The TV Brand Thread

[GAC]

I have two Vizios. One is about 9 years old and the other we got at New Year's. We have been really pleased with both.

Yep. I like my Vizio. We've got a 48" Sony Bravia in our living room - had it about 8 years - and love it!

Just bought a 50" Phillips LED Smart TV for my brother for under $300 (on sale). Good picture quality, seems like a nice set.

I'd stay away from brands like Insignia, Element, and even Westinghouse. Did some research on them about a year back when doing some internet shopping, and the reviews, including many customer reviews (really take the time to read those if they're available), weren't good.

Samsung is also a very good brand.

[dougdirt]

Unless you are watching Blue Ray and/or have 4K satellite package there is no reason to buy a 4K tv either, unless you plan to get either/or in the next 3 years. There is very little broadcast in 4K. 1080 Full HD is all you need.

As someone who doesn't have Blu-Ray or a 4K satellite package, but a 4K TV, I strongly disagree here. Netflix and Amazon Prime have plenty of 4K content that is outstanding. I also watch tons of stuff in 4K on Youtube - though I'm probably a big outlier on this. And the entry price to 4K isn't a problem these days, either.

[RedTeamGo!]

Yeah, I found some 50 inch 4K TV's between $350-$500. There is a Toshiba 50 inch 4Ktv for $399, which is one I have considered, but I don't know if I trust Toshiba.

[paintmered]

Yeah, I found some 50 inch 4K TV's between $350-$500. There is a Toshiba 50 inch 4Ktv for $399, which is one I have considered, but I don't know if I trust Toshiba.

Toshiba owns the Westinghouse brand.

[XU Lou]

If you go to Best Buy this weekend, find the best price on the internet and they will match it. Not sure if they advertise that but I have used that many times to save on purchases. I don't think they match membership stores or "Big Eddie's Clearance Barn in Paducah" but they are pretty cool about it. Just search the net on your phone and show them the price. Good luck!

[paintmered]

If you go to Best Buy this weekend, find the best price on the internet and they will match it. Not sure if they advertise that but I have used that many times to save on purchases. I don't think they match membership stores or "Big Eddie's Clearance Barn in Paducah" but they are pretty cool about it. Just search the net on your phone and show them the price. Good luck!

It's a good strategy if it works, but many of the big retailers will have the manufacturers produce an identical product with a unique product number just so they can deny price matching.

[dougdirt]

It's a good strategy if it works, but many of the big retailers will have the manufacturers produce an identical product with a unique product number just so they can deny price matching.

I've been rather successful at having Best Buy match Amazon. Never once run into a problem.

[SteelSD]

I've been rather successful at having Best Buy match Amazon. Never once run into a problem.

As long as it's both sold and shipped by Amazon, the price matching works. But if it's sold by a third party and only shipped by Amazon, good luck. They'll also price match Bhphotovideo.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, HP.com, Newegg.com, and TigerDirect.com.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-to...at297300050000

One things a lot of folks don't watch out for, but should, is that if they lower the price of something you've purchased within the exchange period, they'll refund you the difference as an honor/do not offer policy. Bought my wife a Surface on Sunday and I got $100 back on Monday due to a price drop.

As Kinsm mentioned, they'll also negotiate prices on clearance and open-box merchandise. It's worth taking the time to do that. Be creative. About a year ago, I negotiated $100 off an already deeply-discounted LG soundbar w/wireless subwoofer and then noticed it didn't have the remote. I asked the manager about it and he said that he could order one at his cost. I asked him how much that impacted his budget and he stated it was around $40. So I then suggested that he not worry about it, but instead allow me to purchase another clearance item at a $40 discount. He agreed and I ended up grabbing a Harmony Touch remote for @$50 after the discount.

Be super-cool about it though and get the original sales rep on your side. I once got an additional discount off a new Alienware computer by selling a Kindle Fire tablet and a Fire TV to the customer the salesperson was working with (the customer was incredibly non-committal). I then offered the rep brownies. Apparently, she likes brownies because that scored me an additional $40 off an SSD. The irony is that I only stepped in because the customer was taking too long and I wanted to buy the computer. Go figure.

[RedTeamGo!]

I noticed there are a lot of open box items with very good prices. I am a little scared off by this though as it makes me think these tvs were running non-stop on the floor for like a year. Doesn't that have a pretty big negative effect on the life of the tv moving forward?

[SteelSD]

I noticed there are a lot of open box items with very good prices. I am a little scared off by this though as it makes me think these tvs were running non-stop on the floor for like a year. Doesn't that have a pretty big negative effect on the life of the tv moving forward?

Ask the manager why they're open-box and whether or not they're covered by full manufacturer warranty (most, if not all, are). Some of the open-box/clearance tags will say why they're open-box and also ask to open up the box and take a look at the unit. Missing remotes are at least a yellow flag that they may be former display units, but many display units I've seen don't seem to make it back to a box at all. Inventory tags or sticky residue on the unit (front or back) are dead giveaways as are screen scuffs. However, a good number are just customer returns; which doesn't mean they're broken. Customers will return brand new TV's for a number of reasons (size is incorrect, operation too complex, don't know how to calibrate the picture, etc.).

The first LCD TV we bought was an open-box Samsung and, while we replaced it five years later with a larger model, it still won't die. The second was a Sony; which was open-box and replaced for the same reason four years later while still alive and kicking. Heck, the TV my wife won't let me replace is our huge tank of a rear-projection Sony that we've had for over 12 years. The third was a small Samsung that we keep on at least 8 hours a day for our parrot (don't laugh). Over five years and still going strong. I really only buy TV's expecting a 5-year lifespan because the technology is so aggressive at this point, I plan on replacing the unit around that time.

