Very helpful article. I am a first time buyer and I was going to purchase a video. Thanks for the information.

George
Posted on 10th May, 2007
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I cant decide between the Panasonic TH-42PX600U and the Hitachi Director’s Series 42HDX99. Please compare the two. Is the anti reflective/anti glare panel on the Hitachi a marketing trick or does it really work? What about the sound quality of the Panasonic vs the Hitachi. Are other 42 inch Hitachis worth taking a look at?

Compare and choose…

Hitachi Ultravision 42HDS69 vs Panasonic TH-42PX600U

PLEASE………Compare and recommend between the Panasonic TH-42PX600U and the Pioneer PDP-4270HD.

Thank you,

These are all 2006 models not 2007.  I prefer the Hitachi,  more features and high resolution than the other two, though Panasonic has deeper better black level.

The HD Guru

I bought the polaroid 46″ 1080P at walmart just less than a month ago. I think I’m going to take it back. $1400 for a TV that can’t be repaired after one year is BS.

Does Philips have a good service reputation?
Yes, Philips has a nationwide service network for in and out of warranty service.

The HD Guru 

There are many repair centers that repair these units. Out of warranty repair centers are around. You just have to open up the phone book and look.

I don’t not know which brand you are referring to, however in order to provide proper field service a vendor needs to provide a service shop with billing (to place parts orders), service manuals, parts availability and technical assistance. If this expensive infrastructure is not in place repairing a flat panel  is rarely easy  (as in an  obvious problem with common part that is widely available) to impossible ( i.e. a part unique to the TV).

The HD Guru 

Your points are very well taken. The bottom line: Many of these second and third tier companies couldn’t care less if your set gets fixed. I speak from the vantage point of a repair technician. Most of the traditional Japanese names are still standing (somewhat) behind their sets. But if your set breaks, contact a good local facility. Just because the manufacturers are slugs doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed. It just means the odds go down.

As an aside, you may want to qualify your remarks about Philips’ service network. Many of their servicers quit them on Jan 1, 2007 when they attempted to slash the repair rates they pay their servicers.

But even Philips is better than these Chinese fly-by-night sets. For 1 classic example Google “gemstar vizio vivitech DLP” and read about this disposable wonder.

Bought an Olevia 26″ HDTV in Dec 2006; It broke down in Jun 2007. Was replaced with a NEW unit. Only cost to me was $35 for shipping unserviceable unit back to them.

Bought an AKAI 42″ PLASMA TV about 18 months ago at Sam’s Club. It broke down in Jun 2007. Had extended warranty with Sam’s Club; within 20 days, Sam’s Club sent me a check for the cost of the TV. ($1,497.00).

Bought a PANASONIC 42″ Plasma at BEST BUY in Jul 2006; In Jun 2006, one of the inputs wouldn’t work. Took about 45 days to get the part (extended warranty). TV works fine now.

Guess I;ve been lucky.

Olevia says they replace all units (over 45 days old) with ones that are factory refurbished. Are you sure it was new, not just repacked as new?

The HD Guru 

Mr. Martinez has proven HD Guru’s point. The Panasonic has fixed by field service personnel, the 2 off brands (yes, Akai is an off brand, they just bought a “name”) were exchanged or bought out. If your set breaks past the warranty or extended warranty peroid, are you really OK being told to just buy a new one?

I would never consider these brands.

I am impressed with your research I bought a cheap Olivea and had a problem three weeks later. The dealer informed me there is no warranty and no authorized servicers. I am out of luck I WILL always but from a Japanese company as they have the best interst of the consumer in mind. By the way how long will these other companies be around?

How can three out of three TVs breaking be considered good luck. My mother has a BW Zenith Console in her garage that has never needed repairs and still works. Our Quality standards for these manufacturers have sunk to an all time low and don’t say “new technology” did we see these problems when color TVs came out or the first VCRs. We still have one of those tanks around, It cost a thousand dollars back then and it had a real warranty and was repairable, so where do these fly-by-night operations get off not having to make parts available?

Customers are looking at cheaP CHEAP CHEAP ….i AM A 25 YEAR SERVICER AND i CAN TELL YOU there is not a good tv manufactured period . Now manufactures that try Hitachi #1 Lg #2 Toshiba #3 sony #4 all help a little Phillips stinks period poor parts poor communication and this filters back to the customer. Keep buying walmart china needs the money

Our biggest disaster was a very expensive Sony LCD. It took local service six weeks to get the part and when it arrived it was the wrong one. Took 4 months to repair. So much for the BIG names. My advice is buy whatever brand floats your boat from Sam’s club or Costco and purchase the longest extended warranty you feel comfortable with. Their warranties are the best in the industry and very affordable. Now take your new TV home plug it in and quit worrying.

i have two of the lcd that you said are disposable.this page is very helpful. If i new what i now know i would have brought another brand.i will tell my friends about this web page before they buy there lcd.i must say this webpage is very very helpful.

We are an authorized warranty service center and deal with all the above mfg’s. For plasma, Panasonic has by far the best customer service and support, Sharp for LCD’s is the best. Beyond that they all pretty much rank the same. RCA and Philips have bad customer relations, while the “no name” brands have none to speak of.

Thank you for the very informative article. Some of those lower cost brands have great pictures to go along with the low price, now I’m not so sure if I should take a chance on them knowing what I know now. As for Polaroid, I don’t consider anything that costs $1149 to be “disposable.”

That leads me to another point. Do we have any idea what the lifespan of a plasma or LCD HDTV will be? My current TV is around 6 years old and given me no problems and my last one lasted for 6 years as well. The one I had before that, a store brand, lasted 10 years and only needed warranty work once. My parents had a used Sears TV that was 15 years old, worked fine, and had never needed repairs. The only reason they got rid of it was they moved into a smaller house and had no place for it. Can we expect these kind of numbers with these new, $1200+ HDTVs?

When I finally do buy, I’ll probably consider one of the established brands like Sharp, Magnavox, or Samsung. Another brand I had considered was Viewsonic. They have good picture quality and the company has been making computer monitors for a long time. I wonder how their TVs are and how their warranty/parts/service are. If anyone has any info on any of the brands I mentioned, I’d like to know.

Thanks.

Name brand plasmas are rated at 60,000 hours (the measurement is to one half original brightness.) Panasonic just upped its rating on its 1080p plasmas to 100,000 hours.

LCD backlights are rated at around 50,000 (though I have yet to see any documentation to back up this claim). 

Many TVs are replaced every seven to ten years, but generally they are moved to another room or handed down to  a child or relative a not replaced because they break.

In the HD Guru’s experience, the traditional brands are very reliable.   

The HD Guru  

Glad to know about Polaroid! What about Viewsonic? I have been a happy user of their PC monitors for over two decades, and they make affordable LCD TVs. Are they reliable? Do they offer after-warranty service?

Thanks for this valuable info!

As a veteran of 35+ years in the electronics business (20+ in retail and 10+ in wholesale). I am constantly amazed at the consumer that demands cheaper, cheaper, cheaper and then is surprised when the units are no good.

The margins in the electronics business are so low (for legit players) at all levels (retail, distributors, manufacturers) that it is almost not worth it sometimes to sell one. Then people want to pay nothing for units that are technological marvels.

Your article points out - you don’t get something for nothing!.

After doing much research on these off-brand sets,we have been able to obtain most parts for these.It takes time to do the reasearch,but after getting parts and information it has not been that hard.We do see some backorders,that take time ,but we have been about %75 succsessful at getting these brands repaired.Vizio sets are the easiest of these companies to get parts for,followed by Insegnia, Westinghouse, and then Poloroid.We even now repair the SVA plasma and LCD sets and the Hyundai LCD sets,both these companies were thought to not have parts and service info avaiable,but they do.The key here is to do some reasearch,get the company info,then keep it handy so you don’t have to do it over again when the next set comes in for repair.

