Element 40” 1080p LCD HDTV for $349.99 + $5.00 shipping
Don’t be jealous, Jimmy. People just happen to want a glass of lemonade on a hot summer day more than they want an HDTV, that’s all.
by
wootbot
added 11 months ago
I can't find anything useful about this TV online. Anyone?
@griswolf: Brand-wise, same level as Westinghouse, Dynex, etc. This specific model, can't help ya'.
60 hz refresh rate. That + questionable brand = possible deal breaker?
It seems to be most popular at Wal-Mart...
Doesn't say much for the brand when you can only find a good quantity of reviews at the cheapest store around. Most of the places that I've found that even have it listed also have it listed as Out of Stock or No Longer Available. Something tells me this wasn't actually a very good TV.
Sold by Walmart-here are customer reviews: http://reviews.walmart.com/1336/14269390/element-40-class-lcd-1080p-hdtv-elchw402-reviews/reviews.htm
They no longer sell it, but looks like it was abut $400, new. What the heck do you expect for this price on 40 inches? Sounds like a deal to me if you just want a TV, and are not expecting anything spectacular from it.
I bought one of these for my brother at Christmas. Same exact TV, but about $50 more expensive then. He loves it. I have watched maybe 5-6 movies at his place on it and a few sporting events and the picture is very nice. Sure, it can't compare to something that costs 2 or 3 times as much, but for a budget TV this one is very good.
actually you can buy sony bravia 40" display model in target for 400 with tax
if you take 45 $ plan you can watch is worry free for 3 years
i would say, much better for sony colors AND peace of mind
@wanguin: Why would it? 60 hz is pretty much still the standard refresh rate for comp monitors. It doesn't affect picture quality to make it higher or lower. The differences you see are actually software induced effects like anti-judder, smoothing, etc - they have nothing at all to do with the TVs refresh rate, altho manufacturers usually omit some from |lower end" 60 hz models. Then again they don't really need it, unless you are a fan of the soap opera effect, which some people are.
The only reason to absolutely require a higher RR is for 3D. Otherwise it should have very little bearing on what tv you buy, except that it's usually a signal for the lack of other features you may or may not find important.
@captaintr1pps: Listen here man, I can't really understand your mindless banter. But the bottom line is that this television has a 60hz refresh rate. 120hz sounds better and there are some substantial differences. The fact that I can't name those differences is irrelevant.
@captaintr1pps: Absolutely false. 120Hz does take getting used to but it is completely separate from the effects you're talking about; those effects have been on televisions for years, the majority of them being 60Hz. Also, there's no reason a 3D TV would benefit more from a faster refresh rate as opposed to a regular 2D box.
This is my post from the prior WOOT of this model. You still have not changed the description! NO S-VIDEO!
Okay, so I received my TV the other day, a gift from my father. It is labeled in the description as having a S-video input. IT DOES NOT! This may seem trivial but not with my setup!
I had an older CRT TV and older receiver. The top of the line connection in those days was S-video. I was all ready for an easy one s-video connection to the new tv since my sound is provided through my receiver. Boy was that disappointing to not see one on the TV! I had to opt for the crappier yellow composite cable to the new tv. I had to do this since my receiver does not have HDMI or component capabilities. So I thought oh well that sucks but I can live with that. However when I hooked up the composite cable I had no picture. I dug into the manual of my receiver and found out it does not have s-video to composite switching capabilities.
So now I had to reconnect every piece of equipment I own to my receiver (6 or so) with a composite cable! What a pain in the ass. I had to dig up every cable I had laying around to do this knowing all along it would be an inferior picture too. So after spending hours I finally have it working. It is a great TV, and it will be even greater once I can afford to get a new receiver with HDMI switching. I can't wait to see a 1080p picture someday.
Last of all whoever shipped this TV sent it with no plastic film protective cover over the screen or base. I mean really?!! I received my TV with a scratched base, scratches on the right bottom corner and one scratch on the SCREEN, unacceptable! Please send me or my dad (the one who bought it) a coupon or a bag of crap or something!
