Budget and European brands
In direct view TVs there are aside from this mainstream collection more prestigious brands, and very much lesser ones. In the latter category with have Kogan and Tyagi and Palsonic and Hisense and Soniq so on. Some people seem to be offended by the very existence of these brands, but I’m not. There are a lot of people for whom a big TV is best, and be damned with such things as smooth video processing and deep black levels. Not all of us have the visual equivalent of the well-developed palate of the wine aesthete. If you honestly can’t tell the difference, well why not go for a bigger screen for fewer dollars?
From some of the more prestigious home entertainment speciality stores you can purchase European brands such as Loewe, Bang & Olufsen and Metz. Back when TVs had glass tubes, these were outstanding, with superb video processing. At least, it was superb for the day. But things change.
There are many who continue to swear by these brands, but I remain unconvinced. Their LCD panels are acquired from other manufacturers (as are Sony’s it has to be said), and they endeavour to add value with their own video processing, interfaces and styling. In general, little is added except, possibly, for styling, compared to the Korean and Japanese brands. And price. They cost a lot more. Oh, oh, perhaps I shouldn’t have said that. Feel free to disagree. Go to a quality store and compare.
The wash-up
Which goes to show that although brands are remarkably stable, there is still movement. It is sometimes fast, sometimes gradual, and sometimes uneven between the different brands, but it is relentlessly in the direction of higher quality at lower prices.
Interesting article. I think another aspect that could be interesting when examining brand strengths is back up and support. Things like their response time to technical problems, whether you have to have products collected from your home or they pick it up, how long it takes for repairs, what they cover and don’t cover under warranty, and suppliers’ environmental policies.
After sales service at call and the reputation of each brand in this area in an analogue score would have been most helpful. In many instances, that is where many popular brands fall down!
Sarat
Good article and I get the idea of finding the tv that suits your needs, but sometimes people just want to be told exactly what model to buy.
Love comparative reviews by experts – more please!
Next time like to see other factors esp ease of use – help menu and remote. Contrary to the review above, I will never! buy Samsung again – the most confusing, byzantine and useless help guide and remote I have ever seen. Even had translations like the Japanese – English ones 40 years ago. First and last time not to buy Panasonic!