[c1000]

I went to Fortress over the holidays and bought a 32" Samsung LCD TV (LA32S81B) for $5300 (with 4 free Ocean Park tickets!) and immediately regretted not buying the 37" model for $7380. So I went back the next day to change my order, but was told that the Samsung model was totally sold out. The salesman convinced me to upgrade to the Philips 37PFL7422, saying this was the newest & best choice among 37" models with
Full HD resolution. It was $13,490 with $1000 rebate and a free HD decoder.

Today, my co-worker told me I'm a fool because the improvement in picture quality at 1920x1080p
will only be noticeable on larger-size screens. The contrast ratio for the Philips model also seems considerably lower than comparable LG and Samsung models at 4000:1 ("typical" - whatever that means!).

Can any TV experts tell me if I've made a decent purchase? Can/should I change again to something better, without paying a great deal more? Is it possible just to cancel the order, if necessary?

37PFL7422/98 - widescreen flat TV - TVs - Televisions - Philips

[KnowItAll]

What sort of distance do you have between the TV and where you sit?

Your coworker is sort of right ... you're not going to get 2.5x (the diff in price) improvement between the 32" and 37".

If you're really keen on 1080p high res stuff .. you should look at about 50" screens and ensure you have about 6-7 feet distance at a minimum.

[c1000]

I have about 9 feet from the TV but don't want to go too huge, as I might be moving to a smaller place. I think my co-worker's point is that the difference between Full HD and 1366 x 768 resolution cannot be appreciated on a 37" TV. So I'm paying a premium for better resolution that is not discernible on this TV size. True?

[KnowItAll]

Yes, you're not going to notice the difference between 32" and 37" at the distances you're looking at. 1080p is all hype right now.

A 37" might be good for 6 feet plus (we have a 32" and watch from about 7" ... and I can see a 37" being useful.)

[c1000]

Well 32" is too small, I think. So the choice is between a cheaper 37" model with 1366 x 768 resolution or a more expensive Full HD model.
Should I be worried about the 4000:1 (typical) contrast ratio on the Philips TV? The Asian brands advertise much higher ratios.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Skyhook]

C1000, if you get yourself a Blu Ray DVD player, and connect your new TV to it via the HDMI input, you will see a massive improvement, and where the extra money has gone. Remember also that if you use the HDMI output of a Blu Ray player, even normal/standard DVD movies will be upscaled unto 1080i/p which will increase image brightness and give you superior edge to edge sharpness. Not sure if your Phillips TV locks out upscaled content though, some of them do, so you might be limited to a maximm upscaled image res of 576P. This will only limit standard DVD movies though, and not being familiar with the Phillips TV, not sure if it locks the image res via the HDMI 1.3 or not.

Regardless of HK's lack of free to air HD terestrial transmission, you can fully enjoy HD-DVD or Blu Ray movies at the native 1920 x 1080 resolution, and you'll be gob smacked by it.

Also, if you plan to buy a HD video camera in the near future, another device that will compliment the quality resolution capability of todays HD ready tv's.

I borrowed a friends PS3 to see what blu ray looks like on our 42 inch Plasma and our HD LCD projector @ 90 inch diagonal, and its just awesome how crystal clear it is. And that was using a crappy PS3, not a proper dedicated Blu Ray player.


Sony's BDP-S1E is probably the most popular and best value Blu Ray players globally, pretty much sold everywhere in HK too. Picture below.




Dont worry about HD tv content in HK, because its going to take them a very long time to sort that situation out. Concentrate on all the other software thats available to you, via the new HD/BluRay video formats, and enjoy them on a full HD screen.

[climber07]

Originally Posted by c1000

Well 32" is too small, I think. So the choice is between a cheaper 37" model with 1366 x 768 resolution or a more expensive Full HD model.
Should I be worried about the 4000:1 (typical) contrast ratio on the Philips TV? The Asian brands advertise much higher ratios.

Thanks for the feedback!

Here is a question....what will you be using your TV for...primarilly? TV shows / Movies or Gaming?

Basically the cheaper 37" model you mentioned probably supports the 1080i resolution which is NOT 1080p (full HD). However, even on a 42" screen( and arguably even larger)you will not notice the difference between 1080i vs 1080p when watching films....Why? Well because movies and 99.9% of Tv shows are shot at 24 frames per second....while majority of TVs will have a refresh rate of 60hertz....you can see the link below for a more technical information.

The only real difference may be noticeable in HD gaming.

Home Theater: 1080i v. 1080p

[Woodpecker]

I would stay with a Samsung or Sony; these two are the best in terms of color and quality. Don't let the sales person fast talking you into buying something you don't really want.


Woodpecker

[Skyhook]

A great HDTV enthusiast website listed below, if you want some helpful advice from those who actually own a particular model. Home Theater HDTV - Plasma TV, LCD TV, Projection TV, Big Screen Television Consumer Guide

My preference for LCD screens would be Sharps AQUOS or Sony's Bravia. If its Plasma, then I would only consider Pioneer or Fujitsu. And if the sales person doesnt actually own one, or have any credible interest in High Definition home cinema gear, and is just an ignorant sales droid, you can pretty much forget about 99% what they have to say. No offence but its a harsh reality in Hong Kongs consumer electronic retail environment..

[KnowItAll]

Hong Kongs consumer electronic retail environment..

As opposed to the rocket scientists who work in the US at places like Best Buy? Most chain stores have the same old minimum wage drone who'll say anything to increase his commission.

At the end of the day, unless you're a complete fanatic who spends an hour or two every few months recalibrating his TV and gets into service modes and believes that he must have 24 carat gold interconnects to be able to see one more pore on Nicole Kidman's face... just go with your average consumer gear.

My approach towards this is .. pay less for mid-range stuff and then you wont feel bad about your equipment being outdated in a few years time.