[blueagles]

I'm looking into getting my first LCD TV and would like to get some feedback and recommendations from current owners of this kind of TV.

I was looking for a 1080p LCD, sized between 37" to 40" and consider the manufacturers Sony, Samsung & Sharp.

I have checked around and was satisfied with the quality of these 3. I looked at the models LA40N81B and LA40M81B from Samsung, KLV-40X250A and KLV-40X200A from Sony Bravia and a Sharp Aquos model I can't recall.

For current owners of any of these 3 brands, people who have knowledge in this techonology or others who have brands they would recomend, can you share your experiences, feedback and or recommendations with your LCD TV and what made you choose that manufacturer over the other?

Thanks for your responses!

[Skyhook]

Originally Posted by blueagles

I'm looking into getting my first LCD TV and would like to get some feedback and recommendations from current owners of this kind of TV.

I was looking for a 1080p LCD, sized between 37" to 40" and consider the manufacturers Sony, Samsung & Sharp.

I have checked around and was satisfied with the quality of these 3. I looked at the models LA40N81B and LA40M81B from Samsung, KLV-40X250A and KLV-40X200A from Sony Bravia and a Sharp Aquos model I can't recall.

For current owners of any of these 3 brands, people who have knowledge in this techonology or others who have brands they would recomend, can you share your experiences, feedback and or recommendations with your LCD TV and what made you choose that manufacturer over the other?

Thanks for your responses!

I went down this track 12 months ago and we purchased a 37 inch LCD HDTV with 1200P scan capability, running progressive component output from our pioneer DVD recorder is very very nice, i am looking forward to seeing HD-DVD in the future.

We did this to replace a very bulky 32 inch CRT Panasonic TV, to free up some space in the living room, which is why most of us do it.

Personally there wont be much in it between the Sony and the Sharp, both are strong display performers, my sister in laws family have just purchased the 46 inch Sharp LCD, and I was very impressed by it.

I'd go with the Sony, only because I have always liked the innovation of the brand, the difference in performance is going to be very hard to discern, so pick the brand that you prefer. From what I have read in reviews, black levels are now natural and motion artifacting is a thing of the past with the latest screens out now.

Is the Sony more expensive ? they usually are 2 - 4 K more than everybody else in the same brand quality....

[PDLM]

Sony works well for me too. When I looked at Sony and a couple of other brands side by side with the same HD source it just looked much better to me.

[blueagles]

Ok, I've narrowed down my choices to the Samsung LA40M81B and Sony Bravia KLV-40X200A. As I see the LCDs side by side, the picture quality of the Samsung is better than the Sony.

But as you mentioned Skyhook, I also like Sony's innovation and this particular model is Made in Japan.

Skyhook & PDLM, just a question on your Sony X series, do you have this uneven backlight/cloudy problem as stated on this forums:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...9&page=1&pp=30

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=44132

thanks for your feedback!

[PDLM]

No - mine looks fine to me. It's a KLV-46X200 manufactured in October 2006.

[Skyhook]

there are pro's and cons for any style of display technology, I am not aware of the trait that was mentioned on the AVS forums, but in the same token, my main issue was detail sharpness. Our 37" LCD TV and Sanyo PLV-Z5 HT projector @ 92 inches ( from 2.8 metres distance ), is superb in all aspects, especially the later.

Thank the AV gods that fly screen effect and motion artifacting with fast horizontal objects are a thing of the past.

I'd still get the Sony, unless you know exactly how the HDMI cabling was done for the instore demonstration. I assume they were running HD-software via a HDMI distrubution router to all of the screens. Which can have varying degree's of loss.

[ontheroad]

I shopped around and chose the SONY Bravia KLV series, and I'm very happy with it. As someone mentioned, it's made in Japan, and excellent quality.
When I got mine from Times Square (Chung Yuen) they gave me a rebate+ a free DVD player/recorder. And they delivered and installed everything for free.
For me the best thing about LCD is that it travels really well, and isn't fragile, which, when you're an expat is good. This model is multi-system and multi-voltage which is excellent as well.

[AdeleMarie]

Just a small note on picture quality:

Sony KLV-40X250A has a contract ratio of: 8000:1
Sony KLV-40X200A has a contract ratio of: 7000:1
Samsung LA40N81B has a contract ratio of: 10000:1
Samsung LA40N81B has a contract ratio of: 15000:1

All run at a response time of 8ms which is good, not fantastic for gaming.

The samsungs are full HD and from my research I did in the UK before I came out to HK Sharp LCDs had a far better quality over Sony.
Do not get me wrong I love Sony and have been dissappointed with their LCD progression compared to their competitors.

I have to admit I prefer on paper and in looks the Samsung models do it for me.
If you want fancy stuff with an integrated tuners then the sony, for me its all about the picture quality, the PVR, AV Amp and speakers, set top box setup do the rest.

[CarterTG]

I looked into HK's HDTV status in 2006 and wasn't terribly impressed with the glacial pace things seemed to be moving at. HD broadcast antennas were newly planned for 2007/2008. Without a clear HDTV broadcast standard, none of the flatpanel sets throughout the HK stores contained a high-definition tuner. Having purchased three LCD flatpanels in the states, the notion of paying 1.5 to nearly 2x for a tunerless version of a similar sized screen in HK just wasn't pallatable.