Thanks for the input The folks in Arizonia are lucky to have a repair shop like yours. Tim can be found at arizonavideoelectronics dot com

The HD Guru 

I bought the Westinghouse 40w1 40″ LCD 720p TV from HSN.com…it has the built in DVD player…I was fine and dandy with buying it since it was cheap. Problem is, all of this specific model television will not display anything in widescreen unless is is coming from VGA/HDMI inputs…RGB? Composite? Nope. It’s a known issue, but I didn’t know it. I hooked up my Wii via RGB and set it to widescreen….I was screwed.

I called Westinghouse a week after the purchase, and after telling me that I would have to pay for shipping to CA from GA to fix it, they decided it wasn’t their problem and that there was nothing they could do. My XBOX 360 via HDMI works in widescreen, so to them, it was something wrong I was doing.

Westinghouse has to have the worst customer service of any company I have ever dealt with. What should I do? Should I file a class action lawsuit for all the owners of this set? There are lemon laws, correct?

Help

May I suggest you check out HSN’s return policies.

The HD Guru 

Very down to earth and informative article. As a servicer for over 25yrs, it’s good to have a ‘non servicer’ inform the public since they rarely believe us. And ignore the typically uneducated and uninformed remarks by Shurt Cicuit. We techs have been ignoring him for years. Thanks again for the article.

I too repair all those named brands. However, you are mistaken that they cannot be fixed. Yes, its true that many times parts are not available and many times the ETA is months.
Overall, those off brands stink. I am sick of customers saying “the tv should of not broke for the amount I paid”.
How much did you pay? $1000. O ok just wondering:)

I learned the hard way to stay away from anything but top tier. My first flat panel LCD tv was an Olevia 27″. One day I noticed it looked like someone had folded the panel in half and there was a line running down the middle. I bought it from Beach Camera so called them and discovered it was 6 weeks out of warranty. They suggested I call Olevia and that’s when I discovered it wasn’t worth fixing so bought a new Toshiba Regza with an extended warranty. I am so happy the Olevia went bad because the Toshiba is fantastic!!! I’ll never try to save money again by being cheap with my electronics!

Smart move Dana.:-)

There is a reason a BMW costs more than a Hyndai, Nissan, or Ford, the same can be said for a TV.

What is so complicated about Olevia warranties. They have 2 levels. Basic and Onsite. Basic comes with thier cheap models and only covers shipping one way. Onsite comes with their high end models and covers onsite repair or two way shipping. Both warranties have a DOA period where they cover shipping both ways even on basic warranty models. Even their Refurbished TVs have a DOA warranty! I don’t know about the other brands since I don’t own any of them, but if HDGuru did as poor a job checking their facts as they did on Olevia, this article is less than worthless.

There is noting complicated about Olevia’s warranty. The “facts” are stated accurately. Perhaps you don’t understand what a refurbished HDTV is, so I will explain, in simple, easy terms.

A refurbished TV is one that was “used” by another person (length of time unknown), stops functioning properly (aka “breaks”) and has been  repaired.

The HD Guru leaves it up to the reader to decide if they like a vendor’s warranty. If you want your 46 day old TV 42″ flat panel (that was purchased as a brand new HDTV) to be exchanged for a refurbished TV at  an additional cost of $225 for shipping (under the warranty) when it needs repair,  by all means, go to your local Olevia dealer, buy lots of  Olevias and be happy.

The HD Guru   

I do not consider $700.00 a cheap TV. I bought the Olevia 32″LCD from Circuit City in Dec2006, it broke in May2007. The year warranty is worthless when, as the HD Guru said, you have to pay about $200.00 to ship it back. I took the TV to a reputable repair business and they tried to contact Olevia’s customer service to get the part and have the repair service paid by Olevia since it was still under warranty but with no success. They even offered to be a service provider for them in the area. The end result is that Olevia would only send the part to me at no cost but I still have to pay for the repairs. To me this warranty means they(Olevia) are protecting their interests because they know ahead of time their products will be coming back. Sounds like they are knowingly building poor quality products for a quick buck. They have lost me as a customer and I’m sure many more!

The problem starts while in warranty.
I service alot of plasma,s and when it comes to the “3rd party sets” its hard to find any service info and if you can its even hardy to get them,and if you get them sometimes the parts are not the right parts!! Good luck….

One 3rd-tier manufacturer you don’t mention is Sceptre. I bought a 32″ Sceptre LCD HDTV (X32GV-Komodo) from Costco because if their (Costco’s, not Sceptre’s) excellent no questions asked return policy. So far, the set has worked flawlessly. FWIW - I poked at Sceptre’s website, and the Warranty link on the support page is a dead end. I seem to recall it’s a paltry 90-day warranty. I did find an RMA form on Scetpre’s website, though, and it had the following table for out-of-warranty repairs:

Ack! For some reason the table didn’t make it into my previous comment. Let me try again…

Labor: $100 for 19in and below, $175 for 20in and up, $250 for 30un and up
Shipping: $35 for 19in and below, otherwise varies
Part(s): “Call”

[…] I came across this HD Guru blog which is just Hi-Def back and forth. What’s hot and what’s going to make you string four letter words together — like this asshole earlier at an old 60 minute Mini disc before it flew from my terrace into my neighbors back yard around 4:00am. Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV […]

I am looking for a new TV and was considering some of these second tier brands. Pricing is attractive but repair issues are a valid concern. HD guru went into some detail about the second/third tier manufacturer warranties but not the first tier brands. I read the Sony warranty and don’t feel a whole lot better. Their service network is far superior if you can bring your unit in, but if you have to ship it due to unit size or distance you are going to get hosed just like the third tier brands. The Panasonic concierge service appears to be a legitimate value added service that I for one would consider paying more for a like size/feature panasonic versus a vizio, maxtent, insignia, etc.

I would not discount these brands entirely.
Maybe I got lucky but I purchased a Syntax Olevia LT32HV LCD in summer of 2005 and have not had any problems with it at all. I got a really good deal at the time with free shipping, about $800 after the $100 rebate. Dual tuner model that is not made any more, really nice POP3 and POP12 options, no HD tuner built in though. It works good with widescreen movies and the Oppo DVD player that I bought to match up with the DVI connector. The 720p resolution is good for regular DVDs. I have also used it as a computer monitor and it works great at 1024 x 728 max resolution.
I will use this until it breaks but probably buy a new Sharp LCD in 2008 anyway to replace my other TV.

Several years ago I purchased a 15″ Magnavox LCD EDTV when they were in the $350 range. They only had a 90 day warranty, which I didn’t notice at the time, but certainly did once it failed after 7 months. When I called the ‘repair’ charge was $240 plus s/h plus taxes (on a service item?). Since I’m a bit of an electronics builder and helped a TV repair guy many years ago I asked about getting a service manual and/or parts since I believed it to be a pretty simple repair. Not offered, even to repair businesses - only way to repair it was to send it back to the main location. The magnavox service representative suggested I might be better off purchasing a new one since black friday was coming up soon & he knew that Best Buy & circuit city would be having a similar set for less than the repair charges.

You really do have your title right - probably best to consider these disposable (& not just the no-name sets that you mention). The lesson that I learned was looking at the warranty & buying from someplace that will give you another alternative such as a retailer refund/exchange.

HD Guru, your article is packed with information for the savy consumer. However, the paranoia over cheap tv’s is even more commical. Let’s all face it…you get what you pay for and sometimes even the expensive sets are a P.O.C.! Let’s all consider the good old days of indestructible 8-track players and vacuum tubes in our radios and click our heels three times!

