Hi all, I was looking at getting either the 66 or 76cm new Lafinion models.

www.lge.com.au if you want to look at the paltry web information about them.

The website simply lists them as doing 576P, but I got my grubby hands on a 2004 Flattron catalogue today off Bing Lee, and LG kicks off the CRT section of the catalogue with the following quote:

"LG Electronics genuine HD (1080i) digital TV provides the optimum picture for any level of indoor lighting. LG's own technology of DRP (Digital Reality Picture) curcuit and of the center speaker stimulates senses and satisfy your desire to have simply the best."

Also on the specs page for the 76cm model it lists "DVD in rear: 2(480i/480p/1080i)"

OMIGOD I just noticed in the catalogue, it has a vga input too....

Okay now after all that umm my situation.. I currently have a 51cm LG tv that while it has a brilliantly vivid picture, has quirks that really bug me. So I'm somewhat wary of purchasing another, but yeah.... umm I'm rambling... the question is, is there any way for us to know whether it truly supports 1080i or if it's just fake upscaling or what?
Has anyone else seen these new tv's and what do they think of the picture quality ?

And does anyone have access to dealer pricing so I can know what level I can haggle the salesmen down to ? The best price I've seen publically so far is $1769 for the 76cm or $1050 for the 66cm.

I'm looking for a tv set to tide me over for at least 2-3 years until either plasma does an about face in terms of picture quality, or LCD's finally become cheap. I currently have a xbox, so 1080i mode would be of interest to me if it could actually really support it. So yeah, I've got to decide between this, or perhaps a Palsonic HD? Or should I just save up for the HDTV fine pitch panasonic? So far the few times I've seen it demoed the picture quality didn't strike me as great and it did seem to have allot of artifacts? The Sony fine pitch is heavenly, but $3000 is allot to blow...

Any advice, pointers, comments or opinions(I'm hoping to hear from anyone else who has had a chance ot look at these 2 tv's) would be greatly appreciated. And apologies for the totally rambling nature of my post, I'm sick with a cold atm and my attention span is about 2 seconds right now.

Thanks,
Jonathan

There are TV's that do 'true' 1080i in the pixel sense. So they are all downscaling to a degree - i.e it's not realy fake as they all do it. If the LG has a nice fine dot pitch then at the price you mention it would put up a lot of competition to the Sony and Panasonic.

www.birite.com.au have it for the prices that I listed, so I'm assuming that stores can beat them by at least $50-100 if you twist their arm enough.

I just downloaded the manual for the Lafinions:

On the component inputs, it does 576i/p at 50hz, and 480i/p, 576p, and 1080i @ 60hz. Also does 640x480@60hz on the vga input.

Can anyone explain to me the implications of that? Why would a tv support 60hz but not 50hz at those resolutions?Wouldn't 50hz be 'easier' ?

I was browsing the american LG page and it seems like there are a few models higher up the chain that we don't get, and only those models support true 1080i ?

Godamnit why do we always get the lower end crap... if the Lafinions are 'only' $1800 surely there was product room for LG to sell the true HD tv model over here too?

Opinions! ... and please Captain do check out the LG when you get a chance, I don't trust my eyes for judging a big purchase like this (that and the fact that half the local stores don't setup the sets properly in the first place)

One upside - nice looking tv and stand. 576p is best resolution for us here in Aus on the new Lafinion TV's.

Most american stuff is 30fps per second so 60Hz refresh rate matches well with their material. It's also not a bad transfer from film material which is recorded at 24fps.

Pal material is 25fps, which quite frankly doesn't divide into 60 well at all. This has the effect of your display dropping frames because it's trying to display 25fps material at 60Hz. Sometimes you won't notice this but in many cases it's very noticeable with jerky movement and stuttering of the image.

SO - basically they're made for the American market and pretty much ignore the rest of the western world (PAL) - silly isn't it?

Hi there

Just wanted to ask you guys about the LG Lafinion 82W.

I basically want a widescreen TV for Foxtel digital (cable) and I occasionally watch DVDs.

The 2 TVs I saw within my budget were the LG Lafinion 82W ($2000 with matching stand and delivery) and the Samsung WS32A10 (around $1800).
I also saw the Sony KVHX32M31 for about $2700.

Is the Lafinion tube/picture really that bad? I really like its design/look.
Is the Samsung a truly "flat" tube with better picture and should I get that instead?
Or should I get the Sony? (although I feel that I would be over-spending and buying a set that I don't really need for my requirements).

Thanks for the advice.

PS do you know if Foxtel will eventually enable HD? I know at the moment they are only SD (576i).

