I am about ready to drive the fuck down to Philips HQ (or at least the department that makes televisions) and start taking names. And by that, I mean, complain loudly.
Here's the deal: I bought a 27" Philips TV in mid-December. Nothing too fancy, no HD, just a solid $300 CRT. Almost immediately, I starting noticing two problems: 1.) an occasional high-pitched whine emitting from one of the parts in the back of the TV, and 2.) extreme picture distortion on the left side of the set, whereby anything near the edge of the screen would bend and distort (a vertical line, for example, would become warped as it neared the screen's edge). Imagine playing a sidescrolling videogame! Well guess what, I did, and it SUCKED.
The TV was still well within its warantee, so I called Philips up and they referred me to an AUTHORIZED REPAIR CENTER, which, despite its official-sounding name, was actually the most backwoods mom and pop shop I've ever seen in my life, with televisions in various states of completion lying hither and thither, and an old woman carrying a laundry basket through the shop. They also wouldn't pick my TV up, so I had to lug it down two flights of stairs (I'm in a third floor apartment) and into a borrowed car (mine is too small) to get it there. They had it for exactly one month (FUCK YEAH THAT WAS AWESOME), and then called me to get it.
"Bring your GC or PS2, human5892," a voice in my head said as I got ready to leave. "Test the TV out there." "Don't be silly, brain," I responded, "for this shop, despite not looking like they've got a fucking clue at all, is surely professional, and will undoubtedly have stunning results to show me!"
So I bring the damn thing home. Back up the two fucking flights of stairs. Turn it on. No whine: CHECK. Good picture when watching regular old cable: CHECK. Major fucking distortion still happening on anything hooked up to the component inputs: CHECK CHECK CHECKEROO.
I am calling Philips today, so my story is not yet complete. But I wanted to warn anyone who is considering purchasing one of their fine products to get a lobotomy instead. IT'LL BE MORE FUN.
Here's the deal: I bought a 27" Philips TV in mid-December. Nothing too fancy, no HD, just a solid $300 CRT. Almost immediately, I starting noticing two problems: 1.) an occasional high-pitched whine emitting from one of the parts in the back of the TV, and 2.) extreme picture distortion on the left side of the set, whereby anything near the edge of the screen would bend and distort (a vertical line, for example, would become warped as it neared the screen's edge). Imagine playing a sidescrolling videogame! Well guess what, I did, and it SUCKED.
The TV was still well within its warantee, so I called Philips up and they referred me to an AUTHORIZED REPAIR CENTER, which, despite its official-sounding name, was actually the most backwoods mom and pop shop I've ever seen in my life, with televisions in various states of completion lying hither and thither, and an old woman carrying a laundry basket through the shop. They also wouldn't pick my TV up, so I had to lug it down two flights of stairs (I'm in a third floor apartment) and into a borrowed car (mine is too small) to get it there. They had it for exactly one month (FUCK YEAH THAT WAS AWESOME), and then called me to get it.
"Bring your GC or PS2, human5892," a voice in my head said as I got ready to leave. "Test the TV out there." "Don't be silly, brain," I responded, "for this shop, despite not looking like they've got a fucking clue at all, is surely professional, and will undoubtedly have stunning results to show me!"
So I bring the damn thing home. Back up the two fucking flights of stairs. Turn it on. No whine: CHECK. Good picture when watching regular old cable: CHECK. Major fucking distortion still happening on anything hooked up to the component inputs: CHECK CHECK CHECKEROO.
I am calling Philips today, so my story is not yet complete. But I wanted to warn anyone who is considering purchasing one of their fine products to get a lobotomy instead. IT'LL BE MORE FUN.
Seriously, though, other than the distortion problem, I couldn't be happier with the TV's picture quality. It's way better than I expected to get for the price.