New 50" TV buying advice

[cooldude26]

Hey guys new to the forum. Can you guys help me find a 50" TV preferably from Sony, Samsung or LG brands (in that order).
Full HD is enough, smart TV would be good but not much of a deal breaker.
Budget is 75k max.

 

[efernand1]

Hi

IMHO, you need to go window shopping to electronic dealers near your area and do a side by side comparison of different brand TVs and decide on what features you want, connectivity options, resolution, extra features etc. etc...ofcourse all this would be based on your budget and also after sales warranty is important.....

The key thing here is to first firmly decide what you expect out of the TV to deliver to you, based on those expectations and budget, shortlist models by checking online shopping sites and list down the prices, then go to your local dealers and check if those models are available and at what price......don't rush...take your time and also check forums under TV / Television which would help you....all the best

 

[sachinv_81]

One advise, ensure the HDMI port supports ARC (Audio Reverse Chanel), few of the 48+ inch LED TVs doesn't come with HDMI ARC specially when its the basic model.. Only FHD (no smart TV features, internet etc..) I bought Panasonic 50 inch LED (C300DX) which has normal HDMI & I was not aware of it.

 

[elangoas]

HDMI - CEC is also good to have as this will enable controlling futuristic components with a single remote if they have that feature...

 

[krishanu]

Also, could you wait for a couple of months? I think the 2015 model may go on sale soon given that new models are to be launched.

If you are not that fussy on grays and are OK with IPS panel, you can take a look at Panasonic TH-50C300DX. It's a 50 inch LCD-LED TV that's selling for 51k at Amazon. It likely doesn't have 3D or any smart features. The idea here is to be cost-effective.

 

[doctor]

Sorry to jump on the this thread just like that but I am also interested to buy a big screen 4k LED TV.
I have sorted these two 4K models
Buy LG 49UF670T 124 cm (49) 4K (Ultra HD) LED Television Online at Best Price in India - Snapdeal
or
Buy Sony BRAVIA KD-43X8500C 108cm (43) 4K (Ultra HD) 3D Smart LED Television Online at Best Price in India - Snapdeal

Can somebody explain pros and cons of both these model? And which one is worth spending 80k INR?

 

[krishanu]

Sorry to jump on the this thread just like that but I am also interested to buy a big screen 4k LED TV.
I have sorted these two 4K models
Buy LG 49UF670T 124 cm (49) 4K (Ultra HD) LED Television Online at Best Price in India - Snapdeal
or
Buy Sony BRAVIA KD-43X8500C 108cm (43) 4K (Ultra HD) 3D Smart LED Television Online at Best Price in India - Snapdeal

Can somebody explain pros and cons of both these model? And which one is worth spending 80k INR?

Gut feeling says that the Sony's picture quality will be better (it's 8500 series). Additionally, Sony's 4k upscaler is likely better than LG's. But... LG is 49 inches while Sony is 43 inches. I doubt you will be able to appreciate 4k on a 43 inch screen. It's generally said that you need at least 55 inch screen to really appreciate 4k. So, if 4k is your concern, you should rather go for 49 inch TV over a 43 inch one. Just compromise on the greys - LG uses an IPS panel which won't have very deep blacks. However, the viewing angles will be quite good.

 

[n70me]

Also, sony models dont come with a HEVC decoder which you need to buy separately while LG has a built in decoder.

But i believe pic clarity is very gud in sony,samsung when compared to LG 4k models.

 

[doctor]

Should I have to wait for till April for upcoming 2016 models? Is there any improvement in upcoming LG 4k 49" LED TV to replace this one?

 

[krishanu]

Should I have to wait for till April for upcoming 2016 models? Is there any improvement in upcoming LG 4k 49" LED TV to replace this one?

Please find out whether this model's HDMI is HDCP 2.2 supported. The specifications may not be available on LG's website. So you may have to take a look at the HDMI port of the TV. HDCP 2.2 is crucial for 4k content (HDCP is high-definition digital copyright protection mechanism). I don't think this TV supports HDR, so HDMI 2.0a may not be necessary. 2016 models should come with HDCP 2.2 support.

If you can wait, wait for a couple of months. At least the existing models will see good discounts when the new TVs come around.

I also feel that the launch prices of 2016 models may be lower than those of 2015 models (not sure about rupee depreciation though).

 

[doctor]

Please find out whether this model's HDMI is HDCP 2.2 supported. The specifications may not be available on LG's website. So you may have to take a look at the HDMI port of the TV. HDCP 2.2 is crucial for 4k content (HDCP is high-definition digital copyright protection mechanism). I don't think this TV supports HDR, so HDMI 2.0a may not be necessary. 2016 models should come with HDCP 2.2 support.

If you can wait, wait for a couple of months. At least the existing models will see good discounts when the new TVs come around.

I also feel that the launch prices of 2016 models may be lower than those of 2015 models (not sure about rupee depreciation though).

There are new imported 100% genuine TVs on ebay.in with seller's warranty and price at around half or even more than half of Indian MRP. What do you say about them?

 

[krishanu]

There are new imported 100% genuine TVs on ebay.in with seller's warranty and price at around half or even more than half of Indian MRP. What do you say about them?

