Good value for decent TV, December 29, 2010

By Philip H. Tong (Los Angeles, CA United States) –
  

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This review is from: Toshiba 40E200U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Black Gloss) (Electronics)

This toshiba is a great TV for someone who has never owned an HDTV or just needs an extra TV. But if you compare this to Samsung and Sony, then this TV gets blown away. The remote feels cheap. The options on the TV are limited. But the picture quality is fantastic. I use it to watch netflix from my ps3, play ps3 games, and watch TV sports. All look great. The audio levels are fine, I’m not sure what the other reviewer is complaining about. I’ve had this TV for 2 months now and no problems so far. Summary: if you are want a no frills HDTV that gives good picture quality, at a good price, this is for you. But if you want more, look elsewhere.

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Good Decision, October 13, 2010

By Mark Losasso (Havertown, PA) –
  

This review is from: Toshiba 40E200U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Black Gloss) (Electronics)

After much research, I decided to purchase this TV and am happy with my decision. I previously owned a Toshiba set (http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-26HF85-Widescreen-HD-Ready-Screen/dp/B000816XK2) that I was very happy with, but was looking for something with HDMI support to hook up my Apple TV. I took stock of what components needed to hook up to the set and with what types of connections (Wii with a component connection, iPhone/iPod with a composite connection, Apple TV with an HDMI connection, and a Blu-Ray player with another HDMI connection). I also had a space requirement that this set fit into perfectly, giving me the largest viewable area in the space I had available. Once I turned the TV on with basic cable, I was not that impressed with the picture quality. After a few minutes and getting all the connections set, I found that HD content looked great, especially at 1080p coming from the Blu-Ray player. I have resisted hooking the TV up to my old receiver (though it does have the inputs available to do so) and surround sound system to get a sense of the audio from the TV alone, and so far, so good. For the price, this is a good set. I have only had it for a week or more, so cannot review the longer term performance, but at this point, I am quite satisfied.

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Great picture but …, December 1, 2010

By J. Kim –
  

This review is from: Toshiba 40E200U 40-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV (Black Gloss) (Electronics)

I got it at a great price under $500. The picture quality is as good as units costing a lot more. It doesn’t have 120hz refresh rate or LED backlight at this price point but I don’t play a lot of video games; therefore, high refresh rate isn’t a must and the advantanges of LED is not that significant enough (100,000 hrs. LED life-span vs. 15,000 hrs. for fluorescent light source) to justify higher cost. It is well-built and looks stylish. Full 1080p HD resolution – awesome! My only beef with this model is that it does not have audio output for use with headphones – only the digital output, which is totally useless. Still, for what I paid and considering the picture quality, it’s not a deal breaker. Highly recommended!

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You are in for a big surprise, August 13, 2010

By Frank O. –

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This review is from: LG 42LD550 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Internet Applications (Electronics)

I bought this TV a few weeks ago after reading many nice reviews about it, and while it’s nice, I found its features disappointing. To start with the good part, this TV indeed looks great both on and off: its no-frills design is very elegant and will make it look good in every living room, its picture quality is amazing. I can’t really comment on the sound since I don’t have good speakers, but I’m not even missing them with the built-in speakers. Its TV-related functionalities and interface is also nice, with zillions of options to set the picture and sound to your liking. However, the selling point of this TV is supposed to be the built-in software for online applications (called Netcast), and Netcast on the 42LD550 is a major letdown. At the time of this review LG doesn’t have model-specific information on the Netcast features available, only a generic all-promises page with the fine print “features vary by model and product category”. Now, Netcast in principle has at least three different video-on-demand services built-in, as well as internet radio, and many other great features — but this TV has almost none of these included! (I’m using the latest software version, as it updates itself automatically.) Netflix is included (that’s the one extra star), and there is a dumbed-down version of Vudu, which only includes the movie rental features, but nothing else. (For example, there is no Pandora, even though it is included in the “real” Vudu application, it’s only left out of the LG version). The rest are useless “apps” and a few selected Yahoo Widgets (all the good ones are missing, the best is probably Weather), Flickr, Picasa, Youtube and Twitter (twitter on a TV??), and that’s pretty much it. But there is no Amazon On-demand, no TV On-demand, no internet radios, and I am listing only missing features that are available in some TVs with Netcast or Yahoo Widgets, but are not on this one. Another (minor) quirk is that this “wireless-ready” TV requires an extra USB wi-fi adapter (LG AN-WF100) to actually go wireless. This is also made pretty clear in the specifications; the only problem is that it’s not easy to find this adapter anywhere! (At the time I bought the TV it was only available from a third-party vendor through Amazon marketplace, and it wasn’t cheap.) So if you want wireless, check first if this adapter is available. At the end I’m not sure why would most buyers get this model. If you just want a sleek TV with great picture and sound, then there’s no use paying for the internet-related features, and you can get a better or larger TV for much less money. It’s perfect if you are considering buying a great TV with no internet features and a Netflix box – it may or may not save you money, but you get everything in one package, saving you the set-up or cable issues. But you may have cheaper options using a Netflix box, or if you already have a video game console, or by connecting your PC to your TV and using some media center software. If you expect all the bells-and-whistles from your internet-connected TV, then you have to get another model, because this one is really just a beautiful TV with a built-in Netflix box.

