Morons Guide To Televisions

[stgrhe]

Buyers of flat TVs for use in Home Theatre system are recommended to read this thread first before buying

http://www.thaivisa....92#entry3874692

Yes quite confusing at first. First of all I have to point out that this is only a concern for those of you who have chosen to go the 3D TV route, and even then it will only be a concern if you wish to intergrate a 3D TV into an existing home theater system which will most likely be equipped with HDMI 1.3a. So to cut a long and complicated story short HDMI 1.3a does not support 3D. So what does this mean . . . . simply if you buy a 3D TV, make sure that your AV amp (if you have one) is also HDMI 1.4a equipped otherwise you will be very disappointed! At the time of writing, and especially here in Thailand there isn't much of a choice in 1.4a equipped AV amplifiers, but I'm sure this will improve in time . . . . !

For those of you who buy a 3D TV, and connect your Blu Ray player directly to the TV ( No AV amp, TV used for sound) then you wont have a problem as both units will be HDMI 1.4a equipped.

Personally I find this technology to be at its infant stage and the wise decision would be to hold back a while and see how the technology evolves, as I am sure it will evolve relatively quickly over the next year or so?

You are only partial right in my opinion. Although most of the HDMI improvements to 1.4 version compared to 1.3 concern 3D TV, there is one very important sound improvement too as version 1.4 allows for Audio Return. Hence, the TV sound can be fed to the A/V Processor / Receiver through the HDMI cable making a separate audio cable redundant.

Version 1.4a should, however, not be required here in Thailand for years since it concerns broadcast 3D.

With regards to available receivers here in Thailand there are several in the pipeline to be released, e.g.

Marantz - some of the models in their SRx005 series (HDMI version 1.4a) [Flag-ship model SR7005 is almost ready for release here in Thailand]

Onkyo - model TX-NR 5008 (HDMI version 1.4a) [I have not checked their other models]

Pioneer - some of the models in their VSX-xx20-K series (HDMI version 1.4)

Yamaha - some of the model in their RX-V-x67 series (HDMI version 1.4)

NAD is working on a upgrades from HDMI 1.3 to 1.4 for their products and this upgrade will come in the usual NAD fashion by a new plug-in circuit-board.

I have not yet checked Denon's products.

[craigt3365]

Buyers of flat TVs for use in Home Theatre system are recommended to read this thread first before buying

http://www.thaivisa....92#entry3874692

Yes quite confusing at first. First of all I have to point out that this is only a concern for those of you who have chosen to go the 3D TV route, and even then it will only be a concern if you wish to intergrate a 3D TV into an existing home theater system which will most likely be equipped with HDMI 1.3a. So to cut a long and complicated story short HDMI 1.3a does not support 3D. So what does this mean . . . . simply if you buy a 3D TV, make sure that your AV amp (if you have one) is also HDMI 1.4a equipped otherwise you will be very disappointed! At the time of writing, and especially here in Thailand there isn't much of a choice in 1.4a equipped AV amplifiers, but I'm sure this will improve in time . . . . !

For those of you who buy a 3D TV, and connect your Blu Ray player directly to the TV ( No AV amp, TV used for sound) then you wont have a problem as both units will be HDMI 1.4a equipped.

Personally I find this technology to be at its infant stage and the wise decision would be to hold back a while and see how the technology evolves, as I am sure it will evolve relatively quickly over the next year or so?

You are only partial right in my opinion. Although most of the HDMI improvements to 1.4 version compared to 1.3 concern 3D TV, there is one very important sound improvement too as version 1.4 allows for Audio Return. Hence, the TV sound can be fed to the A/V Processor / Receiver through the HDMI cable making a separate audio cable redundant.

Version 1.4a should, however, not be required here in Thailand for years since it concerns broadcast 3D.

With regards to available receivers here in Thailand there are several in the pipeline to be released, e.g.

Marantz - some of the models in their SRx005 series (HDMI version 1.4a) [Flag-ship model SR7005 is almost ready for release here in Thailand]

Onkyo - model TX-NR 5008 (HDMI version 1.4a) [I have not checked their other models]

Pioneer - some of the models in their VSX-xx20-K series (HDMI version 1.4)

Yamaha - some of the model in their RX-V-x67 series (HDMI version 1.4)

NAD is working on a upgrades from HDMI 1.3 to 1.4 for their products and this upgrade will come in the usual NAD fashion by a new plug-in circuit-board.

I have not yet checked Denon's products.

I just bought the Onkyo TX-NR 708. It has HDMI 1.4a with audio return. Unfortunately, my TV does not seem to support that...but, luckily, am buying a new one. So will make sure it is compatible. Thanks for the info!

