Would you buy a ‘no-name’ brand television?
You’ll never guess which company manufacturers the best-selling flat-panel LCD television in the U.S. Is it Sony? Nope. Samsung? Nuh-uh. Sharp or Philips? Not even close.
You’ll never guess which company manufacturers the best-selling flat-panel LCD television in the U.S. Is it Sony? Nope. Samsung? Nuh-uh. Sharp or Philips? Not even close.
The best-selling LCD TV in America is none other than Vizio. Huh? Say what?
Yep, according to a press release issued by the company, Vizio rose four positions, going from the fifth-placed brand in the first quarter of 2007 to no. 1 in the second quarter — passing by Samsung, Philips, Sharp and Sony in the process.
In fact, the company claims it’s no. 1 in North America, though I haven’t yet seen Vizio on Canadian retail shelves (have you)?
In the second quarter of 2007, the Irvine, Calif.-based Vizio shipped 606,402 LCD-TVs in North America, up a whopping 76.4 percent increase from 343,704 in the first quarter, according to iSuppli Corp. This surge caused Vizio’s North American unit market share to rise to 14.5 percent, up from 9.4 percent in the first quarter.
Vizio televisions can often be found at mainstream retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Sears, as well as warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club.
So my question to you is: would you buy a "no-name" television if the price is considerably better than premium brands? It seems Americans have. Will Canadians? Or do we have a higher regard for proven brands and company heritage?
When I bought my first DVD player in 2001, I went with a Sylvania brand. It skipped, couldn't output properly on Component out, and the audio lagged badly to the video. 2 years later I bought a Panasonic, and with no problems to date, and perfect picture quality, I can say that I would never get a no-name brand.
More on the matter of TVs however, one trip into Best Buy will expose you to a wide array of LCD TVs from all manufacturers. The one with the best picture and brightness has always been Sharp. It may be more expensive, but that cost is well justified in the superior performance of the panel. In my experience, most cheap brands have been flawed, and have had many problems with performance, the only exception being a 20" Apex TV that was 40% of the price of a Panasonic or Toshiba competitor, and functioned almost as well. I would not buy anything low-end and bad brand name anymore.
The source of the picture is equally as important as the tv. A high def cable/sat box and a good cable will make any flat panel look good. Also most new tv companys allow the retailer to simply exchange the tv under the manufacturers warrenty, and the only really repairable thing in new flat panels is the power supply. Save your self the money and get the accessories you will need.
I have news for people. When you buy a brand name TV at a big box store, you're already getting a sub-standard product.
Wal Mart for example, likes to tell manufacturers that they will pay a few dollars less per TV, but will ensure that the company will sell millions of them. Manufacturers have started to put cheaper guts inside the products that are shipped to big box stores, to make up for the lost money on each unit.
A friend who works for a large electronics company told me this for a fact. Buy your TV from a big box store and you'll get the same box and model number, but a lower quality product.
I live in the Canadian Prairies and I would be very interested in any product, of that sort, for a cheaper price. The risk would be no harsher than buying a brand name product that doesn't give you a proper warranty, or service package. I would look at it as helping out the entreprenuer needing encouragement. Thank-you inventersof the world.
People who buy name brands are only concerned about what their friends' and family's will say if they have a No Name Brand in the house.
People are too caught up with trying to outdo everyone else and that is why all these Name Brands are raping us by over charging us for all their plastic junk.
Electronics are all overpriced no matter which brand you buy.
Even refurbished electronics are overpriced.
They mass produce all these junk, stick a label on them and people flock out to eat them up.
After a couple of weeks or a couple of months pass the unit becomes obsolete and the buyer has buyer's remorse and wish he/she would have waited a few more weeks for the newer model to hit the stores.
I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to electronics but I have learned to not worry about what other people will think when they see a 42 inch Daytek LCD TV on my wall. I will get another one for the bedroom when I can afford it.
That would mean I will have 2 Dayteks or 1 Daytek and 1 Vizio for the price of 1 Name Brand. That would outdo most people because 2 is better than one.
So there. And if I was really self concious about what people will say then I'll just get a Sony label and stick it over the Vizio label.
