Home audio & video: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate...
It's has to do with black color reproduction
by roadrunner2525 - 2/15/07 8:46 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinThe biggest difference I noticed in Vizio & off-brands is the detail you see in dark lit scenes. It's the reproduction of black colors. Either scenes shot at night or in dark rooms. I used a DVD of Pirates of the Caribbean (#1) for comparison. On Vizio the hull of the ship just looks black. In the scenes shot on the interior gun level of the ship, the blackground is just one color dark. Same with the interior cave shots. On Panasonics, you can see the wood planks on the hull of the ship & actually see dark brown items against blacks in the dark backgrounds. The dark backgrounds have dimension. That's all I needed to make my decision. Have 3 plasmas, all Panasonics and ZERO regrets. Plus read the reviews. Panasonics are the highest rated in picture quality.
MY VIZIO IS FANTASTIC!
by wheelwinner - 2/15/07 9:00 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinIn early December 2006, I purchased the 42" Vizio Gallevia LCD from Costco for $1,299. Out of the box, it was fantastic ... after getting the digital cable box from Comcast, it only got better. I love to watch golf and football and they are both so detailed in HD ... I just love it. I would recommend this TV to anyone. With Costco's liberal return policy, I felt I couldn't go wrong. Hope this helps someone who can't decide. Ann
Off-Brand Flat panel TVs
by cnetrjn - 2/15/07 9:14 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinIf all the visible items (picture quality,controls,appearance, etc.) are acceptable, then the major item to look into is the warranty/guaranty (W/G). This should be read very carefully before purchasing. Special attention should be paid to what is included: parts, labor, in house repair, if not who pays for transportation/shipment, what is the W/G on the repair, etc. The duration of the W/G must also be considered. Finally, the W/G is only good if the company is in business.
Caveat Emptor.
So far so good.
by jty12388 - 2/15/07 9:29 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI purchased a 42" Vizio LCD from Sam's Club about 3 weeks ago after an exhausting amount of research. So far this TV does everything I wanted it to do very well. The few number of HD channels I get look amazing, while the SD channels don't look horrible (as seems to be a problem with HD TVs). I also received an Xbox 360 for Christmas that looks great on it. I was never one to really notice a difference in picture, but I don't see and blurring or a screen door effect and the picture looks exceptional with anything over DVD quality (480p?). I had read that Vizio's customer service is horrible so I am contemplating buying the extended warranty so that I can deal with Sam's Club if anything goes wrong.
The thing that got me was that even if I bought a brand name TV like a Sony, it is such an investment that I would want to buy the warranty anyway. Its not like the name guarantees nothing will happen to it. So for ALOT less money, as far as I can tell I get the same picture, and I feel just as confident that nothing will happen to this one as I would if it said Sony or Samsung on the front.
Its not like I can vouch for how long this TV will last, but as long as it does it was a great investment and I would definitely do it again, and the $200 warranty would guarantee me at least 3 years.
off brands/Westinghouse
by Patrick Shannon1 - 2/15/07 10:38 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinreally had my heart set for LCD, Vizio looked good but local Sam's had lots
marked down after being repaired. Got 46" Westinghouse LCD, three months
later it is looking great and working very well. Using OTA and could not be happier, paid $1600.00. Sony bravra looked a little better but almost twice the price
westinghouse lvm-37w3
by salvatoretf - 2/15/07 1:18 PM In reply to: off brands/Westinghouse by Patrick Shannon1i love this set, i was skeptical at first, but i paid $1000 for a 37" 1080p tv. picture is good, every connection you need (except toslink)
overall a great buy, i have it in my bedroom, love waking up to it.
Buying brand name products
by 1939waylay - 2/15/07 11:02 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinBefore you buy any product always make sure you research the product and determine if that product has all the features you need presently and near future. Too often less expensive products have less features, some which may be important. Always read as many reviews as you can about the item you desire to purchase, as well as test the product you are going to buy. Do not be an impulsive buyer. Check prices both on the internet and in retail stores. Deals can be found at both locations.
Flat Panel TV, Name Brand vs Off Brand
by Mdepko - 2/15/07 11:48 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI recently purchased an LG 42" HD Plasma TV. First of all let me say that I am extremely happy with it. I did my homework prior to purchasing, Plasma vs LCD, HD vs ED, as well as name brand vs off brand. I have to say that what swayed me to go with a name brand is what I heard from TV shop owners. The consensus was, the actual display will be good because there are only a few companies which make them, however, it is the electronics that run the screen that you need to worry about. In reading reviews on some of the off brand as well as the name brands, I found that it seemed a lot of the off brand TVs needed some kind of adjustment out of the box before the picture quality was as good as it should be. In the one I purchased, we took it out of the box, connected the satellite and viola, perfect. So my opion is this, people will buy the off brand TVs just for the savings, but since the $200-$300 difference really didn't concern me, I decided to go with the name brands which have been around a little longer. I will say this though, I helped set up a Vizio 50" plasma at a friends house, and must say that I was impressed by the picture (after a few minor adjustments were made) Maybe in a couple of years, I might look at buying an off-brand as I am sure a couple of the off-brands will by then be name brands.