P.S. that unit is pretty cool. Internet ready. Supports internet radio and direct control from iTunes on your PC....if I can just figure out all the networking!!!

[angiud]

And so might you with WD Live player. I have one sine end of last year, and it still can't play my videos shot by my Panasonic Lumix. I had to concert them.

My TV, though, can from her USB port.

Anybody wants a second hand WD Live in mint condition?

PatLogan, if you still have it, I can get your WD TV Live, for a good price and I can add another TV downstairs to my network.

But for a fair price!

Edited September 14, 2010 by angiud

[PatLogan]

And so might you with WD Live player. I have one sine end of last year, and it still can't play my videos shot by my Panasonic Lumix. I had to concert them.

My TV, though, can from her USB port.

Anybody wants a second hand WD Live in mint condition?

PatLogan, if you still have it, I can get your WD TV Live, for a good price and I can add another TV downstairs to my network.

But for a fair price!

Hey Angiud,

Actually I think I found a use for it. I am thinking about getting a Mitsu Pajero Sport, and there is a thread here explaining how to integrate it with the Alpine system

[Oberkommando]

Power Buy have got the new HDMI 1.4a Denon A/V Receivers now. The 1911, 2311 and 3311 (the latter is network ready). I got my 3311 in Hong Kong and saved 20,000thb on the Thai price so that almost paid for the flights and hotel. Must admit I am happy with it so far although I have experienced some handshake issues with HDMI. Sound quality is superb and it doesn't lack grunt.

[348GTS]

I have several Blu-ray ISOs on HDD and they look just as good played on the Dune as original Blu-rays do played through my Oppo BD-83.

There is a marked improvement in normal .mkv playback because the Dune has a far superior Sigma chipset to the WD TV.

Some HDi models only support USB or hard drive with a 3.5" bay, some have an integrated Blu-ray drive and others have both. I have the HDi Dune Base 3.0, which has the 3.5" hard drive bay to hot swap TB drives.

Like I said, I was initially happy with my WD but there was an increasing amount of stuff being released it couldn't play back properly so I bought an HDi. It was a toss up between that and the Popcorn Hour C-200.

Never regretted it, in fact I would go so far to say it is an essential addition to any home theatre.

HDi Dune Media Players

The Dune also supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio through HDMi, either decoded or PCM.

Just curious about what you paid for your Dune and where from??

[stgrhe]

Power Buy have got the new HDMI 1.4a Denon A/V Receivers now. The 1911, 2311 and 3311 (the latter is network ready). I got my 3311 in Hong Kong and saved 20,000thb on the Thai price so that almost paid for the flights and hotel. Must admit I am happy with it so far although I have experienced some handshake issues with HDMI. Sound quality is superb and it doesn't lack grunt.

I suppose this meant a walk through the green line with a smile pretending being honest . I have done the same a couple of times.

[KunMatt]

Power Buy have got the new HDMI 1.4a Denon A/V Receivers now. The 1911, 2311 and 3311 (the latter is network ready). I got my 3311 in Hong Kong and saved 20,000thb on the Thai price so that almost paid for the flights and hotel. Must admit I am happy with it so far although I have experienced some handshake issues with HDMI. Sound quality is superb and it doesn't lack grunt.

Do you know how much the 2311 and 3311 are in Thailand?

I own the 2309 in UK and would like something similar in Thailand.

Is it illegal to carry this through customs undeclared if you buy in HK or Singapore and bring it through the airport with you?

I want to buy a Samsung 46" LED TV and A/V receiver sometime soon but Thailand prices are always much higher than the equivalent RRP in UK and never seem to go down quickly. Does anyone have any advice what would be the cheapest way to purchase said TV and/or A/V amp and have it in Bangkok? I travel though UK, Singapore, KL and HK quite frequently...

TIA.

[craigt3365]

Power Buy have got the new HDMI 1.4a Denon A/V Receivers now. The 1911, 2311 and 3311 (the latter is network ready). I got my 3311 in Hong Kong and saved 20,000thb on the Thai price so that almost paid for the flights and hotel. Must admit I am happy with it so far although I have experienced some handshake issues with HDMI. Sound quality is superb and it doesn't lack grunt.

Do you know how much the 2311 and 3311 are in Thailand?

I own the 2309 in UK and would like something similar in Thailand.

Is it illegal to carry this through customs undeclared if you buy in HK or Singapore and bring it through the airport with you?

