me oso need recommendation....

looking for a 42" tv...dunno to go for plasma or LCD. budget around 7k MAX (trying to get below 6.5 if possible).

confuse as to which one to go for....would like to hear rough recommendations first... will post up more details later once i get my money/bills/ budget in order

so did u go in??? hows the service? was the staff knowledgeable? helpful???

hows their selection by the way?

thanks for the heads up....

looks like i dont need to waste time there.

or perhaps mebbe just a peek

yes yes i know its another thread on LCD TVs but i really need info on my specific usage...the other threads dont really have much on 40" n above...

but before we begin....

HEADPHILES STAY OUT!!!! I WANNA BUY MY TV!! MY HEADPHONE RIG UPGRADE CAN WAIT!!!!
SO DONT TRY TO POISON ME
SHOO!! SHOO!!!

but of course ur welcome to stay if ur planning to help


ok....here goes...will try to keep it brief as possible

first...my current hardware and usage etc...

usage
1/ astro
2/ connect to HTPC (details below) for movies etc.
3/ gaming via HTPC (nuttin too serious...mebbe games like NFS or something)
4/ basically a humungous PC monitor

HTPC (which is also my torrent rig)
simple PC running Win XP Pro and connected to 21" CRT via S-video and Edifier R501 MK-II via Audigy 4.

Graphics card is a Colorful 8600GT UE. outputs of this GC are 1xDVI, 1xS-video and 1xHDMI (yes it has its own HDMI port). OUTPUTS

full specs of HTPC in spoiler



BUDGET: 7k MAX and not a cent more. prefer to keep around LOW 6k range though. lesser than 6k oso i dont mind

preferred purchase location would either be Mid Valley (which is where my office is) or SS2 can be considered if i have the time to go there (its near my house too)


PREFFERED REQUIREMENTS
1/ useable to game...
2/ multiple inputs (DVI, HDMI, RCA, Svideo)
3/ ALL BLACK!
4/ acceptable astro image quality

QUESTIONS
1/ LCD or Plasma?
ive been browsing around...and ive compared them and plasma seems to have better PQ. i heard a few negative things about plasma and this sort of scares me of as i plan to use this tv for a VERY LONG TIME. die fast la... image burn la... bla bla bla...

2/ which brand/ model?
im really confused about this..been going around looking at LCDs and i really cant decide which to go for. im really keen on the samsung models as their PQ is excellent imho. BUT their LCDs only come in 40". Samsung 42" are plasmas. does 2" really make a difference in ur opinion...from what ive seen it does a little. so should i go for 40" Samsung LCD n get superior PQ or pay the same amount for a diff brand 42" LCD with a little compromise on PQ?

3/ 100MHz??
ive read here that its supposed to help or eliminate ghosting. but with the response times with LCD TVs these days...is it really needed? asking because i havent found any 40" above LCDs with that 100Mhz feature.

thats all i can think of for now... will add in as the time goes by. thanks

HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!

*crap...that was a long post...sorry*

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 28 2007, 09:02 PM

screen burn thingy is an issue of course...but i wont be leaving the TV on for long... usually 3-4 hours. max oso 8 hours. and even then itll be playing something...not just desktop image.

i went to one of the shops here in MV. the salesman was really pushing for plasma. makes me wonder if theyre trying to clear stock but then the plasmas really do look better than LCDs.

boy oh boy oh boy....i wanna buy TV oso susah...this is even harder than buying headphones

yeah 42" as a monitor ... coz like i said..connecting to HTPC...but usage as a monitor (surfing/gaming etc) will be minimal though. more towards astro and movies. i already have another rig (see sig) for surfing and gaming.

in case ur wondering... my current htpc setup is in the spoiler


i NEED to replace the ageing CRT TV and that dying 15" CRT monitor. i use the monitor for reading coz reading on CRT TV via S-video is difficult as hell. hence the reason i state it as a PC Monitor.

so pls people...gimme recommendations...which brand model to buy?

main priority to me is durability and long lasting usage.... coz i wont be changing the TV for a VERY LONG TIME.

would LCD be a better choice if durability is concerned? if so which brand / model? should i sacrifice 2" and get one of the samsung 40"?

also...do shops like harvey norman, HSL, etc etc sell wall mounts?

