Home audio & video: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate...
You are soo misinformed
by astrobuf - 2/14/07 11:06 PM In reply to: You must own utility stocks by FunGuy313Plasma TV's have not had a burn in issue for 3-4 generations of models. Watching TV or Movies, it is pretty muc himpossible to "burn in" such a set. Use it as an airport monitor and never change the image, you might well be able to do so, but the same can be said of any technology including LCD.
As to power consumption. The field is full of literature proving that actual power consumption is about the same. You need to understand how the devices work. LCD's draw a constant amount of power no matter what is on the screen. Even with a "Black" screen, the back light draws 300W. Plasma TV's work differently, they only draw power for the pixels that are lit. "Peak" power consumption (100% White screen)of a PDP is higher than that of an LCD, but minimum power consumption (100% black) is much lower than that of an LCD. Studies show that TV and movie watching has an average pixel level of about 25%. At this level, modern PDP's actually draw a bit less power than would an LCD.
LCD's and PDP's do draw more power than would a typical CRT, but this is mostly due to consumers choosing larger displays than historically have been available with CRT's. On a per square inch of display basis, all three (CRT, LCD, PDP) are about the same efficiency. The only device that is much more efficient is a projection TV, but then of course you are stuck with poor image quality and viewing angles!
You are funny!!!
by qsat - 2/15/07 12:45 AM In reply to: You are soo misinformed by astrobufPlasma don't burn-in anymore???? Who told you that? the saleman? the ads?
No, it must be the sooooo honest magazines... with half of their pages reserved for publicity!
If you have 2 hour to spent this weekend, go to circuit city and look at any plasma demo set that have stay on DVD menus for a while, burn-in is still real. I hope you don't look at 4:3 with the side bars, you will be really pissed off when you realise that you had ruin your toy!!!
RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH
by spyeye1 - 2/14/07 2:55 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinThere is no answer when it comes to brands. It is NOT always a safe bet to go with the expensive sets. Perfect example is me a week ago. I decided I wanted to upgrade to a 42" - 50" 1080p LCD. I researched every single one on sale. The no-name brand and the well-know brands. Sony and Samsung sets have terrible clouding. Sharp AQUOS sets have bad banding issues. The Westinghouse 47" looks great, lacks lots of features, but looks like a solid set. It has some HDCP problems, however. Toshiba's sets don't actually accept 1080p inputs. Polaroid is the same way. After running down each and every single kind of set, I was left with a decision: Mitsubishi's 1080p 46" LCD. It does not have an appreciable amount of quality problems and has all the features I want.
I could have just as easily ended up with a Vizio or a Westinghouse set. They were certainly cheaper. And after reading all the reviews I can tell you either of their offerings are better than the garbage Sharp, Sony, and Samsung have produced in this range. Don't assume because a brands 37" LCD is good that their 42" LCD will be good as well. They can use entirely different panels, entirely different electronics, be built in a different country, everything. RESEARCH is the ONLY way to be safe.
Off Brand TV's
by gcornish - 2/14/07 3:00 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinLast August I purchased an Akai 37" LCD. The price was inline with other name brand products and I have known Akai to be a respected Japanese brand for many, many years.
On December 3, 2006 the TV quit working, I could get sound but nothing on the screen, including menus, etc. On December 4th I called Akai Customer Service and explained my problem. I was told that I would be contacted for a service call within 10 days. More than 2 weeks later I called again and was told that there was a record of my previous call but no explanation as to why no one cad called me. I was assured that I would get a service call within 14 days. Two weeks later I called again and I was assured that my complaint was sent to corporate and they would cantact me in 24 hours or less. It is now February 14, 2007 and I have not heard from them. I purchased a 42" Vizio in January and have had no problems with it and I am satisfied with the picture, sound, etc.
While Vizio is a relatively new brand it is already one of the top ten brands in the US based on sales.
In short, I would never purchase an Akai product again because they will not honor their warranty.
George Cornish
Vizio is A-OK!
by shotcaller6c - 2/14/07 3:05 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI recently purchased a VIZIO XL32 from COSTCO and I couldn't be happier! The price excellent (699), the look modern, and the performance stupendous! If anyone is hating on off brands; they need to get off the back of VIZIO! I'm no cheer leader, but I am an advocate of a great product....and VIZIO is Da BOMB!!!!!! Holla!
Vizio gets my vote!
by chrisfunk - 2/14/07 6:09 PM In reply to: Vizio is A-OK! by shotcaller6cLike others, I too did some research before I purchased my first HDTV. I read many good reviews from CNET and others. DL.TV has an informative video too. My wife wanted a name brand and I tried to convience her that name brands don't always mean quality. One of the articles I read last year stated that most of the HDTVs on the market get their parts from the same manufacturer, so it's the name one is really paying for in the long run.
About two weeks ago we were in COSTCO and saw a Vizio 32" HDTV. The quality of the picture was great and so was the price! We even liked the features it had, including the PC hook up. Right now the TV is hooked up in the living room and is part of our family entertainment system. We use it as a monitor, TV, and gaming screen. Everything was easy to set up too. The sound is even running out of my home stereo, so the movies are awsome!
I'm glad we made the purchase and it was worth the wait to look around before buying. Another nice thing about the 32" size is that it only weighs a fraction of what my 27" CRT weighs. That's good for one who moves around a lot.
One last note, make sure before you buy an HDTV, that your home can receive digital or HD signals. If you try to watch an HDTV with just an analog hook up, you're not going to get a very good picture- Brand name or not!
For me and my family, Vizio gets my vote!
