[grizzledbiker]

Who's the winner here? Have a refurbed Akai on order. Akai 4294 deal But . . seriously thinking about going with the Daewoo on sale at CUSA instead. Daewoo DP42SM deal Opinions?

 

[rastargate]

I have seen them both side by side.... without a doubt daewoo wins..not even close. I don't think I evem have heard anyway say they thought otherwise.


Plus a refurbed plasma is very scarry.


Good luck..I just bought my last night..might go and buy another!

ray

 

[jcilarry]

Within the last couple weeks I have viewed these sets but separately at Costco and Compusa. The Daewoo was a clear winner, flawed though the not side by side comparison may be.

 

[grizzledbiker]

Any problems due to lack of DVI input?


so . . basically, I'd be a fool not to trot down to cusa and snag one of these before they are gone? Inspite of having a nasty cold and having to drive clear across town on icy wintry roads? Sale ends Sat. And since it's local, shouldn't be much of a hassle should I need to return it within 30 days or so. right? $1000 off? holy sheep dip! guess I'll travel . . .

 

[Ann]

....states this panel has 1500:1 contrast ratio, not 3000:1 as listed by some B&M retailers (maybe leading one to the wrong conclusion that this is you know who's glass). It has no DVI listed, and shows the warranty to be 12/12, not shorter as some sites have also listed. I have the 4294, have tweaked it, and I don't think the Woo looks any worse (maybe better). FWIW, I did hear somewhere here that the return policy is defective exchange only, no 100% MBG....so be sure you like it fine before you leap.

Ann

 

[grizzledbiker]

I want to be a smart shopper and not run off half cocked on an impulse. And since this purchase is something I will need to be satisfied with for sometime, I can afford the panny.

 

[grizzledbiker]

Just downloaded the owners manual from Daewoo's web site. And in the specs it is 3000:1. DP42SM owners manual That's pushing the Panny envelope. That fact alone is what's going to make me "pull the trigger" as you guys like to say. So we should see richer, deeper blacks. Better detail in the shadows, etc. if not with default then surely after it's been tweaked out.

 

[rogo]

Please, "take the plunge" instead of "pulling the trigger".... much less violent.

 

[Plasma George]

...after reading the Daewoo deals on this forum, I'm going down to check it out.

The Comp dude said Jan. 31st is the end of the sale, then the price jumps back up to $2999.

I promised myself not to get sucked into a SB promotion, oh well.

He said his DVD player runs into a splitter, then feeds all the plasmas, I asked him if he'd let me bring in an OTA HD receiver, and connect it directly to the plasmas and he said fine.! (he runs the TV department, and wants me to be satisfied, he's even curious what the EDs look like with HD)


So I'm planning on being there Friday night during the primetime network shows, and our PBS 1080i loop.

He said he has the Panny right next to it, so I plan on doing a full range of tests on both plasmas (1080i, 720p, 480i, 480p) to see if I see a $1000 PQ difference.

PS--my major frame of reference for HD is 1.5 years on my old Sampo 42S6, sold it with my old house, now I need another, and if Daewoo published 3000:1 comes close to Panny's 4000:1 contrast, I'm sold.

Just need to see it first hand.

 

[grizzledbiker]

We're getting dumped on here in west michigan. Finally dug my sled out last weekend. So now the debate begins: should I hit the trails with the guys and have a blast all weekend on my sled? Or dink around with this panel and listen to the wife *****? Maybe I'll get it basically set up so she can watch it via s-video on our current directv setup. (and then hit the woods.) But if I do that I usually get involved and 'bout the time I'm done horsin' around the day will be gone and I'll be p#@&ed.

 

[Ann]

Which is it?


Griz,

Their site here says 1500:1
http://www.e-daewoo.com/products/tvs/dp_42sm_detail.asp

and 3000:1 in the owners manual you post (says:*allowing for improvements). Make sure you get one of the improved ones. There's conflicting info all over their site.

Ann

 

[Compeller]

Griz,


Sorry about the snow... If you 've decided you want the Daewoo without venturing out quite yet, you can go to CUSA's website and order it there, to pick up at store (not delivery). They will reserve one for you to pick up later., Even though you have to give credit card info online, they don't charge your card until you actually go to the store and pick it up. In fact, if you decide not to buy it after you see it, they won't charge your card ever.


What's more, if you first go to ************** and sign up for their fatcash program, you'll earn an additional 2.2% discount (that's $44). You have to go to CompUsa through the ************** website to get the 2.2%. No reason not to.


COMP

 

[fventura]

As another note I believe CUSA charges a restocking fee (15%) for all opened returns unless you are exchanging a defective unit...