Hey cronaldo, i have a samsung ws32z6hr tv which is an older model of what u r looking at.I am very pleased with it and think that its great value for money.Obviously it aint gonna compare with a sony fine pitch but it will with other sets in its price range and some more expensive sets.I dont know much about the a10 maybe someone else does or could be info in previous posts,i would assume its much the same as my z6 and if it is i would reccomend it.But what ever u do dont pair it with a dodgy tec.DAM U DIGTEC!!!
Cheers Ryan

I too am looking at the LG 82W and would appreciated ppls thoughts on the TV. Would it be suitable for HD TV or is that just wishing??? Their website only claims 576p for the Ozzy model.

Thoughts?

i have just orded the Lafinion 70W 66cm TV, now i have already been waiting for it to come in too stock and was told it would be in today, and of course it wasnt. not happy at all, the sales man called up LG and and told him the tv is on its way but atm is stuck in customs!!!! and it will be another week....... another week.. now as you could suspect i wasnt very happy, but i am purchasing it for $1040 from The Good Guy's which they matched after showing them BiRite WAS selling them for $1049 and after checking there prices again tonight and found that they are now asking $1199 it kind of turned that frown upside down another week..so what.. $100 better in my pocket than theres!!! but anyway ill let ya know what these babys are like in a weeks time, i hope!!!!!
oh also i think the stand is a option, for around $250 bah to that!!

Look forward to your report on the TV

I have posted my honest opinion as an user of LAFINION 82W at following address: You are most welcome to read it and post your own comments. Thanks.

http://www.productreview.com.au/showitem.php?item_id=1591

:ph34r:

Well i have had the LAFINION 70W now for almost a week and i am very pleased with my purchase, i am using the cheapo DGTEC DH2000A(HD) connected via Y/Pb/Pr component connection and i have found the quality of the picture to be very clear and sharp, better on 100hz than on progressive scan. Sound quality of this unit is very impressive with a almost surround sound feel to it, also has very good bass.

Likes: Great picture and sound. Very good looking unit. Lots of AV inputs. Price is very reasonable if you shop around. Teletext.

Dislikes: Remote control has a multi mode funtion to use VCR, DVD etc but can only be used with LG products. PIP mode cannot be used with STB if connected through Y/Pb/Pr.

overall i am happy with my purchase:), so far no problems with it, but got the 5year warranty just incase!!

Hi all

My first post in this forum so be gentle with me

I was looking at the LG Lafinion 82W yesterday and was impressed with what I saw, especially the price, however the salesman was spruking the fact that the TV was future proof, HD ready, blah, blah, etc.

If as I have read in this forum it is only 1080i at 60Hz is this really HD ready? Is PAL signal all at 50Hz irrespective of whether it is analogue or digital

Is there a better value/equivalent priced widescreen available or should I just hold out and save for a bit longer

Thanks

Stets

I got the 70w version about a week ago. Picture quality is nice and the sound is excellent for a TV. Really nice bass and excellent surround sound. Great for a bedroom.

If you do get up really close it does seem to have a slight curve in the corners. I don't think it is truely flat. Only thing I would have liked is if they had removed one of the two component inputs and sustituted it for a scart connection. I noticed on the european models they have duel scart connectors. Since most STB's have scart connections it makes it a pain trying to find a suitable box for this TV. Also it would have be nice if there was a SVideo input on the back of the TV and not just the side.

Overall I am happy with my purchase. The sexy black exterior sets it apart from your typical grey box.

I decided to by the Lafinion 66 CM as a general widescreen for the bedroom as I was quite impressed with the looks as well as the specs. Having seen it at the Good Guys yesterday I was quite dissapointed with the PQ which I found quite ordinary. Could have got it for $ 1050 with stand, however as my priority is PQ first and everything else second I decided against.

I ultimately bought a Sharp 66 CM widescreen standard tv which works quite well with the SD STB. For some reason the Sharp tube looked "flatter" compared to the LG.

Anyone have an XBOX with HD pack that they can connect to their Lafinion 70W and tell me if it supports 1080i or 720 ?

Or maybe a PC they connected to their TV ?
Because i have an old small 34cm teac tv and using my Radeon gfx card i was able to export 1024x768 to that tv using 60Hz NTSC. I was wondering if i can use a PC to output 1920x1080 NTSC to the TV ? I know my PC supports that resolution but is there a physical way to connect a PC to a TV using some sort of DVI or DSUB to YPrPb cable ?

For example i found this:

http://www.ati.com/support/manualpdf/CmpVidAd.pdf

and this:

http://www.ask-corp.co.jp/sapphire/hdtv-dvi.htm

[QUOTE=barfman,May 2 2004, 04:36 PM]OMIGOD I just noticed in the catalogue, it has a vga input too.... [/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE]

There's a VGA input?? I recently bought the Lafinion 82W and assumed that it already had one so i could permanently plug my other computer to it. Surprise, surprise! The space where the manual claims to have one (as an option) was blank.

Would have been good to have one installed. I'm still pleased with my purchase!

REMOTE CONTROL - Anyway of using with other brands?

