HD Guru &#187; News

Big Markdowns on 2011 3D TVs

Sony Bundles
Sony changed to a uniform pricing policy for 2012 (except entry models). The models below have just dropped $100 plus they are currently bundled with its $150 retail BDP-S590 3D Blu-ray player, free when ordered together from Amazon direct.

Sony BRAVIA KDL46HX750 46-Inch 240 Hz 1080p 3D LED Internet TV Retail $1600 + $150 Now $1498.00 Amazon Direct

Sony BRAVIA KDL55HX750 55-Inch 240Hz 1080p 3D LED Internet TV Retail $2100 + $150 Now $1998.00 Amazon Direct

Samsung

Samsung also has a uniform pricing policy. Through dealer incentives the models below are at their lowest prices of the year. We do not know how long the current incentive program will stay in effect.

Samsung UN40ES6500 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV Retail $1500 Now $997.99 Amazon Direct 33% off

Samsung UN46ES6500 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV Retail $1730 Now $1197.99 Amazon Direct 31% off

Samsung UN55ES6500 55-Inch 1080p 120 Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV Retail $2520 Now $1697.99 Amazon Direct 33% off

Samsung UN55ES8000 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV Retail $3750 Now $2697.99 Amazon Direct 28% off

Samsung UN60ES8000 60-Inch 1080p 240 Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV Retail $4400 Now $3097.99 Amazon Direct 30% off

All listed TVs above include free shipping from Amazon. Prices listed are for the HDTVs offered by Amazon direct and are sold under its policies . We recommend and affiliate (we may earn a small commission on referred sales) with Amazon because they have among the best HDTV policies in the industry. Amazon direct offers 14 day low price guarantee and 30 Day returns with free return freight. They stand behind their sales. Note: prices are correct as of posting and may change at any time, please verify with our links; Most states do not collect sales tax on Amazon orders with the exceptions of [CO, KS, KY, NY, ND & WA]. You always must pay sales tax (in states that collect it) when buying at a brick and mortar store. Should you buy an HDTV from on-line or from a retail store? Learn all the pros and cons in our article here.

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How To Avoid Online HDTV Dealer Scams-HD GURU Investigates

Gary — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:12:13 +0000

credit: istock photo

Online HDTV shopping can save you time, gas and money, provided you choose the right dealer. Picking the wrong dealer can be a disaster.

HD Guru investigated online HDTV complaints to uncover the awful tactics employed by bad online dealers. Before you buy a TV online read our are check list to avoid getting stuck with a defective unit the bad dealer wouldn’t take back and the manufacturer wouldn’t repair.

Avoidance

Before ordering from an online HDTV dealer, there are two steps you can take avoid getting scammed:

1) Make certain they’re an authorized dealer by the manufacturer of the TV you’re interested in. If the price is lower than an authorized dealer, ask yourself: How is it possible they can sell it for less than a factory direct vendor? Are their methods on the up and up, and why are they able to have such low margins. Here’s what LG advises on its website:

“LG’s Authorized Online Dealers have been carefully selected based on their commitment and knowledge of our product. With LG Authorized Online Dealers, you can rest easy. Buying from an LG Authorized Online Dealer will help prevent the purchase of goods that may have been damaged, tampered with or refurbished, all of which can void your warranty. LG Authorized Online Dealers receive training in seminars, online and from LG field experts, so they can be uniquely qualified to assist you with the LG products they sell.”

You can check on the brand’s website or customer service dept. to learn if the dealer you’re considering is authorized. If not, we recommend not purchasing from them.

2) Carefully review the policies, especially the rules on product returns. While a number of legitimate dealers do not accept returns for TVs, scamming dealers never do. Others may have a limited return policy, charge a restocking fee, deduct the “free” outbound freight from the refund, charge for return freight or all of the above. One of the reasons we recommend Amazon Direct is they have no restocking fee, offer free shipping, and free return freight under its 30 day TV return policy. More on returns below.

The Scam

We call the following “low ball bait and switch.” The online dealer advertises a price below all competition and the state the TV is in stock. You take the bait and place the online order. Within a day you receive a phone call from the dealer to confirm the order. The salesman now employs high pressure sales techniques to sell you anything he can, including but not limited to: a “3D” HDMI cable for a 3D TV (there is no such thing), a custom stand or wall mount, an extended warranty, or our favorite, “expedited” extra-cost freight. They’ll explain the “free freight” offered will take weeks for the TV to get there, but for another $100 the set will arrive in only “X” number of days. An alternate pitch: the make and model you ordered is being discontinued or superseded by Model X and they’ve got an “amazing” special for you.

Buy enough bait extras and you’ll get the TV you ordered. According to customer complaints, the add-ons won’t be name-brand items promised, but cheap low-quality knock offs. Refuse the bait, and you will be waiting for the cows to come home before you’ll ever see your “hot” deal TV. Or worse, maybe when you open the box you discover it’s a repacked unit, defective, refurbished. scratched or whatever.

Abe’s of Maine

When researching this article the name Abe’s of Maine kept popping up, so we refer to them as the poster child for bad online dealers.

A brief history. According New York Better Business Bureau website Abe’s of Maine opened its doors in Brooklyn NY in 1979. It is owned by Abe Mosseri. Here is what the BBB has to say about the NY operation.

