Any Good Recommendations For A Flatscreen Tv For Around 20,000b ?

[schondie]

I'm looking for a budget flatscreen TV for the World Cup and have around 20,000 Baht to spend. Size wise I'm looking at anything between 32" to 42".

Has anyone bought a Sony Bravia BX TV? I've heard good things but want some more input. Samsung or LG are also interesting.

Any pointers in the right direction?

Thanks in advance.

[BigPanda]

I think visiting an TV store would be a good start.

They should head you in the right direction when you tell them your needs.

For myself, they about all the same but i like LG and it's cheaper than Samsung. Sony is so expensive.

[metisdead]

Go to a PowerBuy (Robinsons) or HomePro.

Take a look.

Sony too expensive.

Samsung may be better than LG.

Panasonic is good.

[schondie]

Ta for that, BigPanda. No decent electrical shops in my town though. I was hoping to just go to Hat Yai and buy a TV without too much hassle. A quick shopping trip and then home.

Yeah, I think LG make some decent budget stuff.

[schondie]

Do PowerBuy haggle? I never pay like paying the sticker price. Even Currys in the UK were open to offers, many years agoI bought a decent 26" Sony for £150 less than the sticker price.

[BigPanda]

Go to Tesco or Carefour. They have a section where they sell the items that were used for demonstration. You can get good price on 42'' TVs. Just make sure it's still in good condition, but I don't think they give warranty.

I bought and LG for 14K 9 months ago. It was a great TV for the 3 months I used it. Don't know now, as my ex girlfriend decided that everything i ever bought was hers, but it was a HD LCD LG and i was very happy with it for the 3 months.

Samsung may have a slightly better color than LG but you will pay 30% more for almost the same.

[Kimera]

Do PowerBuy haggle? I never pay like paying the sticker price. Even Currys in the UK were open to offers, many years agoI bought a decent 26" Sony for £150 less than the sticker price.

You will be lucky bought a microwave from there last week. ended up with the display one no discount, not interested, and why should they be, they do not work for themselves.

[beano2274]

Central Ladprao had some good offers last week, not sure if they are still ongoing. However it is closing for refurbishment soon, so maybe a good place to start looking for a bargain. I noticed some nice Sony TVs as well as a nice Home Theatre unit, that together would have just been over your budget, however a bit of wheeling and dealing and maybe you could get both.

[schondie]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and go around the shops in Hat Yai, looking for the best deals. Usually I know exactly what I want and go out and buy it.

Thanks everyone for your pearls of wisdom and advice, much appreciated.

Good night one and all.

[bonobo]

Central Ladprao had some good offers last week, not sure if they are still ongoing. However it is closing for refurbishment soon, so maybe a good place to start looking for a bargain. I noticed some nice Sony TVs as well as a nice Home Theatre unit, that together would have just been over your budget, however a bit of wheeling and dealing and maybe you could get both.

They just extended the sale until the end of May before they close.

[hawthorne]

I have a LCD Bravia 32" I bought it new April 2008 for over 33K baht. It has been a great tv. I have several friends with the 37 and 42 and they feel the same. Sony is a bit higher in prices but the quality is still very high from what I use. I have the sony surround sound and really it is all very good and never a problem. I do not like samsung. In the past products of samsung did not last for me.

I have seen my tv for sale lately for about 5000 baht cheaper but not a lot more.

If you are going to keep it for a long time then I suggest go with Sony. If your stay in Thailand is not so long then go with a lower priced mfg.

[mahtin]

Just bought a 32" LG LH70YR from BigC for 19,990.

Only had it a few days so still playing with it, but seems very nice.

[Donnyboy]

Samsung is getting better and better with flat screens

i reckon theyre up there with Sony in terms of picture quality

[Sunbelt Asia]

I'd second the recommendation for the LG LH70. Mine is a 42-inch which I bought in November for 35,000 baht. The poster above got an excellent deal.

I did considerable research into the HD TVs before buying any my conclusion was LG offered the best quality for the baht. Sony and Samsung both offered specs that were lower than LG's for the same or higher price. Meaning if you want the same response times and contrast ratios AND want Sony or Samsung, you're going to pay more. With Sony a lot more.

One feature I'd wholly recommend is get an HDTV with a USB port. So if you download shows (or get them from someone else) you need only plug in a flash drive or portable hard drive and watch directly from there. The LG support hard drives up to 1 TB.

Happy Shopping!

[bonobo]

One feature I'd wholly recommend is get an HDTV with a USB port. So if you download shows (or get them from someone else) you need only plug in a flash drive or portable hard drive and watch directly from there. The LG support hard drives up to 1 TB.

Happy Shopping!

 

Great point.  I torrent some shows, either episodes I missed or when the TrueVisions versions get butchered via censorship (like the currently running The Pacific.)  I can copy the torrent over to a thumb drive, then watch it on my television.  "Easy-peasy," as the Naked Chef puts it.

[321niti123]

I recomend samsung, my house got one about 9 months ago, series 5 about 24,000 but i bet you can get a better version than me with less than what i got it for cuz such a long time has passed, they are still selling it though. you might want to go to one of the department stores eg. emporium, the mall i dont recomend central world or paragon in this political unrest.

[mca]

From the Big C brochure

Panasonic 42" Plasma 21,990 baht

Sony 32" LCD 14,990 baht

[Kan Win]

One feature I'd wholly recommend is get an HDTV with a USB port.

Happy Shopping!