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Enjoying TV, nice picture, great features., June 7, 2010

By Ferk V (Fort Worth, TX) –

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This review is from: LG 42LD550 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Internet Applications (Electronics)

TV is great for the type (LCD) and price. The picture is bright, good contrast, and very smooth. The menu/remote are very comfortable…overall the picture is very nice. Aesthetically, the TV looks great as well…no cheesy features or decorations. This is my first LG product and I’m very pleased with this set. Also added the wireless adapter ($70). The entire setup and interface are very intuitive. This is a kids TV and they had Netflix down in no time (even the 5 year old). My only wish would be a backlit remote control. Only complaint at all is with shipping. It did not ship on time and there was no communication from the shipping company. Ultimately, I had to contact the shipper to make an appointment (was stated that they would contact me). Once I called them, they drove it over the next day (Saturday). All in all, still very pleased.

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Great picture + networking = total winner, August 19, 2010

By Uluru II (United States) –

This review is from: LG 42LD550 42-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV with Internet Applications (Electronics)

This is my first HDTV, so keep that in mind – I was bound to be wowed by HD, no matter what the TV. But I really like this one. It has excellent specs (high contrast ratio, 2.7ms response time, 120 Hz) and a ‘picture wizard’ that seemed to do a great job in calibrating the picture settings. It supports the latest HDMI specs, and has some nice features like Real Cinema (which maintains film’s 24 frames per second when watching a movie with a compatible source), and also the ability to tweak the settings of TruMotion, LG’s image interpolation system. Interpolation is what ‘smooths out’ video on HDTVs – it actually creates additional frames on the fly to fit between the existing frames of the source, and it’s what can give HD material that documentary/soap opera quality. Sometimes that’s desirable, but other times it just looks bad and cheesy. This TV has Low, High, and User settings for this feature. I was able to tweak the User setting to a good compromise, that smooths out some of the blur and ‘judder’ effect of normal video, but doesn’t make it look artificial. There are lots of other settings to tweak, for audio (downmix preferences, dynamic range, etc.) and everything else. This brings up the user interface. The menu system on the TV is very user friendly, and graphically attractive. The remote control is one of the best I’ve used – it has just enough buttons, while being well-laid out and thin and light, and fits nicely in the hand. The ‘arrow pad’ to move left/right etc. has comfortable buttons and works well (remotes often screw that section up, for some reason, but not this one). My favorite feature has to be the networking/Internet capability of this TV. When I bought this TV (at a store) it came with a free Wi-Fi USB stick, so it was a good deal, but be aware that on its own the wi-fi stick is an unreasonable $70-80, and you can’t just use any old USB adapter, it has to be a special LG one – at least it seems to work very well and it’s N or G capable. Or, you can also use the TV’s wired ethernet port – even a 50′ ethernet cable would be cheaper than the wi-fi stick. In either case I think it’s well worth the cost to unlock the TV’s networking capability. (***EDIT: I have recently seen the LG wi-fi sticks being sold at stores and on Amazon for around $35-45***) Built into the TV are the streaming Netflix interface, VuDu, YouTube access, and more, including Yahoo Widgets – this lets you access your Yahoo account and any associated widgets, like Twitter, weather info, stock feeds, whatever. I only really use Netflix and VuDu in this section, but it allowed me to eliminate my Roku box and remote. When you already have a computer or laptop in the room, the Yahoo Widgets thing seems a little superfluous – this TV is NOT a replacement for a computer with internet by any means, but for some people, being able to quickly check the local weather or movie showings, etc. on the TV could be valuable. The best part about the networking feature is that it will let you stream media from any computer on the network. You just need to install some included Nero software – which, by the way, is actually small, un-bloated and simple, unlike any other Nero product – and voila, your PC is a media server. You designate a folder (or however many you want) to be your media folder, you put videos, music or photos in it, and you can access them on the TV. It really works well and it’s very easy to do, literally just a few clicks of the remote. I found that even streaming a 1080p mkv file wirelessly from my PC worked fine and looked fantastic. There are a few caveats – for one, it only supports mp3 for music (why not FLAC, or iTunes format?). It supports a lot of video formats (mkv/mp4,avi, divx, and more), but not all of them, and even for supported formats it may be finicky with specific files. Usually, converting the file to another format will solve the issue and make it playable; this is annoying but it’s only happened a few times out of dozens of videos, for me. Occasionally, fast-forwarding or reversing through a video streamed from your PC can be confusing and slow (you backtrack 15 seconds, hit play, and it plays about 2 seconds before where you started). This and the other issue could have everything to do with improper video encoding, and nothing to do with the TV, I don’t know. But given that the TV will automatically update its firmware through the network, one might expect these bugs to be gradually worked out. Hopefully, they will even add support for more file formats with future updates; it’s just a matter of adding more codecs to the firmware, which seems like it should be easy to achieve. The styling of the TV is subtle and not cheap-looking, unlike some brands (*cough*Vizio*cough*). It’s just a clean piano-black border around the picture, with a tasteful LED ‘bar’ light that stylishly fades from red to blue to indicate…

