http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001413DF8
I just bought this 52" Samsung LCD 120hz from Amazon for $1899. Then the following week the dropped the price to $1799. I called Amazon and they gave me a credit back on my card the $100 difference. Considering Best Buy is currently offering this tv in their ad for a sale price of $2400 and it retails at $2800. I would say I got a pretty sweet deal. Plus by buying it online I paid no tax, got free delivery and didn't have to pay a disposal fee that the Governator imposed on us in California.
I found an electrician on Craiglist to mount my shit over the fireplace and hook up and mount my surround sound and saved $200 over using those Geek Squad guys.
I just bought this 52" Samsung LCD 120hz from Amazon for $1899. Then the following week the dropped the price to $1799. I called Amazon and they gave me a credit back on my card the $100 difference. Considering Best Buy is currently offering this tv in their ad for a sale price of $2400 and it retails at $2800. I would say I got a pretty sweet deal. Plus by buying it online I paid no tax, got free delivery and didn't have to pay a disposal fee that the Governator imposed on us in California.
I found an electrician on Craiglist to mount my shit over the fireplace and hook up and mount my surround sound and saved $200 over using those Geek Squad guys.
I bought the kids 2 32 inch emersons at Wally Mart for $447 each they work great. I heard some bad stuff on Visio making a poping noise after a few months. It is the power supply and they can be purchased for $160 and very easy to install but not worht the hassle now a days buy the protection plan on these tvs. Most of this new stuff only last a few years.
Get you one.
seems that the quality of VIZIO tvs has plunged. I too, share very similar experiences with all those who commented here. Costco's concierge service had to force Vizio to address my problem, as VIZIO simply has lousy customer service and an even lousier product as they all seem to break down within a year or two. Mine would freeze and then you'd have to unplug the set to turn it off and turn it back on. Costco should stop carrying Vizio, don't buy those lcd tvs!
Posted by: M Brown | Apr 2, 2009 11:31:49 PM
In Nov 2007 my sister purchased a Visio 42 in HDTV for me as a present. She lives and purchased the TV in California. I reside in washington state and the Sears didnt have the Visio on stock so I had to wait until they got a shipment in. Needless to say when I got the Visio home it had no power, the service tech came out and fixed it by replacing 2 circut boards which concerned me. I asked why dont they just replace the TV for another one and he said they generally try to repair it first. Well 14 months later I too experienced the pop of death, no picture only sound. it didnt start off that way it began by the picture becoming distorted then eventaully it went out. When I called Visio they told me the warranty began when the item was purchased. I told them I didnt have it yet because they didnt have it in stock. Visio Corporate office say they said because it was purchased thats when the warrenty goes into effect. Now the tech at ITI are telling me they can come look at it for 400.00 and there is a 50/50 chance they can even fix it. This was a 1600.00 piece of junk! Maybe that's why it was on sale. I will never purchase another Visio. If I know it was going to die after 14 months I would have told my sister to by a Sony. i think this company needs to be shut down. The customer service sucks and each time you speak to someone you get a different answer. One of their service agent 1's had the adasety to start quoting US federal laws to me in about a case where someone wanted to warranty extended due to it being a gift. He was very condensending and when I asked him if he was a laywer for Visio he hung up on me. And yes i filed a complaint but I'm sure it went in the crash can.
Posted by: Mary Foster | Mar 22, 2009 1:01:04 PM
I purchased a Vizio 37 inch flat panel TV, Model VX37L from Costco on 5/23/2007. Fortunately Costco extends the warranty from one year to two years. On April 15, 2009 I turned on the TV and all I got was the Vizio name turning from orange (off) to white (on). That all that happened. It was completely dead. Costco Membership Services representatives were very nice but all they could do was refer us to Vizio tech support. 17 phone calls later, after faxing them the proof of purchase that they finally requested on the third call, they have finally prepared a repair ticket which is pending approval. Once the ticket is approved, the replacement parts (determined by a diagnostic team without actually looking at the TV set)will be mailed to a repair technician in our area (we live in the heart of Chicago) and then the repair technician is supposed to be able to fix the set (which I doubt). This is going to take at least 3 weeks to get done if not more. If anyone is thinking about buying Vizio to save money, don't do it. There is no customer service that is at all helpful, there are no repair places to take the set in to fix it (like the other major brands) and basically your stuck. I asked Costco if i could get a refund on the money since it's under warranty if the set couldn't be fixed and said I wanted to use the money to purchase a main brand (like Samsung) and that I would purchase it from Costco. All Costco will do is replace the Vizio TV with another Vizio and the next time it breaks I will have to go through this whole awful experience again. My husband is self-employed and a vendor and he has the phone number for Costco's Corporate Buying office. (This number is a state secret). He is going to call and talk to the electronics buyer for Costco and explain our whole experience in the hope that Costco will no longer carry Vizio TVs or at the very least pull some strings to allow us to purchase another brand of TV from Costco. Again, Costco is not the problem - its Vizio.
