Author- Vibhor Shergill (Brother of Sabhyata Shergill)
[Last Updated: 18th August, 2019]
“Investing your money in any brand except for Sony and Samsung is equivalent to putting your hard earned money on fire”
[Last Updated: 18th August, 2019]
“Investing your money in any brand except for Sony and Samsung is equivalent to putting your hard earned money on fire”
Before you start to hate me, let me tell you what made me so averse to brands like LG, Vu, Onida etc.
My dad purchased an LG Scarlet TV, 47 inches, in 2012 for Rs 86000 (approx).
We were all very excited to see how things look on such a big screen. Those days, Flipkart and Amazon were yet to be popular and thus we purchased the TV from a brick and mortar store.
Everything went well with the TV for the first 8 months, the picture quality was good, sound was okay and at that time we could not have imagined that within the next few months we would have to junk that beautiful TV.
Around 6 months later, I noticed a small black spot at the right top corner of the screen, initially I thought that the program being viewed must have had it and I shirked my suspicions. But then after a few days my dad complained that the screen sometimes flicker when watching the TV and that black spot had grown noticeably larger. We did the best that we could and called the LG customer service and asked for a technician to inspect what was wrong with our TV and the technician arrived the very next day.
He inspected the whole issue and asked us if we had the bill, to which we said that we do. He saw the date of the invoice and said :-
Technician- “Yeh to warrant se baahar ho gaya. Dikkat ho gayi yeh to.”
My dad- “Kharabi kya hai TV me?”
Technician- “LCD kharab ho rakhi hai iski.”
My dad- “Achha. To kitna kharcha aa jayega theek karwane mein?”
Technician- “Mota kharcha hota hai LCD change ka. Lagbhag 14000–16000 Rupees
We all were all shocked that the TV we purchased barely a year ago demanded us to spend another Rs. 16000 on its repairs.
My dad was skeptical in getting it repaired only to face the same day again and eventually ended up in buying another TV of Samsung (40 inches). This TV is still with us and is running in good condition till date without demanding any repairs whatsoever. The picture quality of Samsung TVs are one of the best in the market. The colors are extremely vibrant and sometimes it feels that the fruits and vegetables displayed on a channel are popping out!
Now before giving you my recommendations for buying a new TV, I’d advice you to not fall for these marketing gimmicks given below:-
- Smart TV- There is absolutely no need to invest in a smart TV. You can make any TV a smart TV by simply plugging your laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable. There is absolutely no need to spend your money on those ‘smart’ yet not so-smart TVs. But if you are getting this feature along with the other necessary features stated below, then no issue.
- 4K TV- Now, this is the most advertised feature of the TVs these days, yet are of little to no use to an average viewer. First of all, there is hardly any 4K content in India and even there is, 4K TVs are steeply priced and secondly our eyes can not recognize the improvement in picture quality beyond Full HD i.e. 1080p.
Rather, if you can afford, go for a
- Curved TV- The current TV at my home is a Samsung’s curved TV and believe me… the curved screen does make a huge difference in the viewing experience.
- TV with good internal speakers- Yeah I know you might be thinking that one can purchase a sound bar, but a sound bar won’t give you a 3D surround sound experience unless you invest in some high quality and high priced bars or home theater. For a person who uses his TV for viewing news channels and occasional movies or TV shows, good internal speaker is more than enough. No need to waste your money on sound bars etc.
Now, I’d want you to give these TVs (links given below) your special attention. These are the best ones available in the market in every aspect stated above.
Did I make a huge mistake of buying a PANASONIC 4k LED TV ?
ReplyDeleteHi mr infinity.
DeleteI wish you had come here before making a purchase, I would have helped you better.
Nonetheless, since you have already made the purchase, I suggest that you don't lose heart. Rather, when you get to use the product, check the following in the TV:-
1) Picture Quality. Investigate the picture quality, especially the vibrancy of the colours. If the colours feel overtly pale or overtly saturated, then it isn't a good sign.
2) The warranty. Read the product information booklet that comes inside the packaging and thoroughly check on what components is the warranty applicable and for what duration. Compare the components covered under warranty with that of a Sony/Samsung TV. You can download the booklet of a Sony/Samsung TV, online. If important components are not covered under warranty or if the duration is lesser, you may decide whether the product would be good in the long run or not.
3) Sound quality. As mentioned in the post, do not ignore the sound quality. Sound quality is one of the parameters to judge how well the manufacturer has paid importance in this department, which in turn would tell you the attention the manufacturer would have given to other departments.
Check the sound on the following parameters:-
a) Bass
b) Treble
c) Dialog clarity
d) Maximum volume
If you do not find it satisfactory, you may judge the quality of other departments.
If the TV does not score well on the above written parameters, you can think of other options then.
Good Luck.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteafter reading ur blog:
I m confusing which TV i should buy http://www.lg.com/in/tvs/lg-49LJ617T
LG 49LG617T
I was fan of LG since our existing golden eye technology LG flatron has worked for 10 years flawlessly
we went to showroom and sales guy was rooting for PANASONIC 630D https://www.panasonic.com/in/consumer/home-entertainment/televisions/Smart-TV/th-49es630d.html
picture sound quality of panasonic was much better than LG
both LG and panasonic are FULL HD LED tv with IPS panel.
But i have never ever used any panasonic product.
should i go for LG OR PANASONIC can you suggest
Hi.
