Please Help Me Decide - Samsung DLP OR Sony LCD (1 Viewer)

[MarkN]

It's time for a new TV and I have narrowed it down to these two:

Samsung 56" DLP™ HDTV (HL-R5667W) or Sony 55" HDTV (KDF-55WF655)

Both are $2800 shipped

I am leaning toward the DLP but many of you have expressed good remarks about the Sony LCD as well.

Anything that may help me decide either way?

Also, what is the "Cinema Smooth 5th Gen HD" chipset? Is this different from the HD2+ chip (like in the HL-R5677W)?

 

[Tim Markley]

I was looking at the exact two TVs and I don't think that you can go wrong with either, although I haven't seen that exact Samsung model in person because it wasn't in stores yet. I compared the Sony with the current Samsung DLPs and actually ended up buying a Sony KDF-55XS955. IMO the Sony had a better picture, especially with SD. LCD Rear Projection also seems to be a better choice if you have a lot of ambient light like I have. I went with the XS series because of the second HDMI input, the additional video settings, the better sound system and the nicer cabinet.

If you have a local Circuit City, they will come very close to Internet pricing. I got the 55XS955 for a total of $3050. This included taxes and delivery/setup. The price was $100 over what I could get it for over the Internet, including shipping. A very good deal if you ask me.

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings

The Sony LCD will have better / smoother dark gray transitions to black than the samsung.

The DLP will have slightly better blacks, but the transition to black is not smooth and natural looking at all. There is a lot of discoloration in their transition.

The Samsung also comes OOTB with a mediocre gamma setting that cannot be changed without entering the service mode. And even when in there ... it is hard to tell without professional instrumentation ... which is the best gamma to use. Some use 0 ... some 1 ... some 4 ... some 5 ...

Sony has more geometry correction items and Samsung has color space fine tuning parameters ...

Regards

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Tim, how much bargaining did you have to do for that price at CC? Ithas been awhile but when I last tried to get a price match, they would only take a newspaper ad. Did you just show an online price?

Thanks

 

[Tim Markley]

Phil - Not much at all. I printed off a couple of screen shots from reputable online dealers with prices including shipping and then took them to CC. I talked to the manager of the dept and he told me he'd sell the TV for $100 over the internet price, including taxes, delivery and setup. No bargaining back and forth at all.

 

[Phil Tomaskovic]

Thanks, they must really be hurting or wanting to clear out inventory for the new models.

 

[Steve Alan]

As for CC matching internet pricing, there policy states that they don't, unless it is a website of a dealer that is local to your area. If they are coming close to the price it is at the managers discrection. They make there bonuses partially on total sales volume, so as long as the price is not to close or below their cost they will more than likely sell it. It seems the big chain retailers are recognizing that customers are becoming much more comfortable buying big ticket items over the internet than they were just a few years ago. As there becomes more reputable, authorized online dealers with lower prices, the B&Ms have little choice but to come close to matching them.

 

[willieGoldman]

I just picked up a 46" Samsung HLR series DLP today at BB. It was the last day I could use a coupon - so I did the deed. My friend said, "congratulations, it's a boy!"

Anyway, I'm in SoCal - so all we have is Adelphia cable in my area - lucky me - but I'll be happy to report on it once we get it in.

 

[RomanSohor]

The managers at BB definately have leeway to sell you the tv's at discounted prices. They will usually not sell you a TV for lower than the Employee Discount price (5% above cost). They are much more likely to "match" an internet price or give you a discount if you meet some/all of the following criteria...

1. you're buying a lot of what they want to sell you (don't think tv, dvd player, sound system, think: Moster cable, power conditioner, and Performance Service Plans)

2. It's a really slow day, and they need to make budget for the day/month. Try going near the end of the month, on a weekend day, particularly right now if the weather is beautiful... and the later in the day the better. Some sales managers are very aggressive about trying to meet budget. Though I hear that may change soon as they are going to start counting losses by selling product, particularly open box items, at below the story cost, as "shrink". And they will be tracking what managers approve those transactions.

 

[MarkN]

Thanks a ton for all the info. I think I am going to go with the Sony KDF-55XS955 LCD. Found online from an authorized Sony dealer for $2688 shipped (+$700 for 3 yr extended warr).

I may go by CC to see how close they can get to that but it's currently on their website for $3400, so it may be tough to get down $711.

 

[Tim Markley]

MarkN - You'll be very happy with the Sony. I love mine more every day. Definitely go to CC first to see how close they'll come to the price. The CC that I went to had it listed at $3699 but on sale for $3399. Also, their extended warranty is cheaper (I paid $599 for 4 years) and they cover lightbulbs as well as replacing the TV if you have even one dead pixel.

 

[MarkN]

I went to CC and they only had the KDF-55WF655 for me to look at. I assume that the picture is very similar between the two. I also looked at the 61" version of the Samsung DLP. (They happened to be 1 tv away from each other, so I turned the tv that was in between them off).

Both were very nice but I preferred the picture on the Sony. Seemed like it had crisper edges on everything.

Today the RCA Scenium (50" DLP) got thrown into the mix as well but it is $1k more than the Sony BUT it's only 7" deep and can be wall mounted which is nice. Also has an ethernet connection for home networking and web capability. Would love to have it but might be a hard sell to the wifey pooh. (Plus it's smaller than I wanted to go - currently have a 61")

Thanks again to everyone for their input, I appreciate it. (Also a TON of great info on the site in general )

 

[MarkN]

Alrighty, I've flip-flopped again.

Going to go with the Samsung 56" DLP (hlr5667w). Found it for $2660 w/ a 4yr in home extended warranty.

 

[Steve Alan]

If you can get that deal, then grab it. The cheapest I've seen that unit for is $2799 (list $3099). The 4 year guarantee is worth about $400, so they are basically selling you the TV for $2260, and then tacking on the warranty.............not a bad deal at all! Where did you get this price from?

 

[MarkN]

Shoot me an email and I will tell you (I don't want to post until after I ordered it ) but it's not hard to find. Pricegrabber, Mysimon, etc...

The TV alone was about $700 less than CC's sale price.

 

[MarkN]

ALRIGHTY, I did it!

Ordered the Samsung HL-R5667W 56" Widescreen HDTV.

With the 4yr extended warranty (5 yr from date of purchase!) and shipping, the total came to $2660. Add another $215 for the Neo Moda stand from CC and the total is $2875.

That's $380 less than if I bought JUST the TV from CC (with tax).

We will see if this kind of purchase online goes smoothly or not, I will keep you updated.

Thanks again for all the help in deciding.
~M