Hardware Review: Emerson LC320EM8 32’’ LCD TV

Upgrading WP installs on 7 different blogs. [...]

Weblog
About
Archives
Subscribe

Hardware Review: Emerson LC320EM8 32’’ LCD TV

Posted by Markus Langenfeld - 06/02/07 at 03:06:17 pm

I mentioned in the last post that I had received a new toy over my birthday weekend. I’ve been looking at getting a nice LCD TV for a while and my family knew this, so I received the Emerson LC320EM8 as a gift

I wanted to take some time to play around with it and decide if I really like it and everything. When it comes to an LCD TV, it seems like there are just tons of brands running around out there, so it makes it difficult to determine what’s good and what to stay away from. I had a bad experience with an Emerson VCR once, so I was interested in seeing how good the quality would be with their TV’s.

Also, I’ve seen that Emerson normally sticks to smaller CRTs and entry level products; it was surprising that they have such a large LCD on the market.

The overall craftsmanship and quality of the TV is good, the buttons which are located on the top of the LCD have a good feel to them. Everything feels good and sturdy on the TV, I didn’t find that anything really feels cheap or like it’s going to break off which is nice. This being my first LCD TV and LCD screen of this size, it was important that the TV felt durable, I don’t want it to fall apart if I decide to move it or whatever. The LCD is also surprisingly light; the shipping weight is only 36 pounds so I’d say the TV itself is around 25-30Lbs, a big change from a 70Lbs CRT.

My only gripe in terms of quality is that the plastic under the screen itself is a little flexible, and for some reason the glossy plastic at the very bottom appears to be chipped at the top. I played around with the display version at the store and it’s the same, so it has to be a manufacture thing. The chipped look on the glossy portion is almost in a pattern, just sort of a weird looking pattern but it’s hardly noticeable.

The LCD has solid specs, maybe not the best on the market but when compared to TVs with similar price or even slightly more expensive, the specs are impressive. The LC320EM8 has a Contrast Ratio of 1000:1, they say that 1,500:1 is optimal, but a lot of entry level LCD’s I’ve seen have 700:1… The numbers really don’t matter anyways, the blacks look great and the colors are very vibrant, not washed out at all. The TV is good and bright with a rating of 420 (cd/m2) which appears to be the market standard. Lastly it supports a resolution of 1366 x 768 which is sort of weird, again it’s the same as many other LCD’s of the same size. I did some research and basically in terms of HDTV resolution conversion, it can technically support 1080i but its native resolution is 720p. We have a 1080p LCD at my work and unfortunately broadcast content currently maxes out at 1080i. I’ve done some comparing in the past with 1080i and 720P and the difference is nearly unnoticeable IMO. So I was perfectly happy with the 720p support.

When it comes to inputs, the TV sports dual Component and Composite, S-Video and HDMI. The HDMI input was important to me for future proofing purposes, unfortunately the LC320EM8 doesn’t have DVI or VGA inputs so I may look into a DVI to HDMI adapter so I can look into using the LCD with a PC.

I wanted to briefly get into the software this TV has in terms of the on-screen display and such. I was really impressed with the simplicity of the options, there isn’t much for audio features but there are a handful of video modes and all of the basic settings you would expect. The OSD in terms of design, like how it looks on the screen is the best I have seen on a TV hands down. It really looks neat, even the volume bar is nice looking with the little icon and everything, very cool.

The TV offers a number of video modes to help size the picture to its 16:9 aspect ratio. One of the options is simply called ‘wide’ which makes the picture look good in terms of how objects and such on the screen are sized, but when things move towards the edge I notice that the ‘wide’ mode has a weird fisheye effect. Otherwise there are other options which essentially stretch the image, or a standard 4:3 option which obvisily will fail to use the screens entire real-estate.

I haven’t had a chance to use the TV’s HD ability; I simply haven’t had time to run new RG6 coax from a new cable jack. I later on found out that like the cable company I work with, they modulate in QAM, and this TV only has an ATSC digital tuner, so I may have to look into getting an over the air antenna for broadcast content, or an HD box from my cable provider. However I did hook up my SD DVD player to one of the component inputs and even at standard definition, the picture looks fantastic.

There you have it, I think I went into everything I wanted to about this TV. Overall I’m very impressed with the quality and features the TV has to offer, especially for its < $500 price tag.

Hardware, Reviews, Technology

114 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Thanks for review. I have been thinking about purchasing this TV. It’s good to know the picture quality is good and for the price this may be hard to beat.

Comment by Steven Shelton — June 8, 2007 #
Markus,

Thank you for writing this review. It’s very helpful. I was looking into buying this tv and wanted some input to add to my own. It’s looking like a go.

