Tv Lcd Or Plasma - Satelites ?

[thaimarcopolo]

I intend to buy a new TV ( 40, or 42, or 44 inches) for my villa south Thailand.

I like the best HD pictures, with need for a repair soon...

1. Who can tell me the best choice between LCD or Plasma screen ?

2. Who can help me with the satelites connections ?

I have a parabole (about 5 meters diameters) but i receive a lot of Indian channels. i do not need this choice.

In Europe i get the BIRD Satelite connections. Is it possible here ? or a similar satelite.

Do I have to move to a pay card connection ? If yes, which one, and where to get ?

3. What do you think about the programs such as :" look TV with an Internet Connection on computer".

Thank you in advance for your comments.

[Richmah]

Hi marco,

The best choice is LED tv then LCD tv. If you need more info on satellite, pls email me, then i will direct you where to get it.

Becos i dont want to be suspend here again, if i give more info here.

[Rabbi]

Hi all

I think this is a very topical matter. I recently sent this email to some friends outside of Thailand as I am also looking at a replacemnt to my current suppliers here in Pattaa & Surin

I was following the various threads prior to the 2010WC and it seemed that DSTV in South Africa moved their transmissions to another satellite and the footprint was sub-Saharan. FIFA also had a fiscal hand by licensing the WC transmissions. None the less, in Pattaya we all lost the South African channels but the local Sophon Cable “replaced” them with Astro transmissions some of which appear to be the old DSTV from SA.

I understand that DSTV will not be obtainable even after the WC. It seems that XXXXX was pirating the cricket in the subcontinent for their millions and this was a major factor in DSTV changing satellite & footprint

My main concern now is that my/our alternative satellite service, generally in Thailand, is Truevision/UBC and the programs are not really suitable for me and caters mainly for Thais

so I was wondering if I could get transmission from another supplier even if not in Thailand. Paying a subscription doesn’t worry me – I am paying now for a sub quality service.

I have heard about Astro, IndoSat and am investigating

I suppose my questions are

A. What country/service do I contract with whose transmissions are able to reach Thailand [Pattaya & Surin Province]?

B. What is the type of content they provide – mainly interested in sports & quality movies & news documentaries in English?

C.

. What equipment do I need?

D. Cost and how do I pay?

<P dir=ltr>I don't want to get into any controversal or anti-forum areas that Richma alludes too but would appreciate constructive & legal ideas that maybe we can all utilse. I have reviewed JVSat website and they seem to be a respectable hardware supplier but I need to find a package subscription whose footprint exteds to Thailand.

Anybody have some advice or ideas?

Thanks

[BB1950]

Regards to the TV, LED is definitely better than Plasma for picture quality. Although they generate a lot of heat and use more power than a conventional TV.

Regarding Satellites: The problem is the 'footprint' of the Satellite (the area of coverage on the Earth). Unfortunately the Satellites that have a footprint over Thailand are mostly Indian and Chinese, and don't support HD. So, you don't have many options.

There is one Satellite that serves the Philippines, which was easy to get around the scrambling, and has most Western program channels. But it's footprint just barely covers Thailand, so the signal is weak and comes and goes. You need a really large disk to receive it. About 3-4 years ago, they changed the scrambling method so that it's constantly changing. You can program your receiver to decode it, but it's only works for a couple days. Not worth the effort as the signal is so weak that it's difficult to 'lock on' to.

You best Satellite option for Western programming is True/UBC, which uses the Thaicom Satellite. Thaicom has an excellent footprint over Thailand, so you can use a small dish, but you need to subscribe. Some receivers accept their decoding card some don't. Unfortunately, True/UBC has changed their channel lineup (dropping many premium channels). There have been many posts made on many of the web sites complaining about it. It's now questionable as to whether it's worth the cost.

Regarding Internet TV: Most of the better streaming sites are blocked to IP addresses in Thailand. You have to use a Proxy or VPN solutions to access them. I've found that with the lousy Internet speed in Thailand, many streaming sites are hopelessly unacceptable to watch. I've found it's better to download the video files and then watch, but it takes a very long time.

Sadly, TIT!

[prism]

Plasma TVs use the most electricity and generate the most heat. LCD TVs uses somewhat less and generates less heat. The picture quality is close so it comes down to preference. LED back-light LCD TVs runs much cooler and uses less electricity. They're expensive but if you can afford it, go for the LED.

