Philips 30PW8420 30" Widescreen HD-Ready TV

by Philips

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 140 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000AIOWSS
• Item model number: 30PW8420
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,162 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One or two of the other reviews are on Philips Outlet primarily, March 5, 2006

By 

John Black "John" (Nashville, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips 30PW8420 30" Widescreen HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

Update 10/26/09: This TV is still going strong almost four years down the road, and I still give it five stars. Don't know what happened to the ones the negative reviewers got, but mine is outstanding.

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This is a great HD TV, and I got it from Philips Outlet! I'll comment on the TV instead of on the outlet.

I've bought many refurbs and used items over the internet, and this TV has to be one of the best deals I've gotten. It arrived in an extremely well-packed box, looked like it had been properly handled, and weighed a ton! The driver got it inside for me on his dolly.

What I found inside the box was a TV that looked brand-new. Furthermore, it has outstanding picture quality and great sound. Live HD broadcasts, like the NFL, look so real that it seems like I could step onto the field. Sound is the best I've found on a TV, at 20W stereo. Most TVs I'm familiar with have only 5W-10W.

The 30PW8420 has lots of connection ports, including the latest, HDMI, plus analog component (YPbPr), analog composite (video and sound), and S-video.

Display capibilities include 480i (standard broadcast), 480p, and 1080i. We keep ours set on 1080i for the most realistic image. 480i works with the built-in NTSC tuner. Keep in mind that to receive digital broadcasts you must have a separate ATSC over-the -air (OTA) tuner, or "set-top box."

The only weakness I've found in this set is its pin-cushioning on non-widescreen images. That is, the two vertical sides will bow inward somewhat when displaying bright images, such as a sky. This is only visible when a non-widescreen program is playing, in a display mode such as 4:3, with black bars on the the left and right. I find this to be a minor annoyance, given the very low price offered by Philips Outlet.

I definitely recommend the 30PW8420.

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars faulty design, get the warranty if you want the tv, January 22, 2006

By 

TekGeek - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips 30PW8420 30" Widescreen HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

it has a transformer that blows out the fuses. call the local philips repair shops and see how many they have. If it breaks after the short warranty you will pay through the nose to have it fixed or carry 140lbs to some store. Philips has a dead pile of them on their outlet store that they will sell to you for $400, then it it up to you to get them fixed. They say they are refurbished, but they arrive dead and you can not return it.

before you buy from outlet dot philips dot com , read the fine print on the refurbished tv's. No returns No credit...

They are a 10 billion dollar a year company, they used to be decent. Buy a tv from a local store so you have someone who is responsible if it breaks.

14 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars You're both right . . ., February 14, 2006

By 

Matthew Mcnear (Wheaton, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips 30PW8420 30" Widescreen HD-Ready TV (Electronics)

I also purchased from Philips outlet. The price was excellent (saving $200 to $300), but I expected better refurbishment. In other words, I expected it to look like new. My unit had numerous scratches to the case. The major problem was that it did not work properly. After approximately 15 minutes of being on, the TV turns itself off. I can forgive scratches, but if you're selling a working product, it should work. With my particular TV, I get the sense that they received the TV as a return, and just turned it around for resale without any repair whatsoever.

The TV does come with a warranty. I had to get a service code from Philips, but there are still plenty of service places in suburban Chicago to handle the work. It's still out for repair, so I'll let you know what happens when it returns.

As for picture quality, it was outstanding considering the bargain price. Excellent HDTV viewing, both from Comcast, as well as using an HDMI-upgrading DVD player.

I can safely recommend the picture quality of the TV, but I can't say the same thing for Philips outlet. You have to decide for yourself if the deep discount is worth the potential problems.