party Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) Hi all Great forum you have here with heaps and heaps of info! Problem is, there is too much and it’s confusing me! I’m in the market for a plasma. As a TV noob, I’m not sure what I should get. Here’s my requirements/situation - Under $2,000 if possible - At least 42inch (but 50in would be nice!) - It will be used for general use in my lounge room – TV programs, DVD’s (probably blu-ray in the future), movies, kids cartoons, sport etc. So with these points in mind, what are people’s recommendations? …and could someone tell me what the vitals are I should be looking at? eg. HD tick, certain contrast levels, certain MHZ etc… I really have no idea. I just got recommended the Panasonic TH42PZ800 which was $2200. Edited November 5, 2008 by party
kulfi Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Just one piece of advice, party boy. Read the previous threads and hundreds of posts on this topic. It doesn't hurt to scroll through a few pages and learn something but it does hurt when we have to answer the same question over and over again. $2200 for the 42" Pana PZ800 is a joke. You can buy the 50" PZ800 for not much more, or the Samsung 50" A550 with free BluRay player for $2300.
Autocrat Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Nobody's forcing you to answer it, so if it hurts so much just don't do it. That is, unless you really are the Forum Advice God.
diesel Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 You can certainly get a HD Ready 50" Panasonic or Samsung for ~$1600 and put the change towards getting a HD PVR. Otherwise a Pana 50PZ80 or Sammy A550 with free BD player would be my picks
kulfi Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Nobody's forcing you to answer it, so if it hurts so much just don't do it. That is, unless you really are the Forum Advice God. Well said. Bravo. Brilliant suggestion. Nominee for "One-liner of the year". Except for one tiny little thing - I haven't seen a user named "Autocrat" answering the same old questions on new threads like these which are created every day by lazy noobs who couldn't be bothered to read backdated posts with loads of good advice from other users. In fact, you haven't even suggested anything or answered the OP's question here.
party Posted November 5, 2008 Author Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) Well said. Bravo. Brilliant suggestion. Nominee for "One-liner of the year". Except for one tiny little thing - I haven't seen a user named "Autocrat" answering the same old questions on new threads like these which are created every day by lazy noobs who couldn't be bothered to read backdated posts with loads of good advice from other users. In fact, you haven't even suggested anything or answered the OP's question here. Thanks Diesel and Autocrat. Kulfi boy, thanks for giving me such a warm welcome and making this my last post - I'll never come back to these forums. I said straight up I'm a noob and need some advice. I've gone through the forums already and am a bit confused - there is such a quick turn around in HD TV's with new ones coming on the market so often, and prices dropping etc. So just a bit of advice would have been great. I'll f**k off to my usual forums where I have knowledge and actively pass it on to the noobs and leave you alone then. You da man. Edited November 5, 2008 by party
diesel Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 To be fair to Kulfi, maybe he's had a bad day and as he said there's a new thread everyday pretty much asking what you have just asked. But, that's what's great about a place like this, anybody can know nothing and within a few days should be well equipped to go out and be confident in their purchasing decisions. Whether you stick around and help out another nubies who posts a similar question now that you are armed with your knowledge and experiences would be great, but don't let one nasty post put you off sticking around and contributing to what is generally a great forum.
Owen Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) Being a “noob” is no excuse, you seem to have made no effort what so ever to read through the many posts on this forum that could have answered your question. The same sort of questions are asked almost every day and it becomes very monotonous, its therefore rather impolite to expect forum members to spend their time to answer your question when you could have done so your self had you put in just a little effort. Edited November 5, 2008 by Owen
evil_josh Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Being a “noob” is no excuse, you seem to have made no effort what so ever to read through the many posts on this forum that could have answered your question.The same sort of questions are asked almost every day and it becomes very monotonous, its therefore rather impolite to expect forum members to spend their time to answer your question when you could have done so your self had you put in just a little effort. Nobody's holding a gun to your head forcing you to reply - If you don't like the question then don't post. The world won't end if you don't reply, and as can be seen above there are others who don't mind helping out a noob if you think it's beneath you.