Comment by Liz — June 8, 2007 #
Yeah, it really is a good TV. Especially for the price.

Since I have written this review I had went out and purchased a Phillips 50dB amplified ATSC HD antenna.

The HD quality is absolutely amazing. We have another HDTV in the house, a 52″ Magnavox Rear Projection, and this Emerson LCD blows it away.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 8, 2007 #
Thanks for the review and update. I began shopping last night for tv a for our roofed terrace. I was figuring a CRT 27-32″ at $300-400. But when I saw the price on the 32″ Emerson LCD, I was impressed. I don’t know much about LCD’s but it looks to be a good buy and your review pretty much is icing on the cake. I was concerned that due to the low price, it was a “cheap” model.

I think I’ll move my old 25″ CRT Sanyo to the terrace and install the Emerson in the living room.

Gracias!!

Comment by David Gonzalez — June 14, 2007 #
Good review. I am very interested in this tv and was wondering if the input/outputs are in the back or in the side? If it is in the back and you mount your tv then how can you plug dvd players/gaming systems etc. Just curious. Thanks a lot!!!
Chad

Comment by Chad — June 14, 2007 #
The outputs are on the back of the TV however they face downward, so you could mount it flush with a wall and connect everything to the back/bottom of the LCD.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 14, 2007 #
Hey, really appreciate the review. I’ve been looking at that modem for about 2 weeks trying to decide if I want purchase it or not and I think after reading this I’ll pick it up tonight. Please keep updates of any changes in it’s status as it may help me and others attack those problems before they happen to us. Thanks again.

Comment by Jon Major — June 15, 2007 #
Mark…

I have also been looking at this TV for a few weeks and had a bad experience with Emerson VCRs in the past. At one time Emerson was a really good name and I thought just like other products they were going to “crap”. Comparing the Emerson to others on the shelf, I was actually amazed that it looked better then others a few hundred dollars higher.. I THANK YOU BIG time for your review… I too am heading out the door to buy it.. I’m sure in 6 months it’s gonna be 50 bucks cheaper but it’s time to get the oversized projection television out of the master bedroom.. I’m off!

thanks again!

Comment by Keefer — June 16, 2007 #
BTW Tomorrow is my birthday and thought this was a GREAT present to myself!

Comment by Keefer — June 16, 2007 #
Great review, but I don’t quite understand much about these TV’s. Is there a built-in HDTV tuner or do I have to have an external HD tuner?

Thanks, Larry

Comment by Larry — June 16, 2007 #
This TV has a built in ATSC tuner, it does not have QAM however, which is required to receive HD with most cable companies.

ATSC is designed for Over-the-air HD content, and it works great at that.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 16, 2007 #
As promised I bought the tv and we’re all pleased at home. I’m glad I purchased when I did as the local Walmarts ran out of the product.

Do you have a recommendation regarding cables? The options I have from my sat box are coax, s-video, RCA, and component (RGB). I’m currently using RGB with cables bought at Walmart. They are generic but of a thick gauge. Is it worth it to by monster cables and/or gold tipped cables? How much should I spend?

Comment by David Gonzalez — June 18, 2007 #
I think the Component cables are going to be your best quality out of those options. Is this an HD box?

Component is going to be the only means in supporting an HD signal. S-Video, Coax, and RCA are going to be lower quality SD outputs. Even if the box isn’t HD, the Component will give you the highest quality 480P picture.

Monster cables are great for very long distances, I don’t think you will notice a difference in such a short run from your satellite receiver.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 18, 2007 #
Thanks! I have a Viewsat Ultra FTA receiver. No HD yet.

Comment by David Gonzalez — June 18, 2007 #
how can I use this tv with my PC then?

Comment by tony — June 21, 2007 #
With the exception of HD channels have a grainy picture on all my other channels on this Emerson. Also, my Universal remote won’t convert and am having to use 2 different remotes. The Emerson remote to turn it on/off/volume and my Universal to change channels. My previous TV(Sony)had a great picture for all stations including non-HD Channels. What am I doing wrong?
Frustrated, don’t want to return the TV, got a great price. But can’t live with the grainy picture and 2 remotes. HELP!
Thanks!

Comment by John — June 21, 2007 #
Tony: If you PC has DVI out, you can purchase a DVI to HDMI conversion cable pretty cheap, you will get full resolution this way.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 22, 2007 #
How do PS3, 360, and Wii games play and look on this TV? Are there any blurs or slow button response time? Also how do Blu-Ray movies look on it?