“On May 22, 2007, this company’s membership in the Metropolitan New York BBB was revoked by our BBB’s Board of Directors due to the company’s repeated and unauthorized use of the BBB logo and failure to eliminate the underlying cause of complaints on file concerning: non-delivery of products, misrepresentation of availability of merchandise, refusal to honor cancellations or provide timely refunds, unprofessional conduct, failure to resolve customer complaints, overcharging, undisclosed cancellation of orders, improper upselling tactics, and bait & switch selling.”

Since moving its operation to New Jersey, Abe’s ranking leaped to an A+ rating, even though they’ve scored 127 complaints to the NJ BBB in the past 3 years (older complaints fall off the website after the 3 year time period). Abe’s in NJ responds and settles, but apparently only when the customer files with the BBB. We call it gaming the system.

Abe’s offers all the major brand HDTVs. We checked Samsung, LG and Sharp it they are factory authorized sellers of the HDTVs they offer. All told us no.

Over at Yelp.com there are 185 comments. Almost all are very negative, however a few are simply glowing., How can that be? We, and others, suspect these are ringers. Here’s the link. Judge for yourself.

When 30 Day Returns means No Returns!

Abe’s Policy page lists a “30 Day Money Back Guarantee” and reads:

“A rock solid money back guarantee that you can bet on. We understand that there’s always a chance that you won’t be completely satisfied with a product you’ve purchased with us and we know it’s nothing personal and that is why we offer a thirty day return policy*. If you are unhappy with a product then we’ll take it back and provide you with a full refund*.”

See that asterisk? Well at the bottom of the page, in small type states:

* Please read complete policy for details.

Follow the link, and you’ll find the items are exempt from its 30 day return policy (Spoiler! This list includes TVs)

“The following items can only be returned if unopened:
A/V Furniture, A/V Receivers, Bluetooth Accessories, Car Equipment, Computer Peripherals, Consumables, DJ Equipment, DVD players, Gaming Consoles, Headphones, Home Theater, Laptops, Microphones, Printers, Projectors Shavers.

The following items cannot be returned:
Fitness equipment, Large Appliances, Microwaves, Wine Coolers, Humidifiers, Trim kits, Security items, Special Order Merchandise, Marine and Camping Equipment, Sunglasses, Watches, Software, TV’s, Computer components, laptops, Tablets.”

Except for photographic equipment this list appears to cover just about everything Abe’s sells! That’s right. If you buy a TV from them, you can’t return it.

Price Grabber also rates its retailers, and Abe’s gets its highest rating. However, the positive comments are non-specific short blubs, and anyone can place an unverified, self serving comment on Price Grabber. Here are some of the trite, positive comments:

“Easy transaction.” “Very pleasant.” “Excellent prices! Easy to use website and plenty of selections.”

While a negative one provides more detail:

“Merchant told me item was “in stock” when I ordered it. Three days later, I was told by one agent it would take a week or more to find a shipper. Another agent told me the item was not in stock. I would not have ordered if the item was not in stock. Since, at least one agent lied to me, I no longer trusted them and cancelled my order. Trying to speak with a customer service agent was nearly impossible, as it took me 45 minutes on hold to speak to one.”

While it’s understandable that unhappy customers would be more likely to write longer reviews, we find the lack of longer, positive comments highly suspect.

Bottom line

There are many reputable online retailers. We recommend and affiliate with Amazon Direct, as they have low prices and some of the best HDTV policies, including as we mentioned, free shipping and 30 day returns. There are a number of other very fine online retailers. We’ve personally done business with J&R and OneCall and found them to be excellent, honest and reliable.

Before ordering any HDTV online, we highly recommend you carefully read all the retailers policies and beware of any restrictions, return freight rules and if there are any restocking charges before place that order.

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IKEA To Enter The US HDTV Market

Gary — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:41:09 +0000

IKEA just announced it is throwing its unassembled hat into the ring with four TV’s with 2.1 sound systems, disc players, all in an integrated cabinet. The cabinet is designed by them, the TVs, on the other hand, will be supplied by Chinese electronics company TCL.

More info after the jump.

It’s called the UPPLEVA TV, which apparently translates from Swedish to English as “Experience TV.” The US LED LCD models debut in April 2013, with screen sizes of 24 to 46-inches, the largest screen size currently offered by TCL.

21st Century Console TV

Back in the late 20th century, the major US TV makers would combine a CRT TV with a stereo system into a massive wooden cabinet, called console TVs. They became a centerpiece in living rooms across America.

The new IKEA version includes an integrated remote for control of the TV, audio, disc player, and a cable or satellite box. The larger screen models will be Smart TVs, providing Internet streaming of movies. The sets will be carrying a five-year IKEA warranty.

We expect this combo will appeal to folks with limited space like students, young couples and those on tight budgets. Also, those who like meatballs or ABBA.

Compared to the Upcoming Apple iTV

A number of news outlets have been comparing the Uppleva to the rumoured Apple iTV. Based on all information published regarding the Apple product, the only comparison is both happen to be televisions. Apple iTV is rumoured to combine cloud TV services like a video iTunes with speech recognition and Siri vocal responses.