I've seen them many times. They typically provide one year seller warranty. Manufacturer's warranty is not there. When you take such TVs to the manufacturers' service centers, you don't get any warranty and you have to pay for the repair (I believe they still repair, but charge you for it - this happened thanks to lobbying by Indian retailers who complained that people were TV shopping in Dubai, Malaysia and Thailand. Samsung, etc. stopped honoring international warranties). So, if you want a free repair, you have to ship the TV to the seller from whom you purchased your TV (I think shipping cost has to be borne by you). So, if you are planning on buying TVs from grey markets, try to find a seller who lives in your city or nearby. A few other things - please check with the seller beforehand whether your TV will support PAL or not. TVs made for US markets will support NTSC (though many TVs support both color encoding systems). Also, please check whether the TV you are buying will work on 220V. US runs on 110 Volts. If your TV runs on 110 Volts, you will have to get yourself a transformer. Many sellers take care of these things, but it's still better to check such things over eBay message system (so that everything is documented). I have also seen that these TV packages don't include wall-mounts. So, check on them too. Engage with the seller. My personal opinion - if the price is half, you may as well go for it. If your panel goes bad, the cost you have to bear for repair (in case of no seller warranty) may not be much more than the amount you saved, and the probability of panel going bad may not be more than 50% (very conservative estimate). So, expected value of loss should definitely be lower than the money you saved. However, be prepared for the worst. Also, keep an eye on places such as Amazon USA and B&H Photo Video. Amazon USA ships many TVs, particularly those with screen sizes < 50", to India. USA may see a sale during Superbowl in February. Check Amazon prices then. Try for Amazon Prime - the shipping cost may be low and they show you and charge an approx tax upfront (difference between charged and actual is refunded to you). But Amazon may not ship large TVs (one seller is currently shipping Sharp 70" though). B&H will ship every item to India. Check the shipping rates. Factor in 30% of total as tax that you will have to pay at the time of delivery. There is a chance that you may get your desired models at rates (including shipping and taxes) cheaper than those by eBay grey market sellers.

 

[etios]

Getting stuff from USA is very risky with respect to shipping and import duty if you get a bad customs officer and also you also have to use a step-down transformer, why go through such hassles? Better to buy from ebay.in and TV will be shipped from India itself and these ebay.in sellers usually buy from Dubai and Thailand and thus the TV works fine without any modifications needed.

I am myself using an imported Samsung LED bought few years back from grey market, you just have to take the risk of no warranty and save good amount of money over buying overpriced Indian dealership prices.

 

[doctor]

...and the probability of panel going bad may not be more than 50% (very conservative estimate). So, expected value of loss should definitely be lower than the money you saved.

50% chances of panel going bad?? Seriously?
What about the chances of manufacture warranty TVs?

 

[krishanu]

50% chances of panel going bad?? Seriously?
What about the chances of manufacture warranty TVs?

That was extreme exaggeration. Just wanted to highlight that even at that rate of failure, the expected value of loss may be lower than the amount you save on your purchase from eBay. So, it may not be a bad idea to purchase from eBay. However, any refund, should you want one, may not be free from hassles (there's a thread by another user on this very thing - it took him a while to get his refund. eBay takes countless follow-ups it seems). Another website that sells such stuffs is Shopclues. Check the price there too.

 

[doctor]

That was extreme exaggeration. Just wanted to highlight that even at that rate of failure, the expected value of loss may be lower than the amount you save on your purchase from eBay. So, it may not be a bad idea to purchase from eBay. However, any refund, should you want one, may not be free from hassles (there's a thread by another user on this very thing - it took him a while to get his refund. eBay takes countless follow-ups it seems). Another website that sells such stuffs is Shopclues. Check the price there too.

Since the rate of failure is same as buying from manufacture warranty as they provide only 1 year warranty.
Is there any method in which I can get paid warranty from samsung india service centre for these imported products.

 

[krishanu]

Since the rate of failure is same as buying from manufacture warranty as they provide only 1 year warranty.
Is there any method in which I can get paid warranty from samsung india service centre for these imported products.

I am not aware of this - LG sells extended warranty. You can check with them whether they will let you purchase warranty for imported TVs. And I know you specifically asked for manufacturer's warranty, but you can still explore Syska Gadget Secure, Reliance Rescue, etc.

 

[mabhi10]

i do not understand one thing that the player like lg sony Samsung do not have that much confidence in there product that they can give 5 years warranty?
Why do we need to beg for the warranty

 

[rpanand25]

Additional Warranty is big business. Besides most of the TV companies outsource servicing and have to pay to those companies. If TV manufacturers give long term warranties, they will add to the cost of sets as nothing is free.Some companies like Videocon etc. can give additional years warranty as their basic sale cost is comparatively less than that of bigger companies.

Reliability of LED panels has been a hot topic of discussion in this forum but still it is not clear whether technology itself is evolving with respect to this parameter(reliability) or whether companies themselves are building shorter life into their products for obvious reasons on the plea that anyway these products become obsolete fast.

 

[MaSh]

Some companies like Videocon etc. can give additional years warranty as their basic sale cost is comparatively less than that of bigger companies.

Good to see you mentioning Videocon TVs. They seem to be priced extremely well too. Their performance is a question mark though. Any suggestions?