Opinions on TV brands such as Seiki, Haier, etc

[moon]

A few years ago I spent a bundle on a 50 inch SONY TV. The TV turned out to be a lemon and it was just a bad experience with SONY overall so I wouldn't buy another SONY again.

It seems to me that these flat-panel TVs are pretty much disposable. Having said that, I'm wondering if is still worth it to spend the bucks on brands such as Panasonic, LG. Samsung, Toshiba; or is better to save some bucks and go with the Chinese brands?

What do you think?

 

[timmac]

A few years ago I spent a bundle on a 50 inch SONY TV. The TV turned out to be a lemon and it was just a bad experience with SONY overall so I wouldn't buy another SONY again.

It seems to me that these flat-panel TVs are pretty much disposable. Having said that, I'm wondering if is still worth it to spend the bucks on brands such as Panasonic, LG. Samsung, Toshiba; or is better to save some bucks and go with the Chinese brands?

What do you think?

I don't have one (yet), but in about a month or so I'm planning to grab one of the Seiki 4k TVs; they seem to have generally very positive reviews, and the price point is low enough I can assume a bit of risk.

I will say a lot of the "name brand" TVs tend to be more expensive due to a plethora of convenience features that add only marginal value for average users. "Smart TV" for instance, that has streaming service built in, may be a no-op for a lot of people who already have other devices--a bluray player for instance-- that support streaming.

For me, though, part of the equation is also "how many bucks" and "what features are different". If the answer is "a lot" and "not much I really care about", I'm inclined to save the money. I wouldn't automatically assume that products from a Chinese company are inferior, but I would read reviews.

 

[SkaGoat]

The biggest difference between the big name brands like Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, LG, are usually in the signal processing components.

If you only watch HD content (Blueray, HD Satellite, HD Cable etc.) then even the cheaper, off brands will be fine.

But if you find yourself watching standard def content a lot, (DVD, SD Cable channels, VHS, etc..) then you'll probably want to make sure you get something that has better hardware for upscaling the content. My current TV looks terrible watching SD Channels, but look very good when watching HD Content (which the majority of my content is).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

The biggest difference between the big name brands like Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, LG, are usually in the signal processing components.

If you only watch HD content (Blueray, HD Satellite, HD Cable etc.) then even the cheaper, off brands will be fine.

But if you find yourself watching standard def content a lot, (DVD, SD Cable channels, VHS, etc..) then you'll probably want to make sure you get something that has better hardware for upscaling the content. My current TV looks terrible watching SD Channels, but look very good when watching HD Content (which the majority of my content is).

Oh, that is very good advice. I would hit the like button if we had it.

We are STILL holding out. Mainly because we have plenty of TV's that are fine even though they are not HD.

We watch A LOT of SD. Thanks for that info.

 

[sksjasams]

I was able to nab a great deal last November on a tv for my DS. I got the Seiki 39 inch SC391TS for only $199.

I was very worried about it since it was an off brand, but it has been great. My DS was thrilled. He watches movies and plays the PS3 on it. The picture is nice and we have not had a single issue with it.

 

[bcla]

There are a limited number of companies that actually make the large LCD panels, and none of them are actually Chinese. Some manufacture in China, but they're not Chinese companies.

Haier actually has a pretty good reputation for decent quality at good prices. They made their reputation with small appliances such as washers/driers and refrigerators made for small apartments. They got a better reputation for their responsiveness to retailers. Apparently they can have a product made to spec for retailers in less than six weeks. Their wine refrigerators are pretty well known for being affordable and high enough quality. I'm not sure about other Chinese companies.

I've had a Samsung plasma screen for about 5 years. It's been top notch, although I understand it probably uses too much electricity and newer LCDs are supposed to have better performance.

 

[moon]

Looks like buying the cheaper brands could be a better choice.

I really don't care about the Smart TV, it it is important that it has a 120 refresh rate (at least)

Thanks everyone!

 

[tvguy]

Looks like buying the cheaper brands could be a better choice.

I really don't care about the Smart TV, it it is important that it has a 120 refresh rate (at least)

Thanks everyone!

