She died. Just last month…
Our trusted 15-year old Samsung television, who wept with the whole family as we watched Schindler’s List, gasped with the children when they thought Experiment 626 aka Stitch will die in the second movie, cheered for R2D2 in all six movies of the Star Wars saga, finally couldn’t be resuscitated.
For two weeks, we had been prowling across Abenson, SM Appliance and other stores to look for a replacement. The Duplitos had been resistant to temptation so far. The object we are trying to resist – a P199,900 Samsung plasma television set with Ultra FilterBright, deeper black and dark images and clearer vision 18 bit color processing.
Charged to my credit card, that’s only P11,000 something a month at “0%” interest (yeah, yeah) and P370 per day (blech!).
See how happy they are? More space means more harmony in the family… (am I really this gullible?)
Must resist…must resist…
What do you think guys? Are the marketing guys going to bag another victim? Help!
October 10th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
[...] Leyorf.Com » Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by TV » Comment on Aching … wrote a fantastic post today on “Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by Leyorf.Com » Comment on …”Here’s ONLY a quick extractUmrani wrote an interesting post today on Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by TV » Comment on Aching for a …Here’sa quick […] [...]
September 28th, 2007 at 9:26 am
[...] alfred32 wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptUmrani wrote an interesting post today on Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by TV » Comment on Aching for a …Here’sa quick […] [...]
September 28th, 2007 at 4:08 am
[...] Umrani wrote an interesting post today on Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by TV » Comment on Aching for a …Here’s a quick [...]
September 27th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
[...] post by TV » Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by noreen and software by Elliott [...]
September 27th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
[...] gurpreet wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptelectmart wrote an interesting post today onHere’sa quick excerptAbout one and half yr ago my husband and I planned to buy samsung 32″ slimfit but fall in love with LG 42″ plasma . Instead of buying slimfit we bought the plasma TV and I … [...]
September 27th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
[...] electmart wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAbout one and half yr ago my husband and I planned to buy samsung 32″ slimfit but fall in love with LG 42″ plasma . Instead of buying slimfit we bought the plasma TV and I assure you that its worth it… We even use use a credit card for … [...]
September 17th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
[...] post by Comment on Aching for a plasma TV? by noreen and software by Elliott [...]
September 17th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
[...] post by noreen and software by Elliott [...]
September 15th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
About one and half yr ago my husband and I planned to buy samsung 32″ slimfit but fall in love with LG 42″ plasma . Instead of buying slimfit we bought the plasma TV and I assure
you that its worth it… We even use use a credit card for the balance payable in a year and we’ve been able to pay it.
Well I guess that it does’nt matter if you’ll use credit card or cash as long as eventually you can pay it!!!
And its not all about how much it cost. Its
whether your contented with what you bought…
The quality of food you eat depends on how much you pay for it…The better the more expensive it is… obviously…
August 9th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
not looking to spark a male-female debate here but read on:
You might not have known this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female. Here are some examples:
FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.
PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again.
They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong buttons
TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.
HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.
SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.
WEB PAGES:
Female, because they’re constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.
TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.
EGG TIMERS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.
HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they’ve hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.
THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.
August 9th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
ron and hachiko, on:
“I have one very curious comment, why did you refer to your TV as a she”
i have no idea, but when i wrote it, it was a conscious decision to use she than he. maybe because men like watching tv? nyahahaha.
August 6th, 2007 at 11:47 am
follow-up: “La Señora Duplito quiere comprar una nueva televisión de plasma”
August 6th, 2007 at 11:41 am
@ron: “I have one very curious comment, why did you refer to your TV as a she”
My theory: in Spanish nouns are either masculine (attach “el”, e.g. el hombre, el sol) or feminine (attach “la”, e.g. la mujer, la luna). For TV it’s “la televisión”. Hope this helps, hehehe
August 5th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I recently bought my wife a 32″ Sony Bravia and for myself a BOSE Ipod speaker system, an Ipod Video, and a Tomtom Satnav… only because we can afford it….. we got them in CASH….. and we earn pounds….
