3 30" WideScreen CRT TV's Phillips outlet store

[funboy6942]

I have had the $387 one for almost a year without any trouble at all and looked like new the day I got it.
It also has a Samsung Picture tube. I dont know about the other ones if they have the Sammy tube but I know mine does

Anyway hard to beat $467 or less shipped and the picture quality is much better then you get from a LCD. Just you have to deal with its size and weight. Does not make a good computer monitor I have tried. The LCD at that point is yourt better bet. This is a tv and has to be used as such unfortunatly. I had a olivia 32" LCD at the same time as I had this and can say that the Phillips had a better HD picture. I liked it enough I sold the LCD and kept the Phillips

Some have said the tv showed up broken or looked like crap. Sorry people if its being delivered take the time to look at the product and decline it if it looks like crap or doesnt work. My guys for an extra $10 stuck around and put the tv on my armoure (sp) for me and waited to make sure I was happy with it. You can do the same

 

[CorrND]

The $387 one only lists 480p and 1080i support. Does it really not support 720p? Seems kinda weird to support 1080i and not 720p.

 

[mzkhadir]

They do also have 42" Plasma FlatHDTV 1399.99 - 400 off plus ship & Tax. So it would like 1200 total after that.

 

[Reckoner]

Originally posted by: CorrND
The $387 one only lists 480p and 1080i support. Does it really not support 720p? Seems kinda weird to support 1080i and not 720p.

Most CRTs don't support 720p.

FYI, I'm still trying to get my TV repaired, search prior threads to make an informed decision.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: CorrND
The $387 one only lists 480p and 1080i support. Does it really not support 720p? Seems kinda weird to support 1080i and not 720p.

It supports 720P by upconverting it to 1080I. It does take the signal just boosts it to the next higher rez is all. I know this by selecting 720P on my cheap upconverting Cyberhome dvd player and the tv shows 1080I on the screen. BTW Upconverting dvd player through HDMI vs Componant progressive player throught the componant input is like night and day. HDMI upconverted picture look HD to me, its sharp, clear, clean, chrisp, jsut overall a huge improvement and extreamly noticeable that even my wife saw a differance and made a comment on how much better it looked

 

[CorrND]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: CorrND
The $387 one only lists 480p and 1080i support. Does it really not support 720p? Seems kinda weird to support 1080i and not 720p.

Most CRTs don't support 720p.

FYI, I'm still trying to get my TV repaired, search prior threads to make an informed decision.

Wow, I never noticed that before! I just went to Toshiba and Samsung and they also only support 480p and 1080i.

What's the reason CRT HDTVs don't support 720p?

What do they do with a 720p source? Upped to 1080i? Squished to 480p? Shown in a box at 1080i?

 

[aimanzym]

seems a good price. thxOP

 

[LumbergTech]

Originally posted by: CorrND

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: CorrND
The $387 one only lists 480p and 1080i support. Does it really not support 720p? Seems kinda weird to support 1080i and not 720p.

Most CRTs don't support 720p.

FYI, I'm still trying to get my TV repaired, search prior threads to make an informed decision.

Wow, I never noticed that before! I just went to Toshiba and Samsung and they also only support 480p and 1080i.

What's the reason CRT HDTVs don't support 720p?

What do they do with a 720p source? Upped to 1080i? Squished to 480p? Shown in a box at 1080i?

im not sure why most of them dont..i have one that does actually support "720p" but ive been told that it sort of cheats..but gets the same result

 

[GTFan]

As is the case with every Philips refurb, there is a good chance that you will get a junk TV from them. I know you pointed this out OP, but just wanted to reinforce it.

Buying a Philips refurb is like rolling dice, and it's a hassle to get them to fix it or take it back because their CS sucks. If you want one of these, good luck.

If you don't believe me, take a look at this 1.67 out of 10 reseller ratings page:
Link

 

[Scarpozzi]

What I don't care for is how they only show the front view of the set and don't show you how deep it goes. I don't mind getting a CRT, but an uninformed buyer may think that it's a plasma or lcd. (trust me, there are dumb ppl out there) It makes me wonder if Philips isn't listing product specs on the page or showing an extra pic of depth on purpose. (that link to a PDF looks like an attempt to bury the evidence. )

I have to say though, looking at current displays, Philips has impressed me. They seem to be up with good picture quality. I'm sure these tvs, when working, are great.

