LG LF7700 owners - how do you find it?

zaphodbeeb

I had the pleasure of a good long chat with Dave today about the merits of the LG 42" lf 7700 vs the Philips 8404 tvs.

He reckoned the Philips edged it, (only slightly) but the LG has a Freesat HD tuner as well as MPEG-4 so that would swing it back to LG for me. Also the fact that the LG is considerably cheaper for a set that pretty much matches the Philips....

SO! Any of you guys own one of the LG LF7700?! I'm pretty much sold on it but I am having a hard time getting over the notion of buying a tv I haven't actually seen in action!

syboit

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

I had the pleasure of a good long chat with Dave today about the merits of the LG 42" lf 7700 vs the Philips 8404 tvs.

He reckoned the Philips edged it, (only slightly) but the LG has a Freesat HD tuner as well as MPEG-4 so that would swing it back to LG for me. Also the fact that the LG is considerably cheaper for a set that pretty much matches the Philips....

SO! Any of you guys own one of the LG LF7700?! I'm pretty much sold on it but I am having a hard time getting over the notion of buying a tv I haven't actually seen in action!

I had the same issue, buying without seeing it. for me it was going to be LG or a samsung, but for all the reasons you pointed out above and reviews I read on the web I went with the LG.

As you'd image HD from BBCHD/ITVHD, bluray and .mkv sources look brilliant. I think the SD quality is about 8/10, though looking at SD sat channels on freesat I think look slightly better over sky+ box connected with scart.

Irish DTT works good aswell, and pic quality is good on that too.

hurling_lad

I bought the same set a month ago and am very happy with the picture from both SD and HD sources. I reckon that it's main strength is how it handles good-quality SD pictures (Lost on RTE looks very close to HD quality), but I am also impressed with how it deals with lower quality fare.

That said, if you'll be watching mainly films, this TV does not have the blackest blacks going, but as I mainly use it for regular TV and the occasional match, the brightness levels and the vibrancy of colours is a more important consideration for me.

The sound is also pretty good - not the heavies bass but more than satisfactory to tide me over while I save for a proper 5.1 setup.

Having Freesat and MPEG-4 built in is a huge plus, especially for people (like my wife) who hate fiddling around with multiple remotes.

I was also looking at the Panasonic G10 Plasma, but as the TV is in a room that gets lots of sunlight, the LCD's brightness won out.

zaphodbeeb

Thanks for the opinions folks. I reckon I'll order this next week. When you say "not the blackest blacks" - they still look pretty black though?

I do watch movies and couldn't be doing with very noticably grey blacks....

The Ritz

Mod Comment:


This forum is not really set up as a discussion forum in the conventional sense - have a look at the Stickey entitled "PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING" for the general rules of the forum.

I'm mindful of the circumstances of your question so I'm going to leave this thread here for now but I'm asking posters to stick strictly to the question posed by zaphodbeeb - opinions from owners of the LG LF7700 model only please.


Thanks,

Ritz.

zaphodbeeb

Eh.... sorry (I think).

Read the sticky and I guess you're referring to:

As a general principle, if you're not asking Richersounds for a quote/information/involved in a deal here, it's usually best to proceed with caution.

However, it was a Richersounds staffer who suggested I post on her asking other customers who'd purchased that model how they found it. I did clearly say that I'd been talking to Dave....

The Ritz

zaphodbeeb,

Nope, you're all good

Threads looking for the opinions of other boardies or starting a discussion about some AV related topic would usually be moved from this forum to the HE forums - this is covered in the Stickey:

Bearing in mind the general purpose of the Forum as described above, from time to time it is appropriate to move threads or posts to a more suitable venue - usually the Home Entertainment Forums. This is a routine moderation task so please do not think that you or your post is being "singled out".

I did not move your question because it's clear that you posted it in the context of having discussed the choice with Dave and because you are asking a very specific question related to your dealings with Richersounds. My intervention was aimed at ensuring that posters would focus on your question and to ensure that the thread would not stray off the topic.

The intervention was not aimed at you for posting the query, but rather to be borne in mind by other posters who might want to offer their advice. Having re-read my post I can understand that it could be viewed differently so I hope that this has explained things.

Thanks,

Ritz.

hurling_lad

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

Thanks for the opinions folks. I reckon I'll order this next week. When you say "not the blackest blacks" - they still look pretty black though?

I do watch movies and couldn't be doing with very noticably grey blacks....

They are certainly not noticeably grey - I've watched my 2001 A Space Odyssey Blu-ray on it and the blacks are very good, I just always have it in the back of my mind that they would be better on the Panasonic G10 plasma, which was my second choice.
Given that the LG suits me better in almost every other department, however, I'm sure I'll get this out of my system at some stage!

Also I'd highly recommend Richersounds - very quick delivery (to rural Co. Cork) and John is a very pleasant and knowledgeable chap to deal with.

givecredit

I have bought 2 lf7700 from richersounds this year. Go ahead, you will not be disappointed. Very easy to use once setup. (You will be asked for a uk postcode during setup, i suggest using a London one. Do not use a NI or Scotish one if you want ITV1 hd on the freesat epg. After setup you can then customise epg if you want BBC1NI and BBC 2NI at 101 and 102 on epg.

