Korean Job Discussion Forums

travelnguy · Joined: 27 Sep 2007

Does anyone have any experience with a non-Korean Full HD LCD TV?

I am looking at buying one as I would prefer my menus in English. I have been looking at the Sony Bravia models and a brand called D. Square.

Both have a great contrast ratio and the D.Square actually has a faster response time. The D.Square has an LG Philips LCD and the Sony is well, Sony.

I know that you usually get what you pay for, but, this D.Square really looks good for the money.

Anyone have one? What is the quality like? Where can I view one? Do you know if it has English menus?

Thanks

JustJohn · Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Location: Your computer screen

Go with the non-sony. You'll be getting more for your money. It will not be a crap product.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

I don't know... the problem is that there are so many things to consider when looking at an LCD or Plasma screen. The stores are great at showing you video of slow-moving brilliant shots, which is a strong-point of LCDs, but they don't show you much fast action stuff (like games would be). There are numerous problems that start to crop up in fast action shots: Ghost trails behind the image, macro-blocking, bad anti-aliasing, etc. There's a lot more to these things than just the panel -- there are a lot of electronics inside.

The other thing you should look for in an LCD is "clouding." You notice this when it's on and you're looking at an all-black video image. If you can see faint white clouds in the picture (look especially close near the corners), then run away. My LG X-Canvas was like that, as well as a co-worker's and we both returned them after great hassles.

If you're on a budget and aren't looking for the highest picture quality, then a cheaper model will be better than nothing.

The Bravias are some of the best, but they are also hit with a massive import tax, and much more expensive in Korea. The new Samsungs look great, though!

Costco has some decent prices on these models sometimes. Be careful and NEVER NEVER buy from a Samsung or LG "boutique" electronics store because they will outright refuse a refund if there are problems. Better to buy from a store selling several models from different companies.

Oh, and one more thing.... you can save a lot buying online... as much as 30 percent. The larger TVs all come from the same place anyway. Make sure the person selling has a lot of good feedback. Warranties are all honored by the manufacturer directly, anyway. There is no advantage to buying from a boutique and paying more. In fact, it's a disadvantage on returns.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

Bassexpander,

I'm on the verge of buying a 47'' LCD. You seem to be on top of this field. Which model would you buy tomorrow, in Korea, if your budget was 1,500,000?

The usage would be for mainly Skylife TV, but I do intend to get a Blu-ray player soon-ish. No gaming. But, actually, I'd like to try that for a laugh!

I can purchase online, no problem.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Oh, I haven't looked at them in a good while, but last I looked, the piano-black Samsungs looked really nice. They were the newest model. Something else to consider is how regular SDTV looks on them. The Samsungs look a whole lot better than the LG's (at least they did a year ago). You'll find that many stores will go out of their way NOT to show you standard definition TV, or they'll pipe a clean digital signal to it. It can look that bad.