42" Insignia 720p plasma $399 at Best Buy

TurkeyOnRye

TurkeyOnRye

CAGiversary!
Feedback
214 (100%)
What do you guys think of this deal? My wife and I want to clear out the old 52" RearCRT we have in the living room to give the baby room to crawl and told me if I'd settle for a decent TV that I could get my dream TV a few years down the road. I was looking at 32" LCD's at Wal-Mart for about $358 when I saw this in the BB flyer. What do ya guys think?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insigni...skuId=9748831&st=42 plasma insignia&cp=1&lp=1

For reference, this is what I already have:

http://www.specsserver.com/CACHE/FILE20073.PDF
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Personally, I would do it. I bought a 37 inch Insignia about a year ago. It's an LCD though and 1080p. I was kind of skeptical since I never heard of the brand before, but decided to take a chance. So far I've had absolutely no problems with it and it's been great. I used to be all about buying name brand stuff before, but lately I've changed my ways and haven't really noticed a big difference. 400 bucks for a 42 inch HDTV is pretty damn good and I wish I would have seen a deal like this when I bought mine. Go for it!
 
Insignia is a Best Buy brand. It's decent quality. I wish I had the money to spare, I badly need to upgrade from my dinky 22-inch. :cry:
 
I got the same one for $450 in June. I say go for it. It's a great T.V, for the price it can't be beat. Even the small complaints that it did get on the website held no truth for my T.V.

Definitely buy.
 
Has anyone seen a nice LCD with 1080 resolution for somewhere around this price??? Insignia isn't a bad brand and I'd love to get a TV like this for that price.
 
[quote name='WhipSmartBanky']Isn't 720p in anything over 32" a big HDTV no-no?[/QUOTE]

Really depends on how close you plan to sit to the screen. I have a 50" 720p plasma. According to the distance/resolution chart, I'd see a benefit from 1080p at 8 ft and closer. I sit 12 ft from the screen, so theoretically I shouldn't be able to tell the difference. It really looks fabulous actually.
 
There is a chart on that I think, ahh... here it is!
hdtv-viewing-distance.png
 
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember hearing along the way that Insignia (Best Buy's brand) is really LG produced. Don't quote me on that, but I have heard good things about the brand, especially for the price.

720p is fine anyway. Purists will tell you 1080p, but for that price, it would be hard to justify the difference being ~$500 better by going 1080p.
 
An array of 1024×768 on a 16:9 display has rectangular pixels.
Click to expand...
Keep this in mind for a plasma, as 720p plasmas don't have 1280x720 resolution. You probably won't be able to tell the difference, but still, it's there.
 
Great deal. I wish I had money right now. I have a 50" Insignia 1080p and I love it. Best Buy gets the panels from other manufacturers so it could be from LG or someone else. For example, a search for my TV on video forums revealed that it was actually made by Samsung.
 
I had considered this tv, as my 32" lcd just broke. Its a damn nice tv for the price, just be warned the lack of inputs (which resulted in me not purchasing this tv) There is no VGA input, and no s-video. Plus theres only 2 hdmi slots.
 
I did go ahead and talk the wifey into letting me buy the TV. After pouring over the reviews (2 of the lowest being "it was too big for my bedroom" and "I donn't own it but there is no such thing as a 600 Hz plasma") and for the price point (I'm selling my current set for $100 which makes this set $300 out of pocket) I couldn't pass it up. Plus, I have a line of credit at Best Buy and it was no interest for 18 months.
It's still an intermediate TV... one that will last me a few years while we pay down some debt, then it goes to the bedroom while I get to go buy and super nice set.
And I figure I'm about 10 ft or so from the set, so I think I'll be just fine it terms of 720p/1080p.

I'll let you guys know how it is when I finally get to go pick it up. It has to be shipped to my local Best Buy...
 
Damn I wish I didn't have to replace my hot water tank right now, or have just had to buy new tires for a car I want to get rid of! It'd be nice to upgrade from my crappy flat CRT TV to something of higher quality. Playing some of my :360: games looks horrible.
 
Good luck. My HP tv is going bad. I'd get this but I need more hdmi inputs. (xbox360, Mac mini, ps3, and cable)
 
I have a HDMI splitter that is just wonderful. One of those that switches prioity automatically based on the spot that you plug the cord into. I was happy with at least two HDMI inputs; one for my digital STB/DVR and one that I can split between game systems and blu-ray with the splitter.
 
This TV is a Samsung build (AKA Rebadged). This is an excellent purchase for a TV. Yes, it's 1024x768 but it also comes with a 2 year warranty.
 
i just bought the 32" 1080p version, and so far right out of the box it looks great, no complaints even when using component cables on my 360.
 
That looks like a pretty nice tv for the price. I've been thinking of getting one for my bedroom, but the girly gave me explicit instructions that there would be no playing videogames of any kind on it......whatever the hell explicit means
 
So, I picked it up today. Incredible picture. 360 is beautiful, Wii looks great, and finally a decent blu-ray picture.

