OK! Your LCD! You Tell Me! Got a new one? post it here - Page 4

1. The "Model" you have.
Sony KDL-46XBR2

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
-Picture quality
-native 1080p
-Good experience historically w/Sony TVs
-Unique look
-Lots of Inputs

3. What you like best about your LCD.
-Picture quality
-High level of adjustments possible


4. What you don't like about your LCD.
-Paranoid about clouding issue....but I'm ok now (I don't see any, so even if it's there I don't care).
-No PIP
-Slow tuning on HD stations over antenna (maybe this is common in all HDTVs?)


5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
- PIP

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
-add PIP

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
-Picture quality blew me away
-Much better at home than in a showroom
-Very quiet when running

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
-None so far

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
-Tough to say, 3K is a lot to pay for a TV; however, I wanted something as "future proof" as possible so I bought this set. It's all about supply and demand, so you can't argue too much with the price (especially considering I needed to wait about 2 weeks before Sony shipped my TV).

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
- I think this is an oustanding tv. Nothing bad to say so far. I would assume prices would keep falling on these sets, but at some point you need to jump in.

negotiate hard, bring up the stores competition, get a great price

1. The "Model" you have.
SONY-KDL46XBR2

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
2 months of exhaustive internet research and many trips to BB & CC

3. What you like best about your LCD.
Amazing picture quality, sexy design

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
minor clouding visible but not enough for me to return it

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
dedicated buttons on the remote so you don't have to scroll through inputs

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
lower price

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
how great sd looks on this tv

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
minor clouding

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
I think this tv is overpriced. I got it on black friday so it was reasonable but still a little more than I wanted to pay for a flat panel

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged
it's easy to get scared away from this amazing tv by the cloudy thread on this forum and all the scary stories in there but i am so happy i got this tv (even with my minor clouding) it's just that much better in my opinion than any other lcd available today. don't be scared away from this tv by all the negative posts...i'm really glad that I wasn't!

1. The "Model" you have.
Samsung LN-S4095

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Ton of research, personal observations, PQ, and a good price

3. What you like best about your LCD.
Incredible picture, no break-in concerns, sleek design

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Nothing about this one (my first one was a dud)

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
Nothing comes to mind immediately. Give me time though.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Nothing currently.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How great everything looks, even SD.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
Nothing.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
It depends. Prices are improving, at least on most sets, and I felt like this was worth it--hard to quantify a PQ to price ratio, but this seems pretty damn good.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged
So happy not to have to deal with clouding or banding issues. It's a beautiful set in all respects.

1. The "Model" you have.
Sammy LC4692D, 46''

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
User Reviews on here and other sources all gave this the highest rating.

3. What you like best about your LCD.
Size, PQ, Value all combined. Like the swivel stand and the excellent SD PQ. Like that it has PIP and two HDMI's, I will use that.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Not a fan of the glossy piano finish, flat black matches my stand and other equip much better.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
The Sharp LC42D6 has a neat feature that automatically adjusts the backlight brightness of the set based on the room's lighting. You could see it adjusting as you put your finger on the sensor. That's a neat feature that prevents you from having to adjust the brightness when you have daylight vs lights off at night. Woulda been nice... Also wish it had one more component input.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Two HDMI and two Component would cover it... so why not add that 2nd component input?


7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How good the SD PQ looked in 4:3 mode... better than I had expected, and every bit as good as my old 32'' CRT.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
None so far, but it's brand new.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
Yes. Tracking these things since the summer, they've dropped by over 1/3 in price. ~$2K for a 46'' HD LCD TV is "worth it" to me. ~$3K for the same set and I would have waited.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
I had a tough choice between a Sharp 42'' 1080P LCD, and this Sammy 46'' that only does 720P or 1080i. In the end, I chose the larger screen, in part because it had two HDMI's and better SD PQ, but also the swivel and PIP are features I will use a lot of that the Sharp lacks. Both looked great on HD, but so long as most of the broadcast world is still on SD, so SD PQ mattered a lot to me, and this Sammy looks just fine, even using an old SVideo cable from an old Tivo box. Can't wait to get D*'s HD installed.. only 28 more days for that

1. The "Model" you have.

Sony KDL-46XBR3

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.