Posted by: thetelevision | Mar 22, 2009 4:15:53 AM
i don't think the validity of the report is entirely hinged on the the number of respondents you had but to many other factors like how and where did you get your respondents. If they're all readers of this site, then i'm afraid the validity can easily be put into question. Please note that laboratory tests are a different sort of data gathering compared to population survey data gathering.
Posted by: F Derion | Mar 14, 2009 9:29:11 AM
I purchased a Vizio 42 lcd late last year, and a couple of weeks ago watching tv I thought I heard a muffled pop from the set. I still have a picture and sound, but have noticed a shaded darker area from about the middle of the screen towards the left edge. I am discouraged after reading all the comments about Vizio tv's, and sorry I purchased one.
Posted by: everett whitney | Mar 14, 2009 8:44:10 AM
TO: Veda C. " Saving up - found Philips / "a Vizio?"
PLEASE do Not spend a second longer considering either one ! And, Never any money!
Philips Electronics stopped manufacturing HDTVs for the USA market over a year ago . . . . "leased out" their name to one of the bottom corporations in Asia . . . very, very unreliable HDTVs, either before, from Holland or now !
Panasonic had {all gone now} offered their entry 42" Plasma set from Halloween until the inventories sold out just after New Years at $ 649 - $699.
Two weeks ago, www.conns.com { Conn's Appliances which is an authorized Sony dealer } closed out their stocks of Sony's very best 32" ($1,100) set of last season at $599 . . . Last Sunday, they did the very same with Samsung's entry 50" plasma set at $899 - - - realizing that you said plasma, I only refer to these as examples of what one may get in Top Tier, Brand Name HDTV, making any purchase of the bottom sets not at all worth the risks!
Do also check @ Costco , IF you happen to have it available.
Posted by: Veda Cook | Mar 12, 2009 12:30:50 PM
I have been saving my nickles and dimes to buy my husband a big screen didnt have enough at christmas, but now I do! I want a plasma I have animals and just think it would be safer. I found a phillips 42" plasma with 4 dmci and 1080 for $599.00. I was really happy till I read all this.... am I to understand that this phillps is VIZIO and subject to the pop of death?
Posted by: DT | Mar 7, 2009 8:22:50 AM
We purchased a 47" VISIO fromSams Club 12/29/08. Mid february it bagan to get green areas in the picture. Over the next 2 weeks the green grew until the entire picture was neon green. After numerous frustrating calls to VIZIO we returned the set to SAMS and replaced
seems that the quality of VIZIO tvs has plunged. I too, share very similar experiences with all those who commented here. Costco's concierge service had to force Vizio to address my problem, as VIZIO simply has lousy customer service and an even lousier product as they all seem to break down within a year or two. Mine would freeze and then you'd have to unplug the set to turn it off and turn it back on. Costco should stop carrying Vizio, don't buy those lcd tvs!
