Urgent help in choosing 40" lcd

srenjith

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trivandrum
Dear forum members,

I am planning to buy a 40inch lcd tv either by tomorrow or day after tomorrow and zeroed in on these two models -

SONY KLV 40S 400A (final price 63k)
SAMSUNG 40A 550 (final price 61.5k)

I am looking for FULL HD since I am having PS3. Panasonic, I had a very bitter experience with the service guy here in Trivandrum(pixels), so dropped it..Maximum budget is 65k. Also not interested in Plasma.

Pls advice which is best or any other alternative????
 
I have Samsung

But the simple answer is:

1) Check HD capability - 1080 p? This is imp.
2) Next is price, at the price points you have mentioned, just buy SONY

It's a SONY:);)

Cheers!
 
If both are Full HD then go with the Sony. Even though both share in LCD panel manufacturing the Sony Bravia Engine improves PQ.

My personal choice though is the Panasonic PV8, but its a plasma.
 
Samsung anyday...my choice was between the same models you mentioned in a 32 inch screen...samsung looked much better in terms of picture clarity and color...all sonys have a pink tint...check side by side.

But if i were to choose between lcd and plasma...definetly plasma
 
Hi,
I have a Sony KLV-37A400 bought a couple of months ago. We looked at models from Sony. Pana, Samsung, LG, Hitachi, Sharp etc.

In the showrooms, the sellers usually put on some HD source which looks great on all TV's. Still by side-by-side comparison you can check a few things like black-levels etc and the details. The trick is to go to as many showrooms as many times as possible to make side-by-side comparisons with as many sources and as many different brands as possible.

One of the most important criterion for us was to find the picture quality under a SD source like, STB, cable and DVD (this is a reasonable criterion for most of us because I do not know of many people having a lot of HD blue-ray discs). Like I have discussed in another thread today, all LCD TV's do upscale picture from a SD source to its standard resolution. This is done mostly thru software, I believe. We found that this aspect was the strongest in Sony, even better than Panasonic which we also liked. All other brands turned out poorer by different degrees to our eyes.

We decided against the Pana because in 37", they do not have the best product. Their best LCD is the 32" LX800 in India (previously LX700).

The pinkish tint mentioned by plasmoid is really a minor issue. All these TVs come with all the major adjustments like backlight, contrast, color etc. Usually you turn them down by a large amount from the factory settings to admissible levels.

Initially for the first week or so, we found our Sony TV to be a bit bright even after playing with the adjustments. Then I searched for LCD TV break-in period in the net. Most people are saying there is no break-in time needed. But then ultimately I got some link where some people are actually discussing it. Now after couple of months of watching I can tell you with confidence that the LCD TVs do have a break-in period (about couple of months of normal watching with mild settings in our case) after which the picture becomes really sublime. The unnecessary dazzle of the screen disappears, the black levels improve tremendously and as a result the picture quality improves.

Hope this helps. BTW I am not an AV expert, just sharing my own experience.
 
Agree with Asit. Sony is good and not much to choose between it and Panasonic except the cost/VFM factor where the PV8 at 42 inches is cheaper than Sony 37 inches.
 
The pink tint is definately not a minor issue...nor can it be adjusted.Please check all the calibration controls in the tv.Sony w and v series have only color,backlight and tint.Tint is accessable only with an NTSC signal.I had checked all these settings in the showroom and then chose the samsung which has pro calibration adjustments like whitebalance and color space to fine tune.

Other problems with sony are screen clouding issues (white patches on the screen...

YouTube - Sony Bravia LCD Backlight Clouding

Motion handling is also poor.In dark scenes you will notice lots of smearing.This is due to the response rate of 8ms.All other lcds now are 4-5ms.

Panasonic LCD is a great buy too.The new full HD plasma PZ700 is the most brilliant HDTV I have auditioned.
 
srenjith,

Not to confuse you further, but Philips is out with 2 new models (don't remember the model numbers though) and they are with 2 ms response rate and Ambilight technology. They were pretty impressive, but I did pay too much attention to them since I was auditioning the soundbar from Philips.
 
