Posts Tagged ‘47″ LCD HDTV’

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Great price for a great TV

Monday, November 9th, 2009

My family has enjoyed this television for the past two months. My wife even enjoys watching the news programs now since they are in beautiful HD.

I made my selection after doing some careful side-by-side picture comparisons at a local warehouse store. I generally prefer a matte-like screen over the shiny ones that many of the models have these days since our television screen is opposite from some bright windows and I wanted to keep reflected glare on the screen down to a minimum.

I knew that there would be situations at home in which I would not be sitting directly in front of the screen so it was important that the screen image be clear even when viewed from off to the side and I tried to duplicate such a situation when viewing the various models on display in the store. To my eyes, the JVC had the best screen image when viewed from such an angle. In terms of overall picture quality, the only one out of the displayed models from Vizio, Sony, Sharp, etc. was the one from Samsung. I chose not to purchase the Samsung model since I had a bad experience with a computer monitor manufactured by that company and was never able to speak with a live customer service representative to discuss my problem. In addition, the Samsung model had the shiny screen that I felt would reflect too much window glare.

After removing the television from the box my son and I had it up and running in a manner of minutes and were soon enjoying our Blu-ray movies. Since that day I have experienced no problems with it and have no complaints so far. The expected window light glare has not been an issue and the screen is visible even when looking at it from another room. I really believe that this model was worth every penny of the reasonable price that I paid for it.

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JVC LT47P789 – Great picture

Monday, November 9th, 2009

I purchased the LT47P789 a couple days ago. I upgraded from the VP322- 32″ plasma. I thought the plasma had a good HD picture until I put them side by side. There really is a big difference in richness and quality between the 2 pictures. The plasma seems to have a dull film over the picture with colors not as true or vivid including blacks. There is also a difference in detail such as face imperfections that are clearly picked up on the 1080 versus the 720 plasma.

For comparison I used a Gefen tv splitter 1:4 that takes the HDMI cable from my Dish Network receiver and splits it to 4-HDMI displays. The Gefen splitters are a little pricey but they also split the audio correctly including lip sync pass through. 2 x 10 watt Speakers provide decent sound and are not tinny like on the plasma. A would recommend a surround sound system for true theater feel however.

I see little to no motion blur while watching sports in HD. Its comparable with the plasma. The tv also has the ipod docking station that I have yet to try.

The cons I see with the LT47P789 is it does a poor job with SD 480i signals. The plasma also did a poor job. The 480p progressive scan dvd player looks very good however. Hopefully we will have all HD channels in the near future.

Just a note the factory settings were actually not that good for my taste when I got the tv. After doing some adjusting I ended up with: video status-dynamic, tint-45, color-68, picture-54, bright- 52, detail-25, back light-100, color temp-cool.

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Outstanding – Phlips 47PFL6704D/F7

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

I have been researching on and off for almost 6 months trying to find the “perfect” tv that will fit my needs and my pocketbook. I have reviewed the technical details and the specifications of numerous tvs and had narrowed the search down to the Samsung LN46B630 and the Phillips 47 PFL6704D. I had decided on the Samsung and went to my local Sam’s Club to buy it when the manager of the electronics area, told me they had a rash of returns on the Samsungs over the last month.

I had no reason not to switch as both units were at the top of my list, but after making my decision and purchasing the Phillips and using it for 10 days, I know I made the right decision.

Arriving home with the TV my wife assisted me in removing it from the box. This task is made very easy by the clever design of the box. It is a two person job. Do not try it by yourself as you are likely to tip it over and damage the TV. The next day, the Direct TV guy came and installed our dish and hooked up the tv. He hooked up the tv and couldn’t believe the tv didn’t appear to need any adjustment right out of the box. He also couldn’t believe how effective the matte screen reduced the amount of reflection nearly to zero.

I have only had one LCD TV and that was a 26inch Vizio in my RV. It seemed to take forever to get that adjusted for acceptable color etc. The Phillips seemed to need no adjustment so I thought I would wait for a few days before making any adjustments. The PFL670 is a 120 Hz so one sees no “judder” and its 2 ms response time is so fast you don’t have ANY lag time or jerky movements during fast action scenes. The colors are bright and vivid it kind of reminded me of when I got new glasses my entire world brightened up. So it is with the Phillips TV. I have a friend who is a TV tech at a national electronics store coming over tomorrow. He told me he will be glad to make any adjustments since they don’t sell Phillips at his store. He wants to be able to compare it to the Samsung and other models they do sell. He was very skeptical that the set would be “IN TUNE” right out of the box. If possible, I will come back and make additions and corrections to this review when he has completed his “tune up”. In summary, my wife and I are both pleased beyond belief that we found a TV that meets all our needs including the lack of reflections by the matte screen. We wish that all our decisions would work out this well.