Jesh Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 http://www.jbhifi.com.au/ Front page. 50 inch FULL HD Plasma... $1999 Hope that helps
Owen Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Nobody's holding a gun to your head forcing you to reply - If you don't like the question then don't post. The world won't end if you don't reply, and as can be seen above there are others who don't mind helping out a noob if you think it's beneath you. I have never asked a question in a forum that I could answer through basic research, I therefore responded in the way I thought appropriate, if you want to answer the question feel free, so far you have not done so.
Autocrat Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 Well said. Bravo. Brilliant suggestion. Nominee for "One-liner of the year". Except for one tiny little thing - I haven't seen a user named "Autocrat" answering the same old questions on new threads like these which are created every day by lazy noobs who couldn't be bothered to read backdated posts with loads of good advice from other users. In fact, you haven't even suggested anything or answered the OP's question here. It's because I don't feel the need to piss on every thread unlike some people who think they're experts. And I have suggested something: if it's so painful, don't do it. Nobody's forcing you to, and more than likely nobody cares if you do or don't.
Stormer Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 I'm with the blokes that say if you don't want to answer something then just ignore it if you don't want to answer any particular questions. As stated nobody is making anyone answer them so you're probably just better off moving to another thread instead of whinging about it. For me personally i find it so much more annoying and "monotonous" people ****ing about others asking questions without searching than the people themselves actually asking the questions. I'd answer the opening posters question as best i could but that'd be useless now given he's been put off coming here for daring to ask for some advice. The nerve of him!
diesel Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 This thread is too funny! With all the effort put in by folks who don't want to answer the OPs question, his question would have been answered already half a dozen times from different people with different opinions. I know when I first started reading through the Forum, there was just soooo much info that I didn't know where to start. The Pana best price thread was under 100 pages and even then it was dauting. Once people have been around for a while you can get the gist of what's going on but it takes a while....
OzyDave Posted November 5, 2008 Posted November 5, 2008 It's because I don't feel the need to piss on every thread unlike some people who think they're experts. And I have suggested something: if it's so painful, don't do it. Nobody's forcing you to, and more than likely nobody cares if you do or don't. Well put. I tire of seeing people flamed on forums when all they want is some advice from people who know and are happy to share their experiences. I really think flaming posters is the internet parallel of road rage. I wish people would vent their pent up stress by yelling into an empty room or something less annoying to others who are more community minded.
swordfish805 Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 Well put. I tire of seeing people flamed on forums when all they want is some advice from people who know and are happy to share their experiences. I really think flaming posters is the internet parallel of road rage. I wish people would vent their pent up stress by yelling into an empty room or something less annoying to others who are more community minded. My view is the best response to these kind of requests is to point the noob in the right direction. Do a quick search, find an appropriate thread or post and then post a link to it in the noob's thread. That way they get what they need and forum resources and member time is less consumed with continually rewriting the same advice.
kulfi Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 There's a lot of information that disappears in old noob threads and it is still relevant to a lot of these daily queries. I'd suggest making a sticky thread for the most popular query - "I have around $1000 to $2500 to spend and want a plasma TV. Advice, prices and people's points of view". In this way, all the relevant information can be gathered into one place and for those who don't mind scrolling through a dozen pages, it'll be a goldmine. The major updates to this single thread will be in the form of prices, offers and upcoming models. Again, it'll be a one-stop shop for many users. FWIW, I also suggested two models to our resident "party boy" here. If you didn't like my asking you to read other posts and gather information by just scrolling through 3 pages of posts, it's your call. We are not lavatory attendants who are paid to answer the same questions about toilet paper/soap every few minutes. To go so far as to say I'm not community-minded is ridiculous. Why would I care to support the "HDTV Prices" thread and other such initiatives if I wasn't ? I would've done what a lot of people are doing nowadays - spammed up 5 posts, started a thread with my question, taken a receipt, bought my TV and got the hell out of here.