Hey I have a 27″ Sceptre flat screen and the image panel broke, is there anywhere I can get it fixed for cheap or is this a stupid question. Can I get one ordered and delivered or no? I called the manufacturer and they told me it wasn’t worth it to fix, just buy a new one.,….Any suggestions…

American Express will double your warranty up to one year, and I believe will even extend a service plan by a year, if the total period is 5 years. If The set breaks after warranty, AMEX will pay to fix it up to the cost of the item. TThey will even reimburese the diagnostic charge. Its a benefit that few take advantage of. I never buy electronics without the card.

Guru,
The Vizio warranty for a “New” plasma or lcd states, from there web site ;

On-Site Repair is performed on displays purchased as new which are 30 inches and larger.
If it is determined, after discussion with VIZIO Technical Support and within the terms and conditions of the VIZIO Limited Product Warranty, that an on-site repair is qualified, the customer will be provided with an on-site repair (OSR) authorization number. Proof of purchase is required to confirm the product is within the one-year limited warranty period.

So if it is new and it’s 30″ or over the warranty is on-site. No shipping involved here.

[…] Thinking of buying a Cheap No-Name HTDV… Read This! Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV � HDGURU.Com MAKE SURE YOUR TV CAN EVEN BE FIXED AFTER THE ONE YEAR WARRANTY Updated Monday July 30, 2007-Now Includes Olevia HDTVs Flat panel TV bargains abound these days. With prices dropping 30%-40% from 2006 to 2007 (confirmed this week by LG US CEO Michael Ahn) one can easily be tempted by the leader pricing of the �new brands� (called tier two and tier three by the consumer electronics industry) that undercut top panel maker prices by hundreds of dollars. What the enticing, price driven TV commercials and their dealers don�t tell you is that Westinghouse, Polaroid and other tier two and three set makers add costly charges during the one year warranty period and buyers may incur substantial service charges after their warranties expire. In fact, two companies surveyed don�t support service at all after the one-year warranty expires! Polaroid�s HDTVs, which sell mainly through Circuit City, would seem to be bargain-priced compared to the �name brand� competitors. Polaroid�s 1080p 42� LCD Model number PLD 4241TLXB, for example, sells for $1149.99 at Circuit City, while Toshiba�s 42HL167 goes for $1699.99. The Polaroid set seems like a good deal until you find out what the Circuit City and Polaroid websites fail to disclose, which is that Polaroid HDTVs cannot be repaired after the warranty period expires! __________________ Everyone Loves a Steal of a Deal […]

I just got a 26″ GFM brand LCD HDTV from Meijer,
and after reading this forum, I agree that this tv
probably and unfortunately, is disposable.

So far, even though it’s small, and cheap ($330+tax),
It’s been a fun eye opener as far as OTA reception, and the
High PQ inherent in HDTV, and it works well.

I hope it lasts a while, so I can afford a larger screen model, and
a better brand name!

Thank you for your article. It is very comprehensive and for someone that has not yet purchased an lcd t.v. this is invaluable.

1K is a LOT Of money for us, so we are still using, and will continue to use until they break, our old (5yrs old) tv’s.

Better safe than sorry and like the fact that someone other than me has gone to the trouble of sorting through the repairs and warranties. All this was new info for me and it will help me make a sound(er) decision when we can afford it.

Can’t thank you enough.
PEACE

I bought a LT 37 HVS Olevia TV in 2005
It stopped working in 2007
The tv repairman diagnosed the problem as being the main board and it needs replaced. That was 2 monthes ago and so far the part is not available at Olevia. No promise date.
Can the part be purchased? Either from Olevia or a parts supplier?

THANK YOU! This info has been very helpful in my business, I am a assistant manager of an electronics store and I’ve been trying to convince my buyer to stop ordering these disposable tv’s since apex was still in the picture. They have all been nothing but trouble, this article finally got the message across.

In my experience hitachi has the best customer service in the business,and has repaired tv’s for my customers after the tv warranty had expired. YOU CAN’T BEAT THAT!

In addition to Panasonic’s “Concierge” service, Sharp will extend the warranty on a new Aquos TV by three months, free of charge. You have to register your product on their website to take advantage of this. Additionally, if your TV needs to be taken in for repairs, a 32″ loaner television will be provided to you for the time your TV is in the shop.

I have a new Sharp Aquos and a smaller Vizio. I can easily tell that the Sharp has a far, far superior picture than the Vizio. So far, no problems, though.

Olevia Customer Service what a nightmare dealing with these folks.. Received a 242-T11 42″ LCD Flat Panel as a gift sometime late August this year and very first thing I did was to register TV On-Line with Olevia’s Website. I was pretty satisfied with the overall features and functionality that I decided to replace my existing Samsung-LNS3251D and upgrade my parents TV with my Samsung since the Olevia was a 42″ vs. the Samsung 32″. WHAT A MISTAKE!! A month of using TV started noticing power problems where the the TV would shut off on its’ own and the only way to turn TV back on was to jiggle the power cord connected in the back of TV. Sent an E-Mail to Support and waited for a week and did not receive a response so I decided to call in to Olevia Tech Support and explained the issue and Tech Support diagnosed it to a bad power supply and that they would open a service ticket and that they would ship me the defective components and once I received the components I would call them and they would schedule a Local Service shop to replace the components. Two weeks goes by and did not receive anything from Olevia so I decided to call for a status update and to see when and if my parts had shipped and was told that the parts would ship soon because shipping had been backlogged for sometime.
Another week goes by and still did not receive my parts so I call Customer Service again to ask about my parts (now we’re into the third week of Sept.) so I asked them what was the story and why are they having such a hard time shipping my parts and finally the rep. tells that my parts are back-ordered and they could not give me a date of when they would ship. Anyways I suggested that since these parts were not available that maybe a replacement would be more appropriate and the agent agreed and took my information etc. Another two weeks go by and still nothing so I call back to Customer Service (after waiting for twenty minutes) to get a status and rep asks whether or not I faxed in my proof of purchase and my Credit Card Number (because without this nothing gets done).
Needless to say I am PISSED because I’ve still not received my replacement TV. It is now Oct 19th and a Service ticket has been in since early September and the TV still shuts off on its’ own when it wants to. I’ve made it a point to call at the beginning each week (even though I have to wait any where from 20 to 60 mins.) to get a status update, tracking number, something that tells when this virtual TV will ship . All I can say is stay away from this Brand because the product may be decent but their Customer Service BLOWS! About the only thing that they know how to do is LIE, STALL, MAKE EXCUSES etc. I RECOMMEND STAY AWAY FROM SYNTAX OLEVIA BRAND…..

To anyone who bought a vizio and probaly has a daewoo
in the driveway to go along with it do me a favor and
stop playing victim when the product has issues. As an electronics salesman (a real one who knows his product and gets paid commision) I get sick when people convince themselfs that insignia is a comproble product to samsung based on the physcoligical effect of saving a few bucks. I shelled out for the panasonic in the bedroom and the pioneer elite in the livingroom and i know i have a realaible , impressive product i can be proud of. You get what you pay for. A 250 dollar LG hometheater in a box is nowhere near the product that krell power equipment with martin logan speakers are no matter how hard you try to convince yourself it is

I want to thank you for a super informative website, as a prospective buyer of a new plasma/LCD TV I need all the help I can get. I was looking at these 2/3 tier sets for cost reasons but now I may change my mind due to this site. I also want to know…I want the best set for me (LCD or Plasma)I like to play my XBOX 360 and I want to know which is best? I have heard about Plasma burn-ins and really am not sure which will be best for my situation…please help thanks

I purchased a Panasonic 50″ DLP from Sam’s club 3 years ago. I did not purchase the extended warranty as Panasonic has such a great reputation. After 3 months usage the lamp went bad. Panasonic had a technician come out and repair the TV. 6 months go by and once again the lamp goes out and my frustration goes up. A call to Panasonic brings the same technician with another lamp. I anxiously await another failure and sure enough 7 months later, bingo, the lmap fails for the 3rd time. I call Panasonic and of course I am told the unit it out of warranty. The customer service just basically said they were sorry but could not repair the unit again. They could see it had been repaired twice before. I was so aggrevated my eyes were crossed. I decided to go see the technician who did the repairs. He said he would talk to some of the Panasonic repair people and get back with me. In a few days he called and said all agreed there had to be more wrong with the TV than just bad lamps. He eventually replaced the entire light engine. The TV has made it through 14 months now with no failure. I am dissappointed the set failed as much as it has, but if it was one of the “off” brands, I am sure the repairs would have never been completed.

