[Hogan]

Hi all - I'm deciding between 32 and 37 inch LCD for our bedroom. Not likely to pay for an HD box there, so will be getting the normal cable channels from the coax, and may hook up an antenna to pull down local HD broadcast.


In BestBuy I saw the Dynex 32" LCD and I must say I like its aesthetics -- the bezel is quite thin vs the Insignia so its looks more compact for a 32 incher.


BB had a couple Open Box Dynex's (hmmmm, probably not the best sign right?) which could be had for like $255, which is a good price.


My question is whether its worth it to pay $355 for a Vizio, or $400+ for a "real brand". I've done searches and many Dynex owners seem happy with their TVs. Maybe its worth the risk?


Beyond PQ differences due to the panels, which I am having trouble seeing myself to be honest, are there processing differences for SD material? ie will the Dynex be much less adept at making SD material look good vs a Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc?


Any advice appreciated - thanks

 

[spyboy]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Hogan /forum/post/18191558


Hi all - I'm deciding between 32 and 37 inch LCD for our bedroom. Not likely to pay for an HD box there, so will be getting the normal cable channels from the coax, and may hook up an antenna to pull down local HD broadcast.


In BestBuy I saw the Dynex 32" LCD and I must say I like its aesthetics -- the bezel is quite thin vs the Insignia so its looks more compact for a 32 incher.


BB had a couple Open Box Dynex's (hmmmm, probably not the best sign right?) which could be had for like $255, which is a good price.


My question is whether its worth it to pay $355 for a Vizio, or $400+ for a "real brand". I've done searches and many Dynex owners seem happy with their TVs. Maybe its worth the risk?


Beyond PQ differences due to the panels, which I am having trouble seeing myself to be honest, are there processing differences for SD material? ie will the Dynex be much less adept at making SD material look good vs a Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc?


Any advice appreciated - thanks

The prevailing wisdom is that Dynex, Insignia and Vizio are third tier brands and should be avoided.


I don't think you should be making your choice based on the cosmetics of the bezel.


I think Vizio is now a top tier brand, and according to the Vizio web site the company is now shipping the most TVs in the USA of any brand. I saw figures a month ago showing the massive number of units Vizio is shipping.


Insignia is not popular on this Forum, not inspite of its two year warranty but because of its two year warranty. People claim it is proof that Insignias are unreliable.


There is not enough history on Insignia to my knowledge, but I would consider using a credit card that extends the warranty by one year.


I would rank the 3 brands this way.


1) Vizio

2) Insignia

3) Dynex

 

[pelico]

Get something from Toshiba instead.....

 

[Hogan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by pelico /forum/post/18191968


Get something from Toshiba instead.....

Yeah but I read a review of the Toshiba 32AVR502R and it basically said the PQ was pretty bad........in fact, I've read reviews for the entry level Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio, etc and they are all pretty much the same.....middling black levels, some artifact issues, some motion effects on the 60hz models. It doesn't seem like there is that much difference in the entry level ($450 or below) models, so that's why I started to head in the direction of "if they're all just OK, not perfect, just OK, then why should I pay $450 instead of $250"


Is the knock against Dynex and Insignia primarily due to reliability? If so, then curious about Samsung as there seem to be LOTS of posts about Sammys having bad capacitors and conking out after a year.....and Samsung is a "Tier 1" brand......


I must say I'm pretty confused as to real performance differences vs PERCEPTION of real performance differences based on a brand name.....it doesn't seem like there is a huge difference in performance on the baseline 720p 60hz sets, and that is where I'm focused due to $$$. I'm not gonna spend $1000 on a 32" 1080p 240hz bedroom TV that gets used at most an hour a few nights a week when I could spend $350.

 

[TimPFla]

Look around.. There are some nice 32" Sammy's on sale for about 4 bills.. Read the reviews on those.. Check this one out.. Has pretty good reviews.. Might have to ask the experts in here.


LN32B360C5D Samsung

 

[pelico]

I am watching the same Toshiba 32AVR502Z(later model)you speak of right now in my bedroom and the pic quality and everything else is fine. I've owned it since November.


PS. I agree with you on a 350 budget for the bedroom TV, I paid under 300 new for the Toshiba.

 

[Phase700B]

I vote for the Insignia 37" 1080p NS-L37-XXXX We bought one last October and love it. With proper set up and tweaking it is great for SD TV as well as HD programs. I love the extra inputs for future use and the 2 year standard warranty.

 

[cut]

id avoid best buy and any of there brands personally id rather shop at walmart or online


and id take the multiple open box deals as a bad sign like you thought

 

[GGG]

Pass on all 3 of those low tiers, instead go Panny at 32 or 37 much better PQ & features, not much more $$. I got an open box 37 Panny at BB for a liitle over 4 Bens.

