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Home audio & video: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate...
Westinghouse beats Name Brand
by bigbear639 - 2/14/07 2:29 AM In reply to: Westinghouse by socrfanI bought a 27" LCD TFT a little over a year ago. With Shipping it cost under $700.00. Not only did it ome with 5 years Unlimited in Home Warranty and 24/7 Tech Assistance. I couldn't be more pleased with it. Over a 5 Year Period I had to Replace 2 Panasonic and 1 RCA CRT TV's. Name Brands are just a bunch of Hype and not worth a nickle more than most foreign. If American Name Brands are so great how come the Number One Cars are all Korean or Japanese Made? BTW Curtis Mathes was considered the BEST TV ever made, but hard to get one.
My 32" Westy is just fine
by oekosjoe - 2/14/07 5:30 AM In reply to: I love my Westy's.....plural by ahumpheryThe tuner is elegant and I've delayed upgrading the box since the stations, for the bedroom, are plenty and the marginal cost still steep - but NOT the television cost. Until there are enough HDTV channels, this one is absolutely fine, and, at its retirement, it will be a huge computer monitor. The plugs are excellent for feeds from almost everything, and, although there's only one port of everything except composite, that's fine for limited uses. I use a projector in the living room, and that's limited, but fine for there.
Westinghouse computer monitors
by twyrick - 2/14/07 7:53 AM In reply to: I love my Westy's.....plural by ahumpheryWestinghouse has been getting very good reviews everyplace I've seen their LCD computer displays tested and compared.
I went with a pair of their 20" widescreen LCDs about a year ago for my computer and am still satisfied with them today.
I don't know as much about their offerings intended for TV/home theater vs. computers - but I'd imagine their LCD TVs would at least be equivalent to the quality of their PC monitors.
Why off-brand when you can buy brand name if you shop smart?
by tifkatsmom - 2/14/07 2:42 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinWe bought a brand new Sharp Aquos LC32D41U for $ 849. The picture quality is as good as Sony if not better. It was on sale. We have had it for about a month now, it is hooked up to basic comcast cable and picks up digital channels through the line. We have no complaints, my hubby was extremely happy during the SuperBowl and can't wait to watch the Daytona 500 in digital. We bought it from Ultimate Electronics. It was the last one they had in stock. Shop smart and look at all of the big box retailers for sales, or last item in stock (they tend to offer and additional discount if it's the last one, all you have to do is ask). You can also compare the picture quality when they are side by side,. It's better to get a name brand with a company that has a long history than get screwed by a new company with no history.
Advent need reinvent
by skurry2 - 2/14/07 2:59 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI received a flat screen for Christmas from my girlfriend. It was made by Advent. It does not have very good color or sound and after three months of very light use the DVD player stopped working. It now serves as my monitor. Dang the Advent.
Names don't always tell the whole story .....
by KC8QS - 2/14/07 3:09 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI learned a long time ago to "eye" compare the display units on display on the showroom floor. Just because a TV has a Big-Brand-Name doesn't always equate to best picture quality and by the same token, a cheaper price does not equate to inferior quality or a bad picture. I have seen Big-tickets like Sony or Toshiba or RCA or Sumsung look pitifully poor next to an unknown brand. The color depth, sharpness and overall clarity to one's eye is the best judge. No two people see color tones and color depth in the same way, so to judge here or bash here without viewing the TV's in question side by side so to speak is a far better method. Frankly, I would prefer to "take home" the actual TV I viewed from the floor rather than a boxed unit!~! But most stores won't let you do that. We purchased an ilo Brand Plasma at Wal-Mart based on the picture quality in the store. We've had great feedback and wonderful "reviews" from visitors watching this TV as well. We found that the warranties on the well-known brands no better than this brand and the picture quality was superior to those well known ones!~!
Off Brand TV's - My Polaroid 19-inch LCD
by dickiedoodoo - 2/14/07 3:25 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI was looking for a multi-use LCD TV 1) for use in our bedroom, 2) that would fit our RV trailer's TV recess, and 3) would attach to my PC and laptops. During this past summer, I frequently scoured the electronic trap line with no luck. Then I came across a Polaroid 19-inch wide screen that had everything I needed except it wouldn't fit into my RV's TV recess. But at such a great sale price, I would make-do with the RV's existing 20-in flat screen tube TV. My Polaroid's resolution is rated at 1440 x 900 which is greater than LCD's that size, and even up to some 24-inch TV's. We are more than pleased with the TV. The picture and sound are adequate and has all of the peripheral connections that we need. Since we use the TV in the bedroom and close-quarter viewing, I'm not sure how a larger Polaroid LCD would be. Our first LCD is a 15-inch Sanyo Vizon which also has been adequate (and purchased at Walmart). Do we like our Polaroid? To wit, the same TV was on sale this past Christmas Season for 30% off so we bought a second Polaroid 19-inch'r for our bedroom in our summer house in Maine. Would I buy a larger Polaroid? I really don't know. I am hoping my 10-year old 45-inch Mitsubishi projection TV will last another year, hoping that the flat screen TV arena stabilizes before making a big investment.
