Exchanging HDTV

[quote name='ChuckZ']So I'm currently in the midst of possibly exchanging my TV due to it having some HDMI flickering issues. Thankfully I still have the warranty on my TV and am going to check with Best Buy and see if I can do a return or exchange for another TV.

If that's the case and they let me exchange it for a newer model, I would like you guys opinion on some good Brands and/or models (only for best buy) that you recommend for gaming, as well as cable TV.

My current TV is a LN40B630.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Samsung is pretty much king when it comes to LED TVs. Sony, Sharp and Vizio are solid alternatives.

Panasonic is king for plasma TVs. Samsung is a close second. Don't bother with anyone else.

Let us know your price range and I'm sure people will chime in with suggestions.

Well my return value is $850 topped.
I'll be adding a warranty on that as well if needed down the road.
I came across some nice 1080p HDTVs that where smart TVs

But with next gen consoles around the corner I wonder if resolution or definition will have a different meaning for TVs and current TVs will be outdated.

[quote name='ChuckZ']Well my return value is $850 topped.
I'll be adding a warranty on that as well if needed down the road.
I came across some nice 1080p HDTVs that where smart TVs

But with next gen consoles around the corner I wonder if resolution or definition will have a different meaning for TVs and current TVs will be outdated.[/QUOTE]

The next wave of TVs is still a few years away (at least until they hit reasonable prices). 4K and OLED TVs are going to be the next gen TVs. I recommend reading up on them that way you can decide for yourself, but IMO at your price point you can safely buy a TV today that will hold you over for at least 5-7 years.

What size are you looking for?

it's actually pretty funny.
Because the TV that I have now is a 40 inch TV. But with the way that my room is set up I have the TV mounted on my wall but its right across from my bed it's literally almost in my face so I think I actually want to go to 37 inch.
Actually heard that going with 32 inch or 37 inch as far as gaming and resolution they actually look more defined.
the 40 I have seems way too big

[quote name='ChuckZ']it's actually pretty funny.
Because the TV that I have now is a 40 inch TV. But with the way that my room is set up I have the TV mounted on my wall but its right across from my bed it's literally almost in my face so I think I actually want to go to 37 inch.
Actually heard that going with 32 inch or 37 inch as far as gaming and resolution they actually look more defined.
the 40 I have seems way too big[/QUOTE]

Blasphemy! Lol I had my 40" tv about 4 feet away from me at one point and I loved it. Watching movies and playing games made me feel like I was in a movie theatre.

Anyway, do what you will.

Also agree and don't worry about 4K or OLED TVs any time soon. Besides I think it will be a while before consoles adapt to the 4K resolution and the same with media players. TV broadcasting will take even longer than that.

Im not sure if the whole exchanging tv will work. About 3 years ago i had a 26" tv that was giving me problems with the HDMI also and in wishful thinking i thought best buy would just exchange the tv well they didnt. I had the warranty through best buy also. So what they end up doing was keep the tv for a couple days im not sure if they sent it to the manufacturers or if they fixed it them selfs. Long story short they kept my tv and about a week later i got a call to come get it. So good luck, keep us informed on what they tell you. Keep in mind this was about 3 years ago so i dont know if they changed their warranty plan or something.

Here are some models I would recommend. Unfortunately, you are not getting a lot of bang for your buck with a some of these TVs.

-Samsung LN40D630 40" LCD TV
-Samsung UN40ES6100 40" LED TV
-Sony Bravia KDL-40BX450 40" LCD TV
-Vizio RazorLED XVT373SV 37" LCD TV
-Panasonic VIERA TC-L37E3 37" LED TV
-Samsung UN32EH5000 32" LCD TV
-Samsung UN32EH4003 32" LCD TV
-Sony BRAVIA KDL32BX330 32" HDTV

Good luck.

Stay away from Vizio. They are garbage. If you do get a Vizio, get the best warranty you can. Serious.

If anything breaks when its out of warranty they will not fix it and will force you to buy a new tv...google around, they have a pretty high failure rate as they dont own any factories or make any of their own components. They outsource everything to the lowest cost supplier which results in tvs that break prematurely. I had a 32" vizio LCD that lasted 13 months, but my 42" plasma LG has been going strong for almost 5 years. Google around and you will see so many complaints...

The TV I had failed because the "brain" chip on the input board failed due to thermal expansion over time and stress (it developed CSJs or cold soldier joints - similar to how the older phat xbox 360s die eventually, and probably for the same reason - cheap manufacturing and components). They used such a cheap heatsync with plastic clips to hold it in (as well as cheap thermal pads), so it was no wonder it failed after only a year. I had to pay over $100 to fix it myself because Vizio would not help me out because I was barely 1 month past my warranty of 12 months. Weak. I fixed it and sold the POS.