The Uppleva TV is based on the TCL-branded Smart TVs, and will be similar to the purchase of an HDTV, sound bar and disc player from the same brand, allowing the use of a single remote control. The major TV companies (i.e. Samsung, Panasonic, LG etc.) all make components that you can operate with a single remote control. In addition, the IKEA cabinet will take care of cord management and includes all the necessary cables and connectors.

Ready To Assemble

All the IKEA models are full HD 1080p, and will be available with either a black or white finish. Smart TV models include built-in Wi-Fi and an ambient room light sensor. In addition to the Blu-ray player, the system includes a wireless subwoofer, a radio tuner, and USB jacks for connectivity to an iPhone and other smartphones, or MP3 players and iPods.

Cabinets will be in white, black, beech or walnut finishes.

While the Uppleva TV, disc player and speakers will be factory assembled, like most other IKEA furniture the cabinet ships unassembled, requiring buyers to screw all the cabinet parts together. Most TV chain store furniture comes this way too, so this is not unusual. As we’ve mentioned before, placing a flat TV on top of a deeper cabinet does not take full advantage of the space savings LED TVs afford.

When we receive more specific information from IKEA, probably closer to the 2013 release, HD Guru will publish and update. The first Uppleva TV models will ship in Europe later this year.

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Is Best Buy On Life Support? An Analysis

Gary — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:02:26 +0000

The once great and expanding Best Buy (BB) has begun a path to self-destruction, with a recent quarterly loss of $1.7 billion.

Circuit City, Silo, Crazy Eddie, Incredible Universe and the Good Guys have already passed on as US consumer electronics chains. This Best Buy loss reflects a withdrawal from Europe and the closure of 11 UK superstores, its European online store, and of course, lower overall US same store sales.

But there’s more to it than that.

Let us say first that we would hate to see Best Buy disappear, largely because in many markets this would leave Wal-Mart and/or Target as the only local stores that sell TVs. However, Best Buy’s recent announcements of 50 super store closings, 400 planned layoffs at its Minnesota headquarters and the resignation of CEO Brian Dunn (with reports that he is alleged to misuse company assets in the course of a relationship with a female subordinate) do not bode well for Best Buy’s survival. When Circuit City began its downward spiral, it too cut staff and closed stores, only to accelerate its demise with lower revenues and mounting losses.

In our opinion, Best Buy created many of its own problems by continuing the same old business model in a new Internet economy. A few examples:

Best Buy maintains a two-price policy for many items, an in-store price and a lower Internet price. Best Buy continues to run its website as if it is its own competitor, not a part of the same company. This policy puts folks without Internet access at a price disadvantage. It also teaches BB brick and mortar shoppers to look at products in person, then check the bestbuy.com or other online competitors’ price, only to inevitably buy the item online. This is called “showrooming.”

Worse, if you let a blue-shirt BB salesclerk know you want to pay the lower online price, he/she has to perform a rigmarole to permit the customer to pay the online price while in-store. Remember, this is often Best Buy’s own price! Best Buy needs to have a one-price policy. Why should online shoppers have a price advantage only to continue a policy that results in bad will from in-store shoppers?

Best Buy continues to devote significant floor space to music and movies, disregarding the shift to streaming movie services, iTunes and Amazon pricing. Recently, we were denied a Wal-Mart price match on a 3D Blu-ray disc, even though it is Best Buy’s policy to match Wal-Mart disc pricing. We finally bought the disc at the Wal-Mart price when we made the purchase at another BB located next to a Wal-Mart. Why does one store honor this policy and the other does not? It’s either bad training or a directive by a given store’s manager to inflate profit margins. Ultimately, we blame it on poor oversight by BB executives.

High Margin or Low Margin Items

HDTVs are low margin items. Currently Best Buy stores offer every major brand of TV except Vizio. They also sell their store brands, Dynex and Insignia, competing directly against the name brands and reducing revenue, as the BB store brands are priced below the major TV manufacturers’ comparable products. Is Best Buy a TV maker or a retail store? We fail to see the logic of cannibalizing a sale, requiring store back-end support such as warranty parts and service. By doing this BB generates lower revenue. They also offer a free two-year warranty, negating the sale of extended warranties to Insignia TV buyers.

When a blue shirt sells a TV he pushes an ISF calibration and an extended warranty. I never hear a sales clerk explain the advantages of improved audio. Worse, the clerk can’t provide a demonstration as none of the TVs on display are connected to a sound bar or a surround sound system. These items are sitting on their own on a distant shelf. As one can never perform an audio demo online, Best Buy loses this opportunity for consumer benefit and increased revenues and profits. They will happily push a $100 HDMI cable that offers no increase in performance, when a $200 soundbar will benefit the consumer significantly, and for years to come.

The massive Best Buy TV department continues to employ overly bright lighting and poor demonstration material via an antiquated RF signal distribution system, making it impossible to see the difference between a 720p low-contrast HDTV and a top quality 1080p model. Except for observing the cosmetics of a given HDTV, a Best Buy demonstration of HDTV image quality is futile. Give consumers a home-like viewing environment with a high-quality signal and they will be able to see a difference between the store brand and a higher end TV.

