Which TV?

[NBD]

I'm in the market for a new smart TV, and would be interested in other people's recommendations.

Main uses will be regular TV, Skype and YouTube plus ideally a few other internet videos. We have a 1 year old daughter who can spend literally hours watching Heads Shoulder Knees & Toes etc. Wifi is nice but not essential as the internet box is right next to the TV.

Have played around with a Sony one which is great but very expensive, and a Panasonic one which I found irritating because there was no easy way to type on it.

Looking for around 40" and ideally around 20,000 THB though could go up a bit if it brings a significant improvement.

I'm a bit down on Samsung and Toshiba at the moment, but if it's really good then open to it.

Like the look of LG and Sharp, but open to all suggestions. What are your experiences?

[zydeco]

I have an LG. Love it. Before that, before I got a Smart TV, I had a Philips. Worst TV I ever bought. The LG is a dream. I love the 3D conversion option. Would never get another Philips.

[scotsman]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/666286-which-new-tv-to-buy/ Have a look at this thread for more advice.

regards

scotsman

Edited September 20, 2013 by scotsman

[moradave]

I bought a 32" LG lcd-TV about 13 months ago (not Smart TV, but I have an HDMI cable from laptop to TV). Works flawlessly. On 24/7. Picture still as good as day I bought it.

[jbrain]

How do you skype with a smart tv. Tv doesn't have a build in camera, is it ?

[bkkbarnstormer]

How do you skype with a smart tv. Tv doesn't have a build in camera, is it ?

Recent models by eg Samsung now include cameras so you can make video calls on Skype if you wish

[chris2004]

I have an LG and love it, had no problems over several years. If you want 3D LG is the best as they are they only ones with a passive system. I think LED is better and why not go fora bigger screen 40 in now is too small.

[Cheapcharly]

I would go Samsung. I tell you why.

you can download movies and stick it on a USB key. or put all movies on a 2 teta hard disc.

Samsung read all. no matter of what encoding it used. mkv, mp4,flv...included subtitles.

try with Sony, I bet it s not going to work as good as Samsung.

[NBD]

The Samsungs do look great, I've just had too much go wrong with Samsung stuff and such shoddy responses from them that I've sworn off them.

LG is looking good at the moment.

Good pointer on the compatibility issues though, thanks for that.

[manarak]

I have an older Samsung series 6 (UE40D6300) and it's great!

Can't imagine what the newer models can do!

[cpofc]

I have one of the first samsung series 5 full HD 40" LCD - Hasn't missed a beat in about 6 years! Also have a Samsung Series 6 Smart 46" LED. The smart component is as useless as tits on a bull - Too slow and too limited..

Because of the peripherals they make these days you are better off ploughing your money into a bigger TV, with more HDMI ports, etc., rather than a 'smarter one'.

The new Samsungs also have the new upgrade module in them which is a great option. So you can fully upgrade it yourself every couple of years, for a couple of hundred bucks.

I recently bought a 1.6 Ghz quad core, 2gb RAM, 8 Gig internal storage, bluetooth, DLNA, 32 Gb Micro SD Slot, Wireless B/G/N, USB powered, ANDROID 4.2.2 IOS, Dongle for $70. I Added to that a 'Magic Remote' and you have everything a smart TV can do and more. Absolutely brilliant. Works like a charm. Like having a 46" Android Tablet in your loungeroom

They also have these add ons, as above, with cameras, which mount on your TV for about $120 Which also serve as DLNA media and NAS servers.

A great option if you want to upgrade without forking out 1000s for a new TV.

What about the TV I saw at Homepro the other day. 1.3 Million Baht!

[wooloomooloo]

Purchased a Samsung UE37ES6300 LED HD 1080p 3D Smart TV back in January and it fulfils all our requirements.

Never used the 3D but most people don't. It's just a darn good TV.

Slightly over the OP's budget, but worth considering the small additional outlay.

[NBD]

The dongle is a good idea. Can you buy those here or order from the internet? Might extended the life of my Toshiba a few months and up the budget for the eventual replacement.

Yeah I saw the 1.3 million baht one at Homepro. When I said I could go up from 20k I was thinking 25-30k tops. An extra 1,280,000 seems a bit of a stretch. Haha.

[StefanBBK]

I have one of the first samsung series 5 full HD 40" LCD - Hasn't missed a beat in about 6 years!   Also have a Samsung Series 6 Smart 46" LED.  The smart component is as useless as tits on a bull - Too slow and too limited..