NO NO NO don't buy a Polaroid
by wildroze25 - 4/8/08 5:52 PM In reply to: Off Brand TV's - My Polaroid 19-inch LCD by dickiedoodooI've got a 37" Polaroid FLM 373 flat panel LCD TV that died just short of the end of the warranty. This company has the absolute worst warranty service I've ever encountered. No one seems to have the authority to either replace it or refund my money except some unknown "manager" whose name and contact information customer service won't give me. I've written to their corporate office and receive no response. Now I've filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau but I'm not holding my breath.
I also have a 19" Polaroid I just bought at Christmas time. I'm sure hoping it doesn't die on me, but if it does I'll see if Walmart will replace it because Polaroid seems to have no intentions of standing by their product.
Buy any brand but Polaroid!!
Flat-panel TV
by Karen M - 2/14/07 3:30 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinWe had to investigate buying a new TV a few months ago. Did the travel from store to store, listening to pitches of why one product was better than another.
Finally decided on the Samsung HD flat-panel. Best buy for us. Watching sports (without the HD feature on) is so clear, it is like being in the arena.
Service, unpacking and set up by the store right in our home was what we were looking for. Wouldn't go for off brands. I believe you get what you pay for.
Vizio
by wcrutcher - 2/14/07 3:57 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinWe bought a 32 inch Vizio from Sam's Club because of the price and good picture. After about 3 months of very little use, it made a loud screeching noise and the sound went away and the images on the screen were shades of blue. After several calls to Vizio's customer service, they sent us a new set. We returned the new set to Sam's. I have owned many TVs in the past 40 years, and never had this to happen before.
We bought a Sony without a HD tuner at a price cheaper than we paid for the Vizio. As we have satellite, we did not need a built in HD receiver, or any receiver for that matter. The Sony is great and has much better sound than the Vizio.
Off Brand Products
by vroger - 2/14/07 3:58 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI am quite sure that off brands are serviceable, but my opinion is based upon my years as a photographer. My equipment was never off brand- and today, when I gift someone with a digital camera, I find that off-brands are more likely not to work long term, and initial quality may not be as good. Personally, for a big purchase, I stick with "rated" brands. vroger
dvd recorder and vhs in one unit
by lpk - 2/14/07 4:00 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI went to Wal-Mart and bought an off brand dvd vhs recorder model V2000.
$99.00 I had never heard of the brand but for that price I thought I would take a chance.
I have put it up against my son'a Panasonic, and it does just as good a job as his in all trials.And in some cases better than his.
For instance my son's will only record on either the - or the + formate. I forget which, While mine will use both + and - and I have tried it out in both, with a number of different brands of blank dvd's and dvd rw's.
I have been using it for about a month now and have had not one problem or coaster.
I would buy this product again.
Luther
Panasonic TH-42PX600U 42" Plasma
by boathead38 - 2/14/07 4:13 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI haven't been able to find any TV, LCD or Plasma, that can hold a candle to the Panasonic. For features, the only ones that come close are the Toshiba LCD models, but the Panasonic picture always seems to win hands down, even though it's only 1024x768. I was originally fixed on only LCD's to replace my 4 year old Sampo plasma, but once I saw the Panasonic, it was all over! One of the most impressive features is the Cable Card. I DO NOT want to have a $1500-2000 TV only to have some ugly cable box to get HDTV!!!
Vizio
by RyanRoberts_23 - 2/14/07 4:13 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinWell, after working in the industry and being familiar with the evolution of electronics in general, I do know a thing or two. And, one of the things that I know is that an LCD is an LCD is an LCD. Most come from the same plants in Asia and then get slapped into an elegant Samsung, Sony, or Toshiba housing. All it really boils down to is the Specs. RESOLUTION. You want Hi-Def? You'll still have to pay the premium for the RESOLUTION. But why not knock off a couple hundred bucks for a different name on the housing?! Some may feel the extra safety blanket surround them from buying a name brand with a reputable product warranty. But, on the flip side, what is the percentage of return products on LCD TVs? Relatively small and worth the chance in my opinion. Although, some may disagree. There's my two cents on this one. What's yours?
all lcd panels are not equal
by barnyr - 2/14/07 4:40 AM In reply to: Vizio by RyanRoberts_23It is easy to say that all panels are made in Asia so they must all be equal. It is also easy to say that watching HD programming on your new Vizio lcd looks incredible compared to watching standard def programming on the old tv that you just tossed. But until you watch HD and SD programming including sports and movies on off brand and brand name lcds, you are not really getting a true comparison. The ghosting and black levels on off brand lcds, especially on SD programming, is why the tv is cheaper.
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