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  1. #1
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    37" HDTV (1080) LCD for $1750... anyone know who makes Sceptre?

    This may have already been posted, but it looks like a deal to me. HDMI/DVI, 1920x1080 native, 1000:1 contrast and 170 degree viewing angle... for $1750. Built in tuners (and speakers... useful for just flipping it on and watching) too.

    From CostCo
    http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...-CatHome&pos=2

    Anyone know who's making Sceptre-branded stuff for them? That's a pretty tough deal to pass up.

  2. #2
    Forum Regular edtyct's Avatar
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    Sceptre Technologies is its own entity. It made its name as a supplier of computer products within the industry, but like a lot of companies that originated in the computing field, it has branched out to consumer video. Apparently, Sceptre has been making LCD panels since 1993. It is based in Califormia but has a distribution network that runs throughout North America.

  3. #3
    Skeptic
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    I own a Sceptre LCD monitor for my computer (which I am using right now). It is several years old, and probably the bottom of the line from then. It has never given me any trouble. It does a beautiful job with color, though it does not give a good black for a large area (which is common in LCD, especially in old and inexpensive models). Obviously, I cannot promise anything about their current TVs, but I am glad I bought this monitor.

    I recommend going to your local store (if you have one) and taking a look at it for yourself, paying attention to large areas of black and to fast motion, which are the traditional weak areas for LCD TVs. If you are happy with how it looks, you should be fine buying it, as LCD is probably the most reliable type of TV ever (though obviously, I am offering you no guarantees for your TV).
    When someone says, "Trust your ears" or "Hearing is believing", consider this: Do you thoughtlessly trust your eyes when you see a stick inserted halfway in water? If you don't trust your eyes without thinking, why would you trust your ears without thinking? I recommend not mindlessly trusting your sensory organs, but engaging your brain before you make a decision.


    "A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence." - David Hume

  4. #4
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    There are No Free Lunches

    The best advice various people have given me on this board is don't buy anything from a small manufacturer you never heard of, especially for something over $500 or more as it might initially work OK but when the rot sets in later & something breaks down, your screwed.

    Don't get it!

  5. #5
    Forum Regular N. Abstentia's Avatar
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    But using that logic you'd probably never buy an Anthem or B&K amp or preamp even though they are top notch equipment. You'd end up with some low end Denon or something.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by N. Abstentia
    But using that logic you'd probably never buy an Anthem or B&K amp or preamp even though they are top notch equipment. You'd end up with some low end Denon or something.
    No the other are well known companies with good reputations.

  7. #7
    fergot... whasa XLR3?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pyrrho
    I own a Sceptre LCD monitor for my computer (which I am using right now). It is several years old, and probably the bottom of the line from then. It has never given me any trouble. It does a beautiful job with color, though it does not give a good black for a large area (which is common in LCD, especially in old and inexpensive models). Obviously, I cannot promise anything about their current TVs, but I am glad I bought this monitor...
    I too have a Sceptre LCD, mine is a touchscreen, it's part of my (home made computer audio) jukebox/analyzer/editing/control system, sometimes with a laptop. It's prolly 6 years old. I use it at home and at gigs. No problems at all.

    Can't say about their other products though.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pyrrho
    I recommend going to your local store (if you have one) and taking a look at it for yourself, paying attention to large areas of black and to fast motion, which are the traditional weak areas for LCD TVs. If you are happy with how it looks, you should be fine buying it, as LCD is probably the most reliable type of TV ever (though obviously, I am offering you no guarantees for your TV).
    That's the plan... at that resolution and size, I'd actually like to hook it up to my computer and see how functional it is a computer monitor. My original plan for my HTPC was to use my old CRT and have a dual 19" LCD for non home theater computer use... this may change that. It's a touch out of my budget but it seems like all of my purchases are.

  9. #9
    Forum Regular edtyct's Avatar
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    In addition to Pyrrho's motion test, be prepared for black not to look like you remember it on your CRT, even if you can live with it. On colors, check for saturation. If the colors look washed out, they may have too much grey in them, and you may not be able to compensate. Gradations of color should be smooth, without obvious banding or stairstepping. Dark colors shouldn't be noisy. Flesh tones should be accurate. If they aren't, see if you can get into the menu and satisfy yourself that correction is possible. If not, you will tire of the look. You also may find that the TV's interpretation of green, such as on baseball or football fields, is like nothing found in nature. That, too, may be outside your control. If the store is running a film, check edges for thickening or for a sawtooth effect that comes from poor processing. On video, see how straight the lines are when something moves. Deinterlacing video is much more difficult to accomplish than deinterlacing film. Compare the panel with other displays nearby. Is the picture soft or fuzzy? Is there uniform brightness across the sceen? An inexpensive LCD might also be prone to the screen-door effect--that is, visible gaps between the pixels. It's not anywhere near as prevalent as it used to be, but people with eyes a lot better than mine still complain about it, as well as motion blur. Viewing at a proper distance will almost certainly cure it.

    Ohio, sorry to do this to you. I just had time to kill. I hope it works out.

    Ed
    Last edited by edtyct; 08-25-2005 at 02:25 PM.

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