Archive for November, 2009
Viore LC26VF59 26-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 30, 2009
CHEAP Viore LC26VF59 26-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
We have cabinetry in our den that was designed for a built in, tube type, TV and have wanted a HD TV that fits the space. Viore was the largest screen possible with the width limit that we have. That was our single selection criteria.
We then found out that Amazon sells this particular set so we ordered it and everything that follows was a pleasant surprise.
FIRST bonus. We decided to let Amazon ship it without additional freight charges but it arrived the next day nonetheless.
SECOND bonus. The installation was almost automatic. Viore includes many diagrams and the instructions are simple and written by an person with an English native tongue (easy to understand).
THIRD bonus. We obtained the right cable box, turned on the set and immediately were impressed by the picture quality.
We have read other comments about the sound being a bit tinny – and it is a little hollow so I’m going to add a set of speakers to help that a bit. There are ample connections on the unit for adding items like this.
For the money (~0) you cannot beat the deal. Very possibly, if you would go to a store and put this set next to others you’d see a difference in the picture quality. Perhaps. But I find it just fine with the kind of detail, color, clarity that you would expect.
We had never heard of Viore before this. That does make you a bit apprehensive. It’s OK. They do a fine job.
Available at Amazon
Viore LC26VF59 26-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black Feature
Viore LC26VF59 26-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black Overview
Samsung LN52B750 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV with Charcoal Grey Touch of Color
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 30, 2009
CHEAP Samsung LN52B750 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV with Charcoal Grey Touch of Color
Two things you need to know about having a Samsung LCD, of any of the kinds and sizes they make:
1. They’ll work perfectly fine if you attach a computer as one of the components: no residual fuzziness or unwanted screen crop, although you’d better have a state-of-the art video card on your computer for this to render the crisp picture you’re dreaming of. The one that comes with your garden-variety laptop will never do. I use one of these for my computer at work (40 inches: I’m insane), and another, slightly smaller one for my home computer. They work EXTREMELY well for this purpose, which is why I have three of them total: I’m too leery to switch brands. For example, the TV, when you use it as a computer monitor, has enough brains to shut down when your computer goes to sleep, and then to fire back up again when your computer wakes up — all without your having to touch the monitor at all!
2. This TV can evidently do a lot. Tragically, this will require you to get educated about the latest cables and connectors. For example, I am wont to connect all my devices (Playstations, cable connections, VHS players, DVD players, Blue-ray players, satellite links, etc.) with red-white-yellow connectors, or, preferably, red-white-red-green-blue connectors. As for the latter, this only has two rows available, plus an extra red-white-yellow on the TV’s left side (facing the screen). However, it has an array of other adapters (such as HDMI adapters) that I’m still learning about. (These basically look like jumbo-sized USB cables, but can carry high definition sound and audio together in one cable). If you’re unclear on the in’s and out’s of this stuff, read the exchange in the comments below, which I found helpful. I have never, for example, learned how to get the monitor’s on-board speakers to route the sound the computer’s putting out.
Credentials: I have three of these, different sizes.
Available at Amazon
Samsung LN52B750 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV with Charcoal Grey Touch of Color Feature
Samsung LN52B750 52-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LCD HDTV with Charcoal Grey Touch of Color Overview
Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-46V5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 30, 2009
CHEAP Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-46V5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black
I’ll start off with the good stuff with this TV, excellent sound and great picture (except for really high motion which i’ll get to later). The sound on this TV exceeded my expectations by a large margin as the sound quality is really crisp and clear. Sony got the sound on this TV right, and i don’t think it could get better from just having a standalone TV set. One note: My cablebox makes a poping sound when switching channels – Sony has noted that this is a problem from the cablebox on their website.
The picture is really great once you get the correct settings put in as well (do a google search for best settings). Only use HDMI cables unless your cable box or other device doesn’t have an HDMI port for the best picture. One thing you will notice if this is your first dip into HDTV waters is that not all HDTV broadcasts are going to be in true HD quality. Some stations stretch the picture which looks terrible. It’s not the Tv’s fault however, it’s the stations that are broadcasting. Some are good, some are bad, and some are just plain ugly.
Where i knock this down 1 star is for fast motion. Sorry Nascar fans, im talking fast zoomed in motion – mostly football. Most sights that tell you how to calibrate your TV will tell you to turn the “Motionflow” portion of your settings off. I tried it and can say for me personally i can’t watch the TV like that because the motion isn’t smooth. If i put “Motionflow” on standard it looks better but i wish there was a setting between off and standard, like low for example. Getting back to my point though, i do not recommend this TV for viewing spaces UNDER 10 feet. Pixelazation starts to show up alot at the under 10 feet distance – especially in fast camera moments like football. Over 10 feet in your viewing area and i would probably give this TV 5 stars and not 4. Putting “Motionflow” on standard helps, but it doesn’t cure it, and the level above standard is just silly because everything looks really fake. Would a TV at 240hz do a better job of making the motion blur go away? It may, but from what i have been reading on the internet the motion blur is from the TV stations broadcast itself. I don’t have a 240hz TV right now (they are a little too expensive) to compare, but i have a feeling that you would still have some of the motion blur. Im just not sure at this point if the motion blur comes from the TV itself or from the HD broadcasts, it’s there nonetheless even with HDMI cables and thats why i knock it down to 4 stars.