I got a 82W on the weekend. I am very happy with it. The picture quality with a STB is great.

The remote control is a beauty - it is a pity I have to use the spongy horrible one that came with the cheap THOMSON STB however.

The LG remote has a selection button for DVD, VCR, CABLE, STB - according to the manual it can be used with a LG VCR and DVD. Is there must be some hidden features or codes that may allow it to be used for my other non LG devices? Has any body had any success?

I owned a Lafinion 82W but had to return it due to a fault where if you connect a DVD player or settop box with progressive scanning the sound would go loud and soft every few seconds. This only happened on component 1, component 2 had no problems at all.

I've tested this with 2 Lafinion 82w's and with 3 different dvd players and tried it with the new LG set top box and it produced the same problem.

I had a technician look at it and he believe it's a inherent problem in the TV that can not be fixed.

The TV I had which was from 2 months ago had no VGA input that was an option and supported the following modes Component 1 480i/480p 567i/567p Component 2 480p 567p only.

As for the pq it looked pretty good with a set top box and the inbuilt speakers are very good.

Also the model below this one....the 66cm doesn't seem to have the same problem as the 76cm model.

Just adding I was able to get the Lafinion 82W for $1,580 without the stand over 2 months ago from the good guys.

anyone know a service code to get in the menu for this TV?

I have the Lafinion 70W as well, and would love to use the remote with other brands. Anyone had any luck with this?

Also, I have bought a Samsung SD Box (DTB-9401F) to watch the footy yesterday, and have 2 days to return it for cash at Good Guys (fingers crossed)
After reading these forums this morning, it looks like I should return it, and look for a cheaper/better SD/HD box to get better images with my TV.

The footy (AFL) doesn't seem to be much clearer even with a Digital Box than regualr TV, (am I actually seeing this in 100Hz, or 50Hz) ??? Still new to this, and I feel like I've opened a huge can of worms....

Any help with these 2 questions would be hugely appreciated ...

The LG 66 and 76cm sets are very low resolution (640x480 shadow mask), so don't expect any improvement in resolution with an STB over that for analogue.

I have an LG 76cm 100Hz pure-flat (RT-32FZ10) and my analogue reception is near perfect. However, my DGTec HD-STB also adds DD5.1 sound, widescreen, multi-channel (for RWC, Olympics, old-ABC, SBS), Now&Next, EPG (for Nine, Ten and SBS in Brisbane), HD/DD5.1 test loops for wallpaper when guests are around, and no-noise digital reception - well worth the $800 I spent on it.

I am really pissed that I bought an LG rather than one of the recommended (here) 76cm sets for DVD, SDTV and HDTV picture quality. These are Sony KVHR32M31, Panasonic 76PW200A, Toshiba 32SW9UA, Palsonic 76WSHD and RankArena.

2i cents,
Ian

magregus: Try the service menu access method used for my LG 76cm: hold down the 'ok' button on the set while also holding down the 'ok' button on the remote; hold them for 4 secs or more until the SM comes up. I assume this would only work with the Lafinion if it uses the same chassis as the 32FZnn series.

I have the lafinion 82W, and when I turn it on (576p) the sound goes loud to soft for a while then goes away.
I am using the omni DVB505 HD STB with it, and I cant get the tv to display any better than 576p, I can get sound on 1080, and 720, but the picture is screwy.
Anyone got any clues?

Shalcrow - ses Topcat81's post in this thread.

I actually contacted LG tech about this and they confirm it is a ' known ' issue but have no timeframe for a fix ...code for " only if enough folks complain " perhaps

I suggest contacting LG and pushing hard on the matter, As yet the problem does not affect me as I have a SD box and non - progressive scan DVD.

Regards

Thanks.
I actually did call LG, on both numbers (sydney and 1800), first chick didnt provide much help and the second lady not much else, none of them know much about the HD tv, and both said to get a tech to look at it.
So i've got one looking at it tomorrow.

Hi Shalcrow

Can you post a message regarding the tech's visit?

Thanks

Ian

From where do you gather this information for your lg and for other similar priced crts? The resolution of a crt (as imposed by their shadow mask ) does not seem to be readily available.

i have the lafinion 70W, and for one i think its great, i dont regret my purchase for a second and have had no problems to date.
One thing tho, it wud be handy to have the old vga input, i opened the bit and had a look at the AV4 board, it has spaces for components for a vga input but its all a different language from then in.....maybe someone out there can work this out and post a guide, or maybe not, but theres always hope

So what's the final verdict on these Lafinion 76cm? Are the panasonic fine pitch widescreens really a long way ahead in terms of picture quality? LG sure is ahead in terms of price

I've recently purchased a Lafinion 82W (76cm), and I'm happy with it so far. I watch foxtel digital, so I don't know how it goes with anything else. DVD's are great. I'm about to get a new DVD player with progressive scan, so I'm hoping I don't hit the same sound problems that others are having. I'll have my DVD going to component2, and Foxtel (which is 576i) to component1, so hopefully I'll be able to avoid it.