 

[getbush]

Originally posted by: GTFan
As is the case with every Philips refurb, there is a good chance that you will get a junk TV from them. I know you pointed this out OP, but just wanted to reinforce it.

Buying a Philips refurb is like rolling dice, and it's a hassle to get them to fix it or take it back because their CS sucks. If you want one of these, good luck.

If you don't believe me, take a look at this 1.67 out of 10 reseller ratings page:
Link

I'm going to second this for the good of the community, no offense to OP. Just look before you leap, Phillips has kind of gone down the tubes in quality.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: getbush

Originally posted by: GTFan
As is the case with every Philips refurb, there is a good chance that you will get a junk TV from them. I know you pointed this out OP, but just wanted to reinforce it.

Buying a Philips refurb is like rolling dice, and it's a hassle to get them to fix it or take it back because their CS sucks. If you want one of these, good luck.

If you don't believe me, take a look at this 1.67 out of 10 reseller ratings page:
Link

I'm going to second this for the good of the community, no offense to OP. Just look before you leap, Phillips has kind of gone down the tubes in quality.

But, but, they have only 20 review in 6 months and they are showing only 6 and out of the 6, 1, is a good review. We all know people will most likly talk smack before good, so you have to wonder how many got a good one like I did? Mine showed up in new condition, not a single scratch, been wonderfull since day one. People just got to know what they are buying is not a new tv. Its not a major brand, and cant be anal, and, they have the right to refuse it if it shows up broken, cracked, and in pieces. I dont see how they can expect to buy a refurb and then bitch it shows up in used condition. One revew threw a fit because he gave the wrong address and somethign about not having a right outlet, how was that Phillips fault? Its a refurb not new, why bother buying it if you have hopes your getting a new Pananasonic LCD flat screen showing your at your door? You buy it because its a refurb, its cheap, and you couldnt afford the brand new $1200 Panansonic flat screen

And yes you get what you pay for here or else you wouldnt be thinking of buying a cheap refurbed HDTV. I got what I had paid for. I was in no was expecting it to show up in as good a shape as it did and I sure as hell was expecting to see a Samsung Tube inside when I opened it to fine tune it the way I like to have my tv's. That was a shocker to see a Samsung tube in there and made me an even happpier person But all in all when I found the deal a year ago and bought it, I didnt buy it expecting a new $1000 tv showing up at my door. I was expecting to get a craigs list garage sale find that still worked. And thats how anyone buying anything refurbished show think when buying any refurbished goods for they are used returns. Its no different then buying from craigs list, ebay, or even here from the FS/FT forum. Expect to get a scratched up but working used good. Only plus side is you may have a slight warraty period and you could be saving hundreds of dollars, on your car insurance by switching to geico. If you cant handle buying used then you should never buy refurbised, recertified, or anything like that IMO.

 

[GTFan]

True, but there is a big difference in buying refurbs from quality outfits that actually care about what they ship (see: Onkyo) and those that seem to simply rebox and ship whatever is returned and then don't give a damn if you don't like it (see: Philips). Refurb means refurbished to original manufacturer specs (with possibly some cosmetic issues). It should be as good as new performance-wise, but many Philips sets are DOA and some are obviously just reboxed. To me, that means that they don't care.

With craigslist or any other local used you're buying it after inspection. With ebay you don't have that but at least you have the seller's rep. You already know what Philips' rep is and you're buying it sight-unseen, so why take the chance? Cheap is good but who needs another hassle, and $400-500 is a decent chunk of change to roll the dice on.

Again, if you don't believe me, take a trip over to FW and browse some of the Philips outlet threads there. Specifically, the recent 42" plasma deals over the summer where quite a few folks posted about receiving junk from them, not being able to get credit back, etc. Some were happy, some not.

The chances are higher that you'll get a junker from them, and be prepared for a hassle if you do. That's all.

