Should I get a name brand TV or a bigger budget brand one? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Should I get a name brand TV or a bigger budget brand one?

LoneRonin

LoneRonin

Well-known member
So my HP 22" monitor in my room crapped out and I need something new for PS3 and movies. At my price range I can get a 32" name brand, will likely go with a Sony or I can get a 40-42" from Dynex/Insignia or something like that. I have no experience with TVs other than Sony which have been bulletproof.
I took apart my HP monitor to try and fix it and saw that the display panel was from LG/Philips..which leads me to believe that its all the same stuff just different branding and different people putting it together, I've also heard Sony and Samsung use the same panels. So does anyone have any idea with what type of quality I can expect from the budget brands?
If I go with them I can get a 40-42" with 1080p whereas the 32" is 720p but I've also got a feeling any bigger than 32" will be too big for my room anyways.
 
both my kids have 32" dynex 1080p, (BestBuy Christmas sale) TV's in their rooms. They have been ok after 2 yrs and they are "on" often enough.
your mileage may vary.
 
Look into Vizio.. Typically cheaper than the big boys, but a very nice product. Only had mine for about a year but it's given me absolutely zero issues, which is more than I can say about the LG that I used to have.
 
If you don't care about picture quality, just go with a big no-name. If it lasts for 2-3 years, then it will pay for itself anyway.
 
Picked up a Vizio awhile back from Tiger Direct on clearance. No problems with it but I have noticed the audio quality on the no names sounds a bit on the "tinny"side. If you're running audio through a stereo then nevermind....

The LG we bought from Costco lasted about 3 months before the sound went out. Got money back and picked up a better LG that was on sale at Future Shop. Been 3 years now and no issues with that one.
 
If you remember the old GoldStar brand, thats the new LG.

They send truckloads of them back for repair. Steer clear.

Vizio is likely the only low end brand I would trust, but it would have to be a really good deal.

Stick to Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung for top tier makers.

WANT A REALLY, REALLY GOOD DEAL? CALL UP G & G ELECTRONICS IN SCARBOROUGH, AND ASK THEM ABOUT THE REFURBISHED SONY 40" TV'S THEY GOT FROM SONY CANADA. SUPER CHEAP, AND WITH 1 YEAR WARRANTY. SONY KDLV3000 FULL HD 1080P. STUNNING PICTURE, PIANO BLACK FINISH, ETC. Had about a hundred units, I think they are down to 20 now when I was there last friday.
 
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Sony had a great rep years ago. You paid a premium to own a Sony. Not in this day and age. Sony quality is on par with the others but, isn't worth the premium now.

Samsung or Panasonic are the way to go. Panasonic is the leader in plasma and larger screens. Samsung will have better price points on anything under 42".

For your budget and size, I'd recommend Samsung. If you go a little larger and spend the cash, in the 42" and higher, the 3D and smart tech is getting pretty amazing too.



Cheers.
 
Another vote for name-brand (or vizio). I have seen some absolutely horrendous pictures on no-name TV's. I was looking at a friends insignia and with a black picture, the screen looked like a quilt, they must have tried to get such terrible backlight distribution, it was bad enough it would be hard to do by accident :/ .

I've had a vizio for 18 months, the pictures not as good as the high-end sets from sony/samsung/etc. but the price was nowhere near the same either (~$1200 for a 55" LED backlit with local dimming and internet crap, the big boys were ~$3000 for the same thing).

Whatever you buy, look at it first playing content that you will be watching. i.e., if you watch a lot of DVD's watch a DVD, some TV's do hi-res beautifully but absolutely destroy low res content.
 
A few decades back back my wife worked for a major TV manufacturer and through parties etc I got to know their service manager fairly well. They had their mainline brand but also sold stencil lines through the department stores ie Eatons "Viking" line. The stencil lines were made of the same componenets but not tested to the same standards for overvoltage etc.