I purchased a 20″ poloroid T.V. at walmart,,they give 90 days,,,Polorid one year,,,My T.V. went out
12months and three weeks,,,,I have tried to get it
fix,,,no success,,,no parts,,,,I was told if I had
taken out the warranty,they would have to replace it.,,,I wrote everyone but the governor,,,,JOA

I thought the article was very well written and is full of valuable information but I think there may be exceptions to the rule.

Here is one exception: You say that LG is good and Insignia is bad. This may be true for many models but lets take a look at the Insignia NS-PDP42 which anyone here can quickly look up at BB’s site. Now, keep that up and take a look at the LG 42PC3D… See any similarities??? You should because they are the same TV. The LG appears to have went through two different front panel designs, where one is exactly the same as the insignia and the other is slightly different but thats not important. Now of course this is last years LG but it was good then, so it should be at least fairly good now.

So, should I trust the Insignia that is an LG or not? I have seen the TV at BB and it really is excellent and can be gotten for $800… Also keep in mind that I saw the screen at BB that actually shows that LG is the supplier for the TV so this isn’t just an opinion, it is a fact.

Now, keep in ming I am not saying your article is wrong, because I think you are mostly right but in the example i mentioned, it seems like it wouldn’t apply. I say that because I could surely order the LG parts for the Insignia if its past the insignia warranty and even though I have to take it to BB, they will honor the 1 year warranty.

Let me know what you think…

Just another sob story. This is a guy that feels bad that he bought $5,000+ TV and these “crappy” TV’s have the same if not better PQ… Think of it this way big expensive tv breaks in 4 years with the the same PQ as a vizio. You can go buy 3 more before you hit the total on a “big name” TV.

Save some dough and go by a sports car or some other furniture for your damn house. They are raking you into thinking these big names are big and powerful. but really it’s all basically the same.

I bought a Olevia 37 two years, have been watching it every day, never have any problem. If you want to buy it online, stick with amazon.com or buy.com, a poster earlier said bought olevia from beach camera. Stores like beach camera sells bad stuff all the time.

I have both a 32″ Westy, and a 42″ Olivea. The Oliva died after one week, fortunately MicroCenter exchanged it. I’m very please with the Pic quality, and obviously the price was right with these tier two units.

Fortunately living in So Cal., Viso, Westy, Oliva and other Manufactures have their repair facilies within 30 miles of my location. Makes it an easier decision to make the purchase, since I can drop them off and pick them up at no charge.

We just bought a sanyo tv from wal-mart. Is this a good Name brand? or is it as bad as the others?

Any thoughts on the difference between the Philips Ambilight and non-Ambilight models? Is the feature worth it, noticeable, irritating? Subjective questions, but I haven’t heard to much about this supposed breakthrough feature.

Hi,

This is for Mark S. of Lansing,MI or anyone else in the Meijer store area. I just bought a GFM brand 20″ lcd tv…but there is no program code for my WOW! Universal remote. Can anyone tell me what code they’ve used? Meijer, WOW, and GFM cs were all of no help.

Thanks

I have read a lot of comments here and was wondering does SAMSUNG have one of the best warranties?

Also are DLP tvs worth it or will they just be old news by 2008?

about LG , I had one of their 17 inch pc monitors that after 2 years developed a crack in the front bezel in one of the corners. I checked the website and the warranty was 3 years. I called customer support and explained the situation. As stated it was under warranty, they did not have the same 17 inch in stock so I was sent a 19 inch in its place. I was very impressed and would surely buy another LG monitor. They even covered the shipping for delivery and the defective return.

Thanks for the valueable info on two and three tier sets!!!! I was looking at the Panasonic for my first plasma. Consumer Reports says they’re 50″ model has the best picture. My ? as to which is better the LCD or Plasma still has not been answered so I am still confused.

James S said:

“This is for Mark S. of Lansing,MI or anyone else in the Meijer store area. I just bought a GFM brand 20″ lcd tv…but there is no program code for my WOW! Universal remote. Can anyone tell me what code they’ve used? Meijer, WOW, and GFM cs were all of no help.”

Hi James
I’m unfamiliar with the WOW (Are you referring to World OF Warcraft?) remote codes, but I did notive that meijer does also sell a GFM brand programmable remote for $10 (8 on sale).. would that help?

Hey Folks, Sorry for the second post, but this one is independent from the response I gave to James S above…

I know previously I had said that I got a GFM 26″ LCD HDTV from Meijer, and here is an update to that:
——————

I recently got a 19″ Trutech LCD HDTV(with DVD Built in) on BF from target, and realized after viewing the full picture on the 19″, that my GFM was cropping off about 6pct of the image all the way around the screen.. Like in a ZOOM mode.. (I knew it was doing this since I owned it, but didn’t realize just how much I was missing!)

SO, I patiently explained to the folks at my local Meijer about this defect, and surprisingly, they let me exchange my 26″ set for another GFM 26″ set to see if that would make a difference.
It turns out that GFM had updated their tv sets, so I GOT A NEW version of my set! It’s model number is now V07LCD26. And it’s all silver, and has HDMI input, and basically, had been totally redesigned. Even the remote is totally new.. I’m Frigging Lucky! PHEW!!!

bottom line: much nicer remote, better tuner (I can pull in more/clearer stations), much better blacks/color saturation, more inputs/outputs, and no picture cropping! The remote has a picture aspect button, so when I select the zoom option, it does look similar to the older version’s ‘cropped’ look of the set that I returned for exchange.

I have to give a SHOUT OUT of THANKS to Meijer for allowing me to exchange my set quite a while after their 30 day return policy!

—> SO, I’m hoping that this newly redesigned and hopefully higher quality model isn’t just a disposable HDTV! *Fingers Crossed* for luck…
I LOVE IT! (so far anyway lol ….. wink wink- *fingers crossed for luck*

I just purchased an olevia 47″ lcd from circuit city for $650 plus tax. That is $1050 less 10% AAA coupon, less $300 “sign up for directv” which I immediately canceled. I admit I am nervous about throwing $650 away - but the extended warranties are hundreds of dollars which I do not wish to spend on a $650 tv, so I purchased with AMEX and will take the chance. So far the picture is quite fantastic. We’ll see how it looks when Comcast brings my hd settop box later today. By the way, the $1050 was a “black friday” online price I found out about in a post on slickdeals dot net, I find a lot of good deals on there.

Does anyone have any info/problems with the Phillips 40″ Plasma, they seem to have similar specs to the Panasonic, but is much cheaper, not sure if I should take the chance!

[…] If you are including the inexpensive products being sold by some big-box dealers with the brand names of Vizio, Polaroid, Viore and Olevia - the numbers are much higher during their “90 day” limited warranty. They just charge the consumer to return them and are exchanged. That’s one way of lowering their “average repair cost” huh? For these brands, the availability of out-of-warranty repairs is almost nonexistent. Many service companies will not accept those low-priced brands to repair, so the customer has to pay to ship them back. An article well researched on these cheap brands is http://hdguru.com/?p=107. […]

[…] The News is NowPublic.com | The News is NowPublic.com put an intriguing blog post on Comment on Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV by The Grump Report… […]

First time LCD buyer. Havn’t bought yet though . After reading all these post I see what to stay away from. Even though its a odd size 37″, I have restrictions that make me go that way, the question I need answered WHAT IS the most RELIABLE set to buy? What if any warranty , besides buying with American Express Card, should I purchase?
I’m 70 yrs old & likely wont be getting another set after this buy, if I live a longer life somebody else will be doing the buying . Appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.