Another area where Best Buy can make more profits and provide a service to its customers is the selling of high quality audio/video furniture and DVD cabinets. Right now most of the furniture and racks Best Buy offers are inexpensive and often poorly made and of dubious aesthetics.

You can only see and feel the quality of good furniture in a store. Best Buy offers assembly and system set-up along with delivery, giving them a huge advantage over online retailers, as nearly all A/V furniture is shipped unassembled.

Good News

Best Buy has put into place a very thorough installation and set-up department with its Geek Squad services. This needs to be expanded, with better-trained employees able to explain their services to customers. You simply can’t get an online etailer to offer assembly, wiring, Smart TV setup and audio system installs.

Overall, Best Buy needs to give the customer a better shopping experience, and with that will come higher revenues and profits. They should stop fleecing consumers with overpriced HDMI cables and accessories that any consumer with can find vastly cheaper online . Instead, they should concentrate on selling higher margin products (such as audio and furniture) that consumers will want to hear or see in person, along with the convenience of delivery, assembly and installation.

Best Buy better make changes quickly. Many analysts believe it has to start turning around in months, not years. Otherwise, they will face the fate of Circuit City and disappear.

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Vizio Drops from #1 to #3 US HDTV Brand

Gary — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:05:46 +0000

Though 2011 was a rough year for all HDTV makers, Vizio had a worse year than most. On one hand, there’s Samsung, LG and Sharp, who were rewarded by an increase in US market share of 17.9%, 35.2% and 60.09% respectively (Q4 2010/Q4 2011). Vizio, once number one in US market share (Q4 2010), found the bottom fall out with a whopping 44% drop in volume during the same 2011 period! Learn more past the break.

While Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung and LG all make their own panels and assemble their own HDTVs, Vizio makes nothing. They buy LCD panels and parts from outside companies and use factories mainly owned and operated by Taiwanese company AmTran to assemble these parts into TVs. Vizio earns thin margins for its dealers and itself, relying on warehouse clubs, Target and Wal-Mart for sales volume. “Samsung triumphed in the price war that raged in the US LCD market in the fourth quarter of 2011,” said Tom Morrod, senior analyst and head of TV Technology for IHS. “The company was able to offer a range of price-competitive sets with a rich choice of features that U.S. consumers wanted. This allowed the company to outperform the competition during the all-important holiday selling season.”

2012

We anticipate Vizio’s problems will continue this year. Out of around fifty HDTV models Vizio debuted in 2011, they have chosen to carry-over almost all of them for the 2012 model year. Samsung, LG and Panasonic revamped their respective lines with new features including enhanced Internet connectivity/apps, new thin styling, more LED and 3D models, gesture and voice control (LG, Samsung), and built-in HD Cameras with face recognition (Samsung).

Sharp has found a new niche with its 60+ inch screens and continues to add features while offering very aggressive prices. Panasonic has finally entered the large screen LCD market with its own innovative 47- and 55-inch screens exhibiting deep blacks and outstanding viewing angles (review link). Just-introduced 2012 plasma models offer improved performance and new features as well.

Do You Want New and Improved or the Same Old TV?

With new features, sizes, svelte styling and other improvements from Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sharp consumers need to decide if they want the latest and greatest in HDTV or a carry-over from a failed 2011-model mix from Vizio. Consumers will once again vote with their wallets. We just begun to test the 2012s and plan to publish a number of reviews during the next few weeks.

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Snooping HDTV? Samsung Responds To Criticism

Gary — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:21:37 +0000

HD Guru recently published an article entitled “Is your HDTV watching you?” In it, we discussed the fact that new features in Samsung’s top 2012 LED and plasma models — including built-in microphones, HDTV camera, wireless and wired Internet connection, built-in browser with voice to text conversion, face recognition and more — could be used to collect unprecedented personal information, as well as present a new way for hackers to invade users’ lives.

We asked Samsung for a privacy statement prior to publication, but the company did not respond. Now, Samsung has given HD Guru an official comment, and shared two separate privacy policies. In the interest of transparency, here’s the complete statement, with our emphasis added on key parts:

Samsung takes all concerns regarding consumer privacy and information security very seriously. In all of our Smart TVs, including our new 2012 LED and Plasma TVs featuring built-in camera and microphone components, Samsung employs industry-standard security safeguards and practices (including data encryption) to secure consumers’ personal information and prevent its unauthorized collection or use.

Samsung also ensures consumers have the opportunity to review the terms of the company’s Privacy Policy prior to using Samsung’s Smart TV services. The Privacy Policy can be found at www.samsung.com/privacy.

The camera and microphone are integrated into the TV to provide users with innovative new ways to control the TV. They may also be used for video conference and speech-to-text services offered by third parties, in which case the audio and video data is transmitted to the service providers’ servers and does not pass through Samsung servers. Images captured in order to use the facial recognition feature are stored in a secure manner on the owner’s TV only.

Should the TV owner choose not to use these features, the camera and microphone can be disabled. Users can check if the camera and microphone are activated from the TV’s settings menu. As an added precaution, the camera can be rotated and tucked into the bezel of the TV. Once tucked away, the camera only captures a black image.

Samsung is dedicated to instilling consumer confidence in this matter. Any questions regarding the Privacy Policy or protection of personal information on the TV can be directed to intertv@samsung.com.

