New AWA 81cm LCD at Big-W

[tobes1503560020]

Got the Big-W catalog today, the 81cm LCD is now $1730 - wonder what these things will cost in 12 months?

It appears to be the Dectron DL32-GOOP. Still has the LG/Philips panel. This model sports a headphone output jack but otherwise changes from the original AWA model appear to be mainly cosmetic.

[nick_the_beast]

Yeah, that screen looks nice....must...hold...out...till...after...Christmas....

I'd be stoked if these are around the $1200 mark by January though...

Nick

[dockersfan]

Yeah, that screen looks nice....must...hold...out...till...after...Christmas....

I'd be stoked if these are around the $1200 mark by January though...

Nick

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its back @BIGW for a cheaper price... the model is slightly different from the earlier model; http://www.bigw.com.au/catalogue%2025-08-0.../pages/01/a.jpg

[THEMAN]

I had a look at the specification but its funny how they left out a refresh rate data

[Ingram]

I had a look at it in Big W today. Refresh rate is 16MS. Said so on the screen.

It looks smaller somehow to the previous model.

I wonder if they fixed the contrast and DVI issues. The screen also looked a bit clearer too. They actually had it running on component cables but ofcourse in the wrong aspect ratio as usual. The knobs.

[rah]

I had a look at it in Big W today. Refresh rate is 16MS. Said so on the screen.

It looks smaller somehow to the previous model.

I wonder if they fixed the ... DVI issues.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What DVI issue?

I have the TFT-D81, but not using the DVI input at present. Is there something I should know about for when I get a DVI DVD player?

Cheers

Roger

[tobes1503560020]

I had a look at the specification but its funny how they left out a refresh rate data

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I noticed the same thing. But going by the comments in the Acer thread, it appears that quoted refresh rates can be quite misleading. I haven't noticed the 'greasy faces' and obvious blurring on my AWA 81cm that some owners are seeing with the Acer. However, very fast panning can be uncomfortable on the eyes - so the AWA's speed is acceptable rather than great.

[sLug]

What DVI issue?

I have the TFT-D81, but not using the DVI input at present. Is there something I should know about for when I get a DVI DVD player?

Cheers

Roger

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some people (including me) have noticed that the picture quality on dvi is not as good as the other connections.But i dont know if this is related to the panel or the awa stb.As i have noticed there are others using the dvi connection but have different stbs and are happy with the connection.

[hipichic]

we've had ours for a whole ummm....lets say 3 hours now..

I had it hooked up with the RCA/composite interface from our Toppy to the tv and it looked great!

Now I have just hooked it up with scart from the toppy to the y/pb/pr on the TV...still looks great, though the colours are a bit on the bright side, but I haven't tried adjusting any of that yet.

I did notice that the headphone jack is nowhere to be found and there doesn't appear to be an audio output anywhere....but according to those links the older model had audio outputs :S

I'll update more when I hook up and test the DVD and the Xbox

so far so good though

[hipichic]

OK, Xbox looks great going in through a regular AV connection, we've gotten around the lack of audio output by hooking all our audio in through an av switch box for now (our amp/home theatre thingy only has one audio input)

The DVD looks shite through the component input and it wouldn't work at all through the s-video but through the AV its fine... Toppy through the s-video was passable and perfect through component, so maybe its our cheap as old dvd?

Anyway, there is no sign of any dead pixels..though I haven't actually run a test cd at all.

The boys are hogging it for the xbox at the moment...looks great!

[Livingthedream]

Hi all,

Completely new to all this stuff so please bare with me. Liike most i have

also noticed this Awa 81cm LCD at Big W. My quetions / queries are as follows

Situation - I am looking at this as a television for our bedroom. Viewing would be tv and dvd only (through my pioneer DVR-320).

1) I want the best possible television picture i can get from this screen.

Which set top box should i buy? (Assume that I am best of with HD STB).

Which input do i use to plug in the STB? for best picture? Do i need to adjust any thing?

2) With DVD - again which input do i use? Reading this thread has me confused with some DVD issues due to inputs and dodgy pictures? We watch quite a few movies also so dvd quality is of importance.

Could i please have everyone comments and suggestions. Am i better of looking elsewhere eg. Not an LCD screen or not an AWA.

I have a budget of around 2-3k ?

Cheers

Scott

[livebynight]

I purchased the AWA 81cm LCD TV yesterday and i was just wondering if anyone could clear up a problem i seem to have with it.

I DON'T have a set top box therefore im just using the regular analogue tv reception. When watching it some of the picture quality doesnt look so great especially on wide angle shots i noticed when watching the football. The images seemed to be quite low in detail.

