I was worried this TV would be bad…but it is so good. It even picks up some of the extra hidden channels that our old TV didn’t do. Picture and sound are great and it is way better then you can imagine for the price and the off brand. It is our main TV my TV started doing this immediately out of the box. I contacted customer support and begin the worst customer service experience I’ve ever had. It was like a comedy act. After 45 mins, we were both on the same page about the problem. The representative informed me that the technical support staff was “in a meeting” and I would be called “within the week”. I explained to her that this was unacceptable and was put on hold for 20 minutes. She came back to say she asked the secretary and she said the meeting could not be interrupted. Overall, I was left with the impression that this company is run out of someone’s basement. I’m returning the TV extremely disappointed but a little wiser to trying low price “no-name” brands.

Had this TV for one week and I love it. I usually stick to name brand, but price and reviews convinced me to try it. Great picture, good quality sound, easy setup and a no glare screen. Has become my favorite TV in the house, over LG, Sharp, etc. Super fast Amazon delivery (next day). Honestly, can’t go wrong with price and quality.

This TV has been wonderful! It looks and performs really well. I really enjoy having 3 HDMI connections. This is the best TV for the price. I have friends with Samsung, VIZIO, and Sony and this TV compares very well with those name brand TV’s. Also, TCL is a very large company worldwide. If you have ever spent time in Asia, you will see the TCL brand on every corner. It may not be as well known in the US but around the world, it has made its footprint.

After viewing a bunch of different TV’s I decided to go with this one because the price was great and it offers a lot of features. I received the TV today and the box was in excellent shape meaning UPS didnt toss it around like so much stuff gets done this time of the year. I pulled the TV out of the box, placed the stand on it and hooked my 360 up to it via HDMI. Out of the box the picture was amazing. Only thing I did was adjust the color temp +2 and turned the DNE to low. The sound is nice and crisp as well. You cant expect much out of any of these TV speakers. I will say they sound better than the ones in my $1400 samsung 50″ plasma…..shocking!

So I packed everything back in the box and hid it until Santa drops it off Christmas eve

More: Tcl l40fhdf11ta | Tcl l24hdf11ta | Tcl l26hdf11ta | Tcl le24fhdp21ta | Tcl le40fhdp21ta | Tcl le26hdp21ta | Tcl le46fhdp21ta | Tcl le32hdp21ta | Isymphony lc32ih56 | Isymphony lc19ih56 | Isymphony lc24if56 | Isymphony lc42if56 | Isymphony lc26ih56 | Isymphony lc22ih56 | Vizio xvt3d554sv | Vizio xvt3d424sv | Vizio xvt3d474sv | Samsung pn58c500

The Mrs. said I had to wait for my 32 inch Sony tube TV to finally croak before justifying a new TV, and I am so happy it did (I swear I wasn’t kicking the old TV honey!) I did a ton of research and found the Vizio Razor to be the best bet for the $$ (under $600 at the local wholesale warehouse), and I could not be happier. I also looked at the (non-LED) Vizio 37” LCD TV (E370VA) for about $150 less, but I was really attracted to the LED backlight technology, and considering what all these HD flat screens cost a couple years ago, I figure the expense is worth it. My 32″ Sony was over $800 ten years ago!

Setup was easy, really the hardest thing is understanding the best way to hook up the TV to my Comcast DVR box and other components. Definetely use the digital connectens (HDMI to DVI on my older DVR Cable box), or you wont get the 1080p resolution!!! The on screen menu system and remote are easy to use, and the getting started guide (which I looked at after setting up the TV for giggles) was informative and covered the bases without being too confusing. I was amazed that the remote worked on my cable box with out having to input any codes, but I did have to set it up for my DVD, and that took a little research online at vizio.com.

The picture is so clear even on non-HD channels it is silly, but when you watch HD programs you really can appreciate the technology. The built in speakers are good, but I did connect the system to an old surround sound system I already owned so both the sound and picture are amazing. The system uses so much less power and space than my old TV, I wouldnt be surprised if my electric bill is lower! I just need a crane to get the old beast out of my house.

VIZIO M370NV LG 42LD450 LG 32LE5300 TCL L40FHDF11TA VIZIO XVT553SV Samsung LN32C450

All good things come in small packages! How true for Nikon D3100!

Hurray! The long wait is over! Nikon had us wait for such a long time for its newer models (D3100 and D7000) and it was just when we started thinking if Nikon will ever have an answer, anytime soon, to Canon’s T2i, 7D and 60D) they released these two wonderful cameras – D3100 and D7000. Let’s focus on D3100, shall we?

So I finally had a chance to get hold of this D-SLR at Best Buy today. I am not a pro by any means but I have used many different D-SLRs including Canon (40D, T2i, XSi) and Nikon (D90, D5000). When I picked-up the camera for the first time, my initial reaction was, “whoa – this is so small and light weight”! It wasn’t that I wasn’t aware of the specs – I knew them beforehand but I was still blown away by how small and light it felt when I held it in my hands. Then, I thought, the grip would not be very comfortable but I was wrong as holding and operating the camera is just fine – thanks to Nikon’s well-thought-out design and grip. For the size and feel, it’s very similar to D3000 but has more goodies from the higher versions. So from an initial wow factor, I quickly moved on to focusing on features and capabilities.

