SONY KLV-40V550A/B or SAMSUNG LA40B650T1R

[niraj]

Visited Reliance Digital store today. Concentrated my research on following 40 SONY & SAMSUNG LCDs.

The sales rep said following 3 LCDs DO NOT play DivX movies thru its USB ports:

According to the product documentation SONY plays only MPEG1 .mpg video, MP3 audio, and JPEG images.

For Samsung I am still to experience it, but I read on cnet that it supports MPEG1/2/4, Motion JPEG, DivX, XviD.

On this post it mentions a link http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp60/samsung_hd_tech/Fileformats.jpg for list of all file formats supported by B630. Too good to believe. Not sure if all these would be in B650. could someone confirm?

 

[niraj]

well not in the old v400A but pretty sure in the V550A.

I don't remember ethernet port on 40V550A/B? Is it available in higher sizes?

Samsung mentions about "DLNA Wireless" and "Content Library Flash". Does anyone has experience using these?

 

[adder]

I don't remember ethernet port on 40V550A/B? Is it available in higher sizes?

Samsung mentions about "DLNA Wireless" and "Content Library Flash". Does anyone has experience using these?

well looks like the indian V550A doesn't have the DLNA meaning it doesn't have the ethernet port,the singapore,HK versions have them.
no longer is the indian and other asian models the same,the sg,hk versions are called KDL not like our KLV.

 

[plasmoid]

well looks like the indian V550A doesn't have the DLNA meaning it doesn't have the ethernet port,the singapore,HK versions have them.
no longer is the indian and other asian models the same,the sg,hk versions are called KDL not like our KLV.

Apart from feature differences,will there be a difference in the panel quality, Assembly in India etc?

 

[adder]

Apart from feature differences,will there be a difference in the panel quality, Assembly in India etc?

well the panels are still imported they are still assembled in thailand or malaysia.the panels are the same just the new KDL series found in sg have built in freeview tuner.

 

[ptanwar]

Hi -

I bought a Sony 40V550 A the last weekend - for 80K inclusive of an extended warranty for 2 more yrs.

I wanted a TV that offered a decent balance between Satellite TV and DVD performance. Sony V550 seemed to be best at both (my comparison was with the Samsung A650, LG 80 series and older Sony models) and I found a significant difference in watching DVDs on the 550 vs the others. The image appeared less pixelated on the 40" 550 compared to even the 37" S series Sony. This clinched it for me.

After bringing the set home, though, I've had severe pangs of guilt for buying a TV that is distinctly inferior in picture quality to my older CRT (even if it has a lot to do with the larger size of the LCD), but I guess one gets used to it over a period of time. Watching the French Open esp. was not a great experience because of the yellow trails of the ball on the screen . I watch downloaded content a lot and it sometimes does not look very good in full screen mode. My viewing distance is 15 feet. In general, I've come to the conclusion that 40" screen size is not ideal for sub 15 feet distances - better go for 37" for upto 15 feet.

I'd say I'm about 60% satisfied with my purchase and in a typical display of buyer's remorse I can't help wondering if I should have waited another year to get one of the latest Samsung LEDs when their prices drop - this would not help with the picture resolution but the overall contrast/response time would be better. Also wondering if I should have gone for the 32" LCD or Plasma instead as a cheaper option to last a few yrs till panel technology improves.

Meanwhile, I did find something that brought me some cheer that others might find interesting : the WD TV HD Media Player : (WD TV HD Media Player Review). I have second hand information that this works very well for downloaded content. Planning to buy this in the near future to get better picture quality.

Cheers!

Puneet

 

[mk15]

Congrats on ur purchase.

I am in the same dilemma deciding between 32 and 40 V550. My viewing distance is 10 feet. Would have gone for a 37 incher but sadly, sony doesnt have it.

Would be watching cable, dvd and divs mostly. Whats your take. Should I go for the 32 or look at the 37" from sammy.

Thanks

 

[danccc]

Congrats on ur purchase.

I am in the same dilemma deciding between 32 and 40 V550. My viewing distance is 10 feet. Would have gone for a 37 incher but sadly, sony doesnt have it.

Would be watching cable, dvd and divs mostly. Whats your take. Should I go for the 32 or look at the 37" from sammy.

Thanks

Im in the same boat, sadly 37 inch does not have many options..

 

[ptanwar]

Congrats on ur purchase.

I am in the same dilemma deciding between 32 and 40 V550. My viewing distance is 10 feet. Would have gone for a 37 incher but sadly, sony doesnt have it.

