LED TVs - bewildered by choice, help!

[Miro]

Looking for a new 37" LED, but am bewildered by all the different makes and models. I was in Worten today, and they had two Samsungs with different model numbers and very similar specs, at exactly the same price, there are others that look all the same to me but are two or three times the price - how the heck does one choose? Considering this is to replace a big old CRT box it doesn't need to be too techie - just being flat will impress me enough! The cheapest I've found so far is a Samsung for 549€. Any advice?

[Sat Guy]

Hi Miro.

I would definitely choose a Samsung, Having used many over the last 12 months they are superb quality, And i agree, You do not need to spend thousands, The one for around €600 would suffice.

Kindest regards.

Carl.

[El Cid]

I know what you mean!

I recently had to replace a TV and found the choice somewhat bewildering at first.

LED sets are the latest technology but it is just the way the screen is lit up from behind. LCDs and LEDs do the same thing. LED lighting allows a slimmer set with (in theory) more even edge to edge lighting but in practice there may be no visible difference. A good LCD is better than a poor LED.They also consume slightly less power as the lighting is a lower energy type.

The next big choice is 3D or not 3D. Personally I can't see the point as there is so little original material in 3D - how many times can you watch Avatar! The glasses are very expensive if you need a few pairs for the family.

Do you want an "Internet" TV? That means that you can connect the TV to the Internet via your router (WiFi or wired but the WiFi adaptor is extra). You then get a rather poor selection of sites you can access but the potential is there. You can download rental videos for example and access You Tube. They also are DLNA compliant which in simple terms mean they can talk to other DLNA boxes such as your phone (Wow!) or more usefully your PC. Your DLNA TV will allow you to access files on your PC such as music, photos and video.

USB port? Most now have them for attaching cameras etc but also useful with a memory stick full of photos, music and videos. Some sets allow you a simple recording facility to the USB stick/disk.

Screen refresh rate - 100hz, 200hz or 400hz? This often hides under some other name just to confuse you! The higher the rate the better it is for fast moving stuff like sports however you may need to turn it off for normal programs.

Full HD? 1080i or 1080p? Most new sets are now 1080p which is really only relevant if you have a BluRay player or a PS3.

What size screen? If you are going to be receiving HD programs, either Spanish HD TDT, Freesat or Sky then frankly the biggest you can possibly get into your living space! To get the best from HDTV you need a big screen and to sit close to it. Believe it or not the MAXIMUM viewing distance for getting the best out of HD is twice the diagonal of the set. That means 6ft for a 37" set.

I had a 32" CRT which I replaced, with some trepidation, with a 40" LCD. I now have a 46" set and I certainly don't regret it - perhaps I should have gone for a 52"

I bought a Samsung and the picture quality is awesome. I went for the LCD option as they are significantly cheaper than LCD. They have been getting good reviews and it is worth remembering that Samsung make most of the LCD/LED screens available. Buy a Sony and it will probably have a Samsung panel in it.

The Samsung website has a good comparator option so you can see which bells and whistles are on what set.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/tv-a ... etype=type

Sid

[frank]

[quote="Miro"]Looking for a new 37" LED, but am bewildered by all the different makes and models. [/quote]
You can get 37" Samsungs from around £300 odd quid up to over £600, I'm sure the price you were looking at would be perfectly adequate for what you want. Most TV's at that price have all the gizmos you'd ever need, and more. We bought a 37" Sony and are delighted with it, we certainly didn't want anything bigger, but different strokes for different folks. My son has a 50" Panasonic and he loves it, but I wouldn't want anything that large.

[Miro]

Great answers everyone, many thanks for your input, very helpful. Now....about the new Asus Eee Pad Transformer with docking keyboard.....!

[katy]

We have a Sony in the lounge and a Samsung in the den. TBH both are good, can't tell any difference between the two. I don't like too large screens, they seem to become a focal point of a room.

[markwilding]

They also are DLNA compliant which in simple terms mean they can talk to other DLNA boxes such as your phone (Wow!) or more usefully your PC. Your DLNA TV will allow you to access files on your PC such as music, photos and video.





Sid

Great post Sid
I would add that as you buy more DLNA tvs or video recorders your options will increase.The example I'm thinking of is that you record something on your video and you will be able to watch the recording on any DLNA enabled TV in the house without cables or having to burn it to cd.

[Miro]

All very useful info.
I had a look at the Samsung site comparator from Sid's link (is that a word?) but unfortunately on the Spanish version of the site there's actually very few fields filled in against the two models I was looking at in Worten; go to the UK site, and the model numbers are all totally different. WHY????????

