[Jim_Circa]

hello,this is my first post*


remember when you could go and buy a tv and that was that,well no more is it that simple. i remember going to buy a tv twenty some years ago and i bought a 36 inch magnavox and that was that,no problems at all and it is still going strong to this day. i have it hooked up to directv and the picture is solid. especially the news/sports ticker is spot on, sure it doesn't fit the screen all that good (the sports/news ticker),but at least it doesn't give you motion sickness like these new digital tv's do. even though the magnavox still looks good, it is twenty years old and the picture isn't as sharp as it once was,so i decided to buy a new tv. what a pain in the arse that decision turned out to be. let me explain...


i have always heard that sony is the best,so i decided i would get one. i went to the store totally green and really bought the first one i came across. it was the sony model that ended with 100L. it had everything at the time that i thought i needed (it was also in my budget,400.00). and i was happy with this analog set but after a day of watching it i noticed that during white scenes a pink bar would show up on the left side of the screen (sometimes the right side too). i checked online and read some reviews pertaining to this set and noticed that some,but not all mentioned having this problem,so i decided to exchange it for the same model hoping it wouldn't have the aformentioned problem... it did,so bye bye sony.


so,i go tv shopping again and noticed that they had the sony i had just exchanged set up next to a samsung (txn2745fp) and i thought 'sweet' and bought it on spot,winding up paying a hundred dollars more than i wanted to on a tv. i read online about some of these tv's having a problem with a line going down the middle of the screen but decided to take a chance and hope that mine didn't have that problem...it did. ten minutes into watching a movie there it was in all its disgusting glory.the screen also suffered from what i call the honey-comb effect. some people call it the screen door effect,but i call it the honey-comb effect,uh-huh. even tho,i liked the picture and i decided to take it back and exchange it for the same model hoping it wouldn't have the aformentioned problems...it did,so bye bye samsung. side note -this tv literally stunk like a skunk(and not like that good california skunk either .


i searched the c.c. website and found a new product from panasonic the ct27hl14 and thought i would try this. its a hi-def monitor and only cost around 85 bucks more. so now i am paying almost two hundred more for a tv when i only wanted to pay around four hundred (thanks a lot sony). so, i get this tv home and after going thru the manual i notice that it only had one hd video component input not two like the website states (one hi-def and one standard). i contact panasonic about this and they replied that the website is wrong and that the hi-def input was actually 480i and that the c.c. website was wrong about that also (but who knows). the picture was nice,but this tv really suffered from the honey-comb effect. some people call it the screen door effect but i call it the honey-comb effect,uh-huh. needless to say this tv went back. bye bye panasonic hello c.c. AGAIN ( they really like me,they really like me!) also this tv was the worst when it came to news/sports tickers not to mention watching the movie credits roll (i felt like the gorton fisherman's land lubbing (sp?) son after a really bad day at sea)


so,back online i go (hi-ho hi-ho back to reading reviews i go) and come across avs forum and read about the zenith c27v36 and decided to try this model out after reading all the praise it was receiving. i called c.c. with my voiced disguised and found that they were on clearance for 515. (tax included,also the number of my old address in california oddly enough). and that they had two left. (on the road again,i just can't wait to get on the road again ) so i go to c.c. incognito and i buy the tv and get it home,set it up and it looks great. absolutley the best pq out of the bunch,although its not perfect,its close. using direct tv the pq is good and is better than the rest including my magnavox. watching dvd's is great. playing games i thought could be better but is good enough and all in all i am very happy with it. i do however have a few qualms with it however. some channels (directv) look like i am having an acid flash back (trails,motion blur) and i haven't dropped any in over ten years (i think)...yeah,i am pretty sure about that. also i noticed that across the bottom of the screen, i can (sometimes) see lines of red,and green showing usually when white comes into contact; for example a white pearl will turn red while its at the bottom of the screen (and no,its not the acid at work again...wise guy). it also appears during black and white movies (who said there is no color in them thar black and white movies!) another thing i have noticed is that some movies "jitter", for example: i was watching "remo williams" on directv and it was jittering and that little korean guy (joel grey) when sitting on that bear rug? actually looked like he was floating around on ali baba's magic carpet. then i read that someone had a problem with a faint blue line down the middle of the screen. i didn't notice it at first (but believe me after reading about it i was looking for it) but then i was watching charlies angels (on directv) and thought the pq looked really great ,but then i noticed what i thought was a blue hue (down the middle of the screen) showing up on white backgrounds. but i had to look really hard to see it,but yeah its there ,its real faint but its there and i would bet its on yours too (if you own this particular zenith tv). no big deal but this concerns me especially since it might get worse as time goes by? side note- all tv's seem to have a major problem with displaying white colors.