Thank you 'Sunbelt Asia' for your sun-blessed advise

[mca]

I think visiting an TV store would be a good start.

What a ludicrous idea BigPanda!

[Sunbelt Asia]

Note also, as the poster with prices a couple above, Plasma is WAY cheap now relative to LCD. You can get HD (720p) TVs for half the price of 1180p LCDs.

Lower resolution, higher energy bills, more heat are the downsides. Also, not sure now, but it used to be plasma would need to be refilled after 2 years. Hopefully they've improved on that.

[Patron]

Refill plasma's.....LOL

Pioneer plasma tv's rule the video world.

[JimShortz]

I bought a Full HD Samsung 40" LCD from Siam Electronics in Chiang Mai a little while ago for 22,500 (got a 10% discount from 25,000 for paying by credit card - beats me why!). You need to shop around to get a good Full HD TV around your budget but it can be done. I almost bought a 32", but I am now so glad I went for the bigger TV. It's especially good for playing games on the Wii. I am extremely happy with my Samsung, but the LGs are also excellent TVs. Sony are overpriced in my opinion and all Bravias are not the same - a lot of models are very poor...

..and the USB input is a good idea. As far as I'm aware the Samsungs don't have them, but LG mostly do. However, in most cases on the LG they are on the back so not particularly convenient to use depending on the location of your TV. I simply have my Samsung paired with a Phillips DVD player that plays all file formats including AVI (DivX) and it has a USB slot conveniently located on the front. Problem solved for all of my media needs for 2,500 Baht... Oh, I also have my PC connected to the TV via a DVI to HDMI lead so I can stream stuff straight off the computer if I want - this is the only way to show true Full HD stuff unless you have a BluRay player, and I've no intention of buying one of them in the near future.

Edited May 5, 2010 by JimShortz

[Oberkommando]

These guys are the cheapest in Bangkok I reckon.

They also deliver in the Bangkok area. Stay away from Power Buy etc as you'll find the same TVs significantly cheaper at SRC.

this is the only way to show true Full HD stuff unless you have a BluRay player, and I've no intention of buying one of them in the near future.

Incorrect. You can get a 'Media Tank' to play Full HD content without buying an expensive Blu-Ray player. They will stream all HD content from a hard disk to your TV via HDMI. They are selling in Thailand for upwards of 3,000thb. I have a WD TV media player that cost me 4,500thb and an external 500GB hard disk which I plug into it via USB.

Truevisions also have introduced their HD service now, two channels; HBO HD and a sports channel but you'll need to upgrade your decoder.

There's no point in having an HD flatscreen TV unless you are watching High Definition in my opinion, as that is exactly what they are for. You might as well stick with a CRT 29" to watch DVDs and normal TV as the picture will look far better.

[schondie]

Seems like there's some good advice coming in. I'll check out the LG & Samsung options before looking at a Sony. Thanks everyone.

[soundman]

Samsung is getting better and better with flat screens

i reckon theyre up there with Sony in terms of picture quality

I did an A/B side by side comparisson of silmilarly spec'ed Sony & Samsung LCD's last year - and Samsung was slightly better in my opinion.

[JackA]

Just bought a Sony 40" LCD with Bravia Engine 3, and paid 25.800,- incl VAT normal price was 29.990,- so haggling exists,

I bought it for the bedroom - and I will say the Sony is very comparable to my Samsung in picture quality.

[Oberkommando]

I believe Samsung make the Sony panels and they release their own higher spec versions of TVs ahead of Sony.

LG make Philips panels or the other way around as well.

[astral]

One feature I'd wholly recommend is get an HDTV with a USB port.

So if you download shows (or get them from someone else) you need only plug in a flash drive or portable hard drive and watch directly from there.

Check the small print before buying.

Some usb conenctions only support MP3, not video.............

[Oberkommando]

USB port on a TV is a gimmick. If you really want this feature, get a media tank and it will play and display nearly all audio/video/photos on your HDTV from it's own USB port. You will even be able to download or even stream High Definition content direct from the internet to your TV from the media tank via HDMI.

[maamoot]

I bought a Full HD Samsung 40" LCD from Siam Electronics in Chiang Mai a little while ago for 22,500 (got a 10% discount from 25,000 for paying by credit card - beats me why!). You need to shop around to get a good Full HD TV around your budget but it can be done. I almost bought a 32", but I am now so glad I went for the bigger TV. It's especially good for playing games on the Wii. I am extremely happy with my Samsung, but the LGs are also excellent TVs. Sony are overpriced in my opinion and all Bravias are not the same - a lot of models are very poor...

..and the USB input is a good idea. As far as I'm aware the Samsungs don't have them, but LG mostly do. However, in most cases on the LG they are on the back so not particularly convenient to use depending on the location of your TV. I simply have my Samsung paired with a Phillips DVD player that plays all file formats including AVI (DivX) and it has a USB slot conveniently located on the front. Problem solved for all of my media needs for 2,500 Baht... Oh, I also have my PC connected to the TV via a DVI to HDMI lead so I can stream stuff straight off the computer if I want - this is the only way to show true Full HD stuff unless you have a BluRay player, and I've no intention of buying one of them in the near future.

The newer model Samsungs have usb in as well as Lg . Some of the new Samsung TV's also support MKV files . Some Lg bluray players support MKV out of the box and apparently the Samsung players will support MKV with a new firmware update . If you do update the firmware make sure you download the update to a cd or flash drive and then install , don't install directly from the net to the player because if the internet connection goes tits up while update your new bluray could turn into a useful boat anchor .