An appliance sold through a big box store may look the same as one sold in a high end shop but some components may be cheapened (Plastic vs metal) or sound proofing eliminated or minimized.

At one time almost all refridgerators ran compressors made in Brazil and they came in two sizes so all the different models only varied by box size and frills. China may have changed that.

No specific info on TVs but a glimpse on the system. FWIW my TV is a Toshiba. The only problem is the crap programming and Toshiba can't fix that.
 
SunnY S said:
If you remember the old GoldStar brand, thats the new LG.

They send truckloads of them back for repair. Steer clear.

Vizio is likely the only low end brand I would trust, but it would have to be a really good deal.
Click to expand...
So you trust VIZIO but not LG??? Do you know who makes the VIZIO panels? That's right, LG.
 
Samsungs are **** ..

We had one that was sent back under warranty. It too failed and was sent back under warranty. After the third time i said keep it, and give me something else.
We got a Sony out of the deal ..
 
SunnY S said:
If you remember the old GoldStar brand, thats the new LG.

They send truckloads of them back for repair. Steer clear.

Vizio is likely the only low end brand I would trust, but it would have to be a really good deal.

Stick to Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung for top tier makers.

WANT A REALLY, REALLY GOOD DEAL? CALL UP G & G ELECTRONICS IN SCARBOROUGH, AND ASK THEM ABOUT THE REFURBISHED SONY 40" TV'S THEY GOT FROM SONY CANADA. SUPER CHEAP, AND WITH 1 YEAR WARRANTY. SONY KDLV3000 FULL HD 1080P. STUNNING PICTURE, PIANO BLACK FINISH, ETC. Had about a hundred units, I think they are down to 20 now when I was there last friday.
Click to expand...

Refurb Sony's? they get returned for repair also? guess it can happen with any manufacturer
 
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Any manufacturer will have refurbished units, it just depends how many. Samsung has a couple outlet (e-outlet) stores in GTA where they give you excellent deals on their TVs and monitors. IMHO, if you're buying plasma, nothing can touch current Panasonic in terms of picture and build quality. Higher-end Samsung models come next. Sony obviously makes the best LCDs, again followed by Samsung. Samsung most likely offers the best bang for the buck on their mid-end products, unless you can get Panasonic GT series (or ST) for a very good price.
Many no-name TVs use LG parts, a few use Samsung parts. Low-end LGs break all the time. Sharp used to be good, but then their quality control went down the drain, and now they compete with LG rather than Sony and Samsung.
 
samsung and sony had a development partnership until last year, when samsung bought them out--however, sony will continue to buy panels from samsung.

if you are going to buy an lcd, samsung is the biggest manufacturer in the world. however, they make so many panels for themselves and others, that they have to source their panels from a multitude of factories.

so you are going to get some lemons with the apples.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1178897

this will explain some of what to look for regarding panel version codes.

if you avoid their entry level models (at each panel size), you have a much higher chance of winning the samsung panel 'lottery'.

put simply, if i were in your position, i would buy a panny plasma, or (with due diligence) a sammy lcd.
 
My current new sony (don't remember if it was Sony or Samsung )50" TV bought new sucks balls. Takes a while to warm up, power button is like invisible - its a black tv, grey power button outlined symbol and operates on a heat sensor. My friend's dynex 32" tv operates a lot better. They were bought around the same time.
 
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its not just the panel that matters, the imaging processor and drivers and the "bells and whistles" is what stands one brand out from the other.

I love LG, i have two LG monitors and two LG TVs without any issues whatsoever. the 46" LCD is a refurb and going strong for 2+ years now, the second LG is a 55" 3D LED with got for a grand on sale. In terms of quality and reliability, from my perspective, its 100%
 
Have a Samsung T240HD, computer monitor with digital tv tuner. Have had it for 3 years, no issues at all! 1920x1200 resolution 10k:1 contrast. Simply the best computer monitor I have ever had and does an amazing job at being a tv too. If you can find one, might be something to look at.
 
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