TV recs

[erilyn]

A request for help - I'm looking for (especially from Aussies) recs/anti-recs/suggestions/must-have-features about televisions?

I'm looking around the 42-46 inch size, probably LCD (though I don't have strong LCD v Plasma feelings), preferably not 3D (cause I can't be bothered to pay for a feature I won't use).

As an example of things I've been looking at, the Panasonic TH-L42E30A looks interesting (and is available well below the price listed there).

Comments

[shinetheway.livejournal.com]

Ican't comment on features. All I can say is, from personal experience in dealing with manufacturer's warranty from the manufacturer's POV, get as much warranty coverage for whatever you get as you can afford.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

An excellent point, thank you :)

[shoemaster.livejournal.com]

A) Make sure it has USB ports so you can hook up a flash drive/external hard drive.

B) I love my LED-LCD TV. Apparently that's really good? My uncle who works for a national electronics chain in the US approved of that choice and the at least 120Hz refresh rate. (He was also butthurt that I bought from a different chain). Mine's 37" (uhhh .9 M??) and I'm glad I went this big at least. You're looking bigger, and I concur. Uhh I'm confused that 100Hz is even an option?? (Here it's 60/120/240) but it looks good!

C) I'm preetty drunk. I'll come back in the morning.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

that's the most coherent drunk appliance review EVER.

I don't understand the Hz thing cause sometimes I'm seeing a model described as 50/60Hz. Maybe things refresh different on this side of the world???

And thank you for the info :)

[lastrega.livejournal.com]

We have a massive Panasonic that seems to be pretty good. You'll want to make sure yours has at least one HDMI port so you can hook up your laptop, as well as USB ports. Ours has a streaming function so you can play video over the wireless network, which seemed like an awesome feature but it only seems to work with a limited number of file formats so we don't use it much.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I quite like my parent's Panasonic, good to see more good comments on the brand, and thank you for the features suggestions :D

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

mINE'S oops, Mine's a panasonic, I have no complaints.

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

I am very tempted to get a Panasonic, I'm measuring all others against them.

I'm in information overload about tvs at the moment!

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

Read what you can, then forget it all and actually go look at as many models as you can in person in a store. When we were shopping before we were quite surprised that some of the models that got good reviews online looked really quite shitty in person. (And I don't mean shitty in the way where it's just someone's been playing with the brightness and contrast, I mean actual picture quality.)

I would also *look* at the 3D models, even if you have no intention of using the 3D - apparently producing 3D requires a better video chipset in the TV itself, and on some TVs that turns into a better picture on 2D also. (We were not planning to do 3D at all either - we're shopping for a bigger TV for a gift for my mom - but the one that's currently in the top slot based on image quality is actually a store-brand 3D model.)

Which reminds me - store brand models are generally just some brand name product in a store brand costume. Sometimes the specs are a little different in terms of extras (like if it has wifi or not) but sometimes there's basically no difference at all except for the outside case and the name on the plastic. (When we last were shopping for a TV, it was actually kind of hilarious - there was a name brand model and then three TVs down was the store brand of the same size and type, and the ONLY difference was the name on the plastic and the fact that the name brand plastic frame was black and on the store brand the plastic was white. I mean, it was otherwise completely identical. Specs, buttons, button labels, everything.)

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, it'll come down to what looks the best, but I wanted to know a bit more before I do more serious looking :)

We have some cheaper brands that share a lot of componentry with the big brands, but not so much by way of actual store brands here, not for big electrical appliances.

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

From what I understand re: LCD vs. plasma is that the quality is considerably better and LCD will last much longer than the plasma. FWIW. ;-)

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! A lot of the reviews seem to come down to personal preference too, it's so hard to find hard guidelines on them :)

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

My mother has an LCD that is absolutely amazing and so is my brother's. I'm pretty sure the small one my MIL has is plasma... and it's horrid quality wise. We're getting ready to get one ourselves... and just based on what I've seen already, we're totally going with LCD. :D

Have fun deciding, whatever you do! :D

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300628415602?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

The above is one I was looking at, but it's not in brown at the moment. I'll probably go off to hardly normal's and look at the ones you mentioned, although they sound small. I'd like it big enough to put my couch covers in during the summer.

If the call was a bit awkward or abrupt, sorry about that, I was trying to get through the door while carrying bottles (and gym sweaty, blah)

[erilyn.livejournal.com]

no worries :)

I can't find the ottoman I was looking at on Domayne's website, but they had a heap of them at Belrose (not big enough to store the couch covers though). They also had a longer bench-style one, which still flipped open for storage, but I don't think the lid was reversible in that model (so more like the one in the ebay listing).

Black, brown, white, and maybe red. Available in both round and square, I think the model name was Maui or something like that.