The great 32" TV dilemma of 2015

Nysir

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Jan 7, 2012
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I bought a 720p 28" Samsung TV from Amazon, the UN28H4000. The colors and black levels are decent, but the viewing angle is nothing short of atrocious. I can't believe it had a majority of 5 star ratings out of 800 reviews on Amazon, since I can already start to see the whitening/glare-esque changing on the sides/corners of the TV while staring straight at the thing. Not 100% this is a viewing angle thing, but it changes based on my relation to it. However, it's mostly only noticeable with dark scenes and lots of blacks present. Vibrant scenes make it impossible to notice.

I have a very small window to return this to Amazon and get my $200 back. I'm willing to spend up to $400 on a 32" that doesn't suck in some way. The problem is, everywhere I look, there's nothing very good. I know manufacturers pour all their quality assurance into the bigger displays, but I cannot fit anything bigger than a 32" without problems.

I checked out Tom's Guide's best 32" inch TV page, and the only one there that's viable is the H5500 from what I can tell. The Vizio has widespread complaints from every website I've looked at, and the Toshiba and the LG are no longer being sold by reputable sellers. LG has a newer 'replacement' version of the LB5600, but according to Rtings.com, it is very noticeably worse.

I just want good color, actual blacks, and a viewing angle that doesn't case that glare affect on the edges of the screen when staring right at it. I feel like $400 is more than enough to do this and am tempted to just shut up and buy the H5500, but I'm wary of that as well. Samsung in general seems to have VERY bad customer service from multiple sources. Their website lists the TV as only having a 90 day warranty, which is directly at odds with Best Buy's claim of a 1 year warranty. One review says that when the TV went bad within a month of owning it, Samsung wanted him to pay $200 to fix it. What's the point of the warranty, then? There are also several mentions of the TV shutting itself off frequently, though this is also present in reviews for the Vizio and some other TVs I've looked at.

Am I just hoping for something that doesn't exist? Is the H5500 going to blow me away and make me regret waiting? What about the H5203? It doesn't look to be much worse according to Rtings.com, except for lackluster smartTV features that I don't need. There's also the H5000 for only $270 or so, but I don't know how it compares to the other two. Acording to another buying guide site, all three of these are "plagued by color and contrast degradation when viewing off center". Everything else has poor blacks/contrast. I feel like I can't really win here and would love some input from you all. Sorry for the essay.

TLDR: I need a 32" TV, preferably 1080p but will downscale to 720p if it means significantly better quality. Considering the Samsung H5500, H5203 and H5000, but also will consider other options if you can assure me the black levels/contrast are going to be good. I don't need wide viewing angles, I just need to be able to shift in my seat, move my head while staring straight at the screen without the washed-out affect on the edges of the screen.
 
Solution
Hello,

Unfortunately it's not that easy anymore... Back in the day, a plasma TV was the way to go (they are hard to find nowadays).

Right now, many TVs are based on cheap TN technology, which translates in light bleeding and bad off-center viewing.

Your choice is to find an IPS/VA-based TV (LG 32LB5610), or the newer DirectLED technology (LG Smart TV 32LF650V or the bigger Panasonic Smart TV TX-40AS640E). EdgeLED suffers the same retro-illumination problems as old CCFL-based displays: non-uniform backlight and worse dynamic contrast.

Cristi72

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Jun 25, 2014
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Hello,

Unfortunately it's not that easy anymore... Back in the day, a plasma TV was the way to go (they are hard to find nowadays).

Right now, many TVs are based on cheap TN technology, which translates in light bleeding and bad off-center viewing.

Your choice is to find an IPS/VA-based TV (LG 32LB5610), or the newer DirectLED technology (LG Smart TV 32LF650V or the bigger Panasonic Smart TV TX-40AS640E). EdgeLED suffers the same retro-illumination problems as old CCFL-based displays: non-uniform backlight and worse dynamic contrast.
 
Solution

Nysir

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Jan 7, 2012
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Thanks for your reply! I was surprised that anyone read my giant wall of text, honestly. I checked out all of the TVs you mentioned, but unfortunately they all seem to be unavailable in the United States. I can't even find a 32" IPS TV, but maybe I'm just not searching in the right places? I'd check ebay if it didn't mean losing a warranty.

If I upped my budget to $600, albeit while cringing terribly, does that improve my chances at all? I found the Samsung H6350, which Rtings says is good but another reviewer (Cnet) says is bad, for that price at 32". I guess I can even bump up to 40", even though it'll cause issues with viewing comfortably, if it means getting better tech without spending more than $600. Do you or anyone else have some good suggestions on anything in this range available in the United States?
 

Nysir

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Jan 7, 2012
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This is a fair point and I do intend to do that tomorrow. However, the selection of televisions in the store is much more limited than what I can observe online. I fully expect tomorrow to be a wasted effort, considering most of the 32" sets aren't even carried in the store. My selection will mostly be limited to Best Buy's crappy Insignia brand, Walmart's crappy Sceptre brand, or the much cheaper and less reliable $200-300 sets. None of the ones that have caught my eye online are carried in any of the stores one would go to to buy a TV, sadly. I live in a pretty big city, yet beyond Best Buy, Walmart, Target (maybe?) and a Sears, I can't really think of a store that is going to carry a decent selection of televisions. Of those, I think Best Buy is probably the most reliable bet.