Recommend me a telly to blow $2500 on

August 30, 2009 3:37 PM

[Australia] Which television should I buy for AU$2500?

I am going to buy a nice big TV. Everybody's doing it! So I've got circa $2500 saved up, but the amount of stuff out there frankly boggles my mind.

But I figure, I'm not the only one who ever bought a TV, and probably a few of you have done it recently, so what do you recommend? If it helps, it will principally be for Xboxing/Playstationing and DVD/download viewing. I don't actually watch TV.

Halp plox.

(Note: I'd also love to hear recommendations about brands and models etc. from non-Australians)

posted by turgid dahlia to shopping (10 comments total)

I reccommend the Sony Bravia. I have one and it's been brilliant. My PS3 is connected to it and Bluray discs look incredible on it, as does other HD content and games like Killzone 2 and Street Fighter IV. Make sure it's LCD (I think its way better than any plasma screen I've ever seen as far as image quality is concerned and since you're gaming response times count) and at least a minimum of 40". Accept nothing less.

When/if you get one, check out this question I previously posted about how to fine tune the colour settings to make things look even better.

As it happens, on the way into work this morning I heard on the radio that Harvey Norman is having a big sale on Bravias. You should see if you can get some good deals. If you're paying cash you'll no doubt be able to get them to knock a few hundred off on top of the sale price.

I assume you already have a PS3, but if you don't and are planning on buying one (or trading it in for a PS3 Slim), the added bonus of a Bravia is that the new Playstation Slim will have Bravia Synch, meaning you can control the PS3 using the Bravias remote (as opposed to needing a seperate remote for the PS3 as I do now).
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:14 PM on August 30

Whoops. I actually meant to refer you to this question, but the one about fine tuning the PS3 settings will help you out too.
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:27 PM on August 30

Samsung is a good brand for LCD TVs and if you are going to be gaming on it you will probably want a true HD set, 1080P resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. I currently have a 32" 1080P Samsung I use as a monitor and when I am playing FPS games I notice a little bit of ghosting that I assume would be better with 120Hz refresh. I'm in Canada so I am not sure what size TV you can get for AUS $2500, but if I was spending that kind of monet here I would get something similar to this TV
posted by troll on a pony at 6:09 PM on August 30

Seconding Effigy2000s Bravia recommendation. Works great with my PS3, as it should. I have a smallish living room, so bought a 32", wish I had got the 40" jobbie. JB Hi Fi Has the 40" Z series, with Bravia Sync & 200Hz, "rrp $2541, ask for a deal". JB HiFi
posted by Duke999R at 7:00 PM on August 30

Well, I went into the Sony Centre here in Brissy at lunchtime today and told the dude what I was after. He quoted me $2050 on a 40" Bravia KDL40W5500 plus $249 for a 5 year warranty, and then a Sony "Home Theatre In Box 5.1CH 100W x 5 + 200W" for a further $700.

Took that quote to Harvey Norman and after a lot longer than I think was strictly warranted, the guy came back with a $1888 quote on the TV plus $210 for the 5 year warranty.

I'm going to shop around a few other places - JB, WOW, Good Guys - and get some more quotes but I think I'll be going back to the Sony store because not only did he say that he could do it cheaper than any other quoted price (that was the gist of what he said, at least), but I was impressed with his knowledge and efficiency. And the TV itself, which looked great.

More news as it breaks, and keep the recommendations coming!
posted by turgid dahlia at 9:49 PM on August 30

Consider waiting until the LED tvs come down in price. I've only seen Samsung LEDs in retail outlets, and I think they look so good they would be worth waiting for. Honestly, they look amazing, and if they are set up on display next to an LCD or plasma, playing the same blue-ray HD version of a Pixar movie, they look amazingly amazing.
posted by Tixylix at 11:27 PM on August 30

Just saying, the Bravia you are looking at has a 100Hz refresh rate, and is being superceded. The newer Z series has 200Hz. For sports, action movies and gaming, the extra hertz makes a big difference. Although, if it means the difference between a nice stereo or none, well, I'd go with the W series. Everything is better in 5.1.
Personally, I held out and saved for a nice Yamaha receiver and Dali speakers that cost me three times the price of the TV. My neighbors wouldn't agree, but they were worth every cent.
posted by Duke999R at 11:42 PM on August 30

Just one thing - the LED Samsungs are _amazing_, and the power efficiency is crazy (like 120 watts). However they are not "true" LED tvs - they are just LCD televisions with LED-suppllied illumination (i.e, LEDs lined up around the inside edge of the screen, whereas most other LCDs have compact fluorescents of one sort or another, including the Bravia).

So yes, they are beautiful, beautiful televisions (we're getting one at the end of the year I've decided), they are not ture LED (or more accurately; OLED televisions. You may not have thought that, but I know some people who rushed in to buy and came away disappointed.

Me? I don't care, I'm about what's it looks like, not what it's made from, and those OLED tvs are beyond the means of any but a millionaire.

In Australia, you're best bang for buck will be Sony or Samsung, or Panasonic. Check this out for some very sound Aus-relevant advice.
posted by smoke at 11:55 PM on August 30

Good point Duke999R, I might talk with the Sony rep and see what the go is with that.
posted by turgid dahlia at 2:20 AM on August 31

So in the end I didn't listen to any of you and got a 40" 200hz from Samsung. Thanks for all the help groovers!
posted by turgid dahlia at 1:09 AM on September 8