Customer Reviews

Magnavox 15MF605T 15-Inch LCD Flat Panel TV

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

There were several reasons why I decided to go with this model:
1. Previous experience with Magnavox televisions & other electronics.
2. Number & type of hookups on unit - 1 coaxial, 1 set of HD hookups, and 1 set of composite audio/video inputs.
3. Size of unit & base.

Positive points:
Overall, I was very happy with the television once I got it set up. It met all of my expectations, and the picture is pretty good. The sound is actually pretty amazing for such a small tv. I had read other reviews that said it sounded a bit tinny - the only time I experienced this was when I hooked my Dish Network satellite system up. This, however, was easily fixed by playing around with the smart sound settings on the television. The smart sound & smart video settings are great. There are several factory presets & then a personal setting for each so that you can personalize the sound & display. Once you plug in all of your cables to the back of your tv (by the way, it comes with a nice little elbow/extension for your coaxial jack to make it easier to plug in, which was a help)there is a nice panel to cover up the plugs & cables, but still leaves a hole for them. It helped make the back of the tv look a little neater without the jumble of cords.

Not really a negative, but not really positive either:
The only thing that is somewhat irritating about the television is that in order to turn the power on using the remote, you must first turn on the power button located on the front of the television. I don't know if this is something that is standard with lcd tv's, but it seems kind of a hassle. I suppose that the idea is to just turn that power button on & leave it, but if you do, a small orange power indicator light stays lit. It's really not that bright, unless you are in an otherwise completely dark room. Not a huge deal if it's in a living room, but this tv is kept near my bed, and I have difficulty sleeping if it's not really dark. I'm sure not everyone has this problem, but that's really the only thing I was not completely thrilled about with this television.

All in all, I am very happy with this purchase, and if I had it to do over again, I would do the same.

My experience with this set:

I've had mine for slightly over 6 months. The picture is good for the price, although the prices on LCD sets are continuing to plummet. Lighting is a bit uneven -- there are a couple of obvious bright spots, especially on the upper right of the screen.

Refresh rate is fast enough to keep up nicely with movies and this unit has plenty of jacks for connecting it in various ways to your system at home.

Sound is disappointing -- the set simply doesn't get as loud as a TV should and the sound is subpar in general. If you want to turn it up a bit to overcome some background noise, you may be in for a rude surprise. You certainly won't be enjoying rich sound, that's for sure.

The worst news of all -- my set is almost 7 months old and after running it at about half max volume, the sound has degraded and has become downright distorted, as if the speakers or sound decoding circuitry have been damaged.

BEWARE -- this unit has a truly awful 90 day labor warranty and I know I'll be in for a rude shock when I send it in for repair. This is easily the worst repair performance of any TV set that I've ever bought in my life. (I still have a 16 year old high-end Mitsubishi tube TV that looks and acts as good as the day I bought it).

I bought this on a credit card that doubles the warranty and I'm still out of luck. My suggestion: keep looking for another TV. Evidently Magnavox doesn't build them like they used to.

I bought one of these last Summer to watch while running on my treadmill. It's great for casual TV watching. I doubt it's the best LCD TV out there, but I can find nothing offensive about it and I can watch it for hours. Typicially I run the sound through my stereo system and avoid the use of the speakers altogether, which as others have pointed out are weak.

The surprise came when my eight year old computer monitor became unuseable and I was able to use this little TV for a computer monitor on a temporary basis. It is a better computer monitor, in my opinion, than many 15" built for the purpose LCD computer monitors. I was able to use it for telecommuting all day for several days.

So, for a good if not great TV and a rather nice backup computer monitor, this to me is a good deal at the price. But, do yourself a favor and if at all possible buy a multi-year service contract.

This is not a bad LCD by any means. The picture is pretty good and at least it is a brand name you have heard of. However, many very similar sized LCDs are on the market for $50 - $100 less now that the holiday season is upon us. This one will likely drop in price also.
One thing to note about this there are no vesa mounts on the back of the LCD. Instead the stand that comes attached to the screen flips around to hang from a wall. The problem is that the movement of the screen once on the wall is very limited and actually seems a bit flimsy. I would only buy this if it was going to sit on a desk or counter.

I read all the bad reviews, but I guess I got lucky the first time.

I'm actually impressed with this much maligned Magnavox LCD, and I've only got it connected to a standard cable connection, but the colors and screen resolution are much better than I expected. And connected to either the VGA port via computer, or the Component connections via progressive scan DVD the picture is just fantastic!

Setup is a breeze, all the controls you would expect, and the audio is not as bad as some have complained...just adjust the bass and treble and the sound is fine. This TV even has closed caption if you need it. I have this unit in my kitchen, and the picture is nice and bright and visible from 10-12 feet away, and from multiple viewing angles. I just haven't figured out how to mount this thing on the wall yet with an articulating mount. The base rotates back up at 90 degrees from the display, and has mounting holes designed into the base. The manual says this is Vesa compatible so we shall see I reckon? Nice remote control...very simple interface and no unusable buttons.

Prices are dropping all over for small LCD TVs, and all I can tell you is that for under $200 this is a great buy. Not sure I would have bought the same TV for $300 though. 4 Pixels

I can't speak for its longevity, because it is a recent purchase, but I found this tv on sale for under $200 and it is exactly what I wanted for our second tv in the bedroom. Picture and sound are both acceptable when hooked up straight to a cable line without digital or HD cable. I refuse to pay for HD when all I plan to watch is the news and Leno! Set up was extremely easy and the remote is simple to use. Simply plug it in and tune to a channel. It gets 4 stars because I don't think its worth the price offered here, but for what I paid its perfect.

I received it as a Christmas gift and I'm thrilled with it. I took it out of the box, hooked it up to basic cable service, programed the remote control using the on-screen guide, and I was watching my favorite cable news shows in less than 20 minutes.

I've had no problems whatsoever with sound or picture. Be realistic in your expectations. If you want a home theater with surround sound and big screen HD-quality, well then, go out and spend $5,000. If what you want is a simple little home office TV to catch the news, weather, sports and maybe a favorite prime-time show while working in your office, this 15" TV is ideal. Don't listen to the whiners.

What a buy - in a house with 2 large Sony TV sets (a large plasma and a slightly smaller LCD) this small and stylish flat screen from Magnavox needs little defending. The quality of picture is outstanding and it fits into specialized niches such as bathrooms, kitchens, etc. We're getting a third one of these for our study and are pleased with all the features this set has. For the price, hard to beat.

The LCD display failed (dimed to the point of being useless) after 6 months actual use. And I was chagrined to learn the thing has only a 90 day exchange-type warranty (consumer pays to ship defective unit) -- that's it! Customer Service would offer no accommodation of any type -- so, I'm the stuckee. For $300 or so, I didn't have high expectations, but this product came in lower than low on reliability, warranty and customer service. I'd advise steering clear of all Phillips Magnavox stuff. They demonstrated to me that, even at a good price, they are a firm that delivers much less than what you pay for.

I bought this TV for my kitchen in Jan. 06. It is used very little (I don't cook much!) By March 06, the picture would shut off in about 20 minutes but the sound would remain on. We were told to send it back (we paid the $25.00 shipping) and they would fix it. They sent it back saying nothing was wrong. THEY WERE WRONG! Now I was told to send it back again(we pay the $25.00 shipping again) and they will send me a new one! I agreed to pay the first $25.00 but didn't feel I should pay it again when they didn't fix it the first time! They refused to budge. So I guess I am out $50.00 bucks and they are sending me another lousy tv. What's that one going to cost me? Stay away from this t.v. and stay away from Phillips!