Sep 13, 2006 04:32 PM
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We had a Samsung 21'' TV (non-flat) since last 8 years. It was still running fine without any problems, except that the remote had conked out twice. There was also some problem with a fuse initially which was swiftly resolved by Samsung support (under warranty). So when we wanted a flat 29'' TV, we initially went to Samsung. One of the criteria was - high sound output (>= 1200 watt PMPO).
We found Samsung 29'' CS-29T10 fitting our requirements nicely ... however we didn't like the looks. So we had a look at LG, Philips, Onida and Sony models. However, based on different criteria - such as price, feedback from friends, feature comparisons etc - we ultimately decided to go for T2910.
Some of the points worth mentioned about this model are:
Size: 29T10 is bigger in size than equivalent models from other companies mentioned. Keep this in mind if your space is constrained.
Looks: Initially I didn't much like the full silver panel. However, having purchased a matching trolley, and using a pure white cloth cover, 29T10's looks have grown on me. Friends have also commented on its good looks.
Picture Quality: Normal. Nothing distinguishable ... but nothing negative as well. Obviously a great improvement on our earlier non-flat TV.
Sound Quality: Awesome! Movies, sports (with lots of crowd noise) etc are really different to watch on this TV. However, it should be noted that different sound options (Custom, Movie, Music, Speech etc) are not very useful. I use the 'Speech' mode most of the time, since with other modes, voices (dialogues, song lyrics) are not very clear. But wherever the 'voices' are absent, other modes can be used to enhance the sound effects. 'Auto Sound Leveler' is another good feature, though nowadays standard on most TVs.
It should be noted that we compared sound quality of different brands. Our best to worst ranking would be - Samsung, Philips, Sony, Onida, LG. However, this is subjective since we just trusted our ears :-)
Menu (Configuration): Easy to use, multi-lingual menu is available. Most of the features are easily accessible and simple. However, one sore point is channel swapping ( swapping one set location with some other). There is no option to enter channel numbers ... you have to scroll to it. This makes it tough. This feature (available on some BPL models) is very useful since our cable operator keeps swapping channels, throwing our groupings out of sync.
Remote: Light-weight and easy to use. Matches the TV in looks :-)
AV In Ports: Since we use our TV to sometimes view output for our Camcorder, it is nice to have AV In ports on the side of the TV. There are similar ports at the back as well, which we have connected permanently to the DVD player.
Cost: We paid Rs 23500/- inclusive of taxes for our set. This is comparable to most of other brands except Sony, which we felt overpriced at > 31000. However, it should be noted that most probably there will be additional expenses for the trolley. Most likely your earlier trolley will not fit this TV. We paid an additional Rs 4200 for the trolley.
Service: No occasion to test yet for this set (touch-wood!), but earlier experience with Samsung service was good.
Annoyances: Some peeves which are highly subjective!
There is a time lag between switching the TV on and picture appearing. And it is considerable. Just annoying sometimes when you quickly want to catch up with something.
On-off Sound: Whenever you switch the TV on or off, there is a loud musical note sounded off. This is annoying sometimes. I found that you can suppress this at switch-off time by muting the TV before switching off. However, no such luck while switching on.
Power Indicator: There is a hollow circular disk surrounding the on-off switch. This lights up (blue) whenever power is available to the TV. This is really big and can work as a zero watt bulb in the dark ! I feel this is an overkill as an indicator. As a feature this is a bad one in these days of power saving necessity. I rarely keep the TV on standby because of this indicator.
Overall I am satisfied with the TV and would recommend it to anybody with same requirements as ours. It functions nicely on standard features. Its sound output is really good. Its looks have grown on me. Size wise it is a bit large which discourages too much movement.