Samsung says it does not upload video or voice streams into its servers, though it does sample your voice for speech command. We know third parties such as Skype use encryption for video conferencing, and Samsung says it uses the same “industry standard security” for the “personal information” it transmits.

We asked Mineola, N.Y. attorney Emouna Matin, who handles privacy cases, to explain what is meant by “personal information,” and if would include video and voice samples, along with browser history and TV viewing habits.

“Samsung has to address that more properly,” says Matin. Personal information can be limited pedigree information — name, address, phone number, age, the kind of descriptive information that identifies you as an individual but doesn’t say a lot about who you are — or ”stronger” information — your voice, your personal images, websites visited, data that are not traditionally defined as “personal” but say a lot more about you.

Another issue is that Samsung effectively locks you into a privacy agreement before you can even use the Internet-based services of the TV. In part, this agreement reads:

We reserve the right to share all Personal Data and non-Personal Data with any company within the Samsung Electronics group of companies, or with any other company that operates under the Samsung brand. … Each of the Samsung Group Companies will use your information in accordance with their own independent privacy practices.

The lengthy agreement goes on to say that your data will be carefully guarded and shared only when necessary “in order to pursue our legitimate interests or if we are required to or are permitted to do so by law.” While this reads as relatively standard, the definition of “personal information” is, again, not made clear.

As for the “Group Companies” that can receive personal data from a Smart TV, Samsung says it is not every one of the 48 Samsung subsidiaries and joint ventures. For U.S. customers, only Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in Korea, Samsung Electronics America and Samsung SDS (based in both U.S. and Germany) would share the information. For customers in other countries, their local Samsung subsidiary would also share with the Samsung Electronics Co. and SDS, which handles data globally.

It is good to see Samsung disclosing more details of its privacy policy, but the industry still has a way to go before consumers can have a complete understanding of what is at risk when using these new and unprecedented technologies. HD Guru will continue to investigate the Samsung TVs and others, in hopes of learning exactly what these new HDTV eyes and ears are sending out from your home.

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Beware Of Phony LCD HDTV Refresh Rates

Gary — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:31:49 +0000

Buyers beware: top TV makers are quietly substituting industry standardized refresh rate specifications with their own artificial rate numbers, deceiving prospective buyers into purchasing an HDTV over a possibly better performing (but more honestly labeled) competing model.

These numbers, created by the marketing department, do little to explain a TV’s actual hardware capabilities.

Don’t get ripped off, read the following guide to help sort through the hype.

What is Refresh Rate?

Initially all LCDs (including LED LCD TVs) suffered from blurring with fast motion or panning in content. This is referred to as “motion blur.” To reduce motion blur, manufacturers developed televisions that refresh (show) a new image faster than the standard rate of 60 times per section (stated as Hz or hertz). Using a technique called frame insertion, the TV creates new additional images that are inserted between the real, original image frames. Television makers now offer HDTVs with refresh rates of 60, 120 or 240 Hz. The higher the rate, the less motion blur.

TV makers advertise these higher rates as a step-up feature, with 120 Hz TVs providing better motion performance than a 60 Hz version, and 240 Hz having less motion blur than 120Hz models. These numbers have been around long enough that prospective buyers see a number such as 120 or 240 on the box and assume it is the TV’s refresh rate. As such, they expect to pay more for a higher refresh rate model.

TV makers use another technique to reduce perceived motion blur, called a scanning backlight or “black frame insertion,” often along with some additional, unspecified signal processing. These methods don’t change the refresh rate at all, instead they scan or turn off the backlight in a way that mimics some of the performance benefits of faster refresh Unfortunately, this doesn’t keep the biggest brands using their own made-up terms like “120 Clear Motion Rate” or 240 SPS “Scenes per second.” There is a significant hardware difference between a true 240 Hz refresh rate TV and a 240 “SPS” model that goes far beyond what the identical numbers imply. For example, a 240 SPS television likely has a 120 Hz refresh, but adds a “black frame insertion” feature that flashes the backlight in a way to justify calling the TV “240.”

TV makers claim their new ratings give consumers a better idea of how the TVs handle motion. They are implying that a “120 Clear Motion Rate” television is equivalent to a competing HDTV that actually displays a new frame 120 times per second by using a higher cost LCD panels and faster processors.

A number of 2012s models only supply this new rating on the TV box, and on TV makers’ respective websites, making it impossible for an informed and curious consumer to find out what their actually does. A number of TV makers have completely stopped listing the actual standardized refresh rate on certain models.

To say this another way, it would be like a car maker stating a car’s engine is a “6- cylinder equivalent,” based on some undisclosed testing criteria, but not actually disclosing how many cylinders the car actually has. Here are the specific deceptive manufacturer terms, broken down by company.

Sony

Sony uses the term Motionflow XR followed by a 240, 480 or 960 depending on the model. We contacted Sony to explain what these numbers mean. A spokesperson cited three functions to determine the “XR” number:

“Frame insertion (interpolation), LED backlighting blinking (line blinking), and Image Blur reduction via signal processing. So, for example, a Motionflow XR 960 can be found by multiplying the native refresh times four (240 x 4=960) or as Sony told us: “With frame interpolation, four distinct images in the same time period of 1/60th of a second. 240 Hz times 4 = 960″

We don’t understand this explanation, as it implies the TV creates at least 15 frames for every native frame, and we know of no TV signal processor with that kind of capability. 240 Hz is the most interpolation of any signal processors we are aware of available in any HDTV. Sony would not supply us with any type of test procedure used to determine how the Motionflow XR rate is created.