Got my parents a similar 40" Element for Christmas last year -- a 120Hz version. The picture is great but you WILL NEED some other means for audio. A surround system or soundbar or SOMETHING. That seems to be the common complaint with these cheaper brands, and it is no different with this one. But again the picture is brilliant and that's what most people buy a TV for, right?
Product page: http://www.elementelectronics.com/products/tvs/elchw402/elchw402.html
i bought one of these the last tim it was up here for 5 bucks more. the tv is great for your first tv this size. the price is certainly right. one thing to note is that it is 60 hz so you dont get the crazy hd look of blu rays but it is still a great tv. ton of inputs including vga. mine got a dead pixel ater like 2 months but it isnt noticable really. only if the whole screen is white, like maybe on a video game. but still a great buy. if u are considering it just do it. you wont find that number on a better tv.
Having worked in the industry I can tell you that the 120hz vs 60hz debate is largely nonsense. For starters 90+% of sources are in 60hz; cable, sattelite, DVD, hddvd, xbox, playstation 3, and most bluray players are all 60hz which means the 120hz tv actually just displayed the same image twice in the same amount of time. Then, even when you have 120hz sources, most of the time the original filming wasn't high enough speed for it to matter. Yes, 3d needs a higher refresh rate, but other than that it's just been the new buzz word to make people spend more money on the same thing.
All my LCD's have 120hz refresh rates. That said, they're all disabled and running at 60hz. 120hz looks good only for live sporting events, and 3d animation like pixar movies. Everything else takes on a cheap "soap opera" or "bbc tv" smoothness. You never want to watch a Michael Bay movie with it enabled. It will look simply horrible. Some things are meant to jiggle or shake, and the 120hz effect removes most of that and makes it look quite poorly filmed. No one I know likes it, and there are many videofiles that I work with. I wouldn't recommend it being a deal breaker on a budget TV like this. The poor sound quality and lack of outputs should affect you more. Yes, sasuke42 is right, 3d does require a higher refresh rate, because it has to alternate each frame once for each eye.
@haveabigjohnson:
Sorry for the bad luck. I've had this TV since fall and my only big complaint was no analog/RCA audio out. Huge pain to use the headphone out to my then simplistic sound system.
Here's the fix for you:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10114
Check out products 4722 and 7111.
Both can upscale your s-video signal and is a better approach then converting down to composite.
Whenever you're in the market again for a receiver that does up-scaling on its own, because like it or not - s-video is almost extinct.
I have this exact TV i got it around Christmas time and for the money is a great TV. Its 60 Hz but they make this same model in 120 Hz and its not much more. If your looking for an HDTV but don't want to spend a lot of money get it you won't be disappointed.
For those of us living far and away (AKA APO etc) it would be great if y'all could consistently identify when things are 110/220 dual voltage - would hate to buy one of these and the destroy it because I had to run it through a voltage converter...
I got this TV last time. Mine doesn't work properly. It turns itself on and off at random. When I change channels the new channel has no sound. Have to turn it off then back on to restore sound. The menu box pops up onscreen at random. It cost me $80 to ship it back to the company for warranty repairs. They kept it for 3 weeks and sent it back without the remote. So far it hasn't turned on or off on its own but the other problems remain. I'd love to return it for a refund but we all know how Woot! feels about refunds. Guess I'm stuck with it.
Be VERY careful in purchasing this! I had an Element HDTV that died after 2 years. Element was a proprietary brand of Circuit City merchandise. When Circuit City tanked, they sold the brand to a holding company which offers NO support regarding the Element line. SO, if it goes bad, you're stuck with an orphan. I'd urge you to stay far away from Element products now that Circuit City is gone.
I also bought this same Element TV on Woot the last time and it has worked perfectly so far. No problems encountered, very sharp picture (my 55 inch is a Sony Bravia) and I am very pleased with this purchase. Did get the Square Trade warranty offered in case.
