I bought an Olevia 37" LCD about a year ago. The picture is fine and performance has been flawless. The remote is a bit "spartan", but serves its function. I did wait about 4 months for the Olevia rebate (I received my MicroCenter rebate in about 6 weeks), but overall have been satisfied. I am not concerned about the lack of an ATSC tuner (which probably at least one reason for the lower price) because I will always have it hooked to a cable or satellite box.
I also own a Sony 40" XBR3 LCD TV that is great (except for that stupid plexiglass frame that just makes the tv overall dimensions bigger - what's up with that?) - the picture is stunning. So, I would need to say that the additional cost of the Sony purchased a 1080p panel and a great picture processor (and two additional HDMI inputs). I also purchased an extended warranty - I agree with others who have said that even the "Big Boys" can make a lemon.
I'm happy with both tv's - they each serve a purpose and were purchased with the relative cost/benefit ratio considered.
Shopping for a flat TV for my octogenarian parents, we came across the Vizio line. While I can see the differences between a high-end Samsung and the Vizio line, the difference was barely visible to them. The setup was quick, easy, and efficient and the cable-TV input and DVD input is excellent.
I certainly would consider a Vizio if shopping for myself.
We would all love to drive a Lexus or a Rolls, but most of us do quite well in our Impalas, Camrys, and Fusions.
I still believe "you get what you pay for", but the price differential is tempting. I bought a Pioneer plasma two years ago and it is great.
The price is certainly a draw to this model and I can tell you that I am quite happy with my 26" 16:9 LCD. Installation is a breeze, the instructions are clear and it has a good warantee. The picture for me is great but I did not do side by side comparisons. Originally I was looking to go with the Phillips but the price remained prohibitive then I saw this at Tiger Direct and at $600 +- it was too good to pass up. I have been using it now for about six months and it has performed so well I am considering this brand as a major player at a reasonable price.
I bought an OLEVIA from Office Depot. Had it for 3 mos and am really enjoying it. Got a really good price on it and would probably buy again at regular price. Really good sound ,pict ,and all.I would give it a 5 out of 5.
The old saying applies here also"You Get What You Pay
For". To your average Wal-mart shopper,a TV is usually
just a TV,right? Besides paying a premium for the brand
name's advertising,you by all means get a better tech-
nology if you happen to buy a certain type of TV. For
example: I purchased a Sony SXRD rear projection TV
last year,which to my knowledge,no other company has
developed yet. It is far superior to just about all
rear projection technologies,including LCD and DLP.
In the end,it comes down to what people are willing to
spend and how important a good picture really is to them. There, after all,is a perfect TV out there for
everyone's budget and taste,especially lately since LCD
panels have dropped drastically in price.
My guess is that the people that have been complaining about poor picture quality on Vizios and other off-brands have been comparing apples and oranges. That is, a lot of the cheaper sets are only 720p sets . . . and of course they are going to come out the losers in comparison to a higher-end, maybe 1080i or even 1080p set.
I don't know about the ins and outs of all the different brands but let me add this - most of the big brands subcontract to a small number of companies for their main components and even for complete units. For instance Chimei makes LCD screens for Sharpe, Westinghouse, ViewSonic, Dell, Motorola and many other companies. Benq (= AU) makes screens for Sony and Acer.
Chimei has its own brand of HDTVs and also owns and produces the brand Polyview. More research would give you an even bigger list for these two world class Taiwanese companies. If you find their own brand products then consider them carefully before they carry the kudos of the other big names and their own price goes up!
As an Englishman living in Tainan perhaps I'm biased but I'd be happy to support our local industry as I know it is at the forefront of the game.
I had a problem with this TV, buy I bough the insuranse just in case. The images turned orange. I took it back for service and they send it to the manufacturer, it works like a charm. It is a 37" LCD TV. The price was 300 dollars less than a brand TV. So I bought the extra inssurance for much less than the 300 dollars I saved. True I had a little difficulty with the TV, but at the end I know they fixed the proble right and I am sure they thorughly check the TV from head to toe. So I know it's not going to go wrong for a LOOOONG while.
AND I SAVED MONEY.
You can buy an off brand and be just fine but someone else could buy they same exact off brand TV as you and have a horrible experience. Same with name brand TVs. My dad just bought a 37" Magnavox LCD, a well known company, but their LCD TVs are waaay cheaper than most. On sale this 37" ran about $770. With a 3 year warranty it was about $820. For the size it seemed like a great deal...and it was!!! This picture has an amazing picture right out of the box and the speakers it comes with (good for my parents who don't have some fancy 5.1 surround sound) are absolutely awesome. I don't know much about the Vizio but I have heard many people say that Olevia makes a good cheaper TV. It is always up to the person, do you want to spend $500 more for a fancier, possibly more user friendly menu in a Sony or Samsung, or save that $500, learn a little bit more difficult menu (by the way my dads Magnavox has a great menu, easy to move through) and be happy with your amazing TV anyway. My brother bought a very nice Samsung 32" LCD about 8 months before my dad bought his 37" Magnavox and he paid about $1500 more for that Samsung...for the name and 1 more year of warranty. The Magnavox has a better picture and it is larger. To me, my brother didn't make a bad decision, he just went with namebrand and his TV is still nice, just over-priced for what else he could've bought. I would recommend doing a lot of research on a particular TV and weighing the good with the bad, the price, and the look of the TV, then making your decision. I personally would recommend a 37" Magnavox LCD because it is great and you don't pay much more than for a Vizio but you pay a lot less than the brand names like Sony and Samsung.
If you can purchase any LCD or plasma set for a lower price and it has an excellent or very good picture, you will do it; unless the reliability is extremely poor. Most panels are made at only a few factories anyway so what's the difference? The rest is up to your connections and the quality of the signal you receive.
do stores always have the same signals to each TV? If not, that could be a problem if you are trying to compare pictures.
I purchased a Westinghouse 32" LCD a year ago. The picture is impressive. Even digital cable looks good. Has the necessary digital inputs. I'd buy another one.
I bought the 42" Vizio LCD at BJ's for $1,299 last fall. I looked at hundreds of sets and their features and found the Vizio to be much cheaper and of equal or better quality. It has every input in the book, works perfectly and has the best LCD picture I've seen. So far, it seems to have been a wise choice.
I did a lot of research before I bought my 27" LCD tv. I can tell you that I am 100% satisfied with the "Insignia" brand. Picture is great as well as sound and others features you would find in more expensive models. In today's market and technology brand names is not necessaraly better , the main difference is the price.
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