42" Plasma Models/Prices/ etc

twhitehead

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Nov 1, 2003
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Was down to Santo Domingo last week and visited Plaza Lama for the first time. Noticed many 42 inch plasma televisions priced from 70,000 RD to 125,000 RD. Models carried were philips, LG, parker, and Technomaster. I unfortunately did not write down the model numbers of any of these makes. There was a thread last year where prices were compared on TVs here and in the US. If anyone is regularly in Santo Domingo (or elsewhere) and has the time to post some updated prices with make and model number, I know I would greatly appreciate it.

So far it seems that Plaza Lama had the best selection of this type of television (compared to what is seen in POP/Sosua area and in what I have seen in Pricesmart in Santiago). Any other places recomended for this type of purchase.

Thanks in advance for any information provided...Tom
 

Bok

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Mar 13, 2004
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Ferreteria Americana on Kennedy

has a better selection than Plaza Lama with more better known brand names: Sony, Samsung, Phillips, LG, etc.
Prices are in the same range as you saw in Plaza Lama.

Best offer I noticed was a 32" LCD TV from Phillips on sale for 62500 pesos.
If you can call that an offer. I saw the same TV on ebay for 600 dollars :cheeky:
 

Steve Costa Azul

I love Rocky's Ribs!
Jul 15, 2006
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LCD Still More Than Plasma

Has anyone attempted ordering an LCD TV from the US?

I know it is risky since you never know what customs will do to you, but if you can get it at less than one third the price in the US and then pay for shipping using EPS or Xmail and import duties, you could come out significantly ahead of those ridiculous local prices.

With a Philips 32 inch LCD at almost $2,000 US here and $600 in the US, could they really charge $1,400 for shipping and import duty?

Mike
I was talking to Eddy at Eddy's sports bar and he was saying bringing one in from Canada or the states and paying the duty, would still be cheaper.
You can get a 42" plasma high def for around $1200.00 Canadian, plus 14% tax. That said, even if you greased a palm for $US200.00 going through @ POP, it's still way cheaper than the options there. Such a fragile thing to send though, it would have to be insured in case of the screen breaking or something horrible happening.
I know lcd is preferred for different reasons but it's still a lot more right now.
Don't worry, I will be your plasma bringing mule from Canada, I just hope they are o.k with me bringing 2 with me.
Steve
 

Danny W

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Mar 1, 2003
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hi-def?

Is there any point to a hi-def in the DR? Where would you get hi-def programming? - D
 

Steve Costa Azul

I love Rocky's Ribs!
Jul 15, 2006
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High Def

Is there any point to a hi-def in the DR? Where would you get hi-def programming? - D

Ah grasshopper! There is a point of having a high definition tv if you have the "Free To Air" HD receiver and the 6 ft dish. There are Many channels in HD and the beauty is you get them for free! Also, newer dvd's have HD also for when you rent your blue dvd's. Remember though, the FTA high def receiver is $500.00 Canadian.
Steve
 

Danny W

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Mar 1, 2003
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Ah grasshopper! There is a point of having a high definition tv if you have the "Free To Air" HD receiver and the 6 ft dish. There are Many channels in HD and the beauty is you get them for free! Also, newer dvd's have HD also for when you rent your blue dvd's. Remember though, the FTA high def receiver is $500.00 Canadian.
Steve

But Mr. Miyagi, many people are writing about the problems of satellite reception. Do HD really perform properly? And please explain what is a Free To Air receiver?
 

POP Bad Boy

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Jun 27, 2004
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Fyi.........

...........a dominican friend, married to an English women, both living in Costambar just came back from London.............they had a 32" LCD television shipped to them. It was put in the DOMINICAN's name so that they would hopefully pay less tax.

...........Customs charged them $21,000. peso tax on the TV which according to them was more than they paid for the TV to begin with..........I know for a fact that they had to pay it.........and that was after 3 trips of arguing with them about the price........
 

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
3,512
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www.vipcigartours.com
Mike
I was talking to Eddy at Eddy's sports bar and he was saying bringing one in from Canada or the states and paying the duty, would still be cheaper.
You can get a 42" plasma high def for around $1200.00 Canadian, plus 14% tax. That said, even if you greased a palm for $US200.00 going through @ POP, it's still way cheaper than the options there. Such a fragile thing to send though, it would have to be insured in case of the screen breaking or something horrible happening.
I know lcd is preferred for different reasons but it's still a lot more right now.
Don't worry, I will be your plasma bringing mule from Canada, I just hope they are o.k with me bringing 2 with me.
Steve

Steve... make that 3 ;)
 

twhitehead

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Nov 1, 2003
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I think if I brought 3 plasma's into POP and greased the palm of a customs dude $500.00 US, it would be no probs!
Steve

will it be cash on delivery - just drop mine off on the way to your house please.

I personally think buying here is probably as cheap and less risky than shipping (unless of course you have the right contacts before hand) Thanks for the info so far but would love to see some listing of makes models and prices for DR purchases. Will definately check out americana for further selection
 

gmiller261

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Dec 29, 2002
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Personal experience

POP. 6 months ago. Friend brought a 23? ($400) LCD flat screen TV. Carry on.

