HDTV Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Right Choice’

Terk HDtv Antenna Amplified

Receives all available UHF/VHF local & HDTV broadcasts / Provides outstanding high-definition TV reception / Can clamp to existing satellite dish mast Unit Size – 13-3/8W x 9-1/8H x 16D (41-1/2H with dipoles extended) Terk USA Warranty – 1 year

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great antenna
I bought this antenna about six months ago, and I am very pleased with it. I’ve never had such clear reception. I live in a remote area, and my reception over the years has never been very good, even with a pre-amplifier. With this antenna, my reception is remarkably clear.

At first when I installed it and aimed it for the best picture, I was disappointed in the picture quality. I read the instructions and discovered you have to turn the amplifier ON. Big improvement.

I mounted the antenna on a 15′ ground mast, and I was a little concerned about the high winds in my area moving it around or changing its aim, but so far it hasn’t been a problem. It’s pretty stream-lined.

It does have some plastic parts which may rot in the sun over time; we’ll see. Apart from that, it seems well-constructed.

4 Stars Right Choice
Works great. We have a seasonal campsite and only got two channels before the conversion, and nothing to speek of after. So my son did his research and felt this one would be our best bet. We weren’t looking for satelite reception, simply a few channels worth watching. He made the right choice in getting this one. We now pick up at least six channels (4 we never got before) and we are at least 50 miles from the nearest tower. Very pleased with the reception. We can pick up all six channels which come thru different 2 signals (in opposite directions) without rotating the antenna. The only time reception gets distorted is after midnight ~ which is my clue to say goodnight! Plus we were able to mount it in the same bracket that came on the camper; we simply replaced the old antenna with this one. So.. it looks great too! Always love shopping thru amazon; fair prices and speedy delivery!

5 Stars Nice Tech looking antenna!
This antenna was easy to set up, pick up more than enough channels, also the range on this antenna is great like some other people said in the reviews, HD channels come in very clear.

4 Stars Great but a little to big
As the title depicts this antenna is really good the picture qualitly I perfect it’s easy to mount but for putting in an attic it’s a little big. That’s my only complaint so far

2 Stars Didn’t work for my situation
There are a lot of large trees in front of my complex. I tried this antenna in different areas and at different heights on top of my roof and the best that came up were the PBS and ION channels. Maybe I just live in a very bad area but from websites like [...] and [...] I should be able to pick up a signal even with the trees.

Buy/More Info

Panasonic TC P50G15 50 VIERA G15 Series 1080p THX certified plasma HDTV

49.9″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Excellent buy on an excellent product!
I rarely take the time to write product reviews, but in this case I felt like it was really worthwhile. I spent a few months researching TVs and I am always reading in forums, checking showrooms, etc. There are some fantastic TVs out there on both Plasma and LCD sides (LEDs still too expensive in my mind). After countless hours looking at all my options, I narrowed it down to a Samsung LCD or a Panasonic Plasma. This TV was to serve as the main family unit in the living room. I have a Sony PS3 (Blu-ray & games) and DirecTV HD DVR receiver to connect to the TV. My friend has a Samsung 650 LCD that has really nice color and decent performance, however I notice some motion issues when watching fast sports or with the PS3 connected. I also think the Samsung’s colors are a little unnatural. Already owning a 2 year old 42″ Panasonic Plasma (700u model), I was able to do a pretty good live comparison between the two before purchasing the G15. The plasma’s blacks were better and the color was more natural in my opinion. Also, the plasma didn’t show any artifacts or motion issues no matter the content unlike the LCD. [Yes both TVs were calibrated, so please don't flame me for giving my opinion] The bottom line to me is both are great TVs and you have to choose based on your needs and your taste. I decided to go with the G15 Panasonic after seeing a calibrated unit at my local store. It was absolutely beautiful. After owning the TV for more than a month, I can tell you that it was the right choice for me. I was really proud the other day when my brother-in-law (Samsung owner), watched a HD NFL game on my TV and stated it was the best picture he had ever seen.

Pros:

- Stunning picture quality right out of the box. Even better after slight calibration.

- Beautiful thin frame

- Great anti-reflective properties on the screen

- THX mode for movies (great at night)

- Very fast for games and sports

- Unbelievable blacks

- Natural and clean colors

- Plenty of connections

- Excellent DVD and gaming performance. New 1080p PS3 games look amazing as do Blu-rays.

- Works great with laptop connected as well

- Reasonable standard def performance (as good as most other sets that I have seen)

- Good remote

Cons:

- Sound is a little weak (pretty standard for most thin frame TVs). Best if you have a separate surround receiver.

- Not as many menu adjustments as some other TVs to dial in the picture, however it was so close out of the box that only minor adjustments were needed so this shouldn’t be an issue for most.

- Fairly heavy compared to similar size LCD.

- Uses a little more power than similar size LCD.

- Not quite as bright as LCD if using in very bright room. However, the screen is less reflective than most LCDs that I have seen.

I bought this TV on Amazon and got a great price as well as good shipping. The TV was delivered to my door in good packaging and without any damage.

If you are on the fence about this purchase, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. If you prefer brilliant color over natural color then maybe the LCD is for you. I just can’t get past the motion issues with LCD even with the 120hz or the off-axis viewing issues. These are my opinions, so please check it out for yourself to make the decision that is right for you. I just can’t imagine a better TV for the price.

5 Stars Excellent HDTV, replaces the TC-P50G10
I’m ashamed to admit, then I never even inspected this TV in person before buying it. All the reviews were so good, I felt confident buying it. However, I was first going to purchase the Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P50G10 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, as the price difference wasn’t clear as to what was different. Fortunately, I waited a few extra days, and most resellers starting going out of stock on the G10, so I moved to the G15. And the G15 is actually cheaper now than the G10, which I’ve heard is discontinued.

