Home audio & video: insignia any good?
More emotional garbage
by Rdwidner - 9/25/09 3:46 PM In reply to: We can agree to disagree by Pepe7At the end of the month when those tier 1 brands are discounted so are the Insignias. As I said, to each their own. You should know however that the number one selling brand of TV is Visio not Sony, Samsung or LG. Panasonic doesn't even come close to Insignia sales and they are in many channels. You obviously have a distorted view of picture quality. I invite anyone here to visit a Best Buy and form their own opinion of Insignia.
Being Number One
by Dan Filice - 9/25/09 7:59 PM In reply to: More emotional garbage by RdwidnerThe fact that Insignia outsells Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer, etc. is purely a fact of price, not quality. Apparently you don't spend much time on the other websites that are geared to really critical TV reviews, based on scientific evaluation and test equipment, not a pair of eyes. Sorry sir, Insignia is NOT a better TV than Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony or Samsung. Not according to CNET, HomeTheaterMagazine, HomeTheaterSpot, or the other top review sites. Is the Ford Focus a better car than a BMW or Audi because it's one of the top selling brands? Hardly. It outsells because it's cheaper and the car rental agencies buy thousands of them. Next thing, you're going to tell me that the Insignia receivers are better than Yamaha, Denon and Onkyo. And by the way, I spend a lot of time in BB looking at the TVs. I don't know why since I have too many TV's now, but I look just the same, and the worst images are Insignia and Vizio. Of course, this is just what my eyes see, but I figured all the TV's were equally misadjusted. Bottom line: There is nothing wrong with the Insignia TV for the price point. But, it isn't equal to the TV's I mentioned above. Believe what you want, but Insignia isn't the same. All TVs get assembled where labor is cheap, but that labor is not using the same color or video processors for the cheap TVs that the high-end brands use.
Who cares who sells more
by Pepe7 - 10/5/09 8:49 AM In reply to: More emotional garbage by RdwidnerROTFL That is not an indicator of PQ, or overall build quality for that matter. Nobody has disputed the sales numbers here, just that your argument for someone to purchase the lower priced panels as misguided despite very obvious differences in PQ by the untrained eye. [Maybe you are compared PQ of an Insignia HDTV to an SD CRT(?)] Regardless, I have very accurate information on both sales & service at BB, so your smokescreen comes across equally as biased.
all good points
by aallison1882 - 10/31/09 10:19 AM In reply to: More emotional garbage by RdwidnerPepe, Rd and Dan... you all are right in your own opinions. Insignia TV's are a Tier 2 TV and you all acknowledge that so why are you all still comparing them to Tier 1's? I don't think any of you understand what quality really is, so let me give you a little background. Quality is the lack of failure. So for a Tier 2 TV Insignia is a good quality TV with a good picture and average features. But to say it's not worth the cost... a 37" 1080p 60hz is 549.99 at BestBuy... the Tier 1's with the same features average 850.00 that's an Insignia w/ a Blu-Ray Player, a few movies and all the needed cables needed (HDMI, etc.). So if you want to spend the $$$ for the better "quality" TV go for it because all you have is a TV.
Talk to any BestBuy employee and they'll tell you that more Sony, LG, Samsung, and Toshiba TV's are returned for product defects then Insignias. So what does that say about quality? It says that even though the Tier 1's have more "features" (that no one really uses anyway) a slightly better picture (probably because most of them are 120 or 240 hz so they better have a better picture.) So why do they break easier??? Oh yeah cause according to Pepe and Dan they're better quality???
Now about Consumer Reports... CR has been in business for well over 50 years... how long have these other companies that rate products been in business or a better question is how long do they actually stay in business... normally just a few years. Why??? Because they tell people what they want to hear about the "High Quality" products while CR gives a more unbiased and actually tested review. The people who complain about the reviews are the ones who think that because it costs more it MUST be better. The car reviews are spot on when you look at the same car 3 years later. Car and Driver/Road & Track only give you the "right now" review... CR tells you the lifetime review. If you don't like the review then buy your LG and talk up the performance and return it when it fails 6 months down the road (oops... that review site failed to mention that). Or buy the cheaper Insignia, ***** about the slightly less picture quality, lack of features you'll never use and keep it for years.
The truth of the matter is I have 4 flat screens in my house and an old CRT in the garage. I had to replace my brand new Samsung 46" LED ($2400) after only 2 months because it failed. I have a 42" ($1400) Toshiba Regzia in the game room that looks crap unless all the lights are off. My 55" LG has a nice picture at 240 hz and it better for the $2300.00 I paid for it last year. As far as the Insignia... it's a 37" 1080p 60 hz that I put in the bedroom. I bought it 6 months ago for 549.99 at BestBuy and it's exactly what I expected, a nice picture (obviously not as sharp as the other 3 but they're all 120 hz or higher) supports HDMI and turns on and off when I tell it to. While, it wouldn't be the center piece of my entertainment center it is a quality tv.
