Opinions on Samsung and Toshiba LCD TVs

[sg2386]

I'm in the market for 40"- 42" LCD, my choice has been narrowed down to two models;

Samsung LN40B610
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...bf2d6fb4aeen02

Toshiba 42ZV650U
http://www.bestbuy.ca/EN-CA/product/...Y_hmpg1_slide1

I read mixed reviews on both, but there were people i talked to that were raving over the Toshiba, but after reading CNET's review, they didn't seem to like it that much giving a 3/5, and i read some reviews that some these panels suffer from light leakage or something.

I'm leaning towards the Samsung, since i hear great things about their LCDs.

I already have 2 plasmas; 50" Pioneer Kuro in the basement and 42" Panasonic G15 in the living room so looking for an LCD for my bedroom.

Any thoughts? and if you guys have another recommendation, feel free to add them.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by sg2386

I'm in the market for 40"- 42" LCD, my choice has been narrowed down to two models;

Samsung LN40B610
http://www.beta.bestbuy.ca/Errors/ErrorPage.aspx

Toshiba 42ZV650U
http://www.beta.bestbuy.ca/Errors/ErrorPage.aspx

I read mixed reviews on both, but there were people i talked to that were raving over the Toshiba, but after reading CNET's review, they didn't seem to like it that much giving a 3/5, and i read some reviews that some these panels suffer from light leakage or something.

I'm leaning towards the Samsung, since i hear great things about their LCDs.

I already have 2 plasmas; 50" Pioneer Kuro in the basement and 42" Panasonic G15 in the living room so looking for an LCD for my bedroom.

Any thoughts? and if you guys have another recommendation, feel free to add them.

I'm curious about why you narrowed it down to these two. Is it price, availability at Best Buy, or some other factors?

There are plenty of Samsung haters out there, but there's nothing wrong with the models; it's the support if something goes wrong that seems to tick people off. I'm a Sony fan myself, but I know plenty of Samsung owners who are delighted with their sets.

Toshiba has set itself up in a bad way with some earlier units that were pretty unsatisfactory. I'd be skeptical of those units, if you're looking for longevity.

I'd go with the Samsung, if you like the unit, and the price.

[Wingman1977]

My advice is to window shop and compare prices and multiple brands. You'll never know that you'll be surprised by a sale (I had my eye on a particular model but with some shopping around, I found and purchased a 46' XBR9 for under $1600 @ PC Richard & Son where everyone else who carries it is charging over $2,000 for it). Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with having a budget and a particular brand in mind, just stay open minded and you could be pleasantly surprised with what you find.

[sg2386]

Originally Posted by Blu-Dog

I'm curious about why you narrowed it down to these two. Is it price, availability at Best Buy, or some other factors?

There are plenty of Samsung haters out there, but there's nothing wrong with the models; it's the support if something goes wrong that seems to tick people off. I'm a Sony fan myself, but I know plenty of Samsung owners who are delighted with their sets.

Toshiba has set itself up in a bad way with some earlier units that were pretty unsatisfactory. I'd be skeptical of those units, if you're looking for longevity.

I'd go with the Samsung, if you like the unit, and the price.

I was also considering other Samsung models like the LN40B540 and LN40B550, but those were only 60Hz and the 610 seems to be the only Samsung 40" LCD with 120Hz at the moment.

I want to stay the hell away from LG since i hear nothing but horror stories from friends and family about their Plasma and LCD.

I don't really like Sharp, their sets are really good if you don't have the banding issue; not sure if this is still a problem.

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

My advice is to window shop and compare prices and multiple brands. You'll never know that you'll be surprised by a sale (I had my eye on a particular model but with some shopping around, I found and purchased a 46' XBR9 for under $1600 @ PC Richard & Son where everyone else who carries it is charging over $2,000 for it). Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with having a budget and a particular brand in mind, just stay open minded and you could be pleasantly surprised with what you find.

I think i'm going to go to couple stores and check out some models. I was also considering the Sony XBR9, but those are too expensive for my needs, i only want one for the bedroom so about $900-$1100 seems right for my budget. If i was putting it in my living room or basement then i would consider spending $2000 or more.

I love my Kuro and G15 Plasmas so don't want to move those.

[recS-12]

At the moment there is either a class action suit pending or gathering info for one against Samsung. The lcd models are having powering up issues just after the warranty expires. Mine included. I was planning on buying a new LED LCD Samsung but am waiting to see the outcome of things pending. There are other options available I would strongly recommend researching and demo'ng at stores.

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by sg2386

I was also considering other Samsung models like the LN40B540 and LN40B550, but those were only 60Hz and the 610 seems to be the only Samsung 40" LCD with 120Hz at the moment.

I want to stay the hell away from LG since i hear nothing but horror stories from friends and family about their Plasma and LCD.

I don't really like Sharp, their sets are really good if you don't have the banding issue; not sure if this is still a problem.



I think i'm going to go to couple stores and check out some models. I was also considering the Sony XBR9, but those are too expensive for my needs, i only want one for the bedroom so about $900-$1100 seems right for my budget. If i was putting it in my living room or basement then i would consider spending $2000 or more.

I love my Kuro and G15 Plasmas so don't want to move those.

I believe your views on LG and Sharp to be a bit out of touch. They like every manufacturer including Samsung and Toshiba have had issues with certain models, but this is not a reflection of these companies on a whole. LG for instance doesn't have a history of major issues with their sets. Their LCD's are especially reliable and I know firsthand since I had one for nearly two years without any issues. I sold it to a friend and its still going strong. the only thing I've seen as an issue with LG LCD's is that they've lagged behind others in black level.

LG was mostly criticized over the years with lagging behind others in regards to image retention on their plasmas. I believe this to also be an overblown issue with their newer sets from experience with my mother's set which she has owned for nearly a year now without any problems. Upon initial setup I changed orbitor settings and calibrated it out of the overly bright default settings and I have yet to see any retention on her set. No other issues have surfaced either.

I would suggest that you look at THIS PCMag survey that shows how reliable LG and Sharp are in relation to other manufacturers. LG and Vizio had the fewest repair percentage of all manufacturers coming in at only 2%, and Sharp is respectively close at 3%. Samsung and Sony have a dismal 7% and 8% repair rate respectively.

As for Sharp, yes the banding issue is well documented, but this wasn't present in all sets. It seemed to only occur with certain lines. If I'm not mistaken the current lines do not have this issue. Another thing I will point out is that both LG and Sharp have produced some very impressive LED sets with the LG being regarded as one of the top 3 TV's on the market by respected calibrator Chad B. over on avsforum. It really is that good.

He has also revieved THIS Sharp LED which is a set that I think you should consider as it is one of the best deals out there and a most impressive set it is. This retailer ships to Canada and after duties and taxes it will probably still come out cheaper than buying it locally there. You can check out Chad B.'s review of this set HERE.

[Wingman1977]

Problem with the LG LCD/LED line are that the black levels are not as good as other brands.

EDIT: I take that back, LH90 240Hz LED backlight display have very solid black levels.