okay,i am starting to get a little long winded here,so i will try and wrap-up this condensed version of a much longer post: my tv is still under warranty so i try and arrange an in-home visit thru zenith. i am given a phone number to call in ormond beach. the guy acts very excited to see my tv until he finds out that its still under warranty,then he starts making up excuses to brush me off. he says,"i am short of man power",'i am backed up for three weeks",'i don't even service your area!" lol,so i call zenith back and this time they actually give me a couple numbers to call in my own town,why they didn't do this before is beyond me. so i call the first number and once again the guy is very interested in helping me,until he finds out that its still under warranty,then he too starts making up excuses to blow me off. he is honest tho' and he explains that the reason he refuses to work on my tv or even to come out and look at it (he is only two miles away) is because zenith pays them "diddly-squat" lol (his word not mine) to work on their tvs under warranty. the only time they make money he says is if its a big screen tv. he was "kinda" nice and told me that he would be willing to "look' at my tv if i lug it to his shop and then even,if it could be worked on, he wasn't going to. lol why should i even bother taking it to him if he is going to refuse to do any work on it??? i call the other number given to me from zenith and the guy acts like i am crazy (well, sh!t yeah i am!). so, trying to talk clearly (i still have a heavy california accent) i get him to understand me and he tells me that they went out of business,i asked him if zenith payed him diddly-squat too? he hung up on me.


well,i have around a week on my warranty and about half that on my sanity. i sent zenith another email and will see how things go. if i can't get someone out here i'll have to decide if the problems are worth living with and take a chance on them getting worse, or take it back and get my money back and wait for this c27v47 and expect to probably pay up-wards of 200 bucks more for it ...and then take a chance on it having even more problems than this one. all in all buying a tv is a real pain anymore. after reading this some might say it sucks being me,but you know what... not really. its kinda fun trying out tv after tv after tv after tv...right c.c.?


thanks everyone that actually read this for helping me get this (tv) off my chest.


*and will probably be my last

 

[Q of BanditZ]

Holy smokes! This is a life story!


The new Zeniths should be pretty nice. The c32v37 that's out now you can get for about $800 and change on sales and so forth.


Worth a look...

 

[STEELERSRULE]

Oh man. Sounds like you should just buy an AM/FM radio an forget about it!


I have the Zenith C27V36, but have never seen any of the things you are talking about. The picture isn't perfect, but no blue lines, white pearls changing colors, etc......


Anyway you said you bought this set at C.C. Is it still within the 30 day return window? If it is, and you can't get any satisfaction from someone to come and look at your set, return it.


Someone a while ago posted about having to do the same thing you are talking about. They had gone through, I think, two or three tv's before they got one they were happy with.


I don't care if you buy and exchange 20 TV's in 25 days(I know I'm being ridiculous). This is what is known as CUSTOMER SERVICE! Even if the people who you are dealing with seem put out, TOUGH! This is their job.


If it is within the 30 day time frame, then I will make a couple of suggestions. Tell C.C. you still want to get a TV there, but want to exchange this current TV, have the money placed on a gift card, and maybe wait for the new models to arrive, get a FULL Refund all together because you are so disgusted right now(this will be tough to do, but if you do STAND YOUR GROUND!) Just live the Maganavox for a while if you can.


Or you could exchange it for another current model, the Sony 27FV310. It is an analog tv, but is alot closer to price to what you originally were looking for. ALOT of people think this is a FANTASTIC TV. Their should be one hooked up at your local CC store. These do come highly recommended.


Sony, Toshiba, and Zenith are all releasing NEW HD's at a lower price point then last year, but you will have to wait to see them.


I would rate the 27" in this order:


1. Sony

2. Toshiba

3. Panasonic

4. Zenith


Stay away from SAMSUNG and ADVENT!


P.S. If you get a full refund, consider the new Sanyo HDTV available soon at Walmart. This TV is a true HDTV(built-in tuner) and will go for either the same as or a little less than the Zenith C27V36.

