3 different tvs.. thoughts?

From my own personal experiance with Panasonic, I would purchase the Samsung, in the past I have had to Panasonics fail within two years of purchase.
 

Personal preference, never had a single problem with any of thier products.
 

00Jones

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Jul 15, 2001
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I would say Toshiba. I think Toshiba is more of a highend product, like Sony but without the price.
 
Mar 15, 2003
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They're all great TVs and are of equal quality... SOME toshiba products are still made in Japan- if this TV is one of them then it gets the edge (you know what they say about over worked, over stressed, suicidal Japanese workers)...SAMSUNGS have a nasty way of pushing "fake" flat screen tvs.. See this one in person.. Walk right up to it and look down (or get on your knees and look up).. If you see an old fashioned "bubble" screen under the "flat" screen then pick the toshiba or panasonic. (some samsungs are flat screen and not flat tube.. tricky bastards!)... I think that the Toshiba one is the looker of the three though.. But panasonic makes killer TVs as well. Don't listen to the toshiba/hitachi fanboys- for some reason we got a lot of them here...

Also, this advent tv has gotten stellar reviews and is cheap as hell... Why not buy it locally and get it a go (return it if it sucks)? It looks great - just chip off the ADVENT logo and replace it with SONY if you care about brand names ;)
 

00Jones

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Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Don't listen to the toshiba/hitachi fanboys- for some reason we got a lot of them here...

That is because Toshiba is one of the best out there.
 
Mar 15, 2003
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Originally posted by: LordJezo
Advent just worries me since I have never heard of them...

Well, they've been around making low-end speakers for years... Many electronic companies just outsource their manufacturing from other companies- Advent probably doesn't make these but markets them... My point is, as long as you get this locally and check out the TV first, why worry? Daewoo also has a $299 flat screen tv- they've been making good monitors for years so it's worth a try.. My opinion is spend as little money as possible now and but the $100 away to buy an HDTV monitor in the future (or spend $499 on a Advent HDTV monitor;) )
 
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Also not a bad tv for $249. ... I just don't see a reason to spend over $100 more just for a brand name... If you were getting a HDTV for a few grand then, of course, go with a bigger name... But these sub-$300 TVs will suit you fine until HDTV becomes the norm and you're forced to upgrade...
 
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Originally posted by: LordJezo
Have you used the Advent ones yourself or any of the other cheap brands?

I've seen the Advent and played with it a bit at the store.. Build quality is top notch and it looks great... I own plenty of Apex stuff.. Most of the time the performance is fine but the built quality is not up to snuff.... My mom has a 13" apex tv that works fine but has annoyingly cheap, clicky buttons (identical to our 13" samsung, actually).... Which brings me to a point, Samsung may be the focus of many geeks wet dreams but their company was the Kia of electronics just a few years back... They've gotten MUCH better but their low-end products still feel cheap to me... My mom also has a 27" daewoo (non flat screen) that's wonderful.. It was cheap and the picture quality is incredibly good (and it's lasted us 2 years so far without a problem)... My tv is a 36" flat screen sony wega... It actually freaked out on me 3 months after the warranty went out so I had to spend $150 getting it repaired.. My point is that you take a gamble with any purchase- why not gamble less money and get the service plan (if it's cheap)?
 

BillGates

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Nov 30, 2001
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I vote for Panasonic, but only because I have their 27" flat screen. It's worked perfectly in the year or so that I've had it.
 

vi edit

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Got a Sam's Club nearby? They sometimes carry Akai products which are rebadged Samsungs. EXCELLENT TV's for the $$. I've seen 27" flatscreens going for around $250. Not bad for a Samsung flat screen. Not bad at all.

If you are uncertain of the purchase, you can get an extended warrant for another two years for around $45.
 
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Sorry for posting so much - I just have a lot of TVs!

Here are the TVs that I've had and my thoughts:

Sony 20" and 36" - The 20 inch was awesome.. Lasted 10+ years! Sony from the 80s kicked so much arse... I regret the 36" FLAT tv purchase... Cost about $1,500 and was purchased months before HDTV tvs were available for similar prices... It also broke on me once... Other than that it's a stellar TV, just over priced and with mediocre build quality for the price (front panel broke off)


Apex 13" - decent tv, awesome for the price.. $40 on sale..Works as well as my samsung 13"... The sound is a little tinny but the picture quality is finel.... Cheap build quality though.. Cheap remote, cheap feeling buttons,etc...

Daewoo 27" (non-flat)- great tv, especially for $170! Sound quality is a little annoyingly boomy (maybe it can be tweaked?) but the picture quality is really good- nice, contrasty images and VERY bright, clear picture...

Samsung 13"- cheap build quality but a fair price ($80)... The sound quality is TERRIBLE.. Either it's too low (and you can't hear dialogue) or it's insanely loud - no middle ground.. Also feels cheap to the touch (cheap remote, cheap buttons)

JVC 27" tv... My favorite 27".. No one really mentions this company much anymore but I used to love their TVs.. this cost me $299 years ago (non flat)... Great, dark picture tube (vivid picture quality), great build quality, and really nice sound too....

Panasonic 27" tv (nonflat) with built in showstopper... I got this for my gf since she liked my tivo.. It was a great bargain at $399 but it's heavy as hell and the picture quality isn't quite as good as my daewoo or my JVC... Of course, having an internal PVR hurts it's broadcast image quality but DVD playback is a bit dull as well.. My gf isn't a heavy tweaker so maybe that's the problem.. A good, well made tv with just "good" video quality...

Proscan (rca, thomson) 35" tv...I don't even know if they still make TVs but stay the hell away from them.. The worst $2,000 my parents ever spent... Don't get RCA, don't get Proscan.. Don't get GE... I've heard that JVC may make some RCA tvs but it's not worth the risk...
 

LordJezo

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May 16, 2001
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Getting a cheaper TV is mighty tempting but I am worried the quality might be teh suck.

It's not like I can actually tell the difference though... and then again, to watch tv/play gamecube/watch some movies, will it really make much of a difference?
 

vi edit

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Originally posted by: LordJezo
Getting a cheaper TV is mighty tempting but I am worried the quality might be teh suck.

It's not like I can actually tell the difference though... and then again, to watch tv/play gamecube/watch some movies, will it really make much of a difference?

With the Akai that I was talking about, the only cheapness is in the price. Other than that it's identical to the same Samsung you listed at best buy, except it's $100 cheaper.