DeleteI can well understand as to why the salesman was trying to persuade you to buy the Panasonic TV. This is because, Panasonic is still trying to establish itself in the department of televisions and its sales are substantially less than the brands that have been in the business of manufacturing televisions since long and are now well established.
Therefore, in order to increase their sales and establish themselves, these new brands give a higher commission to the salesman for promoting their products. Hence, to get more profit from your purchase, the salesman was persuading you to get the Panasonic television.
Having said that, I believe you might have read about my experience with the LG television. This is the reason as to why I do not recommend LG televisions.
However, as you mentioned that your previous television of the brand LG worked well for you, I would say, you can give it a try and test if the new television works well for you or not. If not, you can return it. However, I would recommend you to go with that television series of LG which is the most reliable one.
Since you are looking for a 49 inch model, the below mentioned product of LG which is quite stable and most likely would not give you much hassle:-
http://fkrt.it/Jit8ILuuuN
Apart from this, you can also consider one Sony TV mentioned below which is similarly priced as that of the above mentioned LG television, but has a better picture and sound quality. This one:-
https://amzn.to/2Jl4V9R
In my honest opinion, this makes for a much better purchase considering the better build quality of the product and after sales service of Sony.
Good Luck.
Hey there, I am looking forward to buy a new led tv with a budget of around 60k. I was going for an lg model but after reading this I am a bit afraid as I was a TV that can last 15-20 years. It would be great if you can suggest something. I am confused among these-
ReplyDeleteLG 108 cm (43 inches) 43UJ652T 4K UHD LED Smart TV
httpss://www.amazon.in/dp/B0733375RP/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_OIy3AbDZZV2CF
Sony 108 cm (43 inches) Bravia KD-43X7500E 4K UHD LED Android Smart TV (Black)
https ://www.amazon.in/dp/B0748NSFFP/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_qMy3Ab7WF54DT
Samsung 123 cm (49 inches) Series 6 49M6300 Full HD LED TV (Dark Titan)
httpss://www.amazon.in/dp/B072KK3CXY/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_ZMy3Ab1KXJFTK
Hi Anfal Mohd.
DeleteSee, if you are looking to retain your television for at least 15 years, I believe, the picture quality and Edge LED technology of Sony would be able to do that for you. Samsung is good too, however, it might not last beyond a decade without requiring replacement of several components.
Hence, considering your budget and your requirements, I would recommend these LED televisions to you:-
http://fkrt.it/2E3LR2NNNN
https://amzn.to/2qZ9ezX
In my honest opinion, these LED televisions would cater to your needs of retaining the product for more than 15 years, thanks to their good build quality and lesser cost of service. Hence, these offer good value for the money spent.
Good Luck.
Hi Vibhor,
ReplyDeleteI ordered below yesterday in Flipkart's sale ..I am a first time buyer and did not do due diligence. Below is a HD ready TV ..does it make sense to invest a few more thousands and invest in Full HD tv ?
https://www.flipkart.com/samsung-80cm-32-inch-hd-ready-led-tv/p/itme8yrfm32d4xzn?pid=TVSE8YRFSUBEHZB6&lid=LSTTVSE8YRFSUBEHZB680UQTL
Hi Arihant.
DeleteComing to your queries,
With more and more content being broadcasted in 1080p (Full HD) resolution, I believe, it is a little too late to invest in a 720p (HD Ready) panel.
The Full HD panel has quite a few advantages over a HD Ready panel, I would list few of them for you:-
1) Gaming consoles. If gaming is something you look forward to on your television, a Full HD TV makes the experience significantly better.
2) Streaming online content. If you are intending to use online services like YouTube and Netflix to stream content onto your TV via your laptop, a Full HD panel would make for a better viewing experience.
Having said that, since the screen size of your purchased TV is 32 inches, the difference in the picture quality between a HD Ready TV and a Full HD TV when viewed at a distance greater than 7 feet would not be apparently significant. It is only when one sits closer to the TV, the difference in the pixel density between a 1080p and a 720p channel is abruptly visible.
So, depending upon your requirements, you can choose to stick with your purchase or invest a few extra thousand bucks and get the added benefits.
Good Luck.
Hello Vibhor,
ReplyDeleteI am bit tight on budget. Which is the best android TV I should go for ? bigger the size better as I have a large living room.
Hi.
DeleteAs you mentioned that you wish to purchase a budget Android TV, there are quite a few options available in the market which could serve your requirements.
However, I wish a little more information about the budget range and room dimensions was provided. It would have made things more precise.
Nonetheless, here we would begin by taking a few assumptions. Those are:-
1) The living room is greater than 18 feet x 14 feet, since you mentioned that it is large.
2) The distance from which the television would be viewed is greater than 10 feet.
3) Tight budget is intended to mean a budget range of Rs. 35-45 thousand Rupees.
Considering these assumptions, I would recommend you the following two Android televisions:-
http://fkrt.it/5iG23nuuuN
http://fkrt.it/5vlW5nuuuN
In my opinion, these two televisions make for a decent purchase considering your mentioned requirements and keeping into perspective the above mentioned assumptions.
Good Luck.
Dear reader, my job requires me to to be indulged in an important project for a few months, which would require most of my time. Due to this, I would not be able to give my full attention to your queries. I therefore, would have to unwillingly disable the comments for the time period that the project lasts. I would surely be back with a bang and would once again take all your queries.
ReplyDelete