[annfoto]

The UK numbers are different because the analogue tuner uses a different frequency in the UK also they come with a different plug! It is usually only the last number & letter that is different, in every other respect they are identical TVs.
We bought a 32" Samsung LED internet TV 18 months ago, cost €999 The picture quality is stunning on HD but when you watch a standard non-HD programme you really notice the difference especially if you are sitting about 6ft away.
All in all we are very pleased with it

[El Cid]

All very useful info.
I had a look at the Samsung site comparator from Sid's link (is that a word?) but unfortunately on the Spanish version of the site there's actually very few fields filled in against the two models I was looking at in Worten; go to the UK site, and the model numbers are all totally different. WHY????????

The series number is important. Series 6 is probably the best value with good features.

Beware of pricing in Worten. The set I have is €1099 there and I bought it mail order for €849. You need to shop around.

On the Samsung site the ones I would go for are the C6000 or C5800 in LCD. If you are happy with LCD then the C650 is good and has the Internet features. The C6530 is much the same without Internet.

Sid

[Miro]

Are you looking at Samsung UK or Spain? These model numbers are so confusing, and at the end of the day, I'm only interested in the ones I can actually find in the shops.
Also, my understanding is that LEDs use less energy - I think you said that earlier, although it was worded slightly ambiguously - and are slimmer and from what I can tell seem to have slightly brighter pictures. These were the reasons for going for LED rather than LCD. I'm hoping nobody throws plasma into the mix because that will be the straw that will finally break my resolve and leave me watching the old CRT forever!

Edit: just found this (LED) one http://electrogeneral.es/televisor-led-ue37c6000.html - is this the C6000 you referred to? I think it's the same one I saw in Worten for 599€

[Conehead]

If you check on the internet I think you will find that the C series are 2010 models.
The D series are the latest models although, as usual, there appears to beonly small changes.

You should be ble to get a deal on the C series, here is Canada they are going cheap.

Trust that does not throw a "spanner in the works".

[El Cid]

I was looking at the Spanish site but now I can only find the D models rather than the C models. The D models are 3D.

It may be that they are no longer making the non 3D models but there should be plenty out there and hopefully at a good price as the are "discontinued" models.

The UE37C6000 is a good box and good value. €599 isn't a bad price but you might find it cheaper online.

The difference in power consumption is not huge between LCD and LED - it's the plasma sets which burn the energy. Yes LED in theory gives a brighter picture but in normal viewing conditions you will not be running at full brightness anyway. We have a very bright living room - 35% of the wall space is glass. The old LCD model struggled a bit in the middle of the day but the new LCD is amazingly bright. The LEDs should be even better. This is where they beat plasma hands down - plasma sets are best in dark rooms.

LEDs are a bit slimmer but it's not really relevant unless you look at them from the side and then you can't see the picture

Sid

[Miro]

Thanks again everyone for your input. Think I'll go on a haggling expedition next weekend for a 37C6000 then. (that's if I don't get more confuddled and change my mind again before then!)

[Miro]

Great answers everyone, many thanks for your input, very helpful. Now....about the new Asus Eee Pad Transformer with docking keyboard.....!

Went to MediaMarkt on Friday. They had the Samsung 37" LED for €599, and also a nice Panasonic 37" LED for the same price. And just to confuse matters further, a Grundig 40" LED - for the same price!

So I bought the Asus Eeepad Tranformer and got out of there quick before I changed my mind!

Loving the EeePad - TV is now on hold until the flexible friend has a chance to recover. Hopefully there'll be some summer sales coming soon.

[satandpcguy]

Just somehting to consider....
One thing I went for was which TV played the most movies via their USB port.
Some played just AVIs, others played MVKs (the high definition file format), others neither, but found samsungs played both. Useful if you wnt to watch movies or TV progs you have downloaded. The only way to make sure it take a USB stick around with you with the file formats you use and try them out on the TVs. I was quite surprised when SONY tvs did not play MVK formats

[julian]

is MVK VHS or betamax?

[Mowser]

is MVK VHS or betamax?

It may be a Phillips 2000.

[Mowser]

Some played just AVIs, others played MVKs (the high definition file format), others neither, but found samsungs played both.

I just found that out today! I had downloaded a film (MP4) and I couldn't convert it to DVD.
I copied it to the data transformer and plugged it in. Perfect. Off to buy a 128 Gb data thingie.

[markwilding]

It's one of the benefits of a Samsung,it will play almost format-sound or vision. I would definitly go for the Samsung.