 

[Jim_Circa]

q of banditz:


thanks,actually i have checked this tv out,its nice,but i am not willing to go more than six hundred on a new tv. (i know i have said four hundred but after having a digital tv thats changed my mind). i have also heard that this model has a problem with a line moving across the screen? whats with these new tvs with all these lines (horizontal.vertical,diagonal) in the picture anyways? the only lines i like looking at are panty lines on some hot babe,but on my television...well,you can fugetaboutit!


steelersrule:


like i said this situation is in zeniths hands now. they have all my info and they are 'supposedly' trying to locate someone to come out. if they don't then i will be forced to start breaking some balls. as for "standing my ground" (i was j/k about the disguising my voice and going incognito crap) i could care less what these arrogant college boys think of me returning sets. i already told one of them that tried to give me a hassle about returning one of my sets (so much for their no hassle/no questions asked return policy) to re-credit my "freaking" credit card. when i returned the panny a few days later the no hassle/no questions asked policy was in full effect lol.


thanks for your suggestions. your a very helpful guy. but i have a question for ya: do ya work for zenith per chance?

 

[STEELERSRULE]

I wish I could say I did Jim. Sounds like their F*ING around with you. Your post actually had me a little worried too.


But I got a 3 year ext warranty from CC when I bought my Zenith C27V36 about 10 months ago. Even if their is a problem, they come to me(CC or sent out to some local repair shop they deal with I would guess) and if they can't fix the problem at my house they would take the TV with them(NO TV and NO BEER makes STEELERSRULE Go CRAZY!!!!) fix it, and then I would think either call me to come get it or they would bring it back. If anyone knows the in and out's of the CC extended warranty and procedure I would like to read their post on it.

 

[Jim_Circa]

steelersrule-


funny you should mention the c.c. 3 year ext warranty. i received a call from them the other day. i was thinking it was zenith getting back to me about my tv,but it was c.c. asking me how i liked my tv. i told them that i liked it,although i did have a few issues with it. she said that the (real) reason she called was to offer me the three year extended warranty that you have. i was offered that while purchasing the tv. i was also told that i needed special surge protectors etc. etc. (man,these guys never give up). anyway, i told her that i was dealing with zenith directly and didn't need the extended warranty. i always figure that if something is going to happen,it will happen within a month anyway. at least thats how it usually works out for me,thankfully. after telling her the run-around that zenith was giving me in finding a tv tech to come to my house,she gave me the national zenith number,which i will call if i don't hear from zenith soon.


with all that said, i have noticed a new problem with the tv. while booting up my xbox and ps2 via component 1 and 2 respectively,there is this horizontal bar that appears across the screen. it fades in and out and thankfully goes away after a few seconds. this has never happened before and it doesn't happen every time i turn them on. i tried the regular composite inputs with my systems and i don't have the problem. which makes me believe its a problem with the component inputs on the tv itself. just another issue i will bring up if a tv tech ever comes out.


also,i noticed that you said that you haven't noticed any of these other problems with your tv,yet you do have the issue of the buzzing emitting from your tv,and if you have the buzzing problem then you probably have these other problems too. for example: find a program with alot of white in it,like that peoplepc commercial for example and hit the freeze/still button. don't look exactly at the center of the screen,but look just to the right of it or just to the left of it and slowly move your eyes to the center of the screen and viola your hypnotized (j/k) you should see a slight blue hue/blue dis-colorization down the middle of the screen. if not i am full of sh!t and disregard what i said,because you lucked out and you have the perfect tv...want to trade?

 

[STEELERSRULE]

Jim,


I'll give it a try and see what happens. I wonder if the Avia or the DVE dvd have a white screen so I can see this? Hopefully I won't notice anything. But I will say this about doing the experiment, it's sounds an awful like going and TRYING to FIND a PROBLEM with the TV. Not actually just noticing it(I've stated in other posts that I did not even know about the "buzzing" thing until I read about it ON THE FORUM!!! Mine has this as well, but it is not bad. Turn the sound above 7 or 8 on the volume and you really have to listen for it). Sometimes the Forum causes more harm by people saying this is bad, and that is bad on a tv. There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect TV.


Which brings me to a couple of things. I love the FORUM and have learned ALOT over the past year, year and half. But I'm wondering if I'm better served for it. What I'm saying is that now that I have all this knowledge, has it made me, in a sense, more "anal"? I'm going to start a thread on this subject Jim, and see if others respond to it.


By the way Jim, what type of component cables are you using to connect your XBOX and/or PS2? Sometimes, but not all the time, it's the cables and not the monitor per sea. People sometimes are to quick to blame the TV sometimes, but odds are you are correct.