 

Because of the peripherals they make these days you are better off ploughing your money into a bigger TV, with more HDMI ports, etc.,  rather than a 'smarter one'. 

 

The new Samsungs also have the new upgrade module in them which is a great option.  So you can fully upgrade it yourself every couple of years, for a couple of hundred bucks.

 

I recently bought a 1.6 Ghz quad core, 2gb RAM, 8 Gig internal storage, bluetooth, DLNA, 32 Gb Micro SD Slot, Wireless B/G/N, USB powered, ANDROID 4.2.2 IOS, Dongle for $70.  I Added to that a 'Magic Remote' and you have everything a smart TV can do and more.  Absolutely brilliant.  Works like a charm.  Like having a 46" Android Tablet in your loungeroom

 

They also have these add ons, as above, with cameras, which mount on your TV for about $120  Which also serve as DLNA media and NAS servers.

 

A great option if you want to upgrade without forking out 1000s for a new TV.

 

What about the TV I saw at Homepro the other day.   1.3 Million Baht!

Great advise. We bought a smart TV, wireless, 3d etc. The smart part is too slow and limited. Android dongle, wireless mousse/keyboard are more practical options. Can even play Candy Crush and Angry Bird. And check out xmbc for foreign channels.

I recommend Samsung and LG for the TV. The Android thingy should be about3-4k all in.

Sent from my GT-P7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[cpofc]

I don't wish to be accused of Spamming (I hate spammers). I am a bit of a gadget nut, have been all my life. I have been buying stuff by EMS Mail order from a particular Chinese website, based in Hong Kong, for about 5 or6 years now. No complaints at all either. I had to laugh recently when Samsung announced its new 'Smart' Wrist Watch. The mob I deal with has been selling them for years. Thailand lags behind in this department. This mob have lots of stuff. I would not recommend anything to anyone if it was no good.

I do truly recommend this Andrid Dongle and would say it is the best gadget I have bought for years. QUICK and SLICK! has playstore, flash etc. You don't have to be Einstein to use it or set it up. The Android boxes you can buy in Thailand are rubbish and not worth the frustration. I tried a few of them. I even have Aconatics you beaut 6000 Baht Media Box. Don't waste your time or your money.

If you PM me I will send you the link to the site and you can make up your own mind.

They even have HD LED Projectors with Wifi and Android 4.2 built in and all the bells and whistles for under $500.

If I am allowed to post the name of the site here I will. BTW I am not in there employ, nor do I receive anything from them in way of pay offs, commissions. Just trying to be helpful.

[guzzi850m2]

I have a 50" Samsung plasma HD, 25k baht, added the smart box (bought from Ebay in Hong Kong).

Very good for low budget, no need to spend 50-100k baht on a TV.

OP, buy as big as possible unless your living room is very small.

Yes I also saw the 1.299 mill baht 85" Samsung TV, the sales guys are sitting and watching movies from it each time I pass the shop, he-he.

So it you want one, make sure it's not the demo model, it have many many hours on it already.

[cpofc]

of course one of the other benefits of using a dongle on its own dedicated HDMI Port is that you can switch from being a TV to an Android Tablet by just one press your TV remote, by selecting the HDMI Source, your TV does not have to shut down and enter 'smart mode'.'

Very handy, as an Australian Rules Football fan, I can watch the football live on the Sat Australia Network, whilst on the Dongle I have the AFL 'App' Running at the same time, with its live radio broadcast - can just flick from one to the other.

Edited September 22, 2013 by cpofc

[IMHO]

20K Baht budget? Sorry, nothing I can help with here.

[kevvy]

long time ago there was a brand sold in Australia called "goldstar" they sold very cheap sounds products.

In 1952, Lak-Hui (pronounced "Lucky", currently LG Chemicals ) became the first Korean company to enter the plastic industry. As the company expanded its plastic business, it established Goldstar Co. Ltd. (currently LG Electronics .) in 1958. Both companies Lucky and Goldstar merged and formed Lucky Goldstar.The name was LG . the motto is "life is good" but really a lot of people think "lucky if it goes" A Friend of mine is a service tech and over half of his calls are for LG .

[jbrain]

long time ago there was a brand sold in Australia called "goldstar" they sold very cheap sounds products.

In 1952, Lak-Hui (pronounced "Lucky", currently LG Chemicals ) became the first Korean company to enter the plastic industry. As the company expanded its plastic business, it established Goldstar Co. Ltd. (currently LG Electronics .) in 1958. Both companies Lucky and Goldstar merged and formed Lucky Goldstar.The name was LG . the motto is "life is good" but really a lot of people think "lucky if it goes" A Friend of mine is a service tech and over half of his calls are for LG .

