Researching on a new TV, pls clarify these question

krishnadeva

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Hi All,

I got an Infocus 50" LED TV in Aug 2016 on Flipkart. Luckily bought Extended Warranty from Jeeves. After 11 months the TV was not switching on. The service Engg replaced the PCB after 10 days and the same issue occurred the next day. After lot of struggle with Infocus CC on phone/emails, after 40 days, got a new Panel. Again after 11 months the panel died last month(even after having a UPS with surge protection - all of a sudden the display was off) and this time Infocus lifted its hands stating it cannot replace the panel(as its not manufacturing TVs now I think). As I'm in EW period, Jeeves offered an amount post depreciation value(20%) refunding 80% of the TV value ~23K. Yet to get the refund.

Now I'm researching again and have these questions to which I am not able to find answers even after 2 days of research over the internet,
  1. I think mine was a Direct LED TV. So even if one led in the grid fails, will the entire LED panel fail ? Asked the same to the service guys & they were clueless. So in that case, is EDGE lit LED recommended for durability ? Basically whats the failure rate of Edge vs Direct LEDs ? Learnt that Edge lit would have a little less picture quality over Direct(which some have "local dimming" - this is no where mentioned on company sites/fk/amazon)
  2. Having a bad experience with an inexperienced TV brand, want to go for a branded one this time. But I read LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic too have failures and avg expectancy of a LED is about 3-5 years now? So these days I cannot buy a LED TV that lasts for 10 years ?
  3. I thought Sony X reality pro is an engine in all Sony TVs, but its only in 4k TVs for upscaling low res content ?
  4. Whats the diff: Sony KDL vs KVL ?
  5. One of my friends bought a Samsung Smart 32" LED TV 2 yrs ago & it just died after 2 months of the 1 yr manufacturer warranty period. So he'd to shell 15K for the panel replacement. Similarly my cousin's Sony 50" non smart TV died with horizontal lines in 5 years.
  6. My biggest concern in having a Smart TV: all the smart hardware(probably a built-in WiFi module, processor to handle internet content, RAM would always be running even when I'm just watching TV ? In that case won't it harm the regular TV hardware and prone it to failure (due to heat, etc) ?
  7. I feel like buying a dumb TV and using a streaming device. Only comfort of Smart TV is viewer need not get up plug in the device to HDMI & directly cast the content from phone(mostly my scenario photos/videos/yt); in this if I keep the device 24/7 connected to the TV, would it either harm the TV/the device ?
  8. Will a Smart TV improve PQ ? One of the cnet articles on smart TV said this. But how far is this true in Indian market ?
  9. LG's below mentioned TV has Color Master Engine. Whats the diff: CME vs Triple XD Engine ?
  10. Right now my viewing distance is 9feet, so would a 40" TV be fine/I should get a 49" ?
  11. As I'm based out in Bengaluru, would these big brands have good post-sale services ?
  12. Also most of the TVs in fk/amazon/including the company websites have no info of Energy Efficiency. Is there a way I can check this online before buying ? Is a 3* okay in TV? Or should I stick to 4/5* ? for a moderate usage of 3-5 hours per day.
  13. Will buying a 40-43" TV long last than a 49" ? (as 49" would have more LEDs and prone to fail).
  14. If I get a Amazon Fire Stick TV, I should be able to cast photos/videos from my Android device(As I've never used it, just asking)
Some one noted that Samsung has highest failure rates as their sales are higher as well. Can I trust Panasonic? Or stick to LG/Sony ? Sony non-smart 49" is over 65K. LG basic one(49LJ523T) is about 45K(my budget 50k). Will Sony give more picture quality for the money spent/LG 49LJ523T would be good enough for normal watching(half HD channels & half SD) ?

Also, I have not seen 49LJ523T unboxing/reviews & videos over the net, though its launched in 2017, so is it a good model ? Can I go with this ?

Was interested in Sony 43" but all of them are smart. 40" ones are non-smart, so if I go with this will it be small in my 10x10 room where viewing dist is 8-9ft.

Please provide your valuable feed back so that I can make a calculative decision. Thank you.
 