They're all made in the same place and the money I didn't spend buying a Sony will buy me several hundred shirts (no name of course)!!!
Sony, Sharp or Citizen what matters is company policy, service and marketing.
Even a brand new Sony can turn out to be Junk but the service will give you comfort or the company will back the product that you feel good to PAY XTRA.
Pricing is not the problem, every individual's comfort zone is.
We have retail options or choices today compared to years ago. It makes our purchase sometimes more complicated. A good portion of TV sales or for that fact almost anything is an ON SALE purchase. We certainly have the option of buying a brand or no brand product, and it really comes down to: you better do your cost of product homework before you make a purchase. Pick up anywhere, a flyer or media type today and we will find prices all over the map, in somes cases all the same brand at different retailers. So we need to be wise and check model numbers as well as specs etc etc. when comparing product. Our best bet today is to buy from a reputable retailer, someone who will guarantee their prices if a lower one becomes available in say 90 days. In saying that most reputable retailers offer a 30 day price guarantee. Also beware when viewing a TV on retail display always ask about the cable feed in the store. For example is the feed HD, if so when you get home and hook it up without HD, the picture quality is obviously not the same as viewed in the store. Conversely a store might have 20 TV's on one feed, hence the qualily appears to be poor. Also if the in store display is a cartoon or dvd video ask the sales person to change it to a regular channel, cartoons etc always look much better.
A non brand will appear better if it is hooked up to a HD feed. Finally, someone earlier mentioned – you get what you pay for – that is very accurate.
Purchased a Samsung big screen from BEST BUY along with the 5 year in house service plan and it quit working after 3 weeks. In house service plan is the pits. The set was taken out and was gone for 7 weeks to be fixed..Many phone calls to the repair contractor finaly got my t.v.back on a Saturday afternoon from "The Company" by a guy in an old truck who left it" wrapped in bubble pack" and me standing on the front steps.At 75 years old it was a real job for us to get it down stairs. No loner in their service package so after the first 4 weeks I purchased a no namer at Canadian tire and it works better than the high end one from BEST BUY. No name brands or service? packs for me
I recently DID buy a no name tv as a wedding present, 42 inches plasma. My best friend bought a Phillips, smae size. Our tv has a better picture on regular channels, her regular channels are very fuzzy. Her HD channels look just as good as ours. I would not have spent the extra 600.00 it cost her for the same tv. Very happy with our choice, but you have to research too and evaluate what is important to you.
One thing that most people dont realise is that the sales people get paid commision on all the products they sell so the more expensive product they sell the more money they will make. And having worked in sales i also know that sales people have lots of free time, to tweak the picture of tv they want to sell, and in some cases actually downgrade the picture on the tv they dont want to sell. And thats why the more expensive tvs look better. next time you go to look at tvs just grab the remote and turn the tv back to its original factory setting, you will see a big differance int the picture quality.
When it boils down to it folks…electronics are all the same…whether it be made by Sony or a no name company….it's all the same on the inside….no name stuff is just as good as any brand name
I bought a "no-name" Syntax LCD TV from Tiger Direct two years ago. The picture was pretty good and the price was half of what a Samsung or Sharp was going for.
Almost two years later to the day and the TV just died. Black screen.
I thought it was a great deal and just bought another Syntax two months ago, before the first one crapped out.
I hope this one lasts a bit longer.
Two years ago, the Syntax was all I could afford. Now the big names are the same price as what I spent two years ago. I just bought a Sharp LCD to replace the dead Syntax.
You will always find no-name bargain brands. It allows everyone to get in on new technology. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes it's a crap shoot.
I bought a Norcent from Future Shop, the picture turned to crap after 10 months. I sent it back to the manufacturer in California to have it fixed but because I didn't have the original box/packaging the courier wouldn't insure it. Of course they broke it, now neither Norcent nor the courier will come good for it. Morale of the story, if you are going to buy a no-name, keep the box it came in!
I think that no matter what you buy there is a potential that something could go wrong, weither it be Brand name or no-name. When it comes to big ticket items, I would rather purchase from a reputible store rather than some fly by night.
