A TV! A TV! My Kingdom for a Television!

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Over the next ... say 6 months or so... I will be researching under $1000 televisions sets. Presently, I am without television and I am considering obtaining one in the not so near future.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3358/3422465788_cce94e2466_o.jpg

Several conditions are necessary:

1. It must be purchasable via Amazon.com so I can get it on the 24 month interest free plan.
2. It must be under $1000.
3. It can't be refurbished or unreliable junk. I rather get a smaller quality television from a well tested and reliable brand then get the largest possible screen from some unknown garbage of a television manufacturer that will only end up setting fire to my home as its poor quality wiring is a fire hazard.

Presently, I'm not concerned with size of the screen. Instinctively, I'll drool over a 40+ inch screen but I need to remain disciplined on keep quality and price in greater priority over screen acreage.

So: I'm looking for anecdotal stories, reviews, warnings, consumer review sites, etc.... Anyone care to help me down this journey of enlightened consumer education?

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Type: Discussion • Score: 14 • Views: 5,225 • Replies: 46

I see all these as collectibles of the future.

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My TV is about a year or less old. The sound system sucks. It is a Magnavox.

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@edgarblythe,

Thank you EB for the name drop. Smile

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We recently bought a 40' (I think) Dynex HDTV for our guest room. I think it cost about $500.00.

I confess I'm not at all nutty about electronics but I think it's a pretty good TV.

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we have a Sharp Aquos 27" LED telly we've had for 8 years, we like it. no idea what we paid, bought it at Sears.

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you haven't got a kingdom!!!

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@dyslexia,

I suppose we (lady Diane and myself) are somewhat unusual re t.v.s. when we bought this house there was a 50" wall-mounted flat-screen on the wall in the middle of the living room. we didn't want our living room to be a t.v. room. our living room is about 30' by 15' with a fireplace in the middle. we wanted a small nook at one end for t.v. watching so we found the 27" flat-screen and 2 small but comfortable chairs, our t.v. watching area is the smallest part of our living area. the other end of the living room is a sorta library with very comfy chairs and book-cases and a reading lamp with a north facing 12' window looking onto the patio/garden. the t.v. is hardly noticable. we might have gotten a 31" because our vision is declining but I doubt it. Before Lady and I got together I had a 9" black and white (I don't know if you can even buy such a thing these days).

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@tsarstepan,

tsarstepan wrote:

So: I'm looking for anecdotal stories, reviews, warnings, consumer review sites, etc....

That's how I research major purchases, as well. On our last TV purchase, I checked out several models in the store and then looked for audio/video websites that had user reviews/calibration/installation tips. There are several good ones; the one I appreciated the most is the avsforum. a well-informed, friendly group of videophiles who are more than happy to share their experiences, alert you to firmware updates, etc.

Your timing is great. Many manufacturers run deals just before Christmas (we got a bluray player w/TV purchase) and Amazon has good holiday sales, as well. Something else I noticed when we were shopping is that a couple of local appliance stores offered one or two-year interest free deals, although we didn't take advantage of that. You might want to keep an eye out for the print/TV ads of stores in your area around the holidays to support your local economy.

Good luck and don't forget to come back and tell us what you decide on!

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@margo,

margo wrote:

you haven't got a kingdom!!!

Now you tell me!! Mad

Smashing my world of delusions all to heck!

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@dyslexia,

One of my decisions is to keep it in my room or place it in the communal kitchen for everyone to use. After living at this location for almost 3 years without a television, the latter option seems to be a tad more appealing though I would have to relinquish some control of the television to my flatmates.

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@Irishk,

Thank you Irishk for that veritable resource of videophiles. It will be a well used source for my research.

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We bought this Panasonic VIERA 42" 1080 model off of Amazon (free shipping!) maybe 6 months ago.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RvFAGdBIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

We like it a lot.
I just looked on amazon, and it's going for approx $870, plus free shipping. It gets 4.5 stars out of 5 over 73 reviews.
I didn't look at the reviews again just now, but I remember the people who didn't like it generally had very stupid reasons, and you could tell they were generally douchebags.

I had already checked out the picture down at a Best Buy, and it looks good. We bought a swivel wall mount set locally for less than $100, which is great.

I would recommed this to a friend.

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@chai2,

Also, no sales tax on Amazon...which can add up on high end purchases.

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Don't get too hung up on resolution; most people sit too far away from the television to get the benefit from the highest HD resolutions.

We got a 36" Visio HD for ourselves last Christmas. We've been very happy with it.

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@Irishk,

Amazon charges tax.

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My favorite tv ever was a Sony, very high quality for the time. I've no idea how well - or not - they are considered now.

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@Green Witch,

Green Witch wrote:

Amazon charges tax.

Well, phooey. Did they just start? I knew some states were thinking of trying to make them collect tax.

ETA: Just read an article in today's PC Mag saying internet sales should be taxed, but Amazon and eBay aren't, as yet (they're fighting it).

Resellers on Amazon probably do have to collect tax, though.

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@Irishk,

Now that's its been mentioned, I've noticed it a couple of times on my last several orders. Glossed over that fact that internet sales are no longer tax free. [sigh]

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@tsarstepan,

Quote:

Items sold by Amazon.com LLC, or its subsidiaries, and shipped to destinations in the states of Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, or Washington are subject to tax.

1 Reply

A TV! A TV! My Kingdom for a Television!

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