Buying a new TV

[MZurf]

I am in the process of buying a new TV and have been looking at the attached model. I have been looking for reviews on the net but I'm not sure if I have found the right review. I have found a review of an 800C but it has 120 Hz while the model in the store has 800 Hz and I don't really know the difference.

What I want to use it for is watch TV (duh!) via True (platinum package), watch movies via DVD player and for the first time I want to connect to the internet and watch Youtube clips etc. I have a 3BB wifi router at home and apparently the TV has built in wifi so this should be possible, right?

But can I connect a mouse and keyboard directly to the TV or do I need to be at my PC in another room to control this?

[beachproperty]

Sorry..... can't give you any info regarding your questions....I only know how to turn the TV on and change channels.

But it appears the same TV you are looking at can be bought thru Lazada for 5000 Baht less....Just a thought.....

http://www.lazada.co.th/sony-led-android-800hz-smart-3d-tv-55-kdl-55w800c-black-1266613.html

Also they appear to have other LARGE smart TV's for even less...might fit the bill for you....Again its just food for thought.

Good luck

[MZurf]

Sorry..... can't give you any info regarding your questions....I only know how to turn the TV on and change channels.

But it appears the same TV you are looking at can be bought thru Lazada for 5000 Baht less....Just a thought.....

http://www.lazada.co.th/sony-led-android-800hz-smart-3d-tv-55-kdl-55w800c-black-1266613.html

Also they appear to have other LARGE smart TV's for even less...might fit the bill for you....Again its just food for thought.

Good luck

Thanks. They give another 3000+ Baht discount in the sticker price so will end up paying abt 36200 if I decide to buy it.

[Chicog]

Don't buy a TV unless you've seen it playing HD content alongside other TVs.

I wouldn't bother with Smart TV nonsense, you're better buying a decent Android box and using that. The "non-Smart" TVs are cheaper.

And the way things are going, the more HDMI and USB ports the better.

[IMHO]

Don't buy a TV unless you've seen it playing HD content alongside other TVs.

I wouldn't bother with Smart TV nonsense, you're better buying a decent Android box and using that. The "non-Smart" TVs are cheaper.

And the way things are going, the more HDMI and USB ports the better.

I agree completely.

The problem is, unless you're buying cheap no-name, or really, really old stock, there's no way you're buying a non-smart 55" TV.

[MZurf]

Don't buy a TV unless you've seen it playing HD content alongside other TVs.

I wouldn't bother with Smart TV nonsense, you're better buying a decent Android box and using that. The "non-Smart" TVs are cheaper.

And the way things are going, the more HDMI and USB ports the better.

Forgive my ignorance but what does an Android box do? When I read your post I googled it but only found out where they are sold, not what they actually do.

[RichCor]

An 'android box' is usually is a set-top-box version of a miniPC, running the Android Operating System similar to what's seen on an android SmartPhone.

Most android boxes ship in the 'Set-Top-Box' physical format, but they can also come as "HDMI STICKS" that plug directly into an HDMI display port.

Android boxes share many similarities to android SmartPhones -except- they don't have a built-in touch display screen nor are they used to make phone calls.

What they are used for is connecting to and accessing your Local File Server and/or the Internet and used as a smart playback device for Audio and Video content.

So, very much like a Smart Media Center. Some people even play action games with them, similar to having an xbox or playstation.

Many Many threads topics here on ThaiVisa already about android boxes.

[tx22cb]

"can I connect a mouse and keyboard directly to the TV"

Yes - buy a wireless Mouse+Keyboard set, which will contain a small USB transmitter which you plug into one of the USB ports at the back of your TV.

"I want to connect to the internet and watch Youtube clips" - Yes, you should be able to do so by WiFi.

[xylophone]

Thought I heard that Sony were going to get out of TV manufacturing..............??