If you are going to use your credit card…. FORGET IT !!!!!
we could have invested all the money and put it to better use but hey you only live once….
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:25 pm
I have one very curious comment… why did you refer to your TV as a “she”
hehehe kulit lang…(pero the sociolinguistic nut in me remains curious pa rin heheh)
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Why not get a cheaper model? I saw a 42″ LCD TV (JVC I think?) on sale at Ambassador Appliances in Shangri-la for P79k
Given that medyo malaki patong nila, I’m sure you can find a cheaper deal than that…
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:29 pm
good decision….great plan!
glad i helped….my way of saying thanks for all the nuggets of wisdom you provide me through this blog….it has really helped me manage my finances and plan for the future.
cheers!
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:11 am
hey ron, good work. this is the greatest antidote to impulse buying AND tendency to hoard money (read: being a miser). i love your tip!
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:08 am
rd, ang gleng gleng! this is very, very helpful. We have decided not to blow that amount on an LCD tv (not plasma), but I’m sure the hubby will appreciate your explanation even more. I think I understood you better because Omski also explained it earlier.
The Duplitos are movie buffs though, so maybe some time in the future, when we have planned for this the way Ron would, we will ask someone from Bahrain to buy one for us, along with an original DVD and an HD connection and surround system. Then we will send the difference to Sister Mary Vincent of the Sanctus Vincenzus Scholarship Foundation so we can have our fun family viewing experience and send someone to school as well. Great plan, eh?
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:59 am
just an after thought…..is that a 32 inch Samsung LCD?
if it is, then it’s too expensive there. i got the same one here in Bahrain and it’s less than 500 Bahraini Dinars (roughly PHP 60K at exchange rate of 1 BD=120 pesos).
if you really want that LCD, better ask someone abroad to take one home for you.
August 3rd, 2007 at 12:50 am
first off, an LCD TV is better than plasma.
now if you’re buying a TV for everyday viewing, better stick to a big flat screen CRT.
most LCD’s now come in as HDTV ready or with HD connectivity. HD is of course High Definition. HD Broadcasting is not yet available in the Philippines and since picture clarity for broadcasted programs depend on the signal, having an LCD TV will not make your Channel 4 or Channel 5 programs much clearer than they are. in fact with a bigger and clearer TV like an LCD, the “poor signal” stations would appear more grainy and pixelized.
LCD’s work best for a home theater system or a gaming system (read: Playstation or XBox or WII), consequently, you have to invest in a decent sound system complete with 5-6 speakers (1 central, 2 fronts, 2 rears, and 1 subwoofer) plus the all important AV receiver where all the sound is processed to get that distinct cinema feel. to get the best clarity from your LCD in such cases, you have to have a good DVD player WITH HD CONNECTION.
what is HD connection? normally we connect our DVD player to our TV using an RCA jack (those little jacks on the back color coded red, yellow, and white). some would have SD connection or optical connection. the best in the market now is the HD connection. basically a special wire connects the HD slot of your LCD to the HD slot of your DVD player. and there you go…..you have the whole cinema experience at home….but of course you have to invest in ORIGINAL DVD as well….pirated ones just don’t hack it…you lose not only the picture clarity, but the sound fidelity as well.
so as you can see, to get that picture perfect display quality in Abenson entails more than the LCD TV set itself and depends on what you’ll use the TV for. if you’re a movie buff like myself and you wont blow your life savings, buy a cheaper LCD and upgrade your sound system and player to one that is HD connected. you could probably buy the whole lot for less than 199K. on the other hand, if you just want to keep abreast of your soaps and usual TV fare, stick to the CRT, and buy the biggest one!
hope this helps.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:53 pm
If you have consciously removed a certain amount/percentage from your regular budget just for the TV go for it… This means you made “Plasma TV buying” a project and an expense…
pero kung impulse… think twice.. I have a 50 plusi nch or so TV… after 3 months… i hardly use it wala nang excitement… plus when it conked out i spent 20 thou just to have it fixed
This is how I “budget” savings and expense. I agreed to take out a fixed percentage every payday(twice a month)… then plan out my little projecs during the year… and then apportion money to each of the projects (e.g. trips alone or with family… or gadgets etc) this way wala ako masyado pang impulse buying heheheh
I also plan out the sched of Purchases like local travel during Sept (because of travel mart in Mega) and international travel in Feb (travel fair in Mega) and gadgets during holidays (sale sale sale hehe)
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:54 am
Salve, the sisters may not be too happy having the priory house number posted in public. Can you please delete the number before posting, and if anyone is interested in sponsoring, they could just ask offline?
