Samsung LN 46A650 or 610?

kumareshwar

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Hi,

I am seriously considering an upgrade from my 32inch Sharp Aquos 32A53 100/120Hz LCD TV. I think a bigger screen size, say 46 inches would be a nice choice esp because of my 7.1 setup with Wharfedale 9.6 Towers etc. I have initially thought of importing it from the USA but after going thro the responses to my previous post on the subject, I have decided to buy it in India. After great deliberation and quite a few visits to some stores, I have almost decided on Samsung LN 46A650. It has great contrast and the picture looks great. However. I found a few issues with the model:

1. Its Ultrabright Screen reflects ambient light a lot. Of course, I can keep ambient light well under control at night.

2. Its Standard Defenition TV quality from Tatasky seems to be of poorer quality compared to my Sharp.

3. I have read in some reviews that a bright spot is found on the LCD Screen and it shuts off suddenly. There seems to be a software upgrade. I donno for what benefit as I have come across that on Amazon.com. Can I upgrade the software as it is on a USA site and may not suit Indian models?

4. What about the 610 model? Except that it is not 100 Hz and the contrast ratio is 30000:1 while the 650 has 50000:1, there seems to be no other differences in specs. The picture, I found, was much more contrasty and with brighter colours on the 650 with all the settings being similar.

I compared the picture on both these models to that of the Sony W series model and found the Samsung models to be slightly better.

As usual, I am in a great dilemma as to what to buy. No important decision is easy, I have discovered when I bought my Home Theater.

I am sure that I would get proper advice on the forum like I had when I wanted to buy a Home Theater. I plan to buy in the next couple of days. So, please guide me. I watch standard television and movies too. Thanks in advance.

Venkat was mentioning a Projector. I am sure it would be a more expensive proposition.

Eswar.
 
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Hi Eswar

Samsung LN 46A650 is the better and expensive model out of the two.
It also comes with a usb port and as u said has high contrast ratio.

As Tata sky is SD so, picture quality on a full HD tv will be poor, it will be much better on a HD ready set or a 720p set.

The 610 model is cheaper and the specs are lower for the same.

Eswar if you have the budget the 46A650 is the high end model ,but it depends what content you will be viewing.As for SD viewing even a HD ready set will give better pictures than a full hd set.

Also Venkat is right if you have such a budget u can easily go for a Lcd or a Dlp projector which will give u a bigger picture in the same price.

720p Lcd of Dlp projectors start from 60k and u can go for the same too.

Just search there are various post in the forum.

Have you auditioned any plasma's yet, i will recommend to audition the same too as they give excellent picture quality .

Panasonic PV series
Pioneer Kuro series

are some of the good manufacturers out there.


As you still have time to purchase please go out and audition the sets and then buy the one that you find to give the best picture.
 
the 650 has very good picture quality, but i would recoomend you to wait for the new line of philiph lcds, they are very very good
 
Dushie,

Thanks for the quick response. I have practically no idea abt Plasma TVs. However, from what I have learnt and thats not much, I have opted for an LCD over Plasma. Maybe, my decision is based more on instinct rather than on knowledge. I have come to understand that Plasmas become hotter compared to LCDs.

Is there any way to improve SD TV signal from Tatasky on a Full HD TV like the Samsung 46A650? Will a change of the Composite cable supplied by Tatasky help in any way? Should I buy a DAC or any other good brand?

A friend was suggesting that I should call up Tatasky and ask for a better signal. Is there really any such possibility?

Reg the dlp projectors, can u suggest any Full HD models which are reasonably priced? Can the picture quality of a projector match that a Full HD LCD? How abt the sceen?

Thanks.

Eswar.
 
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Hi Eswar

It is very difficult to answer everything in details --

Well i do not know from where you heard that Plasma's have a heating problem i own one for over an year, never faced any issues, nor have i heard anyone having a similar issue .

Eswar, Tata sky can't improve the signal quality it is beaming channels in SD , which is 576i,

On a full HD set thats has 1920 x 1080 it will always shows pixel ,

Eswar, if you are watching blue ray or HD content on your full HD tv then it will be best.