I'd buy the TV with the picture you like best, with the features you want, at the best price.
The brand name on the front doesn't mean much these days since there are so few manufacturing plants anymore.
Often your selection of a certain screen size will be made by the same manufacturer, no matter what the name on the front.

 

[RAD]

Just in case of a problem, I'd check to see what the repair procedure is. IIRC some of the bargain brands want you to send the set back to them for repair and don't have local repair services.

 

[Albort]

I thought the same, buying a non name brand. Its a TV anyways, thats all that matters?

Saw a samsung... i never turned away from samsung ever again...

I watch my own TV to my parent's Vizio... There is A HUUUUGE difference imo.

Sony, Samsung are top... then Vizio, LG, Panasonic are medium, everything else are below...

Of course, thats just my 2 cents... next TV i want to get is either an LG or Panasonic... want a passive 3D TV...

 

[moon]

I'd buy the TV with the picture you like best, with the features you want, at the best price.
The brand name on the front doesn't mean much these days since there are so few manufacturing plants anymore.
Often your selection of a certain screen size will be made by the same manufacturer, no matter what the name on the front.

Remember when SONY was tops? You couln't go wrong with SONY. Not anymore

Just in case of a problem, I'd check to see what the repair procedure is. IIRC some of the bargain brands want you to send the set back to them for repair and don't have local repair services.

I hadn't thought of that... good point

I thought the same, buying a non name brand. Its a TV anyways, thats all that matters?

Saw a samsung... i never turned away from samsung ever again...

I watch my own TV to my parent's Vizio... There is A HUUUUGE difference imo.

Sony, Samsung are top... then Vizio, LG, Panasonic are medium, everything else are below...

Of course, thats just my 2 cents... next TV i want to get is either an LG or Panasonic... want a passive 3D TV...

I will never buy another SONY. The last TV I got from them was garbage. They were even involved in a lawsuit over this tv.

 

[tvguy]

Remember when SONY was tops? You couln't go wrong with SONY. Not anymore

Yes. My brother was a Sony Authorized dealer and serviceman.

 

[tvguy]

Just in case of a problem, I'd check to see what the repair procedure is. IIRC some of the bargain brands want you to send the set back to them for repair and don't have local repair services.

It is almost impossible to get parts, so repair places are rare. And normally they just replace a TV if there is an issue, they don't fix them. We bought a pallet of 16 inch flat screens (they literally delivered 40 boxes on a pallet) and several failed during warranty. They just exchanged them and tossed the defective one in the trash.

 

[LJSquishy]

In my experience, it's not necessarily the brand itself that is good or bad but each individual model of TV you're looking at.

For instance, Samsung might be top rated in a specific model, and way down the list on another model. It's very important to do thorough research on specific TV models (same with appliances) before purchasing.

We've had a Panasonic plasma for around 5-6 years and it had one issue during the extended warranty period but hasn't had any issues in a few years. It's an amazing tv and wouldn't hesitate to purchase it again.

Either last year or early this year we bought an LG 3d LED tv for our bedroom and it's been awesome as well. We also have an extended warranty on it but I doubt we will end up using it.

My parents have the same Panasonic plasma that we have (only bigger) and love it as well...then they also have 2 Vizio LCD tvs and they are fine although the Vizio tvs don't get used much. The Vizio model they bought (Costco) was highly rated.

I personally wouldn't go for the Black Friday tvs that are off-brands I've never heard of (some of the "off" brands are still pretty well known) unless it was super cheap and was only going to get light use like in a workout room or in a shop/garage. Technology is always improving so most tvs are super affordable now. Our LG 3d LED tv was only $700 and it's a 42"...and super slim...one of the slimmest available.

 

[RAD]

It is almost impossible to get parts, so repair places are rare. And normally they just replace a TV if there is an issue, they don't fix them. We bought a pallet of 16 inch flat screens (they literally delivered 40 boxes on a pallet) and several failed during warranty. They just exchanged them and tossed the defective one in the trash.

Not the experience that I've had, at least with Samsung. Had a problem with the set doing a quick power off/on, Samsung sent a tech out with a new board and replaced it.

