Off brand hdtv sets.....

I'm with Tvad on this one. What it really comes down to for me is what do I want. For me in this case, after doing exhaustive research I bought a Sony. The primary reason being that I had the last one for twenty years, and the extra expense factored over that period was more than worth it.

It's true 4est, my Sony 32" XBR lasted 17 years and was still working well when I had them haul it away. It weighs to much for me to move, even with a friend! Truth be told, I wish it had died sooner so I could justify buying a new TV and enjoy a bigger and better picture. It all depends on what you want and where you're willing to make compromises.

Does Sony make better amps than Bryston, Musical Fidelity, Spectron, etc? They certainly have more experience. Hope no one is suggesting we only buy Sony amps cause they have the most experience and are the most reliable 'cause I'm thinking tubes are out for sure :)

I'm more with Semi. Decide what you want and pay for that. After 20 years of off brand TVs I may be back to only buying Sony. For now, it's not worth it to me.

I am a bit ashamed to admit I got rid of a 5 year old 36" Panasonic Tao TV for my 50" Vizio but could not resist the big picture experience even though the Tao had better color.

Exactly Philolet! In 5 years you'll wish you weren't stuck with that lowly 1024p 120 Hz deep color TV. In ten years, you'll really really want to buy that new 100" OLED 16K 1024 Hz extra super deep color TV/videocom/workstation that displays 12 channels simultaneously. In 15 years, you'll have it hauled away as trash or give it to the goodwill so you can go with the Nokia 24/7 aural/optical family implant plan.

And hey, no problem if you want to be buried with your Sony TV so you can watch it in heaven. God bless and enjoy what makes you happy.

You get what you pay for is right, also look at the specs on some of these off brand entry level models.........anything under 5000.1 contrast is a out and out joke if you ask me, look on Walmart's site and you see these $900 models with 1000.1. 1500.1 contrast, if the color black didnt exist these numbers would be fine but grey doesnt cut it.