Dear Lesson Learned,
Good!
I have been in the TV service industry for almost 35 years, have sat on the board of an electronics service association; I strongly suggest you stick with a tier one manufacturer such as Sony, Hitachi, Panasonic, etc. You will pay a bit more - but you WILL be supported.

Most of the very cheap flat panels are made by one or two factories in China. They just change the name on the things. I don’t have a problem with China - but I do have a problem with the common belief that flat screen “must” be top-of-the-line. It is not. Cheap flat panels are the equivalent of $49.95 DVD’s or VCR’s. Or better yet, what do you expect from a “house” wine - not much. These cheap brands are the “house” brands.

Go to nesda.com and use their locator to call up your local independent service company. Ask them. We are the ones who fix them.

I want to thank you for steering me away from Vizio and Olevia. I was seriously considering purchasing one of their LCD TV’s. Instead, I am looking at Sony and Sharp.

I bought a 32″ Polaroid LCD from Circuit City. Fortunately, I bought the extended warrant. The tv went out after 13 months. The tech that was dispatched to check out the tv said he had the exact model I had and it too had the same problem as mine. He said he had not been able to fix his and doubted he could fix mine either. It’s been one month since the tech took the tv to his shop and still no word on it. After I called the tech several times, I was told they would call me if the tv was repaired and there was no need to call them anymore. Circuit City customer support has been lousy and a letter to the president of the company only drew an apology. Stay away from Polaroid and Circuit City!!!!

Some people on here keep touting the extended warranty as a way around these problems. But extended warranties are a waste of money. If the warranty that comes with it is not good enough for you, then go a different route. All you’re doing with an extended warranty is paying for a repair before it breaks. What if your TV last 10 or 15 years without a problem? Then that money you spent on an extended warranty is just gone. That’s money you could’ve spent on something else like a BluRay player etc.

I’ve never bought an extened warranty and have been just fine with all my electronics. If it breaks, then I pay for the repair, not before. Or I may decide it’s not worth repairing if it’s several years old.

We have bought two Olevia TV (32″ and 47″) since a year ago. They both have performed flawlessly and both PQ has been very good. I do think the cost for what you get from this brand is excellent. Even Consumer Report puts some of its set as very good buys and has no issue with its reliability. My experience with their tech support (twice) has been excellent as well.

I am not sure why all the bashing here concerning the so-called secondary HDTVs. After all, these appliances ARE disposable items these day, not just because of the high repair cost, but also due to the rapid improvement of the technology which practically makes every set obsolete after 6 months regardless of brands.

Just think if the failure rate is 1:1000 for Sony and 1:100 for Olevia within the first three years, unless you are very unlucky, you will never need to deal with warrenty at all for both brands.

After three years, it is very hard to choose to fix a bad Sony or buy a new one since it costs so much at the time you buy it. But you can easily throw away the Olevia and buy a brand new one with up-to-date technology.

Excellent discussion! Great and helpful article! We have a Magnovox TV (14 yrs old) and it works just fine… but too small for our 15 ft living room.
We are now looking to buy a larger set with better definition. Thanks for the tips.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER people… “disposable” also means it has to go somewhere. It really is time we think about where all that crap goes after it can’t be repaired again. Loooong term units AND a more healthy planet would be nice to take into consideration!

I’m considering the Magnovox 26″ that Target is selling for around $549.00 (without a DVD). Is Magnavox considered Tier 1 and how is their warranty plan rated?

Great article!

As a salesperson in a custom-installation company, we often get people that don’t understand why we charge fair price for top tier televisions when they see advertisements for cheapsters all day long. Your article is just one more reason to not go ‘bottom-dollar’. My parents have an old tube television that has been working for decades - I would love to see how newer flat-panels work (or don’t) in 5-10 years.

I would love for people to focus a little more on quality and less on the ‘best deal’ - focusing on VALUE. These disposable sets do not just ‘go away’. They pile up in our landfills because peopole were too cheap to pay for something that lasted.

WHEW!
I’ve been looking at and researching LCD HDTVs for the last month and a half. Since it’s a replacement for the bedroom, which is used infrequently, I started out looking for 21″-23″ then decided if I’m going to go with 23″ why not 26″. I fell in love with the Bravia and liked Toshiba, Sharp, etc., all the top tier brands, but their price is more than I want to spend right now.

About a week ago I saw, online, what I thought was, a great sale at Walmart for the Vizio, saw an even better sale a week later at Target for Olevia and wondered about the Spcetre, Insigna and Envision, etc. TVs at the other stores. I went into the store for a personal view of the two aforementioned. Suprisingly, I wasn’t impressed with the Vizio, but very impressed with the Olevia. (A friend has the 32″ and I liked hers, though it has been replaced due to a vertical line suddenly appearing on the left of the screen–less that a year old.)

Needless to say, after reading The Guru’s extensive report (and others who has had difficulty with performance and repair), I think I’ll return a few more bottles and wait for post holiday sales to see what’s being offered before January inventory kicks in and 2008 restocking begins.

Since this is a replacement for a more than 30-yr old 20″ Sony, which was hardly ever used, the good news is that time is on my side.

Thanks again for such a great feedback!

Buyer beware, BUYER BEWARE! Hitachi Tv’s are lemons, (Junk).
They look good at first, price is good but after a month or 2 they die. So if you do not want to waste your good hard earned money run from Hitachi. Boycott Hitachi Products. If it is too good to be true then it is. That should be Hitachi’s slogan. (Sounds like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is a duck).
I bought a brand new 42 inch Hitachi 42hds69 Plasma tv and it just died after a month. It has been serviced 4 times already in 9 months. Replacing digital boards, power boards and other internal circuitry. Remember this is a brand new tv but you would never know it. 3 of those months we were unable to even use it because it was out of service.
I called Hitachi and spoke with senior manager RON JOHNSON 1-800-654-7013 who said he would look in to my complaint about my tv being a lemon and call me back. After a week, what a shock he never called back. After going to pick up my tv from Industrial Electronic Repair 407-855-7214 on Sand Lake Rd in Orlando Florida for the 4th time (They are clueless idiots) and seeing that they damaged my tv even further by putting a 3 inch gouge in the front.
I call Hitachi just to be told by customer service that RON JOHNSON said that having the tv serviced 4 times and the service center putting a 3 inch gouge in the tv did not fit the bill to either replace the lemon or even provide an extended warranty. Hitachi said there was nothing they could do and RON JOHNSON did not even have the courtesy to tell me himself but have customer service screen and flag my call. So now I am out all this money, Hitachi Tv is a LEMON and to add insult to injury the tv is damaged on the front as a reminder every day what a piece of junk Hitachi products are. Hitachi products are made poorly, customer service is non existent, Senior manager RON Johnson is a Yes man who does not believe 4 repairs in 9 months plus damage by Industrial Electronics Repair warrants any action by Hitachi for this tv being a LEMON. BUYER BEWARE, Stay away from Hitachi products. Unlike cars that have Lemon laws electronics do not so it is big business who will win every time. Do not learn the hard way like I did. Once again Boycott Hitachi products or you will get burned the hard way as I did. Hitachi products are Junk Lemons with a quick expiration date. Send a message to Hitachi and boycott their products! And make sure you post your bad experienced about Hitachi on the boards and reviews so people know the truth about Hitachi. Anyone including hitachi can let me know directly about their bad experience at floridabreeze@gmail.com

Floridabreeze, you failed to tell everyone you did not follow the manufacturer’s instructions on proper care of this set. Hitachi is not responsible for mishandling by the customer. You were also rude with me on the phone.