Posted by: M Brown | Apr 2, 2009 11:31:49 PM
In Nov 2007 my sister purchased a Visio 42 in HDTV for me as a present. She lives and purchased the TV in California. I reside in washington state and the Sears didnt have the Visio on stock so I had to wait until they got a shipment in. Needless to say when I got the Visio home it had no power, the service tech came out and fixed it by replacing 2 circut boards which concerned me. I asked why dont they just replace the TV for another one and he said they generally try to repair it first. Well 14 months later I too experienced the pop of death, no picture only sound. it didnt start off that way it began by the picture becoming distorted then eventaully it went out. When I called Visio they told me the warranty began when the item was purchased. I told them I didnt have it yet because they didnt have it in stock. Visio Corporate office say they said because it was purchased thats when the warrenty goes into effect. Now the tech at ITI are telling me they can come look at it for 400.00 and there is a 50/50 chance they can even fix it. This was a 1600.00 piece of junk! Maybe that's why it was on sale. I will never purchase another Visio. If I know it was going to die after 14 months I would have told my sister to by a Sony. i think this company needs to be shut down. The customer service sucks and each time you speak to someone you get a different answer. One of their service agent 1's had the adasety to start quoting US federal laws to me in about a case where someone wanted to warranty extended due to it being a gift. He was very condensending and when I asked him if he was a laywer for Visio he hung up on me. And yes i filed a complaint but I'm sure it went in the crash can.
Posted by: Mary Foster | Mar 22, 2009 1:01:04 PM
I purchased a Vizio 37 inch flat panel TV, Model VX37L from Costco on 5/23/2007. Fortunately Costco extends the warranty from one year to two years. On April 15, 2009 I turned on the TV and all I got was the Vizio name turning from orange (off) to white (on). That all that happened. It was completely dead. Costco Membership Services representatives were very nice but all they could do was refer us to Vizio tech support. 17 phone calls later, after faxing them the proof of purchase that they finally requested on the third call, they have finally prepared a repair ticket which is pending approval. Once the ticket is approved, the replacement parts (determined by a diagnostic team without actually looking at the TV set)will be mailed to a repair technician in our area (we live in the heart of Chicago) and then the repair technician is supposed to be able to fix the set (which I doubt). This is going to take at least 3 weeks to get done if not more. If anyone is thinking about buying Vizio to save money, don't do it. There is no customer service that is at all helpful, there are no repair places to take the set in to fix it (like the other major brands) and basically your stuck. I asked Costco if i could get a refund on the money since it's under warranty if the set couldn't be fixed and said I wanted to use the money to purchase a main brand (like Samsung) and that I would purchase it from Costco. All Costco will do is replace the Vizio TV with another Vizio and the next time it breaks I will have to go through this whole awful experience again. My husband is self-employed and a vendor and he has the phone number for Costco's Corporate Buying office. (This number is a state secret). He is going to call and talk to the electronics buyer for Costco and explain our whole experience in the hope that Costco will no longer carry Vizio TVs or at the very least pull some strings to allow us to purchase another brand of TV from Costco. Again, Costco is not the problem - its Vizio.
Posted by: thetelevision | Mar 22, 2009 4:15:53 AM
i don't think the validity of the report is entirely hinged on the the number of respondents you had but to many other factors like how and where did you get your respondents. If they're all readers of this site, then i'm afraid the validity can easily be put into question. Please note that laboratory tests are a different sort of data gathering compared to population survey data gathering.
Posted by: F Derion | Mar 14, 2009 9:29:11 AM
I purchased a Vizio 42 lcd late last year, and a couple of weeks ago watching tv I thought I heard a muffled pop from the set. I still have a picture and sound, but have noticed a shaded darker area from about the middle of the screen towards the left edge. I am discouraged after reading all the comments about Vizio tv's, and sorry I purchased one.
Posted by: everett whitney | Mar 14, 2009 8:44:10 AM
TO: Veda C. " Saving up - found Philips / "a Vizio?"
PLEASE do Not spend a second longer considering either one ! And, Never any money!
Philips Electronics stopped manufacturing HDTVs for the USA market over a year ago . . . . "leased out" their name to one of the bottom corporations in Asia . . . very, very unreliable HDTVs, either before, from Holland or now !
Panasonic had {all gone now} offered their entry 42" Plasma set from Halloween until the inventories sold out just after New Years at $ 649 - $699.
Two weeks ago, www.conns.com { Conn's Appliances which is an authorized Sony dealer } closed out their stocks of Sony's very best 32" ($1,100) set of last season at $599 . . . Last Sunday, they did the very same with Samsung's entry 50" plasma set at $899 - - - realizing that you said plasma, I only refer to these as examples of what one may get in Top Tier, Brand Name HDTV, making any purchase of the bottom sets not at all worth the risks!
