Help Me Choose one of these TV's

[Che Castro]

Zenith 42" Class 720p Plasma HDTV - $359.99
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_05775841000P?i_cntr=1307936280500




Sceptre 40" Class 1080p LCD HDTV $348
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-X402BV-FHD/15739134




this one is only available instore, walmart
Emerson® 40" Class LCD TV $348
One-Time Offer
• 40" class (40.0" diagonal screen size)
• 1080p resolution
• 60Hz refresh rate
#LC407EM1




I know these are not the Best TV's out there, i already have a nice TV for The Main Room, this is for the Guest Room


which one would you Guys Get if you where forced to pick one ?




and im going to put an ATV2 in there also

 

[McFunkerson]

Zenith 42" Class 720p Plasma HDTV - $359.99
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_05775841000P?i_cntr=1307936280500




Sceptre 40" Class 1080p LCD HDTV $348
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sceptre-X402BV-FHD/15739134




this one is only available instore, walmart
Emerson® 40" Class LCD TV $348
One-Time Offer
• 40" class (40.0" diagonal screen size)
• 1080p resolution
• 60Hz refresh rate
#LC407EM1




I know these are not the Best TV's out there, i already have a nice TV for The Main Room, this is for the Guest Room


which one would you Guys Get if you where forced to pick one ?




and im going to put an ATV2 in there also

Neither, I know it's for the guest room and you're not looking to spend a lot of money... But I've had noting but problems with Sceptre as a brand, Emerson I have never heard of, and Zeneth doesn't really fill me with confidence either. Honestly your best bet is to look for reviews on all three, and don't buy one unless you can lookmat it in person. If you have a Costco membership they will extend the manufacturers warranty to 2 years at no additional cost. If you're going for a cheap tv you'll probably need it.

 

[eTip]

.....if I was forced to choose, I would:

a) do without until I could afford a better TV ( the Phillips is only ~$100 more @ WalMart). $100 more gives you a lot more options and will save you much more in headaches, IMHO.
b) buy a used or refurb tv that has good reviews (check CNET)
c) order a better tv online to save the tax.
d) buy a smaller but better quality tv

Zenith hasn't made a decent TV in ages, Emerson never has and I am not familiar with Sceptre. I am not a tv snob....or wealthy by any means...but I know the pain of buying a cheap tv can bring. If it were just a matter of picture quality that's one thing but do you really want to deal with a broken 40" TV - warranty or not?

 

[Che Castro]

$400 was my limit


Lol i should had put " if you had a gun to your head" in the original post

Now your force to choose

 

[eTip]

$400 was my limit


Lol i should had put " if you had a gun to your head" in the original post

Now your force to choose

Shoot me!

No, seriously - check the reviews on CNET or elsewhere for these specific models. Just like Apple or other well-respected companies can sometimes put out a crappy product, it's possible that one of these TV's isnt a complete piece of garbage. ;-)

 

[JoeShades]

$400 was my limit


Lol i should had put " if you had a gun to your head" in the original post

Now your force to choose

so put more money away for awhile and get a new limit, if you really can never go above that limit i suggest spending your money on something you need more.

 

[aarond12]

Go a few inches smaller and get a good quality TV:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32D...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1308002642&sr=1-38

 

[Che Castro]

Go a few inches smaller and get a good quality TV:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-LN32D...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1308002642&sr=1-38

This is more helpful

Thanks aarond

Shoot me!

No, seriously - check the reviews on CNET or elsewhere for these specific models. Just like Apple or other well-respected companies can sometimes put out a crappy product, it's possible that one of these TV's isnt a complete piece of garbage. ;-)

On the eTip thanks

 

[thekb]

For me it would be between the Zenith and Sceptre. If you think you really NEED 1080P or if you are going to use it as a monitor, then get the Sceptre. The Zenith gains 2 inches but is 720 P. Personally, I don't think 720 or 1080 will matter much at this size and I would go for the Zenith since it is larger.

I can't believe you haven't gotten a straight answer here yet. Everyone claiming not to be a TV snob, then saying they wouldn't take these TV's with a gun to their head is definitely a TV snob.

Let me tell you, my TV is a 42 inch Akai that was cheap at Office Depot several years ago. I would put its picture quality up against Panasonics or Samsungs of comparable vintage any day of the week. I did a ton of comparison shopping and even auditioned a few very expensive units in home and the Akai beat them all hands down. Don't be frightened by an off name brand. You are getting a killer deal and if you put HD signal through it, you will be just fine. The only caveat is if you think you will watch a lot of SD programming .. then I might be concerned. The higher priced, name brand units do a better job in my experience with SD stuff.

 

[eTip]

For me it would be between the Zenith and Sceptre. If you think you really NEED 1080P or if you are going to use it as a monitor, then get the Sceptre. The Zenith gains 2 inches but is 720 P. Personally, I don't think 720 or 1080 will matter much at this size and I would go for the Zenith since it is larger.

I can't believe you haven't gotten a straight answer here yet. Everyone claiming not to be a TV snob, then saying they wouldn't take these TV's with a gun to their head is definitely a TV snob.

