LED TV

[duma]

hey guys,

i mean, not so long ago we had PLASMA, then LCD and now there is LED, 3D and who knows what else...

is it too early to consider a LED TV?

[joel]

LED TV's are simply LCD TV's that use LED's for their backlight rather than a Cold Compact fluorescent Lamp (CCFL).
Most thin LED/LCD TV's use arrays of LED along their edges to supply their light.

[Andrew]

LED TV's are simply LCD TV's that use LED's for their backlight rather than a Cold Compact fluorescent Lamp (CCFL).
Most thin LED/LCD TV's use arrays of LED along their edges to supply their light.

What he said. Also, it comes down to personal choice - some like plasma, some like LCD. As with most thigs, it really is best to hunt around and find a competent store with a few sets on show to see what type you prefer best. That said, bear in mind I said 'competent' - generally masstores have the televisions set up in an appalling manner, with one or two playing only high def sources, so it's pretty much impossible to get an idea of what they are really going to look like when you buy it, take it home, and turn it on. Hunt around for stores where their people actually know what they are on about, and then decide.

[KenMasters]

Another thing to watch out for, especially with Samsung's edge-lit LEDs is undefeatable dynamic contrast. Samsung plays on the myth that all LED TV's have deeper black levels than regular LCDs by adjusting the contrast of the set dynamically. This wreaks havoc with your gamma levels and is highly annoying as the black level floats constantly depending on the light output.

The only advantage an edge lit LED set has over it's CCFL counterpart is it's thin form factor, not in it's performance. A back-lit LED set however does offer advantages in black level performance (local-dimming) but has a price tag to match and drawbacks of it's own.

[xrapidx]

Makro has some decent specials on Samsung 46" LED LCD's running.

[duma]

so are you guys saying that LCD and LED are one and the same thing?

me thinks PLASMA and LCD are different in my eyes....

one salesman at a reputable hi-fi shop, told me PLASMA is best for TV viewing and LCD was best for DVDs..

[KenMasters]

so are you guys saying that LCD and LED are one and the same thing?

Yip, LED just refers to the backlight used for the LCD, as Joel said.

me thinks PLASMA and LCD are different in my eyes....

That's because they are. You get two flavours of flat panel, LCD and Plasma.

one salesman at a reputable hi-fi shop, told me PLASMA is best for TV viewing and LCD was best for DVDs..

Sounds like your typical salesman, talking rubbish.

[Andrew]

Sounds like your typical salesman, talking rubbish.

Have to agree with Ken. I went shopping for a TV a while back, and was appalled at the lack of knowledge shown by pretty much every salesman at every 'masstore' store I went to. Either that or the lack of knowledge is intentional to push certain makes/models before others. To try and claim that plasma is best for TV and LCD for DVDs is ludicrous - unless that is his own personal opinion, and stil I doubt that many would agree. There are a number of factors that should influence your decision on what technology to buy, namely the conditions of the room (light or dark), quality of your TV signal, personal preferences for colours and so forth. Most important thing to realise, which few television buyers do, is that what you see in the store, especially with regards normal TV viewing, is very unlikely to be the same viewing experience when you get home. I'm certain many buyers are swayed by that beautiful high-def picture they see on display at the store, spend the money, get home, plug normal TV /DStv in, and wonder why the picture looks so crap... The consumer's best defence is knowledge.

[GearSlave]

And to throw the cat amongst the pigeons:

Is it reasonable to expect expert, solid advice from a "masstore"? You are paying less for the set than you would at a "specialist" store, so is it reasonable to expect the advice given to be similar to that of a specialist store? Granted, there's many out there that advertise themselves as "specialists", but there's also those that are genuinely good at what they do. Asking the question differently, isn't it reasonable for that advice to come at a premium over the advice given at a discount store, given the quality of the advice?

[naughty]

my personal preference though is for huge Plasma screens ...... merely because i watch a lot of sport - and Plasma certainly suffers from less motion blur especially when looking at the crowd in the background - and the only one thing that irritates me beyond belief is to see motion blur on the screen - so i tend to prefer plasma ..... but thats just me - someone else who watches documentaries and dramas or soapies all day may prefer an LCD for various other reasons but as stated above i dont reckon theres a one size fits all solution and you have to consider all the circumstances as pointed out

[Andrew]

And to throw the cat amongst the pigeons:

Is it reasonable to expect expert, solid advice from a "masstore"? You are paying less for the set than you would at a "specialist" store, so is it reasonable to expect the advice given to be similar to that of a specialist store? Granted, there's many out there that advertise themselves as "specialists", but there's also those that are genuinely good at what they do. Asking the question differently, isn't it reasonable for that advice to come at a premium over the advice given at a discount store, given the quality of the advice?

Hmm, within reason. Some of the advice given at masstores seems to border on the insane at times. At the very least be able to explain the difference to the potential buyer, between what he is seeing with you feeding a high-def signal into the high-def TV, and what he's actually going to see when he takes it home and plugs in normal TV signals. I don't expect them to be tech boffins, but they should be able to get the basics right, else they shouldn't be there. Just because one might be getting a 'good' price, doesn't mean that it should be coupled to complete ignorance/disinterest from a sales point of view.

[GearSlave]

Just because one might be getting a 'good' price, doesn't mean that it should be coupled to complete ignorance/disinterest from a sales point of view.

In an ideal world, I would agree with you. But let's be realistic: You not gonna get experts at the money the guys get paid at the "masstores" The only way they make some money is to push volumes, hence the bullshit. Granted, the real experts should not be greedy. As KenMasters has shown in his reviews of monitors, there is a lot to consider about modern monitors and you need to have passion for it to be an expert. Getting there takes a lot of time, something the average smous is not going to invest in, considering most of these guys see these positions as "stepping stones"

[Andrew]

In an ideal world, I would agree with you. But let's be realistic: You not gonna get experts at the money the guys get paid at the "masstores" The only way they make some money is to push volumes, hence the bullshit. Granted, the real experts should not be greedy. As KenMasters has shown in his reviews of monitors, there is a lot to consider about modern monitors and you need to have passion for it to be an expert. Getting there takes a lot of time, something the average smous is not going to invest in, considering most of these guys see these positions as "stepping stones"

No, but that's the point I'm trying to make - they don't need to be experts, they just need to get the basics right. It's really not that hard.

[chipwelder]

Unfortunately the "basics" are not very basic and gets sourced from manufacturer brochures... Honestly a tv / audio salesperson as they currently in mass stores are found, doesn't get much pay, doesn't get much commission and lasts a year or two... SO  basically if you have considered buying a tv, or a hifi, you have probably thought about it more than they have. And, honestly, if you can afford something good, chances are you have the mental wherewithal to review blurbs more carefully. Obviously there are exceptions.

[Stereophreak]

What he said. Also, it comes down to personal choice - some like plasma, some like LCD. As with most thigs, it really is best to hunt around and find a competent store with a few sets on show to see what type you prefer best. That said, bear in mind I said 'competent' - generally masstores have the televisions set up in an appalling manner, with one or two playing only high def sources, so it's pretty much impossible to get an idea of what they are really going to look like when you buy it, take it home, and turn it on. Hunt around for stores where their people actually know what they are on about, and then decide.

Hallelujah! I thought it was just me. I like the matt look of LCD, and the way that there is no glossy layer between the picture and me. Southpark looks like real paper models moving around on my TV.

I've looked at LED TV's, and I certainly wasn't blown away, but to be fair, they were standing in Makro playing some random movie.