EDIT: Viewing distance...forgot exact numbers... but roughly the length of a king size bed + 1.0m(more or less)

---

Added on December 29, 2007, 5:04 pmOI!! OI!!! NEVER READ FIRST POST KA??? dont try poison me!! shoo!!

but then i wont buy the DAC1 or DA10 ler... i using beyer mah...so must be Corda Opera FTW!!

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 29 2007, 05:04 PM

guys...im in the middle of an LCD TV search and i found a very tempting offer from Samsung up til 18th Fen 2008

LA40R81BX 40" LCD TV for RM 6399... FREE DVD-HD870

my question is... can this player play DVDs from US? coz i have a tendency of buying DVDs from amazon.com and wanna make sure that it can read those DVDs.

found a very tempting offer from Samsung up til 18th Fen 2008

LA40R81BX 40" LCD TV for RM 6399... FREE HD DVD Player DVD-HD870

any comments on this model? i mean the LCD... can comment on the dvd player oso

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 29 2007, 09:29 PM

boys and girls....need some help HERE

cant decide 42" lcd or plasma and dunno which brand and model to go for....

thanks in advance

now im even more confused.....

if plasma is that good... why is it about same price or even cheaper than LCD especially its 3rd gen whereas lcd is 2nd gen?

and if plasma is that good... why are there so many negative remarks towards plasma as compared to lcd?

plasma outdated??? if u read my post that u quoted and also Vieri777's post ull see that plasma is NEWER than LCD.

any idea where i can find out prices of a pioneer plasma online?

been trying to find out about them... and im pretty sure pioneer plasmas are good considering they dont make LCD TVs at all....

thanks man....

burt whats the other 2 brans ur talking about??

is samsung one of them?? kinda interested in them coz of their current offers of free DVD players

thats expensive

i was browsing through the papers and saw PDP-427XG being offered at RM6999 by desa home theatre. this model any good??

any other alternative to pioneer?? wats the next best?

heres a scan of the promotional brochure.....



anyway...anyone has any comments on the two 42" plasma models??? especially the RM5999 wan??

such as????

u talking about plasma or LCD?

bro... can give specific model? would like to read up on it and mebbe look for prices.

thanks

anyone else has any good suggestions for a 42" Plasma under 7k?

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Added on December 31, 2007, 2:25 pmoh yeah...how much would a wall mount for a 42" cost ah???

This post has been edited by mADmAN: Dec 31 2007, 02:25 PM

well boys and girls....i went to Desa Home Theatre in kepong just now.. and yeah... ive bought my plasma tv 42". brand is LG and model is 42PC5R.

i was comparing it with a samsung plasma the 5999 in my scanned pic.. the picture is clearer and color is more natural. and the salesman (who was excellent and very helpful by the way) also pointed out something to me...something to do with the reflections... i think CNET review mentioned something about it.

bought other stuff as well...

LG 42PC5R 42" Plasma
Wall Mount
Pioneer Divx DVD Player DV-300
Tacima Power Conditioner
Rogers HDMI Cable.

all for way below budget



hell of a step up from my 21" CRT i must say.....i aintmuch of a videophile....mainly wanted size...but tested with FF4 - Silver Surfer just now and it was gorgeous

not laptop.... HTPC (specs is one of previous posts). n yeah via HDMI as my GC has HDMI out port. MUCH clearer than RGB. even on windows desktop oso can tell the HDMI is much better... forgot the reso... but i think it was 13something something *768.

anyway...id recommend going to that Desa Home Theatre in Kepong man.. the dude who served me (Eddie i think, whos a manager oso) was real helpful....and wasnt impatient... etc etc... seemed like he genuinely wanted to help (and not sell). the feedback form they asked me to fill in i put all excellent

when buying my 42" oso i saw an LG 50" which tempted the hell out of me... too bad i already paid for the 42

plus...my gf was with me and shed prolly kill me too

thanks guys for all the help....i might have questions in the future but for now...brain not really funcitoning

astro is what ud expect honestly... but it really isnt that bad... of course CRT is better... but bleh...the reduction in quality is VERY tolerable.

DVD... havent tried....cant find my original DVDs anywhere

but i tested with Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer (DivX DVD rip) and it was gorgeous!

again i repeat...im not much of a videophile. so for now...im happy