Need help in purchasing a LED TV

[sundar01081979]

Hi All,

I am new here and I am from Chennai and new to the LED TV world. I would like to purchase a LED TV for my home.

My budget is between Rs, 40,000 to Rs 55,000
The TV will be for HD movie viewing and basic browsing (connected with my netbook)
I want a 40" LED
I don't want a smart or 3D TV
I have a netbook and have a vga our so would like to have a LED TV with a VGA in so can also use the TV for watching youtube videos, facebook, skype chat....Don't want to spend extra on a smart TV.

I went to a showroom and was suggested a Sony ex430 and quoted 53,000 with one year warranty and could buy extra 2 years warranty for Rs 5000. I read reviews about this TV online and heard loads of positive comments but downside seem to be doesn't play that many video formats.

Researched few more led Brands online and came upon Toshiba PS200. I am not sure about the price of this but I assume this will be relatively priced less than the sony one suggested. Toshiba also give me 3 years warranty. Read good reviews online about the picture quality and sound quality. Apprehensive about buying a Toshiba brand

Not sure about Samsung as I hear mixed reviews about the brand and they have also stopped building LED'S with VGA ports.

LG brand I have no idea about

It's really confusing seriously. Now can you guys please get me out of this confusion and help me finalize on a TV I could buy. Don't want to spend much on it as I hear that today's TV's are built to last only the warranty period

Which brand could I rely upon
I am looking for a durable TV than a feature filled TV
Whose After sales service is good (Which brand will respond to my phone calls properly. Don't want to run behind them)
Want to have peace of mind after buying the TV

To Summarize:
TV for movie viewing and basic browsing by connecting my netbook to the TV.

Please help

Thank You

 

[zouresh]

if you could slightly increase your budget you can consider the sony 42w650a which has got fantastic reviews...the picture rendition is excellent....another choice would be the samsung 40f5500....better go for the sony...it is bigger and offers very good picture both in SD and HD...take a demo and decide for yourself..

 

[tanmayj]

Its cumbersome to connect the laptop to the TV abd then browse videos. Why dont you just go for a TV with Youtube functionality? BTW I have a Sony 42w670 (cousin of the w650 mentioned above) and its a fantastic TV

 

[sundar01081979]

Hi Guys,

Thank you both for your response and suggestion. As my room is small I don't want to get anything more than 40" TV.

My preference

40" LED TV
Have to play different video formats (USB)
3 years warranty will be good (peace of mind)
HD Full
Smart and 3d not needed
After sales service (Which company is better and responsive?)
Durable
Budget: The lesser the better

I know we pay more when we get a recognized brand. If I am not wrong this is more for the brand name than for the LED. My question is can we get an equal quality LED tv from lesser know brands like Toshiba or Panasonic thereby bringing down the price.

I heard the Toshiba PS200 is good quality model but don't know anything about the Toshiba brand. Any suggestions?

Do you think I am more safer buying Sony or Samsung LED's than LG, Toshiba or panasonic? in what way

Please let me know what I can compromise on and what I should not

Let me know few 2012 and 2013 models that has performed well that I could get. Any brand is fine.

Is it fine to get a last year model?

For guys who are familiar with Chennai ( Are vasanth and co and vivek and co reliable showrooms to get my TV from? or you have any suggestions)

Thanks

 

[Yahaha]

If you are gonna play HD content from a VGA port, there will be a lag in video. WHy dont you rather buy a TV with wifi capabilities and play them online directly.

 

[zouresh]

Hi Guys,

Thank you both for your response and suggestion. As my room is small I don't want to get anything more than 40" TV.

My preference

40" LED TV
Have to play different video formats (USB)
3 years warranty will be good (peace of mind)
HD Full
Smart and 3d not needed
After sales service (Which company is better and responsive?)
Durable
Budget: The lesser the better

I know we pay more when we get a recognized brand. If I am not wrong this is more for the brand name than for the LED. My question is can we get an equal quality LED tv from lesser know brands like Toshiba or Panasonic thereby bringing down the price.

I heard the Toshiba PS200 is good quality model but don't know anything about the Toshiba brand. Any suggestions?