Sony has begun removing the true refresh rate in its specifications on the Sony website and substituting its proprietary a Motionflow XR number. For example its new KDL55EX640 only lists the TV as Motionflow XR240. Is this a 60 HZ model with backlight blinking and image blur processing, or a 120 Hz model with just backlight blinking? There is no way to tell definitively, unless you do what we did: We called to Sony customer service. They revealed this series has a native refresh rate of just 120 Hz.

Vizio

Vizio has begun to state on its boxes a number followed by SPS (Scenes Per Second). Nowhere on the box does it state a 240 SPS TV has a native refresh rate of 120 Hz (see top photo).

Considering we are still waiting for a response from a Vizio spokesperson for another inquiry we made over three weeks ago, we did not waste our time asking the company spokesperson another question that would be go unanswered at press time.

Samsung

Samsung uses the term “Clear Motion Rate” (CMR) followed by a 120, 240,480, 840 or 960. They too are dropping the true refresh rate on their website and on the product boxes of its 2012 models. (Verified by checking our Costco and BJs warehouse clubs).

Samsung did supply us with a white paper that describes how they determine their methods for interpolating the CMR number. This method uses proprietary test signals (they did supply us with these test patterns). However, the description of test procedure lacked specificity and requires an unknown number and size of mirrors spinning with unknown rapidity on an unknown sized turntable. These, and other omitted information, make duplicating Samsung’s tests impossible.

An example of Samsung’s box is its UN46EH6050. It states “Clear Motion Rate 120,” however we learned this TV has true refresh rate of 60 Hz.

Sharp

Sharp uses the term AquoMotion, such as AquoMotion 240. It is double the actual refresh rate. An AquoMotion 240 LED is really a 120 Hz refresh HDTV.

According to the LG website, their TruMotion120 Hz and 240 Hz refresh rates on its 2012 HDTVs are actual refresh rates. We will have to wait for an explanation of its 480 Hz set when it ships later this year.

Panasonic

Panasonic lists the native rate on its 240 Hz panels and also lists “backlight scanning 1920″ as 240 refresh times 8 sections. Its lower end product such as the new E5 series the Panasonic website product lists the panel drive as “60 backlight scanning” accurate except for omitting the “Hz” after 60. Its mid line ET5 model lists the panel drive as “360 backlight scanning” not mentioning this is a 120 Hz panel with three scanning sections to derive the 360 number.

Who Is Responsible?

We checked with a Costco spokesperson to determine who orders these misleading numbers on cartons, while omitting the lower true refresh rate. Is it the store or the vendor? The Costco spokesperson stated the vendor generates the text on TV boxes, Costco only makes requests regarding font style and size, but with no input on what specs the TV maker prints on the carton. If the vendor omits the refresh rate on the box, it’s not at the request of Costco.

What About Plasma

Plasmas create a picture in a completely different way than LEDs and LCDs. They do not suffer from motion blur. Plasma TV makers use a number based on the sub-fields plasmas use to create a frame. This number is typically 600. While this itself is somewhat misleading (it’s not 600 frames per second), it is marketed honestly, as we’ve only ever seen “600 Hz Sub-Frames” listed on boxes. If this is ever changed to 600 Hz, we promise to expose that as well. It’s worth noting that because plasmas don’t suffer from motion blur, this number is irrelevant anyway.

What to Do?

We were pleased to discover Best Buy, in its store signage, website, and circulars, continue to list accurately the true refresh rates of the HDTVs it carries. Amazon does this most of the time as well, but not in every case (such as the listing for the Sony EX640). If you see the words or initials SPS, Scenes Per Second, AquoMotion, Motionflow XR, Clear Motion Rate, or CMR you now know these numbers do not reflect the actual refresh rate of an HDTV. At best, they are at least double the true number. The spec should read X Hz refresh rate. Check and verify this important specification before purchasing your next TV. In all future HD Guru LCD TV reviews, we will list the actual refresh rate numbers, as well as the marketing claims.

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Is Your New HDTV Watching You?

Gary — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:14:15 +0000

Samsung UN65ES8000; group photo ©iStockphoto.com/Jennifer Byron

Samsung’s 2012 top-of-the-line plasmas and LED HDTVs offer new features never before available within a television including a built-in, internally wired HD camera, twin microphones, face tracking and speech recognition. While these features give you unprecedented control over an HDTV, the devices themselves, more similar than ever to a personal computer, may allow hackers or even Samsung to see and hear you and your family, and collect extremely personal data.

While Web cameras and Internet connectivity are not new to HDTVs, their complete integration is, and it’s the always connected camera and microphones, combined with the option of third-party apps (not to mention Samsung’s own software) gives us cause for concern regarding the privacy of TV buyers and their friends and families.

Samsung has not released a privacy policy clarifying what data it is collecting and sharing with regard to the new TV sets. And while there is no current evidence of any particular security hole or untoward behavior by Samsung’s app partners, Samsung has only stated that it “assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable” in the event that a product or service is not “appropriate.”