Goldstar was real crap at the time, butg i think LG produces their LCD's in a joint venture with Philips, and produces panels for many other brands.

[kevvy]

I brought over my Pioneer PDP-6020FD Kuro 60 in Plasma from Aus .Very happy with it .

got the MITSUBISHI 3D HC9000 D PROJECTOR .Running Pioneer elite amps and elite blue ray payer.

try and save a little more and get a better system , you will not regret it .

[kevvy]

I have a 50" Samsung plasma HD, 25k baht, added the smart box (bought from Ebay in Hong Kong).

Very good for low budget, no need to spend 50-100k baht on a TV.

OP, buy as big as possible unless your living room is very small.

Yes I also saw the 1.299 mill baht 85" Samsung TV, the sales guys are sitting and watching movies from it each time I pass the shop, he-he.

So it you want one, make sure it's not the demo model, it have many many hours on it already.

Panasonic's 152-inch TV just hit and it's got 4k by 2k resolution, 3D support and several technologies that speed up display and optimize it for displaying 3D by reducing cross talk. Not that you'll be able to afford one ...just dreaming

[kevvy]

long time ago there was a brand sold in Australia called "goldstar" they sold very cheap sounds products.

In 1952, Lak-Hui (pronounced "Lucky", currently LG Chemicals ) became the first Korean company to enter the plastic industry. As the company expanded its plastic business, it established Goldstar Co. Ltd. (currently LG Electronics .) in 1958. Both companies Lucky and Goldstar merged and formed Lucky Goldstar.The name was LG . the motto is "life is good" but really a lot of people think "lucky if it goes" A Friend of mine is a service tech and over half of his calls are for LG .

Goldstar was real crap at the time, butg i think LG produces their LCD's in a joint venture with Philips, and produces panels for many other brands.

yes it was crap...pioneer got out the game because they did not want to sell their product cheap ...Their product was great . You are right about a lot of the brands just buy the same panels.

[IMHO]

I brought over my Pioneer PDP-6020FD Kuro 60 in Plasma from Aus .Very happy with it .

got the MITSUBISHI 3D HC9000 D PROJECTOR .Running Pioneer elite amps and elite blue ray payer.

try and save a little more and get a better system , you will not regret it .

Agreed. You can't but a Kuro anymore, but the higher-end Panasonic Plasma's (ZT and VT, even the GT and ST) do a good job of filling the void... 152" is too big for anywhere I want to put a TV, but once something decent (i.e. not Samsung) in the 80-90" 4K range comes out in TH, my kids will be getting themselves a nice hand-me-down 65VT50

[kevvy]

I brought over my Pioneer PDP-6020FD Kuro 60 in Plasma from Aus .Very happy with it .

got the MITSUBISHI 3D HC9000 D PROJECTOR .Running Pioneer elite amps and elite blue ray payer.

try and save a little more and get a better system , you will not regret it .

Agreed. You can't but a Kuro anymore, but the higher-end Panasonic Plasma's (ZT and VT, even the GT and ST) do a good job of filling the void... 152" is too big for anywhere I want to put a TV, but once something decent (i.e. not Samsung) in the 80-90" 4K range comes out in TH, my kids will be getting themselves a nice hand-me-down 65VT50

This is for sale in Aus

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/lg-84-ultra-hd-led-3d-capable-smart-tv.html

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-AU/picture/beovision-4

lucky kids

[IMHO]

I brought over my Pioneer PDP-6020FD Kuro 60 in Plasma from Aus .Very happy with it .

got the MITSUBISHI 3D HC9000 D PROJECTOR .Running Pioneer elite amps and elite blue ray payer.

try and save a little more and get a better system , you will not regret it .

Agreed. You can't but a Kuro anymore, but the higher-end Panasonic Plasma's (ZT and VT, even the GT and ST) do a good job of filling the void... 152" is too big for anywhere I want to put a TV, but once something decent (i.e. not Samsung) in the 80-90" 4K range comes out in TH, my kids will be getting themselves a nice hand-me-down 65VT50

This is for sale in Aus

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/lg-84-ultra-hd-led-3d-capable-smart-tv.html

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/en-AU/picture/beovision-4

lucky kids

There's a few 4K's available right now in TH:

Sony 55" X9004 - 190K Baht

Sony 65" X9004 - 270K Baht

Sony 84" X9004 - 900K Baht

LG 65" LA9650 - 210K Baht

LG 65" LA9700 - 240K Baht

LG 84" LM9600 - 600K Baht

Samsung 55" F9000 - 140K Baht

Samsung 65" F9000 - 190K Baht

Samsung 85" S9 - 1.3M Baht

These are all MSRP's - you'll get them cheaper... The 84" LG sells for 350K for e.g.