One year of reading AVS forums posts and visiting stores. I changed my list from plasma to LCD in the past three months. In the past month I decided on the Sony LCD line. I spent the last several weeks wavering between a 40" and 46" and the V2500 vs the XBR. I am glad that I chose the 46" for a viewing distance of 8.5' to 9.5'. I am sure the V2500 line would have been great but I am happy with my XBR decision.

3. What you like best about your LCD.

Picture Quality

4. What you don't like about your LCD.

The additional width due to the floating glass on the XBR. Location of the HDMI ports on back of TV.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.

PIP

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.

Lower the price of the XBR line. Change the location of the HDMI ports. The HDMI ports are not accessible when the Salamander Design mount bracket is installed.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.

The quality of the picture is very good with only component cable. I have to get a longer HDMI cable and will be connecting this cable in two weeks.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.

I was concerned about the clouding issue so I looked for this. I feel my TV is fine with the light sensor off. I have an October build.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.

I would feel better if the price would drop by $500 in next 30 days.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

1. The "Model" you have.
Sharp LCD40U
2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Price, reputation, picture quality, features
3. What you like best about your LCD.
price
4. What you don't like about your LCD.
sound less than midrange CRT quality
5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
PIP
6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
none

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How much OTA HD was available in my area
8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
none
9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
yes, ($899.00 for Sharp HDTV built-in, 32")
10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

1. The "Model" you have.
Vizio GV42L

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Price for the size. I walked up and down the Costco TV isles and finally decided on the Vizio 42" LCD. Sure, there were better sets, but no where near this price point.

3. What you like best about your LCD.
Styling and picture quality.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Blacks could be better. Off-angle viewing is questionable, but not horrible.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
Can't think of any. But this is my first flat panel display, so I have nothing to compare it to. It's my "learning" model.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Better preset picture modes. All presets are too dark.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How well it fit into my room/environment.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
None so far.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
I think they are finally within reach to the "normal" consumer. (At least the 720p models, which is really good enough for the masses...)

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Work to improve on the viewing angle.

1. The "Model" you have.
KDL-40XBR3.

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
My wife, and I can't afford a plasma 1080p.

3. What you like best about your LCD.
Overall PQ.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Difficult to get faces/skin tone perfect.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
Cablecard.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Provide some detailed help in the manual for using white balance to adjust grayscale.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
Having a headphone jack, Nice.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
None after two weeks.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
It's worth it if you want it.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

1. The "Model" you have.
Digistar LC-4010p

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Low price and high(er) quality.

3. What you like best about your LCD.
HDMI input allows for great picture quality. 40 inch screen, with 1366 resolution.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Analog regular TV signals look crappy. Compared to other high end flat panels, it appears to be on par, though. This appears to be a disadvantage of larger digital screens, and not this model in particular. I have mine hooked up to an APC uninteruptable power supply, and it seems to have made the picture quality much better compared to straight wall plug-in. Sometimes the TVs picture settings are lost for no reason, and need to be reset. Digital Noise Reduction is useless, and turns itself on sometimes.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
1080p. More than 1 HDMI input. More customizable color/brightness settings.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Allowing you to make your own settings, and save each as its own configuration, instead of the defaults plus the one you can make.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
HDMI-viewed DVDs are of computer-like picture quality. I was amazed at how vibrent Finding Nemo and Toy Story were. Crisp, pure digital movie viewing.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
The refresh rate is not published anywhere. I can say that it's not ultra fast.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
Mine cost me $1080.00 Canadian (Nov/2006) which equates to about $850-$900 US.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Purchased at Wal-Mart. No reviews can be found online for this model at this time. It was a good purchase, in my opinion.

1. The "Model" you have.
Samsung LNS3251D

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
3 months of research, positive reviews, side by side comparison with other TVs


3. What you like best about your LCD.
My Sammy and the Sony XBR seemed to have best picture quality of 32" LCD (very crisp picture and accurate colors), 2 HDMIs, overall looks, swivel stand, good black levels for LCD.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Seems to have a bit of back light bleeding on edges but nothing major. Black crush affect isn't as fixable as I would like.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
Sliding backlight controls as opposed to only 4 preset backlight settings (off,low med, high) other than that it seems pretty loaded

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Make better backlight controls, option to turn off DNIe, Less edge bleeding, other than that keep up the good work. Pass de-interlacing tests.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How big a 32" is in my room (they seem smaller in stores) and how SD isn't as bad as people say (even on analog)

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
Backlight bleeding (I think I've made that point by now, it's not even that bad)

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
After getting it into my house and seeing the pictue quality, yes I do. They really aren't that expensive anymore and they look fantastic!!!