Do you think I am more safer buying Sony or Samsung LED's than LG, Toshiba or panasonic? in what way

Please let me know what I can compromise on and what I should not

Let me know few 2012 and 2013 models that has performed well that I could get. Any brand is fine.

Is it fine to get a last year model?

For guys who are familiar with Chennai ( Are vasanth and co and vivek and co reliable showrooms to get my TV from? or you have any suggestions)

Thanks

go for the samsung 40eh5000 last year model....fantastic picture in both SD and HD.....it supports all video formats......comes exactly to your budget after discount....take a demo and decide for yourself....

 

[sgmane]

Hi Guys,

Thank you both for your response and suggestion. As my room is small I don't want to get anything more than 40" TV.

My preference

40" LED TV
Have to play different video formats (USB)
3 years warranty will be good (peace of mind)
HD Full
Smart and 3d not needed
After sales service (Which company is better and responsive?)
Durable
Budget: The lesser the better

PThanks

Let me tell you on these two brands (Sony/ Toshiba) which i considered for my purchase.

Yes, Toshiba has 3yrs warranty. There are good reivews which you had already seen. One of the dealers here even offered me extended warranty of 1yr mentioning they would cover even the Panel.

I recently demo'ed Toshiba and Sony - they play 320gb HDD external without any problems (Dealer informed they support upto 1TB). There is no much difference in picture quality. But same as your criteria - i do not need a SMART TV. Toshiba fits the bill - with advantage of 3yrs warranty.

If you are more particular about VGA then get a converter/cable of VGA to HDMI and connect your laptop. Sony charges a premium and if you want to buy it, then fine. Sony is 1yr std warranty + 2 yrs extended for which you need to pay. Toshiba/Pana/Samsung - are VFM products in this range. Choice is yours, whether to pay a premium and get Sony or VFM of other brands mentioned.
Toshiba supports 28 formats of videos were as Sony is very limited.
The showroom does not matter. Its the warranty of the manufacturer to be looked into. I had experience of Vivek's charges more than Vasanth on electronic items. (I have bought couple of items from viveks though!) But i also came to know that vasanth is not as reputed as viveks. (Need to verify though! Not necessary that famous dealers are good or vice versa!!)
Latest models have some additions. Look out for your priority. If you want to those additions go with the latest. Else you can buy the 2012 models.
Last but not the least. Your budget is "lesser the better". So that leaves sony out of the chain.

 

[sundar01081979]

Thanks a lot for all your suggestions.

For now, Toshiba PS200 seems to be the one I am going for but I might change my mind and go for more recognized brand. I am going out of station this week and will be back next week to continue on with my shopping for TV.

Can you guys please suggest me 2 models (smart or non smart) in each brand that you know has got good user reviews so far. I can push my budget to 60K.

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic

Couple more questions

Is it good to go for last year models or only this year's?
What else should I buy with the TV?

Thank you

 

[Polaris]

If you're going with Toshiba, you should probably consider the PU200 which also has a 40" model. It is backlit rather than edge lit (which is a good thing) and has a decent set of speakers as well. The warranty is a plus and it also comes with a VGA port. it's available for around 37K online. The 50Hz panel is a bit of a downer though.

I'd also consider the 43" Samsung F4900 PDP for 40k. It's a 720P plasma. If you can live with those criteria, then it's a good choice as the display is much better.

If you're going with the Toshiba, you could use the rest of your budget on a home theatre system or a media player/HTPC. I would advise against wasting your time connecting your laptop to your TV.

 

[RMCWS]

I have a netbook and have a vga our so would like to have a LED TV with a VGA in so can also use the TV for watching youtube videos, facebook, skype chat....Don't want to spend extra on a smart TV.
Thank You

I went to a showroom and was suggested a Sony ex430 and quoted 53,000 with one year warranty and could buy extra 2 years warranty for Rs 5000. I read reviews about this TV online and heard loads of positive comments but downside seem to be doesn't play that many video formats.

Thank You

I also have ex430. Its a great tv and fulfills all my requirement within the budget. But as you have mentioned, it does not support many common formats [especially if you compare with video format support with any Samsung tvs]. However, I have found a solution for it. Recently I purchased a Sony BDP S1100 for 6.5K and to be honest, it is acting as a very good multimedia player as I can plug in pen drive in it. Now with this BDP lots of formats which I was unable to play earlier can be played on the tv.