@wanguin: "The fact that I can't name those differences is irrelevant."
If you can't name them, why should anyone believe they exist outside your own mind?
@wanguin: I need you as my lawyer....
"Listen here your honor, I can't really understand your mindless banter. But the bottom line is that my client did not murder the victim in the library with the wrench. there are some substantial differences in evidence. The fact that I can't name those differences is irrelevant."
Reading the description, I noticed a couple things missing... a QAM tuner and HDCP. Without HDCP support, you would be unable to watch many Blu-Ray movies, correct?
40in at $350, how bad can at be? Will make a decent office TV. productivity--
Shipping Update
Element 40” 1080p LCD HDTV has completely shipped via FEDEX Ground. All tracking will be emailed by the end of the day to members who purchased this item. If you would like to find your tracking information sooner, please click the following link and use your ORDER NUMBER as the reference number.
Wow, bought on a holiday, and will be delivered in NJ by that Friday... Love Woot.
Got delivered today (friday). Perfect conditon, no dings, scratches or anything. Perfect, just like the one I got in November. How can you beat $354.00 delivered to your door... Thanks Woot!
Hmmm mine just got delivered... no remote, no owners manual, missing the four screws that hold it to the base, and no power cord!
Naturally, this is my first ever large woot purchase ... a purchase spurred another by bad TV experience. The infamous Panasonic Plasma Blinks of Death Syndrome.
Ugh... if someone wants to save me some search time and tell what is the best way to proceed ... I'd appreciate that.
LOL ... well I just typed an update to my last post, but apparently even that is not working.
Contacted the company ... can get all items shipped to me for $55. Lady I chatted was very nice, helpful, and apologetic, but since the TV was ordered through a 3rd party, it is out of warranty with respect to direct service from them. Only if it came from wal-mart, would I have been covered. She told me to call back and ask for her directly (Name ... Ebony) if that was the route I decided to go. ( 1-888-935-8880, elementTV@hisense-usa.com )
Going to see what progress I get with woot now... will keep anyone reading this updated.
//
Sent message to service@woot.com using the form on this page ... http://www.woot.com/WriteUs.aspx ...
waiting to see how quickly I get a response.
Just got two automated responses telling me I have two case numbers active. Here is the relevant text ...
As you might expect, we receive a fairly large volume of emails. This reply is sent from our case assignment system to indicate your position in the queue has been reserved. Our staff works Monday through Friday during normal business hours in an effort to keep response times under 24 hours. However, on weekends, response times will be delayed until the start of the work week as our staff is not in the office. Please be confident that we will respond and resolve your issue in a timely and efficient manner.
@gesagen: I am understandably envious. LOL
@bobbyuggleswoot: Even if you had to purchase a universal remote, power cord and 4 screws that shouldn't even be close to 55 bucks. But still it should have been included with it. Hope you make out well with all this trouble. For the price, it's a awesome tv.
woot.com seems to have screwed ALL of us with this item.
my response was too long for this comment form, so i've decided to post it here:
http://www.naterkane.com/blog/an-open-letter-to-woot.com/
photos of the damage can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/naterkane/sets/72157627150484664/show/
i suggest everyone read this (and look at the photos).
i have an attorney who has already said they'd be happy to talk to me a class action suit (due of course to the number of issues all of us appear to be having. contact me at nater at naterkane com
@bobbyuggleswoot: i got the same response.
I've owned this TV since early June, and I'm very happy with it. I will mention that this is my first HDTV, but I think the quality is very good for the price.
The biggest complaints seem to be:
-Audio: Truthfully, if this is a gripe for you, maybe you should buy a better tv. This is a complaint I see with most HDTV's anyway. I use my HDTV without any speakers attached and it's plenty loud for me (in fact, sometimes too loud). I know loud doesn't necessarily = quality, but my point is the audio is okay.
-Missing pieces: My TV had all the components, screws, a remote, and a plug... only problem is that the screws didn't fit. Hah. I don't know what the exact screws were, but they were metric and cost under a buck.