Do also check @ Costco , IF you happen to have it available.
Posted by: Veda Cook | Mar 12, 2009 12:30:50 PM
I have been saving my nickles and dimes to buy my husband a big screen didnt have enough at christmas, but now I do! I want a plasma I have animals and just think it would be safer. I found a phillips 42" plasma with 4 dmci and 1080 for $599.00. I was really happy till I read all this.... am I to understand that this phillps is VIZIO and subject to the pop of death?
Posted by: DT | Mar 7, 2009 8:22:50 AM
We purchased a 47" VISIO fromSams Club 12/29/08. Mid february it bagan to get green areas in the picture. Over the next 2 weeks the green grew until the entire picture was neon green. After numerous frustrating calls to VIZIO we returned the set to SAMS and replaced
hno:I have a 50" Plasma TV that I just moved into my bedroom last month. It used to be my primary family room tv, which meant I watched only big sporting events and my movies on the weekend. I bought it about 3 maybe 4 years ago. I did notice some red snow a while back but it seems to have gone away. I might have too many crossed wires and connections that caused the snow problems. I am hoping to get another year or two out of the tv being as my everyday tv and if that is the case then I will consider it a wise purchase.
Online reviews can be misleading. Some good reviews on a product could be from employees of the company just as bad reviews can be from the competition. If Vizio was as bad as people say they are then I am pretty sure they wouldn't be around during these bad economical times.
If this is your first HDTV then I would recommond a Vizio because if it does break down in a year or two atleast you didn't spend too much money. However if it lasts 4 plus years then will pat yourself on the back.
Online reviews can be misleading. Some good reviews on a product could be from employees of the company just as bad reviews can be from the competition. If Vizio was as bad as people say they are then I am pretty sure they wouldn't be around during these bad economical times.
If this is your first HDTV then I would recommond a Vizio because if it does break down in a year or two atleast you didn't spend too much money. However if it lasts 4 plus years then will pat yourself on the back.
Purchased at Sears 6 months ago...one of the highest rated TV's and best selling on the market. Priced it at Best Buy for $200 more, and the y were on back order. 3 year warranty which you can cancel before 1 year is up. Technician comes 1 time in first year to clean/inspect it for you free of charge. No Complaints yet.
Description
Striking in its beauty and elegance, bold in its functionality, this 1080p VIERA® television from Panasonic brings your favorite programming to life. You'll be mesmerized by its clear, crisp picture and its true-to-life motion reproduction, and its added features will only impress you more. Whether offering all-in-one control of your components from a single remote or digital photo viewer that turns your TV into a large, slideshow-running digital picture frame, the VIERA® S1 Series steps up to the challenge of offering more. 40.6 x 26.1 x 4.2 in., 57.4 lbs. (40.6 x 28.0 x 12.9 in., 59.6 lbs. with stand) CLICK HERE for REBATE OFFER
Description
Striking in its beauty and elegance, bold in its functionality, this 1080p VIERA® television from Panasonic brings your favorite programming to life. You'll be mesmerized by its clear, crisp picture and its true-to-life motion reproduction, and its added features will only impress you more. Whether offering all-in-one control of your components from a single remote or digital photo viewer that turns your TV into a large, slideshow-running digital picture frame, the VIERA® S1 Series steps up to the challenge of offering more. 40.6 x 26.1 x 4.2 in., 57.4 lbs. (40.6 x 28.0 x 12.9 in., 59.6 lbs. with stand) CLICK HERE for REBATE OFFER
- Full-Time 1080p TV - The S1 Series produces crisp images and eliminates motion blur by maintaining full TV lines of resolution even in fast moving scenes.
- VIERA Image Viewer™ - Turn to this feature for a better way to share your digital photos with friends and family.
- VIERA Link™ - Control all compatible audio and video devices via a single remote and helpful on-screen menus.