I do have a problem with my STB though. I get a picture through HDMI but no sound. I tried using the user settings and diagnostics on the STB but it doesn't look like it sees the TV as HDCP... I've tried various combos of HDMI cords and inputs to no avail. I do get sound through component/composite/etc. I called the Cable Co. and they tried some stuff, ran a 30 minute diagnostic and set me up for an appointment Wednesday.

Any ideas guys? I have a Pace TDC778x STB. I'd really appreciate it! Nothing is as frustrating as waiting over a week for your new TV to come in just to have a problem like this!
 
[quote name='TurkeyOnRye']
Any ideas guys? I have a Pace TDC778x STB. I'd really appreciate it! Nothing is as frustrating as waiting over a week for your new TV to come in just to have a problem like this![/QUOTE]
I have a 787 (similar model I assume). I've noticed that if the DVR is recording something when I turn on the tv and receiver I won't get sound until I change the channel. My blu-ray and 360 behave similarly if I don't turn things on in the *proper* order (tv > receiver > stb/blu/360). I don't know if you're using a receiver, so this may all be moot...
 
I do have a receiver but I skipped it to make sure everything worked properly first... STB straight to the TV through HDMI yeilds no sounds. I'm stuck using Composites until Wednesday :(
 
I actually just picked up two of these. One for my bedroom and one for my parents. It looked good in the store! I'm using a 22" samsung 1080p LCD now. Nice step up.
 
I bought one today. Does anyone know where I can find some good calibration information for it? I tested it out and on Blu-Ray movies, it looks fine, but games look like crap.
 
[quote name='B.K.']I bought one today. Does anyone know where I can find some good calibration information for it? I tested it out and on Blu-Ray movies, it looks fine, but games look like crap.[/QUOTE]

Really? What system? I was quite impressed with my ps3 on it as well as my wii. Haven't tried the 360 yet though.
 
I'm trying to decide between this one and the 42" 1080p 120hz version that's also on sale this week, but for $599. I've heard good things about the brand -- my brother has a 32 incher that's been perfect for nearly 3 years.

Sounds like the 720p one is a good buy. Anyone have the 1080p 120hz version that may be able to shed some additionla light?
 
I don't know if this was mentioned, but this TV is actually just a re-branded Panasonic, and comes with a 2 year warranty, so it's a great deal for anybody looking for a TV.
 
Yeah which is it? I did a bit of research before I bought them and most people were saying a rebranded samsung. Either way, I'm REALLY pleased.

So are my parents. It was nice to get them something that they want since they are paying for my college! Remember to be a good kid!
 
I just got a 22" insignia led-lcd and I love it so far...it may be best buy brand but it has a 2 year warranty so why not take a chance. As for the 720p not to sure its worth it, I saw a few 1080p at macmall the other day for around 450 for a 40" but it really is ymmv
 
So the problem was with the STB... the HDMI port was flaky. Armstrong came out today and replaced the Pace box with a Motorola and it works perfectly.

And the 360 looks great on the TV... Maybe B.K. is sitting too close or didn't chane the settings on his 360. Sure, it's not 1080p but from several feet away you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.
 
[quote name='TheHapaOne']I just got a 22" insignia led-lcd and I love it so far...it may be best buy brand but it has a 2 year warranty so why not take a chance. As for the 720p not to sure its worth it, I saw a few 1080p at macmall the other day for around 450 for a 40" but it really is ymmv[/QUOTE]

Once you go over 40 inchs. going with a 720p res is a bad idea. Thats when 1080p actually is needed. Suprised companies are still makes such large 720p sets.
 
[quote name='TurkeyOnRye']I thought it was a rebranded Samsung?[/QUOTE]

That's probably it, sorry about that. I went through about 50 different LCD TV threads yesterday looking for deals, so they're all merging together. :lol:
 
[quote name='Metalic']Once you go over 40 inchs. going with a 720p res is a bad idea. Thats when 1080p actually is needed. Suprised companies are still makes such large 720p sets.[/QUOTE]

This isn't necessarily true. It all depends on distance from the set. And larger sets usually mean bigger rooms, so larger distance and no noticeable improvement. Also, the improvement isn't even that great. Many places will tell you that you don't really see a big difference between 720p and 1080p until you get to LARGE TVs and projectors (like 80"+).

http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter
 
Insignia isn't top of the line, but for a 42" Plasma, it would be hard to beat for $399. I will probably go with an Insignia TV when I get some money together. Unless you are looking for top of the line you really can't beat it.

[quote name='Erad30']Insignia is a Best Buy brand. It's decent quality. I wish I had the money to spare, I badly need to upgrade from my dinky 22-inch. :cry:[/QUOTE]
 
It's of popular opinion that this particular model is a rebranded Samsung, so I wouldn't be too concerned... especially since it comes with a two year warranty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top