Would be watching cable, dvd and divs mostly. Whats your take. Should I go for the 32 or look at the 37" from sammy.

Thanks

If I could roll back time, I'd have bought the 32" - and I really doubt 37" will bring you joy at 10'. That said - take a few DVDs and some content that you intend to watch and assess it very critically in a store at 10'. Decide if you want sharp picture quality or just a large screen.

The Bravia engine does seem to make a visible difference both for DVDs and Sat TV - may not be so much in 32" so you can compare some Samsungs/Sharps/LGs etc at 32". For some reason, the Sat TV content in stores never looks good and they explain it by giving some excuse or the other - it looks decent at home.

 

[GeoTracks]

Hi -

I bought a Sony 40V550 A the last weekend - for 80K inclusive of an extended warranty for 2 more yrs.

I wanted a TV that offered a decent balance between Satellite TV and DVD performance. Sony V550 seemed to be best at both (my comparison was with the Samsung A650, LG 80 series and older Sony models) and I found a significant difference in watching DVDs on the 550 vs the others. The image appeared less pixelated on the 40" 550 compared to even the 37" S series Sony. This clinched it for me.

After bringing the set home, though, I've had severe pangs of guilt for buying a TV that is distinctly inferior in picture quality to my older CRT (even if it has a lot to do with the larger size of the LCD), but I guess one gets used to it over a period of time. Watching the French Open esp. was not a great experience because of the yellow trails of the ball on the screen . I watch downloaded content a lot and it sometimes does not look very good in full screen mode. My viewing distance is 15 feet. In general, I've come to the conclusion that 40" screen size is not ideal for sub 15 feet distances - better go for 37" for upto 15 feet.

I'd say I'm about 60% satisfied with my purchase and in a typical display of buyer's remorse I can't help wondering if I should have waited another year to get one of the latest Samsung LEDs when their prices drop - this would not help with the picture resolution but the overall contrast/response time would be better. Also wondering if I should have gone for the 32" LCD or Plasma instead as a cheaper option to last a few yrs till panel technology improves.

Meanwhile, I did find something that brought me some cheer that others might find interesting : the WD TV HD Media Player : (WD TV HD Media Player Review). I have second hand information that this works very well for downloaded content. Planning to buy this in the near future to get better picture quality.

Cheers!

Puneet

Congratulations!

Very realistic and open description! This is what other forum members yearn to read, so that an accurate picture is shared of a product in discussion and not just the Pros and ignore the Cons. Good job describing so much in detail! Look forward to reading more on your SONY 40V550 experience after you have viewed it for a few days.

The SONY 40V550 is certainly a best buy today (amongst SONY products) with the BE3 and other specs it has (considering VFM is not the criteria). As for the price, we all know that SONY demands a premium so VFM is a separate discussion.

Saw the SONY 40V550 in stores and very impressed with it. It has very good looks and nice PQ. It is known that SD signal will not look as good in ANY Full HD LCD and the 40V550 is no exception, so should not be too disappointed, since it is no surprise.

When viewing the 40V550 in stores, impression was that with the BE3 it was showing certain regular Tata Sky channels slightly nicer compared to the ones with BE2. Was it the settings or a reality? What do others who have seen a demo of the 40V550 feel?

Having said above, SONY in its new advertising campaign (brochures etc.) says that the SONY Full HD LCD with BE3 has better signal processing capability for SD signals than the SONY Full HD LCD with BE2. Would be nice to know if the BE3 is really making that difference compared to BE2 for regular Tata Sky / Dish / DVD signals (do not weight it against HD Ready or Plasmas as it will not be an accurate comparison)?

 

[mk15]

If I could roll back time, I'd have bought the 32" - and I really doubt 37" will bring you joy at 10'. That said - take a few DVDs and some content that you intend to watch and assess it very critically in a store at 10'. Decide if you want sharp picture quality or just a large screen.

Thanks for replying. Hav checked the samsung B530 and LG Jazz. Found the sony bravia engine to be much better than all of the rest. Do not have panasonic/ sharp sales or Afte sales in my city. Hence, they were out of the list.

The 40 inch Bravia had a lot of pixelation as compared to the 32" which was also much sharper. The DVD's were ok but divx were just passable on the 40.

Dont know what to buy as its going to be a one time long term investment.

