Buying brand name vs no brand name LCD TV

[z0mb13]

I am considering to purchase a 32 inch lcd tv. If I go with brand names such as samsung, sony, panasonic etc is there a benefit over "no brand" names such as spectre, westhinghouse, funai, etc? Or do they simply charge more because of the brand name?

I heard almost all lcd panels are made at the same factories in China, they are just then branded differently. Is this true as well?

 

[Fritzo]

There are a half dozen or some people that make LCD screens. The electronics that go with them and the TV design up up for grabs though.

Generally speaking, a brand name is going to have everything made in house, where a no-name brand is going to have everything slapped together from whoever can sell it cheapest.

No question- a name brand is going to be better quality than no-name, but you really have to look at price/performance in these matters. I would take a $400 37" no-name over a $1200 37" any day.

 

[Shadowknight]

It depends. Some are just rebadges, some aren't. You're probably better off going to avsforums.com and try to find out who made a particular model and if the company is known for making/selling decent products.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
There are a half dozen or some people that make LCD screens. The electronics that go with them and the TV design up up for grabs though.

Generally speaking, a brand name is going to have everything made in house, where a no-name brand is going to have everything slapped together from whoever can sell it cheapest.

No question- a name brand is going to be better quality than no-name, but you really have to look at price/performance in these matters. I would take a $400 37" no-name over a $1200 37" any day.

Well put.

Keep in mind however that even though Westinghouse and Spectre are both well known off brand LCD's with somewhat decent ratings depending on the model, they're just not as big as the other companies out there, doesn't mean they're not good IMO.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Brand names do that too... it becomes "in house" well after the bidding and stress testing go.

depending on what component they go for whats the best balance between price and failure rate.

not allowed to say who but the company i worked for that rhymes with "smell" did take parts that had upwards of 30% failure rate in batch tests. meaning out of 100 products 30 are likely to fail. Then again that is why you get them so dirt cheap.

Samsung, sony, lg are few that i know that actually use gear they actually made and developed.

 

[LanceM]

Westinghouse is far from a "no name." They actually make very good LCD's (especially in 1080p); they simply do not have tuners, which drops the price a bit.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Originally posted by: LanceM
Westinghouse is far from a "no name." They actually make very good LCD's (especially in 1080p); they simply do not have tuners, which drops the price a bit.

good point... and most homes use cable companies tuners and cable cards anyways. so built in tuners are moot.

 

[SLCentral]

Look at a Westinghouse 32" next to a Samsung 32". No comparison, the Samsung kick's it's ass. Then again, it's a good $500 more. Hence the reason I own the Westinghouse.

 

[EvilYoda]

Hell yes.

For the most part.