This LED TV for this price!? Worth it?

125037 · Aug 16, 2010

Let me start off by saying that I had a 720p Insignia Plasma and it was surprisingly amazing quality (better than my friends 1080 Vizio IMO). Anyway... this is a 55 inch LED from Insignia for $1499! It seems stupid for me to pass it up. I mean, yes it lacks those extra features such as built in wifi for netflix and such, but it has a decent amount of ports. Contrast ratio also means nothing, as there is no industry standard for measuring this and most companies use "their own ways" to stretch the actual stats of the TV, and will probably not make a visual difference. Furthermore, I've heard that Insignia uses LG parts to make their TV's so if you are just looking at the brand you should test one before judging it. I'm not trying to find the cheapest TV I can find but at this price (to me) it's a no brainer.

Thoughts about the TV or my statements?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Insigni...HDTV/9896008.p?id=1218191414935&skuId=9896008

Rossoneri · Aug 16, 2010

Don't buy that television because it is not a true LED TV. It is only edge lit by LEDs and not fully lit. You can always tell whether a TV is truly LED by looking at the contrast ratio. If the ratio is equal or greater than 1,000,000:1 then it is a true LED TV. The TV you posted is only 20,000:1 which is the same as my 2 year old non-LED TV. My recommendation would be to look at Vizio's new lineup of LED TVs if you are looking for something affordable.

flopticalcube · Aug 16, 2010

I would stay away from house brands like Insignia or Dynex. They are truly the bottom of the barrel. Start at the mid-tier like LG or Samsung.

mstrze · Aug 16, 2010

flopticalcube said:
I would stay away from house brands like Insignia or Dynex. They are truly the bottom of the barrel. Start at the mid-tier like LG or Samsung.

But the OP has owned an Insignia without issue (in fact, arguing better quality that other TVs) for years now.

Rodimus Prime · Aug 16, 2010

flopticalcube said:
I would stay away from house brands like Insignia or Dynex. They are truly the bottom of the barrel. Start at the mid-tier like LG or Samsung.

I agree with you. For a main TV I would not be willing to cut corners. I have learned always go for the name brands. You pay a little more but they are generally much better products.

quagmire · Aug 16, 2010

I would personally go with LG. I have a 47" LCD LG and I love it. My sister has a 42" LCD LG, and my parents finally upgraded to a 55" LCD LG just this weekend( got it for $1299 from BestBuy with a free Insignia Blu-Ray player). Of course the panels in our 27" iMac and iPhone 4 are LG. So we are quite satisfied with the quality of LG panels and TV's.

125037 · Aug 16, 2010

Rossoneri said:
Don't buy that television because it is not a true LED TV. It is only edge lit by LEDs and not fully lit. You can always tell whether a TV is truly LED by looking at the contrast ratio. If the ratio is equal or greater than 1,000,000:1 then it is a true LED TV. The TV you posted is only 20,000:1 which is the same as my 2 year old non-LED TV. My recommendation would be to look at Vizio's new lineup of LED TVs if you are looking for something affordable.

What is the visual/quality difference in LED (edge lit) and TRUE-LED (besides just knowing that it is TRUE-LED)?

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

iMJustAGuy said:
What is the visual/quality difference in LED (edge lit) and TRUE-LED (besides just knowing that it is TRUE-LED)?

LED technology is either side-lit or back-lit (local dimming). With side-lit, it's not much better than CCFL (compact fluorescent) other than being a little more power-efficient. Back-lit (local dimmed) sets rival Plasma in contrast ratio because they can selectively light up certain areas of the screen to prevent bleeding of light into dark areas. This gives you a nice contrast ratio and inky blacks. These sets consume more power and tend to be a little thicker (and more expensive), however.

lewis82 · Aug 16, 2010

I'm pretty much off-topic, but...

Why the heck do the companies call those LED TVs? No matter what the backlighting is, it's a LCD panel that produces the image.

A real LED TV would be an array of RGB LEDs. But it won't happen, they are having enough problems with OLED (which supposedly is a better tech for TVs).

/end of rant

Xavier · Aug 16, 2010

I bought my 32" Insignia back in 2007. It has held up nicely. I am a poor college kid.

mfacey · Aug 16, 2010

flopticalcube said:
I would stay away from house brands like Insignia or Dynex. They are truly the bottom of the barrel. Start at the mid-tier like LG or Samsung.

Agreed. But Samsung really isn't a mid-tier player anymore these days. They are on the forefront of TV development and on par if not better than the likes of Sony & Philips. Definitely premium, at least in Europe!\

To the OP: consider whether you really want to spend the premium on a full LED tv. These are for the most part 1st gen full LED screens and are not any better than the top of the line LCD models, but for twice the price.
I recently purchased a superb Sony LCD (KDL-HX700, 46") which really looked equally good on a side by side comparison with a SONY full LED for more than double the price. Only real difference is that the LED tv is 1/3 the thickness of the LCD.

Gelfin · Aug 16, 2010

flopticalcube said:
I would stay away from house brands like Insignia or Dynex. They are truly the bottom of the barrel. Start at the mid-tier like LG or Samsung.