I've heard of these philips tvs too...supposed to be the best out there now...definatley worth checking out
 
Hi,
I made a little mistake in the model no of my TV which is actually KLV-37S400. The "S" series is below the "W" series and almost the same as the "V" series except for one media port. In 37" however only the S series is available.

Let me stress again that I am no AV expert. What I wrote above is based on what I have experienced on my own.

Certainly there are many more adjustments possible on my TV than mentioned by plasmoid above. In brief, they are:

PICTURE SETTINGS MENU
Picture Mode: Vivid, standard, cinema etc
Backlight:
Picture:
Brightness:
Colour:
Hue:
Colour Temperature: Cool, neutral, warm1, warm2
Sharpness:
Noise reduction: High, med, low, off
Mpeg noise reduction: High, med, low, off
Advanced setting: adv contrast enhancer, live colour

There are obviously other menus for sound etc.

Adjusting the above I have been able to get very good pictures, definitely devoid of any pinkish tint. BTW, all the above settings are adjustable, with the exception of "Hue".

About the screen clouding, I would really like to know which model (and which year) had the problem mentioned in the youtube. In the Internet, all kinds of stuff are available, there are horrible stories easily available about all brands. Unless this is backed up by repeated occurances and well documented, I do not think there is any concern for worry. We did an extensive search on the current models of Sony and Pana and there were only good things written about them.

The response time of 8ms is theoretically a matter of concern. We worried about it, especially because we watch a lot of sports at home, all kinds from F1 racing to cricket. We did a lot of side-by side comparison for a number of days, really did not find it a serious thing for concern.

BTW, it is not true that all other models do now have a response time 4ms or so. Please check the Pana models sold in India, they do also have a response time of 8ms or so (LX80, LX800 etc both in 32" and 37"), as far as I can remember. Please correct me if I am wrong.

We have not so far seen any problem due 8ms response time. I think the less it is the better, but I have a feeling that just these numbers are not the end of the story. If they were, then why would one buy a Sony or a Pana or a Hitachi at 10,000:1 or at best 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio when Samsung and LG are offering LCD TVs at 30,000:1 or 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios. If anything we found the pictures marginally better than the Samsung 500 series and a lot better than the Samsung 400 series. But again these are my and my family's subjective views. Nobody needs to take these findings seriously.

My findings may be absolutely wrong because as confessed at the outset, I am not much more than a novice in this AV business.

All I can say is that it is very much possible that we have made a very wrong decision by buying this TV, but in reality we think the picture quality at the moment in our Sony LCD TV coming from standard definition sources (Big TV STB and a few DVDs we have) is simply superb and we have not seen such quality in the TV pictures we usually see in our friends' and relatives' places.

I guess the moral of the story is to keep one's eyes and ears open, take in as much information as possible, then make one's decision and live with it.
It is an understatement to say that so far we are happy with our TV. We are actually very happy.

Srenjith, please check the Philips models mentioned by moserw and also recommended by plasmoid. You may end up making a different decision than we did.

Note added later: We have nothing against Samsung, BTW. We do have two more TVs (CRT) at home, both are Samsung flat TVs called Plano. We also have a Samsung microwave oven at home. All these have been great products, have given us service for a number of years without or with minimal service and great value for money.
 
