View Poll Results: What should I do? | |||
Exchange it.... | 14 | 40.00% | |
Keep it.... | 11 | 31.43% | |
Beer!! Lots of it! | 10 | 28.57% | |
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll |
Veteran Member
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Hi guys / gals,
Can you help me out, please... Ok. Long story short.. I went to Tesco today planning to buy a Samsung 32inch 720p TV. When in the store the salesman (a really nice guy) pointed out another Samsung Plasma that was the same price and suggested that. I asked for manuals and specs so I could check the resolution, even though he assured me that it was 720p. After some hunting we could not find any specs, but I did find a page quoting some stuff about 720p and a resolution which conformed to 720p. i.e. Over 720 vertical and some 1300 and something horizontal. So we bought the 42". When I got home I did a quick check on the intarweb and had some problems finding it's spec. (These are made in Thailand so have specific Thailand codes which don't corespond to European or American specs - so they are hard to check out online). Anyway I came to the conclusion that it was actually HDMI ready and scaling to get 720p and 1080i. So we loaded the huge thing back on my truck and took it back to Tesco, We went through it all again and the guy did a very good job of convincing me again that it was in fact 720p. They had paperwork to back it up. So we came home and set it up. It is georgeous! Anyway, after some more relaxed digging online I am now 99.999999% certain, no I am positive, that this is actually a WVGA Plasma screen with some nifty hardware scaling.. Not 720p at all.. But 848 x 480 something!!!! Like a normal tv!! It's not a problem as Tesco have a 7 day returns policy for refund or exchange, no questions asked.. My problem is.. This 42" looks and feels fab in our house, and I am already thinking that the 32" is going to look small if we pick it up tomorrow... At least I got a free trial..... But I am really torn with just saying what the heck to this HD shit and keeping this beautiful big screen.. The only thing I am likely to see in 720p here is from my PS3.. and the odd BluRay I buy.... So what to do.. Keep the 42" and forget the HD revolution, or go for the 32" machine, which is identical in every way, PIP and surround sound and sexy and millions of connections and black and everything... Half the resolution again, but not a big and sexy...... Oh boy am I confused.. It would be so easy to leave this tv here and just forget HD...... HELP!!!!! PLEASE!! What would you do? 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Does it match up with any of the ones on this page?
http://www.samsung.com/th/products/t...matv/index.asp 3 of them are 1024x768, the other 2 are 854x480. If you're happy with the TV and aren't worried with 720p, then I'd say keep it. |
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It's not listed at all.. Go figure!! (But thanks for the link )
It has the main code of an 854x480 model, but a suffix of TEX. The European ones have a suffix with an E, so I am guessing the T is for Thailand, and the rest is something else.. The X makes me suspicious that it may be an 'Extended' or 'Special' version. I can call Samsung tomorrow as they have an office here at the factory. My problem with 720p is that there will be no broadcast content here for some time.. At least a year or two, and we are only going to use it for the odd very rare movie, and the PS3.... I understand the differences, but am not sure if in day to day use I am really going to notice, or care... But I feel a bit stupid getting a new tv and totally ignoring even the lowest of the HD specs!!! 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
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If you're happy with the picture quality, keep it. If you feel ripped off, return it and get a set that is HD. Personally, I'd keep it if I was happy.
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I certainly don't feel ripped off. There is no quibble with any exchange, and I believe the guy genuinely believes his info.. We shop there every week and the staff gaves us 1/4 of the price of the tv (whichever we chose) back as in store gift vouchers as a Christmas deal...
Whichever way you look at the tvs are all the same price, and about 1/3 lower than the European price. Either way I will get what I want as far as the store is concerned.. The problem is me!!! And my indecision. I am sitting here basking in 42"s of pulsing colour, and trying to imagine if 720p on a 32" screen will be quite as good when I am playing racing games, and watching the odd really special movie.... 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Does it mainly depend on how far you're sitting from it? If you can't spot a difference, judge by apparent size at viewing distance... Ideally, get both sets up side by side with 720p content and plain sd and measure in context... then return the one you don't want. Future proofing is good, but you'll be watching it, so your eyes may rule your brain. All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
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I think below 50", HD doesn't make enough of a difference to worry about. At these sizes, panel quality is *much* more important than resolution. Basically, the summary at the bottom of your quote is correct. At any size below 50", resolution isn't very important.
If the picture quality is good, keep it. |
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Thanks for some illuminating questions..