[Buckeye911]

Let's clear up some misconceptions here. The vast majority of experts and videophiles agree that plasma has a better picture than LCD. This is because plasmas have more accurate colors, better contrast (due to superior rendering of black levels), a wider viewing angle without having colors wash out as you move off-axis, and superior handling of motion. Inch for inch plasma is also less expensive than LCD.

LED is LCD, it just uses a different type of backlighting than other LCDs. LCDs do have some advantages over plasma. They're lighter and use less energy, they also are brighter and have better whites. They are better for viewing in brightly lit rooms if the LCD has a matte screen but this advantage is not present with those that use glossy screens. Also, since plasmas don't come in sizes less than 42" you are left with only LCD is smaller sizes.

The expected lifespan for plasma and LCD HDTVs is the same 60,000 - 100,000 hours. Repair rates for LCD and plasmas are also pretty much the same. Here are the repair rates for some brands available in the USA according to Consumer Reports.

PLASMA REPAIR RATES

Panasonic - 2%

Sanyo - 2%

Pioneer - 3%

Hitachi - 3%

Samsung - 3%

LG - 5%

LCD REPAIR RATES

Panasonic - 2%

Sony - 2%

JVC - 2%

Sylvania - 2%

Sharp - 3%

Samsung - 3%

Vizio - 3%

Sanyo - 3%

Toshiba - 4%

LG - 4%

Philips - 4%

Hitachi - 5%

Magnavox - 5%

Westinghouse - 8%

Mitsubishi - 11%

I personally own two plasma HDTVs, one LCD and one LED/LCD. The picture quality on my plasmas is definitely preferable for me overall. Plasma has a superior picture in dark or dimly lit environments but LCDs are better in a brightly lit environment. Good luck shopping for your new TV.

[astral]

Leaving aside Plasma/LCD/LED, consider the surface of the screen you are buying.

My old 32" LCD was a mat surface, the new 40" LCD is the "crystal bright technology", all shiny..........

It is difficult to avoid reflections from windows and lights in the room with these new screens

[MikeyIdea]

Avoid LCD, quality is definitely lower than LED and Plasma. Especially avoid lower quality LCD,s. I was surprised to see that the nice thin 30 inch something SHARP LCD TV that a hotel I stayed at a while back was clearly less sharp than my 10 year old Philips box TV at home...

You have 2 choices - LED or Plasma. Personally I prefer Samsung Plasma, excellent picture quality, superb, and newer generations don't take a lot of electricity either. LED is overrated, IMO

[stgrhe]

Avoid LCD, quality is definitely lower than LED and Plasma. Especially avoid lower quality LCD,s. I was surprised to see that the nice thin 30 inch something SHARP LCD TV that a hotel I stayed at a while back was clearly less sharp than my 10 year old Philips box TV at home...

It is no surprise that one finds old CRT TV having a better picture than any flat TV. Technically the cathode ray tubes are superior to both LCD and plasma displays but they come at the expense of size.

It is true though that the first LCD generations used poor technology compared to what is available today. On the other hand, these LCD's that still use dated technology, comes at attractively low prices and are aimed at a different marked segment than superior units. Basically one gets what one pays for. Therefore claiming that LCD TV's are poor in general terms is quite misleading.

Also, as mentioned above in another post as well as in the other thread, there are actually no such things as LED televisions as they are LCD's with LED back-lights.

[Buckeye911]

Avoid LCD, quality is definitely lower than LED and Plasma. Especially avoid lower quality LCD,s. I was surprised to see that the nice thin 30 inch something SHARP LCD TV that a hotel I stayed at a while back was clearly less sharp than my 10 year old Philips box TV at home...

It is no surprise that one finds old CRT TV having a better picture than any flat TV. Technically the cathode ray tubes are superior to both LCD and plasma displays but they come at the expense of size.

It is true though that the first LCD generations used poor technology compared to what is available today. On the other hand, these LCD's that still use dated technology, comes at attractively low prices and are aimed at a different marked segment than superior units. Basically one gets what one pays for. Therefore claiming that LCD TV's are poor in general terms is quite misleading.

Also, as mentioned above in another post as well as in the other thread, there are actually no such things as LED televisions as they are LCD's with LED back-lights.

If you aren't watching HD then the old CRT definitely has a better picture. Modern LCD and plasma HDTVs shine when displaying HD content however they lag behind the old reliable CRT when it comes to standard definition content. Sony and Samsung used to make some stunning HD CRTs but they topped out at 34 inches and weighed about 200 lbs. or 91 kg. SD looks even worse when people choose to distort the picture to fill their widescreen display. If I am watching SD I always watch in the original aspect ratio with black bars on the widescreen TVs.