-Turning on randomly: I read somebody saying that their TV turned on randomly. It has touch-sensitive buttons on the front, similar to a phone or tablet. I've never had it turn on randomly.
I would get this if you want a cheap yet nice TV or need to buy multiple TVs.
Another thing I'd like to mention but ran out of space. If you order this TV, either have it shipped to a safe place or make sure you're at home when they delivered it. They rang the doorbell and left it without a signature or anything. Also as someone mentioned, the packaging was pretty crappy. My TV definitely has a couple minor scratches, but nothing visible when the TV is on. Hope I helped.
As expected .... nothing new to report today. Based on the autoreply... I'm not expecting any forward progress until Monday. At the moment, I'm content to see how things play out.
I agree that $55 is a bit steep for the missing items. What I was the most pleased with there (the TV's company) was the phone call itself. My experience with Panasonic with my "blinks of death TV" was/is anything but enjoyable.
On the packing side ... the TV was packed very light inside the box. There was just enough cardboard to keep the set from jostling around. Until I get it turned on ... I won't know how it fared, but the unit itself does look okay ... the one exception being the base. I'm not sure how this set ended up in the refurbishment pipeline, but the base is a little rough.
I'm not new to buying refurb products ... I'm four for four in that department with Apple. Have purchased two lesser items and two laptops from their refurb side of the house and have ALWAYS been very pleased.
One final note ... on the shipping side, I was fortunate to work from home all day to make sure that that end of the equation went as smoothly as possible. I didn't get a clear read from the FedEx guy as to whether he would have left it if I had not been home.
However, since I planned on being home, I didn't do any of the other things I would normally do to negate that issue ... usually ship elsewhere and/or call the shipping company after the item has shipped, but before its reached the local "facility" so I could give specific instructions.
@naterkane: Yeah ... that looks identical to the way mine was packaged. Cosmetically, mine seems to have fared much better than yours in its previous life. I'm curious to know what woot's vetting protocols are for refurbs.
Again, my only basis to compare is Apple and my experience with them ... Outstanding.
The logistics are obviously different in woot's case and since (based on this thread) only a couple of us seem to have problems ... we may just be within the percentage of stuff that goes wrong/has to be dealt with.
LOL ... I just seem to be TV snakebit as of late. Oh well.... in my case anyway ... no one's life hangs in the balance ... so I'm content to give stuff a little time to work itself out.
Woot emailed me today ... said they would help me with a refund or I could wait about a week to see if they get some accessories in stock. I have replied back with a clarification/question WRT the refund option and have also suggested an additional couple of alternatives to resolving the situation and tying it off a little quicker.
Will keep folks updated.
My 40" Element came out of the box with a few very minor scratches and turned on with no problems. That is when I noticed a one inch vertical line that ran from the top of the TV screen to the bottom. The people at A&D Electronics gave me 2 options. Mail it back to them with me responsible for one way shipping or return the TV to Woot. Shipping will cost me $100. Any suggestions, I like the TV especially for the price. I just don't want to get stuck with a lemon. Please, I could use some advice.
I finally got Woot! to agree to a refund. Of course I had to ship it back at my expense. $158.67. So including the $80.66 it cost to ship it to the warranty company who did absolutely nothing but keep my remote control, Ive spent $239.33 and I don't have anything to show for it. How bad can it be? This is pretty bad.
Never have I been so excited to get a box with a power cord, a remote, and ... wait for it ... four screws!
I own this TV and have for about a year now. Yesterday it started the weirdest thing and I can't figure it out at all. Imagine drawing a line down the center of the screen. Now cut the 1/2 on the right and paste it on the left. Take the image on the left and paste it on the right. Get it? So if the scene shows 2 people facing each other, on my screen it looks like they have their backs to each other. It does it about 75% of the time and it does it on all settings (component, hdmi1, hdmi2, a/v, etc.) Trying to get answers and help right now from Element Electronics but not having a lot of luck yet.
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