As a side note i want to add that you should get a Blu-ray player if you like to watch movies. Most DVD’s i own (around 500) look pretty bad on the new HDTV set’s. Even with upconverting, the quality does not hold. Can you watch it – yes. Does it look good – sometimes depending on the encoding. Does it look great – no, only blu-ray will look great from now on if you purchase any HDTV set. It sucks, but it’s the truth.
Available at Amazon
Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-46V5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black Feature
Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-46V5100 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Black Overview
Viore LED24VF60 24-Inch LED 1080p HDTV (Black)
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 29, 2009
CHEAP Viore LED24VF60 24-Inch LED 1080p HDTV (Black)
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Viore LED24VF60 24-Inch LED 1080p HDTV (Black) Feature
Viore LED24VF60 24-Inch LED 1080p HDTV (Black) Overview
Samsung LN40B530 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 29, 2009
CHEAP Samsung LN40B530 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
First I want to say how impressed I am with Crutchfield. When I purchased this unit through Amazon I really didn’t pay much attention to who the actual seller was since it received the standard free shipping. I purchased this on a Saturday morning. With in 2 hours I received a phone call from Crutchfield thanking me for my purchase and explaining how the unit would be shipped, etc. I was very impressed with this and would absolutely purchase from Crutchfield in the future.
As for the Samsung – The picture is great with HD. I got it primarily for sports and the HD channels look great. Some of the standard def channels are not so spectacular but I don’t necessarily think that is a fault of the Samsung, I think it is more a Directv issue. I have an issue giving anything 5 stars but if you are looking for an LCD in this size range you should take a look at this one.
Available at Amazon
Samsung LN40B530 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Feature
Samsung LN40B530 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV Overview
Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 29, 2009
CHEAP Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
This Monitor is amazing. It has lived up to everything that is expected of it. The picture quality is absolutely stunning in 1080P. The sound is pretty nice as well, alot of people have complained that it isn’t loud enough but for a Monitor it is plenty loud and I would’nt expect much more. I would like to clarify something that another review wrote about, they said it did not pick up thier basic cable signal. I don’t what the problem was but I have basic cable and NO CABLE BOX and it picked up every channel I had before I got the Monitor and also picks up all the Music only channels now as well as a few HD (1080I) channels as well. I looked on the back and the monitor was made in July of 2009. I have no complaints about this Monitor what so ever. If you are looking for a 32″ LCD this is hands down the one to go with. I wished I had the budget to buy the 46 or the 52″ XBR 9. For those of you who don’t know anything about the Sony XBR line, let me put it to you in an easy to understand explanation, Toyota has it’s High End cars under the name Lexus, Honda has it’s high end cars under the name of Acura and Sony has it’s High End Monitors under the name of Sony XBR. If I had to complain about anything it would be the lack of info. in the paper user manual that came with it, I wanted toilet reads while I waited on the Cable to auto program and there isn’t much there. lol Does’nt matter what size you are looking for get the XBR line and you will be absolutely blown away by what you get.
Available at Amazon
Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV Feature
Sony BRAVIA XBR KDL-32XBR9 32-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV Overview
Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 28, 2009
CHEAP Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
hey guys…
this is a review for all of you out there who are pretty techy, like to do your research, and get the most bang for your buck. i spent hours and hours on my decision, sifting through review after review, and actually ordering and returning this item. read more if you are curious with my results.
plenty of forums on the internet will compare this tv to the panasonic g15 plasma. initially, i chose the samsung pnb650 over the g15 because:
1) reviews showed high color accuracy
2) the TV stand swiveled
3) DNLA content, including the ability to stream MKV and other HD video through the TV, with no need for a media extender.
when i received my unit, i was extremely happy with the picture. colors popped, black levels were good (though seemingly glitchy when there was a perfectly black screen – almost like the picture turned off). but, one thing i have never expected happened to be a deal breaker for me – image retention (IR).
the forums and reviews you read on the net go on and on about how IR and burn in are issues of plasmas’ past. what i did not quite realize was that IR and burn in are TWO SEPARATE ISSUES. read this link for a spot on analysis of the difference, and the factors you should consider when buying a plasma [...]
i had image retention from the get go. i used my tv on the “dynamic” setting when playing madden the first week i bought the tv. another thing you will read is that plasmas should never be placed on “dynamic” or “vivid” modes (at least until you “break-in” your set). i personally believe that if the setting is offered on the TV, you should be able to use it no problem. long story short, the EA emblem on the bottom left hand side of the screen remained on the screen after i turned off the game. although it slowly faded away (and i mean very slowly), you could make out that emblem on the screen for THREE WEEKS after i played it. that being said, remember that this was in the first 20 hours or so of use, and that after about a week and a half, you could only see it when you came up to 8 inches from the screen. such issues may not occur after 150 or 200 hours of use, but i was not going to risk it. not only did items like the madden EA sports emblem remain, scoreboards from NFL games, network banners, and tickers remained on the screen far too long for my liking.