Comment by Fire Thief — June 24, 2007 #
This LCD has 8ms response. I haven’t done any gaming on the TV as of yet, but from my knowledge of LCD technology anything under 16 ms should be acceptable for fast moving graphics and whatnot.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 24, 2007 #
I recently puchased this tv as well and the people seem reddish in color. What are the best settings?

Comment by Richard — June 27, 2007 #
Well, I got lucky and FINALLY got my Emerson LCD. I’ve been trying to get one from all of the Walmarts in my area (just west of Chicago) for about 2 weeks now. I’m VERY happy with my purchase and just want to thank you for your review. I haven’t hooked it up to a HD receiver yet, but that is in the works. I have, however, played some xbox games and watched some dvd’s on it. Both look very nice! I haven’t had time to mess with the settings yet. What would you recommend?

Comment by Steve — June 27, 2007 #
I’m the same, haven’t had a chance to really enjoy all of the neat settings of the TV yet. I’m using the out-of-the-box video settings and then the ‘wide’ screen mode.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — June 27, 2007 #
Question. I too am looking at this TV and I will mount on the wall. Does anyone know how to hook up a DVD to this TV when it’s mounted on the wall without running cables up the wall.

Comment by Jim Carlton — June 29, 2007 #
hey i was looking into getting a xbox360. and a good lcd hd tv for it. and in the walmart store it looked very nice. just wondering on how you think it would work or anyone. email please to let me know. thanks.

Comment by justin kendter — July 1, 2007 #
I have cable and should be able to get a digital
signal with the tuner in this TV right???
well, when I did autoscan, it did not find any
digital signals. My brother right up the street
gets the local digital signals with basic cable
also, so what am I doing wrong????

Comment by aj — July 2, 2007 #
i also wanted to know if it will support for surround sound and an xbox360 hooked up so i could have saround sound and my xbox all working together.

Comment by justin kendter — July 2, 2007 #
AJ, as I said in my review this TV DOES NOT have a QAM tuner, only ATSC. QAM tuner is required to pick up HD channels on Cable, ATSC is for over the air signal.

Look into an external QAM tuner or an HD box from your cable provider.

Comment by Mark Langenfeld — July 3, 2007 #
Mark, Thanks a lot.

Comment by tony — July 11, 2007 #
[...] my new-ish HD LCD I’m looking into the HD content that DirecTV has to offer. I didn’t get an HD box off the bat, [...]

Pingback by The definition of Irony. | Markus Langenfeld — September 15, 2007 #
Hi! Great review! I picked this set up on Sunday and, just the other day, I went back to Wallyworld and picked up a Phillips Upconverting DVD player and an HDMI cable. Man! Do my movies look good on this thing!

One problem I’ve run into: yesterday, I decided to use the s-video hook up from my SD Direct TV box (no component out) to the set which improved the picture over the RF input a bit, however, after about five minutes, the signal cuts out and the cable box shuts down. I was just wondering if anyone else was experiencing this when using something other than the RF input from their cable box?

Comment by TJ — September 18, 2007 #
I’ve had this TV for a week now and I’m very pleased with it. However, I’m experiencing the same problem as “John on June 21st, 2007″ with the dual remote issue. My RCA universal remote and a new DirecTV remote do not have the code for this television. I hate to spend more money on more remotes, only find out they don’t possess the code for this model.

Any suggestions anyone?

Comment by Julia — September 30, 2007 #
Mark - I just saw the Emerson 32″ at WalMart the other day and I am really thinking of buying it. I don’t have cable in my apartment. Will a really good HD indoor antenna work? Does anyone know?

Comment by Myra — October 8, 2007 #
I am also looking for the code for the universal remote. What was the answer to this question?

Comment by sally — October 12, 2007 #
Purchased this unit and really like it. One problem….my comcast cable remote will not control this T:V no code seem to work and tried scanning for code as well. Miss the all on all off feature of my cable remote.

Comment by Phillip — October 15, 2007 #
Myra, RCA makes a really nice HD antenna that should work just fine with this tv. We bought our HD antenna from Wal Mart and spent less than $30 on it. Depending on where you live in proximity to a major city, sometimes the signal might be weak, but for the most part, a minor adjustment (placing the antenna in a different spot) usually does the trick.

Comment by Sam — October 18, 2007 #
Thanks for the detailed review, Mark!

My husband and I bought this TV yesterday after comparison shopping for LCDs. We had read some negative reviews about the picture quality, but we have seen 3 movies on this till now, all rich in color and graphics - Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Fantastic Four and I have to say that we are very happy with the picture quality. Sound is great too!

We do not have cable at home, but are thinking of subscribing to Comcast. Does Mark or anyone else know about the remote problem and a way to solve it?