Samsung demoed these features to the press earlier this month. The camera and microphones are built into the top if the screen bezel in the 2012 8000-series plasmas and are permanently attached to the top of the 7500- and 8000ES-series LED TVs.

A Samsung representative showed how, once set up and connected to the Internet, these models will automatically talk to the Samsung cloud and enable viewers to use new and exciting apps.

These Samsung TVs locate and make note of registered viewers via sophisticated face recognition software. This means if you tell the TV whose faces belong to which users in your family, it personalizes the experience to each recognized family member. If you have friends over, it could log these faces as well.

In addition, the TV listens and responds to specific voice commands. To use the feature, the microphone is active. What concerns us is the integration of both an active camera and microphone. A Samsung representative tells us you can deactivate the voice feature; however this is done via software, not a hard switch like the one you use to turn a room light on or off.

And unlike other TVs, which have cameras and microphones as add-on accessories connected by a single, easily removable USB cable, you can’t just unplug these sensors.

During our demo, unless the face recognition learning feature was activated, there was no indication as to whether the camera (such as a red light) and audio mics are on. And as far as the microphone is concerned the is no way to physically disconnect it or be assured it is not picking up your voice when you don’t intend it to do so.

Samsung does provide the ability to manually reposition the TV’s camera away from viewers. The LED TV models allow you to manually point it upward, facing the ceiling; the plasma’s camera can be re-aimed to capture objects in the rear of the TV according a Samsung spokesperson.

Privacy concerns

We began to wonder exactly what data Samsung collects from its new “eyes and ears” and how it and other companies intend use it, which raises the following questions:

* Can Samsung or Samsung-authorized companies watch you watching your Samsung TV?

* Do the televisions send a user ID or the TV’s serial number to the Samsung cloud whenever it has an Internet connection?

* Does Samsung cross reference a user ID or facial scan to your warranty registration information, such as name, address etc.?

* Can a person or company listen to you, at will, via the microphone and Internet connection?

* Does Samsung’s cloud store all this information? How secure is this extremely personal data?

* Can a hacker intercept this data or view you via the built in camera?

* Can a third-party app program do any of the above?

* Exactly what information does the TV send to Samsung or other parties?

* Does Samsung intend to sell data collected by its Smart TV owners, such as who, what and when one is viewing?

Companies desiring to provide highly targeted advertisements to you via the TV screen or external marketing would find this data extremely valuable. “Hey, you look a little tired, how about some Ambien? I’m seeing a little grey, have you tried Grecian Formula? Joe, it looks like you packed on a few pounds recently, here’s information from Weight Watchers. Hey kids, you look bored, look at these TOYS!”

So what, if any, privacy does Samsung promise by way of a stated policy?

Weeks have passed since we formally requested answers to these questions from Samsung asking what if any privacy assurances Samsung provides. To date no privacy statement has been furnished to HD Guru or end users. The first models with these features arrived on dealer’s shelves over two weeks ago. All that we’ve been told is that when connecting to the Internet, the TVs first connect to the Samsung cloud, and from there, they connect to the various streaming video services and other apps for activation.

Samsung induces its new Smart TV owners to register online by offering a free three-month extension of the TV’s warranty. This would couple user names and addresses to their TV serial numbers, if the company so desired.

Want to read the owner’s manual for your new Samsung TV? This is accomplished by download, as Samsung stopped including printed owner’s manuals at least two years ago. However, before you may download the manual, you must first agree to the following online statement:

Samsung assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable, in connection with whether any such products or services will be appropriate, functional or supported for the Samsung products or services available in your country.

We asked Samsung to define “appropriate” but to date have not received a response. We will update readers with a response or a privacy statement if and when Samsung chooses to provide one.

Security threats

Don’t assume a TV is an un-hackable island!

Samsung does not disclose what operating system is within its TVs, therefore we cannot confirm if it is Android and/or any other that might have a prior history of hacking.

It has been widely reported Android phones have been hacked allowing outside control of phones, via third party apps.

Countless companies have had their networks hacked, causing thousands of customers’ personal data to be released to the world. If this were to happen to Samsung it is theoretically possible hackers could gain access to names, addresses — and images of the faces of entire families.

The TV has a built-in Facebook app. Can the TV make the next connection and access your Facebook account and match other viewers to their Facebook pictures for even more personal data?

A Samsung representative said the company is working on apps that will allow its Smart TV owners to turn their televisions into a silent home-security system by allowing remote viewing on a smartphone or tablet via the TV’s built-in camera. This ability makes us ask, “Who else could gain access this video feed?”

There are security systems that go over the Internet, however, many are encrypted. Is any Samsung’s data encrypted? The company doesn’t say. Generally security companies let customers know when their data is encrypted, as it is a selling point.

In addition, the Samsung HDTVs come with an external infrared blaster that allows users to control a cable or satellite box via voice, gesture or the Samsung remote. We ask: does the TV send this information over to Samsung’s cloud as well? Does Samsung now know what other equipment you have, when you’re home to use it, what channel you’re viewing and when?

