42" TV crapped out, replacement advice

[topspeed]

Just in time for the Christmas bills to come due, the Vizio E422 we received as a gift a few years back has decided it didn't want to ring in the New Year after all. Lovely. I've already talked to Vizio (no help and the repair company they recommend, ITI Electronics, hung up on me 3 times in a row) and a friend that repairs TV's. His recommendation was to just buy a new one as the replacement part will cost just as much.

Which brings me here! Here's the scenario: It's in the family room and is not my main viewing room, viewing distance is around 12', budget ~$500, I could care less about smart TV features as I never use them. The consensus on the net appears to be the successor to the one that just died, the Vizio E420, and while the picture was admittedly very good, I'm old school; "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Thoughts, recommendations, experiences, and random comments are welcome!

[Worf101]

I've never owned Vizio.... I know they bill themselves as "first tier" now but I recall when they were bottom rung crap who's only redeeming value was that they were large and cheap enough for the average Walmartian to afford. Like you... I wouldn't touch em again with a 10 foot pole. I'd go either Samsung or LG. Some of the higher end Vizio's mebbe alright but I wouldn't go back. Also check Craigs List there mebbe some folks lookin' to "upgrade" in your neck of the woods.

Worf

[topspeed]

Hey Worf! Great to hear from you again my friend. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of Craigslisters in my area. I can't even give away my Bell'O cherry wood tv stand on there. I'm not terribly familiar with LG, weren't they GoldStar before? Some reviews I've researched seem to be favorable with one site putting them on par with Samsung. I've got Sammy and Sony now, the former in particular presents an excellent picture. The 47ln5700 looks promising, especially as I can get it for $580. Thoughts?

[Hyfi]

I have a 10+ y/o Sony XBR1 42" still working just fine. Another 32" XBR4.

Last year I bought a Vizio for the bedroom but after setting it up next to my 32" Sony it went back the next day and I got a Samsung which has an awesome PQ. I added a ZVOX 555 for sound.

I have heard that the newer Sony's and support along with QC is far from the level it was when I purchased my 2.

[topspeed]

I have a 10+ y/o Sony XBR1 42" still working just fine. Another 32" XBR4.

Last year I bought a Vizio for the bedroom but after setting it up next to my 32" Sony it went back the next day and I got a Samsung which has an awesome PQ. I added a ZVOX 555 for sound.

I have heard that the newer Sony's and support along with QC is far from the level it was when I purchased my 2.That seemed to be the consensus. I believe Sony replaced their CEO fairly recently with someone who specifically wanted to refocus R&D on re-claiming the mantle of world's best tv's. Their 4K sets are getting great reviews and before I bought my Sammy, the HX929 was a serious contender. Hopefully they are turning things around, I've always like Sony sets. That said, they really don't have a competitive set in the <50" realm with the feature set and price of Sammy or LG, at least from what I can find.

[recoveryone]

If you have access to a local Costco, you can get a good deal on 50" Samsungs or even a Panny and take it easy on my beloved Vizio's, all of mine are going strong still (knock on wood) :).

[Hyfi]

That seemed to be the consensus. I believe Sony replaced their CEO fairly recently with someone who specifically wanted to refocus R&D on re-claiming the mantle of world's best tv's. Their 4K sets are getting great reviews and before I bought my Sammy, the HX929 was a serious contender. Hopefully they are turning things around, I've always like Sony sets. That said, they really don't have a competitive set in the <50" realm with the feature set and price of Sammy or LG, at least from what I can find.

When I got the Samsung for the bedroom, I only wanted a 32" but Smart so I had very few options in that size and Sony was not one of them.

[topspeed]

If you have access to a local Costco, you can get a good deal on 50" Samsungs or even a Panny and take it easy on my beloved Vizio's, all of mine are going strong still (knock on wood) :).
Hey recovery! I think that's the biggest issue with Vizio; you never know what you're going to get. My sister has a 7 yr old Vizio that's still running fine. I realize everything is disposable these days, I just wish mine would have lasted more than two years, lol!

[Unworthy]

Do you want the ultra-thin edgelit design or is a backlit set acceptable? Got ourselves a Samsung UN40EH5300 40-Inch for Christmas to put in the cabinet in the bedroom, so the extra depth (less than 4" total) was not an issue. It's an older model that's probably being phased out but we got it for about $430. Major improvement over the old CRT :-)

D

[topspeed]

The set is going in a cabinet and won't be wall mounted, so depth isn't really an issue.

I ended up ordering a LG 47ln5700 from Amazon last night, it will be here tomorrow. The balance of price, performance, and features seemed to be the most reasonable. We almost got a 40" Sammy, but ultimately decided on the larger LG.

Thanks for all your help, guys. I can always count on AR.

[Worf101]

The set is going in a cabinet and won't be wall mounted, so depth isn't really an issue.

I ended up ordering a LG 47ln5700 from Amazon last night, it will be here tomorrow. The balance of price, performance, and features seemed to be the most reasonable. We almost got a 40" Sammy, but ultimately decided on the larger LG.

Thanks for all your help, guys. I can always count on AR.

Hey TS, please let us know how the new set works out. What size is it? Did you stick with a 42-incher? Smart or dumb (like me hah!!!)?

Worf

[Smokey]

What size is it? Did you stick with a 42-incher? Smart or dumb (like me hah!!!)? So many questions instead of just googling LG 47ln5700 :ciappa:

[topspeed]

Hey TS, please let us know how the new set works out. What size is it? Did you stick with a 42-incher? Smart or dumb (like me hah!!!)?

WorfHey Worf,

The set is a 47" smart tv, although I didn't hook it up to my network. I've got a PS3 plugged in, so there wasn't really a need to have another drain on my bandwidth when I can access all I need from the PS3.

First impressions were a solid "meh." However, after a day or so of burning in along with some minor tweaking, the picture has really started to pop. I'm actually very happy with the PQ and while it's not in the same league as my Sammy ES8000, it's also almost 1/4 the price. A nice bonus is the volume and clarity of the speakers too. As most of us know, tv speakers generally suck (hence the need for sound bars & HT), and while I still turn on the HT for movies/football games/etc., the on-board speakers are more than enough for those late evenings when I don't want to wake the entire house. LG really has a leg up on Sammy and Sony in this respect.

Another feature I appreciate is when we turn on the PS3, it automatically reads the source and asks if I'd like to change the input instead of my fiddling around with the remote. A minor thing, but mighty convenient too.

I haven't messed around with any of the Smart TV features, so I can't comment on how well they work. Sorry.

This is my first LG anything and I'm curious/excited to see how well it holds up and performs over the long run. Time will tell.