Off-name TVs
by ajwheeldon - 2/14/07 3:17 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinHi, I'm in the UK, where ViewSonic is a new and pretty unknown name. I've just bought a 20" LCD ViewSonic TV, and whilst the TV itself seems good, the handbook and quick set up guide are both so awful that the fact the TV is up and running is no thanks to them. Of all the appliance handbooks I have ever received, this is comfortably the worst - it might just as well have been written in Mandarin Chinese for all the help that it was. Do you have a CNET nomination for the worst handbook of all time? If you do, this is my nomination and, I'm sure, a clear winner. Oh, and the website is no help either.
Off brand HDTVs
by TorusZ - 2/14/07 3:41 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI bought a Vizio 42" HDTV with 1080i in December (as my Christmas present) and couldn't be happier. I've managed to use every one of the input ports to include the RGB port and just love the results. The picture is bright; the HDTV stations come in HD, I don't see any image blurring. This along with the price definitely makes it the way to go if you want a big screen high definition picture at a reasonable price. I was also very pleased with the stereo audio output on the TV itself. So... no complaints here.
Consider Consumer Reports.
by rolandomartinez - 2/14/07 3:45 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinIn the magazzine Consumer Report you will find uunbiased comparisons betwen several brands and wich of them have better perfomance. Check the March 2006 and March 2007 issues.
The Big Boys Aren't So Great.
by lsbphd - 2/14/07 4:22 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI've had a SONY FWD-50PX2 for just over a year. This is a 50-inch plasma display. After 8 months of use I heard a "pop" and the screen went dark. It took Sony 2 months to get it back to me. After 3 months, same thing. This time it was 2 weeks before they picked it up and 2 weeks until I got it back. I had to make frequent phone calls to get anything done. So buying a TV from a major manufacturer is no guarantee of good results or good service.
Nevermind the off-brand, is the product any good?
by rjbach51 - 2/14/07 4:36 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI can't recall the last time I've seen a movie, bought a car or an electronic component without having first read its reviews. indeed, I rely greatly on the opinion of the experts, notably Cnet's.
I decide how much I want to spend, then I go right ahead and try for myself my final 3 picks based on experts' reviews. Therefore an off-brand isn't at all off limits as long as the experts who have access to labs, whose expectations are much higher than mine, experts who have tested all the others and have declared the off-brand worthy of a tryout and a great buy.
Vizio
by RobertGoldstein - 2/14/07 4:40 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI bought my sister a 32 inch Vizio LCD at Costco for $699. The set up was incredibly easy and she is very pleased with the picture with an Scientific Atlanta HD cable box. I have a Sony 34 inch CRT HD set, which was very highly rated by CNet when it came ot (it's an XBR) and it is very nice but I can't see the huge difference in picture quality from my sister's Vizio.
Vizio 32" XLHD is nice
by clayw1pi - 2/14/07 5:58 PM In reply to: Vizio by RobertGoldsteinWe bought a Magnavox 32" (32MF231D) for $899 a few months ago. It had a fantastic picture (IMHO) but the sound quality was absolutely rotten. Very high-pitched and tinny, which is odd considering Mag radios are known for having great mids and lows.
Since this TV was for a bedroom, surround sound wasn't an option, so I needed a TV that had good picture and sound in one package.
The answer was the Vizio 32" XLHD model that we picked up from Costco for $699. Aside from a beautiful picture, it has an intuitive menu, a comfy and durable remote, and the sound is full and rich. The black level isn't as good as the Mag, but it's hardly noticeable for our application.
I'd say that instead of paying attention to brand, it is FAR more important to take into consideration how YOU personally perceive the picture/sound quality, as well as noting what type of environment you'll use a TV in (bedroom, bright living room, dim media room). I haven't been that impressed with plasmas myself, so we're getting a Sony SXRD for our living room. I'm not against getting a 50" Vizio or Westy for our main TV, but the Sony just looks better to me in a brighter room.
Westinghouse LCD HDTV
by Web Webster - 2/14/07 5:22 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI bought myself a Westinghouse LCD HDTV at Best Buy late in 2005. I bought it purely because it was dramatically less expensive than anything with comparable specs, and because I felt that Best Buy wouldn't sell anything that was outright shoddy.
After having logged an estimated thousand hours on the set in the past year and a quarter, I have to say that I've been extremely pleased with it. I use the set with a DirecTV HD box, and the image quality on HDTV programming is astonishing. I hope every day that the HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray war will end so I can invest in an HD DVD player and get the same astonishing picture with movies.
My ONLY complaint is that Westinghouse (and presumably other off-brands) aren't common enough to have their remote control codes published in the universal remote manuals. So I have to use two remotes to watch TV - the DirecTV remote and the Westinghouse remote. In a perfect world I'd be able to specify Westinghouse in the DirecTV remote and put the Westinghouse remote in a drawer.
OK, so my personal experience is anecdotal. But I love my Westinghouse TV, and I won't hesitate in the future to buy a lesser-known brand if I can get it at a great price from a reputable retailer.
Visio and other Off brand panels
by noname9 - 2/14/07 6:01 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI can't comment on Visio, but I have a 37" Westiinghouse 1920x1080 LCD that I consider as good as any I've seen. The PQ is excellent, sharp, bright, and the contrast is as good as the best LCDs on the market. I believe CMO (Chi Mei Optical - China) is producing the majority of the large screen LCD panels - even many of the name brands, so the main differences will be the video processor, connectivity, the other bells & whistles, and packaging. Whether they're worth the primium price of a name brand is questionable.
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