I bought a Westinghouse 37″ LCD. It died after 4 months - 1 month after the nice 90 day pre-paid shipping BS trick. If you bought a Westinghouse, you’re fk’d. Sorry to tell you that. Not only was my shipping/insurance $235 because the original box was obliterated during the initial shipping, but you ARE going to get a refurbished unit in return. Bitch and moan all you want. You are stuck with it. Believe me - you ARE. They don’t care - all the way up the chain.

BTW, they shipped me a 27″ LCD in return for my 37″ and I STILL do not have my 37″ REFURBED unit as of today. That’s right - their illegal immigrant warehouse workers in Santa Fe Springs california cannot read. Laugh if you want. Wait till you go to return yours. Sell your functional Westinghouse ASAP!!!! If it dies you are DONE.

As for Vizio, they do offer a fairly reasonable extended onsite warranty - that should quell most fears listed here, no?

E.g., for a 47″ LCD they offer the following:

2 Year Consumer Care Plan (On-Site) $124.99
3 Year Consumer Care Plan (On-Site) $ 159.99
4 Year Consumer Care Plan (On-Site) $ 189.99
5 Year Consumer Care Plan (On-Site) $ 229.99

That seems to be a pretty good compromise and not the doom and gloom listed here?

Greg, which dealer do you work for? Or perhaps an extended service contract company?

Which independent service companies in which cities service Vizio? I have been involved in the service industry, and industry associations for a couple of decades. Most that I talk to wouldn’t work on one.

Soooooo…what good is an ESP contract? They do a refurb exchange with a 30 day warranty? If it is IN warranty - how much to ship back to Vizio if service is unavailable?

Just curious. Also curious how you knew the breakdown of costs for an ESP (insurance) policy?

Floridabreeze,

You got a call center rep with a script.

The call center they use is actually a pretty good one as they go. Go to nesda.com and the service locator and put in your zip code. There are a couple of good service centers in your area that would be very proactive about your Hitachi.

Walt Herrin is the VP of service for Hitachi and I can tell you he is one heck of standup guy. I don’t do Hitachi warranty service, but I wouldn’t turn them down if they call.

Kurt

Hi Kurt (if that’s your real name…or shall I call you SONY/SAMSUNG CSR “Kurt”?),

Put your conspiracy theories away.

I am buying a TV in the coming months, was concerned about repairs given this site’s “info” and simply went on Vizio’s website to check out the real options.

Perhaps if you did the same rather than fan the flames of paranoia and fear, you’d have found the same result.

So, if you head to Vizio.com, then to “support”, then to “extended service plans” you too can enter your model number (even if you don’t work for Vizio like me…er, I mean oh, dammit! nevermind)

Anyhow, I called and they offer *on-site* repair for the larger HDTVs here in NY. You get to input your model # and price paid and off you go. You’ll get the numbers I quoted above.

So, Kurt, the moral here is that you should not jump on the bandwagon when without research.

People buying $1,500 TVs need real information, not 12th century scare tactics and well, See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem

Bah,

The sad fact of the matter is that you can get a better TV with the 2nd tier companies.

These are the guys who truly push innovation on technology and price. Sceptre and Westinghouse were the 1st to offer 1080p to the masses, and were the first to offer 32″ 37″ 42″ and 47″ LCD displays. In addition, they were the 1st to offer 1080p inputs through component.

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Philips etc are just now offering these features which there guys were offering for years.

And the other one, Olevia, is the first to offer a broadcast studio quality scaler/deinterlacer integrated into some of their TVs for better upscaling of Standard Definition and better processing of High Def, than most other TVs regardless of brand. The Olevia 747i is one of only a handful of sets that deliver remarkable SD along with amazing HD even at 1080p/24 which most sets can’t handle.

With all that said, I’d rather (like what someone else mentioned) buy from a store like Costco and Sams club with extended warranties and if something goes wrong just deal exclusively with them, then play phone tag with these manufacturer’s call centers.

Jack, I agree with you thoughts on these so-called second tiered brands. We have owned now three Olevia TVs, two 32′ and one 47′ over a year and have consistently amazed at the PQ quality and all the innovations built into these TVs. The 247 model is even with energy star rating for power consumption. There are very few brands with that kind of rating, now the report on significant power usage is being reported in the press,particularly for plasma TVs. The TV provides in home one year warranty which I never need to access. My two contacts with the tech support during the initial set-up were very pleasant to the point I even wrote a letter to the co for the positive experience. So it is so puzzling to observe fears instilled on some posts in people on these less expensive TVs. I am sure all brands will produce “lemons” occasionally as indicated by some here, but price is not really an absolute indicator, in my opinion with my experience. BTW, pracically all brands are being made in Asian countries, so it is not a differentiating factor either. Buy your set with the most pleasing picture quality and most reasonale price!

Hi Richard,

I think the concern listed in the main article is aimed squarely at the “after the warranty” repair. That’s where things get scary. E.g., If you don’t buy an extended warranty with the vizio, you stand to be out $1000+ on the first day after the one year mark.

That is, of course, wholly unacceptable. It should not cost $1,000 to fix a $1,000 TV after one year.

Now, I don’t know how much better first tier products are in terms of repair cost. but one would think that they *should* handily beat a $1,000 repair cost.

When I buy, I’m springing for the extra 5yr warranty.

I bought a 42 Olevia about 9 months ago because it is what we could afford…it has performed very well…great sound; great picture; no problems….as for Sony, I once splurged and bought one … unfortunately I got a lemon and finally just wrote it off as “my bad luck…” Would I buy Sony again? Yeah, if I could afford one. Richard H. Ho — you make the best case for common sense.

Looking for a remote for a 242-T11 42″ Olevia…the one I have works great but always like to have a spare….any help appreciated.

By the way, my Olevia was purchased because Consumer Reports gave it high marks….we’ve had ZERO problems with it….great TV for the price. If you want a Caddy, they are out there too!

Geez floridabreeze…get a life.

My company services these level (2) and (3) units out of warranty for Circuit City and Best Buy. Obtaining parts for these models is more difficult than the major manufacturers but is not impossible. We troubleshoot to component level when possible which results in average repair charges of $200-300, board replacement repairs average several hundred dollars more.
There is no doubt that the technical superiority remains with the big name units as well as reliability. The level (2) and (3) products do not use the higher grade components in their design and often performance degrades quickly due to stress and heat damage.
There are very obvious design differences when comparing a Pioneer Elite to a Vizio or Poloroid brand product, you certainly do “get what you pay for”.

J. Weibel
Custom Electronics
customelectronics.org

does radio shack support its house products

I have a Sceptre 27″ NAGA 3. The lousy power supply went. I woke up one morning. The red LED wasn’t lit. Tried to turn it on. NOTHING. I’ve had this HDTV for three years. So I decided to do it myself. (I’ve built computers.) Simple. Four phillips screws. Unplug the power supply cord. Took me 5 seconds to take it out of the set. Going to cost me $125.00, from Sceptre. That includes shipping from California. The 27″ and 30″ NAGA brands are the same power supply. What kills me, is the cost of the power supply. 1/4th the cost of the HDTV! Imagine the poor customer who doesn’t know how to use a Volt Ohm Meter? Probably cost over $200.00 for a TV repair moron to fix it!
I guess HDTV’s which are LCD’s need to have better power supplies. Three years, is one sorry ass power supply. (My computer is older than that. I use it everyday!)
I rarely look at the television. Since I loathe the MSM!
Anyways…Peace out to the whole world!
Oh…IMPEACH AND IMPRISON BOTH THOSE CRIMINALS IN THE WHITEHOUSE!

so exactly what companies are considered tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3? i’m planning on buying my first hd lcd tv in the near future, and want to know what all brands are considered tier 1 so i know what all of my options are. and please don’t just say “oh, the major name brands…sony, samsung etc…” becuse i haven’t seen mention of a couple brands such as magnavox and jvc. i’d just like to know where all the companies are ranked.