Let me tell you, my TV is a 42 inch Akai that was cheap at Office Depot several years ago. I would put its picture quality up against Panasonics or Samsungs of comparable vintage any day of the week. I did a ton of comparison shopping and even auditioned a few very expensive units in home and the Akai beat them all hands down. Don't be frightened by an off name brand. You are getting a killer deal and if you put HD signal through it, you will be just fine. The only caveat is if you think you will watch a lot of SD programming .. then I might be concerned. The higher priced, name brand units do a better job in my experience with SD stuff.

Apparently the ";-)" was lost on you? Hell, I am essentially telling him to do exactly what you did: research!! Akai is a better brand than any of the 3 he mentioned. My experience with Emerson and Zenith has not been good - to the point that I doubt I would ever purchase either brand even if they come out with a decent model of anything. Just don't trust them. If that makes me a tv snob then so be it. If you knew anything about me, you would know I am the last person to pay more just for a name. Just because I didn't follow the "rules" of his scenario doesn't mean my advice wasn't helpful.

 

[thekb]

Apparently the ";-)" was lost on you?

Don't mind me ... I am sarcasm impaired!

Hell, I am essentially telling him to do exactly what you did: research!! Akai is a better brand than any of the 3 he mentioned. My experience with Emerson and Zenith has not been good - to the point that I doubt I would ever purchase either brand even if they come out with a decent model of anything. Just don't trust them. If that makes me a tv snob then so be it. If you knew anything about me, you would know I am the last person to pay more just for a name. Just because I didn't follow the "rules" of his scenario doesn't mean my advice wasn't helpful.

My Akai set has a very fine picture, but it is definitely OFF OFF brand. I have yet to find a universal remote that works with it even.

I have to agree on Emerson. I used to work at Service Merchandise in teh 80's and always hated the Emerson products we sold. But the Zenith is from Sears and they have a generous return policy -- "Satisfaction guaranteed".

Like I said, if the primary use will be from an HD source, I think the OP will probably be fine. The screen size difference between 42 and 32 inches is pretty big, so I personally would be happier with the 42. All depends on the viewing distance though, which he did not disclose.

Sears or Walmart both have good return policies. Try them out! All the prices are amazing, so your expectations are lower! ;-)

 

[eTip]

Don't mind me ... I am sarcasm impaired!





My Akai set has a very fine picture, but it is definitely OFF OFF brand. I have yet to find a universal remote that works with it even.

I have to agree on Emerson. I used to work at Service Merchandise in teh 80's and always hated the Emerson products we sold. But the Zenith is from Sears and they have a generous return policy -- "Satisfaction guaranteed".

Like I said, if the primary use will be from an HD source, I think the OP will probably be fine. The screen size difference between 42 and 32 inches is pretty big, so I personally would be happier with the 42. All depends on the viewing distance though, which he did not disclose.

Sears or Walmart both have good return policies. Try them out! All the prices are amazing, so your expectations are lower! ;-)

Didn't mean to bite your head off. I suppose Akai is not a widely known brand.....but that's not the same as an "off-brand" to me. In other words, I have found what they make to be of decent quality. Emerson is fairly well known.....but for all the wrong reasons. I worked in retail electronics for a few years in the 90's & I learned that there were certain bottom-of-the barrel brands that were almost never worth buying even at a low low price. Better to wait for the "decent" brands to go on sale or clearance. Your advice on buying from a place that has a liberal return policy is wise - but lugging a 42" TV back to the store is a bit of a pain.

One more note on my experience in retail electronics: even though there were some brands that were pretty consistently good or consistently bad - there were more brands whose quality varied greatly from model to model and year to year. That's why it pays to look at reviews and try to buy a model that has decent reviews from a fair amount of users. I don't buy much - even an inexpensive IOS app - without at least a cursory look at reviews.

 

[Vidiot44]

The Emerson LC407EM1 is not a bad TV, I picked one up at Walmart for $348.
This TV is made by Funai, who has been making consumer electronics for many years, mostly for sale with "real" brand names on the units. Funai makes the Emerson, Sylvania, Magnavox, and the Philips branded TVs. The Emerson is the same (missing the USB photo-viewer feature) as the Philips 40PFL3505D/F7 TV, with a different remote control button layout. If the serial number begins with "DS3", the LCD panel itself (and the panel drive electronics) is made by Samsung, and the power supply and tuner/ video scaler/processor board is made by Funai, who assembles the TV in China. Funai built LCD TVs are rated as the second most reliable brand of flat-panel TVs, according to the Consumer Reports surveys. This TV is a bargain at this price, from one of the better "value" brands. The Zenith is a rebadged LG...stay away. The Sceptre is a real "gazinga" brand, with no real track record.....

The picture quality on the Emerson is pretty good, not first-rate, but about 85% as good as the best LCDs. This TV uses the Zoran "SupraHD" ZR39787 processor. The low-end "60Hz" spec is fine for most viewing, maybe not for fast action sports, but even the 120 and 240Hz LCDs are not that good compared to a plasma TV. The specs are : 1920x1080P, 60 Hz, 6 msec response-time, 2500:1 native CR, 21000:1 dynamic CR, 340cd/m^2 brightness, 3 HDMI inputs