 

[franz-man]

Just got back from CompUSA to compare - since I have been tweaking the crap our of Akai from Costco with slim returns. The stupid guys have DVD hooked up through composite video and the signal was very poor BUT...the colors and contrast in the scenes I have been scrutinizing this past week were very good and definately win over the AKAI 4294.


So here comes the bad news. They have NONE!! the guy said they had 2 and the were sold the first 5 minutes they opened on Sunday. They only have the store display and he checked a dozen other stores and it is the same story - ZERO.


The sales guy said that in his many months working there he sees this behavior all time...advertise a sweet deal but only have 6 units or less to actually sell.


So if you are on the fence about this one don't sit too long, they will be gone soon if they aren't already. Add to this their SuperBowl return policy (i.e. you don't have a chance to return unless broken) I would say that the CompUSA deal looks better on paper then in real life.

 

[grizzledbiker]

locally we're still showing a few: Daewoo availability Of course we're buried in a snowstorm, roads are treacherous. Folks don't tend to buy big ticket items under these conditions. Otherwise I'm sure we'd be wiped out of 'em as well. You could do like compeller suggests and order it on-line.

 

[grizzledbiker]

It is 3000:1, verified.


But, what I want to know, is this panny glass? Can anyone find out? Rogo?


on a side note: can anyone tell me where this phrase, "pull the trigger" originated? 1st place I ever heard it was in these forums. No one around here has either. Locally we only do that when we want to git rid of something. Like maybe an all tweaked out but still not so hot Akai. lol

 

[vince2]

Well, I visited my local CompUSA superstore tonight (for a different reason) and couldn't resist checking out the Daewoo and other plasmas on display. In a nutshell, this is a great value. It is MUCH MUCH better than the Akai I viewed at Costco. After putting many through the paces, I feel it compares favorably to displays I've seen costing twice as much. They had the Daewoo displayed on a wall with 6 other plasmas, from L to R: a 42" Viewsonic ($3K), A 42" Panasonic (42PA20U, $4.5K), a 50" Panasonic (50PX20U, $9K), a 42" Phillips (FD9954), a 50" Pioneer (5040HD, $10K), a 42" Hitachi (HDT50, $6K), then the Daewoo (DP42SM,$2K). All were being fed the same signals, the Ice Age on DVD and Oprah on a sat. feed (not optimal I know, but not my choice either). I was there for about an hour, and was able to fuss with the basic settings on each (no serious tweeking). With the DVD, you could really see the color improvement on the Pioneer. The Pioneer also had the most depth of the bunch. The Hitachi had a top notch picture too, with good resolution, but I found it's wide frame somewhat distracting. Suprisingly, I found the overall DVD picture on the 2 Panny's and the Phillips to be very similar (previously at another audition I thought the Panny's were better). The Daewoo held it's own among these latter units: less saturated, less depth, but very pleasing overall. The Viewsonic reminded me of the Akai...enough said. The real test came on the TV signal however: for me, Oprah is hard enough to watch but I must say she looked horrible on most of the units. Particularly the Pioneer, where faces of the big O and her guests where heavily posterized. I fiddled with the settings to no avail. I must say I was suprised how well the Daewoo handled this lower res signal. In fact, the picture quality was as good as the Panny's here. I know what your thinking, go ahead and flame me, but I was suprised too. I think if you watch more TV than movies, then the Daewoo is a no-brainer. The downside to the Daewoo is that it lacks the resolution for true HD, but I suspect high-def signals will still look good on this unit. It also lacks the DVI input, tuner, and speakers found on other units. I think there is a large number of people who don't need these options. I wouldn't recommend it as the centerpiece of a high-end HT, but for a bedroom or family room application I think it is a good deal.

 

[vince2]

Unfortunately, I did not check to see whether the DP42 model had Alis glass like other Daewoo models. I'm tempted to go back and see, but I'm afraid I may end up coming home with one to a wife remarking "yet another TV?". As stated earlier, returns are restricted to store credit for faulty units only, a policy that covers all their higher-priced TV's as a reasonable anti-SB scamming measure.

 

[grizzledbiker]

Thank you for that report. This will be my first plasma. And as such will be my primarly HT unit. Will be connecting via newer hd directv receiver. In addition I will be initially checking it out in HTPC setup. I do like the way they specifially mention connection of a PC. Owners manual shows an available resolution of 1280x720 (720p). However they recommend either 640x480 or 800x600. Looking forward to playing with it. Scheduled myself to pick it up in the a.m.

 

[Plasma George]

...budget vs. budget.?

It seems from different opinions, the Daewoo wins over the Akai,

but how about vs. the Gateway.?

Different reviews say the Sampo had better PQ and colors, and the 42S6 happened to be my previous model.

Is the the Gateway worth $500 more.?