HDTV Question
 

I just bought a Toshiba 50" HDTV from bestbuy. The only drawback was that is was a return. Everything on the TV looked OK, but should i be wary about the condition of the TV or is it fine.

Thanks alot

I'd be wary but that's just me. Why was it returned and how long did the previous owner have it? Did it get returned because it was defective? If so was it fixed so it's now reconditioned with a full waranty? I'd get Avia and go through avery test on there to find out if there's a problem. Check for burn in, focus and convergance errors, check all inputs to make certain they work and take off the screen and look at the CRTs for coolant leaks or floaters, check the mirror for scratches and inspect the screen. Good luck.

Purchasing an open box or returned RPTV is risky. How much money did you save over buying a new one? Last week was their 10% off sale. Depending on your salesman, you wasn't suppose to get 10% off open box items. You might have been able to purchase a new TV with the 10% off coupon close to what you paid for the open box item. However, if he gave you an additional 10% off of the open box price it might be worth the risk to you.

I just bought a new 42" Toshiba from BB but I took a good look at the 5, yes count em' 5, Toshiba 50" RPTV's on the floor. They were selling all of them for about $1700 - $1900. Every single one had a crack in the top left corner of the cabinet and the protecive screen was pushed out a little at that spot. Naturally, I asked what was wrong with them. Apparantly 3 of them were returned by the same guy who said the speakers popped when he turned it on (mysteriously, none of them were popping on the BB floor), and the delivery company who picked them up damaged all 5 of them in the same exact way.

Even though they said that was all that was wrong with them, I couldn't bring myself to buy one. All I could picture was some meat head bending and twisting the things while trying to get them on a dolly by himself thus causing the stress cracks. Plus th e fact that about 10,000 people have probably played with each one while on display.

I'd get all the information that I can about the display models, and then, like chipmac said, still be wary about buying one. That's just what I think.

I got the TV from BB for 1699, originally 2100. It had a crack on the left side too, but that was it. It looked it good condition other than that. What is this Avia you guys are talking about, and how do i get it. Thanks for your help.

I think I'd defintely stay away from buying anything with a crack in it... It takes a pretty good amount of force to crack the plastic, I can't imagine what that would do to anything internal.

Avia is a calibration dvd - it has test patterns that let you set up your set the way that it's supposed to be.

With the money you saved, you might want to call on an ISF technician to properly calibrate this set for you. You will definately notice the difference. I have a 65" Mitsu Diamond series, and once I got this done, the picture was WAY better.

How do i get an ISF technician?
Or where do i?

You can check here to see if there's an ISF tech in your area.

I would go back to BB asap, and return the set. Demo's, floor models, and returns are never a wise investment. RPTV'S that are cracked could have damage inside that is not apparent now. It is not worth the money saved. I have a Toshiba 50HX81 that I tweaked myself and then had calibrated by an ISF technician. There is such a thing as penny wise, and pound foolish.

James

I bought mine today, panason 53 inch for 1800$ including tax from soundtrack, it was a good deal!

IMHO that may be a little harsh. I'm not sure someone/anyone can make a blanket statement. Even on a TV. I have bought several "refurb" items and never had a problem. I found a GREAT deal on a referb camera that I just couldn't pass up. No problem.

If you are truely concerned, you might go back and tell the salesman/manager your concerns. See if they will throw in an extended warrenty for free or substantial discount. They probably would rather give you (or highly discount) an extended warrenty rather then have you return the set.

I agree with the other posts. Regardless of the deal, it is a large investment. TRY everything and every feature, then have it checked out by a professional.

Lets face it. It really comes down to "comfort" levels rather then the actual item (assuming of course the item works properly). The question becomes what is the cost of the comfort you want????