what's the best lcd 32"+ for under $900??

[srh1220]

Ok, so I have been researching LCD's for a while and I have found two LCDs that are in my price range($600-900) Best Buy has the {Philips - Ambilight 37" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV 37PF9631D/37} for $899 and Walmart has the {Samsung 32" Widescreen LCD HDTV w/ Built-in Digital Tuner, LN-S3238D} for$850 the only thing is that the philips is the display model and the black casing (cabinet, I believe is the term) has been removed. which is why the thing is so cheap. Anyone have any good advice on which of these would be the better buy, are the picture qualities comparable?? any wisdom?, Im a novice on the subject

[kevinw]

Say no to Phillips. Look at Vizio fo low cost LCD. Samsung is a great TV but for the cost I'd take the Vizio 37 inch 800 for it http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=16
32 inch Vizio is 600 http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=18

[srh1220]

Ill have to look into that, in terms of cheaper brands, I checked out Olevia but I want really impressed with the picture quality at circuit city. Ill do some research on Vizio.

[kevinw]

Olevia is good out of box but not perfect. It also has poor user controls.

[srh1220]

well I did alot of research on the olevia sets and I saw that alot of people were happy with them fr being a no-name brand, and the prices were great. but comparing them to other sets in the store, they looked a bit washed out. and its stupid and I hat to admit it, but Im kind of picky with brands, I find it hard to trust brands I havent heard of when it comes to expensive electronics, I wanted to stick to the big names just for peace of mind.

[kevinw]

Comparing in store is one of the worst ways to buy a TV. All TVs are cranked up to the highest settings. My Olevia is perfect for those who have no interest in a near perfect picture. Good but not the greatest. That is why I like Vizio for low cost quality product.

All manufacturers have issues. You are not protected by brand name. Samsung has problems with certain models of DLPs. Toshiba has had many recalls of various products over the years. Same goes for the others.

[viccrew85]

I just bought an Olevia 32 inch for $600 at Circuit City. I was trying to choose between the Olevia and Samsung that was $800. Samsung's picture was a bit brighter, but not $200 better than the Olevia. This television is going in my bedroom, so to get a 32in LCD for $600 was a sweet deal IMO.

[srh1220]

and you think the picture quality is similar to the samsung?

[srh1220]

Ok so I know that theres the debate of name vs. value, but what is the best picture quality and value for a lcd 32" or bigger for under $900 bucks??? Ive been looking to buy my first lcd tv and there are almost too many options. I like samsungs but Iv been told that things like olevia's and vizio's are comparable.opinions? suggestions?

[Ratman]

Threads merged....

[kevinw]

My Vizio LCD picture is equal to my Samsung DLP. I run the same signal to both from the same STB.. I do not think Olevia compares to either. Nothing wrong with Olevia but I am much more pleased with the Vizio.

[viccrew85]

and you think the picture quality is similar to the samsung?

I can't notice any difference in the picture. The Samsung picture is a bit brighter, probably due to the engine. But the crispness looks the same to me.

[srh1220]

yeah, One thing I did notice about the Olevia I saw in cirtuit city was that it was slightly dimmer than those around it, Im sure that may be just a matter of adjustments, though

[jobob313]

I have the newer Olevia 532H And I paid 600 TOTAL. At that price I really cant believe you can find anything that compares. And I have had really bad luck with air conditioners, phones and a dvd player by samsuck so I really wont give them a fair shake anymore. I believe that in the stores they deliberately setup the Olevia incorrectly. I get a much better picture at home than what I saw in the store and I have no hi-def programming right now. They probably set them up for home use which is much dimmer than the showroom setting. Just my 2 cents for what its worth. :)

[kevinw]

I believe that in the stores they deliberately setup the Olevia incorrectly. :)
Olevia is set for store display by the factory. When you do your home start up it gives you a choice in the menu for store or home. My issues with the Olevia is the poor user controls. No numeric adjustment points.

[jobob313]

Yes I understand what you are saying but trust me I used to be a Home theater specialist for a major electronics store and it was not uncommon to have two tv's set up completely differently to make one appear to have a much better picture on first glance. And in circuit shi*ty for example when I looked at the Olevi it was clearly not hooked up properly as the picture was pretty bad. And just because the tv defaults to showroom setting doesnt mean the salespeople leave it there. They often adjust the tv with the higher mark up to look its best while throwing some models out as is or improperly setting them up on purpose.

[kevinw]

Doesn't mean the Olevia is hooked up in ALL stores incorrectly :whistle:
I highly doubt that there is a conspiracy to NOT sell Olevia. Considering that the the largest market is the low price entry level one- of which you are a part of, Olevia is better than all the Westinghouses and Polaroids and only second to Vizio.

I would hope you get a better picture at home than at the store. As a former "Home Theate Specialist" you should know this.

[jobob313]

No, reason to get snarky dude. Im just saying that when I went to buy mine at HH gregg they didnt even have it hooked up where you could see it and at the circuit city it was set up incorrectly, I hardly think I implied there was any conspiracy. Common sense will tell you that they are not going to spend a lot of time on the set up of tvs with a low profit margin. Just because there is some disagreement I dont see any reason to get out of sorts. And a commissioned salesperson in the home theater department at HH gregg is called a home theater specialist. I didnt throw out the title to imply that I knew more than anyone else only to show that I understood the marketing and sales techniques. Easy there skippy.

[kevinw]

So the setting up of TV's improperly to push sales of items with better profit margin was a common practice for you?
While you may not have meant to imply all, you wrote : I believe that in the stores they deliberately setup the Olevia incorrectly.. Now I understand you did not mean ALL stores just the Circuirt City you went to and the HH Gregg that you worked at.
Common sense will tell you that they are not going to spend a lot of time on the set up of tvs with a low profit margin. Common sense would say that sales people are not going to bother taking it out of display mode since Home mode shows a better picture. I get a much better picture at home than what I saw in the store Snarky, I could live with. Adding the skippy on the end was titlenine..

[jobob313]

Well your little whistling character and the "home theater specialist" and the you should know were 3 unnecessarily smart alecky comments. I dont think I said anything unwarranted by your comments. And no I personally never did this I am just saying that it does happen. And management would be the ones to make out of box adjustments in most cases not the sales people. I am not even sure why this should be such a big deal unless you just enjoy being contrary.