To Aallisson1882
by Pepe7 - 11/1/09 10:00 PM In reply to: More emotional garbage by RdwidnerIs this thread still going? (LOL)
I'm comparing them to tier 1 because folks window shopping think the dollar savings can still buy them a comparable product. This is a false if you want anything besides something as a very basic replacement to the boob tube you had in the den for 15 yrs. Not the same thing as finding a slightly higher priced HDTV with excellent PQ.
If your goal is low budget and cheap, then be my guest. There's nothing wrong with that choice, it might not work for the same folks though once they wise up to what they've been sold down the road a little.
My understanding concerning Best Buy selling private label flat panels is completely opposite yours. The two insiders I know personally (hint- not hourly floor employees!) assure me that the house brands have a higher margin (which is typical), that makes them attractive to both seller and discount buyer given the much lower prices. Unfortunately they are also returned more often and have a greater failure rate. It's funny you mention Consumer Reports. They don't even rate Insignia since they know all too well from the data they have at hand that the failure rates and overall quality do not match up well with the top brands.
From your text below you seem to be insinuating that an HDTV with 240MHz refresh rate would effectively be the one with the better PQ?
Please comment on this.
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Quoted:Pepe, Rd and Dan... you all are right in your own opinions. Insignia TV's are a Tier 2 TV and you all acknowledge that so why are you all still comparing them to Tier 1's? I don't think any of you understand what quality really is, so let me give you a little background. Quality is the lack of failure. So for a Tier 2 TV Insignia is a good quality TV with a good picture and average features. But to say it's not worth the cost... a 37" 1080p 60hz is 549.99 at BestBuy... the Tier 1's with the same features average 850.00 that's an Insignia w/ a Blu-Ray Player, a few movies and all the needed cables needed (HDMI, etc.). So if you want to spend the $$$ for the better "quality" TV go for it because all you have is a TV.
Talk to any BestBuy employee and they'll tell you that more Sony, LG, Samsung, and Toshiba TV's are returned for product defects then Insignias. So what does that say about quality? It says that even though the Tier 1's have more "features" (that no one really uses anyway) a slightly better picture (probably because most of them are 120 or 240 hz so they better have a better picture.) So why do they break easier??? Oh yeah cause according to Pepe and Dan they're better quality???
Now about Consumer Reports... CR has been in business for well over 50 years... how long have these other companies that rate products been in business or a better question is how long do they actually stay in business... normally just a few years. Why??? Because they tell people what they want to hear about the "High Quality" products while CR gives a more unbiased and actually tested review. The people who complain about the reviews are the ones who think that because it costs more it MUST be better. The car reviews are spot on when you look at the same car 3 years later. Car and Driver/Road & Track only give you the "right now" review... CR tells you the lifetime review. If you don't like the review then buy your LG and talk up the performance and return it when it fails 6 months down the road (oops... that review site failed to mention that). Or buy the cheaper Insignia, ***** about the slightly less picture quality, lack of features you'll never use and keep it for years.
The truth of the matter is I have 4 flat screens in my house and an old CRT in the garage. I had to replace my brand new Samsung 46" LED ($2400) after only 2 months because it failed. I have a 42" ($1400) Toshiba Regzia in the game room that looks crap unless all the lights are off. My 55" LG has a nice picture at 240 hz and it better for the $2300.00 I paid for it last year. As far as the Insignia... it's a 37" 1080p 60 hz that I put in the bedroom. I bought it 6 months ago for 549.99 at BestBuy and it's exactly what I expected, a nice picture (obviously not as sharp as the other 3 but they're all 120 hz or higher) supports HDMI and turns on and off when I tell it to. While, it wouldn't be the center piece of my entertainment center it is a quality tv.
Quality vs. Name Brand
by aallison1882 - 11/6/09 8:37 PM In reply to: More emotional garbage by RdwidnerI agree that when shopping for TV's people can get the wrong impression of TV's just because they are sold beside another TV. There is definitely a difference between the TV's when you start researching them. Although, I don't know how much of a profit margin there is on a "house brand" TV compared to a name brand besides the volume sold. As far as return rate, that comes from just speaking to random people in Best Buy at all levels. I get a chance to speak to some of the store higher ups as I do purchase quite a bit of electronics from them... maybe too much according to my girlfriend. But your Best Buy insiders (I love how everyone has "insiders") must not be in a position that deals with the front line store processes because Insignia has one of the lowest return rates according to CR and actual Best Buy Store employees.
As far as Consumer Reports... umm... yes they do rate Insignia and yes Insignia rates very good compared to Tier 1 TV's as a matter of fact it rates better than most Tier 1 TV's and the only place it falls behind is on (again) the "extras" that no one uses anyway. But as far as PQ it rates up there with the best of them. So I would think that being the case that it would rank Insignia up there in the low to mid range Tier 1 as it rates better than all Sony Bravia's, most LG's, Samsungs and Toshiba's (the Tier 1's).
