HDTVs

Column_sl · Dec 18, 2013

Not sure if Vizio is still doing this but they used to outsource there panels from many different sources.

So some of the models were high quality displays at almost no cost.

problem now is we have grown beyond the panel, and the processor that drives 120-240hz also needs to be top notch,

mkopec · Dec 18, 2013

I thought that there were only a hand full of "panel" manufacturers. Two of the big ones being Panasonic and LG, and most TVs used panels made by those manufacturers regardless of name.

For instance I got a cheap 40" from best buy, some no name brand LED LCD and the dude told me that its a decent set and the panel is made by LG.

Column_sl · Dec 18, 2013

Vizio makes models specific for certain stores as well.

For instance I own a 30 inch Vizio that I bought from Sams 2 years ago, and it is my favorite TV I have ever purchased.

I have two super high quality sets, one 65 inch the other 55 inch, and the Vizio just was perfect out of the box.
Love to know what manufacturer they used for it.

Gaige · Dec 18, 2013

Almost every manufacturer does the panel lottery, LG and Samsung included.

spronk · Dec 18, 2013

there are about 10 panel manufacturers, most TV panels are LG, Panasonic, Samsung, or Sharp. Then there are some whacky chinese companies like Chimei, AUO, and other random letters. The panels themselves are graded quality wise, so the top A panels all will go to high end TVs, then some with defects (A-, B) will go to lower brands or models, and so on.

vizio is fine, its too bad your in laws got 50" though thats kinda small now, 60-70" is a nice sweet spot at the moment especially for costco/sam vizios. i dunno about sams club but if you buy from costco and get the warranty and pay with amex, you add a lot of warranty years - 2 years with amex (doubles 1 year costco) and THEN the $50-100 warranty you buy kicks in. I've had an LG and a vizio both fail in 1-3 years, bought from costco, and they both got replaced by newer model same size TVs for free.

Falstaff · Dec 19, 2013

I've been very happy with my 27-inch Vizio. Had it for 3 years now.

Mahes · Dec 19, 2013

So my 8 year old projection T.V. is doing the Red/Blue/Green thing now. I am pretty sure it is a chip since that was the problem last time. Since repairing it would cost 300ish, I am thinking it is time to upgrade. I have a few questions.

1. My room is well lit during the day and I would like a T.V. between 50-60 inches. I do not need 3D(Nor 4k resolution) but I would like something that does just fine handling the PS4. Sony seems to be the quality brand while Toshiba appears to be quality for a good price. Any suggestions for a T.V. less than $1,000 would be welcome.

2. Should I just wait until after Christmas as a way to get perhaps some good deals or does it even matter?

3. Is it possible to buy a T.V. with the idea of just hooking up a computer to it so that I can literally peruse websites on my T.V.? I would of course still run cable through it.

Thank you for your help.

BrutulTM · Dec 19, 2013

Mahes_sl said:
3. Is it possible to buy a T.V. with the idea of just hooking up a computer to it so that I can literally peruse websites on my T.V.? I would of course still run cable through it.

Thank you for your help.

This is definitely possible and I have a HTPC so I can do this on my TV. It is a less than optimal experience, but definitely doable with a wireless mouse and keyboard. Since I have a netbook next to my computer and a chromecast I pretty much never do it that way anymore though.

Xarpolis · Dec 21, 2013

So... just how good are the new Samsung 600 Hz plasma's? I know they're trying to take the crown from Panasonic, and made them brighter to change things up. But how good are they? And yeah, expensive. The 60" is $2400.

Joeboo · Dec 21, 2013

I can't imagine that they are so much better that they are worth double the price

Column_sl · Dec 22, 2013

So... just how good are the new Samsung 600 Hz plasma's? I know they're trying to take the crown from Panasonic, and made them brighter to change things up. But how good are they? And yeah, expensive. The 60" is $2400.

They're good, but for that much money the zt60 is the superior plasma.
Its easy to go check out in person, they have them next to each other in every Best Buy that has a Magnolia showroom.

Personally for just Soap Opera effect the 8000 does an amazing job at 240hz.

Kaio · Dec 24, 2013

Has vizio improved in the last 3 years? I did extensive reseach and side by side comparisons when making my purchases 8, 5, and 3 years ago. Every single time samsung or sony, which use(d) samsung panels 8-3 years ago, may still but haven't followed through, had the highest contrast ratio (real contrast and not dynamic which involves backlighting changes that affect the whole screen) in person as well as best color. Side by side Sharp, Phillips, and Vizio were okay but not amazing. This is using CCFL for the first two and led back lighting for the last one. Visibly the problem with the Vizio contrasts were the blacks were just not as deep when the screens were set to as bright as the samsung's. Philip's and sharp were slightly better at the time but still not as good. Plasma was not compared due to increased power usage at the time.