I want to buy a Samsung 46" LED TV and A/V receiver sometime soon but Thailand prices are always much higher than the equivalent RRP in UK and never seem to go down quickly. Does anyone have any advice what would be the cheapest way to purchase said TV and/or A/V amp and have it in Bangkok? I travel though UK, Singapore, KL and HK quite frequently...

TIA.

The Denon 3311 is selling for 58k Baht at Powerbuy.

I carried an amp, speaker selector (big one), and 5 speakers through customs a few months ago. Guy at the xray machine apologized and asked if it was an amp...I said yes...he said sorry to bother you...you can go...

[craigt3365]

Looks like there may be a big price drop for LCDs in the near future. Check out this article.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/23/technology/lcd_tv_prices/index.htm

[KunMatt]

Looks like there may be a big price drop for LCDs in the near future. Check out this article.

http://money.cnn.com...rices/index.htm

Unfortunately I highly doubt we will see any difference in Thailand. I checked the prices in PowerBuy yesterday to compare against the prices I wrote in this thread two months ago:

Samsung 55" Series 7000 is still 130k THB

Samsung 46" Series 7000 has INCREASED from 80k to 100k!

Thailand is the only place I know where the prices never change. I wish I could buy in the UK and ship to here. I'm still interested in finding a way to buy a TV and amp from outside Thailand and ship in if I could avoid a colossal import tax and shipping.

[PatLogan]

Looks like there may be a big price drop for LCDs in the near future. Check out this article.

http://money.cnn.com...rices/index.htm

Unfortunately I highly doubt we will see any difference in Thailand. I checked the prices in PowerBuy yesterday to compare against the prices I wrote in this thread two months ago:

Samsung 55" Series 7000 is still 130k THB

Samsung 46" Series 7000 has INCREASED from 80k to 100k!

Thailand is the only place I know where the prices never change. I wish I could buy in the UK and ship to here. I'm still interested in finding a way to buy a TV and amp from outside Thailand and ship in if I could avoid a colossal import tax and shipping.

The 7000 series I have seen in Power Buy are now mainly 3D models, which might explains why. The non 3D should be much cheaper than that, around 70K for a 46" (at least it was the case 2-3 weeks ago)

[Phatcharanan]

My local HomePro have got an offer (?) on for a 40" Samsung Series 6 LED TV (Internet capable) for 54,990 baht. INCLUDED is a 26" LCD Samsung TV. (Could use that for my monitor)

For some reason, if we buy it with a bank credit card (Kasikorn, which my lass has) they will knock another 8% off.........making this 50k for both TV's.

Any thoughts? The picture looks fantastic on the LED TV but it is using the store DVD feed.

Good deal or can I do better with another brand?

Edited October 17, 2010 by Phatcharanan

[stgrhe]

This must be considered a very good deal.

[KunMatt]

It's been several months since I first posted in here and I still don't have my new LED telly yet!

Does anyone know of any good deals for Samsung LED TVs in BKK?

I don't want 3D, or internet TV, just decent picture quality for running full HD Blu Rays and PS3 games.

Can anyone suggest which suitable model is available in Bangkok and if there are any promos, or if I should wait.

TIA.

[guzzi850m2]

I just went to Mumchai today and they offered me a SHARP LCD 52" LC-52A77M (elegant golden glow-whatever that mean??) to 59900, normal price is 99900. Full HD, no USB conn but HDMI.

I checked this in ALA test but the model designation are different.

When I showed interest in a couple of Panasonic Plasma models to app. same price/size he told me to go for the SHARP LCD for overall better picture?

It is impossible for me to judge them as they play some kind of demo dvd on them so the pictures looks very good indeed on all models.

What do the experts here thinks?

[astral]

http://2009.hardwarezone.com/ourvoice/blog/in_the_zone/spotlight/2009/07/21/Sharp-AQUOS-LC-52A77M-52-inch-Full-HD-LCD-TV-Bullying-The-Competition

Gives a review, the only one I could find.

Lack of USB is unusual these days, and Sharp is not a name that leaps out at the top of the TV lists.

[guzzi850m2]

http://2009.hardware...The-Competition

Gives a review, the only one I could find.

Lack of USB is unusual these days, and Sharp is not a name that leaps out at the top of the TV lists.

Thanks for the link astral. No I agree, but if you check ALA test they do have some TV's right in the top 5.

Mumchai properly wants to get rid of them before 2011 (they have 10 pcs left of that model). I will hold on to my money for now and check more shops.

[2unique]

I just bought a Samsung in my first departure from Sony. On Father's day weekend Homepro had a massive sale so picked up the LED 46 inch 6900 with internet tv for 50k (down from 70k) which if you have a thai credit card you can put on 10 months interest free credit.

