Looking for a 19 inch HDTV

Mr Durand Pierre

Mr Durand Pierre

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I'm looking for a cheap, but good quality HDTV. I definitely want it to be widescreen, but don't care too much about size as long as it's at least 19 inches. My top candidates include:
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=180272#proddesc

http://www.target.com/Olevia-19-LCD...rowse=1&index=tgt-mf-mv&rank=price&rh=&page=1

and http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8256576&type=product&id=1169512772236

According to customer reviews (which I always take with a grain of salt), the Polaroid one at CC is fantastic, and I may be able to get away with using a printout of the $40 off $200 coupon that's been floating around here, so I'm leaning in that direction, but I'm open to any and all suggestions. So, what do you all think?
 
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Can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages of a 16:10 TV? I mean, I know 16:9 is the standard for Widescreen, so wouldn't a 16:10 TV stretch everything vertically?
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']Can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages of a 16:10 TV? I mean, I know 16:9 is the standard for Widescreen, so wouldn't a 16:10 TV stretch everything vertically?[/QUOTE]

Yes, vertically it will be slightly stretched. More noticeable when viewing television programs or movies, but much less so when playing games.
 
One of my friend's has the Westinghouse, and it is pretty nice. I wish I would have picked up the Westinghouse when I got my LCD for school. At the time I had found an Open Box item for 249.99
 
I'm still leaning towards getting a TV from Circuit City for no other reason than the $40 off $200 coupon as well as the fact that I have $75 credit there. But of CC's selection I'm still having a hard time deciding. I've decided not to go with the Polaroid one due to it being 16:10 and I don't want it distorting everything. So now I'm deciding between:

Sharp
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Shar...90360/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Samsung
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sams...73617/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

and Magnavox http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Magn...88994/catOid/-12869/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

And while I'm sure I'll sound like a noob, I'm not entirely sure what contrast ratio means. Is 700:1 better or worse than 400:1? I'm also thinking of buying one of these bad boys tonight, so immediate help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hey... Do you plan on buying a warranty?

If so... (I'm by no means trying to spam here) squaretrade.com.

I recently came acrossed it when I bought my iPod. Some items are not so good of a deal, so you will have to check.

Example: Xbox 360 at BB warranty is 39.99 (I think) for 2 years and on the site I think it is 49.99.

However, iPod 80Gb classic at BB is 60 and not full coverage. I got 3 year full coverage including accidents on this site for 35.

It is reliable, I looked it up in the Better Business Bureau and on a few other reference sites. Before I purchased my iPod warranty through them.
 
The more I research this the more baffled I am. All the TVs get good reviews, but then have a handful of people bashing them saying they're awful. Has anyone here had any personal experience with any of the smaller HDTVs available at CC?
 
[quote name='mvp828']Hey... Do you plan on buying a warranty?

If so... (I'm by no means trying to spam here) squaretrade.com.

I recently came acrossed it when I bought my iPod. Some items are not so good of a deal, so you will have to check.

Example: Xbox 360 at BB warranty is 39.99 (I think) for 2 years and on the site I think it is 49.99.

However, iPod 80Gb classic at BB is 60 and not full coverage. I got 3 year full coverage including accidents on this site for 35.

It is reliable, I looked it up in the Better Business Bureau and on a few other reference sites. Before I purchased my iPod warranty through them.[/QUOTE]

Their website is awful. I've been looking at it for 15 minutes and I'm still not sure how to even buy a warranty. There's a place to log in, but only if you're an already existing customer. I don't get it.
 
I'd get the Samsung. True it is a little more money, but i have a 23" Samsung LCD and it's perfect! Check amazon for tvs as well, they have great prices! I got my samsung for about $200 less than CC or BB (at the time i bought it...)
 
[quote name='ep2011']I'd get the Samsung. True it is a little more money, but i have a 23" Samsung LCD and it's perfect! Check amazon for tvs as well, they have great prices! I got my samsung for about $200 less than CC or BB (at the time i bought it...)[/QUOTE]
im thinking about getting a 23in tv too.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=173619#CustomerRatings

do you happen to know if this samsung's any good? Seems a little overpriced though(and does that high contrast ratio help?). Im planning to use it for a computer/game consoles.
 
Those Samsung models are actually not so good. You'll notice a fuzzy look to it. I'd recommend actually visiting the B&M stores and seeing it in-person for yourself. Do some side-by-side visual comparisons, and it'll open your eyes!
 
Do you have a Costco membership ?
Costco extends manufacture warranty to 2 years
Returns accepted within 90 days from date of purchase
so if you really arent happy with it or find a better deal in the next 90 days you could take it back

19" http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11242608&whse=BC&Ne=5000002+4000000&eCat=BC|79|2341&N=4001382 4294908729&Mo=6&No=6&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=

22" http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11242603&whse=BC&Ne=5000002+4000000&eCat=BC|79|2341&N=4001382 4294908729&Mo=6&No=5&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']Their website is awful. I've been looking at it for 15 minutes and I'm still not sure how to even buy a warranty. There's a place to log in, but only if you're an already existing customer. I don't get it.[/quote]


There is a blue box on the right side of the page that opens when you click on the link. It is titled "Get A Warranty Quote!". You then select retail and then select your Item, followed by Item type (ex. LCD, Plasma, etc.) and then you punch in the retail price.