[RT85]

hi OP,

i just bought a brand new 49" LG LED tv... at a steal price.. of 16,990 baht...

u can also have it ordered via lazada slightly cheaper at about 16,390.. here is the link..

it is full HD... nothing too fancy.. and why i avoid paying so much more for Ultra HD (4xHD etc. etc.)

is because i have learnt from experience.. technology is a bitch!!!

it depends on what content signals you intend to be running at home.. example...

if it's cable.. maximum output is usually full HD... 1080...

we hardly will get any ultraHD content coming in like they display at the stores.. they loop these ridiculously beautiful ultra hD content... to entice us with the screens.. then when we bring it home to watch.. it doesn't look as crisp...

check out the models here

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=lg49lf54

you will see 2 models.. lg49lf55 and lg49lf54.... on the site it's only like 600 baht difference..

i did some research before buying... basically the higher model 55 has optical audio out... that's the only difference... for my home setup i usually just use HDMI for simplicity.. even though i have an optical audio option on my home theatre system...

but it's only 600 baht more.. so you can just buy it..

overall the TV has been awesome and has exceeded my expectations... enjoy blu rays and dvds.. and HD channels.. no fuss...

if you use it for gaming that requires much faster processing.. then there may be some blurring when there is fast movement... but for my purposes.. it's perfect.. especially the price

the stands are nice.. altho i use a wall mount..

good luck and enjoy!

[MZurf]

hi OP,

i just bought a brand new 49" LG LED tv... at a steal price.. of 16,990 baht...

u can also have it ordered via lazada slightly cheaper at about 16,390.. here is the link..

it is full HD... nothing too fancy.. and why i avoid paying so much more for Ultra HD (4xHD etc. etc.)

is because i have learnt from experience.. technology is a bitch!!!

it depends on what content signals you intend to be running at home.. example...

if it's cable.. maximum output is usually full HD... 1080...

we hardly will get any ultraHD content coming in like they display at the stores.. they loop these ridiculously beautiful ultra hD content... to entice us with the screens.. then when we bring it home to watch.. it doesn't look as crisp...

check out the models here

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=lg49lf54

you will see 2 models.. lg49lf55 and lg49lf54.... on the site it's only like 600 baht difference..

i did some research before buying... basically the higher model 55 has optical audio out... that's the only difference... for my home setup i usually just use HDMI for simplicity.. even though i have an optical audio option on my home theatre system...

but it's only 600 baht more.. so you can just buy it..

overall the TV has been awesome and has exceeded my expectations... enjoy blu rays and dvds.. and HD channels.. no fuss...

if you use it for gaming that requires much faster processing.. then there may be some blurring when there is fast movement... but for my purposes.. it's perfect.. especially the price

the stands are nice.. altho i use a wall mount..

good luck and enjoy!

Thanks for some very useful info! Yes, one of the concerns I have is paying for a TV with great specs and then not being able to utilize the specs due to the input at home. I'm using True with HD package so couls some tech savvy person please let me know if e.g. there is any point in buying an OLED tv?

[RT85]

hi OP,

i just bought a brand new 49" LG LED tv... at a steal price.. of 16,990 baht...

u can also have it ordered via lazada slightly cheaper at about 16,390.. here is the link..

it is full HD... nothing too fancy.. and why i avoid paying so much more for Ultra HD (4xHD etc. etc.)

is because i have learnt from experience.. technology is a bitch!!!

it depends on what content signals you intend to be running at home.. example...

if it's cable.. maximum output is usually full HD... 1080...

we hardly will get any ultraHD content coming in like they display at the stores.. they loop these ridiculously beautiful ultra hD content... to entice us with the screens.. then when we bring it home to watch.. it doesn't look as crisp...

check out the models here

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=lg49lf54

you will see 2 models.. lg49lf55 and lg49lf54.... on the site it's only like 600 baht difference..

i did some research before buying... basically the higher model 55 has optical audio out... that's the only difference... for my home setup i usually just use HDMI for simplicity.. even though i have an optical audio option on my home theatre system...

but it's only 600 baht more.. so you can just buy it..

overall the TV has been awesome and has exceeded my expectations... enjoy blu rays and dvds.. and HD channels.. no fuss...

if you use it for gaming that requires much faster processing.. then there may be some blurring when there is fast movement... but for my purposes.. it's perfect.. especially the price

the stands are nice.. altho i use a wall mount..

good luck and enjoy!