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
I did tons of research and kept coming back to Samsung, Their TV's don't pass de-interlacing test so it made me hesitant, but beside that it's got the most going for it of any LCD in it's price range IMO. Picking a HDTV for me was a game of weighing pros and cons. And after it was all said and done. The Sammy came out on top. The picture quality is very impressive (I am watching letterman through analog HD and all I can say is WOW!) and it even looks great when the TV is not on too. I would definately recommend this TV from my experinces so far. I will update this if anything changes

OK! Your LCD! You Tell Me! Got a new one? post it here

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Just got a new LCD Flat Panel? Post it here ONLY. Please do not post projection models.

Tell me the following:

1. The "Model" you have.
Philips 32PF7421D/37 (32" LCD)

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
I went to Best Buy to buy a Sharp LC-32D40U advertised at a big discount. I checked the Sharp on display. I noticed the Sharp looked dull compared to some of the other 32" LCD's. The remote for the sharp was there and I tried to adjust to screen but no matter what I did it still didn't look as good as some of the others. To me the Philips was cheapest priced 32" on display that looked as good as the more expensive models. It was also on sale but 100.00 more than the sale price of the Sharp. But the price difference was more than worth it.

3. What you like best about your LCD.
The excellent picture

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
I wish it had more than 1 HDMI input.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
1 more HDMI input and easier to maneuver menus.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
See #5

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How great the picture was.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
The only problem I had was not with the Philips but the Comcast Cable STB. The DVI/HDMI connection from the cable box to the TV had the best picture but it occasionally screwed-up causing me to have to use the component video connection. I'm using my DVD recorder on The TV's HDMI input now. When Comcast works out the bugs with their STB I will go back to using the HDMI input for cable.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
They are certainly better than a year or 2 ago. The Philips is in the bedroom replacing a 14 year old 20" Sharp CRT that still works great. I was in the market for a new big screen HDTV for the family room 3 years ago. The flat panels were just way too expansive and I purchased a 55" rear projection Mitsubishi HDTV. If I was to do it today I would have gone with a big screen flat panel.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
The Philips 32PF7421D/37 is a great 32" LCD and I would recommend it to anyone.

eddie

Just got a new LCD Flat Panel? Post it here ONLY. Please do not post projection models.

Tell me the following:

1. The "Model" you have.

Sharp LC37D40U

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.

Decent price, great picture and color accuracy on greens.

3. What you like best about your LCD.

Picture quality, with a decent signal input, it looks fantastic!

4. What you don't like about your LCD.

Slow response to remote inputs on some functions, and I really don't like the remote much.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.

PIP wouldn't be bad.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.

Inputs on the right side of the TV are kind of a hassle. On the bottom might be better, and cable management is a joke.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.

How easy it was to install.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.

None, any problems I've had have been with the cable box.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.

Yes, spread over the lifespan of the set.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

Don't really have any.

OK, not a likely quote for a Red Sox fan, but you see, I have been perusing these forums trying to decide on a new LCD to replace my 27" RCA CRT. I ama full time non-traditional college student,so mostly I was trying to figure out how I long I was gonna be sleeping on the sofa when I brought one home. Problem solved. You see, my wife keps al of her plants on top of the entertainment center (which I can't stand), and, you guessed it, while I was out buying her a Christmas gift, she overwatered her plants and fried the CRT. She wonders why I'm not more upset . So now to pick out a 46" LCD. Any suggestions?

Jeff,

That was good thinking to water the plants before she did so that they would overflow when she went to water them Don't worry, she never has to know that.

As far as sets, what is your budget for a 46"? I have a 42" Sharp Aquos and they also make a 46". Its a wonderful tv.

1. The "Model" you have.
Samsung LN S4321W 23"
2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Reccomendation of repair person- Needed smaller screen for small room
3. What you like best about your LCD.
Size (thickness) & pq.
4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Slow response to volume control
5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
Zoom pic size - lower cost wall mount
6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Add features mentioned here. Direct input (change) to CC
What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
That the PIP was for computer input (or maybe I haven't learned how to use it?)
8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
get two pics when first turn it on. This may be cable problem. (goes away after channel change)
9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
If they come down a bit -The wall mount is too $$
10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Overall pic quality is good. Only had it a few days, so far so good.

