• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

$499 flat panel HDTV

Melensdad

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
I stopped into the local Office Depot for some misc supplies, walked out with a new 32" LCD flat panel HDTV.

LCT32Z5TA_m.jpg


The TV was on sale for $499. I figured it was too good to be true, but they had it set up along with several much more expensive models, all side by side and it actually had a great picture.

So I took it home, set it up and found a few glitches. First, the "Universal" remote control that comes with the HDTV will not control the satellite box, nor will it control the VCR or the DVD recorder/player. So the "Universal" remote is only a so-called "Universal" remote. Glitch #2, the satellite box also has a universal remote, so I try to program the satellite's remote to control the TV. NOPE. That won't work either. The satellite's remote controls every other standard and HDTV we have in the house, but won't work with this one. I break out an old "universal" remote that I have stuffed in a drawer, fresh batteries, program all the codes, NO GO. This TV is just not going to play nice.

Still, for $499, I think I got a great deal. It is perfect for the bedroom, it has a better picture than the previous TV set, the sound quality is good too. I ordered a "Learning" remote from Amazon.com today that should be able to be programmed to operate the AV toys in the bedroom. It was a whopping $17.12 with shipping & handling! So my investment is a shade over the original $499. I don't know if anyone is in the market for an HDTV but if so, you may want to check out some non-traditional resellers?

The TV is an AKAI, I won't say its the best out there, heck its not as good as the other HDTVs we have, but its pretty darn nice and at a great price too.
http://www.akaiusa.com/products_det...TERTAINMENT&subcat=LCD TV&productno=LCT32Z5TA
 
That is a good deal... it's almost tempting me to upgrade the 19 inch Montgomery Ward television!
 
My console TV I bought at a yard sale in the 70's for $25 is still going strong. I see no need to upgrade....:poke:
 
Dargo said:
My console TV I bought at a yard sale in the 70's for $25 is still going strong. I see no need to upgrade....:poke:
Click to expand...

A co-worker of mine is still using her Curtis-Mathes console TV. Remember those?

I remember when Curtis-Mathes was top of the line...
The commercials disappeared for a while, then the brand showed up on K-mart shelves as their cheap brand.
 
Oops. I should have read your post more closely.

I was just heading out the door yesterday to run some errands and clicked "new posts" one last time and saw this thread. So, my first stop is now to go look at this TV. Well, I get to the store but can't find any TV's so I ask where they are. The guy says they don't sell TV's. Hmmmm (I think to myself). I guess all stores don't stock the same thing. After walking out the door, I then realized I was at Office Max, not Office Depot. Oops. No Office Depot nearby so I didn't get to take a look.
 
Yup, Office DEPOT.

They have about a dozen different models/sizes on display at my local store. I was messing around with it a little bit yesterday evening after doing all the monthly employee tax filings and must say that I am more impressed. I changed the connections to RBG cable set with dual audio cables and the picture is even more vivid and more detailed, the sound quality seemed to be about the same.
 
I looked at the AKAI when I bought my JVC. The ones at that times didn't impress me at all, but hey they always upgrade.........
 
OhioTC18 said:
I looked at the AKAI when I bought my JVC. The ones at that times didn't impress me at all, but hey they always upgrade.........
Click to expand...
No argument from me. I've never thought that AKAI was a 'quality' brand and to be blunt, my purchase was not based on quality. It was clearly a purchase driven by the low price and the perceived high value.

Are there better LCD flat panel TV sets? Sure, probably plenty of them. But for a 32" widescreen at a price just shy of $500, this HDTV is sure a great value. The 720p picture quality far surpasses the 480p EDTV that it replaces. The sound quality is good, or at least good enough. I think that my Samsung HDTVs are better in many ways. My brother's Sony also strikes me as being better in several ways. But I paid FAR more $$$$ for the Samsungs and my brother even more for his Sony.

All these things, I suppose are relative. Prices of technology are dropping and its probable that $500 flat panel HDTVs will probably be common in a year, or less and this thread may seem silly then.
 
Purchased a 32 inch flat panel LCD at Best Buy on Black Friday. Looking at the display, excellent picture. That is about all I can tell you about it. It is for my daughter for Christmas. The price was $399.
 
Here's one hooked up to my little ASUS running at 1360x768. WOW! With the little telescopic antenna sitting on top, it pulls in the analog channels from ABQ 15-20 miles away just as well/snowy as my analog TV set, but the digital channels are perfect. I haven't hooked up the surround-sound satellite speakers yet, so another treat yet to come. :thumb:
 

Attachments

  • PC240006a.jpg
    PC240006a.jpg
    260.2 KB · Views: 131
Bobcat said:
Here's one hooked up to my little ASUS running at 1360x768. WOW! With the little telescopic antenna sitting on top, it pulls in the analog channels from ABQ 15-20 miles away just as well/snowy as my analog TV set, but the digital channels are perfect. I haven't hooked up the surround-sound satellite speakers yet, so another treat yet to come. :thumb:
Click to expand...

You sure youre qualified to hook that up? :rolf2: :poke:


VERY nice set! :thumb: Get it at Newegg?

PARTY AT BOBCATs!!!!!!!!
 
Last edited:
Bobcat said:
Yup.



Got it at the link at the bottom of my first post in this thread.



Sure. I won't be here. I'll be delivering flat panel LCD HDTVs. :thumb:


Did I mention that I bought more than one?
Click to expand...


:blink::blink::blink::blink: Cheesus Christ! Youre going to have some awfully happy family members!!!!! I bought my dad frozen vegetables, fish and a collar for his dog :mellow:
 
good buy bob, I usually dont mind the off brands, long as they show the brand name one beside it that looks the same.


we just bought this:


now on sale for 199.00, 40.00 MORE than what we paid.


next week with my week of vaca being sold back we are buying this:

37 inch, 1080 dpi, both are Samsung and will work together. first time we have had some this high tech in audio video ever. 899.00 unless it is on sale at the competition, then they match plus.

best buy stores.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top