The TV upscales True making normal satellite quite a bit better, which was good as the TV doesn't have an S-Video in. I plugged a 300gb portable hard drive with 100 movies and around 12 complete seasons of various dramas and the TV handled them all.

LED in my opinion is definitely worth the step up from LCD (i knew this from comparing my wife's laptop and my own!).

something to think about with Plasma vs LCD is Plasma TVs start to dim gradually over their lifetime while LCD TVs stay brighter longer and then just go

i will go back and read the whole thread now ( on page 4) so apologies if repeating information.

[kerr17]

Gosh I wish I had read this topic a month ago when I was trying to find out which TV to buy.

I had a first look at what was available here end of June, then while I was in holiday in Europe, I spoke with several salesmen there and look into quite a lot of reviews. then I was really thinking about getting Samsung 50" Plasma. Was tempted by LED-LCD since it seems the blacks were more realistic, according to most of the things I head or read, and because the higher range of Samsung LED was said to have a motion rendition close to what you get on plasma. But those were priceys, and pricer than in Europe for the same model too!

So when we got back I went back to Power Mall at Emporium to get the Samsung Plasma I was eyeing at a bit less than 50K, when the sales guy mentioned about the promotion they had on the last LED-LCD 46" from Samsung they had (the one on display), a 46" 7000 series. The original price was close to 80K, and they were selling it for 56K...

So I went for it

Been using it for about 2 weeks now. And I am till now VERY happy with my choice. I had a bad buzzing noise the first 3 days, but I called the sales guy 9OK, my TW did tbh), who came to my home and check what happened. The issue was with the cheapo cable coming from True. He changed it for a gold plated component cable, and miracle, no more buzzing sound, and of course a way better picture quality! I am honestly surprised by the picture i can get from my True box, much better to what I was used in Malaysia or China. And I don't have True HD! He charged me 400THB for the cable and fr coming to my place (on a Sunday). I would really recommend this slaes guy to whoever wants to get a Samsung at Emporium

The 7 series was a perfect choice for me because i wanted to be able to directly read videos from by USB stick or HDD, and having the possibility to go to Youtube by adding a Wifi USB dongle was a plus for my teenage girls. I am yet to try this out, been too busy to go and buy one additional USB Wifi dongle (careful it is not included with the set, the sales guy was clear about it, but I had another one "forgetting" to mention it to me in another shop...

The only drawbacks I see:

• 1 year warranty only (but the add on for getting 3 years shop warranty is not that expensive)
• the sound quality (or more exactly, the sound power) ==> I believe if you are into movies, you really need to get a Home Cinema system with this TV

Excellent post, very helpful!

I was interested at the same tv but on their website the only c7000 model 46" is 99,900, price doesn't seems to drop as i hoped 3 months ago when i first look for a new tv, not even a tiny bit, any other suggestion where to buy fot cheap in Bangkok, particularly a 46" Samsung Led Tv?

[naidraw66]

Try these its a little bit cheaper http://www.setloft.com/home/?product/view&no=224&recommend. Not much but every little bit helps,give them a call you might be able to get it down further(www.setloft.com)

Good luck

IW

[blakegeee]

I am considering buying the Sharp Aquos LCD LC-52A77M from a friend. The lack of USB is a bit of a turn-off though but I do like the anti-reflective (matte?) screen. I'll likely connect my computer to it with HDMI so I guess the USB isn't a major problem but it could be convenient at times. With the TVs that have USB, are they good at reading many formats anyways, like avi, etc? If not, than I won't be bothered with not having one. But than again, it could be good for getting the tv online to youtube etc using a USB dongle... Any first-hand knowledge about this stuff? Thanks!

[astral]

This thread give details about how to connect

a hard disk to your TV, and/or get it online.

[GarryP]

I was looking at TVs yesterday and noted that the prices seem to have come down. I was also told by a sales person not to buy just yet but wait a few months as some new models were being introduced which would result in the older models coming down in price a bit further.

[itworker]

Does anyone know a brand called "Alpha"?

Today at Tesco I stumbled to 40" Full HD LCD TV with a price tag of 12 990 Baht.

It has 3 X HDMI, USB, pc connector (I recon that is same as HDMI or DVI?), and audio outputs.

Product is LWD403AA but this returns no results from google.

I tried to find info about it but with no luck.

The TV can be found here: http://www.tescolotus.com/showpromotion.php?lang=en&id=280&photoid=3725

Second last row in the middle.

At the store I could not really see if there is any difference in the quality with the other 5000 baht more expensive models from the well known brands.

The "huge" discount of 1000 baht is available until June 9th.