I had that same problem with my new Philips 32" LCD. Also on occasion my entire picture would be washed out and I could only see shadows. The problems were caused by using the Comcast Cable STB with HDMI/DVI connection. I switched to component video cables and the problems went away. There are others on this forum that had the same problem.

~eddie

1. The "Model" you have. Sanyo DP26746

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model. $399 at Costco, refurbished at factory

3. What you like best about your LCD. Smooth filmlike images with an upconverting DVD player. Can get all the Dallas HDTV stations with a Radio Shack double bowtie indoor antenna, 30 miles away.

4. What you don't like about your LCD. nothing yet

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had. Color Temp adjustment

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD. Need to tweak the blue level up a bit, but can't find any service menu info.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it. Yes

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged. Great bedroom HDTV

Just got a Vizio "42 kdl2000"at costco and had to return it because when you turned it down very low,[as not to wake someone sleeping] the sound was distorted just a little bit , but enough that I had to return it.
Now 12/26/06 Im looking into the 46 lcd vizio.So far from what I have read on the spec. the 46 isn't any better .I ll have to see and hear it in person.
None at ct. stores.

1. LG - 47lb1da

2. price, 2 year warranty

3. crispness

4. black levels...

5. 1080p DVI input

6. get better black levels

7. ???

8. none yet

9. yeah

10. LG is very underrated

..........
Has anyone seen or know when costco will get the vizio 47 LCD?Costco just knows that they have some on order.no date as yet.

PGAtour,

I am a full-time, non-traditional college student, so cost is certainly an important consideration. I have my eye on the Vizio 46" for it's built in tuners (although I am hoping to accomplish this with my HTPC) and the Eye-Fi 47" for it's 1080p. I really need to stay around the $2000 mark.

1. The "Model" you have.
Westinghouse LVM-42w2

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Price, I/O, 1080p

3. What you like best about your LCD.
All those listed above

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
Westinghouse customer supprt and buggy firmware

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
Nothing, close to perfect

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Straighten up the tech support and the internal control.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
Overkill size for my bedroom

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
-Vertical banding
-Poor reception from the remote
-PS3 and hdmi handshaking issue (solved by using DVI) - flickering/blinking screen
-No HDCP support on DVI1
-Cannot adjust RGB aside from getting into service menu
-No service center in Canada

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
With all the problems around the TVs nowadays, I think they are still overpriced. The westinghouse is the only TV that I think is fairly priced and worth buying.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Apparently just about every TV has its own problems. Paying a few times more $$ for $ony, Samsung and other big brands does not mean that you'd be safe from having issues with your TV. 1080p os probably still not "neccessary" as far as gaming is concerned, after all most games are only done in 720p.

Just purchased a Vizio vx37l from Costco and feel very smug I only paid so lttle for it considering the nice picture

Tell me the following:

1. The "Model" you have.

LG 37LC2D

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.

After considering / comparing the Samsung LN-S3251D, a Sharp LC-32D40U and the LG 32LC2D / LG 37LC2D, I decided primarily based on an eyes and ears test in my local Best Buy. By chance the four sets were all in a quadrant so it was easy to compare all four.

None of the 32 TVs would have been much of an increase in size (width yes, height no). When comparing with mid-level video on all settings, I thought they were all comparable. The LG clearly had the best sound, so that was desirable and of course price allowed up-scaling to the 37 in LG.

3. What you like best about your LCD.

So far I am very happy with all features of the LG. It's been just a week since I installed the set, so hard to say much, other than we are very pleased in SD and HD both.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.

At the moment I am using component cables, but anticipate wishing for another HDMI input. Still, a simple switch eliminates this issue, so not a deal killer.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.

See 4. Snorkle a great all-in-one remote (think Logitech) would be nice!

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.

NA

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.

How heavy the stand was! I removed it to wall mount (see below).

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.

NA

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.

Yes, though I fully expect continued price deflation and product enhancements in all electronics.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

To my surprise, not a single person in any store I visited understood what VESA meant (though most had product tags which included the letters). I needed to use an articulating wall mount to provide good viewing angle in the chosen location.