Thank you very much and God bless.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:50 am
To put P199K in another perspective, that’s how much Nevny, an orphan scholar in Ormoc City, will spend in tuition fees for all four years of college. If you want to sponsor a deserving student and help change someone’s life forever, you may contact Sister Mary Vincent of the Sanctus Vincenzus Scholarship Foundation (send email to lightdream@gmail.com if interested). It’s P50K/annual sponsorship x 4 years to make a huge difference — the cost of a plasma TV.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:13 am
Salve, sana may lease option na lang sa TV, parang kotse. At the end of lease period may option ka na bilihin, o kung ayaw mo lease ulit ng mas bagong model. P199K para sa isang TV? wag na uy!
August 1st, 2007 at 11:54 pm
earth to salve, earth to salve, treat yourself to Plasma TV… i think it won’t make a big difference come retirement time… it will be worth the fun! mwahaha
August 1st, 2007 at 9:59 pm
ayan naglabasan na ang mga donya buding
August 1st, 2007 at 4:23 pm
No big deal. I have eight Louis Vuitton bags for a grand total of $6,500+++ vvvv
so what’s shocking these days. It’s a matter of you-haves or you-don’t-haves. Hahaah
August 1st, 2007 at 3:45 pm
such a nice tv, indeed
but i won’t go into debt just because of that
August 1st, 2007 at 12:52 pm
“I think a 199,000 TV is not worth it. Like any other new fancy expensive gadget, you’ll get tired of it soon.”
We all go thru this stage of salivating over a luxury so badly only to do a post-audit afterwards and feel the remorse later. Nasa huli ang pagsisisi, ika nga. Books and blogs can never substitute for actual experience.
After my TV show I went to HK for $350, clothes and gadgets for $300 now in my attic, and a videocam for $750 which I rarely used and became obsolete. At 26/$ then that’s P 36k.
Investing it in my mutual fund instead it would have quintupled to P 180k. That’s the cost of my three-week, six-country European escapade, which I obviously enjoyed more (yes Salve, my Friendster pix lifted out of Ratatouille
). And Europe costs less than that Plasma TV!
No regrets on my teenage splurge though. I learned my lesson well: if friends advise you’ll regret it in the end, might as well keep the splurge within five figures
August 1st, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Correction: it was “by accident”. hehehe
August 1st, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Salve, bili ka nalang ng HDTV sa Pier. My aunt got to buy one “buy accident”. She didn’t know it was an HDTV. She got a 32″ (i think) HDTV for less than 20K.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:59 am
pinoy investor, super funny! you ARE a good salesman.
omski: this really is useful information, thanks! i will grill that seller then…
mikoy, hahaha. Sige, let’s buy CRT and invest the difference :). touche!
August 1st, 2007 at 11:58 am
richardson, and spend the others on a vacation, right? alrighty!
August 1st, 2007 at 11:58 am
itsmeeh, thanks for taking the time to bring me back to sanity hehe. i do think it’s only a matter of time before the trademark BOSE will get into the picture.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:57 am
hachiko, funny, for a second there I wanted to consider doing the switch hehe. Now the question is, and i really want you to take a second to think about this, if I can afford it, should i buy it? what about the 10,000 flower vase I saw the other day in Glorietta? hmmm.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:43 am
g
i see :). good point ha. i think i’m convinced now. also, i think technology has its uses (like I can’t live without my blackberry), but you’re right that there are times it has caused us to run faster than we should when we don’t really know where we are going.
