Getting an used Samsung LCD HDTV, need a second optinion

[Hyper_Psycho]

Howdy there fellow HTPCers,

My friend is trying to sell me his Samsung 46in HDTV (LN-T4665F). You can see the specs here (.pdf) .

The only reason I'm getting it so that my girlfriend and I can watch hulu, nextflix etc in the living room (right now we use her laptop).

My friend is selling the TV for $500. Please let me know if that's a good deal, or if there is something of the same magnitude (1080p, DVI connection) that I should get elsewhere. The TV itself is about 3 years old, and was bought for about $2500 or so.

Cheers,

Z

EDIT: Wow, I really can't spell tonight. optinion = opinion

 

[SJetski71]

Sounds like an ok deal i guess, i mean it depends on who you ask.

When i think of a $500 TV i think of the brand new 50" Panasonic C1 plasma liquidation sale i missed recently at a local/regional retailer, after coupon it came out to $440 + tax. I felt like kicking myself for missing it by minutes literally.

I realize i'm comparing apples to oranges but in my mind a good TV is a good TV, whether new or used, plasma or lcd, on sale or not.

That model samsung gets good reviews at amazon, and a ton of hits while doing a search at AVS, which means it was very popular. Perhaps try searching there to see if it's a trouble-prone model.

I know that some 2008 or 2009 model samsungs were a little trouble prone (leaky capacitors etc) but i don't remember the 2007 models having that problem so you'd probably be fine.

Good luck either way.

 

[Hyper_Psycho]

Sounds like an ok deal i guess, i mean it depends on who you ask.

When i think of a $500 TV i think of the brand new 50" Panasonic C1 plasma liquidation sale i missed recently at a local/regional retailer, after coupon it came out to $440 + tax. I felt like kicking myself for missing it by minutes literally.

I realize i'm comparing apples to oranges but in my mind a good TV is a good TV, whether new or used, plasma or lcd, on sale or not.

That model samsung gets good reviews at amazon, and a ton of hits while doing a search at AVS, which means it was very popular. Perhaps try searching there to see if it's a trouble-prone model.

I know that some 2008 or 2009 model samsungs were a little trouble prone (leaky capacitors etc) but i don't remember the 2007 models having that problem so you'd probably be fine.

Good luck either way.

Thanks on the link and the info. I am trying to stay away from plasmas due to how they age. I have been looking around slickdeals and craigslist for a deal on 42-50 in lcd, but had no luck without getting something either 720p or backlit.

Given that my friend's TV has a VGA in instead of a DVI, should I be ok with watching online content? Shoot my computer doesn't even have a HDMI out, just two DVIs.... would DVI -> VGA converter and a VGA cable be sufficient?

 

[JohnDC]

Curious about plasma aging. Everything I have read lately lists the half-life of a new plasma at a huge amount of hours, easily equal to an LCD.

 

[Demon10000]

Seems like a fair price. I paid $1700 for my Samsung less than a year ago, and it's down to about $1200 now (depending on where you look and what sale is running this time of the week).

For a decent quality TV, I'd say $500 will get you a new... maybe 37" tv? I've seen quite a few 46/47" LCDs down in the $800 range on sale....

I'd say buying this for $500 is a fair deal. I don't think it's anything spectacular, but it is a very decent price. Much more than that and I would hold out for a sale. We've got a few holidays coming up and there are always good deals around that time. You're probably not going to find a Samsung 46" for $500 -- but you're also talking 3 year old tech compared to new tech (or probably 1 year old for the best deals).


I guess I'm trying to say -- you aren't getting screwed for $500.

 

[Hyper_Psycho]

Curious about plasma aging. Everything I have read lately lists the half-life of a new plasma at a huge amount of hours, easily equal to an LCD.

A friend of mine has a plasma and watches lots of 16:9 ratio movies. The bottom and the top of his screen have little red dots from all the black being burnt in. It could be that he has a first gen plasma, but I really don't want to expect that type of breakdown in a few years if I choose to get one.

Seems like a fair price. I paid $1700 for my Samsung less than a year ago, and it's down to about $1200 now (depending on where you look and what sale is running this time of the week).

