Mintek 37-Inch LCD HDTV with Built-in Progressive Scan DVD Player

I just returned my Mintek 26" LCD HDTV. The company is currently out of business. They were implicated in portable DVD players with batteries that caught on fire, back in 2005. The issues are consistent for all of their products; they work fine for a brief time, then either the in-slot DVD stops working, or the buttons on the actual TV stop working, making it impossible to watch anything but the last DVD you put in (in my case, it was my son's Thomas the Train video. I still have nightmares). All that being said, please do a thorough internet review before considering ANY Mintek product!!!! Most companies will stand by their warranty, even after going out of business. These guys do not!!Buy Mintek 37-Inch LCD HDTV with Built-in Progressive Scan DVD Player!

Sharp LC26DV22U 26-Inch LCD TV with Built-In DVD Player

After six months of ownership, this TV began turning itself on randomly. The main circuit board was replaced. The TV still turns itself on. (However, the sound is now improved significantly!) We expect to have the TV replaced. No one seems to know why it turns itself on. The circuit board took four months to be delivered after the initial complaint. We were told the part was backordered. Maybe our complaint is a common one?Buy Sharp LC26DV22U 26-Inch LCD TV with Built-In DVD Player!

Sony Bravia M-Series KDL-26M3000 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV

I bought this TV several months ago and I've been very happy with it. The picture is crisp and the sound is good (most of the time I can set it in the low 20's). The remote doesn't have a lot more buttons than the number pad but how many more do you need? Menu navigation is easy; I can quickly turn on closed captioning when needed and then turn it off. I purchased the cables required to connect my laptop to the TV so I can watch shows on the Internet on my TV. That setup is quick and easy. Overall, a TV I'd recommend.Buy Sony Bravia M-Series KDL-26M3000 26-Inch 720p LCD HDTV!

Philips 37PF9631D 37-Inch LCD HDTV with Ambilight

Bought this product in April 2007. Within 2 months, the main board failed and was replaced under warranty. In March 2009, I got what is starting to become known as the red blinks of death. The TV wouldn't turn on. The tech told me that Philips manufactured the device with a resistor of the wrong resistance and they are aware of the issue but won't issue a recall or offer to repair. With parts and labor, this cost several hundred dollars. I won't buy another Philips TV. Buy Philips 37PF9631D 37-Inch LCD HDTV with Ambilight!

SONY KDF60XBR950 60-Inch LCD Projection TV

Since I have been searching on this issue for about a week now I thought it would be useful to record my experience for those of you who might be looking to pick up one of these sets used.

For almost 5 years (this December) our 60XBR950 has performed admirably with good brightness, color, and decent contract/blacks given it is a rear projection LCD. Up to a couple of weeks ago I would have given it high recommendations, and in fact picked up a smaller version of the same set for my in laws just over a year ago.

However, as I have found out personally and via some internet searching this set and its cousins have some quality issues with regard to the optical block. I noticed a few weeks ago while watching a football game that the center of the screen was slightly grayer than the rest. This problem has progressed a bit to the point where I am seeing:

1. A definite fade in colors in the center of the screen. I believe it is the green LCD but haven't put a green-only image on the screen to check this out.

2. When my Vista Media Center menus are on the screen for an extended period of time I get some blue streaking through subsequent video. This tends to fade after a bit. Note that I never saw this before so it may be related to issue #1.

The good news in all of this (hopefully) is that I purchased a 5-year extended warranty on the set when I got it back in 2003. This was through Tweeter, which isn't in business in my area anymore, but is still around elsewhere. I am digging out the receipt this weekend and hopefully they will be able to take care of me. It is not clear whether Sony's extended coverage of the set applies to me, and I have also seen reports that they tend to replace your old optical block with a refurbished one that may or may not have other problems....Buy SONY KDF60XBR950 60-Inch LCD Projection TV!