Samsung LA40B530 vs Panasonic TA-37LX80 - please help

dasukhija

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Folks - this is my first new thread so hope the experts wont dissapoint me.

My requirements:

1. Viewing distance - 10 - 12 feet
2. Brightly lit room

Though I love the PQ of plasma, I am eventually going with LCD. Now the problem is should I go for 37" Panasonic LCD 37LX80 or Samsung's LA40B530.

Panasonic characteristics

1. Panel made in Japan (not sure if that makes any sense)
2. HD readt
3. 10K cheaper than the full HD 40" samsung
4. 10000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

Samsung characterisitcs

1. 40" full HD
2. Better contrast ratio than Panasonic's
3. Color enhancer and what not.

I couldnt find any reviews on both of the above models in this forum. So can the ownres/experts/anyone please throw in their 2 cents. I am looking to buy one of these today or tomorrow.

Thanks in anticipation.
 
get the samsung 40b530 apart from the obvious contrast edge,it also has a better image processing compared to the old 37LX80
 
Thanks Adder. I did buy the Samsung LA40B530 on Saturday evening from Vijay Sales, Pune. He also threw in a HDMI cable.

Once the TV arrived, I realized how big it is for my living room even at a distance of 12-14 feet. It looks pretty awesome and it blends with my black colored JBL 2.1s creature II set, my black unit, my black couches and my black Philips DVP 5996.

I watched 3 movies on it (all on divx) - Stardust, Valkyrie, I (heart) Huckabees. The colors are as bright as it gets. Wasnt too impressed with the Tata Sky quality for some channels. When I move the aspect ratio back to 4:3, then the quality is a lot better, in 16:9, all images are getting stretched and look grainy. Any setting I can do on the Samsung to beat that?

I connected the HDMI cable as well, however is that all I need to do to ensure upscaling is in effect? I could clearly notice the difference in details of darker scenes in AV vs HDMI. Which cable of HDMI should I get? I guess since its free, Vijay has thrown in a poor one and if I buy a better cable, I could get even better clarity. Any comments on that?
 
It might be a good idea to watch 4:3 content in the same resolution on TV, rather than strech it and see funny pictures :lol: Given that you have a 40incher, the 4:3 images should not be small to look at?

After a certain point, incremental money spent on cables may give nil or negligible incremental benefits. If the HDMI cable is too flimsy, get a better one (Bandridge/Profigold/Panasonic etc.), otherwise there is no need to change it.
 
Thanks Adder. I did buy the Samsung LA40B530 on Saturday evening from Vijay Sales, Pune. He also threw in a HDMI cable.

Wasnt too impressed with the Tata Sky quality for some channels. When I move the aspect ratio back to 4:3, then the quality is a lot better, in 16:9, all images are getting stretched and look grainy. Any setting I can do on the Samsung to beat that?

congrats on ur purchase :)
unforunately u can either change the ratio to 4:3 format ,or get used to the streched look if u want to view in full screen,if u want some slight improvements in picture quality get tata sky+,a little better is big tv.
but u can also get sun dth HD which has HDMI out with ability to watch the subscribed HD channels at Rs100/channel.
 
Thanks guys. Some more questions

1. As stated earlier, I am currently using HDMI cable from my Philips 5996 to this new TV, is it getting upscaled by default or is there any setting? I have scanned through all possible menu options of both the DVD player and the TV.

2. Yesterday I also used the HDMI cable to connect to my Dell laptop to watch some mp4 files. What resolution should I set for my TV? When resolution should I keep my LCD TV at to get the best possible display? Also I kept once default resolution (that comes when you connect the laptop), and when I do a full screen on my Quicktime at the max possible resolution on the LCD TV, I dont see anything. I just see a black screen with volume.
 
As stated earlier, I am currently using HDMI cable from my Philips 5996 to this new TV, is it getting upscaled by default or is there any setting? I have scanned through all possible menu options of both the DVD player and the TV.

Check out display/video options in your DVD player menu and select 720p or 1080i (both are HD-ready resolutions) or 1080p (full-HD). Try all the three and see which one is better on your TV.

The default in your DVDP should be PAL/NTSC interlace, you need to select one of the above HD options to enoy upscaled video.
 
I had all the options from 480 to 1080p and also an Auto on my DVD player. I selected Auto. Hope that is the best available.

btw - I have noticed that most of my divx files have a greenish tinge on the TV. Seeems all whites are getting shown as greens. I played around with the picture settings of both TV and DVD but was unable to remove the green tinge. I also played with the 'Tint' option on the TV but no real use. The greenish tinge is absent when I play tatasky or DVD. But it seems divx are a problem. Any ideas why?
 
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