I have two niggles:

1. when changing channels on satellite or dtt there is no now and next banner displayed. You have to press the info button to see what is on the channel.
2. You cannot delete channels in freesat mode. (You can switch off adult content)

I am hoping a firmware upgrade will fix these issues, if not im learning to live with them...

Richersounds.ie: John

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

I had the pleasure of a good long chat with Dave today about the merits of the LG 42" lf 7700 vs the Philips 8404 tvs.

He reckoned the Philips edged it, (only slightly) but the LG has a Freesat HD tuner as well as MPEG-4 so that would swing it back to LG for me. Also the fact that the LG is considerably cheaper for a set that pretty much matches the Philips....

SO! Any of you guys own one of the LG LF7700?! I'm pretty much sold on it but I am having a hard time getting over the notion of buying a tv I haven't actually seen in action!

Zaph - apologies for the delay getting back to you and thanks Ritz & Boardies for the posts.

Now my input - I think that dave is right in a warped sort of a way - I honestly feel that the 84 series is way superior to the 77 LG series in almost every way - Ambilight, Audio quality and Picture quality and especially the inclusion of Dnla / NET TV - HOWEVER the 7700 is blessed with freesat and you just cannot get that on an 84 series so if you want a single box that looks great, works well AND you need freesat - I would highly recommend the 7700!

That's that off my chest

ATB Boys,

John Mc

zaphodbeeb

Richersounds.ie (John) wrote: »

Now my input - I think that dave is right in a warped sort of a way - I honestly feel that the 84 series is way superior to the 77 LG series in almost every way - Ambilight, Audio quality and Picture quality and especially the inclusion of Dnla / NET TV - HOWEVER the 7700 is blessed with freesat and you just cannot get that on an 84 series so if you want a single box that looks great, works well AND you need freesat - I would highly recommend the 7700!
<..cut..>
John Mc

That's a spanner in the works then. I was going to order this tv. You see, Ambilight while nice, is just that - nice. Hardly important. Audio quality from flat lcds has never been great and still isn't imho. Connecting to 5.1 system anyway.

The picture quality bit is the thing. You say "WAY SUPERIOR". That's not a little better or a small difference.... so back to the drawing board I guess.
I'd seen my brothers LG 2500 tv (which is only 50hz etc) and on Sky Sports HD it was still pretty impressive. I'd have thought the 7700 model would be considerably better.

SHEESH. :-)

zaphodbeeb

Both these sets get 4 stars (out of 5) from techradar.co.uk

The other thing is that I thought the 8404 while it has DLNA etc isn't wireless and seems to have huge issues with DivX files. AFAIR the LG doesn't even play DivX but seems a better deal at 200 euro cheaper....

zaphodbeeb

...for an MPEG4 ready Full HD telly with built in Freesat HD tuner?

Richersounds.ie: John

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

That's a spanner in the works then. I was going to order this tv. You see, Ambilight while nice, is just that - nice. Hardly important. Audio quality from flat lcds has never been great and still isn't imho. Connecting to 5.1 system anyway.

Zap - yep I'm the sales prevention officer - thats a fact :rolleyes:

If you have a decent AV 5.1 system then the Audio is completely unimportant and well done for having a 5.1!

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

The picture quality bit is the thing. You say "WAY SUPERIOR". That's not a little better or a small difference.... so back to the drawing board I guess.
I'd seen my brothers LG 2500 tv (which is only 50hz etc) and on Sky Sports HD it was still pretty impressive. I'd have thought the 7700 model would be considerably better.

SHEESH. :-)

On the PiK quality - I honesty am not knocking the LG 7700 series as I really think they are excellent sets in every respect and if you need freesat and MPEG4 at a decent price - they are my recommendation EVERY TIME! However I do still feel that the 8404 has better pik Quality - however again as you say - it's more expensive and it does less!

Keep us posted - again if we can confuse we will do our best (:o)

ATB,

John Mc

zaphodbeeb

Closer to my budget - and as far as I can see *exactly* the same tv but without network / DLNA / ambi-light?

Can you confirm price is 899 - 10% discount (i.e. 810 eu or so)?

Richersounds.ie: Ashley

Hi Zaphodbeeb

The 8404 is a 7404 with the few extras you mention.

It is actually €849.99 before your 10% Philips Shop Boardies Discount so its only €764.99

Nice price eh!
Interested?

Cheers
Ash

Richersounds.ie: John

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

Closer to my budget - and as far as I can see *exactly* the same tv but without network / DLNA / ambi-light?

Can you confirm price is 899 - 10% discount (i.e. 810 eu or so)?

Zap,

Yep - why did I not think of that??

Yep the price has just been reduced to €899.99 but as a Boardie you get a 10% discount from The Philips Shop - so €809.99 is your price - Technically it's exactly the same as the 8404 but strips out the Ambilight and the NET TV .

Then if you needed Freesat - you can just add a Humax HDR (I have one and I still drool every time I pick up the remote!)

Keep me posted!