The LG 37LC2D does not conform to VESA 75, 100 0r 200 (center mounting), and needs the vertical bar mounts common to most larger plasma / LCD sets. I ended up buying an Omnimount FPCL and mated that to a standard wall mount.

Both the look and function of an articulating mount is not to be dismissed. I am still dialing in cable management, but love the clean space saving arrangement.

etchsketch

1. The "Model" you have.
Samsung LN-S4696D

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
The picture quality when side by side against the Sony and Sharp brands. If all three brands cost the same, I'd still pick out the Samsung.

3. What you like best about your LCD.
The swivel/pivoting stand.


4. What you don't like about your LCD.
The sound could be better. The remote is a bit slow. Not crazy about the glossy bezel because finger prints are very noticeable on it.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
A 3rd component hookup.


6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
Matte bezel. Faster remote.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
How good standard definition looked. I was expecting alot worse. But my livingroom is very long and I sit pretty far from the TV.


8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
I have one obvious cloudy streak that rises up vertically from the center bottom of the screen(right above the Samsung logo). It's about 12 inches long and about 2 inches wide. It veers off to the left of the screen.

It is only visable when changing channels as when the screen goes black for a few seconds. I don't see it during dark scenes while images are broadcasting. Nor do I see it when there are the black bars on widescreen DVD movies.

Also I notice a "green push" while watching cartoons. On things that are normally suppose to be yellow, they look yellow-green now.


9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
No.

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
This forum helped me tremendously in making my decision.

1. The "Model" you have.

Vizio GV42L

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.

Price and good reviews and lots of features.

3. What you like best about your LCD.

The ease of use, picture and the fact that I have integrated everything into one screen now.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.

Nothing at this point.

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.

Not sure yet it does do a whole bunch of things.

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.

None.

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.

The picture quality.

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.

None

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.

Yes

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.

I now have this as the center piece of what I am calling a media center. I have a Yamaha RX-V1300 with three dvd players, Direct TV sd dvr hooked up with component, svhs and composite. XBOX 360 hooked up component. Computer hooked up RGB 1366x768x32 using a wireless keyboard and mouse. OTA HDTV (2 stations) and also basic cable picking up the 5 local HDTV signals using the QAM tuner. I am pretty much blown away by this melding of various medias into one unit. Plan is to next week look into getting a HD DVD player probably a HD-A2 and then in the next 2 months or so change over to Direct TV HD. Did all of this while wife was away at her sisters, now I just have to convince her that this is the way things are going now days. lol

1a. Olevia 327-S12 (27") HD Monitor,
1b. LG 32LC2D (32") HDTV.

2a. Olevia - post Christmas sale at Fry's Electronics, good price & my SO wanted a bigger TV in her room.
2b. LG - New Years weekend sale at CC for the LR TV - used for regular HDTV/SDTV viewing in the LR.
NOTE: We got our DirecTV upgraded to HD service last November and wanted 16:9 HDMI displays for regular viewing.

3a. The Olevia has an excellent (much better than expected ) picture and just fits the top shelf of the equipment rack (DIY audio/video bookshelf). It is a significant improvement over the 17" Proview 16:9 LCD that it replaces.
3b. Likewise, the LG also just fits the shelf space (a 37 & up won't fit) in the LR. It replaced an old 27 Sony CRT set and is only ½ wider . I had seen the LG 32LC2D & 37LC2D models in my local Radio Shack store (they had a better picture than any of the other displays I saw). The picture is also a lot better than any of the LCD models that I saw in Costco (Visio, Sharp, et al) - they all had bad motion blur on panning scenes .

4a. Olevia - nothing except for lousy speakers - I'm using the 2.1 channel receiver output for the audio, so it doesn't matter. I haven't calibrated it yet, except for some eyeball tweaking of the Color Temperature and Brightness for a better-looking display.
4b. The LG won't auto-switch formats, but I suspect that this is more a problem with the H20 STB that I have in the LR. Also, I'm having picture drop-outs with the HDMI input , so I'm using the Component connections. Again, this may be due to the H20 and not the LG.

5. It's too soon to tell on either display. My current movie viewing is using a calibrated front PJ on a 106 screen, so I have some experience (I've had 5 PJs over the last 20 years). The menu structure of the LG leaves something to be desired, but I haven't had a chance to read the manual, but it's not as intuitive as the Olevia is.

