Which TV is best for Dish?

[Ghpr13]

So what? If the thing works, most people could care less. You have to remember, the average person could care less how many inputs things have, or how many features in the menu, or things like that. In fact, it's a safe bet that if you asked most people which input they used to connect their cable or satellite receiver, they'd have no idea what you meant.

Yes, if you want high-end components, you're better off staying away from Walmart. But if you just want a TV and you don't have a big budget (or need some of those advanced features), there's nothing wrong with them.

Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I've worked in the computer industry for quite a few years now. I even ran a computer store for a while, and people would come in and get quotes from us for systems. And then they would march right over to Walmart, Dell, Best Buy, or wherever, and buy the first thing they laid eyes on.

And if you think other companies don't load a bunch of crap on their computers, or have their own models to pimp, you're mistaken. They all do it, not just Walmart. Walmart's just an easy target.

I agree. The differences in the TVs that Wal-Mart sells does not make them an inferior product. This is more about keeping in line with their low cost offerings and helping to stop price matching on "big ticket" (for Wal-Mart) items. Costco, Target, K-Mart, they all do it.
Back in the late 70's and early 80's when Audio was king, many retailers like JC Penney & Sears, did the same thing. Back then the main difference was that Penney & Sears had the manufacturers put the retailers name on the equipment instead of the manufacturer, giving the appearance to the consumer that they produce quality items like the "named brands" but at a lower price.
If you do your research on what model you want to buy, it shouldn't matter where you buy except maybe knowing that where you are buying from is a reputable place. This comes in play more when buying On Line.

Ghpr13

 

[samijubal]

You don't know just where they've skimped on the TV. I'll give you an example of how Walmart works. When I went to buy an ice chest a couple of months ago I went to Walmart and Target, the Walmart Igloo had the water drain missing, the similiar model at Target had a drain. I don't know how many times you've used an ice chest but a 50 quart cooler without a water drain is a total joke. Walmart will do virtually anything they can to save a few pennies.

To the OP, if you look around you can ALWAYS get a better deal than WM on a better model TV. Walmart's TV prices aren't that good, especially when you factor in they are WM models.

 

[samijubal]

If you have a Sears near you they often have pretty good sales on TVs and sometimes you can get 10% off the sale price and another 10% off that if you use a Sears card. They have 10% off TVs starting at 8PM today. Add to that a very liberal price matching policy and you can get some pretty great deals there if the timing is right.

 

[puttersea]

Go 1080p if you can afford it. Might as well get the best you can from the get go. It is like buying a new car. Would you buy a new car without air conditioning or power windows? Get all your bells and whistles from the get go. You will be happy you did.

I have a Panasonic p50G15. Dish is absolutely gorgeous on it!

 

[Ghpr13]

Go 1080p if you can afford it. Might as well get the best you can from the get go. It is like buying a new car. Would you buy a new car without air conditioning or power windows? Get all your bells and whistles from the get go. You will be happy you did.

I have a Panasonic p50G15. Dish is absolutely gorgeous on it!

I agree with getting a 1080p set. The difference in cost between 720p & 1080p isn't that much anymore. My LCD is 1080p and I'm very happy with it. I feel that 1080p will become the norm as technology progresses.
Ghpr13

 

[priester68]

So wal mart carries Vizio, Sony, Samsung, etc. Which brand would you reccomend or stay away from? I know there are good and bad experiences with all brands but is there a brand out there that has a "golden rule" saying don't buy me?

 

[priester68]

I've always had Sony tv's and they have never given me a problem but Vizio seems to be less money.

 

[whatchel1]

Not a $ony fan

I've always had Sony tv's and they have never given me a problem but Vizio seems to be less money.

I've always found $ony overpriced for the value.

 

[Ringthane]

If you have a Sears near you they often have pretty good sales on TVs and sometimes you can get 10% off the sale price and another 10% off that if you use a Sears card. They have 10% off TVs starting at 8PM today. Add to that a very liberal price matching policy and you can get some pretty great deals there if the timing is right.

Yeah, that's exactly what people are doing in this economy - getting more credit cards.