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The 42" was one shelf higher up, and the 32"s right in front of us. Glancing at them (I can't say I actually stuck my nose on the screen) they all looked the same. But the 42" is 854x500 vs 32" @ 1300x720! Quote:
.. and the luxury of a screen that dominates the room, and really immerses you.. 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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The picture is nice. I do see that the real use difference between resolutions is marginal. And I am even getting on to thinking that even when playing on a next gen console that (actually in play) you won't really notice the difference! Heck I think a lot of the current PS2 games on a 480p tv look great!!! I have always said that when playing games we are more tuned into movement than picture quality. That's just the way human vision is wired. Plasma is very nice in terms of the colour, and the blackness of the black too, when compared to the LCD panels.. Gonna try it with the lights off in a bit and see what a horror movie is like!! 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Just tried out Swordfish on DVD...
I have to say that if a PS3 or a 360 can chuck out any images even close to that then I will be happy.. With the lights off the size and brightness of the screen is awesomely overpowering!! Thanks for peoples input.. I have done some rough 'scratt' maths and worked out that you lose about 25% screen real estate going from 42 to 32 inches, and that is about the same as the resolution difference between the two models.. In human terms (unless you are nose to the screen) I think you'll see the same image on each... Apart from reading text I think that the advantage of 25% more screen, over 30% more graphic detail kind of cancels each other out in a counter-intuitive sort of way.. (No logic there - Yes I am aware that the bigger screen has lower resolution and the size compounds that - but it makes sense to my value system). Gonna sleep on it... But I am really thinking that for the pleasure that movies will give on this, coupled with the fact that 90% of the time it's showing cruddy satellite tv, that the wow of spotting a few extra pixels in a game is not really worth it... 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Banging the Bottom End
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Of course the DVD will look good, the DVD's resolution matches the plasma display's resolution. Start running some real HD signals through the displays and then compare the results. If you have to, bring your PS3 into the store so you can see what you're missing. To your eyes you may not be missing anything but the only way to find out for sure is to run a true 720p signal through both sets and see which one looks better.
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I hear you. And I am sure 720p on a 720p display looks awesome..
I am just not convinced that from my sofa I am going to benefit that much more from it than I am from a honking big screen! But I will be trying the test you suggest.. 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Viewing distance for a 42" HD set is 2.1 metres, for a 50" it is 2.7 metres. If you have a 42" any further than the max distance your eyes cannot resolve the resolution difference between a HD (unfortunately a very loosely used term*) of say 1024x768 and a SD 850x480ish set.
To my thinking HD only starts at 1366x768, which is plasmas 50" and above currently, and some of the new gen LCD's of 32" and above. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
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Keep the big one
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Thanks everyone..
gsxrboy.. Out of interest do you have a source for the figures you quote? I have read similar things elsewhere but not with those specific figures. But I had pretty much come to that conclusion with my experiments last night.. Up close I can see the lack of resolution on the screen, but on our sofa about 3 meters away it looks awesome! I also can't see spinning flashing movie special effects making me almost fall of the sofa in the same way on a 32" screen! It's interesting that in the poll the majority seem to want to change the screen, but most people that have posted have offered help in making a decision, or have said keep it... I think we will keep it.. For the next 12 months at least we will have no real day to day use for HD, and the bigger screen makes movies awesome, which is what we use the tv for 90% of the time... By the end of 2007 I expect HD tvs will be so much cheaper that we could always upgrade then and stick this beast in the den.... For now I can't wait until Christmas day and a mammoth movie, and Wii session on the big screen! Thanks again everyone... EDIT - How Ironic... I rushed out to get an HD tv, and picked up a PS3 for just that reason, and now we've thrown the whole HD thing out the window for at least a year, and I am more excited about SD DVD movies and a Nintendo gamecube! If many more people do that what are the hardware manufacturers going to do!!?!? 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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careful with axes
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
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Yep...
If it looks good to you, keep it. Resolution is just a tiny aspect of picture quality. |
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Ruling teh World
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Boston, MA
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I would keep the plasma. If you can get ahold of a nice calibration disk and some time, you can get it looking spectacular and no one will notice that it isn't HD. Again as someone said earlier, HD doesn't make a huge difference vs WVGA at less than 50".
Calibrate it, and (as I love to recommend) save up some money for a sweet sound system (I would suggest the SVS 5.1 setup if you don't have anything, and at-least an SVS sub if you have speakers). Grab a budget receiver and hook it all up; it will make a much bigger difference than getting a smaller HD TV. |
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Banging the Bottom End
Join Date: Jun 2004
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http://www.tvtechnology.com/features...features.shtml http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-6307361-1.html http://www.myhometheater.homestead.c...l#anchor_13194 |
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Thanks.
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I just came accross this article where some 360 guys ran the same copy of Halo2 on an Xbox and then an Xbox 360, both only at 480p and not using a component cable on the 360...
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http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/13...360-Halo-2/p1/ 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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