6. Again, it's too soon to tell. The Olevia has a lot of adjustments for a very low cost display. The LG should take a note of their Hong Kong neighbors - it's menu structure is difficult to navigate and the sub-menu structure does not do what is implied by the titles, but I did a quick setup (so I could watch the Rose Parade in HD) and haven't read the manual at all.

7a. The Olevia works real well with my older HTL-HD D* STB using the DVI to HDMI connection. The Olevia will auto-switch 4:3 and 16:9 formats because of the way I have the HTL-HD STB setup (DVI output to HDMI input on the Olevia). It also seems to have less LCD Motion Blur (on panning scenes) than the 27 to 37 LCD sets that I saw at Costco .
7b. The LG has an excellent picture using the Component inputs. Using the HDMI connection, the PQ seems to be slightly better, both sharper and apparent better resolution (it should be ).

8a. Out of the box, the Olevia looked like it had a haze covering the screen . I lowered the Color Temperature and the Brightness and that solved that problem. It appeared to be overdriving the panel/backlight.
8b. The LG had a good picture out of the box. Reducing the Color Temperature, Brightness, and Contrast a little really improved it though. The biggest problem is the HDMI signal dropouts, which could be due to the H20 STB and not the display (I will have to try my up-converting DVD player to be sure it's not the LG).

9a. With the sale price at Fry's, the Olevia was definitely worth it (I still paid $100 less than I did for my old 27 Sony CRT, even with the Fry's extra 5 year warranty).
9b. Even on sale, the LG from CC was still overpriced, but only by about 10%, IMHO (relative to single tube CRTs of roughly the same size). Given that the LCD draws about half the power, or less, mitigates the extra cost (and at about 1/3 the weight, it's also a lot easier to move).

10a. The Olevia 27 was a fabulous buy. I don't know how well their 32 & 37 sets perform relative to the 27, but they won't work in my LR because of their side mounted speakers. The extra width may look cool but sure hurts the ability to fit into cramped spaces. The side speakers should allow for better speakers, but the ones on the 27-er are pretty bad (and much worse than the smaller ones on the LG).
10b. The LG seems to have a very good contrast ratio (but I haven't calibrated it yet, and I should be able to get better black levels). LG's XD engine also seems to do a very good job on SD signals, as advertised. Their IPS (in-plane-switching) LCD panel seems to be doing its job too. I'm watching the Capitol One Bowl (ESPN on ABC) on my OTA antenna, it's much better than the D* feed (it looks crisper - most likely due to D*'s signal compression).
NOTE: Both sets have digital audio outputs so a decent surround sound system can be used instead of the, relatively, poor internal speakers . I knew this before my purchases, so this aspect was of no concern.

1. The "Model" you have.
Philips 32" 32PF7421D/37

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
I got it for a crazy low price ($400 brand new)...dont ask me how :-)
Wasnt shopping for one yet....but couldnt resist price.


3. What you like best about your LCD.
Good SD PQ, didnt see HD on it yet....because i dont get my HD cablebox till tomorrow.

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
1 HDMI connection, no PIP

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
See #4

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
#4

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
Good PQ with DVD's

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
Pixel Plus, sometime its good, sometime it sux

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
I know my price was....

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
Report Post
If your looking for a low cost tv with great PQ.......this should be your pick.

1. The "Model" you have.
Sony KDL-XBR3 46"

2. What convinced you to purchase this particular model.
Picture and contrast ratio reviews

3. What you like best about your LCD.
The picture, and all the setting controls

4. What you don't like about your LCD.
The fact that most are plagued with Mura "cloudiness" problems

5. What "Feature(s)" you wish your LCD had.
a DVI input

6. What advice or suggestion would you make to the "Manufacturer" about your LCD.
FIX AL THE SETS WITH CLOUDY MURA ISSUES

7. What was your biggest "Surprise" after you received your LCD.
My set did not have clouds

8. What "Problems or Issues" have you had with your LCD.
the factory setting were total crap, it took about a day of playing to get the picture looking good.

9. Do you really think that todays "Prices" are worth it.
Not worth 4k, 3k maybe

10. Any additional information that you want to add is encouraged.
If you buy a sony set open it in a dark room, turn the set to black input and check for backlighting problems IE Clouds