1080e.tv

Circuit City liquidation: Deal or dud?

 

TAMPA, FL--Shoppers are searching for deals at Circuit City. But, many are leaving empty handed. “It’s only a ten percent discount so it's really not that much," says shopper Megan Knapp. But, shopper Jeff Hurwitz says he haggled to get the right price on a set of speakers. "I bought a Bose stereo system for about $225," Jeff says. However, we discovered some prices were actually better before the liquidation sale began. Our cell phone cameras captured the prices of four items; three high definition televisions and a home theatre sound system on Friday January 16th, one day before liquidation. 

Consumer Reporter Kerry Kavanaugh went back into the Circuit City on Dale Mabry in Tampa on Monday with her cell phone camera in hand to see how the prices compare. We found a Sony 32 inch 1080p LCD HDTV with the original Circuit City price of $1099.99. On Friday, it was on sale for $899.99. Today, the discount is 10 percent off, or $989.99. It costs $90 dollars more today than it did on Friday A Sony 40 inch 1080p LCD HDTV is normally priced $1299 at Circuit City. Pre liquidation it was on sale for $1099. With the current ten percent off, it's $1169.99. That’s a $70 difference. We also found an Onkyo home theatre system is now $20 more expensive than it was on Friday. We did find one of the four items cheaper in the liquidation sale. A Samsung 67 inch micro display TV is now $40 cheaper with the ten percent discount. 

ABC Action News contacted Hudson Capital Partners, the liquidator running Circuit City prices. They explained they take the stores temporary sale price and return it to the regular selling prices and discount from there. However, the liquidator will honor the Current Circuit city ad and give the consumer whichever price is cheaper. Currently most items are just ten percent. There are some exceptions. Music and DVD’s are 20 percent off and furniture is 30 percent off. 

As the weeks go on, the discounts get deeper. But, before you buy, compare prices in other stores and online. Remember anything you buy during a liquidation sale is a final sale, no returns or refunds.

Samsung LN46A950 46″ 1080p LED LCD HDTV

Getting an ND home video indulges just one aspect of our senses - sight. For everybody, sight is nothing more than the ability to perceive or interpret information from visible light. An HDTV’s most fundamental performance is intimately linked to its ability to produce light. HDTVs use a variety of light-producing mechanisms, but the Samsung LN46A950 uses a wide-color-gamut LED backlight, offering a dynamic light source that optimizes a color’s hue for reproduction of natural, lifelike colors.

When it comes to the LN46A950, that’s just the beginning. A full HD 1080p resolution delivers the highest video resolution currently available. It has 1920 x 1080 pixels scanned progressively with a super-fast 4ms pixel-response time for the smoothest, most lifelike image around.

Samsung’s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz frame-rate conversion technology delivers accurate reproduction of film-based content for a true home-theater experience. Also, there’s no shortage of color, brightness, and detail across the LN46A950’s 16:9 widescreen panel: a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) in combination with a wide color enhancer optimizes color reproduction while a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio conjures up precise, stunning detail, scene after scene.

Finally, enjoy video from a variety of digital and analog sources thanks to a built-in image scaler and integrated ATSC and Clear QAM digital tuners.

120Hz image processing shows 120 frames per second, showing each film frame five times and each TV frame four times, allowing TVs to reproduce unconverted, evenly extrapolated 24 fps movie and 30 fps television programming. The LN46A950’s Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology virtually eliminates any motion blur and creates smooth transitions between frames. The result is a clearer picture you have to see to believe.

Samsung also added a Touch of Color to some of their TVs, like the Series 9 LN46A950. Touch of Color (ToC) is a manufacturing process that infuses a rich color hue into the solid bezel during production, eliminating the need for paints or plastic veneers. With a Touch of Color, your Samsung TV will make a bold design statement hanging on your wall.

DNIe is an innovative technology that delivers a crisp, lifelike picture that more closely resembles the look of film regardless of the input signals used. Five image processors and a six-times density enhancer ensure the best picture from any source. Plug in your standard DVD player, and the LN46A950 will increase the quality of the picture. This technology guarantees the truest colors and highest contrast, while virtually eliminating digital artifacts.

Picture is only half of the high definition experience. Sound makes it complete. If you don’t have the full surround sound setup, you can still get a rich sound from the LN46A950 with its SRS TruSurround XT. TruSurround is a patented SRS technology that solves the problem of playing 5.1 multichannel content over two speakers. TruSurround delivers a compelling, virtual surround-sound experience through any two-speaker playback system, including internal television speakers and headphones. It is fully compatible with all multichannel formats up to 5.1 channels. Take full advantage of this virtual surround-sound experience with the LN46A950’s built-in dual 10W speakers and integrated woofer.

Video comes from more than one source these days. Four HDMI inputs provide optimal HD connectivity, while two component-video inputs and one S-video input are great for DVD and VHS input. Use the new Samsung flat panel as a computer monitor for watching online content with a PC input, and hook up your portable media player, digital camera, or digital camcorder thanks to a Wiselink USB v2.0 port.