I wondered if it was just the AWA was a lower quality screen or perhaps its the analogue signal and if i get a set top box for digital the picture will be alot clearer and sharper?

Also does anyone run a Samsung DVD-VCR combo? When i try to run it via s-video or composite the unit wont switch to VCR for the TV reception on screen. It just keeps the dvd image on screen even though the DVD unit says VCR. It works fine if i run it through AV cables.

[MELso]

I purchased the AWA 81cm LCD TV yesterday and i was just wondering if anyone could clear up a problem i seem to have with it.

I DON'T have a set top box therefore im just using the regular analogue tv reception. When watching it some of the picture quality doesnt look so great especially on wide angle shots i noticed when watching the football. The images seemed to be quite low in detail.

I wondered if it was just the AWA was a lower quality screen or perhaps its the analogue signal and if i get a set top box for digital the picture will be alot clearer and sharper?

Also does anyone run a Samsung DVD-VCR combo? When i try to run it via s-video or composite the unit wont switch to VCR for the TV reception on screen. It just keeps the dvd image on screen even though the DVD unit says VCR. It works fine if i run it through AV cables.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

1) Definitely get a set top box, not merely for improving reception but also for widescreen pictures.

2) Most VCRs only output composite video...

[bigdongers]

can someone tell me what the dimensions of the screen itself are? ie length and height in cm?

[MELso]

can someone tell me what the dimensions of the screen itself are? ie length and height in cm?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

See the specs on Decktron's page (link in first post)...

[livebynight]

I realise that a set top box will give a better quality picture.

I just wanted to know if what im experiencing is normal for a LCD TV with analog signal. Or should the picture look just as clear as an old CRT TV while watching analog on a LCD?

[steven_braith]

I went out yesterday and bought the AWA 81cm LCD for $1773 from Big W. I've been looking at the Philips 32PF9966 ($3470) for a while now and had a play with the Benq DV3250 ($2200) last weekend.

Before I bought I asked to test a few DVD's on it, experienced some jitter but only on opening credits...you know the Dreamworks logo (see later Camera Panning issue). Be careful of Big W return policy, they will NOT refund, even if faulty. They will only repair.

Overall, I couldn't justify the additional $ for the benefits gained by the Philips and even the additional $500 for the Benq. Yes, of course the Philips picture & connections are superior and the Benq has better connections than the AWA. In terms of looks, the AWA isn't too bad, it's comparable to the Benq.

Anyway, I'm am happy with the purchase. Excellent value for money. Smearing does occur, but only when the camera pans. So when the camera is stationary with fast moving objects on the screen, like planes, cars etc - the picture is perfect, however, if the actual camera is panning around, then the picture becomes blurry/smears. So watching the cricket yesterday, when the camera is still showing the bowler and batsmen - it's fine, but when the ball is hit and the camera follows it, the smearing of the grass occurs and it looks all smudgy green, until the camera stops, then there is a 1/4 second delay until the picture looks great again. I have it connected to a Toppy via Component (576i)

I tried the DVD player with Progressive Scan on and watched Star Wars - it was a fantastic picture, crystal clear, up there with the $4k TV's. Didn't see any smearing (576p) - Progressive Scan appears to be the answer at this stage of my findings.

Haven't tried the PS2 yet, but should imagine an excellent picture too as no camera panning occurs in the majority of games.

Did try the Laptop (using VGA, not DVI) and WOW! What a display? Can't wait to replace it and have this screen in the study! Unbelievable quality.

So in summary, downside is that it has only 1 component, 1 S-Video, 2 A/Vs, 1 VGA, 1 DVI, and worse still is that you can only have connected either the Component or S-Video at any one time....reason being is that they share the same audio input! Can you believe that?

Picture great when using PC, should imagine PS2 too.

Only weaknesses are Camera panning, 1 Component Connection and non-detachable no-bass speakers.

Topfield works without a hitch. Spoke to AWA this morning and he said that HD TV is awesome on it, you must use Component Video to connect anything as S-Video is noticeably worse on screen. So buy a Component Switching box to have multiple sources connected (got one already and it is connected).

Hope this helps. Go buy, look at it this way, in 6 months time you have only wasted $1750 rather than $4000 as the technology moves on. In which case you have an excellent widescreen for your PC!

[THEMAN]

Hope this helps.  Go buy, look at it this way, in 6 months time you have only wasted $1750 rather than $4000 as the technology moves on.  In which case you have an excellent widescreen for your PC!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

^^ that's how I see it. I'm picking one up this week. Thanks for the post, it was useful.

