Is it worth getting cheap HDTV's?

EddieDZ

I was just wondering if anyone thinks its worth getting those cheap/non-expensive LCD HDTV's like Prima, Digimate and Insignia

at futureshop they have a plasma HDTV(not EDTV!!) 42" Insignia for like $1,700!(canadian)...

i was/am only curious if anyone has any of these models and if they are worth it... Prima's website list their LCD's with a response time of like 16ms or more!?! eekk...and i cant find crap on Digimate.

thx

borromini

That's because it's not possible to find crap about crap.

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crypticstatic

IMHO, For most things in life you get what you pay for. Basically some "cheaper" brands can sell their electronics, in this case TV's for cheaper because they use cheaper components over all. When they do that it comes at a price though such as not so good PQ, less reliability, customer service issues and etc....

Just make sure to throughly research the products your interested in buying and make sure you actually go see the sets in person to make sure the PQ is up to your standards...

If you can swing it, I would suggest putting in some extra money and buy from a reputable and well known company. i.e. Pioneer, Panasonic, Toshiba and so on....

EddieDZ

yes exactly... my primary ones is a 32" sharp LC32DA5U followed by a sony and/or samsung..

im still debating myself over a 32" or a 37" i just hate how much of a increase the price is froma 32" LCD to a 37" LCD(here in canada its a $1000 price increase! too much for my blood)

but i came across a Prima and a Insignia HDTV plasma for LESS then the $2,000 mark(which is what the price is for the sharp LC32DA5U)

both the Prima and Insignia have websites and look like a relayable company according to the website...where as the digimate well crap its pretty much non-exsistant on the internet HAHAHAH.

What factors should i look for in a HDTV Plasma?!?! for example in a HDTV LCD i know the factors to look for are response time, contrast levels..etc..so what do i look for i na plasma?

the only downside i found on both those plasmas are the limit number of inputs..NO HDMI(only DVI).. only 1 component input..etc..etc..

crypticstatic

Just to name a few factors when I went looking for my plasma is, I made sure it had a HD Tuner built in, at least one HDMI input a couple of component inputs and that it was cable card ready. Thoe things as far as inputs were important to me because my STB has a HDMI input and my DVD player has component inputs as well.

lets see here.. well, a couple of other things to possibly look out for is does the plasma come with any built in burn in prevention features, such as a "white screen" feature or an orbiting picture to help reduce "ghosting" and such. Will the plasma do picture in picture. These things I just mentioned arent critical but if they are important to you then you should make sure the plasma you choose has them.

above all, like I mentioned in my previous post, make sure you compare the picture quality of the plasma your thinking of buying to another plasma. Depending on the manufactuer the PQ varies and sometimes they vary quite a bit. Also, try to adjust the settings on the display models if you can to see if you can get the plasma picture to look good to you. The display models are usually in "torch" mode to really make the PQ stand out in the stores but it isnt something you will realistically do when you get the set at home because it will probably be to bright under normal viewing conditions.

If I think of anything else I'll post a few more ideas! Hope this helps....

zedd

If your rich you buy whatever you want. If your not rich you buy what looks good to YOU. It doesnt matter if its Prima or Pioneer as long as YOU like it!!
Either way, you end up buying what YOU want!

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borromini

Even if you are not rich, you can be considering two TVs that both look good to you, yet one is from a reputable brand at $50 to $100 more over a no-name brand. You would be wise to choose the reputable brand. Looks alone don't cover the performance over the life of the TV.

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ImRizzo

Any purchase of a cheap HD component may satisfy you now but after a short period of time I'm sure you'll regret your purchase of a cheap display component which you can not resale for an upgrade. You would be better off waitng til you can afford a quality component and with prices coming down and new models being introduced your dollars will buy you much more......Just my opinion

EddieDZ

thanks guys! really helpfull... yea those plasmas i mentioned are very limited in inputs(like no HDMI and only one damn component!?) and no im not rich lol but it doesnt matter..its alittle something called "financing" hahaha but my MAX limit is indeed $2,000..i rather not go anything above that at all..

E55 KEV

I have been looking at 32" Sharps, Panasonics, Toshibas and Samsungs for $1999, but Circuit City has a 32" Polaroid for $1099 with ATSC tuner and HDMI. The set will be used primarily for free OTA antenna broadcast tv watching so why throw money into a tv that is not used for home theater or critical DVD movie viewing. I am sure I could enjoy the tv picture just as well.

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depauvillekid

Yes you do get what you pay for, but.... there are some good cheaper LCD's that are descent and are smply lower price becasue the brand is unknown. Cnet gave Maxtent LCD;s very good review and they run about $1000 for a 32". Check out warehouse stores like Sam;s Club and Costco, they have descent LCDs and they offer excellent return policy, Sam's Club will take anything back which will make you feel better about buying an off brand, hence, if you don't like it you can always return it!! I bought the Vizio L32 frm sams for under $1000, granted it's not a Samsung but again I paid half as much as you would for the 32" Samsung.

SOYO LCD's mainly from Home Shopping networks use the same EXACT screen as LG's and Phillips LCD's but cost much less, Under $1000 from HomeShoppingNetwork, also has a fantastic return policy.

In conlcusion, Not everyone is willing to pay 2 grand but are willing to spend $1000 or just under like me. I understand a Sony or Panasonic may look a bit better, but I definetly got my money's worth and spent half as much. And like I said, stick to the warehouse stores, they have excellent prices and even better return policies, so if you don't like it, take it back, no harm done.

EddieDZ

good point there villekid..good point...sadly i havent found a maxtent LCd up here in canada yet..i dont think they sell them and if they do then probably only best buy has it and theres no best buy around my area..not for a few hundred miles probably LOL

sl7vk

The irony in that being that Maxent is a Canadian company.

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gesb

I had the Maxent 50" Plasma for about two weeks before I decided to upgrade to the Pioneer 5060. The picture quality of the maxent sucked and I felt for the extra bones I'll be happier. I'm anal and if I don't like something like the PQ of the tv, it would drive me crazy everytime I watched a movie.

The 5060 arrives Friday and I anticipate a better overall quality.

Peferling

If you let money be the determining factor, then you can't afford it.

I bought a Sony Bravia, spending $1500 more over other unknown brands. My decision was based on the look and features of the set, but also on something we techies normally overlook (more a less the unwritten rule), quality. I went with Sony because they have some history in building reliable and time-tested displays, and most likely will be around for the next ten years that I wish to own this set.

Really, ten years seems like a long time, but not when it comes to appliances. Think of some things you have around the house that follow that rule.

Put it another way, from an engineer's standpoint. In most cases, there are about three or four manufacturing plants that build the basic components that are the guts of these sets. Only certain plants have reliable facilities, high standards of manufacture and are of good quality. So, you want a name-branded company that only uses the more reliable parts in their assemblies. There is a price penalty for that assurance in form of a higher price tag.

If the name-branded company has done their homework and testing (added research that factors into the cost as well), they will provide you with a set that has these higher quality parts within, and will stand behind it.

So bottom line, that extra $1500 I paid is more like an unwritten insurance policy against failure. The best insurance policy is one that you will never have to use.