T.V help!

[Joe the meek]

Looking at getting a flat screen TV. Close to 50 years, NEVER bought a new TV in my life. Have no clue what I'm looking at.

One guy recommended LG due to technical support if something goes wrong with it. Of course cheaper is better, but he had mentioned the cheaper lines like Vizio (sp?) and other less expensive models is if something goes wrong with the TV you have to send them back and wait.

Looking at 37", LCD, 1080LP, going on the wall.

Was looking in the $500 range for that LG. Was in Charlotte yesterday at Lego land and stopped at Best Buy (would never drive to Charlotte to look at a TV LOL) and it's like they've got a bazillion flat screens all over the place in price.

What do you have and do you like it? Any horror stories on any lines out there?

Thanks!

 

[Joey]

I've got a Samsung 3D Television! Wasn't really worth the money as watching general television in 3D is pretty crap. As a brand Samsung are really good, I've had no problems with my TV, although I'd say LG were probably a better brand. But I live in the UK so my opinion isn't really worth much to you!

 

[Darrell]

I have a 50 inch Panasonic Plasma 1080P - Paid about $750 at Sears, and a 36 inch LCD 720P by Sony and I paid $350 on Amazon.

 

[Weebs]

I've got the LG LCD. Been 3 years with it, and no problems so far. I forget what I paid but I am pretty sure it was more than 500.00

 

[Zorak]

Plasma and LCD tvs have both been improved to such a degree that the difference between them is negligible for most buyers.

I'd probably plump for a plasma for large screen, because I've always found LCD's way of displaying and tracking movement on screen a little iffy. Some people don't notice or care, but it really bugs me whenever I go around my dad's house and watch his large LCD screen.

 

[Joe the meek]

TV won't be in the main "gathering area" as we already have a TV there.

Just trying to see if there are any horror stories out there.

I always want to tend to gravitate to the lowest price when it comes to a "box product", but sometimes you do get what you pay for.

I'm familiar with LG on some of their other product (nothing related to T.V or appliances) and have come across some issues. Same token, swore I'd NEVER go back to a Toshiba product due to some lap top warranty issues. Not sure how related these divisions are "in house" per quality.

 

[Zorak]

TV won't be in the main "gathering area" as we already have a TV there.

Just trying to see if there are any horror stories out there.

I always want to tend to gravitate to the lowest price when it comes to a "box product", but sometimes you do get what you pay for.

I'm familiar with LG on some of their other product (nothing related to T.V or appliances) and have come across some issues. Same token, swore I'd NEVER go back to a Toshiba product due to some lap top warranty issues. Not sure how related these divisions are "in house" per quality.

If you find a product you think you like, do some research.

Just because something has LG on the box, doesn't mean it was made by LG. A lot of times they are made under license by some chinese company you've never heard of.

 

[Codrus]

If you find a product you think you like, do some research.

Just because something has LG on the box, doesn't mean it was made by LG. A lot of times they are made under license by some chinese company you've never heard of.

Zorak is right,..the same can be said for a lot of products ....and sometimes becuase of this the name brand company doesn't handle the warranty the same way

 

[AUFred]

I have a Samsung 52" I bought 4 years ago or so. Very happy except how much the prices have dropped. I paid close to $2000. Also have a 22" Samsung my son is borrowing I really like a lot. I own a 32" Sony Bravia with built-in blu-ray I bought on-line. Great picture but the remote reacts extremely slow and the TV can be a little hinkie at times. If you are just watching a DVD or one show it is great. However it is 1080 and does not upconvert standard DVD's.

 

[Alien Allen]

I bought a Sony 52" and it is a piece of shit

It has a bad color wheel which is a product defect

The last I looked into it they did not have a replacement that was any different

And it costs hundreds to replace the part

I either will throw a shit fit with sony or just buy another tv when i move out

 

[teh_fuzz]

Ive owned the following brands:


VIZIO: These are a personal favorite, sure they tend to be in the lower range but for the price, you get the best value. Ive owned 2 of these bad boys a 24 LCD and a 32" LCD and i have had no issues with them. both are 1080P and work really well. At some point it was mentioned that this brand and samsung use the same screen and honestly, i CBA to dig much more into TV's to make a purchase. Our current bedroom TV is a 32" Vizio and I cant say i have had any issues with it.

SAMSUNG:This is what I'd consider a very good brand, Samsung has always had top notch screens from my experience and well it is a top shelf brand in my book.

VIEWSONIC: This is my current TV and it could be considered the bottom of the barrel brand but i got this through my work for almost nothing Its a 48" and while it is LCD I still love it!

The things you need to look for is your refresh rate, obviously the better the refresh rate the better picture quality! Also make sure you find out what kind of input you will be using, some HD cable receievers only like the composite cables (YPBR) and do not like HDMI inputs Nowdays most TV's will come with several inputs you just have to find out what is it that your cable box/dish receiver likes.

