Insignia IS-TV040928 TV - A CRT type HD TV
Written: Oct 19 '05
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Pros: Priced $200 to $300 below Major brands with most of their features
Cons: Weight (heavy CRT Tube). Finding a remote code for universal remotes
The Bottom Line: I recommend this set to anyone wanting a HD CRT style TV. It is priced well below the major brands however has most of their features. Easy to setup.
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| mike_perrotto's Full Review: Insignia IS-TV040928 TV |
I think the first question one might have is, “why would anyone want to purchase an old style CRT television?” Here’s our reasoning:
Although we are in the process of replacing our TV sets with the newer flat panel types, the wall unit in our family room was designed (deep) to contain a CRT type TV set. So when our older Panasonic TV set would no longer power up and we expected repair costs to exceed $200.00, our decision was an easy one, buy a new CRT TV set.
Requirements:
1. Our wall unit allows a TV set with a maximum width of 33”. This limitation forced us to stay in the 27” to 30” diagonal range.
2. Our set-top box is a high definition box provided by Cable Vision of NJ so we added HD to our TV requirements list.
3. Because we watch lots of TV that is not in HD format, those rectangle shaped TVs tend to distort the picture. Our final requirement was a square shaped TV display.
With this set of requirements, I went shopping on the internet. I will admit that some of the exclusive internet retailers were selling similar TV sets at approximately $100.00 below the major electronic chains. However, after you factor in the cost of shipping, the prices are basically the same. I finally restricted my search to Best Buy and Circuit City.
The major brand TVs (e.g., Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba) were in the $600 to $800.00 price range while the less popular brands (Samsung) were running in the $350 to $450 price range.
On the Best Buy site, I found a TV brand that I never heard of – Insignia. Apparently Insignia is made exclusively for Best Buy. I was a little bit nervous buying a “no name” set, however, when I researched this brand on the internet, various bulletin boards stated that companies like Sylvania, LG, etc. manufacture these sets and put the Insignia name on them. Although I cannot prove this, it makes sense for these companies to re-brand their sets to a generic set name that is heavily discounted to price protect their brand names.
I found significant similarities between the Insignia model IS-TV040928 (27” flat screen, CRT type) and the major brands in the following areas: (the below specifications are for the Insignia TV)
• HD-Ready: Fully capable of high-definition display when connected to an optional HDTV source (over-the-air, satellite or digital-cable set-top box). Conventional analog TV reception is provided via a built-in NTSC tuner.
• 4:3 aspect ratio for viewing standard TV in fullscreen format, plus selectable 16:9 viewing mode
1080i display provides the highest quality interlaced picture possible from a high-definition source
• 4-line digital comb filter brings out fine picture detail and enhances color purity
• Inputs: component video, S-video, A/V, RF
One main difference was the price. At $420.00 it was $200 to $300 less expensive.
With all these positives, we purchased the Insignia TV from Best Buy over the internet with an in-store pickup the following day.
We picked up the TV and had to “unbox” it to fit it into our SUV. The TV is very heavy due to the CRT tube (about 120 lbs.) so my wife and I struggled to get it in and out of the SUV. My advice, have it delivered.
Installing it was a breeze. Our cable box had RCA type connections for audio and a S-video connection for video. (Note, this set does not have an HDMI connection for video and this may upset some extreme home theater enthusiasts) The picture quality with regular TV and HDTV is excellent. The sound is excellent through the two small speakers built into the set.
My recommendation – If you want an excellent lower priced CRT type HDTV, the Insignia IS-TV 040928 is an excellent choice. Because we just purchased the set, I cannot speak for longevity, however at this price, I could afford one repair before retiring the set.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 420.00
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Epinions.com ID:
mike_perrotto
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Reviews written: 2
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