The price is about $550 tax at the local Walmart.

Comment by Dee — October 21, 2007 #
Does anyone have the Code for this TV. My Comcast Remote will NOT Work with this. I figured If I could get the Code, this should solve the problem. Theres got to be a Code out there somewhere? NO? If anyone knows can you let me know.

Comment by Victoria — October 22, 2007 #
I went tv shopping last night and picked up this Emerson TV at Wal-mart for $558.

Excellent picture quality and value.

Similar tvs I considered ranged 697(RCA) to 1200(Sony).

Thanks for the review, I totally agree with you views. Enjoy.

Comment by Don Don — October 22, 2007 #
I also purchased it at walmart, but Cannot get the Comcast Silver Remote to work with it. Does anyone out there have the Right code? I have had the TV since Friday and am having to use two Remotes. I hate it. I mean I can change the channels with the Comcast Remote, but Can’t get the Volume, Mute Buttons, etc to work with this TV. If anyone Knows the Comcast Remote Code for this TV I would be Truly Grateful. I have searched with the Remote to Find the Code, I have even tried Other Codes From Funai, Sylvania, Magnavox and Emerson. I called Comcast three times and I even Called Emerson Twice. NO ONE HAS THE CODE. WHAT The? I am not giving up yet

Comment by Victoria — October 23, 2007 #
I can’t seem to find the code either and I can’t get a code to work when I search for it. I MAY try and buy a new universal remote that will operate both my comcast HD cable box and the TV.

Comment by Keith — October 24, 2007 #
It’s possible that the TV is simply too new for the Comcast remotes.

I recently picked up a Logitech Harmony 550 remote which controls everything with ease, check out my review Here.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — October 25, 2007 #
Yeah, but the problem with the harmony remote is that there’s a decent lag between when you push a button and when it registers with the device. I have a harmony remote.

Comment by Phil — October 25, 2007 #
Markus,

Thank you for your review. My 32″ CRT was a great TV while it lasted (three short years)…unfortunately it died due to a transformer blowing from very heavy winds this past week. I didn’t have it connected to a power surge (guess that would have saved it??). I was going to get another cheap CRT, but started looking at the LCD’s - - tired of dealing with a 100 lb. TV. I was very interested in this Emerson because of the price and I had seen mainly positive reviews (all posted in Walmart’s website). But I still wasn’t sure. I wanted to look to see if there were any other reviews out there…so glad I stumbled upon yours. I’m going to buy it today!

Thanks again.

Comment by Debbie — October 27, 2007 #
Markus,

Well, after 13-plus years our Magnavox in our bedroom finally become terminally ill. I guess I can take responsibility for it, as I started the process of looking to replace it. My wife and I went to Costco, Best Buy, CC and Walmart in search of a replacement. And I’ve got to say for the price, the Emerson spec out better then just about everything we looked at. Watched our first movie last night (using s-video connection couldn’t find any component cables in the office) and we were both very pleased with the unit. Will be calling DirecTV today to have them send us a HD unit. Can’t wait! All ready my wife is talking about putting tis unit into one of guest rooms and getting an even larger one for the bedroom. What’s a poor guy to do?

Comment by Alan — October 28, 2007 #
I really appreciate your website–it’s great!
I have a 32″ LCD as well but my problem is using headphones hooked up to it. I have a ton of background noise that I can’t get rid of. Do I need a special converter or something? Does anyone else use headphones with their TV?

Comment by Nancy — October 30, 2007 #
Question ~ How well do you think this TV would work without opting for the HD service from DirecTV? Do you know? Thanks.

Also, wondering if there is a slightly larger version of this same TV… ???

Comment by Kelley — November 13, 2007 #
Hey Markus,
I see that you bought the Harmony remote, and that it works with this TV. What method did you use for it to learn the commands? Ive tried everything, and it will not control the tv at all. Any ideas? Thanks for the great reciew, the TV is above my expectations.

Comment by Jeff — November 16, 2007 #
Yeah, I have the Harmony 550, I just put in the TV’s model number and the remote software went online and found it. Very Simple.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — November 17, 2007 #
Sony 8 - Device Universal Learning Remote, RMVl600 for $25 at walmart also worked for this TV, That is the cheapest on i found that I could get to work this TV, it is a great remote and also works my cable box, reciever dvd, love having one remote again

Comment by nathan boles — November 19, 2007 #
I just picked up this TV a few days ago. This description is very accurate. This is my second HDTV. The picture on this is vbetter than my other (a 50″ DLP). The reason we went with this model was #1 price, and #2, we simply stood back and compared picture quality on several demo models at teh store, and this one was great. Even though I do not have an HD receiver on this TV yet, the quality that I am getting from my SD receiver is so good, it is hard to tell it is not an HD picture I am getting. Again, I am only a couple days into this TV, but so far more than pleased, especially for the price.