For watching Tatasky i won't recommend the same , nor by using good quality cables u will be able to change the SD content or upscale it .

Well if you are a big screen lover let me tell you, projectors produce an awesome image compared to the screen size and cost.

Please read below on SD & HD to understand the concept better -

Standard-definition television - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

High-definition television - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


To make it easier for you there are already posts running in the forum -
Please read through them it will help you in gaining knowledge --

Porjector -

http://www.hifivision.com/home-thea...s/46-buying-guide-home-theatre-projector.html

http://www.hifivision.com/home-theatre-projectors-screens/1269-projector-buy.html

http://www.hifivision.com/home-theatre-projectors-screens/1446-720p-projector.html

http://www.hifivision.com/home-theatre-projectors-screens/887-projector.html

On Plasma -

http://www.hifivision.com/television/2185-shopping-lcd-plasma.html

http://www.hifivision.com/television/2031-lcd-confusion.html

http://www.hifivision.com/television/1199-best-plasma-panels-quality-wise-only.html

http://www.hifivision.com/television/1670-best-42-flat-panel-tv-plasma-under-65k.html


Please go through the above post as it will help you make a decision and like i said before audition the various products and buy the one which u find produces the best picture ...
 
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Hi Eswar,

I feel upgradation from 32" to 46" is nothing when you are looking for bigger screens. As Venkat & Dushie rightly told, projectors do give you value for money for projecting bigger screen sizes.

In fact, my dream was to setup a dedicated home theatre room which includes - Optoma HD80, anamorphic lens (2.35:1) and Elite Cinema 2.35 screen (103" diagonal). But as I told it is still a dream now since I need to save money for the budget. Finally ended up buying Samsung 46" series 5 (upgrade over 29" Philips CRTv).

If you are very particular of real bigger screen 46" from 32" is no great upgrade rather to go for 60" and above. My feeling is upgrade should be min 50% or more than you have or not worth investing. Plasma is the best option (I considered LCD due to my room lighting conditions) on screen size vs VFM. But watchout for big screen LCD costs, it will really put a hole in your hard earned savings!
 
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Hey Eshwar,

Firstly, there could be a couple of reasons why Tata Sky looks poorer on the Samsung than your sharp. One is that the Samsung is much bigger, so an SD picture will look poorer on a Full HD 46 inch than an HD Ready 32 inch. Also, Samsung does not have the best upscaler on-board. Therefore, if you have an AVR with a faroudja chip, then you could run your Tata Sky picture through that, and let it do the upscaling.

650 vs. 610....if you examined them side by side with identical settings and preferred the 610, then go for it, no reason whatsoever to go for a more expensive model that gives you less happiness.

LCD v. Plasma....there are tons of threads on this. But I would urge you to compare the picture on a 50 inch plasma and the 46 inch LCD, and see which you like better. I personaly like the plasma picture better, but differences are quite minor these days.

FPD v. Projector - Projector makes a lot of sense. Lots of very good projectors available for about the price you will be paying for your 46" LCD or a little bit more. Especially since you have your 32" Aquos for your regular TV viewing, including news and stuff, a dedicated projector for home cinema purposes would make a lot of sense.
 
Hi,

Thanks buddies for the responses. All this confuses me even more.:)

I totally agree with the opinion that a HT setup requires a large sceen. However, since the entire setup has to be in my Drawing Room, I thought a 46 inch screen might be a good choice. Reg Projectors, I don't really know anything abt them. I have gone thro some of the links sent by Dushie. Thanks mate. But, aren't projectors rather expensive to maintain and does the pic quality match that of an LCD or Plasma TV?

My total budget is around 120k at the most. I live in Hyderabad. Can someone suggest some 1080p models and a suitable screen? How abt Lamp life and replacement costs and the length of time for which lamps are likely to be available for the model I choose. I am rather apprehensive of buying a Projector as I feel that the pic qual may not be equally good as a TV and for all the reasons cited.

Thanks in advance.

Eswar.
 
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