Two years later, I'm heading back to Hong Kong in the next several days and just spent some time researching the situation. With the olympics looming, I was hoping things would be progressing quickly by now. According to Wikipedia, a sole HDTV transmitter went online in Tsz Wan Shan in December 2007. The HDTV standard in HK/China is chosen as DMB-T/H now rebranded as DTMB. By comparison, the US employs ATSC tuners to receive digital HDTV signals. (Typically paired with legacy NTSC tuners for receiving old analog broadcasts)

ATSC prefers a direct line-of-sight to the broadcasting tower. I would suspect this requirement is no different for DTMB. If true, the HD reception will range from abysmal to non-existent for most HK residents until the rest of the towers can be deployed. Do any of our permanent forum members have updates on this?

Fortress has started listing a handful of LCD HDTV sets that sport a DMB-T/H digital (HDTV) tuner. I detest the notion of using an external tuner box (extra footprint, extra wiring, extra remote, etc) so with this (IMO) final crucial feature ratified/standardized I'm once again looking to outfit the HK flat with a HDTV.

This leaves price. Things haven't dropped as far as I'd like. Digging up my pricing notes on the same brand...

2007 (February)
HK: 40" LCD 1080i (no tuner) $29,600hk
USA: 40" LCD 1080i (ATSC) $17,200hk

Granted Fortress' pricing is always on the high-side. Similarly equipped models from the same manufacturer now reveals...

2008 (March)
HK: 40" LCD 1080p (DMB-TH) $24,280hk
USA: 40" LCD 1080p (ATSC) $15,400hk

I suppose I'll have my work cut out for me investigating the typical street price on a HK HDTV set when I arrive.

Here are some additional things I should point out based on previous experience and research:

Sony / Samsung

Sony LCD sets are not entirely their own. They were firm backers in rear-projection. When the market showed increasing preference for LCD flatpanels, they turned to Samsung's factory for the LCD panel. Samsung has been advancing the LCD technology to where elimination of ghosting (response time) and off-axis viewing angle has put it in fierce competition with Plasma. Many plasmas of the same size or price range are still 720p. At the time I evaluated the stateside sets, direct side-by-side comparison of the Sony and Samsung sets gave the nod to Samsung. The Sony sets seemed to exhibit an overall grayish hazy tone. Given the same features, the Sony model consistently cost several thousands more than the (IME, nicer looking) Samsung. Sony STILL can't manufacture their own panels. Latest news reports Sony is turning to Sharp for future panels.

Contrast Ratios

When comparing Contrast Ratios between manufacturers, it's important to note that there's no official standardized measure. While it might provide some relative numbers between models of the same manufacturer, I wouldn't rely too much on this number and would prefer to visually compare the difference in-person. It should also be pointed out that these numbers are DYNAMIC Contrast Ratios. The numbers are assisted by the fluorescent backlight being actively dimmed according to the picture content. There's nothing wrong with this, but it further skews the numbers.

Store Settings

Stores are rightfully to blame for poor setup of their displays. All HD sets are often pegged at a "Vivid" setting. A/V geeks often lambast this as "Torch Mode". The oversaturated colors might be enticing to passersby, but it's a horrible mode for serious movie watching. The second sin is that retailers hardly ever feed a proper high-definition signal to a HDTV set. Instead, most are hooked up to a standard def DVD player saddled with 4:3 content... which is then improperly stretched to 16:9 on the HD display. Upconverting DVD player with an HDMI port? Equally insufficient for a 1080i/1080p set. If you are going the high-definition route, save up for a high-definition player rather than rebuying an upconverting DVD player.

Screen Size & Viewing Distance

Beyond the question of brands, models and features, when it comes to shopping for a HDTV, screen size is perhaps one of the most important considerations. In this case, screen size is predicated by the typical viewing distance you will be from the set.



As this chart shows, buying a 40" 1080p display suggests that you sit no further than 6-7 feet away. Otherwise, your eyes will perceive all that glorious detail to be the equivalent of a 40" 720p display... which then begs the question of why you spent the extra amount for the 1080 feature.

Prior to stumbling across Carlton's chart, I purchased a 46" 1080p set and have a seating distance of 11 feet. At this length, it's a great picture; eons better than standard definition, very sharp, superb colors (4:2:2 colorspace). However, merely nudging the seat two feet forward the eye-bleeding details emerge. Individual strands of hair, the well-defined glint in eyes' pupils, texture of clothing enabling you to discern differences in cotton or silk, pore detail both in skin and masonry, it's all there. Had someone demonstrated the importance of viewing distance, I would certainly have gone with the 52" or 56" model.

Wrapping this up, I'm keen on the new Samsung LA40N81BD. Note the "D" at the end signifying the inclusion of a "Higher-Tier Receiver". All the other specs put the Samsung in league with its competitors. The only final thing I need to check is seating distance for this model.

Ultimately, a significant portion of picture quality extremes across different manufacturers can be leveled out by using a calibration disc like "Digital Video Essentials" or "Avia". If HK doesn't have a local equivalent of these discs, I suppose one can hobble along with a free disc like the one found at TVblink. Inquire about the store's exchange policy on sets that have a dead pixel or excessive light pillars on the edges.

Let me know if there's anything I need to elaborate.

[KnowItAll]

>> Let me know if there's anything I need to elaborate.

Now that was pretty much the mother of all HDTV posts. Thanks!