And for PC connection, you can connect your PC/ notebook either by HDMI or via VGA. It works fine. But I found some issues while playing bd rips from my notebook to tv.

 

[ramanans_cdl]

Hi ,

My requirement is same as Sundar. Only difference is I need 55 inch TV and my budget is 1.2 Lac. I dont think Toshiba has 55inch LED

 

[Kalyana Kumar]

Hi,

I started scouting for an LED last year during Dassera and I studied the models of all major brands. When I went to restarted me search I found that most models are already sold out. However, some of last year's models may still be available. One of these is the impressive Panasonic ET5D. Its available in 42, 47 and 55 Inches. The last I heard was that the 55 inch model is available for less than 1 Lac (the only model from a reputed brand available for this price). Though I havent visited the Panasonic showroom yet, this session of my search (to confirm the price), I would surely recommend it. This should cater to both Mr.Ramanan and Mr.Sundar. Panasonic plays almost 24-28media formats and is definitely among the more user friendly television sets. Picture is easy on the eyes and its Passive 3D technology at work. Same applies for Toshiba. Personally, I would choose a Panasonic among the two. Panasonic also offers 6 3D glasses free with the tv.

This year, Mr.Ramanan, Sony has launched new models and last year's HX750 is enhanced by a few features and an inch (screen size) for the erstwhile46 inch model. The W800 series of TVs are very good and are serious contenders for my living room. They have the BluRay offer still going and are offering the BDP S490 model with 5 BluRays discs, HDMI cable and installation for 9990. The W800 model (55W800, in your case) should surely be your choice if you can raise your budget by another 30000. Else, if you dont want a Smart / 3D TV, but want only great picture quality and are not particular about what technology delivers it to you, do consider the Panasonic 60S60 Plasma. Its within your budget and larger too. However, if the picture quality you seek is a little higher, try the Panasonic 50ST60 Full HD 3D Plasma. Arguably the best picture quality in India at the moment in the sub 1.2 Lac range.

 

[ramanans_cdl]

Hi,

I started scouting for an LED last year during Dassera and I studied the models of all major brands. When I went to restarted me search I found that most models are already sold out. However, some of last year's models may still be available. One of these is the impressive Panasonic ET5D. Its available in 42, 47 and 55 Inches. The last I heard was that the 55 inch model is available for less than 1 Lac (the only model from a reputed brand available for this price). Though I havent visited the Panasonic showroom yet, this session of my search (to confirm the price), I would surely recommend it. This should cater to both Mr.Ramanan and Mr.Sundar. Panasonic plays almost 24-28media formats and is definitely among the more user friendly television sets. Picture is easy on the eyes and its Passive 3D technology at work. Same applies for Toshiba. Personally, I would choose a Panasonic among the two. Panasonic also offers 6 3D glasses free with the tv.

This year, Mr.Ramanan, Sony has launched new models and last year's HX750 is enhanced by a few features and an inch (screen size) for the erstwhile46 inch model. The W800 series of TVs are very good and are serious contenders for my living room. They have the BluRay offer still going and are offering the BDP S490 model with 5 BluRays discs, HDMI cable and installation for 9990. The W800 model (55W800, in your case) should surely be your choice if you can raise your budget by another 30000. Else, if you dont want a Smart / 3D TV, but want only great picture quality and are not particular about what technology delivers it to you, do consider the Panasonic 60S60 Plasma. Its within your budget and larger too. However, if the picture quality you seek is a little higher, try the Panasonic 50ST60 Full HD 3D Plasma. Arguably the best picture quality in India at the moment in the sub 1.2 Lac range.

Thanks a lot Kalyan Kumar. I have enquired about Panasonic ET5D. They said there was no stock in Pana showroom itself for 55 inch. Sony W800... yes, It is really good but budget hits me. I will try 50ST 60. Thanks again

 

[sundar01081979]

Alright guys,

Jut came back from out of station day before yesterday and I didn't want to delay the purchase of the LED so went and purchased a Sony W650a 42" from vivek and co, Chennai. TV will be installed on Tuesday and will experience it and let you know my experience. Purchased the 2nd year warranty as well

Any feedback about my purchase.

Thank you