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.
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.
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