 

[iseestars]

Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
What I don't care for is how they only show the front view of the set and don't show you how deep it goes. I don't mind getting a CRT, but an uninformed buyer may think that it's a plasma or lcd. (trust me, there are dumb ppl out there) It makes me wonder if Philips isn't listing product specs on the page or showing an extra pic of depth on purpose. (that link to a PDF looks like an attempt to bury the evidence. )

I have to say though, looking at current displays, Philips has impressed me. They seem to be up with good picture quality. I'm sure these tvs, when working, are great.

Agreed. And notice how the product dimensions are listed in millimeters. What the heck is that? I mean I have no problem doing the conversion in my head, but everything about that seems like they are trying to sell junk to people for money.

 

[LikeLinus]

Dispite what the people here (well it's really only one person who has no first hand experience) are saying, Phillips 30" HDTV tube TV's are great and their Refurb unit are just as good. I purchased one awhile back and it's been an awesome little TV for the bedroom.

They've been having theses deals for over 2 years and thousands of people have purchased these sets. Of course you are going to see some DOA units.

"that seem to simply rebox and ship whatever is returned and then don't give a damn if you don't like it "

Do you have ANY proof they do not test/inspect the units before shipping out? Or are you talking out of your a$$ again with no data to back up these claims or first hand experience.

I know my box came with everything it was supposed to and there wasn't a single scratch or problem with the set. I highly doubt they just thrown them into a new box and sell them. That's an outright lie if you don't have proof.

 

[GTFan]

Hmm, you're right, no firsthand experience, but does that matter? You're just one datapoint, so you have to go by the consensus...

Crappy
Crappy
Mixed

More than one poster mentioned getting an obviously reboxed (not refurbed) item.
And I'm not even going to link in the deal threads for Philips outlet stuff, where folks confirm this on a regular basis.
Added to the bottom-basement resellerratings, you can see that you're rolling dice with your money by ordering from them.

 

[Takemaru]

What's the reason CRT HDTVs don't support 720p?

Traditional tube based sets are incapable of displaying hi res progressive scan, their native mode of display is interlacing. HD CRT monitors have to "upscale" to 1080i since they can't display 720 lines of picture at once or the monitor would overscan, a few manufacturers have found an actual way to get a tube to display progressive higher than 540p but they are very few. Most just downscale and interlace.

1080i is really just interlaced 540p, the monitor in reality can only display 540 lines of actual picture at a time so it uses interlacing to provide the illusion of a higher res.

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: GTFan
Hmm, you're right, no firsthand experience, but does that matter? You're just one datapoint, so you have to go by the consensus...

Crappy
Crappy
Mixed

More than one poster mentioned getting an obviously reboxed (not refurbed) item.
And I'm not even going to link in the deal threads for Philips outlet stuff, where folks confirm this on a regular basis.
Added to the bottom-basement resellerratings, you can see that you're rolling dice with your money by ordering from them.

Yes, we all know that ratings mean a company is either good or bad. Have you checked Dells and others large company ratings? They are all VERY poor. We also know that in general, only people with bad experience are going to post. So yes, you will see a handful of bad reports, but you won't see the thousands of good reports.

Additionally, some refurb items are reboxed. What do you think happens to those units that people return to stores because they don't like them, too big, doesn't fit or various other reasons. They are reboxed and sold. Not to mention the fact that the page doesn't says "refurb" - it says Factory Renewed. That could mean that a wide range of things. It could mean missing parts were replaced, it was reboxed or it was refurb.

You can link the thread on here where tons of people purchased them. It's been around for over 2 years. Many people purchased them from the AT Hot deals. You may here one or two bad things, but I think most people had a good experience.

 

[uli2000]

Here's my experience with my Phillips 30" CRT refub. I bought one in March 06 for about $320 shipped after coupon. It was a great tv for the 90 days the warrenty lasted. The, almost on cue just after the 90 days was up and I threw out the box, I started having geometry problems (sides of picture 'caving' in). Looked on the internet and found the service code to adjust the geometry. As time went on, these geometry adjustments had to be done more often untill it was almost daily. Then no amount of service menu adjustments could fix the problems. I looked up the error codes and found I had a bad eeprom and tube. Phillips would no nothing because it was out of the 90 days. So now I have a 150 lb POS tv in my living room still because I dont know anyone who can help me get it out to the dump. If someone really 'needs' a cheap hdtv, wait for BF or save some more money, because now Im having to replace this POS with a another tv at another $700.