Guest EZYHD Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 Hey kulfi, thought you might recommend a Pangoo (lol) NOT
kulfi Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 Hey kulfi, thought you might recommend a Pangoo (lol) NOT Aargh ! Anything but the "Spamgoo". Want a "Nonsense", sorry "Hisense" instead ? The yum-cha virus has got into whitegoods as well. Got a catalogue from HN yesterday - Hisense fridges that cost exactly the same as Samsung/LG/Whirlpool, Haier microwaves for the price of a Sharp. Back on topic - Want a new plasma ? Got around $1600 ? Viewing distance of over 2m ? Don't care about Full HD ? Buy the 50" Pana PX80 and be happy. Want a new plasma ? Got around $2300 ? Desperately want Full HD ? Buy the 50" Pana PZ800 and be happy.
lukeo2 Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 What a funny forum this is ,so much passion and bickering over Telly's!! that said the information I got here was invaluable so I must thank the regulars for their input. Party man (if you are still there) and other new posters, the most common advice is to "go to a store and believe only what you see" but my experience is slightly different so here are my thoughts in no particular order: Don't be in a hurry Keep reading the new threads every couple of days to get a general idea of what works for most people. Balance that by going to a shop with someone who knows little (and cares less) as they won't be brand or price bias and get them to pick the TV with the best looking picture playing something that you will watch at home -free to air ,DVD,satellite etc. Then go to David Jones and get it price matched,open an account and pay it off interest free over a couple of years Pay for extended warranty,but check the small print as not all warranties are necessarily worth having-that's why I was happy to go with Pioneer -5 years guaranteed on site service. Worked for me,two years of prowling around these forums going cross eyed and having a new "favourite" TV every month and the wife walked in to a store looked at the sets for a few minutes went straight up to the Pioneer 508XDA and said "that one" - five minutes-no drama. I was covered because I knew so many people had had good experiences with them through this forum and that someone with an unbiased opinion thought it was a stand out. Couldn't be happier. Oh by the way,it really is worth looking at a few different threads because you will perhaps find a nice surprise.I found EZY HDMI cables wandering around here and got brilliant value,service and advice.Those cables make good gifts,I got a spare as they were so cheap and a friend was blown away when I gave them a cable when they were having their house re wired-lots of joy for not much money!! Cheers.
Guest MPC606 Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 Aargh ! Anything but the "Spamgoo". Want a "Nonsense", sorry "Hisense" instead ? The yum-cha virus has got into whitegoods as well. Got a catalogue from HN yesterday - Hisense fridges that cost exactly the same as Samsung/LG/Whirlpool, Haier microwaves for the price of a Sharp. Back on topic - Want a new plasma ? Got around $1600 ? Viewing distance of over 2m ? Don't care about Full HD ? Buy the 50" Pana PX80 and be happy. Want a new plasma ? Got around $2300 ? Desperately want Full HD ? Buy the 50" Pana PZ800 and be happy. $2300 - Show me the receipt...
Stormer Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 $2300 - Show me the receipt... I'd love to know where to get one at that price as well. It's all well and good to say shop around for it but i can't see getting it at that price in a hurry. Well not right now anyway, maybe when the xmas/new year sales are on. I'm after that model for a friend and if someone offered me that price right now i'd take it in a heartbeat.
Sticky Keyboard Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 $2300 - Show me the receipt... Even if there are receipts they often don't appy in all states. I think the Eastern states get better deals, or maybe there's more stores to bargain down.
Stormer Posted November 6, 2008 Posted November 6, 2008 Even if there are receipts they often don't appy in all states.I think the Eastern states get better deals, or maybe there's more stores to bargain down. Fair point regarding the eastern states get better deals. But i'm in Melbourne and a couple of suburbs from me in Thomastown there's a Harvey Norman, Good Guys and Clive Peeters all within 100m metres or so of each other and i've not been able to get close to $2300 for that model from any of them. Same deal down at Preston where there's a GG, JB, Retravision and Myer within a few hundred metres of each other and also a HN and Dick Smith Powerhouse less than a km away from them. You can't get much more competition than that and i've been to every one of those stores and again can't near that price.
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