Thanks for some very useful info! Yes, one of the concerns I have is paying for a TV with great specs and then not being able to utilize the specs due to the input at home. I'm using True with HD package so couls some tech savvy person please let me know if e.g. there is any point in buying an OLED tv?

it really depends what you use the TV for..

high def gaming? with textures and shadows and fast movements?

or high def movies like blu rays etc..

honestly i'm on True cable HD too.. my basic full HD tv is doing an amazing job... because honestly alot of the local channel "HD" is upscaled... not true HD source.. so if you get .. say.. a 4k/ultra HD tv.. it's gonna look more terrible than on a standard FullHD...

OLED is still considered a premium type screen.. but don't forget.. without premium type signal and and content.. the benefits may be negligible... powerwise OLEDs use less power and can produce slightly sharper images due to the much higher performing speed to tradtional LED tvs..

contrast should be a lot better too i believe.. however.. again.. it depends on where you use the TV... if it's in a bright reflective area.. then maybe you can consider getting a better TV with oled etc... but for me.. i have curtains.. and usually watch tv at night.. so it really doesn't make sense shelling out the extra cash...

i always try to get the highest quality movie sources.. be it downloads or blu rays or even some DVDs... the content is the key deciding factor for me..... sure they have some music videos in 4k on youtube now... but seriously... it doesn't affect me that much....

i would only get oled and 4k monitor if i was doing SERIOUS gaming... ps4.. xbox1.. or pc etc etc.. i say serious.. because.. hell i enjoy games on my full HD tv already as is

maybe that's just the "mr frugal" in me .. there are thousands of other things to pay for and upgrade in the home

air cleaners, water purifiers.. new furniture.. smart lighting... the list goes on!

good luck and enjoy!!!

[astral]

Don't buy a TV unless you've seen it playing HD content alongside other TVs.

I wouldn't bother with Smart TV nonsense, you're better buying a decent Android box and using that. The "non-Smart" TVs are cheaper.

And the way things are going, the more HDMI and USB ports the better.

I also agree with this view 100%

Do go with Branded names like Samsung, Sony or LG

not just for quality but service later on, if the need arises

I have had 3 Samsung 32", 40" and now 50"

great TV's

[lopburi3]

I have had a 32" Samsung HD and it developed double image (as many seem to do from Google fix it videos). The most reliable have been on-sale TCL (which was not a brand name at the time) bought some six years ago that are still working fine. As for service - this is Thailand - our Samsung service of refrigerator required parts to be ordered from Singapore so when our unit developed double image bought a new current model (the remote failed within a week) and fixed the old one myself so replaced an old CRT with that.

[kbelyeu]

Powerbuy has some smoking deals going on now.. I just picked up a 65 inch UHD Samsung Smart TV for about 56,000 after some haggling. This panel looks absolutely fantastic with 4K content.

Kurt

[IMHO]

Powerbuy has some smoking deals going on now.. I just picked up a 65 inch UHD Samsung Smart TV for about 56,000 after some haggling. This panel looks absolutely fantastic with 4K content. Kurt

Yep, they have seriously good prices on 2014 runout stock. The LG 65" 4K/UHD 930T is only 48K Baht. and the 2014 79" 980T UHD for 100K.

[kbelyeu]

Powerbuy has some smoking deals going on now.. I just picked up a 65 inch UHD Samsung Smart TV for about 56,000 after some haggling. This panel looks absolutely fantastic with 4K content. Kurt

Yep, they have seriously good prices on 2014 runout stock. The LG 65" 4K/UHD 930T is only 48K Baht. and the 2014 79" 980T UHD for 100K.

Mine was a model that was released in 2015.. I bought the showroom model because they didn't have stock yet.

I am very pleased with the results.