Bringing you the absolute best in connectivity, Samsung’s LN46A950 features four HDMI connections. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the only interface in consumer electronics that can carry both uncompressed high-definition (HD) video and uncompressed multi-channel audio in all HD formats including 720p, 1080i and even 1080p. Your incoming media content comes in a variety of sizes, resolutions and formats, and with that in mind, HDMI systems automatically configure to display that content in the most effective format. Since HDMI carries all channels on video and audio, there is only one cable to plug into any HDMI-enabled source and display device. No more complicated cable set-up when installing your home theater system, and no more ugly cable mess behind your components. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on this single cable. Also, HDMI is fully backward-compatible with DVI.

A variety of video content sources mean you have a variety of viewing needs. The LN46A950’s Entertainment mode allows customized picture settings, optimized for different content, such as sports, movies, or gaming. Picture-in-Picture (PIP) enables convenient simultaneous viewing of TV programs and video or PC sources. Finally, because your place will become the new favorite for movie night and game-day viewing, you’ll need the LN46A950’s wide 178° x 178° viewing angle to give everyone a clear view of all the excitement.

Just in case you spend so much of your time with your new LN46A950 that you forget to spend the appropriate amount of time surfing the web, Samsung has included the InfoLink RSS feature on this TV. You’ll enjoy access to news, weather, sports, and stock information from USA Today right on your screen via RSS link.

Review - Sharp Aquos Limited Edition LC-52XS1U-S

An LCD HDTV's ability to produce richly saturated colors largely depends on the quality of its backlight module. LCD backlights continue to improve, transitioning from spectrum-limited fluorescents to wide-gamut varieties. And now, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are poised to be the next step for premium backlight designs. The 52-inch Sharp Aquos Limited Edition LC-52XS1U-S ($11,999 list) is the company's first LCD to use LED-based backlights. The result is impressively colorful imagery that was, initially, too colorful for accurate representation of broadcast HDTV or Blu-ray video material. I was disappointed to find that the LC-52XS1U-S's out-of-the-box picture quality demands professional calibration, and even then the provided picture controls weren't as effective as I would have expected from a TV with a five-digit list price. For $12,000, I'd say that's pretty unacceptable. 

    * Price as Tested: $11,999.00 List

    * Screen Size: 52 inches

    * Type: LCD TV, LCD Monitor, HDTV

    * Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080

    * Supported Video Formats: 480p, 720p, 1080i, 480i, 1080p60, 1080p24

    * Supported Refresh Rates: 48Hz, 120Hz

    * Widescreen: Yes

    * Aspect Ratio: 16:9

    * Video Inputs: Component, Composite, HDMI, RF, S-Video

    * PC Interfaces: Analog VGA, HDMI

    * Networking Options: Ethernet

    * Built-in TV Tuner: NTSC, ATSC, QAM

    * 120Hz (LCD) technology: Yes

    * USB Ports: 1

    * EnergyStar Compliance: Yes

Toshiba's LCD can't make HD wine from SD water

The difference between HDTV and standard-definition TV is pretty drastic, and there's not much any device--television, DVD player, or cable box--can do to make standard-definition look like high-definition. But don't tell Toshiba.
The 46XV545U, a 46-inch LCD TV, represents one of the company's latest attempts to persuade buyers that with the right video processing, "all your DVDs and TV channels will be displayed in near High Definition picture quality." If you believe that, I have a burning five-dollar bill I'll sell you for a grand. Every company touts their upconversion technology, but Toshiba's "SRT Super Upconversion" blares its trumpets louder than anything we've heard.
In our tests, SRT basically added artificial sharpness, aka edge enhancement, to standard-definition images. You may like the look (we didn't), but you won't confuse it with HD. Without SRT, the television's standard-definition looked a good deal softer than other TVs in our comparison, for what it's worth.
It is worth mentioning that, as with all other standard-definition processing, SRT is irrelevant if you use an external source that does the conversion itself. Such sources can include upconverting DVD or Blu-ray players, or cable box or satellite boxes set to convert everything to HD.
But enough about standard-definition video processing; how does this HDTV perform otherwise? Click through to find out.
Read the full review of the Toshiba 46XV545U
Below you'll find the settings we found best for viewing the Toshiba 46XV545U in a completely dark room via the HDMI input with a 1080p, film-based source. Your settings may very depending on source, room conditions and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.
Video menu
Mode: Preference
Auto Brightness sensor: Off
x.v. Color Selection: Auto
Game Mode: Off
Theater Lock: Off
Picture Settings menu
Contrast: 90
Backlight: 30
DynaLight: Off
Brightness: 58
Color: 51
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 35
Advanced picture settings menu
SRT Super Upconversion: Off
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Static Gamma: 0
Color Temperature: Warm
Cinema Mode: Film
ClearFrame: On
Film Stabilization: Standard
Noise Reduction menu
DNR: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Color Master menu
Color Master: Off
Theater settings menu
Picture Size: Native
Auto Aspect Ratio: Off