another thing to note about the tv is that the DNLA functionality is more a novelty than something that is useful. it does not recognize half the MKVs i have, nor does it play the audio of several WMVs i have. also note that it cannot stream such content over the network; you have to plug in your hard drive directly to the usb jack.
the IR issue was something that was too big a deal for me to overlook. if you do not play much video games, watch CNN, or watch channels with some static emblem, logo, or scoreboard, i dont think you will ever have this issue. you wont have this issue watching movies.
besides that, the TV provides a great, bright picture. 4 HDMI ports and the USB connectivity is great. I loved the swivel stand. however, i like my panasonic g15 plasma much better, and here’s why:
1) image retention, seriously, is almost a non issue. only very rarely do you see images retained on the screen, and if you do, if you watch a movie or use the IR scrolling bar, it disappears quickly.
2) blacks are outstanding. i thought they were good on the samsung, but in all honesty, it doesnt compare.
that being said, there are some issues with the panasonic, being:
1) its a bit dark for my tastes, the samsung was brighter. this is really a non-issue if you are watching movies / playing games in dark rooms.
2) the stand does not swivel, though its easy to move the base
3) there are no USB ports, so it limits the amount of content that can be streamed (only pictures and videos through the SD card)
4) the infrared receiver (for remote control) is squarely in the middle of the TV. i place my front speaker there so it was a bit of an issue for me.
5) there are very few picture controls – i cant turn the screen brighter even if i want to!
6) only 3 hdmi… not an issue now i suppose
its also worth mentioning that im no longer trying to stream content through the TV. i got a ps3 and got ps3media server. works like a charm; highly recommended.
one other thing i’ll say is that amazon’s prices, delivery, and customer service is top notch. i recommend you keep an eye on prices for a few days to see if it goes up or down. there are also random coupons floating around if you do a google search or review the price discussions here at amazon. as of mod nov 09, a good price for the pnb650 would be around 00 and the g15 around the same. I was able to score the g15 and a panasonic plasma for 00 – you should hope for a similar deal to return!
white glove delivery through ceva was top notch. customer service in returning the old TV was painless. amazon is the place to buy TVs, no matter which model you choose.
hope this helps.
navin
Available at Amazon
Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Feature
Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Overview
Sharp AQUOS LC60E77UN 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Gold Bezel
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 28, 2009
CHEAP Sharp AQUOS LC60E77UN 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Gold Bezel
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Sharp AQUOS LC60E77UN 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Gold Bezel Feature
Sharp AQUOS LC60E77UN 60-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Gold Bezel Overview
Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on November 28, 2009
CHEAP Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
This is a really a great TV and a good buy. The picture quality is very good and the menu controls are very easy to use. Delivery was through Pilot shipping and I had no problem there. Pilot called to set up a delivery appointment, and they arrived within 10 minutes of when they said they would be there. They unpacked the TV, plugged it in, and made sure that it worked. Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
Available at Amazon
Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV Feature
Sony BRAVIA V-Series KDL-40V5100 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV Overview
LG 19LG30 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV
Posted by admin in hdtv reviews on November 22, 2009
CHEAP LG 19LG30 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV
This LCD HDTV is a good size and the speakers aren’t bad at all. The only issue I have with 19LG30, and it may be on all LG TVs, is that the four tuners do not integrate with eachother. br /br /19LG30 has NTSC, ATSC and QAM (plus an broadcast tuner) but they are all given their own seperate folder that will not allow you to integrate them when scrolling through channels. Put more simply, if you press up (on the remote) and are on channel 5 (5-0, standard def.) with the CATV tuner, you cannot go to the HD channel 5-1 (which LG puts in the CADTV tuner folder) you will go to the next in-line standard definition channel, ie. 6. One needs to press 5 again on the remote to go to 5-1 or 5-2 etc. Once in the HD folder or CADTV, pressing up will only scroll through that folder channels. So if you want to go from channel 7.1 (HD channel) to channel 8 (SD channel) you cannot logically and simply press up on the remote: you must press 8, wait for the delay, and the TV then switches to the CATV folder of channels. Bollocks!br /br /This “set-up” is totally frustrating if you are using this TV without a cable box, which is kind of the idea for a 19″ TV, and typically scroll channels using up and down on a remote. br /br /I am not sure if this will be an issue after 17 February however, as there is a seperate folder labeled DTV in the channel menu (which remains empty after auto-tuning). If DTV integrates all the channels (once it is online) than this is a dead isssue and this is a 5 star TV. Otherwise why LG do you have such a poor operating system that can’t enable/integrate the different tuners? Samsung and Sony integrate the tuners into one folder/line-up.br /br /
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LG 19LG30 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV Feature
LG 19LG30 19-Inch 720p LCD HDTV Overview
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