I'll be waiting for a Panasonic and a price drop though

Edited October 1, 2013 by IMHO

[kevvy]

It will be great having some of the ones you posted , I really think the LG is better than the Sony 4K. The movies and TV shows are almost non-existent for now. 10 movies including The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall (the 2012 version), and Taxi Driver, as well as three Blu rays (Spider-Man, Ghostbusters, and Angels & Demons) Labeled "mastered in 4K," these films don't actually have 4K resolution, but they have been enhanced to take advantage of the increased picture quality.

I am going to hold off on purchasing a 4K set for at least a year or two, especially since we will no doubt see plenty of innovations and price cuts during that time. i think good things will come to those who wait

this is what I am waiting for Sony VPL VW1100ES 4K DIGITAL PROJECTOR

[IMHO]

It will be great having some of the ones you posted , I really think the LG is better than the Sony 4K. The movies and TV shows are almost non-existent for now. 10 movies including The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall (the 2012 version), and Taxi Driver, as well as three Blu rays (Spider-Man, Ghostbusters, and Angels & Demons) Labeled "mastered in 4K," these films don't actually have 4K resolution, but they have been enhanced to take advantage of the increased picture quality.

I am going to hold off on purchasing a 4K set for at least a year or two, especially since we will no doubt see plenty of innovations and price cuts during that time. i think good things will come to those who wait

this is what I am waiting for Sony VPL VW1100ES 4K DIGITAL PROJECTOR

Yep, right now it's a conundrum - 65" is now too small, but logically there's no point buying a bigger screen that's only 1080P.. The problem is, until they all come to a consensus on 4K media that's not internet based, or some built-in HDD that can hold only a handful of movies, you can't be sure that you're buying something that's still going to make sense in another year from now (e.g. no 4K models in TH support HDMI 2.0).. Good to see some prices coming down though (how bad would you feel paying 1.3M for the Samsung S9 only to see the LG for 350K already?!?), but we all know they'll slide a lot more as 4K becomes more mainstream.

I had a 720P Panasonic projector a few years ago, but it very rarely got used because it's not able to look decent in any level of ambient light - which in my house was about 90% of the time people wanted to watch it. I just don't have the right room for it, so flat panels it is for me

Edited October 2, 2013 by IMHO

[NBD]

Thanks for all the advice. I've decided to order an Android box from Hong Kong, which should be here any day now, and hold off on a new TV until they come down in price or I up what I'm willing to spend.

I just don't watch enough TV to justify spending 100K + THB on a good one but it seems like if you go up to 40-50K you get significantly better quality for the extra.

[kevvy]

It will be great having some of the ones you posted , I really think the LG is better than the Sony 4K. The movies and TV shows are almost non-existent for now. 10 movies including The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall (the 2012 version), and Taxi Driver, as well as three Blu rays (Spider-Man, Ghostbusters, and Angels & Demons) Labeled "mastered in 4K," these films don't actually have 4K resolution, but they have been enhanced to take advantage of the increased picture quality.

I am going to hold off on purchasing a 4K set for at least a year or two, especially since we will no doubt see plenty of innovations and price cuts during that time. i think good things will come to those who wait

this is what I am waiting for Sony VPL VW1100ES 4K DIGITAL PROJECTOR

Yep, right now it's a conundrum - 65" is now too small, but logically there's no point buying a bigger screen that's only 1080P.. The problem is, until they all come to a consensus on 4K media that's not internet based, or some built-in HDD that can hold only a handful of movies, you can't be sure that you're buying something that's still going to make sense in another year from now (e.g. no 4K models in TH support HDMI 2.0).. Good to see some prices coming down though (how bad would you feel paying 1.3M for the Samsung S9 only to see the LG for 350K already?!?), but we all know they'll slide a lot more as 4K becomes more mainstream.

I had a 720P Panasonic projector a few years ago, but it very rarely got used because it's not able to look decent in any level of ambient light - which in my house was about 90% of the time people wanted to watch it. I just don't have the right room for it, so flat panels it is for me

understand .. I brought my Pioneer plasma and it cost an arm and leg , I am waiting to see where the software goes for the 4k.

thought you might want to see my home theatre.