Why is Emerson considered a bad tv brand?

[ViddyD]

I'm torn between two tvs I see available on Black Friday. One is an LG 55" 1080p 120hz ($500) and the other is an Emerson 50" 1080p 60hz ($288).

The reason why I'm torn is this: everywhere I read, people say Emerson is terrible and to never buy one. Okay, so they're not top-notch, but what is the big deal? The Emerson is nearly half the price for just 5 less inches (and I don't care about 120hz), but is it still worth the extra just for a different brand? Why is Emerson such a byword? Can anyone give me actual details as to how/why it's such a poor brand? I asked a couple friends who have Emersons and they said they're pretty good. One guy said his tv sometimes it gets brighter/darker maybe a couple times during a movie, but I don't see why that would warrant spending twice the amount of money to avoid.

I'm not arguing that Emerson is better than what people say, just stating that I don't get it. If there really is a legit reason why I should pay twice as much for a different brand, PLEASE tell me. Like, do they explode after a year or something?

 

[ssddx]

i doubt they will "explode" on you after a year but generally cheap brands have a higher chance of failure than the well known and trusted major brands.

they are disposable televisions. if they ever break on you out of warranty it is pretty much impossible to get parts for them. the same is true with olevia and other budget brands.

dealing with budget brand customer service can also be a nightmare at times.

as far as image quality all of the top end brands look best to me but some of the base models are fairly comparable. i think you can judge which you like the best

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TLDR: if all you want is a cheap television and you dont care about how long it lasts then go with the emerson. if you want to keep the set around for a long time i'd suggest getting a sony or samsung. or possibly lg if you have your heart set on that.

 

[ViddyD]

That's understandable. Is there a rule of thumb on how long Emersons usually last? I'm sure there is plenty of variance, but if it's a common issue then I'd figure people would report failures and trends would show within one, three, five years, etc. I looked it up and couldn't find any such material. If they generally poop out in a year or two then I'll go with the LG, but if it's more like 5 years before issues usually show then I probably wouldn't mind, because by then 4k might be at least a semi-affordable option.

 

[ssddx]

i've seen them crap out in 6months to a year but some people report having had them for a few years. i dont think i would trust them for 5 years but you could try and tempt fate!

there is no rule of thumb but there is a higher chance of a cheap tv crapping out over a better one.

think about it like bungee jumping. you have a choice between a $10 bungee cord with mediocre reviews you bought from some unknown providence in china or one you bought in a store for $60 stamped made in usa and is well known for being quality. both have a chance of failure but which one would you trust? while a tv isnt going to be life changing should it fail you can see my point about risk vs cost. both cords could work but the one has a higher chance of it failing. (generally speaking of course)

 

[ViddyD]

I ended up finding a Sharp 50" led 120hz for $400, I might go that route. It's kinda between the two in price/specs it seems and still a good brand.

Thanks for all the input, I'm a bit less flabbergasted now!

 

[americanaudiophile]

The brand "Emerson" is owned by a Chinese company which bought it and uses it to give their products a higher profile and better perception because of the history of the brand. If the TV was XYZ and very cheap and undependable you would probably not ever ask the question.

 

[ViddyD]

I asked because I did not know that Emerson was considered "undependable", just disliked by many. I wanted to understand exactly why in detail. I had no knowledge of Emerson's history.

 

[5umner]

The power supply keeps burning out due to poor design. Stay Away!

 

[imarai]

The brand "Emerson" is owned by a Chinese company which bought it and uses it to give their products a higher profile and better perception because of the history of the brand. If the TV was XYZ and very cheap and undependable you would probably not ever ask the question.

The Emerson brand is owned by Funai, a Japanese company. Technician TVJer says Emerson is one of the brands requiring the least service. Samsung requiring the most servicing. TVJer owns a large volume TV repair business. A recent "frequency of repair" survey done by a reputable organisation, reported Emerson as ranking 8th out of 20 brands in reliability. Panasonic ranked 1 in quality. RCA placed last, in 20th place.

 

[deadfish]

my 2 cents.. without any research my dad purchased an Emerson Flat screen TV with a built in DVD player. Its been over 4 years of great service. Which amazed me, as I was firmly against purchasing that TV. Its very boring and cheap looking.. play 720p. Zero issues. Would I personally buy one, even knowing all this: no. But for the demographic: retired octogenerians... they will buy it.