Customs wanted $900 USD to get it past the door. After a day of going back and forth they settled for $300 USD.

Here?s a good one, they said we could give them $900 USD and when we flew home (with the TV) they?d give back the $900 USD.
 

dstruggle

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Jan 17, 2006
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lcd tvs

i brought 3 lcd tvs from wal-mart 2 27 inch $359 1 32 inch $689 taped a pillow to the screen wraped in bubble wrap and put clothes under it and on top of it went thru pop wihtout a problem if somebody stops you have a couple mil pesos on you and you won have a problem . it was so easy i thought about selling lcd tvs for a living down here after looking at the prices in santo domingo and santiago. but i didnt know if there was a market for it or not
 

DavidZ

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Aug 29, 2005
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www.vipcigartours.com
I know this has been (somewhat) covered before... but are computer products allowed in the country duty-free? If so, there are now many large format lcd's that do not have tv tuners and are meant as computer monitors but still have rca/s-video, and other video inputs and can be used with a cable/satellite tuner box, as well as dvd players...
 

hifiman

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Jul 13, 2005
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Ah grasshopper! There is a point of having a high definition tv if you have the "Free To Air" HD receiver and the 6 ft dish. There are Many channels in HD and the beauty is you get them for free! Also, newer dvd's have HD also for when you rent your blue dvd's. Remember though, the FTA high def receiver is $500.00 Canadian.
Steve

As a retailer here in Canada of Electronics I must clarify something for you Steve.
To play either HD-DVD or Blu-ray movies you need a player that will play the software. For HD-DVD you have Toshiba at $599.99 Canadian, for Blu-Ray You have Sony,Samsung and almost everyone else at $999.99 and up.
And as for an earlier post $1299.99 for a 42" hd plasma here in Canada will get you off brands such as LG,Akia,Hyundia yes Hyundia,prima and other junk coming out of China.My advice if your going to buy an off brand buy LCD and not plasma.Plasma has too many varing degrees of quality.
hifiman
 

Steve Costa Azul

I love Rocky's Ribs!
Jul 15, 2006
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Two Different Things

As a retailer here in Canada of Electronics I must clarify something for you Steve.
To play either HD-DVD or Blu-ray movies you need a player that will play the software. For HD-DVD you have Toshiba at $599.99 Canadian, for Blu-Ray You have Sony,Samsung and almost everyone else at $999.99 and up.
And as for an earlier post $1299.99 for a 42" hd plasma here in Canada will get you off brands such as LG,Akia,Hyundia yes Hyundia,prima and other junk coming out of China.My advice if your going to buy an off brand buy LCD and not plasma.Plasma has too many varing degrees of quality.
hifiman
Hifiman, I wasn't commenting on any prices for hd dvd players, I was stating that the Free To Air receiver is $500.00 Canadian. Also, I was referring to a less common name like Acer or something like that and it was in Costco and might have been $1099.00 come to think of it.
The problem with lcd is STILL the price, you can't even come close to $1099.00 for lcd 42". I know that plasma throw more heat and burn more hydro which is bad when using DR electricity, but it's all about the price.
I think 42" is too small but trying to "get" one in on the sly, any bigger than 42", might be a huge hassle.
Steve
 

hifiman

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Jul 13, 2005
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.
. I know that plasma throw more heat and burn more hydro which is bad when using DR electricity,
Steve

That use to be the case but todays plasmas are just as efficient as lcd.The reason for this is because lcd is backlit 100% of the time kinda like a light bulb it always burns bright thus using the same power.
On the other hand plasma is inonized gas that is ignited by phospers,the brighter the color the more power it uses and vice versa.So in the long run the flucuations even out the power usage. Most plasmas have the energy save rating right on them that tells you they meet energy guidelines.
Lcd is still your best choice for the conditions in the DR.
BTW anything you see in Costco is either refurbished or old technology.Case in point Acer has virtually disappeared from retail stores that sell quality goods and they have no choice to reappear in places like Costco.
Pioneer is selling them a 50" plasma that is 3 years old for $500 less then the new version.
Do you know how many advancements there has been in plasma technology in the last three years.Lets just say its like watching tv through the bottom of a glass.
And how do I know this well lets just say I'm privy to more information then the average Best Buy salesman.
hifiman
 

hifiman

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Jul 13, 2005
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Plasmas are much heavier than LCD's, right? Which has the best picture quality, on average?[/QUOTE

The weight differance is not much if you are talking the exact same size but the better plasmas do tend to be heavier.Also transporting them is tricky they should be standing right side up.
A plasma will produce pure blacks and whites and have better contrast ratios producing more accurate and 3d like image,it also has a faster refresh rate which is good for sports.
On the other hand lcd does not suffer from image retention(burn in) and has no glare issues because the surface is matt unlike a plasma which use a glass protective screen.
hifiman