Please provide at least few answers, If I cannot get answers with so many knowledgeable and experienced people on TV here, I cannot get answers elsewhere on the internet.:eek::oops:
 
Have tried answering some of your questions based my knowledge. Will surely recommend you to go visit multiple stores and personally experience multiple TV sets. Try and see demo of different type of content - SD channels, HD channels, movies, etc apart from regular demo content being played to select what appeals to you the most.
  1. I think mine was a Direct LED TV. So even if one led in the grid fails, will the entire LED panel fail ? Asked the same to the service guys & they were clueless. So in that case, is EDGE lit LED recommended for durability ? Basically whats the failure rate of Edge vs Direct LEDs ? Learnt that Edge lit would have a little less picture quality over Direct(which some have "local dimming" - this is no where mentioned on company sites/fk/amazon)

LEDs can fail in an array whether it is a grid or just an array bordering the panel. Statistically more the LEDs higher is a probability of LED failure but that surely is not the basis to select EDGE or Direct LED lit televisions. EDGE lit is being promoted for price vs performance ratio. A side by side experience of a DLED or EDGE lit will let you know your personal preference. What also matters is how packed is the LED mesh for a DLED or EDGE lit panel. More the number of LEDs, costlier the set is.

[*]Having a bad experience with an inexperienced TV brand, want to go for a branded one this time. But I read LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic too have failures and avg expectancy of a LED is about 3-5 years now? So these days I cannot buy a LED TV that lasts for 10 years ?
The average set of TVs is 5 years for latest TVs. Even on the poll published in HFV 23.7 percent reported TVs failing around 3 years. The remaining audience had TVs lasting for more than 5 years are using tech like Plasma (I am personally using one for over 8+ years now) and LCD (which uses different lightsource-CCFL which was less failure prone and hence longer life) and not the latest LEDs which unfortunately are failing sooner than expected. You are better off buying extended warranty but bear in mind that LEDs as of now are having a life span in the range of 5 years.
[*]I thought Sony X reality pro is an engine in all Sony TVs, but its only in 4k TVs for upscaling low res content ?
[*]Whats the diff: Sony KDL vs KVL ?
[*]One of my friends bought a Samsung Smart 32" LED TV 2 yrs ago & it just died after 2 months of the 1 yr manufacturer warranty period. So he'd to shell 15K for the panel replacement. Similarly my cousin's Sony 50" non smart TV died with horizontal lines in 5 years.
You will also find customers whose TVs from same companies and same models have lasted longer. It does depend on usage patterns, a particular piece which developed a snag, usage settings - brightness levels, contrast do impact the age of the backlight technology, power fluctuations, etc. Again if you take care of your electronic devices and protect them from surges, life surely can be improved until and unless you run out of luck.
[*]My biggest concern in having a Smart TV: all the smart hardware(probably a built-in WiFi module, processor to handle internet content, RAM would always be running even when I'm just watching TV ? In that case won't it harm the regular TV hardware and prone it to failure (due to heat, etc) ?
The heat of a processor in a poorly built TV can surely harm other electronic components but most of the big name manufacturers take care of that by using required heat sinks, etc. I personally will prefer a non SMART TV, one which has excellent picture quality and sound. This allows me to plug an external device - Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV/Stick, Apple TV to make it smart and even upgrade the SMART hardware to match the latest tech. Inbuilt smartness to me, have a drawback that it increases number of components that can fail - CPU, etc and the TV takes an awful time to start booting up the respective TV OSes even when someone wants to watch a dumb source like DTH.
[*]I feel like buying a dumb TV and using a streaming device. Only comfort of Smart TV is viewer need not get up plug in the device to HDMI & directly cast the content from phone(mostly my scenario photos/videos/yt); in this if I keep the device 24/7 connected to the TV, would it either harm the TV/the device ?
An external SMART device doesn't harm your TV, doesn't require you to plug it out or plug it in every time you need to use it, supports casting from phone and most of them - Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick etc, ship with a remote so that you don't have to get up from your couch to select and stream content.
[*]Will a Smart TV improve PQ ? One of the cnet articles on smart TV said this. But how far is this true in Indian market ?
A Smart TV doesn't play a role in improving the PQ, an inbuilt image upscaler/enhancer does. Can this feature of a TV be termed as SMART or non SMART I am not sure. But TVs traditionally minus the Android OS and Opera OS have had built in image upscalers/enhancers. So net net a non Smart TV can also deliver good PQ and even have a built in image enhancer to upscale or improve SD content.
[*]LG's below mentioned TV has Color Master Engine. Whats the diff: CME vs Triple XD Engine ?
[*]Right now my viewing distance is 9feet, so would a 40" TV be fine/I should get a 49" ?
Will recommend a 49 incher or bigger for that viewing distance
[*]As I'm based out in Bengaluru, would these big brands have good post-sale services ?
In a big city like Bengaluru, you will have all the brands - big or small (Vu, TCL, etc) providing services.
[*]Also most of the TVs in fk/amazon/including the company websites have no info of Energy Efficiency. Is there a way I can check this online before buying ? Is a 3* okay in TV? Or should I stick to 4/5* ? for a moderate usage of 3-5 hours per day.
[*]Will buying a 40-43" TV long last than a 49" ? (as 49" would have more LEDs and prone to fail).
There is no formula for failure rate associated with the size of the panel as per my knowledge.
[*]If I get a Amazon Fire Stick TV, I should be able to cast photos/videos from my Android device(As I've never used it, just asking)
Yes, you will be able to cast/mirror your phone and view photos/videos from your device.