You’ll find the most comprehensive list of HDTVs in the January Comsumer Report. They discussed brands with best picture, and best buys based on cost and PQ. Additionally you’ll find reliability/repair record of each brand. I’d think it has the most objective reviews. With the information, go to stores such as CC or Best Buy to compare picture quality.
Any public library will carry CR, if you are not a subscriber.

What about the LG’s. A TV service provider suggested this brand for because service and parts were the best. He also said it was made by the same company that was once Zenith. What do you think about this brand.

I’m thinking about buying a 2003 51″ hitachi rear projection HDTV for $500. Is it worth it, or is it a disposable unit also? Is maintenance for this 2003 HDTV a nightmare. It is is good shape right now. help me decide please.

We’re interested in smaller LCD HDTV sets. We want a 19-26″ TV for bedroom and 26″ for another room. Can’t go any larger because they will be in enclosed cabinets. I can’t find any info on this size. We purchased a 26″ Magnavox (26MD357B) with built in DVD, and a Samsung 19″ (LN-T1953H). Before time runs out on return, how to these rate? We’re seniors and need info we can understand. Also, do we need upgraded connections for satelight hookup?

Well…..

we will be returning our second (yes SECOND!!!) first tier 32″ LCD Sharp Aquos this weekend. We purchased our highly rated tv from Best Buy — a mistake which we will NEVER repeat. Despite the superlative that proceeds the “Buy” part of their name, we have experieinced anything but the “Best” from them. And although we usually do not buy into extended waranties we’re so glad we did this time.

Fortunately, each time we ‘ve had a major problem with our set Sharp has come through and done right by us. I wish I could say the same for “Worst” Buy. Their customer service leaves a lot do be desired. And after reading posts about the 2nd and 3rd tier brand I am really thankful we stuck with a repuatble manufacturer since I don’t consider a tv set, especially LCDs costing upwards of $800, disposable.

To that end I would extend a “buyer beware” when it comes to any major electronic purchase from “Best” Buy. The first set we purchased had defective inputs which we did not discover until we got the set home (an hour and a half away because we live in a rural area). We learned that the inputs were defective only after talking with a service guy who reccomended returning the set to BB becuase the repair would be as costly (factoring in travel, part shipping time….).

When we took the set back to BB for a refund, they tried to suggest that there was nothing wrong with the set! We insisted that they hook it up themselves while we watched. Guess what? They found half the inputs were defective… imagine that! Unfortunately we let them talk us out of a refund and they instead offered to replace it. We made them hook it up in the store to make sure everything worked as it should.

Once satisfied we returned home and enjoyed the set for 14 months. Then suddenly a diagonal line appeared in the upper left hand corner that never went away. To top it off the picture started cutting out (audio remained) a week after the line appeared. This all happened right after Thanksgiving. We’ve called BB 4 times to get a service person out but no one has ever called us back or follwed up like they’ve promised. Finally we called Sharp and they got the matter resolved within the week. Solution: BB needs to replace our set with a new one. Gee…. maybe that’s why BB never got back to us. Unfortunately for us we now have a few local merchants that carry the newer LCD and Plasma tvs. I say unfortuate because I would much rather support local business. At least when something goes “wrong” I know we’ll have substantially superior service than what BB seems capable (or willing) to supply.

Looks like chosing a top tier business is as important as chosing a top tier tv manufacturer.

Has anyone any feedback on Emerson hdtv’s. That company has been around a long time or is it just there name.

Well here is the sad update on our LCD Sharp woes. The Sharp employees we ‘ve spoken with have told us many things, all stories chock full of misleading information. They said (based on the service call) that the set was non-repairable (fine) and that we needed to return the set to Best Buy for an exchange. When I specifically asked if there was some sort of refernce number I needed for the store to verify this they gave me a case number (we would later find out this is meaningless). They told us that if there was a problem at Best Buy to call the 800 Sharp number with the case nunmber and all would be fine.

We called Best Buy and told them what the Sharp people told us and we were told by a Best Buy employee to “just bring the set in for an exchange”. I told them that we lived an hour and a half away and wante dto make sure we would have no problem exchanging the set for on of equal quality/value. We were assured that would not be a problem and that we could even exchange it for another brand (this turned out to be half true).

We made the hour and ahalf trip on a Saturday, and wasted two hours at Best Buy becaue they did not have an RA (return authorization) number, which aparently is not the same as the case number the Sharp rep. had given us!

End result: we returned home with the defective set, frustrtated, disheartened and angry with both Sharp and Best Buy who seem not to care at all that their ineptitued and lack of care left us with an expensive non-working set.

Short of suing and or involving our state attorney general I’m not sure what else to do next. My advice: steer clear of ANY sharp product because they will not stand behind their own product, and NEVER purchase anything fronm Best Buy because they only care about selling and not fostering good customer relations.

I have one of the ‘throwaway’ Insignia 42″ plasmas. I know, now, from doing enough digging that it is truly a rebadged LG 42PC3D. I accessed the service menu and LG is plastered all over the place there.

Since LG is a top-tier manufacturer (as listed at the end of the article) and I purchased the 4-year product warranty from BB, I’ll trust they’ll be able to find parts if necessary to fix my set should it break down (one quick Google search on 42PC3D-UE will bring back at least 200 parts hits)

So far I’m happy with the picture quality and the set as a whole. Tiny bit of IR, but nothing unusual for the first 100-200 hrs or so.

I think people are really getting too hung-up with so-called tiers of the HDTV they are buying or have bought. In a global economy, product parts are readily available for different brands and in many cases the difference in price is more related to the amount of advertisement the “name-brands” do to spread their names, thus the comsumers pay for the higher built-in prices. The “lower tier” brands tend to pass the saving to consumers. A case in point, just yesterday, Olevia announced an agreement with SHARP (a considered “First Tier co), to supply a minimum of 200,000 control panels with option to supply more. Olevia is considered by many as second or even third tier because of its low price and relatively no name status. As an owner of three of its HDTV ranging from 32″ to 47″ over a year, I can tell you its quality is as good as many and close to the best with price tags of 2 to 3 times. I’ll buy another one anytime!

I bought an Olevia and it lasted 13 months! What a surprise! No picture, but great sound.

Then went out and bought an Akai. Another disaster, although it lasted 2 months longer.

Scams, I tell ya.

I’m either getting a Sharp Aquos or Sony Bravia from Sears.

Help, I just brought the near LAF8 samsung LCD, everything was great for the first few weeks. The screen now has hundreds of white verticle lines on all channels and when playing DVD’s. What are they and can it be repaired?

RE: To Greg From Kurt Rodgers

You are right Kurt Rodgers is not my real name. That would be Kurt Dodgers. If you took the trouble and put your mouse over my name - you would have found the hyperlink that would go to the website of my SERVICE business. One that I started in 1981. I don’t hide when I comment or post.

I didn’t fall of the turnip truck yesterday and and one who professes knowledge should be challenged for their creds.

I have been a Regional Service Engineer for Mitsubishi and am certified by 5 professional organizations as well as a voting member of SMPTE. My most recent article, published by the Virginia Professional Electronics Association, is
http://www.vpea.org/reporter/VPEA_Reporter_Winter08.pdf

This 4671f has been giving me headaches since day one.

Makes me think the majority of the reviews on amazon are LIES!

Slow downs, double ball effects with football, now, a growing # of dead pixels..

Some people are bad mouthing 2nd tiers

Well, I sold off my 6 month old Olevia 747i to finance this Samsung ‘Upgrade’

..And I wish I hadn’t, as this Samsung is giving me degrading experiences.

