Now that my name has been published on the Woot! main page, my life is complete!!
Yuppers, you’re exactly right. The “LCD” TV uses a fluorescent bulb as the backlight, but the panel itself is identical. They probably don’t name them correctly because of how it would look: This is a LED LCD TV. Try saying that one a few times fast.
Best Buy reviews on the LCD are numerous and pretty great. Reviews on the LED are even more numerous and more great.
For either of these TVs, they will be perfect for basic watching. If you hook up 1080p sources to it, yes you will lose out on the full HD experience. However, if you’re just looking for a TV to play news on in the morning, these are good options.
For the difference between LED to LCD, first you have to know an LED TV is an LCD TV. All LCD refers to is the screen of the TV, which in this case is the same. LED TV refers to the backlighting of the TV. TVs labeled as just LCD will use a florescent backlighting. LEDs are better for longevity, energy consumption, potentially thinner, and can (I emphasize can) provide a softer lighting. A LED TV is better than an LCD TV. If you go to a brick and mortar, you’ll be hard-pressed to find the higher brands touching LCD anymore. In fact, the Samsung here is originally from 2 years ago.
When LED has everything better than LCD, when they cost the same to make, there’s not a point to LCD anymore.
I should make a final point, on both of these TVs, the connections are very basic. There is no audio out for either model, so if you’re looking to hook up external speakers, it may be painful. The LED is listed as having an optical, but last I checked, it does not. Also, the component/composite connection is shared.
I don’t see anything about viewing angle on this. I’ve noticed a good bit of difference between some models, so starting to compare this, but don’t see it for this one.
720p is plenty for a TV of this size. I have one (an old Westinghouse) about 12 feet away from where I sit. I can see sharp detail just fine.
very useful!
I have been looking at 24"-32" displays over the past week and the ones that look best to me are still TFT LCD’s. I am typing this using an old IBM L180P and it is clearer than many LED displays I have seen (with the exception of ones over $300. I know tv’s are different but that is my input on LCD vs LED.
Umm, @ci33, please take a look at the 3rd paragraph of the post above yours. You appear to be making the very common mistake of mixing up LCD panel technology with LCD backlighting methods. Your old ‘TFT LCD’ (Thin Film Transistor) uses fluorescent backlighting. TFT LCD’s can be either fluorescent or LED backlit.
The technology used in mainstream Monitor and TV displays is the same.
If you hanker for a nicer computer monitor look for an IPS technology display. Its picture quality will blow away your old monitor. And the price premium has come way down.
I’m surprised you haven’t found even mainstream (example, Samsung) contemporary monitors to be superior to your old IBM for similar sizes/resolutions. LCD technology has improved massively in the past 5 years.
Edit: BTW, while Samsungs site specs don’t say so I’ll bet both these TVs use the same basic TFT panel technology as your IBM, only updated dramatically.
Could it be that you are comparing your 19 inch monitor to 24-32 monitors? Just as with old CRT/tube TVs, when you compress the same resolution (pixels) into a smaller space/display, the image quality improves when viewing from the same distance.
a Great article about the LCD / LED nomenclature from Digital Trends
(edited to note: Plasma screens are a whole different critter)
all commercial “LCD” or “LED” flat screens are LCDs…
as in Liquid Crystal Displays
yup
all commercial “TV” Liquid Crystal Displays need to be back lit … and the differences are in what does the back-lighting job.
here’s your difference…
The earliest flat screens were back lit with CCFL … florescent tubes …on the sides of the screen…
so they “own” the LCD abbreviation (the article describes the advantages)
Then came flat screens that were back lit with LEDs along the sides…
(also discussed in the above article)
Now there Are more complicated screens with a back-lighting grid of LED’s behind the LCD … these are responsive back-lighting, adjusting to elements in the picture to give blacker blacks and such …
EPICUREAN!
XD
Out of all of the studying I’m doing to test out of a humanities course, how is that the only thing to pop up in the rapidfire woot-libs comments from me?
I’ll never know.
Y’know what I do know?
Pardon my ignorance, but does “no audio out” mean that there isn’t an earphones plug? I was considering the LED until that sentence.
Unfortunately, I believe that is exactly what it means. Why? I’m at a loss to explain that. It would seem that since the box puts out sound from its own speakers it should be cheap enough to put a regular audio output on the back or side.
I own a fancy-schmancy big Panasonic that has the same lack of regular audio output. It, like many others, has ‘digital’ audio output. Optical output. That means I needed buy a Toslink cable and a special (Dolby) digital to analog converter just to hook up my regular audio sound equipment. That added over $100 to the purchase price just to get sound to my external speakers or earphones.
Le sigh …
So right on the $
These have shipped, via fedex. if you go to fedex.com and use the reference lookup, you can use your order number to get tracking information. my 2 TV’s should be delivered by Friday in Pennsylvania.
It gave me not found. What did you use for account number? I used my zip code… Not sure if thats right.
Here you go:
You can use FedEx’s “Track by Reference” feature to get tracking info using your order number. Your order number is on your order details which you can get via Stuff You Bought. Leave the Account Number blank. Enter your order number in the reference box. Next, select your country and enter your zip code. Click TRACK and voilà, you may have tracking info.
I now get communication error, BUT I just now received my order has shipped woot email. 
Thanks for your help.
I received the 32" LCD version today. Didn’t even plug it in, it’s in terrible shape.
Every edge of the TV is terribly scratched (white showing, instead of the black frame), and the bottom (horizontal) piece is barely hanging on (and is peeled back in some areas).
I know what refurbished means, but this is just garbage. Hoping Woot comes through and just takes this thing back without a fight, and without me paying to ship their garbage back to them. This thing should/would sell for $60 in a second-hand store.
http://s8.postimg.org/kyxjyg2y9/Samsung720p32in_from_Woot_003.jpg
http://s8.postimg.org/jh7i958tt/Samsung720p32in_from_Woot_004.jpg
http://s8.postimg.org/sg6rdnshd/Samsung720p32in_from_Woot_006.jpg
http://s8.postimg.org/pwb4jk4xd/Samsung720p32in_from_Woot_007.jpg
I ordered the LED version as the woot specs said it had an ethernet port as well as A/V control (RS232). It came today and when I opened it I found that it had no Ethernet or RS232. In addition the tabs that connect the mount to the back of the TV were broken off and the damage was obvious. I am very disappointed!!