ATB,

John Mc & Crew

zaphodbeeb

Guys,

You've posted two different prices.... which one is correct?

Adding that HDR thingy might be a plan....

Richersounds.ie: John

Zap,

I am ALWAYS right!

(actually in this case I actually AM right) Ash is off today but he has made a FU on his pricing - however I will honour it if required - For ZAP only mind!!!!

Apologies for the inconvenience but as above I'll honour the lower price,

ATB,

John Mc

givecredit

As i said earlier in this thread. I bought 2 7700s from richersounds. Great TVS. Great servive from Richersounds. One i gave to my parents. (One box solution)

I also own a Philips 7404 series TV. Treated myself for xmas. They are simply a different class altogether. When i first turned it on my jaws simply dropped..they still do. The picture is simply stunning!! The picture from Irish DTT are excellent, Switch on BBCHD or ITVHD from humax pvr pictures go to a different level. Turn on bluray and you will see what HD is all about STUNNING!!
The sd pictures from humax pvr and Irish DTT are stunning as well..
The TV is a beauty to look at as well. Move attractive than LG. The photo frame type screen really works. No visible speakers. sound good from speakers, but would recommend Surround amp with this tv.

At the price you have been quoted above the decision is a no brainer!!!

zaphodbeeb

However,

Having something of a conscience (always been a failing of mine) I wouldn't actually expect you guys to honour a price given in error.

Also, I think that it'd be in the next month or so I'd be getting it so would be totally unreasonable to expect the mistaken price to stand.

I think I'm sold on the 7404 and getting a Humax HDR later. Is the 5 year warranty an extra 10% as normal? I think I'd get that too - would hate to have the tv 13 months and have it die :-)

Although if the warranty was included I'd prob go for the 8404.

Thanks so much for all the responses folks - fantastic stuff.

Richersounds.ie: John

zaphodbeeb wrote: »

However,

Having something of a conscience (always been a failing of mine) I wouldn't actually expect you guys to honour a price given in error.

Also, I think that it'd be in the next month or so I'd be getting it so would be totally unreasonable to expect the mistaken price to stand.

I think I'm sold on the 7404 and getting a Humax HDR later. Is the 5 year warranty an extra 10% as normal? I think I'd get that too - would hate to have the tv 13 months and have it die :-)

Although if the warranty was included I'd prob go for the 8404.

Thanks so much for all the responses folks - fantastic stuff.

Thanks Give Credit!

Zap,

no problem - and we will honour that price - 110% as I have also now been told that the price is also incorrect on our website :mad::mad::mad:.

Yep 5 year is just 10% of the purchase price - however all Philips TV's have a 2 year warranty as standard now anyway and to be fair 1. Philips Ireland guys are really excellent looking after Customers when issues develop just outside warranty and 2. The 7404 series has been bulletproof so far - we have had very very few issues with it given the voluime of tehse we have sold - however don't let me stop you spending money on the extra warranty

The Humax is just amazing as well - my house is the ultimate case of teh cobblers shoes - ie I only end up with the unwanted cast-offs in terms of AV kit - but I spent my own mooney on a Humax HDR and I will never be without one again - it's a cracking unit..

Keep me posted,

John Mc

Slipshaney

guy im looking to buy this..based in cork - will i get the freesat channels down here? which ones would I get?

Richersounds.ie: John

Slipshaney wrote: »

guy im looking to buy this..based in cork - will i get the freesat channels down here? which ones would I get?

Slip,

yes - Freesat does work in The Peoples Republic fine!

here is a link to a channel listing: http://freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=whatson.Main

And this is the main Freesat site

Please note that RTE is NOT on Freesat - you will have to use either the MPEG4 or conventional analogue tuner for local stations,

ATB,

John Mc & Crew

homer911

givecredit wrote: »

I have bought 2 lf7700 from richersounds this year. Go ahead, you will not be disappointed. Very easy to use once setup. (You will be asked for a uk postcode during setup, i suggest using a London one. Do not use a NI or Scotish one if you want ITV1 hd on the freesat epg. After setup you can then customise epg if you want BBC1NI and BBC 2NI at 101 and 102 on epg.

I have two niggles:

1. when changing channels on satellite or dtt there is no now and next banner displayed. You have to press the info button to see what is on the channel.
2. You cannot delete channels in freesat mode. (You can switch off adult content)

I am hoping a firmware upgrade will fix these issues, if not im learning to live with them...

Got my 32LF7700 up and running last night, thanks to Kieran in Richersounds. The above points are niggles for me too. I would also add that when viewing the "info" you can only move forward and back in time, you cannot move up and down the channels.

But on the plus side:

• Switching to non-Freesat mode is really easy - much simpler than on my Humax Freesat box. with one button press I can be on Luxe HD which is my default non-freesat channel
• Changing channels by pressing the channel number brings up other channels in the number range, which makes them easy to select - for example typing a 2 brings up the news channels in a list

The big plus for me is that I have it wall mounted, with no visible cabling and everthing in one tidy unit!

I couldnt get the DTT Teletext last night - my screen just went blank when I pressed the text button - Is this just me or is it broadcasting?