BTW, Vizios answer to anything breaking is to just replace the whole set. In their view, their stuff it such cheap garbage that it is not cost effective to repair it. They just give you a whole new set if you are still within your year warranty. That is why when I was barely past my warranty they were like sorry, you are screwed. All they would have had to replace was 1 stupid board that would probably have cost them like $20, but they are such POS' that I had to do it myself in the second-hand market so it cost me over $100. I will never buy a Vizio again. Ever, especially after reading about numerous other people's issues with them online via Google search when I was looking for a replacement board. Wish I would have read all that before buying the tv. You live and you learn...

[quote name='RedRingOfDeath']Stay away from Vizio. They are garbage. If you do get a Vizio, get the best warranty you can. Serious.

If anything breaks when its out of warranty they will not fix it and will force you to buy a new tv...google around, they have a pretty high failure rate as they dont own any factories or make any of their own components. They outsource everything to the lowest cost supplier which results in tvs that break prematurely. I had a 32" vizio LCD that lasted 13 months, but my plasma LG has been going strong for almost 5 years. Google around and you will see so many complaints...

The TV I had failed because the "brain" chip on the input board failed due to thermal expansion over time and stress. They used such a cheap heatsync with plastic clips to hold it in (as well as cheap thermal pads), so it was no wonder it failed after only a year. I had to pay over $100 to fix it myself because Vizio would not help me out because I was barely 1 month past my warranty of 12 months. Weak.[/QUOTE]

Bummer sorry to hear that.
The problem that I'm facing now is mainly during video gaming. For some reason why while I'm playing a game the input that I'm using with HDMI the screen flickers. A brief second and then returns to its resolution. But it happens like every hour or every half hour so. It's kind of starting to annoy me so I'm hoping maybe since I have a warranty on it you know I could probably get something out of it

[quote name='ChuckZ']Bummer sorry to hear that.
The problem that I'm facing now is mainly during video gaming. For some reason why while I'm playing a game the input that I'm using with HDMI the screen flickers. A brief second and then returns to its resolution. But it happens like every hour or every half hour so. It's kind of starting to annoy me so I'm hoping maybe since I have a warranty on it you know I could probably get something out of it[/QUOTE]
Have you tried with another hdmi cable?

No not yet ill do it this afternoon and let everyone know the outcome but like I said its not something that occurs frequently enough for it to be a priority to return..

I had this same exact problem with my 720p projector when I watched Blu Rays. I had to go to my PS3's menu and turn down the max resolution to 720p, instead of the default 1080. When I did that the flickering stopped. Sometimes the TV (or in this case, projector) can't handle the higher resolution and flickers.

It wasn't the cable, I called geek squad and put a work order in for them to come check out the tv and try to repair it since the warranty is still effect.

The guy on the phone told me to dismount the tv from the wall before the repair man man man man man (lol sorry had too, some of you will get it)
Came but I don't see how.he can see what the problem is if the tv is off the hook.

He also mentioned since its a problem that doesn't happen regularly to try and capture it on video with ky phone or something.

A friend that works at best buy told me that they are going to want to fix nothing and simply give me an exchange receipt to return it for a new TV. So this will happen sometime this week...

Also stay far away from Westinghouse, they have absolutely no support even if your TV breaks and is under warranty. You won't be able to reach anyone at the company if this happens. If you are buying a Westinghouse get the best warranty you can find but really, you should never buy one!

Speaking of best buy warranties I have a warranty on my new computer monitor, that I bought because my old one busted. Since I keep my computer on all the time and my monitor is on all the time too I decided that I am a pretty heavy user and I should probably buy the warranty. I managed to kill my Acer LCD monitor a few months after the 3 year manufacturers warranty expired. I will never buy another Acer product again. The warranty on this monitor was only $30 for 3 years so its a no brainer. I will probably kill the monitor within this time period but I am just wondering if they will want to fix the monitor or if they will just give me store credit or perhaps another monitor in its place when if and when it does break. The reason I am asking is I only have one monitor so if it busts I have nothing else for my desktop, and I can't live without my desktop. If they choose to fix the monitor and take it for a while then is it my responsibility to keep a backup on hand or will they give me a loaner monitor?

The geek squad employee came in to look at my TV Today.
They actually ordered the part to replace on my TV which he said he would be replacing the main board on the TV, that I was lucky enough that they had the part.

So that settles that.. LOL