Also fuck prices have gone down, for the same quality TV by Sony/Samsung I got three years ago for $2600 I can get one for about $1000.

Joeboo · Dec 24, 2013

Vizio generally not quite as good as Samsung of Sony, but they are generally much, much cheaper for still decent quality.

Your average consumer may not see much difference between a $500 Vizio and a $1500 Sony/Samsung, that's where Vizio shines is in the price to quality ratio

opiate82 · Dec 24, 2013

joeboo_sl said:
that's where Vizio shines is in the price to quality ratio

I agree.

Lambourne · Dec 24, 2013

Picked up a 50" Panasonic GT60 plasma as my christmas splurge item. Never had a plasma before and I bought it unseen after reading all the glowing reviews. Must say I wonder why they are ending production on these as the picture is fantastic. Also really like the build quality of the case and stand, all nice and solid metal pieces instead of plastic.

Not particularly impressed with the firmware side of it though. Most of the built on picture modes gave me color banding or other obvious picture defects, what's the point of having 5 or 6 when only one or two are usable. Also refuses to play nice with my receiver, HDMI auto lip sync doesn't work and is apparently limited to Panasonic receivers only (thread at avsforum). Have been dealing with manually delaying it for years so I guess I'll manage.

Convo · Dec 27, 2013

Lambourne_sl said:
Picked up a 50" Panasonic GT60 plasma as my christmas splurge item. Never had a plasma before and I bought it unseen after reading all the glowing reviews. Must say I wonder why they are ending production on these as the picture is fantastic. Also really like the build quality of the case and stand, all nice and solid metal pieces instead of plastic.

Not particularly impressed with the firmware side of it though. Most of the built on picture modes gave me color banding or other obvious picture defects, what's the point of having 5 or 6 when only one or two are usable. Also refuses to play nice with my receiver, HDMI auto lip sync doesn't work and is apparently limited to Panasonic receivers only (thread at avsforum). Have been dealing with manually delaying it for years so I guess I'll manage.

Hope you got a Warranty.. if you didn't get one, you better. Man I just had an awful experience with Panasonic. In the 3 years I had my Plasma my TV blew it's panels twice. Thing cost me $1500 when I bought it.. This last time the repair place wanted $2500 to fix it TV was out of warranty and I told Panasonic that I'd rather not spend the diagnostic fee if they were not going to help me.. They told me to take it and they would see what they could do. I think I may of brought that concern up a few more times before I felt pretty assured they would help out once the TV was diagnosed. Well they decided to not help me. I had to eat the $80 it cost to have the repair place look at it. To make it worse they offered me a "loyalty" discount which is basically the price on their website. Fuck them as a company.

Lambourne · Dec 28, 2013

That sucks. What model was that? Don't know what consumer law is like in the US but over here if a TV dies at 3 years old (even out of warranty) you'd be able to force them to cover most of the repair since you can reasonably expect a TV to last that long (think 8 years is the cutoff here).

I have a two year warranty in any case (legal minimum here)

Convo · Dec 28, 2013

I forget.. The g10 maybe.. They were just dicks about it..Sucks b/c I really do like the picture.. I have their soundbar too.. I dunno, I've been looking around and I can't find anything I like as much as their 55in ST model Plasma that's in that price range. anyone know another TV on par with it that is in a similar price range?

Mahes · Dec 30, 2013

Well I went with a 60 inch LG. Interesting that nobody mentions that brand name. I have found LG to work very well with my computer monitors and my parents have had the 55 inch one for 1 year with no problems. I went with a 120 hrtz, 1040, HD, smart TV for 1 grand. The picture looked just as good as all the brands next to it. The 4k does look really nice, but I am not in the mood to buy the super best TV for such a cost.

Samsung just released a 110 inch Ultra- Hi def for $150,000. I would want to make sure the house that the TV goes into would come with that deal.

Joeboo · Dec 30, 2013

LG is damn good, I have a 55" LG Plasma and it looks incredible. It was also only $700. I couldn't justify spending 2 grand on a Panasonic Plasma, I could barely see any picture quality difference, so it definitely wasn't worth 3x the cost to me. The bezel is also about the smallest I've ever seen on a plasma, it was their "thin" model. It's not quite LED small, but it's definitely smaller than most LCDs

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