Kogan - anyone got one or heard about

[jaderd]

Hi all just want ppls info / good or bad about these TVs.

Looking at getting an LCD when move house in month or two so the research starts

basically with LCD i know the main thing you need is refresh rate - proper refresh rate not grey to grey etc

want 40 inch minimum

actual contrast anywhere around 1600:1 which is equiv to dynamic 10000:1 or so)

even 100 hz is ok although 120hz better, from what ive read samsung and sony's new 200hz is failry pointless as need to go in multiples so 240hz would be the better hz rate etc

Samsung and Sony seem to be the two quality ones in the mainstream market (parents have an X series 40 inch sony bravia - very nice)

Now here is the thing, Kogan the Aus brand around for afew years uses Samsung and LG panesl / components, has the requirements i need as far as view angle resolution, refresh rate and hz at 100-120 etc, from reviews on Cnet basically said does lack in number of ports for HDMI etc (no biggy to me as dont need alot plugged in - DVD recorder and surround sound DVD player)

Kogan - for around $2000 i could get a 42 " for lounge and 19" for bedroom, both with 3 yr warranty and from reviews on whirlpool and DTV they have good customer service and warranty and are melbourne local company .

any thoughts or reccommendations for me ?

here is link

http://www.kogan.com.au/shop/kogan-1080p-4...cd-tv-hd-tuner/

Edited February 17, 2009 by jaderd

[jaderd]

thinking of buying the 19" one first as trial then have for bedroom

KOGAN PRO19 - 19" HD LCD TV W/ DVD PLAYER & HD DIGITAL TUNER

SPECIFICATIONS -$399

Panel size 19inch 48cm (corner to corner diagonal)

Panel type Widescreen a-SI TFT-LCD (WXGA)

Tuning system Built in HD Digital Tuner

DVD Player Built in side loading DVD player.

Resolution: 1440 x 900

Aspect ratio 16:10

Pixel pitch H 0.2835mm V 0.2835mm

Contrast ratio 800:1

Viewing angle -160 deg / + 160 deg

Response time 5ms (200 frames per second)

Brightness 300cd/m2

TV system PAL/SECAM/NTSC

Aspect ratio support Panorama 16:9, ZOOM 4:3

Wall mount configuration 75mm VESA

Inputs 1x Antenna (Digital Tuner)

1x HDMI

1x USB (divx/jpg playback)

1x SD/MMC/MS Card Reader

1x AV (red, white & yellow cable)

1x Component (green, red, blue cable)

1x D-SUB (15 pin PC monitor plug)

1x Audio in 3.5mm

Speaker System Spatial Stereo (2x 5W)

Auto power off Yes

Sleep timer Yes

Clock Yes

Power consumption Stand by: 3W, Operating <42W

Power Supply 12V/5A input with 240V transformer

Safety CCC/CE/CB/FCC/C-tick

Dimensions

Kogan PRO19 alone:

46.5cm x 36cm x 8.5cm

Kogan PRO19 with stand:

46.5cm x 42.5cm x 20cm

Kogan PRO19 in box:

52cm x 45cm x 25cm

Samsung Equiv 48cm (19") High Definition Ready LCD TV with Analogue built-in tuner -$557

Screen Size 19"

Resolution 1440 x 900

Dynamic Contrast Ratio 600:1

Viewing Angle 150°/135°

Response Time 8ms

DNIe™ No

HD Ready Yes

Brightness 300cd/m²

Backlight CCFL

LCD 100Hz N/A

AUDIO

Sound Output(RMS) 3W x 2

Stereo Type N/A

Sound Effect System Stereo

Input & Output(Side)

HDMI No

composite (AV) No

S-Video No

Headphone No

WISELINK (USB) No

WISELINK (Multi Memory Slot) No

WISELINK (etc.) No

Input & Output(Back)

RF Input 1

Component(Y/Pb/Pr) 1

S-Video 1

Headphone 1

Composite(AV) 1

HDMI 1

PC input (D-sub) 1

Video Monitor out, L/R No

Optical sound out No

RS232C (for Service only) 1

Samsung Equiv is poor in relation to Input and Outputs - no HDMI and slower refresh rate in samsung etc....most other stats are the same

[marc2020]

Yea I have heard of them, they make fairly decent LCDs. I have used a few of them and I was quite impressed, but I dont know how their after sales support is though as I havent had a reason to call them yet.