I want to add, that I don’t think it fair that people mark a TV up or down with delivery issues. The delivery has nothing to do with the product and it’s performance. Delivery is a separate issue. I rate the Phillips soley on it performance and its specs. I try to compare it to other products and their specs. When a product does not meet its specs it should be downgraded in the review. In the case of this particular Phillips TV, in my opinion, this model meets or exceeds all the specs. The contrast issue of 50K to 1 with this model is reduced by the matt screen. If you have a glossy screen you will have a sharper black. However, with a matte screen and a setting with the potential for reflection, our living room with a walk thru patio door, we were more concerned with reflection than we were with sharper blacks. After all, 50K is right up there with the best of them regardless of the matte screen.

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The pain of research pays off!

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

O.K., if you’re reading this, it’s probably only one in a long line of reviews that you’ll be researching in your seemingly epic quest for the right LCD T.V. I know your pain. If you have a family like me, you don’t drop a cool grand or more on anything unless you’re positive that you’re getting the most for your money. I am here to lay your fears to rest.

The saying goes “I don’t know art, but I know what I like.” I didn’t know anything about this new technology until I started to look for the right LCD. And the manufacturers do not make that task simple. There always seemed to be some compromise for the sake of size or the brand name or the contrast ratio or the 120Hz…(gasp, pant). But I digress, this T.V. blew me away.

Philips isn’t exactly one of the big names you think of when it comes to HDTV, not like Sony or Samsung. That’s what I used to think. This set stood out from the seas of hi-def splattered on the walls of department stores. The picture quality is truly astounding. Not just for this price, for any price. Although 120 Hz isn’t exactly my thing, (I think it makes everything look too computer animated), the rest of the features were a God send.

For example, I can’t stand having too many options for my picture. I never want to mess with the Gamma settings of my T.V., nor do I have the desire to even know what that means. I just want to WATCH my T.V., and I want it to look pretty. So, this T.V. has presets that optimize it for different viewing experiences, ex. movies, games, low power “night” mode, and so on. The simplicity of the beauty on my screen only adds to my love for this product. Have had zero issues with quality or reliability.

Haven’t had to deal with Philips cust. service, so I can’t speak to that end. The sound, with sufficient volume, is more than enough to feel immersed in whatever you’re watching. So, if you’re finally tired of hunting, comparing, contrasting, compromising, agonizing, side-by-siding, and scrutinizing, rest at ease with this purchase. I haven’t regretted it, and I hope you won’t either.

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Great Looking TV

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

I have wanted to get an HD TV for a while. I spent a weekend looking for one and saw this at a local store. I compared it to Sony, Samsung, LG and others and thought it had the best picture. The colors are better – clearer and more true to life, and it’s a lot less blurry than most TVs on the shelf. It provides a much clearer picture than regular or 120 TVs for less than true 240. Football, action movies and TV shows all look great. I don’t know how it would compare side by side with a true 240, but I’m not worried. It was on Amazon for less than the one store I found that carried it, so I ordered it. And it’s even cheaper now. The reviews I found online, such as CNET, were all favorable.

Delivery was free and took less than a week. Though the company Amazon had delivering it almost didn’t deliver it. I waited the day it was to show up and it never came. I searched my order for delivery company info, Googled them and called the local office. They had a driver bring it out at about 7pm, but if I hadn’t called, it would have been a few more days. That is the first problem with Amazon shipping I have ever had, but the first time it has not been USPS/UPS.

The box isn’t the cool, easy, lift off top. But since it isn’t real heavy, unpacking wasn’t too bad.

The TV is beautiful. The picture is great. I love the extra inputs. There are plenty for different connections. I can connect my laptop via HDMI and the picture quality is crystal clear. I had some problems with the remote at first, but I think it was just getting used to how it worked. What functions were active on what menu or setting.

I also purchased an LG Blu Ray home theater (LG LHB977) and they work great together. The LG has an extra HDMI input so my cable routes through it, simplifying the surround sound. And now that I have HD cable, I am more amazed at the picture quality. The Toshiba sound is great, but of course, not surround.

The TV supports plugging a USB device like an external hard drive into it and playing movies and videos from it. That function works very well. I have not tried using an SD card to view pictures.

I have had it for about 1 1/2 months and still love it. The LG Blu ray is pretty nice too. No complaints on it. Plus my wife likes the TV, so that is a great bonus. I love the TV and highly recommend it

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