The G15 is about 2″ thinner, and supposedly has an extra anti-glare coating. I’m amazed at how little glare there is for a plasma, and the ability to view it at extreme angles. I’m even contemplating not buying the full-motion mount, because I may not even need it.

The menu’s are easy to use and understand, nice big fonts. Only gripe, of which I’m hoping to find a solution, is that when watching 4:3 shows, the TV fills the sides with grey background color, instead of black.

4 Stars Got it a few days ago
I looked forever for a new TV that 1.did not pixilate 2. fairly inexpensive, looked decent. I looked forever at lcd, leds, and plasma- I finally picked this one becuse a friend just got a LG plasma and it looked awesome. I took this one because it WAS on sale and had free shipping- plus the reviews were tops everywhere I looked. It shipped a little slower than I had hoped,(it was free so….) but arrived in one piece- he box was not damaged at all. Got it set up on the wall and hooked up. It looks great! The picture is fantastic. Of coure standard tv does not look great- but show me a lcd/led/plasma that does. HD looks super. I have had only the SLIGHTEST pixilation- by that I mean watching a football game with super fast pan- but that was over the air signal and the pixles were much smaller than and lcd I have seen. It just seems it does not do it nearly like a lcd. It does have a “partialy” matte screen. It is NOT shiny glass- but still have some reflection- mine is in a room with many windows/lights and I have had no issue- I DO think its lightly matte screen does help alot.

Cons: these are my isues with it- not enough to keep me from buying it again. The sound- good god, what the he11 was panasonic thinking, the sound is terrible. Down firing hollow/tinny speakers- obviously, most people use their own surround and this completley fixes the issue, but I am not set up for that yet so am stuck with crap for sound. Maybe its just me- it is OK, and very watch/listenable, but should be much better than it is. This may be better if it was on its stand and the sound reflected more than I am doing a it- its on the wall shooting down into a 24×24 room (our chairs are near the TV).

It does kick off some heat, but not as much as I expected. I think this one is rated somehow more efficient than previous ones

I give this TV a 4 ONLY for the sound- everything else is 5-star

5 Stars Perfect video, Terrible Audio!
This is one of the best TVs that you can get with a reasonable price. Colors, contrast, refreshing rate are awesome. It is much more better than the LCD and LED TVs. Youtube and amazon video connection is really handy. without buying an appletv you can watch stuff on youtube and rent HD movies on amazon.If it has a blockbusters or netflix connection that would be better tho. It has a build in network card and gets its own IP. It also gives you information about the stock market and weather forecast with this vierra function. In summary video capabilities are much more better than the other tvs on the market.( the ones under 3k) The only negative thing that I can count is the audio. Godddd!!! I dont know why the hell they put those piece of …t speakerphones in this wonderful tv but they are really horrible. My portable ipod speakerphone is definitely better than those.

There is no need to spend to more money on the other models. This is better and cheaper.GO FOR IT!!!

5 Stars Best TV I have found, for both the quality, and for the money.
There were so many reasons that I was convinced I would never buy a plasma TV: 1. They run hot. 2. They use huge amounts of energy. 3. They last half as long as LCD-screen TV’s 4. The image burn-in ruins the display if you don’t watch it like a hawk constantly. 5. Plus, I live at over 6,000 feet above sea level and plasma sets are supposed to act strangely up here and make funny noises.

Well, after a GREAT deal of research of all kinds, I became convinced that, at least by 2009, none of this was true anymore. Still, I had had my heart set on a latest-generation Sony XBR for years, and it was just a matter of time before I got one. But that changed about six weeks ago.

My Panny G15 50″ plasma has an absolutely gorgeous picture — particularly when viewing presentations at 1080p, especially Blu-Ray movies. Hi-def cable shows look great also. And no matter what you’re watching, plasma really does give you ultra-deep blacks and contrast ratios that LCD TV’s simply are not physically capable of matching. And image burn-in? Really, unless you go off and leave the set displaying a static, unmoving image for many hours (at least) you are highly unlikely to have any burned-in image.

The Panasonic plasma sets are made by Panasonic itself, and it is one of the very few manufacturers that actually makes its own plasma screens. Perhaps this has some bearing on why the quality is so good. My set has the Energy Star seal, and it is reputed to use only half the power that plasma sets used as little as three years ago.

There is no “high-altitude” effect that I can see or hear at all, and I notice that today, Panasonic plasma sets are rated for at least 60,000 hours of life, which is the same as the rating for Sony XBR sets (with a tube, not a bulb). Another thing you should know is that there is nothing at all flimsy about the support pedestal. I’ve read some reviews that suggest it would be easy to break the stand, or tip the TV over. You’d have to deliberately crash right into the G15 in order to break the stand or knock it over because it is very sturdy indeed.

Oh, there was another motivation for buying the Panny G15 over an XBR9 — I saved one thousand dollars, comparing a 50″ G15 with a 52″ XBR9. Price was not my driving motivation because I’d waited over five year to carefully select a widescreen TV, but, if you like the Panny’s display better, and you save a thousand bucks? Kind of a no brainer.

Yes, there is one thing I’m not thrilled about with the Panny, and others have written about it, too — the rather mediocre in-set speakers. This isn’t a big deal for me since I always port the audio to my home theater stereo when watching a presentation in which I even care very much about the audio. Still, yes, the speakers in my wonderful old Toshiba 36″ CRT set were quite a bit better.

Last bit of advice: DO NOT clean the screen of a Panasonic G15 except exactly as instructed in the owner’s manual! Do NOT use Windex or any product with ammonia. The G15 has an excellent anti-reflective coating and you don’t want to mess it up!

Buy/More Info