 

[GTFan]

Originally posted by: LikeLinus
Yes, we all know that ratings mean a company is either good or bad. Have you checked Dells and others large company ratings? They are all VERY poor. We also know that in general, only people with bad experience are going to post. So yes, you will see a handful of bad reports, but you won't see the thousands of good reports.

Additionally, some refurb items are reboxed. What do you think happens to those units that people return to stores because they don't like them, too big, doesn't fit or various other reasons. They are reboxed and sold. Not to mention the fact that the page doesn't says "refurb" - it says Factory Renewed. That could mean that a wide range of things. It could mean missing parts were replaced, it was reboxed or it was refurb.

You can link the thread on here where tons of people purchased them. It's been around for over 2 years. Many people purchased them from the AT Hot deals. You may here one or two bad things, but I think most people had a good experience.

What you're looking for is a pattern, especially for a site dealing in refurbs. For example, Second Act's ratings here and here are very good and they only deal in refurbs. So why would they be good if only bad experiences are generally posted?

I wasn't talking about reboxed in general, I was talking about BROKEN reboxed. As in, they didn't even look at the return before sending it out again. Wouldn't a normal person think that 'Factory Renewed' means good as new (except for cosmetics)?

The threads I'm talking about are over in FW Hot Deals, not here. Experiences are very mixed, and that is a crowd that loves to crow about a good deal. No one likes to admit getting burned but there are many reports of such.

 

[gvrugby]

After seeing this thread I had to throw in my $.02

I work for an electronics retailer and while my experience is not with the Philips refurb outlet I can tell you the majority of televisions that we have come back to the location I work at are defective Philips.

After sending these tvs to service, they come back technician certified and lo and behold most of them have to be sent out to service again. These things bounce back and forth between service and our store.

After my experience dealing with Philips tvs at work I would never buy a Philips. That being said I'm sure there are some Philips tvs that work wonderfully, I've just never seen one.

Just for reference, the second tv down we've had 3 come back defective from just one customer in the last week. Bad batch?.......Perhaps, but I wouldn't take my chances.

(I've been with this retailer for 6 years btw)

 

[Shyatic]

What's the difference between HD Ready, and HDTV as listed on the site?

Thanks

 

[Kwint Sommer]

Originally posted by: GTFan
As is the case with every Philips refurb, there is a good chance that you will get a junk TV from them. I know you pointed this out OP, but just wanted to reinforce it.

Buying a Philips refurb is like rolling dice, and it's a hassle to get them to fix it or take it back because their CS sucks. If you want one of these, good luck.

If you don't believe me, take a look at this 1.67 out of 10 reseller ratings page:
Link

That's the worst resellerratings I've seen for a company that actually delivers your product. Based on the site I would say that this is less like rolling dice than playing Russian Roulette with your wallet.

 

[GTFan]

Originally posted by: Scribe
What's the difference between HD Ready, and HDTV as listed on the site?

Thanks

HD Ready = no tuner so you'll need a cable or sat box to get channels.
HDTV = built-in tuner so you can get channels over the air or by cable.

But watch out, sometimes they'll say 'HDTV monitor' and make you think it's a TV when it's not. Just look and see if a NTSC/ATSC tuner is included and then you'll know. ATSC is HD over the air. Sometimes you'll also see QAM which means HD over cable - cable systems are required to carry local channels in HD but you can't get them on an HDTV without a box unless your set has a QAM tuner.

 

[cremefilled]

I wouldn't recommend the Philips refurbs. I got screwed on a 32" that went completely dead right out of warranty. It also had defective component inputs out of the box, but shipping it back was going to be my cost -- and it weighed 150 lbs.

It's worth it to pay $100 more to get a TV locally, if you can, and if it is that heavy.

It's not so simple to say that these sets are, even if non-defective, better than LCD's. 32" LCD's are in the $500-600 range right now, and they make awesome computer monitors as well as TV's. On HDTV inputs, I would take a good LCD over a good tube -- and I think most people would say the same for their computer monitors. Tubes are on the way out.

Philips also hasn't dropped their price in two years on these same sets.

Best bang-for-the-buck for <$1000 has got to be a projector, if you can control ambient lighting conditions.