 

[indio22]



Quote:
Originally Posted by spyboy /forum/post/18191939


I don't think you should be making your choice based on the cosmetics of the bezel.

Lol, bezel design is actually one of my key considerations in selecting a TV. My dad has a Samsung 750, and even though the picture is really nice, in his bright room with lots of windows, sometimes feels like I am watching the television image surrounded by a mirror. Can be difficult to visualize clearly where the screen image ends and the bezel begins, because the edges of the image are not well defined as on a lower gloss black bezel.


I know plexy/glossy bezel works for some people just fine, but for my bright living room, I am trying to stay away from anything overly glossy, and that includes shiny bezels, especially when they have translucent clear accents that catch and re-direct light.


In terms of Insignia, I had a 47 inch Insignia model, got it in the 600 dollar range just before Christmas. I really liked the very flat matte screen and understated black rather thin bezel, sorry can't recall the model number at the moment. Being phased out now for their new lineup. Problem was it made a buzzing noise whenever I lowered the backlight, which is something you will want to do when watching the TV in the evening or at night. Also had some rather severe flashlighting (white spots) in the upper corners after the TV heated up. Ended up returning it due to the buzzing which was getting on my nerves. Can't comment on the other Insignia sets.


In terms of Vizio, I have looked at them, and the sets do seem a step up as spyboy mentioned, even have some LED sets now. I was looking at the Vizio SM470M set the other day and it seemed to provide a good picture, and I also found myself liking the image processing when compared to a 60hz Samsung 46B530 set with no processing situated nearby, never thought I would say that. Samsung still beat Vizio with dark blacks though. And newer Vizio models are not so low cost anymore either.

 

[Kevin. W]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Hogan /forum/post/18191558


Hi all - I'm deciding between 32 and 37 inch LCD for our bedroom. Not likely to pay for an HD box there, so will be getting the normal cable channels from the coax, and may hook up an antenna to pull down local HD broadcast.


In BestBuy I saw the Dynex 32" LCD and I must say I like its aesthetics -- the bezel is quite thin vs the Insignia so its looks more compact for a 32 incher.


BB had a couple Open Box Dynex's (hmmmm, probably not the best sign right?) which could be had for like $255, which is a good price.


My question is whether its worth it to pay $355 for a Vizio, or $400+ for a "real brand". I've done searches and many Dynex owners seem happy with their TVs. Maybe its worth the risk?


Beyond PQ differences due to the panels, which I am having trouble seeing myself to be honest, are there processing differences for SD material? ie will the Dynex be much less adept at making SD material look good vs a Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, LG, etc?


Any advice appreciated - thanks

It's a tough call and its one your going to have to make in the end. Personally I have owned some lower tier LCD's(Digimate, Hisense) and never had an issue with either one. Actually both put out a good SD and HD pic. The Hisense that I have now is a 42" 1080p(60hz) that I picked up for $449, over an excellent 1080p pq out of the box, as well as supporting 24hz and 1:1 pixel mapping. All I can say is COD4 at 1080p is jaw dropping gorgeous.

 

[Hogan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by GGG /forum/post/18193961


Pass on all 3 of those low tiers, instead go Panny at 32 or 37 much better PQ & features, not much more $$. I got an open box 37 Panny at BB for a liitle over 4 Bens.

Thats an idea - I might check for some "better" open box buys at BB


I dunno it seems a bunch of posters on here don't seem to mind the lower tiers, then there are those who advise to definitely avoid them. Choices choices...

 

[cridlon]

If you are looking at the Vizio VO series. They are excellent and rated a Consumer Reports best buy. Both Insignia and Dynex are Best Buy brands. I know Best Buy talks down Vizio, but Vizio is #1 in sales for a reason its price and performance. and the

 

[showtime711]

I bought an Insignia 32" 720p LCD tv in the summer of 2007 and haven't had a problem with it. I bought simply because I was on a strict budget and it was the cheapest 32" LCD TV I could find brand new (I always seem to have problems with open-box purchases).


When I was looking at it on the wall next to other "tier 1" 32" TV's, there was a noticeable diff in picture quality but once I had it in my living room with no other TV's around to compare, it looked great to me and have been happy with it since. The only thing that I regret was that I didn't get a 37" but other than that it hasn't given me any problems whatsoever.


I too was a little apprehensive about the reliability, and I guess to some extent I'm not out of the woods yet since I've only had it for 2 1/2 years, but I bit the bullet and so far have been ok.