So I'm buying a telly...

Gimaru

New member
Would like some suggestions and recommendations on the subject. I'm going to buy my first flat screen tellyy and am looking for a decent one- saying that, I know nothing of hz, ms's, and what not.

At the moment I have my eye on the Samsung Series 5 40" LED TV, going for R8500 at last store I was at. Mostly going to be using it for blu-rays and PS3.
 
i'm a noob when it comes to TVs but as far as refresh rates go, i get the impression that if u on a budget and u want LCD u go for 60hz , otherwise 120hz if u want no complaints. I dunno what refresh rates the LEDs run at.

And u might wanna check out this thread http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/219028-LCD-and-Plasma-Bargains
, but then skip to the end and do some searches in it if u short on time :)

edit: U will also want to familiarise yourself with the way Game does its specials. i.e. They punt a different brand each week. Prices are generally pretty good.
 
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Would like some suggestions and recommendations on the subject. I'm going to buy my first flat screen tellyy and am looking for a decent one- saying that, I know nothing of hz, ms's, and what not.

At the moment I have my eye on the Samsung Series 5 40" LED TV, going for R8500 at last store I was at. Mostly going to be using it for blu-rays and PS3.

Samsung TV's are quite good and 40" led tv is not too bad at that price. It will play both fine plus you can play movies through the USB.
 
The Samsung Series 5 LED 40" has 50hz. Eish, why is it more expensive that the 120hz LCD version?
 
Best bang for buck will get you a 51" Samsung Plasma. +- R6999

I have one and it is simply epic. Use it for both PS3 and Xbox and never had a day's issue.

The plasmas of today are far better than their predecessors, and are awesome for gaming.
 
Best bang for buck will get you a 51" Samsung Plasma. +- R6999

I have one and it is simply epic. Use it for both PS3 and Xbox and never had a day's issue.

The plasmas of today are far better than their predecessors, and are awesome for gaming.

So I have heard people say, even the saleman's pitch in the store. I'm skeptical though, why is a plasma so much cheaper? I've hears some horror stories of plasmas, that the screens burn out or something. Just makes me wonder, why is this LED 40" so much more expensive?

Busy reading this article, it's well interesting http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387377,00.asp

Also found:

"hey both rock.

The quick and dirty answer is this:

If you like to watch/play with the lights out at night, go plasma. If you like to watch/play with the lights on and during the daytime, go LED."

I'm not really a big fan of playing with the lights off, so hmm. Also found this comment:

"I don't like watching sport on plasma tv's. Anytime i watch football or golf, there seems to be a comet effect behind the ball. It doesn't do it on my led tv."
 
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So I have heard people say, even the saleman's pitch in the store. I'm skeptical though, why is a plasma so much cheaper? I've hears some horror stories of plasmas, that the screens burn out or something. Just makes me wonder, why is this LED 40" so much more expensive?

Busy reading this article, it's well interesting http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387377,00.asp

Also found:

"hey both rock.

The quick and dirty answer is this:

If you like to watch/play with the lights out at night, go plasma. If you like to watch/play with the lights on and during the daytime, go LED."

I'm not really a big fan of playing with the lights off, so hmm. Also found this comment:

"I don't like watching sport on plasma tv's. Anytime i watch football or golf, there seems to be a comet effect behind the ball. It doesn't do it on my led tv."

LCD and LED are the "market leaders" hence why the prices are higher and salesman try to punt it more.

Plasma is simply better for SD viewing as well as sport as the refresh rates are better.

As for burn in, this is mostly a thing of the past. Sure if you leave the same static image on your TV for 2 weeks running you may just get burn in, but unlikely.

People confuse Burn in with Image Retention. 2 different things.

Burn in is when the image is permanetely burned into the screen. Your screen is pretty much screwed after this.

Image retention, which happens on all plasmas, is when you leave a static image on the screen for a period of time, the image will stay there briefly when changing to another channel. This disappears after about 2 mins when changing the channel and is very normal. I have played games on mine for 2 - 3 hours and after changing channels there is a logo still on the screen but after a few mins goes away. Its really a non issue, but seems to freak people out.

Overall, plasma gives you better value for money. Nothing wrong with LCD or LED, but be prepared to pay a premium for them.
 
Right so I decided to be open minded about Plasma tvs. Now I'm looking to see what the best plasma is that I can get for the range of R8500. Saw a nice 51" one that's 3D capable, 600hz, but then I realised it's only HD Ready, and not Full HD.
 
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Right so I decided to be open minded about Plasma tvs. Now I'm looking to see what the best plasma is that I can get for the range of R8500. Saw a nice 51" one that's 3D capable, 600hz, but then I realised it's only HD Ready, and not Full HD.

Personally I wouldn't buy into the whole HD ready vs Full HD. Its honestly just a marketing tool.

You really can't tell the difference between full and HD ready. If you can, you are sitting to close :p
 
If you can afford it I would suggest getting a 3D LED. Not for the 3D part but for the refresh rate. Saw two 40" Samsung LED, one above the other, at Makro once. One was a 3D and one was a normal LED. The picture of the 3D one was so much more crisper and sharper. It's crazy how u can spot the difference so easily.

So if you can, go for the 3D one otherwise just get the normal LED. That's what I did and I'm more than happy. :)
 
I don't know how people can say 720 and 1080p have no visible difference... the 1080p has 50% more lines on the screen!

When I plug my laptop into my telly via hdmi, my laptop's resolution is not raped and my screen changed, because the resolution is the same. Will any of you be happy to buy a computer monitor which can only do 1280 x 720? (my 6 year old lcd 17" can do better)...

My PS3 has better resolution, icons are smaller...

/idea
 
Word of warning - Don't allow a shops salesman to twist your arm into buying something you're not keen on. Rather leave and do more research if needed.

I have seen customers leaving with TV's they don't need and come back disappointed by what they have bought.

One of the most important things to get right is the size. Do you want a 40 or are you only going for one because it's cheaper?
 
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I don't know how people can say 720 and 1080p have no visible difference... the 1080p has 50% more lines on the screen!

When I plug my laptop into my telly via hdmi, my laptop's resolution is not raped and my screen changed, because the resolution is the same. Will any of you be happy to buy a computer monitor which can only do 1280 x 720? (my 6 year old lcd 17" can do better)...

My PS3 has better resolution, icons are smaller...

/idea

When you watch Blu-rays at 1080p - you defiantly see a difference between the two!!!! hahaha!
 
If you can afford it I would suggest getting a 3D LED. Not for the 3D part but for the refresh rate. Saw two 40" Samsung LED, one above the other, at Makro once. One was a 3D and one was a normal LED. The picture of the 3D one was so much more crisper and sharper. It's crazy how u can spot the difference so easily.

So if you can, go for the 3D one otherwise just get the normal LED. That's what I did and I'm more than happy. :)
What is the price difference , btw? I prefer to be a mid to late adopter and get bang for buck :)
 
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