TV question

[gwilks98]

It's along the same lines but not quite belonging in CP's thread.

I'm thinking about getting my g/f a 32" TV for her birthday. I'd like to get her at least a 720p flat panel, but I can't afford to spend a ton of cash on one. (You can easily spend 500-800 on a nicer model.)

I could find a 32" in an online retail scenario for around $300, but I'll get an off-brand and picture quality would be a gamble.

Would anyone care to share some buying tips for keeping your TV price down? (Where to go, what to stay away from, etc)

[attgig]

there's a bunch of cheaper options on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=amb_link_355832442_1?ie=UTF8&bbn=301793&rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A%2113900851%2Cn%3A%21513014%2Cn%3A301793%2Cn%3A979929011%2Cp_6%3AATVPDKIKX0DER&page=1&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1DZ65RX8944VK53CBZKE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1292933762&pf_rd_i=1266092011#/ref=sr_nr_p_n_size_browse-bin_2?rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A%2113900851%2Cn%3A%21513014%2Cn%3A301793%2Cn%3A979929011%2Cp_6%3AATVPDKIKX 0DER%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A1232881011&bbn=301793&ie=UTF8&qid=1302805007&rnid=1232878011

32 inches for ~320. (i think i'd be willing to be 10 bucks an in). but obviously, these are the lower spec'ed ones (60hz, lower contrast ratio, less hdmi connections), but if she doesn't game on it, it would probably do fine.

there's also this brand:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_abn_pp?ie=UTF8&bbn=979929011&rh=n%3A979929011%2C%3A%2C%3A%2C%3A%2Cp_4%3ATcl%2C%3A

which is a chinese brand, but off the bat offers 2 year warranty. could also be a good option, as they've had a lot of positive feedback from amazon as well as places like avs forum
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1289116
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/gtsearch.php?cx=partner-pub-7584088214081698%3A4628h1-nrqv&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=tcl

[cruelpupet]

Vizio makes the panels for a lot of LCD tvs.

Also, check out tigerdirect.com for some brand name deals when they are getting rid of excess inventory.

[attgig]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889253230&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10446076&PID=361116&SID=FW9sizoy

good name brand.

[ArkiStan]

...but if she doesn't game on it, it would probably do fine...

you bring up a good point. what will she be using it for mostly?

[gwilks98]

She'll be using it for keeping me happy. She doesn't have anything to game on or HD, but I'm trying to slowly bring her into this century.

Has anyone heard of MicroCenter? It's a retailer new to our area, and they have a 1080p 32" Olevia for $300 on sale.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354799
An extra $60 would get me a 2 yr warranty (prob necessary since it has only a 90 day.)
The picture seemed pretty decent compared to the Toshiba/Sony they had there. (possibly even better: though it was a BR Menu)
Reviews online are very hard to find. Think it's worth taking the plunge at $360?

[Napoleon54]

Personally I'm VEEEERY skeptical of anything that hasn't been reviewed much. If the thing turns out to be junk then you'll be kicking yourself for not spending a little more. Store warranty could help that a bit, but you could end up having them replace it 3 times in that period of time and then it dies for good in month #25.

Or maybe it turns out that you get a good deal on a good unit from a company that's just about to break out and become mainstream. All I'm sayin' is it could be a crap shoot. *shrug*

[attgig]

microcenter is a reputable merchant. has been around for ages.

but i'd be pretty weary ofsomething only offering 90 day warranty. is it a brand new set? or is it something that's refurbed or floor model.

avoid floor models if you can...

[gwilks98]

microcenter is a reputable merchant. has been around for ages.

but i'd be pretty weary ofsomething only offering 90 day warranty. is it a brand new set? or is it something that's refurbed or floor model.

avoid floor models if you can...


It's brand new.

And yeah, I'd avoid floor models too.

[Jah Rulez]

Did you check dell.com? They usually have the 32" Vizio for under $400.

[Prngr44]

Didn't Olevia go out of business a couple years ago? Might explain the 90 day warranty.

I got my bedroom 32 from Dell. It was a Vizio, I jumped on a "deal" and only paid $280 2 years ago.

2 days ago they had it for 315 shipped. Looks like that deal's dead now and it's back up to 499. :(

I'd check Slickdeals or Fatwallet for a week or two and see what kind of deals pop up.

[Prngr44]

What about the one listed here on the site?

http://www.gotapex.com/daily-deals/186980-haier-hl32d2-32-720p-60hz-lcd-hdtv-249-shipped-free.html

[DarkFury]

Didn't Olevia go out of business a couple years ago? Might explain the 90 day warranty.


Honestly, if they did go out of business, I wouldn't miss them. I bought 2 of their 32" LCD TVs and both of them have been somewhat flakey.

On one, the HDMI port went out... on the other, there was color issues on the LCD. Pretty much I probably shoulda known better when I bought them from Circuit City which also went out of business (and then got bought out by the same folks who do Tiger Direct).

Sometimes you do "get what you pay for"... and honestly the Olevia wasn't worth it.

[gwilks98]

Thanks for the advice guy. I ended up going with a BB Insignia with a 2 yr warranty for $330. (I couldn't wait for the Haier, and I wasn't sure about the brand.)