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Outstanding LCD TV, November 29, 2010

By Liqmaticus –

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This review is from: Samsung LN22C450 22-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV (Black) (Electronics)

Out of all the flat screen televisions I have purchased this has got to be the best I have purchased yet. A little pricier than most in its size class, but full of features and the image quality is amazing! I did read one review about the screws not fitting properly with the stand and I did not experience this problem. My stand screwed in tight and zero wobble and very stable. Picks up all the local HD channels super clear which I was very impressed with without cable assistance. Excellent internal sound as well. Really worth every penny. Samsung has a winner here.

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Good Choice for RV, March 28, 2010

By G. Johnson (Morrison, IL, US) –
  

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This review is from: Samsung LN22C450 22-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV (Black) (Electronics)

Purchased for travel trailer. Replaces original equip. Haier. Receiving an HDTV channel by RV antenna can be difficult but the Haier’s tuner did not help make it any easier. Looked at several brands before picking this TV. I liked the great picture and easy menu and remote control, but was sold by signal strength meter function in the antenna menu. I’ve been playing with TV set-up at home and found this function makes aiming the antenna very simple. The tuner is sensitive and auto channel search is quick. (For reference, we’re 40 miles from nearest station.) It finds channels too weak to produce a picture but able to be viewed by adjusting antenna using signal meter. Sound was not to my liking at standard settings. I fixed it by adjusting settings in equailizer menu. I am happy with this TV and would buy it again. Was eligible for Amazon’s free shipping and it was delivered in good time and good condition.

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Very Impressed, March 31, 2010

By JB (Harrisburg, PA) –

Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

This review is from: Samsung LN22C450 22-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV (Black) (Electronics)

I am extremely happy with the performance of this TV, though I was initiatlly confused because the product is slightly different than the description on Amazon. There is only 1 HDMI port on the back on my model and nothing on the side of the TV. There is a USB but it’s on the back. My model is definitely the LN22C450 but I spoke with Samsung and they told me that there is another LN22C450 that has an additional HDMI port on the side. Don’t know why they have more than one model with the same name. I contacted Amazon about the issue and they offered me a discount which made me forget about the problem. I was impressed by the customer service dept. with Amazon. I liked the idea of a side HDMI connection, but I don’t really need two HDMI ports so it wasn’t a big enough deal. It would have been nice to have the USB on the side, for easier access, but I can live with reaching around the back since I’m not wall mounting it. Now on to what I love about the TV: -It has an excellent picture quality for all types of signals. I’m replacing a 15″ Polariod and the quality is light years ahead. The picture is very bright with vivid colors. Regular cable is very clear and smooth, digital 480i cable looks great, and the 720p and 1080i are incredible. -The sound is more than sufficient for a TV this size. It’s rich and clear without the “tinny” sound of other TV’s this size. -The TV has a great digital tuner and picks up “over the air” HD stations very well. There’s even a diagnostic signal strength meter. I’m able to pick up all my local network stations without any problems. I have a digital box I purchased that could not do this. I was thrilled to pull in HD signals without a separate antenna. I did not expect it to do this. -It is well designed and easy to use. The menus are easy to follow and the setup is simple. Even the remote is great. -It’s a great looking TV. The speakers are hidden and it has a slight reddish tint to it near the bottom. It also has a nice low profile. It is about an inch shorter than the C350 even though the screen size is identical. I really liked this since I have it placed on a bookshelf. It’s a perfect fit for the room I have it in. Overall, this TV is awesome. I’m thoroughly enjoying march madness in HD!

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Great TV, March 29, 2010

By Mikey (North Jersey) –

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This review is from: Samsung LN46C650 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV (Black) (Electronics)

I’ve been using the TV for only a few days now, but it really is a great set. The picture is amazing and the black reproduction is really good. Internet widgets are extremely easy to use and were truely plug & play; no additional set up required. This set does include netflix and pandora, even though it is not listed above. One thing to note if you are purchasing this set is that the DVI audio input and audio output connectors are stero headphone connectors, not RCA red/white ones that are usually present. This led to some scrambling to find an appropriate converter when I was setting the TV up! Also, the screen is of the glossy variety. I personally am not too bothered by it, but when the screen is dark and the room is light, you can see reflections of the wall behind you. Again, not that big of a deal for me!

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