Bought a 42" Akai Plasma
by jonnyg01 - 2/15/07 12:11 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI Bought a 42" Akai HD Plasma moniter "open box", at circuit City, and its incredible...I paid 1,299.00 plus the 5 year replacement warranty, and later added the Panasonic SA-Ht 940 surround sound, "open box" as well, (already assembled) for $299.00 at Circuit City.
I couldnt be happier!
I made sure that I will have enough power for when I make the move to a larger home, and I have no doubt that I could Rock just about any size room with "Theater" quality!!!!!!
Follow my lead and you will not be dissappointed!!
Jonny G. (Miami)
I'm not a brand name snob.
by mojoman566 - 2/15/07 4:41 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinMy motto is cheap is ok. Why spend alot of money on electronics that will be out of date or cheaper next year. From an Apex digital camera to an e machines computer to a ilo dvd recorder, archos mp3 player and a vizo hdtv, I've had pretty good luck with products that aren't the big brand names. I figure if they go bad then I didn't spend that much to worry about and if they last then great. I just bought a lexmark printer/fax for less than the cost of the two replacement ink cartridges it requries. If it lasts, great. If not I'm sure the replacement will be cheaper and have more features. The same goes for music equipment. Berringer rocks.
To Brand or Not to Brand
by psx2sg - 2/15/07 5:41 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinlet's put it this way, if we tore the TV apart(popular and new branding) what to we see? All these components came from the same origin! If the compared price between the two brands (well known and new brand) is not much of different then I think it'll make more sense to buy the well known brand, but if the price make a huge difference...then go for the warranty!
I'll stick w/ expert reviews and Consumer Reports
by jphalen - 2/15/07 7:38 PM In reply to: To Brand or Not to Brand by psx2sgWhen it comes to major purchases (electronics, automobiles, appliances, etc.) it pays off to research the topic. I would never rely on anecdotal reports (such as offered on this forum) for a product that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars. A handful of people loving or hating their product only indicates their knowledge of THAT product. The previous forum posting do not reflect a broad knowledge based on experience with multiple competing products. Thus, it is absolutely impossible to draw an unbiased opinion.
Having said that, I defer to Consumer Reports as my resource for product reliability, and (increasingly over the past several years) good data on cutting edge electronics. CR accepts no advertising (thus, they are UNBIASED). CR does not allow companies to boast about CR ratings in advertising; companies get around this by stating "Rated #1 by a leading consumber magazine". Although CR shys away from esoteric brands with stratospheric prices, there focus is usually right on. CR always uses experts in the field to test products which they cannot test themselves. They use large numbers of consumer responses to produce a database of reliability. Thus, Consumer Reports is the place to start.
For more esoteric and expert reviews, you should rely on reliable and unbiased sources on the Internet and elsewhere (trade magazines). This will help you decide which product offers the best picture, although usually no weight is given to product reliability.
This is much more difficult than simply stating that one brand is superior to another. Oftentimes, models within a brand are drastically different!
Stop with the personal anecdotes and rely on better data!
Excellent Flat Panel Online Story
by GolferJL - 2/16/07 6:35 AM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinCheck out BusinessWeek online. They have an outstanding story today (February 17th) about what is going on with Flat Panel TV's. They also have a slide show showing how flat panels are made. This story is from the business and manufacturing side of TV's and how the prices will continue to drop and by the end of the year under $1000.00 40" flat panels will be common place. Anyone interested in purchasing a new TV should add this story to their research.
Flat Panel TV's Offbrand
by smithswann - 2/16/07 2:30 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinI used to think that a TV was better if you bought the "Brand Name". I have a 37" Sony Flat screen in my living room, however for Christmas I bought a 32" Olevia flat panel (on sale under $600.00). The picture looks the same in both of them and I paid over $800.00 for the Sony. The only drawback I didn't like (and wasn't explained at the store) was that I had to purchase a CD player or VCR (that has a coaxial input in the back) in order to get video, because there isn't one on the TV (I've never seen that before) but overall I don't have any complaints.
I love my Vizio 42"
by ivanlowe - 2/16/07 5:31 PM In reply to: please specify (technical) reasons for the Vizio hate... by shawnlinBought it for under $1000 at Sam's Wholesale for Christmas and it has just been wonderful. The Superbowl was a truely rich experience on HDTV. Combined with my 5.1 home theater system, it's almost like going to the movies. I have not had a single problem with mine, but I bought the three year warranty just in case.
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