For a decent quality TV, I'd say $500 will get you a new... maybe 37" tv? I've seen quite a few 46/47" LCDs down in the $800 range on sale....

I'd say buying this for $500 is a fair deal. I don't think it's anything spectacular, but it is a very decent price. Much more than that and I would hold out for a sale. We've got a few holidays coming up and there are always good deals around that time. You're probably not going to find a Samsung 46" for $500 -- but you're also talking 3 year old tech compared to new tech (or probably 1 year old for the best deals).


I guess I'm trying to say -- you aren't getting screwed for $500.

Yeah that's what worries me. I cannot find a 46in in a used condition for a decent amount of money. At the same time I would rather spend money on something more important than my TV as I only stream shows for about 2 hrs a week.

Is there a good place to look for used LCDs. Besides craigslist of course.

 

[SJetski71]

Given that my friend's TV has a VGA in instead of a DVI, should I be ok with watching online content? Shoot my computer doesn't even have a HDMI out, just two DVIs.... would DVI -> VGA converter and a VGA cable be sufficient?

No such thing as an hdmi to vga converter, since one signal is analog and the other is digital, a simple converter cable or adapter would never work, you might be thinking of a transcoder but those things can get expensive.

No hdmi on your video card? No problem since DVI is electrically the same, all you need is a cheap $3 dvi-to-hdmi adapter. If it's an ATI card you're using then you'll want to use ATI's specialized dvi-to-hdmi adapter since those would carry audio to the TV as well.


But otherwise, the more i think of your friend's offer, the more i'm thinking he's offering you a solid deal. It's a big, popular TV coming from a good model year, and previously owned by a friend who i'm assuming did not abuse it.

 

[Hyper_Psycho]

No such thing as an hdmi to vga converter, since one signal is analog and the other is digital, a simple converter cable or adapter would never work, you might be thinking of a transcoder but those things can get expensive.

No hdmi on your video card? No problem since DVI is electrically the same, all you need is a cheap $3 dvi-to-hdmi adapter. If it's an ATI card you're using then you'll want to use ATI's specialized dvi-to-hdmi adapter since those would carry audio to the TV as well.


But otherwise, the more i think of your friend's offer, the more i'm thinking he's offering you a solid deal. It's a big, popular TV coming from a good model year, and previously owned by a friend who i'm assuming did not abuse it.

Well I was thinking of using a DVI -> VGA converter like this ... I guess the ATI one would work minus the audio on my nvida card. However, I'm using my 5.1 system hooked to the pc, so it really does not matter if I use the speakers in my monitor. Unless I need 7.1, which is kinda silly for a lowtech thing I have here.

My friend bought this TV right as it came out after a lot of research. He is pretty meticulous when it comes with tech purchases, so I know its a fantastic tv, the question is if it still is fantastic for $500 today.

 

[SJetski71]

Well I was thinking of using a DVI -> VGA converter like this ... I guess the ATI one would work minus the audio on my nvida card. However, I'm using my 5.1 system hooked to the pc, so it really does not matter if I use the speakers in my monitor. Unless I need 7.1, which is kinda silly for a lowtech thing I have here.

My friend bought this TV right as it came out after a lot of research. He is pretty meticulous when it comes with tech purchases, so I know its a fantastic tv, the question is if it still is fantastic for $500 today.

Sorry, for some reason i thought you originally said an hdmi-to-vga converter, i see what you mean now. DVI-I has separate pins to carry both digital and analog signals.

Personally i would stick with dvi-to-hdmi to keep everything digital. Digital looks nicer than VGA on these TV's...sometimes the difference is quite noticeable, while other times the difference is minimal. Personally i'd shoot for using the higher quality digital input, if you buy the TV that is.

And since you have an Nvidia card then any cheap hdmi adapter would work fine: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_BIN=1&_nkw=dvi+hdmi+adapter&_sc=1&_sop=15&_sticky=1 (just make sure to buy the correct DVI male + hdmi female ends)

 

[Demon10000]

He is pretty meticulous when it comes with tech purchases, so I know its a fantastic tv, the question is if it still is fantastic for $500 today.

