Thread: LCD TV suggestions

It's time to start to assemble a home entertainment system and I would like to ask for brands advice. I'm sure both Samsung and LG are workable brands but whats the general opinion of the TCL brand? The Chinese teacher at school says it's a middle of the road to up scale brand in China. From what reviews I've found online of TCL they seem to be positive.

I'm looking at the 12k to 18k range. With Samsung and LG I'm looking at the 32" screen size and with TCL I'm looking 42" or possibly bigger . These will be part of a on going build. First TV next 5.1 surround sound to be followed by an X-Box 360 and Guitar Hero

As this is in the early stages of the build any suggestions would be most welcomed.

I've been hearing that if I go with the 42" I NEED the 1080p over the 720p.

Thanks for the heads up on LG. Gold Star, arrrg, they were crap!

Originally Posted by Logic Dictates

I recommend Samsung because I have had almost every electronic device made by them and they have ALWAYS been of good quality. LG is the old Goldstar which is crap.
I know some Samsung products are made in Thailand which is also a plus.

I have two Samsung TV's now and a Samsung Home Entertainment box. They are all great. If you go near top of the line Samsung all of their devices will also talk to each other.

This is the same type of thing I heard before buying my TV. Most Thais claim that Samsung is without a doubt the best and that brands like LG and Sony are inferior. Yet not a single person had any backing to what they were saying; only that someone had told them so. I take these type of recommendations with a grain of salt.

While Samsung definitely makes some quality products, it is wrong to assume every TV you get from Samsung is going to be a good one. While shopping around I saw plenty of Samsungs with poor specs and performance.

When I was TV shopping, I was after certain specifications and found what I was looking for from LG with an acceptable price. Much cheaper than any Samsung with similar specs. The specs I was looking for were a screen with a true 1920x1080 resolution (rather than the 720 res models that claim to be full HD "ready"), a high refresh rate, low response time, high contrast, and a picture that looked good to me. On top of that, the model I got (the LG LH70 47") was thinner than any other model LCD that I saw except for the LED back-lit models from Samsung which were four times the price. While there are undoubtedly better models and deals out now, when I got mine there was nothing better I could get for the price (about 35,000 baht).

I looked at a Consumer's Report digest just a few months ago . . a non-profit outfit that does all kinds of testing on all kinds of stuff . . they choose Samsung down the line for TV's . . every size too

There is a huge difference between 7 & 8 series Samsungs and their low end models. At 12K-17K baht (the OP's price range) you aren't getting anywhere near their top end models.

I've seen the Samsung 7 & 8 series and they are stunning to say the least. The LED models were amazing but so was the price.

What I'm looking for is a good compromise price verses performance. The TV's main job will be action/adventure movies from torrents and an xBox 360. What would be good middle of the road specs for this rigs main job?

Besides if negotiations good well I could be adding a nice 650 Honda Bros to the stable. So I need to try to stay as close to budget as possible.

For the record, I'm not bashing Samsung. I'd probably agree that on the top end, Samsung has the best TV's. All I'm saying is that one shouldn't buy a TV just because it is Samsung and assume they are getting the best TV for their money. There's always a fine balance of price/performance and you really have to examine the models closely to find the best bang for your baht. If money was no object, I'd likely go for one of the high end LED Samsungs with a 60" screen. Since cost usually is relevant, a buyer shouldn't look past brands such as LG, Panasonic, and Sony just because they aren't Samsung.