The models with this unprecedented feature set are the 2012 8000 series plasmas PN51E8000, PN60E8000, PN64E8000 and LED models UN46ES7500, UN50ES7500, UN55ES7500, UN46ES8000, UN55ES8000, UN60ES8000 and UN65ES8000. Many of these models are now at dealers with the rest scheduled to ship within the next few weeks.

With so many questions raised and no answers provided, HD Guru recommends you weigh the possibilities and decide whether or not you care about its unknown personal privacy risks before purchasing one of these HDTVs.

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Samsung Dealers Drop HDTV Prices on 2012 ES Models

Gary — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:40:13 +0000

Just two weeks after Samsung began its “one selling price for all dealers” unilateral pricing program (UPP), seller are passing along new “instant rebates” of up to $501 off its 2012 ES line of edge lit LED LCDs that are now in stock at Amazon and others.

We’ve put together a list of the “price reduced” models from Amazon direct. All have free shipping. We don’t know how long these deals will last, but when they’re over we expect prices to return to UPPs level. All price dropped models now shipping and are listed below.

Samsung UN55ES8000 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Silver) UPP $3,399.99 Now $2899.00 Save $501

Samsung UN46ES8000 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Silver) UPP $2699.99 Now $2299.00 Save $401

Samsung UN55ES7500 55-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $3,099.99 Now $2599.00 Save $501

Samsung UN46ES7500 46-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $2,399.99 Now $1999.00 Save $401

Samsung UN55ES6500 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $2,299.99 Now $1899.00 Save $401

Samsung UN46ES6500 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $1579.99 Now $1399.00 Save $181

Samsung UN40ES6500 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $1379.99 Now $1199.00 Save $181

Samsung UN55ES6100 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $1999.99 Now $1699.00 Save $301

Samsung UN46ES6100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz Slim LED HDTV (Black)UPP $1299.99 Now 1199.00 Save $101

Samsung UN40ES6100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz Slim LED HDTV (Black) UPP $1099.99 Now $999.00 Save $101

We recommend and affiliate (we may earn a small commission on referred sales) with Amazon because they have among the best HDTV policies in the industry. Amazon direct offers 14 day low price guarantee and 30 Day returns with free return freight. They stand behind their sales. Note: prices are correct as of posting and may change at any time, please verify with our links; Most states do not collect sales tax on Amazon orders [with the exceptions of [CO, KS, KY, NY, ND & WA]. You always must pay sales tax when buying at any brick and mortar store. Should you buy an HDTV from on-line or from a retail store? Learn all the pros and cons in our article here.

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Panasonic 2012 TC-L55WT50 LED LCD HDTV- First Review

Gary — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:47:01 +0000

Updated and Corrected 3/24/2012

Panasonic entered the flat panel market as plasma HDTV company, producing some of the highest-rated displays of the last few years. In 2010, it began to offer 42-inch LCDs. For 2012, they are ramping up its LED LCD line with new 47- and 55-inch screens, featuring very thin bezels, highly styled cabinets, 1.1″ depths, new signal processing, a new track pad remote control and more.

We were extremely impressed by our first look of the new flagship LED LCD WT50 series at the January CES. Using an improved LCD crystal alignment and a new filter, Panasonic appeared to accomplish something no other LED LCD or conventionally backlit HDTV has done before: near-ideal vertical and horizontal viewing angle performance, high contrast, great image uniformity, and deep blacks. We felt an early evaluation would be of particular interest to our readers.

Features

The WT50 series is loaded with almost every feature available in 2012: Active Shutter Progressive 3D, Backlight Scanning, Clear Panel Pro (with 16 zone dimming), plus new signal processing methods called 1080p Pure Direct, Pure Image Creation, Vivid Color Creation and Web Smoother, for enhanced color detail and smooth motion signal processing, among other benefits.

Panasonic includes two remote controls. One is similar to last year’s (and full sized) plus a second Touch Pad controller.

In addition to apps and streaming services (like Vudu, Amazon, Netflix, Wealth TV, Wealth TV3D, etc.) Panasonic offers sports, weather, games, health and fitness, social networks, Skype (with optional camera) and new childrens’ apps and soon, Disney books.

Performance features include ISFccc Calibration settings, a color management system, 24 Hz input, 240 Hz refresh, plus a scanning backlight.

No test photos have been retouched or color corrected to compensate for camera errors or room lighting

Set-Up

We were given an opportunity to spend around three hours with the TCP55WT50 at Panasonic’s New Jersey headquarters. The unit was a pilot production sample with the certification required for sale, but it appeared a side trim piece was missing. Given our usual review methodology requires days not hours, we condensed our testing, using the factory preset color management while negating our full battery of a 2D and 3D sources (cable, satellite, disc, streaming). After optimizing the main user controls, such as color, brightness and contrast etc., we checked factory-default color points, minimum black level , white level (light output), motion resolution, as well as jaggies, noise reduction, motion resolution test etc. We used the HQV standard and HD test discs along with the FPD motion resolution test disc and our HD signal generator. We plan to do a more in-depth test once a production sample becomes available around April.

The WT50 uses new Panasonic 3D Bluetooth glasses that were unfortunately not on hand, so all of our test results are in 2D mode. We saw impressive 3D demos at CES but we will reserve judgment until we get our hands on a production sample and the new glasses.