Last edited:
Hi all,
Thanks a lot for these wonderful suggestions. Yesterday I went with my family to purchase the lcd, showroom owner is my friend..everyone in my home voted for sony(brand name!!!)..but i liked the Philips 42inch model(ambilight series, they told me some fundas such as backlight adjustment something...wow, but too much above my budget 1lakh plus!!)..then he offered me samsung 42a410(plasma with hd ready) which is running for discount sale for 45k(original price 69k), but since i didn't want plasma, i didn't took it seriously, neither it has full hd.but picture was good...
my friend told me to wait till next wednesday since there is a price revision on tuesday and upcoming christmas festive offer also there from next week..so wil be buying it on wednesday...BUT MEANTIME GUYS, PLS TAKE UP THIS DISCUSSION FURTHER,,,,,
RENJITH,
Trivandrum
 
Had already seen this.all the panles in India are S panels...its on the label at the back.My friend has a 550 37 incher and his is an S panel too
 
Hi,
Does anything to be looked into when buying Sony S series(C, A or S)..pls clarify..further samsung is advertising in viewing angle, does this makes any difference??
 
No idea about sony s series...found only the V,W and X worth taking a look at.Not really bothered about viewing angle...live alone and can look straight at my TV :)
 
Hi all,
Thanks a lot for these wonderful suggestions. Yesterday I went with my family to purchase the lcd, showroom owner is my friend..everyone in my home voted for sony(brand name!!!)..but i liked the Philips 42inch model(ambilight series, they told me some fundas such as backlight adjustment something...wow, but too much above my budget 1lakh plus!!)..then he offered me samsung 42a410(plasma with hd ready) which is running for discount sale for 45k(original price 69k), but since i didn't want plasma, i didn't took it seriously, neither it has full hd.but picture was good...
my friend told me to wait till next wednesday since there is a price revision on tuesday and upcoming christmas festive offer also there from next week..so wil be buying it on wednesday...BUT MEANTIME GUYS, PLS TAKE UP THIS DISCUSSION FURTHER,,,,,
RENJITH,
Trivandrum


For a 40 inch you should definately audition plasmas side by side with lcd.They are definatley much smoother and look great while watching movies.In plasmas panasonic beats samsung hands down though.I was forced to buy an lcd because of restricted space at home.(Plasmas start at 42 inches)Next TV will be plasma for sure.
 
Hi,
I made a little mistake in the model no of my TV which is actually KLV-37S400. The "S" series is below the "W" series and almost the same as the "V" series except for one media port. In 37" however only the S series is available.

Let me stress again that I am no AV expert. What I wrote above is based on what I have experienced on my own.

Certainly there are many more adjustments possible on my TV than mentioned by plasmoid above. In brief, they are:

PICTURE SETTINGS MENU
Picture Mode: Vivid, standard, cinema etc
Backlight:
Picture:
Brightness:
Colour:
Hue:
Colour Temperature: Cool, neutral, warm1, warm2
Sharpness:
Noise reduction: High, med, low, off
Mpeg noise reduction: High, med, low, off
Advanced setting: adv contrast enhancer, live colour

There are obviously other menus for sound etc.

Adjusting the above I have been able to get very good pictures, definitely devoid of any pinkish tint. BTW, all the above settings are adjustable, with the exception of "Hue".

About the screen clouding, I would really like to know which model (and which year) had the problem mentioned in the youtube. In the Internet, all kinds of stuff are available, there are horrible stories easily available about all brands. Unless this is backed up by repeated occurances and well documented, I do not think there is any concern for worry. We did an extensive search on the current models of Sony and Pana and there were only good things written about them.

The response time of 8ms is theoretically a matter of concern. We worried about it, especially because we watch a lot of sports at home, all kinds from F1 racing to cricket. We did a lot of side-by side comparison for a number of days, really did not find it a serious thing for concern.

BTW, it is not true that all other models do now have a response time 4ms or so. Please check the Pana models sold in India, they do also have a response time of 8ms or so (LX80, LX800 etc both in 32" and 37"), as far as I can remember. Please correct me if I am wrong.

We have not so far seen any problem due 8ms response time. I think the less it is the better, but I have a feeling that just these numbers are not the end of the story. If they were, then why would one buy a Sony or a Pana or a Hitachi at 10,000:1 or at best 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio when Samsung and LG are offering LCD TVs at 30,000:1 or 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratios. If anything we found the pictures marginally better than the Samsung 500 series and a lot better than the Samsung 400 series. But again these are my and my family's subjective views. Nobody needs to take these findings seriously.