August 1st, 2007 at 10:08 am
As a kid I was very excited when my father bought a projection TV (when projection TV was still IN). But heck, the TV was big and looks great in the sala. Even my mom was excited.
But after a few months, the thrill and excitement of a new and bigger TV was just gone. My feeling is that I’m watching on an ordinary TV set. I stopped noticing it in our sala. My father even once remarked that the TV seem ordinary now, even smaller compared to the new ones. My mom prefers watching on the smaller kitchen TV, since according to her, it’s easier to operate and consumes less electricity.
I think a 199,000 TV is not worth it. Like any other new fancy expensive gadget, you’ll get tired of it soon. A 32″ flat screen crt TV still does the job well. And it’s way cheaper and lasts longer too. Pwede ba dito yun: “Buy CRT, invest the difference?”
August 1st, 2007 at 10:08 am
Salve,
I agree with hachiko’s view, if you can afford it , buy it , I would, if I can, but I suggest in cash not on your Credit Card as we all know there is no such thing as 0 interest on credit.
Some people have gazillions in cash, a 199k TV or a 10M car won’t have a dent on their net worth.
If we all live within our means, everybody would be happy! As for me, I will wait for a 21″ branded LCD TV to be priced at 20-25k before i dispose of my Sony traditional TV
he! he! maybe in 5 years time!
Tip: Those crystal clear TV pictures you see in store display does not always turns out to be true and depends on some factors as well.
1. They use different DVD player connections than the regular ones, your player may not have it, so you need to buy another player.
2. As one comment here says, if your cable operator does not broadcast the same specs as your HDTV if you buy one, your reception would be the same as a regular TV.
3. Your regular TV outlet may not be designed for such new TV (pls confirm with seller first if there won’t be a need to change regular household electrical load capacity)
cheers.
August 1st, 2007 at 9:57 am
salve,
Luxury products are emotional. Ferrari says we’re not selling cars, we’re selling passion and excitement. You can’t put a price on your emotion. It’s worth as much as your self esteem. Whoever said money can’t buy happiness don’t know where to shop. All in favor say “buy.” Don’t think. Feel!
See, I’m a good salesman.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Hi Salve,why not buy a slim fit flat screen tv instead. It would save you much much money for the kids. haha
July 31st, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Oops sorry here’s the link I was referring to : http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/raskin/6813
July 31st, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Hello Salve, this is my first time to comment but here are my arguments against buying the LCD /plasma tv. 1st is the electricity cost. (check out this link) Apparently,newer TV’s consume more electricity than the traditional cathode ray tube TV’s. Not to mention the fact that initially you can expect your electricity consumption to go up initially as a result of the excitement of owning THE TV would give you “a whole new audiovisual experience” (ie if you would normally watch 2 to 3 hours a day having a new TV might increase that by an average of an hour each day). For some families it doesn’t stop there. It leads to an increase use of other applicances like the karaoke system or DVD player. It might lead to the temptation of wanting to buy an audio system to complete the “viewing” experience”. I hope tha you will be able to include the above in totalling the monthly expenditure in the cost of owning the new TV.
July 31st, 2007 at 4:54 pm
une clarification, s’il vous plait: good EQUITY mutual funds have historically doubled every four years.
July 31st, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Salve ma cherie, moneysmarts isn’t here to dissuade you or anyone from buying a plasma TV if you have the means
unless you present here your budget and SAL for our perusal. It’s a want but definitely not a need. Don’t buy if your net worth is less than P 200k.
Okay lemme try: good mutual funds have historically doubled every four years, projecting into the future (relying on the moneysmarts disclaimer
) P 200k will be P 800k after 8 years. By then plasma TV technology will be definitely much cheaper!
Or you wanna do that $5.99 switch?
hehehe. Correction, it happened at Costco Wholesale Store.
July 31st, 2007 at 4:18 pm
salve, the H wants an HDTV (not related to LCD or i don’t really know the diff!) and i’m rolling my eyes on that too. samsung has 29″ HDTV for like 40k or something. it’s not thin but the quality is supposed to be good.
now if only local TV stations will air using HD (high definition) signals (like big TV stations already do in the US), then it will prob be worth getting an HDTV.
my point: too much technology, is it worth it?