I quite seriously have an LCD or LED TV I can use for just about every room of our house, so I've bought a lot of TV's. Only three have been non-Sony/Samsung brands and multiples have been open-box. Two of the non-Sony/Samsung died quickly (1 year to 2 years). The rest are all just fine.

Oh, and do yourself a favor. Just take a look at some native 1080p projectors if you're not tied to 4k viewing. You might find some interesting bargains there in your price range and I can tell you how to build your own wall-hanging screen out of MDF board, a half gallon or less of Sherwin Williams paint, and a couple Hangman french cleat picture hangers for $100 or less.

[dougdirt]

I've had a 1080p projector - it was not the highest quality option in the slightest and was still very awesome. It ran into a few problems - had to get a new bulb (which, at least in the one I had, was insanely priced if you bought from the manufacturer, but turns out you could literally buy the exact same bulb for aquariums (same model number and everything - just packaged as an aquarium light and not a projector light) and it was literally $9.99 versus I want to say $99.99). One of the fans died, too. It was an easy replacement - it was just a computer fan that required a splicing of wires to fit the connection. This certainly works best in rooms without windows - basements and such. It's been a while since I've had it up and running, but during the day, even with thick double curtains, it wasn't as bright as I would have liked. Maybe things are different with higher end models, but just something to think about if you are thinking of going that route. But, if you are using it in a basement, I'm with Steel - you should really look into it.

[SteelSD]

I've had a 1080p projector - it was not the highest quality option in the slightest and was still very awesome. It ran into a few problems - had to get a new bulb (which, at least in the one I had, was insanely priced if you bought from the manufacturer, but turns out you could literally buy the exact same bulb for aquariums (same model number and everything - just packaged as an aquarium light and not a projector light) and it was literally $9.99 versus I want to say $99.99). One of the fans died, too. It was an easy replacement - it was just a computer fan that required a splicing of wires to fit the connection. This certainly works best in rooms without windows - basements and such. It's been a while since I've had it up and running, but during the day, even with thick double curtains, it wasn't as bright as I would have liked. Maybe things are different with higher end models, but just something to think about if you are thinking of going that route. But, if you are using it in a basement, I'm with Steel - you should really look into it.

Higher bulb lumens are certainly better if a room has more ambient light. I got a Vivitek native 1080p 3D DLP projector; about 2200 lumens. Drumroll...open-box clearance at Best Buy for @$249. I wasn't looking specifically for a projector, but that's a stupidly good deal. That brightness probably isn't enough for rooms with multiple large windows, but I have only one and I throw at only about 10 feet from projector to screen. I fitted the window with blackout panels (@99% light reduction) as basic curtains won't do. I then hung black velvet on the walls to absorb both light and screen glare. No issues watching anything even with the lights on.

It's probably unrealistic to think that a $250 price point would be available right now, but I've seen solid native 1080p projectors as low as $299 at Sam's (clearance) and under $500 at Best Buy since.

[Kinsm]

As someone who doesn't have Blu-Ray or a 4K satellite package, but a 4K TV, I strongly disagree here. Netflix and Amazon Prime have plenty of 4K content that is outstanding. I also watch tons of stuff in 4K on Youtube - though I'm probably a big outlier on this. And the entry price to 4K isn't a problem these days, either.

Most of the stuff that is advertised as 4,000 pixels is not. Though, I honestly know nothing about youtube videos in 4K.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/4k-conte...h-in-4k-today/

I also might add, since I failed to do so prior, the distance you're sitting away from your tv is really going to make a difference too. Most people sit too far away from their screen to even take advantage of 4K.

[dougdirt]

Most of the stuff that is advertised as 4,000 pixels is not. Though, I honestly know nothing about youtube videos in 4K.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/4k-conte...h-in-4k-today/

I also might add, since I failed to do so prior, the distance you're sitting away from your tv is really going to make a difference too. Most people sit too far away from their screen to even take advantage of 4K.

Sure. I say that as someone who watches most of my TV from about 3 feet away. I can definitely tell when it's 4K versus not. Lol. On my couch, which is about 9 feet away, I can tell the difference. On my bed, which is about 18 feet away.... I can not.

Still, there's a lot of good 4K stuff on Amazon and Netflix that makes it worth it. Netflix even has some 4K non-Netflix produced stuff, though it's not a ton. But the libraries will keep growing. With the almost non-existent price difference to go with a 4K TV, there's no reason to not go with one at this point if you're in that sub $1000 TV range. If you're going to be spending that much, then you can see the differences in 1080p tvs versus the $400 ones.

[RedTeamGo!]

I ended up getting a TCL 49 inch 4K LED Roku TV.

Currently christening it with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It looks fantastic.

Absolutely love the roku tv menu. I'm already in love with this tv and (sorry I'm not sorry about sounding cheesy) am so proud of myself for all the work I have done on this basement/man cave. 1 year of working on it when I could find the time. Ripped carpet up and discovered oak floors. Sanded, stained, poly'ed. Sanded the wood paneling walls and painted white (took like 3 coats of gripper and 3 coats of white paint haha), painted the walls above the paneling. Cut and installed all the baseboards. Assembled all the furniture. Today I put my Jesse Winker signed bat on the wall (got it from mcmculbreth's
Bro in law haha!), got the couch down here, and purchased and just set up the new tv. Did everything by myself. Tv is the cherry on top!