64F8500 Plasma!!!

 

[tellanand]

Anand: U can come home for a visit to check, but I can tell you personally, i have done the comparison and F8500 is simply too good even for SD content!

Hey.. thanks for the offer. Just send you an PM. Please do respond.

Thanks!

 

[madbullram]

I did, the deal I got was 1.87 with tab and 1.8 without tab. I took with the tab as you can always sell for a better price outside. I prefer JD because of service quality he has offered to me for last 6+ years.

 

[DR MUDHAN]

Dear All & Dear Mr. Srinivasan

I have joined the forum after seeing the way you help other forum members.

I am working as Principal of Corporate Staff College of a PSU Insurance Company at Chennai and also member of many other forums from Medical to Automobile.

I need your help as I have decided to buy two TVs before New Year. One for me - 55 inch Samsung HU8500 (OR) H7000 and another for my colleague Samsung 46 inch H 7000.

One of the reputed shop at Chennai quoted Rs. 142000 (H7000/55) & Rs.100000 (H7000/46). But I think I should go for HU8500 if I can get it below 2 lacs and 0% EMI for at least 25% balance amount.

Can you help me to get the best rate from JD Electronics if it is not inconvenient to you? Please.

Thanks & Regards

Dr MUDHAN

 

[mr_grump5]

One of the reputed shop at Chennai quoted Rs. 142000 (H7000/55) & Rs.100000 (H7000/46). But I think I should go for HU8500 if I can get it below 2 lacs and 0% EMI for at least 25% balance amount.

I would stay away from Samsung UHDs if you are into live sports and its SD
upscale were also iffy. H7000 is the best of the current lot from Samsung and
with 55" you also be getting TS01(Sammy) panel, may I know from which store you are getting this deal on 55h7000? this is even cheaper than online stores.

 

[DOCDOOLITTLE]

do the newer plasma tvs suffer from image retention?
also how are the lg plasma tvs?

 

[tellanand]

Just for the sake of completeness, I'm posting this message (to take it to a logical closure).

I bought the 64" Sammy plasma in Oct'15. In Sep 2015, I bought additional 3 yrs extended warranty for Rs.15.5K.

In March'16, the panel developed a problem - there was a constant vertical line on the panel.

The Samsung service folks looked at it and said that they do not have the spare panel anymore and they'll buy back the TV. Subsequently, I got a call from Samsung, Gurgoan and they quoted 18% depreciation and agreed to pay Rs.1.55L for the TV. I asked them about the extended warranty I had paid and they did not agree to refund that amount. The guy who called me cut the phone abruptly and closed my ticket saying "Service refused".

I got furious - these guys are very unprofessional. I somehow connected w/ the Samsung's Service country manager through my professional network. He re-opened the case for me and arranged for a prorated refund of my extended warranty as well. So I got Rs.1.55L + Rs.12K as refund. I lost about Rs.35K for owning the TV for 18 months.

But the experience dealing w/ these guys is harrowing. I'm hearing from a lot of folks that Samsung's TV line up is not robust and has a lot of problems. For that matter it's true for all the TVs these days. These things are not built to last - they just crap out in 2-4 years. Very sorry state of affairs indeed!!

I'm yet to replace my TV - as I'm still deciding what to buy next!!

Definitely not Samsung again!! Their products are crappy!!!

Sometimes, I feel its just better to go w/ a Projector than buy an expensive LED TV. Atleast your capital investment is much lower for a not so bad movie watching experience!!