Used HDTV Concerns? (1 Viewer)

[Quinn]

Hello,

I am new to the forum and may purchase my first HDTV. A friend of mine is moving overseas and has offered to sell me his Hitachi 61SWX10B. He has had it for 1 year and it was in-box and then a short-term floor model at Circuit City. There is 1 year remaining on the 2 yr extended warranty plan. The warranty would transfer to the new owner. My questions are as follows:

1) We arrived at a price of $1100 (he paid $2500 1 yr ago) and MSRP was $3999. This would include Monster Cables for dvd, sat, etc. How does this price sound?

2) I am concerned that it does not have a DVI input. I currently have analog DirecTV, but would consider going digital when the receiver prices fall. Looking at the digital receivers online, it does not appear they have DVI outs. I didn't think you could get a digital/HD signal w/o DVI, however the lack of DVI outs on the receivers make me question that. Is the lack of DVI inputs a concern?

3) What problems should I beware of regarding a used tv? I do know he took care of it and it does have another year of warranty left.

Considering the price, I am willing to give up a few features for a while until the next upgrade. Thanks for all of your help. Looking forward to contributing to the community as much as I can!

Quinn

 

[Robert_J]

Look carefully for burn-in. Any TV used as a display model was run for 12 hours a day with the contrast set way too high (more than likely). If they had it on any channel with a logo or a ticker then that image is burned into the picture tubes.

-Robert

 

[Quinn]

I looked closely last night and did not see any burn-in. I also looked at the extended warranty, there is 3 years remaining, not one.

Any suggestions on my other concerns?

Thanks much!
Quinn

 

[Jack Briggs]

Best not to purchase a used TV. Has the owner told you what picture settings has been using?

For a few hundred more you could get a brand-new RPTV (with DVI input).

 

[Quinn]

By picture setting do you mean full vs. fill vs. normal, etc? If so, he uses normal for regular TV (sitcoms, etc) but likes full for X-Box, movies, and sports.

If you mean color, he said he has it set for a blue/green (if that is a certain type of setting). Also, he does not watch a ton of tv or movies.

I guess my deal with this tv is that the price seems right with the remaining 3 yrs of warranty and he needs to get rid of it fast. Everything I have seen over the last year runs around $2300 for a somewhat comparable tv. The $1500 tv's seem to be lower grade 47 inchers. However, maybe this is a, by today's standards, lower grade 61 incher. I can justify $1100 with the warranty and monster cables mcuh easier than $2000 for just the tv.

Any additional input is greatly appreciated.