Funny thing is, I recall distinctly when Samsung and Goldstar (LG) were the bottom of the barrel. Korea's caught up fast.

Nevertheless, I just this past weekend bought one of these to be delivered tomorrow. It was on sale for way cheaper than the closest Samsung model, with better features.

125037 · Aug 16, 2010

Gelfin said:
Nevertheless, I just this past weekend bought one of these to be delivered tomorrow. It was on sale for way cheaper than the closest Samsung model, with better features.

That's a nice TV... however, I told myself I didn't want to spend more than 1800 on a TV... and I'm always one to say bigger is better but, I just don't think I'd want a 60". I am in an apartment though, maybe it's just the thought of moving and such, if I had a home that I planned to stay in for years then I might consider it. Again though, I'd never find a 60" for under $1800, haha. I spent $2,100 on my iMac but for some reason I cannot justify spending over 2k on a television.

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

If you're ok with spending more on energy you can get more diagonal inches per dollar if you get a plasma.

125037 · Aug 16, 2010

chrmjenkins said:
If you're ok with spending more on energy you can get more diagonal inches per dollar if you get a plasma.

I just sold my 50 inch insignia plasma last night

It really was a VERY good quality TV.. I WAS PISSED though... I put it on sale on CL 3 days ago and a day later best buy puts it on sale for $649!... yeah that hurt my selling price a lot, lol. (I sold it for $550)

I'm upgrading for 2 main reasons... I'm obsessive compulsive in fear of getting burn-in thus I am always using the built in software to buff it out... and I wanted a "flat" TV to go flush against the wall. Oh I also wanted to go bigger. Quality isn't a HUGE concern of mine.

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

iMJustAGuy said:
I just sold my 50 inch insignia plasma last night

It really was a VERY good quality TV.. I WAS PISSED though... I put it on sale on CL 3 days ago and a day later best buy puts it on sale for $649!... yeah that hurt my selling price a lot, lol. (I sold it for $550)

I'm upgrading for 2 main reasons... I'm obsessive compulsive in fear of getting burn-in thus I am always using the built in software to buff it out... and I wanted a "flat" TV to go flush against the wall. Oh I also wanted to go bigger. Quality isn't a HUGE concern of mine.

Burn-in really isn't an issue for plasmas anymore. However, if you are wanting thinner, side-lit LED tvs are the thinnest on the market right now.

125037 · Aug 16, 2010

chrmjenkins said:
Burn-in really isn't an issue for plasmas anymore. However, if you are wanting thinner, side-lit LED tvs are the thinnest on the market right now.

Then maybe I was just experiencing ghosting... After playing an hour or two (at MOST - ever!) of playing COD I could see my ammo at the bottom and the map at the top... it would go away after a day or so of (other) use though. What "lit" is mine? Mine is really thin... I think it said edge-lit on my receipt.

I got the insignia. It doesn't come out until friday though.

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

iMJustAGuy said:
Then maybe I was just experiencing ghosting... After playing an hour or two (at MOST - ever!) of playing COD I could see my ammo at the bottom and the map at the top... it would go away after a day or so of (other) use though. What "lit" is mine? Mine is really thin... I think it said edge-lit on my receipt.

I got the insignia. It doesn't come out until friday though.

Plasmas are not lit. The pixels generate their own light (like OLED). This is why it's capable of such high contrast ratios.

The type of burn-in you're talking about is only temporary (and as you said, it goes away). The newer ones are resistant to that and it's very difficult to do permanent burn-in on them.

quagmire · Aug 16, 2010

With a budget of $1800, this LG is in your budget.

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

quagmire said:
With a budget of $1800, this LG is in your budget.

Nice referral link

quagmire · Aug 16, 2010

chrmjenkins said:
Nice referral link

I simply just copied the url and put it in as a hyperlink. I certainly didn't try to do anything.

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

quagmire said:
I simply just copied the url and put it in as a hyperlink. I certainly didn't try to do anything.

Then someone else got it from your effort

Where did you copy it from?

quagmire · Aug 16, 2010

chrmjenkins said:
Then someone else got it from your effort Where did you copy it from?

Just went directly to TigerDirect's webpage and went to the TV section and then LED TV's >52" and went into that LG's product page and copied it from there.

chrmjenkins · Aug 16, 2010

quagmire said:
Just went directly to TigerDirect's webpage and went to the TV section and then LED TV's >52" and went into that LG's product page and copied it from there.

flopticalcube · Aug 16, 2010

Gelfin said:
Funny thing is, I recall distinctly when Samsung and Goldstar (LG) were the bottom of the barrel. Korea's caught up fast.

Nevertheless, I just this past weekend bought one of these to be delivered tomorrow. It was on sale for way cheaper than the closest Samsung model, with better features.

Yes. China has moved into the territory once owned by Korea as the Koreans have moved into the Japanese territory.

A surprising large number of manufacturers use LG panels AFAIK.

This LED TV for this price!? Worth it?

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