 

[adder]

Would be nice to know if the BE3 is really making that difference compared to BE2 for regular Tata Sky / Dish / DVD signals (do not weight it against HD Ready or Plasmas as it will not be an accurate comparison)?

well hd ready lcd and plasma will certainly look better then most FHD tv be it a lcd or a plasma,even the 9g fhd pioneer kuro sucks in SD content.

 

[GeoTracks]

well hd ready lcd and plasma will certainly look better then most FHD tv be it a lcd or a plasma,even the 9g fhd pioneer kuro sucks in SD content.

Understand.

Question to ask is, considering future scalability, if one does go in for Full HD SONY BE3 LCD, does the BE3 make an impactful difference for viewing SD content as compared to BE2 of the earlier LCD models?

 

[mk15]

does the BE3 make an impactful difference for viewing SD content as compared to BE2 of the earlier LCD models?

Yes it does. I tested them side by side on Tata sky, dvd and divx. The BE3 image had less noise and better colors as compared to be2

 

[adder]

Understand.

Question to ask is, considering future scalability, if one does go in for Full HD SONY BE3 LCD, does the BE3 make an impactful difference for viewing SD content as compared to BE2 of the earlier LCD models?

well yes the BE3 does make the picture look better.however it still doesn't match the bravia engine 2 pro found in X series.

 

[GeoTracks]

According to the product documentation SONY plays only MPEG1 .mpg video, MP3 audio, and JPEG images.

For Samsung I am still to experience it, but I read on cnet that it supports MPEG1/2/4, Motion JPEG, DivX, XviD.

On this post it mentions a link http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/pp60/samsung_hd_tech/Fileformats.jpg for list of all file formats supported by B630. Too good to believe. Not sure if all these would be in B650. could someone confirm?

The new LCD models of LG, SAMSUNG & SONY (550 series) come with USB slots. I am getting to hear from people that the LG LCDs have the most compatiable USB (meaning plays most types of media / video files), followed by SAMSUNGs and finally SONY which has a lot of 'restrictions' of the video file types it can play. Is this true?

Has anyone tested these out in showrooms / shops via USBs while taking demos of the LCDs? Thoughts?

 

[prakasse]

Found the sony bravia engine to be much better than all of the rest. Do not have panasonic/ sharp sales or Afte sales in my city. Hence, they were out of the list.

I yesterday saw klv-40v550a and it has BE3. The picture quality was too good.

Thanks,
Prakash

 

[bobby76]

Did you know why sony tv is so expensive

Because their Circuit boards are made up of 24 carat gold plating- just joking

 

[suprateep]

I yesterday saw klv-40v550a and it has BE3. The picture quality was too good.

Thanks,
Prakash

yes i saw it next to the lowly panasonic lx800 - the black levels were awesome not washed out or grey like the sony

 

[adder]

Did you know why sony tv is so expensive

Because their Circuit boards are made up of 24 carat gold plating- just joking

well in india its definetly due to the brand name,in countries like US the price differnce b/w samsung is less but it still is expensive then every other lcd.offcourse it has to back the brand image with superior performance,which it does but the gap has narrowed over the years.

yes i saw it next to the lowly panasonic lx800 - the black levels were awesome not washed out or grey like the sony

well u may have noticed that.but the reality is the IPS panels in the panasonic just can't match the ANSI black levels of samsung and sony models which have VA based panel such SPVA/AMVA.
for those who don't know what exactly is ANSI contrast its the ability of a lcd/plasma/crt/projector etc to display deep blacks and bright whites at the same time,plasmas generaly have good ANSI contrast,but in lcds only some tvs which have a AMVA,SPVA or even SMVA can deliver the same levels of ANSI contrast of plasmas.

the IPS based lcds tvs such as lg,philips,hitachi and some toshiba models have poor ANSI contrast that is why in their brochure/website u see only the dynamic contrast which is achieved by dimming the backlight so u get better blacks and then by cranking up the backlight better whites,this can be beneficial only if the image displayed is completly white or completly black.
But most of the image contains both black and white images or in other words scenes of dark areas and scenes of bright light,so this time these tvs screw up the shadow details by dimming the backlight ,so what happens is in areas of dark scenes where some details is meant to be shown is lost in an effort to show deep blacks.so this is why u don't see these manufactures advertizing the ansi contrast or static contrast.

the real contrast of the pansonic 32inch lcds are around 1000:1 as stated by the ips alpha division that supplies panasonic with lcds panels,but measured ANSI contrast is slightly less around 800:1,while the spva/amva lcds have a ANSI contrast of anywhere b/w 1800:1 to 3000:1+.