Kurt

[mca]

If anyone's looking for a second unit for a small bedroom etc. I was in Index Living Mall in Bang Na last weekend and picked up a clearance stock ( not display model) Toshiba Pro Theatre 40L54 40" for my daughter for 9,999 baht.

http://sixthseal.com/2014/12/my-new-toshiba-pro-theatre-full-hd-smart-tv-powered-by-android/

[wpcoe]

I was just in Big C Extra in Pattaya aimlessly roaming the aisles, i.e. not looking for a TV, and found an intriguing offering:

It's a 40", 4K screen with WiFi and Android OS (couldn't tell what version), 2 HDMI, and 3 USB inputs, for B15,990k until the end of the month. That sounds rather inexpensive, no?

Couldn't find any specs/reviews via Google. Closest I came was a 50" TCL TV at Big C Online which is scant on details and an article of 40" & 49" TCL 4K UHD 2014 models in America with similar-sounding model names. The USA models were 120Hz refresh and supported HDMI2.0.

Is there some deficiency in these models of which I'm not aware? I'm considering buying one, just because they seem like decent features at quite a low price.

The main reason I stopped to consider the TCL brand was remembering lopburi3's reports of good luck with them in another thread someplace here. I understand TCL is the Thai branded product line from a company that produces items for other foreign "top tier" brands?

[lopburi3]

I would not consider the production to be for "top tier" brands - but for brands that may be better known than TCL has been. The models I have are built like a tank (and weight almost as much) but they have stood the test of time and still operate. Channel tuning was very slow when used OTA but with normal external box that was not a problem. These were first generation models in the "HD Ready" version at 32 inch and sold for about 10k when others were much more expensive. They have been good value. Not a factor for our use was response time (which appears to be slower than most brands overall). Not sure UHD is worth paying more for at this time - but that is up to you. Below is background on TCL from there Oz site.

http://www.tclelectronics.com.au/content.asp?id=1&t=About+Us

[wpcoe]

I didn't realize they were a Chinese company. I may have been thinking of another Thai OEM that built TVs?

Also didn't realize how big they were: "TCL is now a global top 3 manufacturing company within the consumer electronics industry, and is one of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers with TV sales in excess of 18 million units annually."

Maybe I was overly impressed with the built-in WiFi and Android with a 4K display for that price.

[lopburi3]

Believe the units sold here are all made in Thailand so it is a Thai factory in that regard. I can not recall the old Thai company that made TV sets a few decades ago but believe was a name like Tannon (or similar).

As for Chinese TV's first experienced them in Bejing Hotel more than 35 years ago and was very impressed with them (am sure they were the best of the best - but this was still the black/white clothing era and the color from there sets was very good when compared with Thailand (and blew away USA NTSC system).

[IMHO]

Prices are dropping like a rock...

Cdiscount/BigC are currently selling a 2015 year model LG 55" 4K TV for 26K Baht:

http://www.cdiscount.co.th/electronics-and-cameras/tv-video/lg-ultra-hd-tv-55-niw-run-55uf670t/f-25000001-mb000004rz1.html

If I had a place to put it, I'd probably buy one

[BudRight]

These prices are outrageous. If I were you I would not buy a 4K TV right now - you've nothing to watch on it. Standards are still being worked out for signalizing on those. When HDMI2.0 is standard and you have fibreoptic to stream on then we'll talk. Without low latency > 30MBPS you have no hope of streaming 4K stuff even with the right equipment. You're ISP will also throttle you when you blow through 1 terabyte in a week.

The "Hz" rating is irrelevant.

Get a Chinese 1080P LED TV (like Changhong or TCL) in the size you want and a streaming device like a Chromecast, Amazon Firestick, Android Box, Roku, etc.

[BudRight]

Prices are dropping like a rock...

Cdiscount/BigC are currently selling a 2015 year model LG 55" 4K TV for 26K Baht:

http://www.cdiscount.co.th/electronics-and-cameras/tv-video/lg-ultra-hd-tv-55-niw-run-55uf670t/f-25000001-mb000004rz1.html

If I had a place to put it, I'd probably buy one

That TV is cheap because it came out before there was any signaling for 4K stuff. Basically there is no way to watch 4K movies on it. It only "upscales" to 4K with clever interpolation algorithms.