[jaderd]

cool thanx for the feedback mate.....just cost benefit wise if all stats check out the fact i can get a main lounge room 42" inch and bedroom 19" with DVD player all for 2k including 5 yr warrantys on each its fair good deal..........42" inch new sony or samsung with same warranty would be close to 2.7k and thats one TV not both needs taken care of

Edited February 17, 2009 by jaderd

[Blind Kid Seeks]

mate sounds like a pretty good deal to me

[1rocky]

sounds like a good deal especially with the warranty

[jaderd]

yeah im thinking i might go with it ....i read pages and pages of forums on DTV etc, alot wasted by ppl bagging it out due to " too cheap to be good" etc...only afew took the effort to read into it and not judge on cost etc, http://kogantv.blogspot.com

this guy bought one and blogged about it for a month or two with no problems, alot of the ppl bagging it seemed like real fullon TV geeks lol, speaking of things that would never really worry me or are that small that only the full on into ppl would worry, such as angle of plugs at the back being diff to some other models TV's and only havin two HDMI slots which is 2 more than i have now iwth my 51cm PALSONIC 10yr old tv....so for me i think an upgrade like this of two LCD HD tv's with 5yr warranty for 2k.......2k of government money coming in april should suffice my needs for next few years.

any further comments on them please feel free, would love to find someone who has one

cheers

Edited February 17, 2009 by jaderd

[Madrox]

RIGHT NOW ACA CHANNEL 9....

[jaderd]

yeah i saw that ......Gerry Harvey cant say much other than gay come backs saying they are rubbish and bagging them out.....no real decent argument....think ill be getting a Kogan...as he has been around since he was 23 ....approx 3-4 years in industry and going stonger now than ever before

[Madrox]

just as i opened this topic i heard it on tv.

never heard of the brand before this.

EDIT: you were too quick

Edited February 17, 2009 by Madrox

[1rocky]

Also just saw the programme on aca. If you get the tv lets us know how it goes

[keifer33]

The only downside to these type of brands is how long they will be around ie warranty and after care sales. Also the quality of electronics will be less. There are only a few large manufacturers of lcd panels around so lots of companies use the same panels ie Sony and Samsung, What counts is the electronics controlling it.

I was in retail for a few years and clearly learnt your big companies like Sony, Samsung, Sharp and Panasonic make good quality stuff and have the customer service and name to compare. The old saying you get what you pay for.

[jaderd]

Yeah i understand on that front....although i have heard some bad stories with ppl and after sale service from many of the lead brands.....will see how it all goes....wont be happening for afew months so will see what happends

[Conquest]

even 100 hz is ok although 120hz better, from what ive read samsung and sony's new 200hz is failry pointless as need to go in multiples so 240hz would be the better hz rate etc

Not true - Australia uses PAL 50hz, therefore multiples of 50hz e.g. 100hz and 200hz are correct. The US uses NTSC 60hz which is why you see multiples of 120hz etc.

Anyway you've probably seen this thread and associated threads on Whirlpool.

Also the prices don't seem particularly good e.g. 47" HD set for $1,699 - when I was shopping around I found a few Philips and older series Bravias for around the same price, probably a bit cheaper with some haggling. Don't forget to factor in the additional shipping and warranty costs on the Kogan.

And if all else fails there is always eBay . ;)

Edited February 17, 2009 by Conquest

[jaderd]

cheers Conquest .....i will hunt around....also just found out from my boss that his mate is in purchasing and sells to JBhifi etc so we chouls be able to get a sweet deal as boss wants one too so look into that in future

[Leroy]

Not true - Australia uses PAL 50hz, therefore multiples of 50hz e.g. 100hz and 200hz are correct. The US uses NTSC 60hz which is why you see multiples of 120hz etc.

True.... but doesn't this only take into account local stuff? Surely he wants a higher multiple of 60 (eg 240hz)... that way he can still handle PAL while having a refresh rate high enough to watch NTSC DVDs ??

[Conquest]

Not true - Australia uses PAL 50hz, therefore multiples of 50hz e.g. 100hz and 200hz are correct. The US uses NTSC 60hz which is why you see multiples of 120hz etc.

True.... but doesn't this only take into account local stuff?

Not really, any decent tv advertised at 100hz etc should be able to scale comfortably. I guess that's another thing to look out for with cheaper tv's, how good is their internal scaling?

The term PAL is often used informally to refer to a 625-line/50 Hz (576i, principally European, African and Asian) television system, and to differentiate from a 525-line/60 Hz (480i, principally American and Japanese) NTSC system

FYI my Bravia can handle PAL, PAL60 & NTSC video @ 1080/24p, 1080p/i, 720p, 576p/i & 480p/i...

[jaderd]

yeah i think ive deviated away from kogan .....mainly because my boss's mate i found out the actual story.....he works for clive peters in there wholesale dept..basically if any company in oz wants to buy like 40 lcd's for their business or offices they go through him....he just tacks 1 or two units on the end of the sale for whoever wants them at the time and at the wholesale rate so that should bring some big brands (sony / samsung) down to a nice price

[Tats]

If Google are placing the local incarnation of the Google Phone in the hands of Kogan, it can't be too bad?