July 31st, 2007 at 2:35 pm
hachiko, i have NO plans of getting my first mug shot hahaha.
g, i got kinda confused…
cmon everyone, i need some help resisting here :). hit me with your best arguments against buying that LCD tv.
July 31st, 2007 at 2:31 pm
peddler, i know you’re right man…*holding on to my credit card*
July 31st, 2007 at 2:31 pm
JC, really??? that totally puts things in perspective.
July 31st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
rodski, buddy, thats a really good question. anybody from the appliance stores…or from samsung?
July 31st, 2007 at 2:28 pm
photon, now THAT’s a very tempting proposition, but I don’t know if blowing even 100k on a tv is a good idea…still trying to resist here…
July 31st, 2007 at 2:27 pm
max, my husband called me a while ago and told me we WERE looking at an LCD tv and not a plasma tv. you see, im not really into this hi-tech stuff but the picture quality really was amazing… must…resist..
July 31st, 2007 at 2:26 pm
mel manalo, thanks for bringing me down to earth. priotize, prioritize!
July 31st, 2007 at 2:25 pm
streetwalker, haha oo nga no. dapat siguro pinagisipan nilang mabuti yang picture na yan.
July 31st, 2007 at 1:50 pm
reminds me of someone (read the H) who wants an HDTV and our networks (or cable companies i presume) don’t air using HDTV as of yet.
*sigh*
July 31st, 2007 at 1:05 pm
salve reminds me of a story showed on US news. Man wanted plasma TV in Walmart, removed the $1999 tag and replaced it w/ $5.99 tag from a toy, then went to self-service checkout.
hahaha. Nahuli ng videocam, kulong, demanda pa siguro. That was really funny!
July 31st, 2007 at 12:36 pm
mura o mahal na tv, pareho lang naman ang palabas.
July 31st, 2007 at 12:27 pm
199K for a TV? You can buy some piece of land that will last for generations in your family!… Kidding aside, 199K for me is a very high price to pay for technology (at least for me). Laptops have a 2 year warranty because after 2 years, the wont guarantee that the parts will work (in my opinion). Although companies do provide services to help you…
Technology today changes too fast. Let me guess, next year, you’ll see a 3D set like in Star Wars (how they communicate) at 199K. Too bad, you already bought a Samsung TV…
My point is, buy an LCD for like 80K (and hope it works for 10years)… save the extra cash for something else…
July 31st, 2007 at 12:24 pm
i mean 29″ samsung lcd tv….
July 31st, 2007 at 12:17 pm
expensive….actually i wonder why plasma tvs are too expensive in the Philippines. a samsung,toshiba or sony plasma tv of the same size and specs only cost around 64K-69K baht in bangkok around 89k-96k in pesos. i was in chidlom last sunday actually powerbuy is currently on sale of samsung plasma tvs a 29 inches only cost 19,900 baht or 28k in pesos. even the flat screen tvs here are cheaper…a 21″ samsung is only 3.5k baht or 4.9k in pesos…..any idea of such huge price gaps?
July 31st, 2007 at 12:13 pm
honestly i’d half that budget of yours into getting the best tv i could get for about 100k and spend the rest on building a home surround sound system… the Dulpito’s will surely not regret waching their favorite flicks in their own “Cinema room”
remember, it isn’t about just visual quality anymore, sound plays a great role too
July 31st, 2007 at 11:52 am
I prefer LCD tv than Plasma TV. The picture is clearer and lower power requirements.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:22 am
does your whole family have health and accident insurance? if none, what if something unfortunate happens, are you going to pay that 200thousand medical bill with your plasma tv? filipinos have this real knack for complaining about how hard it is to cope with daily living when it is the lack of sense of priorities is what is making life difficult. no wonder thousands have to go abroad, hankering for a luxurious lifestyle when we are not rich in the first place. only the chinese are getting richer from our ignorance.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:03 am
Notice how the family is enjoying playing with the train set instead of watching television? I guess one does not really have to spend so much to be happy