Samsung = costly TV awesomeness
Vizio = Cost effective TV goodness or awesomeness depending on what you want

 

[Joe the meek]

Thanks for the input! Head is still spinning. Kind of like "catch a tiger by the toe" deal LOL

 

[AUFred]

My suggestion: Go to the big box store. Stand directly in front of each TV you are considering. Decide which ones look best to your eyes. Write down the basic information and then research satisfaction rating of others on those models. Would not hurt to price on-line as well. I bought my Sony through Dell who had the best price I found.

 

[Siphorous]

I usually look at review sites - and quite a few where possible before making that decision. Sometimes they can point out things that are product faults that are not just a review bias. Things that don't get mentioned in stores etc etc. Dead pixels do happen so double check that once you get your new telly, whatever the brand.

For the record, I have a Toshiba. It's a fantastic picture - with only one problem. The tv is too heavy and needs two people to lift it. It's too big too since I moved into my flat (it was fine in a house).

 

[Mercury]

I worked at a TV repair center for 5 years and found that the following brands are shit!

Westinghouse, Polaroid, and be careful with anything that is Funai based which unfortunately now includes Philips or Magnavox. These brands can have serious issues!

There are four main technologies in TV's today. LCD, LED, DLP (or lcd projection) and Plasma. LCD and LED are my fav's as they seem to produce the best picture while keeping a rather long life span. Plasma gets too hot and sucks up a LOT of power! DLP or also known as LCD Projection TV's are nice in the fact that you can get a HUGE picture for a lower price than other TV's .... but here is the catch. These TV's take a blub that will burn out anywhere from 6 months to 3 years and they are EXPENSIVE! They usually start around $200 and go up from there ... even as high as $800 although these are usually the lamps that go into the DLP projectors.

Brands that I have seen that seem to do well are:
Samsung, Sony, Sharp and Panasonic

Now, the one thing that I had learned while working for this company is that ANY TV can break! Even if you only had it for a few months. It typically is because there are weak components from manufacturing and doesn't mean that the entire brand sucks ... it was just the lemon from the pile. Like people said above ... check online reports of the brand AND the model number! This is very important. While some brands create really good TV's they sometimes will make a model that is not so good. Write down the model number of any TV you are thinking of getting and then research it.


Oh, I totally forgot about LG. LOL. They seem to do pretty well. Again it all depends on the model number.

Another thing to keep in mind with LCD and LED TV's is that their screens are VERY delicate. An innocent smack on the screen will ruin the TV. This was always the worst case scenario when people would bring in their TV with a nice spider web in the middle of it. Cost of repair? Usually around $1500 or more. The display panels are the most over priced part of any television I have ever seen. In most cases the price for the display panel is twice what the entire TV is worth. Just something to keep in mind if you have small ones running around.

 

[redliner]

Joe are you getting HD channels tho ? Regular cable looking like crap on HD tv's. So I would just stick with a regular TV if I was you. Unless your getting HD channels.

 

[Joe the meek]

Honestly, I hate TV. Every time I go in I get more confused. HD, Plasma, LCD and a bunch of other factors. Other than watching some Eagles games on Sunday when I can, I'd say screw it.

Apparently we have to HD tv due to direct TV.

Called the Direct TV guy two weeks ago so he could see where I wanted to put it so if he had any concerns, he could let me know, haven't heard back from him.

 

[porterjack]

Honestly, I hate TV. Every time I go in I get more confused. HD, Plasma, LCD and a bunch of other factors. Other than watching some Eagles games on Sunday when I can, I'd say screw it.

Apparently we have to HD tv due to direct TV.

Called the Direct TV guy two weeks ago so he could see where I wanted to put it so if he had any concerns, he could let me know, haven't heard back from him.

I can see why you hate TV
Watching The Eagles would do that

 

[Johnfromokc]

I hear ya Joe. We bought our first new TV in 15 years a couple years ago, it's a Vizio 47" 120 Hz. Got surround sound with it. Fantastic picture and looks good analog and HD. All we have is antenna tv, and Netflix online for movies and a Blu-Ray player.

Less than 1K out the door. Probably a lot cheaper now than 3 or so years ago.

 

[Joe the meek]

I hear ya Joe. We bought our first new TV in 15 years a couple years ago, it's a Vizio 47" 120 Hz. Got surround sound with it. Fantastic picture and looks good analog and HD. All we have is antenna tv, and Netflix online for movies and a Blu-Ray player.

Less than 1K out the door. Probably a lot cheaper now than 3 or so years ago.

I just want a box to look at!

Guy was going into that Hz stuff and picture quality and the difference between repairs on a plasma compared to a LCD, and darn it... We spend too much money a month for a bunch of channels we don't already watch.

BUT...Direct TV will run the extra cable and box at no extra charge because we're such loyal customers:24:

Given time I just may say screw it. It's more of a luxury item than anything else, BUT, it would be nice to have one upstairs.