From your other post it sounds like $500 is your absolute limit of what you'll spend on a TV. If you're willing to spend a little more ($700-800), then you could get a TV with some newer features. Might not be a better TV, but you'd get newer technology.

For $500, you're getting a good deal. In fact, I would jump on and pick it up for my parents at that price.

 

[Oohah]

Try kijiji.com. Better than craigslist IMO.

If you look around (and if you're lucky) you can find some good deals on there. Last week I was able to get my hands on a brand new (in box) 46 inch Samsung LCD LN46B530 for $600.

$500 is an OK good deal for a 3-year-old 46-incher but for about $200 more you can get easily get a brand new 40-inch 1080p TV that will still be comparable to the newer TVs in 3 years.

 

[Hyper_Psycho]

Sorry, for some reason i thought you originally said an hdmi-to-vga converter, i see what you mean now. DVI-I has separate pins to carry both digital and analog signals.

Personally i would stick with dvi-to-hdmi to keep everything digital. Digital looks nicer than VGA on these TV's...sometimes the difference is quite noticeable, while other times the difference is minimal. Personally i'd shoot for using the higher quality digital input, if you buy the TV that is.

And since you have an Nvidia card then any cheap hdmi adapter would work fine: http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_BIN=1&_nkw=dvi+hdmi+adapter&_sc=1&_sop=15&_sticky=1 (just make sure to buy the correct DVI male + hdmi female ends)

Fantastic. Now all I need is a HDMI cable. I wonder if my samsung monitor came with one ....

It be nice to have a longer cable given the setup of my living room. Thanks on the link!

From your other post it sounds like $500 is your absolute limit of what you'll spend on a TV. If you're willing to spend a little more ($700-800), then you could get a TV with some newer features. Might not be a better TV, but you'd get newer technology.

For $500, you're getting a good deal. In fact, I would jump on and pick it up for my parents at that price.

I really don't see the point of getting new technology unless over the net video streams are going to support some crazy technology I'd be a sucker not to get. All I see new tvs of doing is having a 240hz feature and being more thin than Nicole Richie.

Try kijiji.com. Better than craigslist IMO.

If you look around (and if you're lucky) you can find some good deals on there. Last week I was able to get my hands on a brand new (in box) 46 inch Samsung LCD LN46B530 for $600.

$500 is an OK good deal for a 3-year-old 46-incher but for about $200 more you can get easily get a brand new 40-inch 1080p TV that will still be comparable to the newer TVs in 3 years.

never heard of kijiji ... ill snoop around there and see what's up

 

[Omegas]

www.monoprice.com for all your cable needs.

 

[SJetski71]

Fantastic. Now all I need is a HDMI cable. I wonder if my samsung monitor came with one ....

It be nice to have a longer cable given the setup of my living room. Thanks on the link!

NP

But if you're thinking about a longer hdmi cable run then don't go with a thin cheap hdmi cable, you'll want a thicker, better crafted cable like the ones from monoprice (26 or 24 awg or less, a lower number means a thicker, better cable).

They even have flat hdmi cables that can be run under carpet/rugs: http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240

 

[Hyper_Psycho]

Hey everyone, just wanted to post back since I got the monitor.

Best $500 I spent. The colors are soooooo crisp and movies look great on it. Heck, I'm writing this from my sofa!

Anyway, I got a DVI -> HDMI adapter and a HDMI cable. Both from random sellers on ebay. Total Cost $5 or so.

Right now I have it hooked up through the VGA cable as the HDMI cable makes the resolution super huge. I need to play around with it and figure out what's going on.... maybe the computer needs to be reset... I'll post back if its still screwy.

Anyway, thanks on all the help!

 

[Demon10000]

You're going to want to use the HDMI -- it's an overall better picture than VGA. But you're right, the fonts get reaaaaal small.

If you're web surfing from the sofa, you'll want to expand then window. Then, with the CTRL key down, scroll your mouse wheel. It will zoom in your browser (assuming you're using IE -- but I think it works in Firefox, too). This will make it easier to surf.

You can also change your default fonts in windows to a larger size, but I've found that this can throw some things off, but it's usually worth it!

Glad you bought it... it was a pretty good deal!