- Neo PDP (Plasma Display Panel) Technology - The S1 Series utilizes advanced up-to-date plasma technology to bring you the best picture, complete with brighter images, a 40,000:1 native contrast ratio and an Infinite Black Panel.
- 600Hz Sub-Field Drive - An improvement on the 480Hz Sub-Field Drive of previous models, this feature provides more sub-field possibilities for your display, allowing for a more true-to-life presentation.
- Game Mode - Game Mode minimizes the time lag when displaying game images on the plasma screen. Ultimately, this mode ensures that your gaming experience will feature an extremely clear image with no annoying motion artifacts.
- AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter - Cut down on glare and light reflection with this exclusive Panasonic feature.
- 100,000 Hour Panel Life - Don't worry about fading or loss of image quality. With the S1 Series' long panel life, you'll be enjoying your plasma television for many years to come.
- Inputs - HDMI™ (3), Composite (2), Component (2), S-Video, Audio (5)
Outputs - Digital Audio
Fish:
There is a lot to consider when buying a new HDTV. I recently purchased a 52 inch Samsung LNA650 after doing a great deal of homework into almost all brands and models. This is an LCD TV. This replaced my old 35 inch Mitubishi analog TV that failed after 18 years of good service.
First, you must understand the size of the screen and that a great deal of transmission of HD signal from the stations does not fill the screen making your viewing picture much smaller. Most sports broadcasts fill the screen however. You don't want to have to use the Wide Screen mode as the clarity is not as good as the 16:9 mode. Therefore, a 27 inch TV is too small unless you are planning on sitting very close to the TV. I also bought a 32 inch Samsung for our guest room and in reality, it is a bit small but we don't use it much. I highly recommend that you consider nothing less then a 40 inch screen.
Now to the clarity and resolution. You want to purchase a HDTV that is 1080P and 120 Hz. This is the highest quality of picture available on the market. Lower quality is 1080i, 720p at 60 Hz. There is a distinct visual difference in the quality of the picture between these levels. Particularly if you happen to have a Blu-Ray DVD Player, the video clarity and movement is remarkable at 1080P and 120 Hz. In the future, all DVD's will be in Blu-Ray.
The reason I provided the link to Best Buy is because if you click on televisions, you can not only look at the various models in size, price and specifications, but also the many comments from those that have bought each model. As for mine, I couldn't be happier as I am an avid TV viewer of sports and movies and the picture is so beautiful, I feel I am in a theatre everytime I'm watching. Take some time and read through the Best Buy link. You don't have to buy there if you don't want to, but the information and comments are excellent. Best of luck in your search.
www.bestbuy.com
There is a lot to consider when buying a new HDTV. I recently purchased a 52 inch Samsung LNA650 after doing a great deal of homework into almost all brands and models. This is an LCD TV. This replaced my old 35 inch Mitubishi analog TV that failed after 18 years of good service.
First, you must understand the size of the screen and that a great deal of transmission of HD signal from the stations does not fill the screen making your viewing picture much smaller. Most sports broadcasts fill the screen however. You don't want to have to use the Wide Screen mode as the clarity is not as good as the 16:9 mode. Therefore, a 27 inch TV is too small unless you are planning on sitting very close to the TV. I also bought a 32 inch Samsung for our guest room and in reality, it is a bit small but we don't use it much. I highly recommend that you consider nothing less then a 40 inch screen.
Now to the clarity and resolution. You want to purchase a HDTV that is 1080P and 120 Hz. This is the highest quality of picture available on the market. Lower quality is 1080i, 720p at 60 Hz. There is a distinct visual difference in the quality of the picture between these levels. Particularly if you happen to have a Blu-Ray DVD Player, the video clarity and movement is remarkable at 1080P and 120 Hz. In the future, all DVD's will be in Blu-Ray.
The reason I provided the link to Best Buy is because if you click on televisions, you can not only look at the various models in size, price and specifications, but also the many comments from those that have bought each model. As for mine, I couldn't be happier as I am an avid TV viewer of sports and movies and the picture is so beautiful, I feel I am in a theatre everytime I'm watching. Take some time and read through the Best Buy link. You don't have to buy there if you don't want to, but the information and comments are excellent. Best of luck in your search.
www.bestbuy.com