My findings may be absolutely wrong because as confessed at the outset, I am not much more than a novice in this AV business.

All I can say is that it is very much possible that we have made a very wrong decision by buying this TV, but in reality we think the picture quality at the moment in our Sony LCD TV coming from standard definition sources (Big TV STB and a few DVDs we have) is simply superb and we have not seen such quality in the TV pictures we usually see in our friends' and relatives' places.

I guess the moral of the story is to keep one's eyes and ears open, take in as much information as possible, then make one's decision and live with it.
It is an understatement to say that so far we are happy with our TV. We are actually very happy.

Srenjith, please check the Philips models mentioned by moserw and also recommended by plasmoid. You may end up making a different decision than we did.

Note added later: We have nothing against Samsung, BTW. We do have two more TVs (CRT) at home, both are Samsung flat TVs called Plano. We also have a Samsung microwave oven at home. All these have been great products, have given us service for a number of years without or with minimal service and great value for money.


Its great you are enjoying your TV.I wasnt putting sony down.Have been watching sony trinitron since as long as I can remember.Just find the samsungs better than the bravias.personal preference I guess.

Panasonic LX800 does have ar esponse value of 8ms but it has a 100 hz panel that takes care of the motion aspect...much smoother than any lcd panel today...unfortunately I needed full hd for PS3 and bluray.
 
Hi Srenjith. I just bought an LCD panel. When I started out, I was faced with the same dilemma and HiFiVision has helped me enormously in reaching my decision. I finally bought Samsung 40 inch A610 which cost me 70K in kochi. I am very very satisfied with the TV as it is performing quite well to my satisfaction. I have written a small review here. http://www.hifivision.com/television/2160-samsung-sony-5.html I hope this helps you in making an informed decision. :)
 
Panasonic LX800 does have ar esponse value of 8ms but it has a 100 hz panel that takes care of the motion aspect...much smoother than any lcd panel today

Please understand that the only purpose of this post is to get rid of any misconception and a resultant spread of wrong information.

The response time of an LCD panel is an intrinsic property of the panel and has nothing to do with the 100 Hz thing that is mentioned above.

To quote from a source on the net:
(Understanding LCD Monitors)

"In order to achieve the color on a pixel in an LCD panel, a current is applied to the crystals at that pixel to change the state of the crystals. Response times refer to the amount of time it takes for the crystals in the panel to move from an on to off state. A rising response time refers to the amount of time it takes to turn on the crystals and the falling time is the amount of time it takes for the crystals to move from an on to off state. Rising times tend to be very fast on LCDs, but the falling time tends to be much slower. This tends to cause a slight blurring effect on bright moving images on black backgrounds. The lower the response time, the less of a blurring effect there will be on the screen. Most response times now refer to a grey to grey rating that doesn't do the full on off state that generates a lower time than the traditional reponse times."

So you see a panel characterized by 8ms quoted in the traditional method (full on to full off) may be better than a panel with 5ms (not full on to full off). This is a potentially dangerous comparison which may lead us to a wrong conclusion unless we know exactly which criterion a particular company is using for quoting their response times.

What I have heard and actually tested is that when measured in the traditional way (that is full on to full off), any panel with a response time significantly below 20 ms is a decent panel. Please check the response times of your LCD computer monitors. You will be surprised to know the times. Find out and let me know.

The 100 Hz is the frequency of the external processor (nothing to do with the panel) that interpolates in time and makes a 50 fps framerate into 100 fps.
This sure makes the fast moving pictures quite smooth. All I want to say is that it is not intrinsic to the panel and quite unrelated to its properties. However, having said that I do not think this 100 Hz method would work at all well with a panel having large response times, say larger than 20 ms.

This is what I gathered from different sources during the 2 month-long process of looking around for our LCD TV. More knowledgeable people, please let me know if any of this is wrong.
 
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