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Well, I'm still taking the "wait and see" approach for online deals. I've decided on a screen size between 37 and 42 inches, and will be using it to watch things from my computer in addition to watching normal TV.
A couple things I've noticed:
A lot of Samsung's cheaper 40-42 inch TVs don't have PC inputs. I find this absurd given they are $400 plus. I'm sure they have great screen quality but still....
The Chinese manufacturer TCL has high reviews on Amazon.
It's at the $400 mark which according to price puts it several levels higher than brands like Coby and Emerson. I mention the reviews because of the quantity of them, but I'd like to find out if any of you know about this manufacturer.
Honestly though, only being out of college for a couple years, $400 is about the absolute maximum I'm willing to spend on a TV. I'm hoping one of these options will have screen quality somewhere between the LGs on one end and the Coby's on the other.
Well, I'm still taking the "wait and see" approach for online deals. I've decided on a screen size between 37 and 42 inches, and will be using it to watch things from my computer in addition to watching normal TV.
A couple things I've noticed:
A lot of Samsung's cheaper 40-42 inch TVs don't have PC inputs. I find this absurd given they are $400 plus. I'm sure they have great screen quality but still....
The Chinese manufacturer TCL has high reviews on Amazon.
It's at the $400 mark which according to price puts it several levels higher than brands like Coby and Emerson. I mention the reviews because of the quantity of them, but I'd like to find out if any of you know about this manufacturer.
Honestly though, only being out of college for a couple years, $400 is about the absolute maximum I'm willing to spend on a TV. I'm hoping one of these options will have screen quality somewhere between the LGs on one end and the Coby's on the other.
Many (most?) modern computers have HDMI outputs so the need for VGA (PC) inputs on TVs is fast going away. My view if the price is that you're paying for picture quality and longevity.
I know little of TCL. I wouldn't put too much emphasis on it having a Samsung screen. Manufacturers make all kinds of parts for other companies, to that company's specs. That doesn't mean that every screen that Samsung makes is the same as what you'll find in a Samsung TV. And a screen is only a part of what makes a good TV good.
Other than that I'll just repeat what I said earlier about reviews. I skimmed over a few and found one that had two paragraphs about the stand being difficult to install, then gave the TV 5 stars. What does that really say about the TV? Another said it looked better than a 5 year old RCA. That's not exactly a glowing recommendation. So just read between the lines, and ignore the reviews that are obviously not useful.
The Toshibas we last carried were awful compared to the top tier brands we had. But we only had the lower end, smaller models. Dull pic, terrible off axis viewing, no amount of adjustment made them satisfactory. We had to nearly give them away after their model run ended. I know they have a better standing in the industry than my experience with them would suggest.
I'm glad to hear an explanation of the HDMI vs VGA. Thankfully, most if not all of the TVs I've looked at have at least 2 HDMI ports.
In any event, Samsung is selling a 39 inch LED for $399. 39-inch LED 5003 Series | Samsung Televisions
This seems like my best bet so far (assuming I don't log on to Amazon at just the right time). They have a 50 inch LED Toshiba for $399 that I may not be able to pass up if it's available.
Easy setup (except for programming the "universal" remote). Good color, good sound. It has 3 modes: Standard, Movies and Clear Picture. I find I prefer movie mode the best.
When it came time to press the off button I got nowhere with the TV, of course. I hadn't programmed our remote for years so I Googled the remote, found the info and got it to turn off the TV in fairly short order.
TV is light. I replaced a crt that sat on a chest of drawers and getting it down was a *****. Lifting the new one was a piece of cake.
It's got HDMI, USB, and RCA jacks. None of which I'll ever use considering where it is.
I like it.
Edit: I did something I rarely do. I bought a 5 year protection plan for $50. The only reason I did is because I know it's going to be moved across country within the next couple of years, so why not?
Toshiba is NOT a bad brand at all. Especially TV's. Samsung may have a slight edge, but Toshiba has always made quality televisions. Recommend.
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