Is it worth spending extra money on brand names for big screen TVs these days?

Question

Basically, I keep getting emails from the likes of dabs.com and ebuyer advertising things like "32inch LCD HD TV only £300 inc VAT". when I click on them they're always lesser known brands like SENSE or VISTRON.

I just want to know wether these brands are decent enough to buy, or is it worth the extra several hundred pounds for a lower spec item by a well know brand such as SONY or SAMSUNG?

Answer 1

Sony is almost never worth it

Panasonic and Samsung are great alternatives and not so over rated and over priced like Sony.

as for those other mungrel brands forget it.  Just think Hyundai when they first entered the car market and  no one knew their name.. c**p cars at first..for several years.

Answer 2

The people that say Sony is overrated only say this because they could never afford a Sony product. Sony tv's cost a little extra because they are the boss.

Vistron? Sense? c**p-i-vision?  No, never buy these off-brand televisions. It is ALWAYS worth the extra cash when buying a tv. Go with Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, Toshiba, Pioneer or LG.

Answer 3

If you are OK with throwing the TV away if it has problems, or replacing it in a year, 18 months, the off-brands are OK.

But if you keep your electronics for 5-10 years, you want to stick with Sony, Samsung, Sharp - companies who depend on their reputation for quality products to keep them in business.

Lutron, Dynex, Vizio, Royo, etc. are all assembled from parts, have no ability to be repaired, are NOT quality controlled the way the major brands are, the software that drives the TV (yes, there is a LOT of software in a HDTV) is not tested as well, etc.

Here is a clue: Go to the library and read through some reviews to identify the names.  If a brand of TV is never reviewed - it's not serious about being a good brand or in business for the long term.