Off-brand LCD/Plasma TV. Who owns one and what are your thoughts on it?

[Barfly]

We are in the market for either a LCD or plasma TV but their are so many to choose from.

We've seen a lot of off-brands selling for a few dollars cheaper than the big names. I'm not into paying for a "badge" but I don't want a piece of junk either.

Anyone own an off-brand LCD/plasma TV and happy with them? Pro's and cons?

Cheers.

[Armueller2001]

From my research it seems like with HDTV's you get what you pay for.... there are some diamonds in the rough though, apparently Vizio has pretty good stuff for the price. I think when I get one it'll be a Panasonic or something, not top of the line but pretty close, without having a ridiculous price tag. Depends if you want 720p or 1080p also.

Also, check frys.com for prices... they're usually several hundred dollars cheaper than physical stores, and that includes shipping.

[Mon Rominee]

repeat this like mantra: specs mean nothing if it looks like crap. Go out and look at the TV. If you're a serious buyer, ask them to pop in HD content on a HD player hooked directly to that unit, and manually get the settings to your taste.

Don't buy into 1080p is better than 720p. A 720p is pretty much fine for anything under 40". higher contrast ratio is more important than overall native resolution in all but the darkest rooms... Also pixel response time for smoother motion.

Olevia makes real nice budget screen. As does Vizio. Samsung & LG are middle of the road to better. Westinghouse & Digital Lifestyles aren't bad either. Beyond that, things get a bit worse.

IMO, Pioneer makes the best screens, with Panasonic very close second.

[gold_member_321]

I purchased an ilo from walmart a couple years ago and returned it the next day.

If you don't mind going with a non-flat tv ( meaning you cant hang it on a wall) with hi-def capability but still looks okay on standard definition television. Try a DLP projection TV. I picked a 42 inch Samsung up at Best Buy last year around tax time, for about a grand.

[doctorjazz]

I've got a 32" Westinghouse in my dorm room, and it's absolutely wonderful. Granted, I don't have anything with a hi-def output except my Xbox 360, but the picture quality is great. No problems yet, no dead pixels or anything.

[tbone0813]

I'm feeding a 46" Phillips LCD with a blu-ray player via HDMI, a cable box via HDMI, and a Wii via component video. WOW!!!! I paid a little over $1300 for the LCD after rebate, and I couldn't believe how amazing the pic is. It really exceeded my expectations.

[bobbykokinos]

How much are you wanting to spend and what size TV are you looking at?

There are plenty of good brands out there are aren't expensive. You can get 50" 720p Plasma's for pretty cheap anymore.

[fenderhutz]

I live my the Westinghouse and Olevia brand names.

I got my 32 inch Olevia 1.5 years ago for 425 shipped.

I had a Westinghouse before that.

[Barfly]

Well, we have been looking at 37-42" inch, wall-mountable, prolly in the $1100 range(pre-tax).

Saw a nice Panasonic@ Costco for $1066 or something. But there are always deals on Visio, Olivia (?), etc.

[Masher88]

Originally Posted by Mon Rominee

Olevia makes real nice budget screen. .

I have an Olevia 42" LCD. It's really nice. I got it for $800 bucks from Newegg.com. No problems in the 2-3 months I've had it. HD looks fabulous, actually, it all looks pretty good from my couch. No, It's not better than some of the pricier screens out there, but for under a grand...dang!

[Mon Rominee]

Yeah, I really think Olevia is THE sleeper brand. My brother in law has had his 720p 32 incher for two years now, and only has one iffy pixel...other than that, it's a peach. the blacks are good, not alot of artifacts in fast motion action, and the onboard speakers aren't even that bad...tho not great (I expect you'd use it with home theater anyway....)

The 7 series Olevia has my attention lately, what a gorgeous looking tv. And 42 incher for 1200 isn't too shabby.

[DigMe]

Whenever I end up getting one it will probably be a Samsung or Sony LCD from Sam's Club. If you buy a TV through Sam's Club and it breaks in two years you just take it back to Sam's Club and trade it for a new one. Seriously. That's their policy and I know at least one guy who did it with his big screen LCD and they made good on it.

bc

[bobbykokinos]

Originally Posted by Barfly

Well, we have been looking at 37-42" inch, wall-mountable, prolly in the $1100 range(pre-tax).

Saw a nice Panasonic@ Costco for $1066 or something. But there are always deals on Visio, Olivia (?), etc.

For that price, I'd go with a Samsung HPT5064 50" Plasma 720p. I can vouch for it because I own one.. Great TV for the price.. I saw one on sale in a flyer somewhere for $1199 I believe..You cant go wrong with Panasonic either.. Samsung and Panasonic are on par with each other. Its really a matter of features and better warranty

[Barfly]

Room-size is a concern for 50". I'm Going to research Olevia.

[mwm70]

Lots of good info here: http://www.avsforum.com/

Bought a Panasonic 1080p 42" Plasma in November for $1299. It has far exceeded my expectations.

[playinpearls]

i got an LG about 6 months ago....no complaints, works great for what we need...it was 800 bucks at brandsmart. 42"

[SuperDuck]

I have heard very good things about Westinghouse. A few of my friends have bought them. They go on sale at Best Buy relatively frequently.

I bought a Hitachi 50" plasma on super-duper sale at Best Buy. I'm not sure where that ranks as an "off-brand" or not, but I'm very happy with it. (Especially for how much it cost. )

Keep an eye on www.slickdeals.net They list TV's all the time for really good prices.