I have just started using this camera so more update will follow but in the meantime my initial assessment of this camera is – I am impressed! It is one heck of a camera which can certainly compete against the best in its class (Canon T1i, T2i, Nikon D5000). Check out detailed reviews at dpreview (.com) and cameralabs (.com) – they should be added soon if not already there.

I love this camera because it:
+ has enough mega pixels for my needs (14.2).
+ captures crystal clear images (thanks to EXPEED2 processor & the CMOS sensor, the sensor is slightly smaller than the one used in D7000).
+ offers 1080p (HD) recording, AF subject tracking is awesome (10 min max is fine with me; it records outstanding videos even in low light and to me that’s big).
+ offers ISO from 100-3200 (D90 starts at 200), it can go higher but I really don’t think why I would need anything above that.
+ is small & light weight yet has good grip, easy to carry around in hands or neck.
+ supports SDXC cards on top of SD and SDHC – now that’s nice.
+ (25-Sep-2010): has buttons that are well organized especially the video recording mode with a lever so you cannot mistakenly activate recording. That video recording lever once unlocked, gets locked in 30 seconds if you do not record and the countdown begins as soon as you unlock the lever. Also you can record video while you’re in any dial (imaging) mode (Auto, P, A, S, M, and so on) where as in Canon T2i, etc. you have to move the camera dial to movie mode. So this is a great convenience – you can jump between taking pictures and recording videos with a simple unlocking of the lever. Additionally, you can be in a preferred dial (imaging) mode (Auto, P, A, S, M, and so on) and change the release mode to Single, Continuous, Self-timer or Quiet mode (this is located right underneath the main dial) – another great convenient feature.
+ (04-Oct-2010): In-body photo and movie retouch menu. This is great as we don’t need any special software to apply certain touches. I love it.

Could have been even better if:
- it had the bracketing option (not too much to expect at this price point level but oh well I don’t use that much but for some people this could be a big plus).
- grid lines were available (I miss them in both in live view and in the view finder).
- Active D Lighting was not limited to just ON or OFF (either you have it or not at all, instead of low, medium, high, etc.). Don’t get me wrong the ON just worked fine (better than Canon T2i) but I can’t compare with all other modes.

Recommendations (optional accessories):
* In my personal order of importance – your preference may differ. *
1. Nikon UC-E4 USB Cable – not included. (~$6)
2. UV filter – a must for protecting your lens against accidental damage. (~10$)
3. Carrying case is a must to protect your investment. There are many cases to choose from and it’s up to you to decide but I suggest getting something like Lowepro SlingShot 102 AW (all weather proof carrying case) so if it rains, you can pull out the weather guard and cover it up. ($90)
4. Additional rechargeable Lithium Ion EN-EL14 battery so you never run out the juice when you’re traveling and do not want to miss capturing a moment for good. (~$35)
5. SB-600 Speedlight. Those who have used speed lights would know what difference it can make to an image with adjustments you can make to light for an image. (~$225)
6. 18-55 VR lens has its limitations so if you have extra $$$s, buy body only (if that even is an option) and get yourself a 18-105 VR lens. But at that point, you may want to consider D90 which still is a good camera and offers many more controls. (~$325 to $350)

Overall:
I give this camera 5 Stars because it takes excellent pictures in almost all conditions (bright or low-light) and that is exactly what I wanted this camera to do for me. Period.

I must commend Nikon for not getting into the mega pixel race (read marketing). They instead kept the photographer in mind and focused on delivering greater picture quality. Kudos to Nikon for having that courage.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i Canon PowerShot SX210IS Nikon Coolpix L110 Nikon Coolpix L110

The Acer AM3400-B2072 is a great machine for the price (processor speed, memory, disk). I’m a professional software developer, and after a couple of weeks of use, I have only minor complaints:

- The system runs quiet, but it would be nice to have just a little sound absorbing material in the box to reduce the sound of the disk drive head.
- You need a screwdriver to open the case. my dell systems didn’t need tools, but the need to open is rare.
- The on/of switch blinks brightly when in sleep mode, really annoying in a dark room until I taped a few small squares of paper over it.
- As the other reviewer said, not only is there no manual, but even the installed manual or the one online at the Acer site is so minimal as to be useless. The amazon product ad has more info! Also Acer bundles a couple of utilities (hotkey util, haali media splitter) that come with no documentation at all!

However, I would recommend this system to anyone looking for a fast basic machine at a great price.
Acer AM3400-B2072 Apple iMac MC510LL A ASUS Eee Box EB1501P-B016 Dell Desktop HP  Desktop Lenovo Desktop

The Acer AM3400-U2052 is a great machine for the price (processor speed, memory, disk). I’m a professional software developer, and after a couple of weeks of use, I have only minor complaints:

- The system runs quiet, but it would be nice to have just a little sound absorbing material in the box to reduce the sound of the disk drive head.
- You need a screwdriver to open the case. my dell systems didn’t need tools, but the need to open is rare.
- The on/of switch blinks brightly when in sleep mode, really annoying in a dark room until I taped a few small squares of paper over it.
- As the other reviewer said, not only is there no manual, but even the installed manual or the one online at the Acer site is so minimal as to be useless. The amazon product ad has more info! Also Acer bundles a couple of utilities (hotkey util, haali media splitter) that come with no documentation at all!

However, I would recommend this system to anyone looking for a fast basic machine at a great price.

Acer AM3400-U2052