An example would be when I purchased a dishwasher from Sears. we had issues and after a couple of times they tried to repair, I asked that they just replace the lemon, and they did no questions asked. I think like some other people have said, if it works then all is ok, if it doesnt work it comes down to customer service. So, I had several Sony products, TV and VCR and they both cost me money when they had issues.
Bottom line, I had several bad experiences and they did not deal with them well. I will not buy Sony again.
Some of these places dont understand, you have great customer service and treat people right, even if there is issues, they will come back and be faithful.
I bought a high end "Name Brand" DVD player in 2002 for almost $600 it was a floor model so that was with a 30% discount but had to sacrifice the factory warrenty, which I was assured was alright because the would give me a 2 year in house warrenty, out of the box it ran well within a couple of months it got vary selective about what movies it wanted to play(I mean pristine dvd's, somtimes straight out of the plastic wrap wasnt good enough) I tried to take it back, but the company was going through reciver ship so no more warrenty…oops. So I picked up a white westinghouse from zellers Because the VCR That I bought 4 years before still worked and it was of that "no name" brand (still works today)and have had no problems. My 2 and 5 year old use it now and they change the dvd's them selves and that thing will play the dirtyist, grease media I have ever seen. I have other stories that follow this same sorta track, but IMO get the extended warrenty on whatever you buy, and for those of you who call "no name" a crap shoot I would have to agree but have to say its a risk buying any electronics, it all depends on how much you are willing to wager. One final note there is nothing wrong with "no name" brands especialy if your on a budget, they like everyone here has said are made in the same place, and as for you videophiles out there this product wasn't made designed or marketed to you if it was then you could complain. Another one that is getting good reviews is the V7 LCD TV's check it out at Tiger Direct they offer a great warrenty on both of these products and from reports in forums they stand behind them.
I bought a 42" Soyo last Nov for only $1099 at Office Warehouse and it has been great so far. No other brand or store has come even close to that cost so far. At one point since then, it was actually on for $898 but today sells regularly for $1398. The only issue is what the store will do if it craps out and I expect very little. No matter what brand or how expensive, the average store will wash their hands of you after 30 days and fob you off onto the manufacturer or warrantee repair centre in some other city. Result: you're out of a product 'til it comes back in a few months. Might as well buy the cheapest that looks good and they ALL need tweaking in your home anyway. Good luck!
I bought a Proview from Wallmart 32" LCD. I got this model for $650. Oddly enough I have seen several of the same model in neighbourhood sports bars. The picture is good and so far I have been very happy with it. 4 months and counting time will tell!!!
Everybody keeps saying you get what you pay for. That's quite wrong, you pay for what you get and it's up to you to make sure you're not paying more than something is worth.
Well, named brad vs a known.Great question i hear it all the time personally,how do i know?LoL i work in the Walmart electronics(in fact ive been seeing electronics since i was 19 and im now into my 30's).I tell people this(and this is my honest opinion)when your looking for a television go with what fits your need best.I sell the named and no names and seen problems with both,like anything you can have isses both good and bad no matter what you get.NowI say use what fit your needs,your price point and taste.If the name brand has too many bells and whistles then go with the no name if it fits you style and taste.If you have the extra money and that rca or sony fit you cost or you like the picture more,then go ahead and buy it.All its down to is user preferences and taste,thats all buying is.
Yes the name brands are more known sony,phillips,rca.But have you heard of a company called daynex,prive or illo? Now heres something else as well the big names sometime sell there products of last yr's model or a few yr'a go, sometime to the little guy and all the little guy does is put there name on it,same product different name. Now what can u say about names vs no name? All a matter of u is all and that all it is.Its your choice.
I bought an Astar and have had a minor problem but who says I wolud not have had a problem with Sony or others. You pays your money, you takes your chances!! We bought a 1986 Hyundai Excel ($7800) and ran it in the ground with ZERO repair bills. A friend had the identical car and had nothing but problems. I have a Sony rear projection TV and have had a $600 repair. My nephew has the identical tv and has had no problems at all. You pays your money……….