[joele]

If your looking at this one also look at the Soniq 81cm LCD at JB HIFI, it is a Samsung panel, but it is 8ms response... List price is $1,990, but I think you could probably get them to match the BigW price if you tried... ;-)

P.S. I haven't noticed any smearing on the Soniq (maybe due to the 8ms vs 16ms response times), best to check in a store yourself though...

[thepigs]

Some people (including me) have noticed that the picture quality on dvi is not as good as the other connections.But i dont know if this is related to the panel or the awa stb.As i have noticed there are others using the dvi connection but have different stbs and are happy with the connection.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm completely new to all of this but I'm going to share my thoughts anyway (after about 16 hours of mucking around):

i bought the awa hd set top box from BigW also (W620HD) to go with the 81cm AWA LCD tv.

The tv is OK but the AWA hd set top has problems: poor DVI output and menus that stop functioning after a while, requiring a power cycle. So I took the hd set top box back and got a refund.

Then I bought a Hotchip OH4000D from JB hi-fi ($300). The DVI output at 1080i is great (although in DVI input mode, the tv only has a single "contrast" adjustment that actually seems to be brightness, and no colour adjustment -- luckily this isn't an issue).

Component output at 1080i gives a purple flickering on the AWA 81cm tv. (I think this may be a problem with the tv as it could not display the 1080i signal from the awa hd set top box either).

I have had a few weird frame rate slow downs in HD mode with this box although I haven't quite put my finger on when or how to make it occur.

So i'm 99% happy with this setup, and for a tightarse like myself, it's pretty exciting to see it outperform some much more expensive setups i've seen (and use dv all the way to the panel!).

[thepigs]

I'm completely new to all of this but I'm going to share my thoughts anyway (after about 16 hours of mucking around):

i bought the awa hd set top box from BigW also (W620HD) to go with the 81cm AWA LCD tv.

The tv is OK but the AWA hd set top has problems: poor DVI output and menus that stop functioning after a while, requiring a power cycle. So I took the hd set top box back and got a refund.

Then I bought a Hotchip OH4000D from JB hi-fi ($300). The DVI output at 1080i is great (although in DVI input mode, the tv only has a single "contrast" adjustment that actually seems to be brightness, and no colour adjustment -- luckily this isn't an issue).

Component output at 1080i gives a purple flickering on the AWA 81cm tv. (I think this may be a problem with the tv as it could not display the 1080i signal from the awa hd set top box either).

I have had a few weird frame rate slow downs in HD mode with this box although I haven't quite put my finger on when or how to make it occur.

So i'm 99% happy with this setup, and for a tightarse like myself, it's pretty exciting to see it outperform some much more expensive setups i've seen (and use dv all the way to the panel!).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

update: OH4000D slow downs are caused when the signal is severely disrupted (we have a crap aerial and planes flying overhead can cause this) and you need to power cycle the box (not a big problem).

[THEMAN]

Hi,

can you guys suggest a AV spliiter/reciever so I can input multiple component cables into the awa? I have some free time today so I can head out to check things out.

Bob

[Richard Jones]

I now have one of these screens, thanks to the promotion in this forum

I'm very happy with the picture quality, though I tend to notice some blurring in DVDs. I put that down to my very, very old DVD player though (some might call me an "early adopter" or even "a bit funny in the head" for paying $1300 for a DVD player . TV, even analogue off the aerial using a VHS receiver, is very clear.

I want to hook up a MythTV box running Linux. My question is what X11 modelines I should use for it. Does anyone have any suggestions? The only specs I have for the thing are the resolution, 1366x768 - I have no idea what the vertical / horizontal refresh rate could or would be.

Any hints welcome

[steven_braith]

I am work and cannot have a look at my Component Switching box right now.

However, JVC sell one in Australia, I think it's called JVC-111 - it's not remote control though.

Mine is remote controlled and was bought from Videoguys great PQ. Beware if you also have a Toppy PVR as the Toppy remote for volume up/down also switches the component input!!!

It has 4 component in and 2 out which is nice if you also have a projector to feed.

It also handles audio.

[sLug]

Hi,

  can you guys suggest a AV spliiter/reciever so I can input multiple component cables into the awa? I have some free time today so I can head out to check things out.

Bob

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have a av reciever for my audio needs ,so wanted an inexpensive way of doing this,went to dick smiths bought a radio shack composite switching box($40) they do have cheaper but liked the look of this one.Plugged in the component plugs into the box ,match the colours other ends and voila works like a dream.Its not remote control but it is on top of the dvd player which you have to put a disc in anyways(so you have to get up anyway).Its simple for my wife and kids ,just press 1 for hdtv or press 2 for dvd.It also remedys the need for switching the av channel which is slow and annoying cycling through all of them.Happy Chappy!!!!!!!