 

[bcla]

It is almost impossible to get parts, so repair places are rare. And normally they just replace a TV if there is an issue, they don't fix them. We bought a pallet of 16 inch flat screens (they literally delivered 40 boxes on a pallet) and several failed during warranty. They just exchanged them and tossed the defective one in the trash.

Main boards aren't designed these days for individual component replacement. They contain surface mount ICs -especially BGA packages that require expensive rework equipment to replace a single chip. I work in the electronics industry, although not at the board level. However, I've talked to our techs and test engineers, and they tell me it can be hundreds of dollars to replace one chip properly. It's extremely efficient at the production level with automated equipment doing this cheaply, but individually is a pain. At the test level we might be dealing with a limited number of prototype chips and expensive prototype boards. If you've got a laptop computer and one chip on the board fails, the only practical solution is to replace the entire board. However, they tend to be far more reliable than older electronics used to be, but when they fail they fail dramatically.

I'm old enough to remember TVs with vacuum tube. When the TV picture died, my dad would go to Radio Shack with what looked like a blown vacuum tube, put in in the tester, and buy a replacement. After a while it started getting progressively worse. If the picture messed up, we would hit the cabinet on the side until the picture got better. Our first solid state TV had none of those problems, but eventually the CRT got weak and we trashed it. I also remember a couple of clock radios (the kind with the numbers that flipped) and seeing the little vacuum tubes lighting up inside the box.

 

[yoopermom]

I would recommend holding out til Black Friday (or the week thereof, depending on the sales), since tvs will go crazy cheap. Somehow I got signed up for a special Panasonic email list (probably when we bought our plasma from them, love it), and last BF they had GREAT deals on their higher end tvs.

And thank you to the PP who mentioned the difference between watching HD vs SD/videos/etc. I watch my share of the latter (on our bedroom tv), and the picture quality is pretty poor. Now I know why!

Terri

 

[tvguy]

Not the experience that I've had, at least with Samsung. Had a problem with the set doing a quick power off/on, Samsung sent a tech out with a new board and replaced it.

Interesting, as the failed TV we had was a Samsung.

 

[tvguy]

Main boards aren't designed these days for individual component replacement. They contain surface mount ICs -especially BGA packages that require expensive rework equipment to replace a single chip. I work in the electronics industry, although not at the board level. However, I've talked to our techs and test engineers, and they tell me it can be hundreds of dollars to replace one chip properly. It's extremely efficient at the production level with automated equipment doing this cheaply, but individually is a pain. At the test level we might be dealing with a limited number of prototype chips and expensive prototype boards. If you've got a laptop computer and one chip on the board fails, the only practical solution is to replace the entire board. However, they tend to be far more reliable than older electronics used to be, but when they fail they fail dramatically.

I'm old enough to remember TVs with vacuum tube. When the TV picture died, my dad would go to Radio Shack with what looked like a blown vacuum tube, put in in the tester, and buy a replacement. After a while it started getting progressively worse. If the picture messed up, we would hit the cabinet on the side until the picture got better. Our first solid state TV had none of those problems, but eventually the CRT got weak and we trashed it. I also remember a couple of clock radios (the kind with the numbers that flipped) and seeing the little vacuum tubes lighting up inside the box.

My brother has a tester, with the cabinet full of replacement tubes sitting in his workshop.

 

[SandrA9810]

I've had a Samsung plasma screen for about 5 years. It's been top notch, although I understand it probably uses too much electricity and newer LCDs are supposed to have better performance.

Plasmas are now comparable to LCD tv's in power consumption. The 50" Panasonic Plasma we bought had a much lower power usage than the smaller 40" LCD tv my bf had for several years.

Some of the bigger brands are better at their top of the line products and rather mediocre on the cheaper stuff. Most electronics are made to be disposable these days in comparison to some of the older stuff. Often times there are more stipulations for the warranty to take effect. I would opt for an extended warranty with a store that generally cover human made errors and one for one replacements.

Panasonic's plasma tv's are some of the highest rated tv's out there, but they don't run small. I think 50" is the smallest you can get now. And they'll be off the market next year.