So a little about PQ... first off all it is Hz not MHz as your post says. A 60 Hz TV refreshes its picture 60 times per second. A 60 MHz would refresh 6,000 times per second. That being said, the importance of Hz is controlling motion blur. A 120 or 240 Hz TV refreshes many more times per seconds which leads to better picture control between frames. This is particularly noticeable on fast paced and/or CGI movies.
Now another thing that I didn't mention in my original post is Contrast Ratio. It is the TV ability to display different levels of brightness. The higher the ratio, the better you can see different shades stands out or see darker item against a lighter item (or vice versa) This is noticeable on dark films and space scenes.
And the last thing I will comment on is 1080P. 1080P is 1080P; it's the same as comparing one 8 Megapixel pic from one camera to the same 8 Megapixel from another camera. Every TV that is 1080P has the same screen resolution (1920 X 1080 pixels) to the untrained eye and the trained eye. Anyone who says there a difference in resolution is noticing all the other points that comprise PQ.
So now I invite you to respond with whatever you want. Mind you I have 4 flat panels (all different brands) and have done heavy research over the last 3 years in the process of buying all the TV's. What I've found is that people tend to think that brand name TV's are better quality simply because they are brand name (and normally this true). However, there are exceptions to the rules and Insignia is that exception in the TV world. So if you want a Tier 1 TV and want to save some money then buy an Insignia... if you can't get over the brand name thing, don't mind spending more money and maybe not actually purchasing as good of a TV then by all means go with the name brands. Just don't knock what you don't know about; do the research first.
To aalisson1882
by Pepe7 - 11/6/09 10:26 PM In reply to: More emotional garbage by RdwidnerWow, that's quite a bill of goods you have for sale in your last diatribe <vbg>.
I guess we can agree to disagree (LOL). You seem to continuously state that you 'own 4 HDTVs in your home' which gives you some sort of oddly self-declared superiority and/or 'street creed'. That was certainly good for a giggle. What makes you think that a simple typo (MHz instead of Hz) means we need a lecture on what's under the hood of these flat panels(?) I suppose it has degraded into a p****** match at that point.
Insignia Model #LTDVD19.
by astrotv - 10/4/09 6:02 PM In reply to: insignia any good? by billzfan4lifePower supply board had a shorted rectifier & transistor. Ordered & replaced the board & had a blank raster with no sound. Ordered & replaced the main board & surprise, surprise !!! Still no picture!
(I bought the main board from EBAY) Does anybody knows where the problem is ? There are only 2 boards on that TV. Please email me at astrotv@comcast.net Thank you.
Insignia quality continued...
by Dan Filice - 11/7/09 7:35 AM In reply to: insignia any good? by billzfan4lifeSo, if Insignia is equal to the "Tier 1" name brand TVs, then their portable DVD players should also be equal to the name brand models too, correct? Then tell me why my Insignia portable DVD player is absolute crap. Compared to the Sony portable DVD player I once owned (before giving it to someone), the Insignia has relatively little picture controls (except for the very basic Brightness, Contrast, basic Color controls), the LCD display is lousy (go off-axis by 5 degrees and the colors look like puddles of ink), and the actual controls and build quality are equivalent to that of an old transistor radio. Not everyone can or needs to spend more money on a name brand Tier-1 TV, but then again, not everyone cares about having a 10-bit display, Deep Color processors, better upconverting video processors or tons of setup controls that allow you to tweak every little detail of the picture. And not everyone will use a setup DVD to help get the best possible image from their TV either. Price becomes the determining factor to purchase for many folks, and to them, spending more on a Tier-1 TV to get stuff that "no one uses anyways" is ridiculous.
insignia 32" is very good
by bobolinq - 11/22/09 6:11 AM In reply to: insignia any good? by billzfan4lifei'm no wizard, e.g., i have no jaded conceptions about technical perfection re: hdtv, digital broadcast, hdmi, etc.
i only know that we are perfectly satisfied with both the price point and performance of our insignia 32".
we subscribe to comcast digital using the component cables they provided and have no complaints. i also have a 42" LG and as far as i'm concerned they produce a similar high quality picture.
what i pay attention to, other than price, are the screen size, viewing distance and resolution more than the brand.
we are well pleased with the viewing experience, i.e., insignia's a good deal.
In your post you do not...
by Pepe7 - 11/22/09 7:36 AM In reply to: insignia 32" is very good by bobolinq...once mention overall picture quality vs other brands or reliability. To each his/her own, I suppose. FWIW, nobody has insinuated that the Insignia's _won't work_. If you have low expectations, it's a great choice though.
hi
by cassyb34 - 12/8/09 8:56 PM In reply to: insignia any good? by billzfan4lifeyou would be better off saving up a little more money, and buy a samsung, insignia, and lg are the same, insignia being the very base model, and LG, or lucky goldstar, has never been known for making a good tv...
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