And show me where a Walmart TV is that different from one you'd get at Best Buy, or Amazon.com, or Sears, or wherever. Don't tell me about drains on coolers. Show me why Walmart's TVs are so inferior. All I know is, I plug it into the box and the wall, turn it on, and get a great picture. Show me why I got screwed by buying it at Walmart and not somewhere else.

 

[Ghpr13]

I've always found $ony overpriced for the value.

Sony doesn't have the same reputation it once had, IMO. If you do some research and comparing, you can usually find a comparable TV from one of Sony's competitors for a lot less cost.

AVS Forum is a good place to check out any TVs you might be interested in.

I researched TVs for about 2 or 3 months before I decided on my Samsung LN40A550. That was 2 years ago, and for me I feel I made the best purchase I could at the time. I have never had "Buyer Remorse" with my Samsung. I delighted every time I watch it. (Even the Wife said I did good!)
Ghpr13

 

[Dah-Henny]

So wal mart carries Vizio, Sony, Samsung, etc. Which brand would you reccomend or stay away from? I know there are good and bad experiences with all brands but is there a brand out there that has a "golden rule" saying don't buy me?

I will never, ever, buy another Vizio tv. I paid $1100 for a Vizio 50 inch plasma from SamsClub, and in the 13th month, one month out of warranty, I experienced the pop of death. Vizio told me to jump off a cliff...Fine, I marched into Best Buy and purchased a Samsung with a 4 year extended warranty. A few days ago, I signed my name to a potential class action suit against Vizio.

 

[whatchel1]

I understand that

I will never, ever, buy another Vizio tv. I paid $1100 for a Vizio 50 inch plasma from SamsClub, and in the 13th month, one month out of warranty, I experienced the pop of death. Vizio told me to jump off a cliff...Fine, I marched into Best Buy and purchased a Samsung with a 4 year extended warranty. A few days ago, I signed my name to a potential class action suit against Vizio.

In a TV station that I worked at recently we had one of those Vizio 50 pain in the ass units. It had an extended warranty and warranty has been used 3 times before I left there. It weighed a ton and had burn in problems and would go out around once a year.

 

[priester68]

OK Vizio is out. Thanks for the input.

 

[olds403]

Get the 1080p TV, you will see a difference with blu-ray, even on a 46" set. I would also get a plasma, probably a samsung or panasonic. Plasma will give you much more bang for the buck in picture quality. For the same picture quality(black level) from an LCD you would have to get a local dimming LED backlit LCD which costs considerably more.

 

[samijubal]

Vizio dropped plasmas a year or two ago. They were LGs or they used LG circuit boards anyway, I'm not sure if LG actually made them or not. Get a Panasonic. The Panasonics have the best PQ and reliability. If you look in Consumer Reports Samsung breakdowns are about 50% higher than Panasonic. Both are fairly low in breakdowns but Panny is lower, Panasonic is about 3% in the first 3 years, Samsung is about 5%.

 

[KAB]

All I can say is I have had a Sammy Plasma nearly 4 years without incident.

 

[djsegura]

I think everyone will have there own opinion about what tv is the best or the worst. I have all Vizio tvs (6 of them)in my house now and have not had any problems with any of them and ages range from 4years to about 6 months and all of them purchased from SAMS. The main tv is the 55 LED its about 8 months old and anytime people come over even if they have seen it before are just amazed how great it looks. That Vizio replaced a 61 Samy DLP I had for about 3 years and also never had any problems with. Good luck with finding the tv that is right for you.

 

[CELDER]

I have given up on Sony products. My big screen went bad shortly after warranty and so did my dvd player with five speakers. Never again.

 

[jgurley]

I have given up on Sony products. My big screen went bad shortly after warranty and so did my dvd player with five speakers. Never again.

I agree completely. Sony products are over rated and over priced. Samsung or Panasonic offer high quality and fair pricing.

 

[samijubal]

From someone who worked on electronics for many years, Sony is overpriced and has serious reliability issues on most of what they sell. How they ever got a reputation for their electronics being more reliable is beyond me. Maybe their products used to be more reliable than other brands, if so it was a long time ago.

Panasonic gives a very good balance of bang for the buck and reliability, has for some time now. Samsung was bottom-of-the-barrel not very many years back. They've done a lot in recent years to improve performance and reliability but they still aren't and probably never will be on par with Panasonic.