I've stepped up from a cheapo 51cm tv though, so anything would probably look good after that.

I have an LG 76cm 100Hz 32FZ10PX (rrp $3,500, paid $2,500 about 2 yrs ago, worth about $800 when compared for PQ against what what else is currently available). It is currently turned off because I have a new 42" NEC plasma in the living room, and the LG is too bulky - and the PQ too poor - to replace a TEAC 51cm (720x576 shadow mask) in the bedroom!

When the Lafinion came out I was hoping that it would be an improvement PQ-wise because it is a nice looking set (as is mine, which is the reason it is often used in ads as a widescreen backdrop, but the Laf looks even better).

However, the Lafinion tube seems to be the same as mine (640x480 shadow mask, measured at home) and the video processing seems no better - and in some ways not even as good.

The Palsonic 76WSHD, Panasonic 76PW200a, Toshiba 32SW8ua and Sony KVHR32 (in increasing order of cost - but all much the same excellent SD and HD PQ) all have MUUUUUUCH better PQ than any LG 76cm - Lafinion or other!!

My opinions,
Ian

Just bought a Samsung 76cm WSA11 from "The Good Guys" for $1280. It is only 576i but has dual component input. Gives a great picture from DVD (and STB when I get another cable). The dual component is really handy if you don't have an AV receiver with video switching.

If you are only looking 3-5 years, keep it cheap.

Comments like this seem to be coming up a bit too much for my liking. Looks like I'll be holding off a while longer to save up for the panasonic!

Re LG Lafinion 70W.

Has anyone else noticed a ghosting of images? Regardless of whether I'm watching analogue TV or a DVD through the component input and using Progressive Scan, the same problem occurs: dark areas of the picture ghost into light areas that are to the immediate left. For example, if a character has dark hair, and to the immediate left of their head is a light-coloured wall, you will see showing on the wall a ghost of the left edge of their hair.

Adjusting the brightness and contrast can help reduce the problem. To eliminate it you have to turn the contrast completely down, and set the brightness to maximum. Needless to say, that makes for a very poor picture indeed.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Jeff

Anyone had problems with reception. I have the 70W and all of a sudden I cannot tune in channels on the UHF bandwidth. Only VHF cahnnels works.

sorry its so late.

they pointed to two things, either the component input is screwed (happens on both) or its the set top box.
i've tested it on standard tv uhf aerial -no probs
through settop box, w/ standard av cables -no probs
stb using component -probs!

recently brought new cables for it, and have not noticed the problem.
I spent 60dollars on gold cables for it. and its great now.
So judging on that, i'd say the cables cannot handle the data transfer rate...

hi jeff

recently we got a new lafinion 82w and i have this very annoying problem too! the ghosting on mine appears to the right, eg people have the right side of their face ghosting a few cm to the right of their actual face.

have u had any luck with getting this problem fixed?

Peter

Hi

Yes, I managed to fix the problem. I rang Harvey Norman from where I bought the TV, told them it was crap, took it back and exchanged it for a Sony KV-HX32M31. I had to pay a bit more, but it was worth every cent. I have learned my lesson: you get what you pay for. The LG is cheap and it is a stinker.

Jeff

have you tried degaussing?

yer ive tried pretty much everything there is to try, including degaussing

the only thing i can think of now is maybe remove all other cables in the tv and just try it with foxtel or something, maybe the tv doesnt have proper shielding internally or something...really dont know

Hi Shalcrow,

Can u (or anyone else who might have tried your solution) tell me what brand of cables you used? Is it still working OK? I bought an 76cm Lafinion last week and have the sound problem whenever I try a progressive input (DVD player or HD-STB) to Component 1 (but not Component 2). I bought $40 cables with gold connectors.

Thanks.

Hi, I also have the lafinion82W. When using my ps3 at 1080i it will display images perfectly through component 1 but when using my LG LST-5100P STB at 1080i the image is beyond distorted. It will work at 576p though. Neither work through component 2 at 1080 - that doesnt really bother me. I'm wondering if its just the cables with the STB like some of you have had problems with, or something more?

Any help would be great!

For one , I havent heard the name Lafinion for a while.

Back then when they said a tv had good blacks they meant the plastic shell.

More to the point I'm pretty sure only one of the component inputs is 1080i the other is 576p.

I had the exact same problem with the ghosting.

Once you see it, you can't help but look for it, and it drives you insane.

Went out to a few shops, and saw it on every Lafinion, so it wasn't just mine.

I ended up returning it to Rick Hart (after ALOT of hassling) got a store credit, and ended up with the same Sony as you.

Mind you, a year or two later I ended up buying a Sony LCD anyway.