Also, I don't know if they have them anymore, but the Insignia LCDs at Best Buy aren't too bad. I got a 17 inch last year before I started college, and it looks really good. I have heard mixed reviews on them, but they are a good bang for the buck.
 
I ended up going with one I hadn't considered before; the 20" LG model (I would provide a link, but CC's site is down for maintenance). It was a bit of a toss-up, and while I don't put much stock in customer reviews, it did make me raise an eyebrow to see there were 3 reviews (out of 63) for the LG model stating that they previously bought the Samsung, and exchanged it for the LG because the Samsung simply wasn't as good ("too dark" being the primary complaint). I wasn't able to get that good a comparison at the store as the Samsung display model was a bit messed up, but the salesman said it had to do with the cables. I asked him to switch the cables with another display model and he did, so it looked a lot better, but the colors were still off. He fiddled around with it a bit and while I'm sure it's a decent enough TV, I never got a chance to see it at its' prime whereas the LG one looked at least as good as any of the others in that size. And while the Samsung one was experience setting issues, I still checked for viewing angle and the LG one was clearly better in that regard, and I don't think that any cables nor wires would effect that sort of thing. I'm not terribly familiar with LG TVs, but they are a common enough brand in electronics and I have to admit that it takes some gall for them to price their product in the same tier as triple A brands like Samsung and Sharp, so it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume they have a quality product after all. Has anyone else had experiences with them?

Anyhoo, I've hooked the TV up and while I have little to compare it too (outside CC's other display models) it seems to look rather good, but I am a bit disappointed by it's vertical viewing angle. It's horizontal viewing angle is fine, and I checked both at the store and believe that the vertical viewing angle was at least as good as any of them, but it's just a common flaw with smaller LCDs I suppose. But it was a tad disappointing that I can't put it on my chest of drawers because it would be positioned too high and thus look too dark if I'm sitting on a chair. But it looks fine on my entertainment center, so I suppose it all works out in the end.
 
[quote name='mvp828']There is a blue box on the right side of the page that opens when you click on the link. It is titled "Get A Warranty Quote!". You then select retail and then select your Item, followed by Item type (ex. LCD, Plasma, etc.) and then you punch in the retail price.

Also, I don't know if they have them anymore, but the Insignia LCDs at Best Buy aren't too bad. I got a 17 inch last year before I started college, and it looks really good. I have heard mixed reviews on them, but they are a good bang for the buck.[/QUOTE

I finally figured that out (that blue box looks like an ad, and it's default setting is for eBay products making it doubly confusing), but I was wondering when I'd have to register a product by. I mean, could I wait for my CC 30 day trial to expire and then sign up with this place?

Also, have you known anyone to ever use them? I'm sure they're legit (as in legal), but can anyone confirm that they actually deliver on what they claim to?
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']
I finally figured that out (that blue box looks like an ad, and it's default setting is for eBay products making it doubly confusing), but I was wondering when I'd have to register a product by. I mean, could I wait for my CC 30 day trial to expire and then sign up with this place?

Also, have you known anyone to ever use them? I'm sure they're legit (as in legal), but can anyone confirm that they actually deliver on what they claim to?[/quote]


You can purchase it within 30 days of the purchase date. I have not had to redeem my warranty, so I am unable to say that they fulfill.

One of the things that convinced me was just the company history (been around for 8 years(I think that is how many)) alone, and the fact that if you look on eBay most sellers have them selected as the company to purchase extended warranties for.
 
My sister bought 3 Polaroids one for her kids and the kitchen, and 1 died within the first 10 hours, and the other died within 1 week. Switched out for Magnavox. The reviews for the Polaroid are good. Maybe she got a bad batch. The third one is still working after a month.
 
This may sound like a stupid question, but how do I tell if my new TV is 1080i or 720p? I see nothing about this in the documentation and right now my 360 is set to 1080i, however, according to bestbuy.com (not where I got the TV, but the same model nonetheless) this TV is 720p. I don't really know the difference between them, but does this mean I should change my 360 settings to 720p or just leave them as is?
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']This may sound like a stupid question, but how do I tell if my new TV is 1080i or 720p? I see nothing about this in the documentation and right now my 360 is set to 1080i, however, according to bestbuy.com (not where I got the TV, but the same model nonetheless) this TV is 720p. I don't really know the difference between them, but does this mean I should change my 360 settings to 720p or just leave them as is?[/QUOTE]

Test out both and see which one looks better. Most HDTVs support both but the native one looks better (which is generally 720p on LCDs).
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']This may sound like a stupid question, but how do I tell if my new TV is 1080i or 720p? I see nothing about this in the documentation and right now my 360 is set to 1080i, however, according to bestbuy.com (not where I got the TV, but the same model nonetheless) this TV is 720p. I don't really know the difference between them, but does this mean I should change my 360 settings to 720p or just leave them as is?[/QUOTE]

There should be an 'info' button on the remote; press it and viola!

The info shows the type of signal its receiving and displaying.
 
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