And Samsung’s tech support is a bunch of low paid scripted idiots…ARGH!!

When I didn’t know about the main switch on the back of the now sold TV and called Olevia, they were courteous and insightful and helped me resolve that problem.

It seems by comparison that the folks at Samsung don’t even want to help me!!

The 2nd tiers want your business.

Seems that the likes of Samsung doesn’t care about the average Joe.

Yeh, I HOPE someone at samsung sees this, and does something about the poor quality these products and services actually are!!! - Otherwise no more Samsung products in this household!!

Very disappointed in Samsung. Very flimsy construction for the price. Sonys are much better, but still overpriced

I hear that Vizio is outselling all of the 1st tiers. And people are generally satisfied with them.

All the effort to talk down the so-called tier two such as Olevia and Vizio are by those more conscious of brand names or even those servicing these name brands. Those so called first tiers provide repair services through contracting with local repair shops, thus it is a business for these people. Both Olevis and Vizio are rated very favorably by Consumer Reports with some models considered excellent buys. Their picture quality is still a bit lower than that of SONY, but their reliability has not been questioned. I would not have traded in your Olevia 747 for any others as it is the flagship of the brand with many rave reviews published.

I want to suprise my Hubby with a TV for the Super Bowl and was going to Purchase a Vizio after seeing this article, I have changed my plans. I think I will go with an LG or something. I am on a definate budget. Any suggestions ?

[…] Original post by unknown […]

I own a two-way radio repair business, and been doing so for the last 15 years. I’ve seen the same trend in “cheap” electronics in the professional radio business. Customers are wanting more and more for less and less. Well, guess what? China has answered your wishes and flooded the market with cheap disposable junk. Be it HDTV’s, radios, phones, etc. Thankfully there are still brands with quality and can withstand years of service.

If you want a TV that’s going to last, get a SONY! Get the most expensive model (XBR4 or at mininum W-Series). Money spend now will over time actually save you money. 10 years down the road it will still be working.

Most problems with HDTV’s are actually simple component failiars. They replace an entire board for $200-500, when the only problem is 1 defective part on that board which costs anywhere from 10 cents to 20 bucks. It’s simplier for the manufacturer to just replace the whole board, and charge the customer for it. Sometimes the actual display panel is defective, which in that case you throw it in the garbage and get a new one.

Bottom line, cheap electronics are cheap for one reason. They are built with cheap parts using cheap labor. You get what you pay for. I’m sorry to say, but these second and third tier HDTV’s won’t last 5 years.

[…] Comment on Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV by Dan in Indiana Sometimes the actual display panel is defective, which in that case you throw it in the garbage and get a new one. […]

[…] Comment on Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV by Comment on Your… Panel HDTV by Dan in Indiana Sometimes the actual display panel is defective, which in that case you throw it in the garbage and get a new one. […]

[…] Comment on Your New Disposable Flat Panel HDTV by Comment on Your Panel HDTV by Dan in Indiana Sometimes the actual display panel is defective, which in that case you throw it in the garbage and get a new one. […]

After reading all these posts, buyers experiences, researching through ConsumerReports.org, and all other available HDTV avenues available online, I have come to the conclusion……. buy from Costco.

You have your choice of price and reputation in all Tier levels and Costco provides an additional 2 year warranty in house on all purchases. Any problems, just go through them. Yes, you need to be a member to buy from them. No store nearby, they do have a dot com.

I joined Costco 18 months ago just to buy an HDTV. I purchased a 37″ Vizio and haven’t had a single problem. But knowing that if there is EVER an issue with the TV, I have peace of mind of the warranty.

I do have an issue of spending $1000 and up on something that the industry expects me to toss if it fails to operate normally. Imagine what would happen if Ford or Chevy told its customers the same, there would be hell to pay on Capital Hill.

I have to agree with rex… buy from either Costco or Sams for more “piece of mind”.

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This has been a very informative guide to us the comsumer guess like the old saying says,you get what you pay for a extra dollar will save headaches down the road purchase name brands and not knock around lcd plasma tvs thanks again hdguru

We purchased our DLP Mitsubishi TV model wd-52628 in July 2006 for about $2500.

Just 15 months later, we think that the DM module failed. We can’t get to the ‘Device’ settings anymore or control our volume on our TV. I described this to two repair men. They said it was the DM module. This is an expensive repair. The part is about $400 and the repair is about $250. This is a lot of money to spend on top of the initial purchase price. I contact Mitsubishi on 3 occasions and have not received any help or assistance. It was only 3 months out of warranty on when I first contacted them!

I have researched this on the internet (Google: Mitsubishi DM module). There are multitudinous reports of problems with the DM module starting in about 2004 or earlier.

Here is a recent item I found on Craig’s list:

MITSUBISHI 62″ DLP Television
________________________________________
Reply to: sale-543490631@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-01-18, 1:39PM CST

MODEL WD62825. Two years old. Paid $4000. Needs new DM Module, on backorder until March and we don’t want to wait. Will sell for parts.

• Location: Flower Mound
• it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 543490631

Here is a long list of Consumer Affairs complaints regarding the same issue:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/home_electronics/mitsubishi.html

I am just sick about this since we waited a long time to get a big screen TV.

i find it interesting on how many people wrote in the blog…… and all having problems with tv sets…….

perhaps its the owners….. as quite frankly…… i have NEVER had a problem with a tv…. accept a free 13in which was free from sprint back in the days of free tv’s to get a cell…. and it works but had a problem with volume… loose wire…..

i have a olevia…. 532…. got last summer…. figured… i might use it as a monitor… too…. one day…. works great….. my biggest compliant is i dont like reading the instructions…. and would like the little light off when turned off…. but when it really bugs me i’ll read it …… till then…

happy with a under $530. lcd tv with bracket….

and now have to see about getting another one… and donating the in great working order mitabishis they replaced…….

[…] Original post by unknown […]

Many people are missing the point - all of these items are effectively disposable. A service tech visit to your house is going to start at about $300 to $350. Then you pay $150-$200 an hour, plus parts and shipping, to get your set fixed out of warranty. I hate to say it, but at this point, it’s actually cheaper to buy a TV and throw it away than it is to get one fixed. If you get that bargain $600 42″ TV and it dies in 3 years (most electronics which survive more than 3 months burn in will survive 2-5 years), you’ll be able to replace it with another bargain TV of the same size for about 1/2 what you paid.

If the loss of the TV will seriously set you back, you can buy failure insurance. The store will call it an extended warranty, but it’s basically an insurance policy. The failure rate of electronics is extremely low, but none of these sets has a zero failure rate. To those who have expensive sets and haven’t had them fail, I remind you that the plural of anecdote is not data.

To expect these modern electronics to last as long as my Father in law’s old console TV is irrational. He had his TV for 25 years. When he finally got rid of it, the top 2″ showed a curved portion of the VBI, and there was little to no blue left. My Mother in law still doesn’t know why they bothered to replace it…it worked “fine”. With new HDMI specs coming out every two years, and the DRM issues floating around, I wouldn’t expect you to be able to go more than about 5 years without a forced upgrade if you stay current with technology. Sets from just 5-7 years ago don’t even have HDMI, and many still don’t have more than 1 HDMI input.

While it’s good to know that your set is disposable, I wouldn’t fret too much about it. If you want a long insurance policy (warranty), buy one. If you’re okay playing your odds, know that you’re likely to get 4-5 years out of your current set, and when it fails, you’ll be able to buy a better one of the same size for less than it would cost to fix the old one. Human interaction is expensive, good human interaction is very expensive. The cost to manufacture these things in the thousands has dropped to the point where their cost is insignificant to the cost of good repair technicians. That’s the reason that most TV repair shops have gone out of business.