 
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A big thank you, @jsanand :)

You have clarified most of the questions, patiently(as there were too many questions) and now I am more knowledgeable on this topic. So I will go with a 49" non-SMART TV & buy a streaming device like Amazon Fire TV stick.
 
A big thank you, @jsanand :)

You have clarified most of the questions, patiently(as there were too many questions) and now I am more knowledgeable on this topic. So I will go with a 49" non-SMART TV & buy a streaming device like Amazon Fire TV stick.

I don't think there are non-SMART TVs available with great picture quality. You'll have to settle for the lower end panels of the bigger manufacturers if you do decide to go the non-SMART way.

What's your budget btw?
 
I don't think there are non-SMART TVs available with great picture quality.
Watching HD channels on my gone Infocus 50" was amazing(Airtel DTH). SD channels were not great(sometimes could see pix-elation). How to define PQ based on low/high end panels ?
 
Watching HD channels on my gone Infocus 50" was amazing(Airtel DTH). SD channels were not great(sometimes could see pix-elation). How to define PQ based on low/high end panels ?
The bigger you go there will more pixelation for SD channels.
For 50K budget, you better go with 40" or 43" if you can adjust your viewing distance.
For 49" you need to up the budget a bit.
 
As I'm in EW period, Jeeves offered an amount post depreciation value(20%) refunding 80% of the TV value ~23K. Yet to get the refund.

This is really great.. 80% refund for the TV cost is just great..This is why i belive a Jeeves warranty will help more than the dumb manufacturer warranty..

I wish, i too had bought it from Flipkart (Jeeves EW) for my dead 46 inch Sony LCD-CCFL TV.. Anyways.. Thatz the end of it..

My Brother has a LG Plasma that is 8 yrs old & still going strong.. I have a Panasonic LCD-CCFL that is 7 yrs old and still going strong without a single hiccup..At the same time, my Sony 46inch LCD died just after few months of 3 yrs extended warranty..

It is just a matter of probability & luck with any brand..

For your next TV, consider a not so expensive brand with EW from Jeeves.. Flipkart will be our savior.. Ditch the brands..
 
There is a Full HD model by LG on Flipkart that's a smart TV 49 incher. It is selling around 50k. Have personal experience of good support and service by LG. As some of the other forum members have pointed out will be difficult to find a good non smart TV with excellent display. Do check these models in a showroom and check their PQ and audio output.
 
If you are anyway going to buy extended warranty then consider getting the 55" MI TV or the TCL iffalcon. Both have smart features and are in your price range.
 
If buying online you can also go with
Vu 140cm (55 inch) Ultra HD (4K) or MI 55" 4K. For offline buy visit your nearest dealer and check.
My Panasonic LED died after 18 months of purchase, Currently using Sony W67E 40". Got it on 44K after a hard bargain. PQ is great.
 
Just saw on TataCliq Llyod 50" is giving 3+2 years warranty for 30K.

That is a sooper dooper deal for the money and a 50inch TV.. My guess is that 3 yrs is staright manufacturer warranty and additional 2 yrs is EW from Tata Cliq similar to Jeeves..

But get more clarity on what is covered & what is not covered in 3 + 2 yrs warranty.. Peace of mind of 5 yrs and an assurance that you will get some money as return if the product fails inside 5 yrs..
 
There are many negative reviews from prople who purchased online through TATA Cliq. Can anyone share their thoughts who has bought TV/large appliances through TATA Cliq?
 
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