Looking for a Cheap HDTV

**therussian** · August 01, 2011, 10:10 PM

Right now I have a few options.

The one with the highest risk, highest rewards is this one.

http://www.amazon.com/L40FHDF11TA-40...2254146&sr=1-2

40'', 1080p, 60hz LCD, with a 2 year warranty for only $400. The problem is that I'm a bit wary about the company since I've never heard of them before, and the genuineness of the warranty. It's got a 4 star average off of 871 reviews, but still.

My other options are:
http://www.amazon.com/iSymphony-LC32...2254250&sr=1-1

Also an iffy company. Downgrading here to 32'' and 760p, but the price is only $270.

My 3rd option(s) are to go for a 32'' 760p LCD from a trusted company, like Sony, Vizio, or Toshiba, for less than $350 (of which there are plenty on Amazon), most likely this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Thoughts?

Edit: there is always the option for me of buying the 40'' one and getting a 3 year warranty for it from SquareTrade for $35. That would at least make it not as scary.

**Ascarona** · August 02, 2011, 05:14 AM

I'd just go with the first one, the company seems solid enough.

**Ishan** · August 02, 2011, 08:21 AM

Thread Moved to The Basement

**Tia** · August 02, 2011, 08:34 PM

The first one seem to be your best bet.

**therussian** · August 02, 2011, 11:25 PM

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the first one right now. I'm probably going to get it, and buy a SquareTrade 3-year warranty on top of the already existing TCL 2 year warranty. I trust the SquareTrade one A LOT MORE.

So that will a 40'' for $435 with a 3-year warranty, as opposed to buying the 32'' Panasonic Viera for $350 and a 1 year warranty.

I just got to get the money now.

**mrmouth** · August 03, 2011, 09:48 AM

Most panels for HDTV's are made by just a few manufacturers. It is entirely possible that TCL could be using the same panels as more expensive options. That is changing a bit with Sony and others now producing their own panels (used to use Samsung panels), but the majority of TV's still use the same manufacturers. And it actually sounds like TCL could be one of those manufactuers that decided to simply sell TV's themselves.

So then what really differentiates them are the guts of the TV and features. And that would be my concern with any "entry level" HDTV. Although the Amazon reviews are pretty solid. And the specs are also very solid There are some knowledgeable people commenting and comparing favorably to more expensive options.

And the amount of inputs is great for the money. You'd like to have four HDMI ports, but you can live with three. For that price, a Samsung or Sony would not give you that many.

The warranty is actually better than what the more expensive HDTV's that typically offer 1-year. That also leads me to believe that TCL could be a panel maker. TCL is obviously offering 2-years because nobody knows who they are.

Something to keep in mind is that if you do purchase the extended warranty (aside from the fine print) is whether that starts after the manufacturer warranty ends, or if they overlap. Meaning that you would actually be paying $35 for one additional warranty year. Still not a bad price, but most times you are either going to have issues right away, many years down the line, or maybe not at all.

If you have problems right away it could be anything, most likely firmware/software or panel related. If you have problems a few years in, it will likely be blown capacitors, which can be replaced by you for a few dollars, a soldering iron, and an hour of work.

I'm looking for a TV for my mother, and I would have no issues buying this. But I'm also a deal/sale shopper with no time table, so I will likely wait until I find a great one. I dont want to spend over $300 for a 34"-40".

**therussian** · August 04, 2011, 09:42 AM

The thing with the (separate) SquareTrade 3 year warranty is that I'm not exactly 100% confident with 2 year warranty that TCL provides. Some of the reviews talked about how something would break and they couldn't get a hold of TCL for ages, or not at all. Buying the SquareTrade warranty would give me 1) a warranty that is universally trusted to come through for you and 2) an extra year.

I don't know. I'll think about whether I gamble on the TCL warranty or buy the ST one.

**mrmouth** · August 04, 2011, 11:40 AM

Yeah. I guess just look at reviews. They might have changed their policy. And based on their policy being a refund almost 100% of the time instead of repair, it now appears that you will get what they believe it to be worth, and not what you paid.

I also noticed by going through their website that it doesn't look like they are giving you full reimbursement of what you paid, its now "full reimbursement or replacement cost whichever is lower". What this means is that if you get a LCD TV and pay for coverage for the $1,000 you spent and say you pay 15% to SquareTrade for the coverage, if a year down the line the TV is only "worth" $500 and you file a claim you're only going to get back $500. This means that while you may have only paid 15% of the cost of the item at the time, by the time you file the claim you've really spent 30% of the price of your TV which makes it not such a good deal.

http://www.epinions.com/content_417511739012

Personally, I dont buy extended warranties. But I have seen them work with my wifes laptop from Best Buy when she bought the warranty (before we started dating). It was hopelessly broke, and she got a new laptop almost 3 years in. They gave us the price she paid, and we went and picked one out. Not bad for $30.

**therussian** · August 04, 2011, 01:08 PM

Yeah, it seems like there is some stipulation on the warranty if you buy it on sale

http://squaretrade.force.com/support...lacement-value

Don't know if that applies to Amazon though.