[lopburi3]

These prices are outrageous. If I were you I would not buy a 4K TV right now - you've nothing to watch on it. Standards are still being worked out for signalizing on those. When HDMI2.0 is standard and you have fibreoptic to stream on then we'll talk. Without low latency > 30MBPS you have no hope of streaming 4K stuff even with the right equipment. You're ISP will also throttle you when you blow through 1 terabyte in a week.

The "Hz" rating is irrelevant.

Get a Chinese 1080P LED TV (like Changhong or TCL) in the size you want and a streaming device like a Chromecast, Amazon Firestick, Android Box, Roku, etc.

Although in agreement that there is no reason to buy 4k now; but here in Thailand we do have fiber optic systems available and we are not charged by downloaded data (fixed charge per time period). The only throttle would be for being above fair usage limits (about 70%) for multi hours (which you can avoid by limiting download speed). Do not even believe Changhong is sold in Thailand - there is a large choice here of name brands at reasonable price (if you do not need next years model today).

[IMHO]

These prices are outrageous. If I were you I would not buy a 4K TV right now - you've nothing to watch on it. Standards are still being worked out for signalizing on those. When HDMI2.0 is standard and you have fibreoptic to stream on then we'll talk. Without low latency > 30MBPS you have no hope of streaming 4K stuff even with the right equipment. You're ISP will also throttle you when you blow through 1 terabyte in a week.

The "Hz" rating is irrelevant.

Get a Chinese 1080P LED TV (like Changhong or TCL) in the size you want and a streaming device like a Chromecast, Amazon Firestick, Android Box, Roku, etc.

The problem with 4K streaming it's still compromised by bitrate limitations. It buffered from time to time, but I did try it using Netflix 4K over Hola Once you've seen some of the higher bitrate 4K content available for actual download though, you realize that Blu-ray UHD is the ultimate source media for these screens.

As for standards - they were locked down with the UHD Blu-ray spec some time ago...

The only thing these cheaper 4K screens won't do is HDR and some are also limited to 4K30p (vs 4K60p). in the case of HDR, it's destined to remain a high end only feature because it's pointless without mega contrast and high max. lux, and in the case of 4K60p, it's unlikely there will be too much content in Thailand at least, that will be presented at 60fps - movies look terrible at high frame rates so that's not going to happen, and I seriously doubt even if Truvisions introduced 4K support sometime in the future, that they'd give it enough bandwidth to support double the framerate - they still don't even do 1080p (only 1080i) after all these years.

If you're going cheap, why would you want a 1080P panel if you're only watching low bitrate 720P OTT IPTV streaming? Just buy a 720/768P cheapy instead

[coops]

that w800 Sony gets good reviews for sceen qulaity, which is what matters - so a good choice.

I was looking at that but ended up with a Panasonic 55CX600t which is also very good.

to be honest 4k screens are not necessary yet in Thiland as True has only recently got most of the channels on HD, so i can,t see any 4k stuff around for 3 years at a minimum...

BUT the 4k sets do get the better specs in terms of processing and dimming etc etc...

I did look at Lg OLED - they have recently reduced oled prices by 30-40% - but thailand only has the absurd cruved screen versions... and I decided i may as well wait for 3 or 5 years for genuine 4k content and for more OLED options like Panasonic.

[coops]

Forgot to add -

if you have an ipad or iphone there is a free app by THX, thx tune-up, to give your screen a decent basic calibration.

The standard setup out of the shop is usually maxed out and all kinds of artificial...

You DO NEED A LIGHTNING TO HDMI DONGLE - got mine at an ibeat store, works a treat, very easy and worthwhile improvement.

ps does anyne know where you can get hold of Calman products in Bangkok? seem to be good home use calibration software and hardware...

[Will27]

For anyone looking for a big/huge screen, this 79" LG at Cdiscount is a real good buy I reckon.

Reduced from 329 000 to 139 000 Thb.

http://www.cdiscount.co.th/electronics-and-cameras/tv-video/lg-ultra-hd-smart-tv-79-niw-run-79uf770t/f-25000001-mb000004nzg.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=gdn&utm_campaign=dynamic-remarketing&utm_content=display&gclid=CI3Q25WI88gCFQuAvQodOdYNKw