Comment by Mark — November 20, 2007 #
I bought the 32″ Emerson. Worked great for about a month — then started getting really bad pic.
especially camera shots from a distance. like a football game - closeups look good but when zoomed out over the field - the players all get “fuzzy”
This tv is running on a coax off the main tv/satellite system in another room. I can’t tell much difference on regular stations vs HD???

Comment by craig day — November 27, 2007 #
I bought the Emerson LS320EM8 back in June. Yesterday morning I turned it on and it turned off by itself in less than 3 minutes. It will not turn on. No green light, nothing. It hasn’t come on since. Has anyone had this problem?

Comment by Frank — November 29, 2007 #
I think the comcast/remote issue is with all these Emerson TV’s I got the 20″ at Walmart about a month ago (the one with the built in DVD) and my comcast remote doesn’t work either. I am looking into another universal, though I didn’t wnat to spend the money. Does the universal work with the guide and all the on demand features too?

Comment by Debra — December 1, 2007 #
There is nothing wrong with the Emerson TV’s, its the remote itself.

I work for a cable provider and I can say from personal experience that the remotes for the digital boxes are outdated, very outdated. The TV is just simply too new for the remote.

Pick yourself up a Logitech Harmony, it will work with everything.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — December 1, 2007 #
I’ve had the Emerson LC 3220EM8A HD TV for about a month. Worked with the Direct TV people for a total of about 4 hours trying to get codes to work for the Direct TV remote. NO LUCK. Everything else is good about the TV except I have to use two remotes to operate it.

Called the Emerson people and they just blew me off.

Comment by Ray Walker — December 1, 2007 #
I have spent 2 days with Cablevision, Funai, & Emerson trying to get codes to operate cablevision’s Synergy V RT-U61C remote with Emersons LC 320EM8A,no support what so ever! No one knows or is able to provide code numbers. Tried Sony 8 - Device Universal Learning Remote, RMVl600, wouldn’t work at all. Don’t really enjoy having to use 2 remotes. Any other help would be appreciated!

Comment by Tim Wilson — December 26, 2007 #
i bought this tv about a month or two ago loved it but a battery hit the screen (wii mishap)it cracked the screen and i canot find a replacement even called the 800 # in the manual and they said they did not have any in stock

Comment by rick — January 2, 2008 #
I am disappointed to find out that my HD cable box will not convert to the remote from the cable company. I had 4 people from the cable company come to my house to try and use the codes to convert this to the cable remote and could not. I hate to use two remotes. I talked to Emerson customer service and they tried to help and also the cable company. I would up being charged $24.95 and they couldn’t help me. Is there any solution. Otherwise the picture is great, but I cannot turn it off with the cable remote only the remote that came with the television.

Comment by KHall — January 3, 2008 #
After Comcast came and $24.95 later, it was working alright with two remotes. Cut it off one night and cut in on next day - no picture. I tried programing to the cable box - nothing. Called Emerson Support, he was no help, kept putting me on hold. I asked for a supervisor and was told, nothing that they could do. He kept asking me to check the wires in the back. I had not fooled with any wires and he still asked how it was hooked up. So I climbed on a chair and told him they were hooked the way Comcast put them and was working the day before. He said nothing they could do. So, I guess I’ll have to go back to Comcast - what a crock!

Comment by KHall — January 7, 2008 #
I purchased this unit on December 8th 2007 and the motion blur is a big distraction-I’ve fiddled with all different settings and can’t get rid of it-I will be taking this unit back and getting a plasma

Comment by Sal — January 9, 2008 #
Sounds like a faulty unit.

I have seen no blur at all and this TV has something like 4ms response so it would be impossible for the human eye to pick up any ghosting effect caused by slow response.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — January 9, 2008 #
Rick did you ever find a replacement screen?
I have the same cracked screen problem and cant find a replacement anywhere, could you please let me know if you found a place to buy it?

Comment by John — January 9, 2008 #
Replaced the “motion blur” Emerson with another Emerson and that did the trick-however once I purchased the cable receiver hi def box the picture is so good it’s tough watching my other TV’S- it is incredible- this is an incredible TV for the money-

Comment by Sal — January 15, 2008 #
Have had the TV for a few weeks now , also upgraded my cable to HD, and for the money you can’t beat the picture. Have 5 disk DVD and Surround sound hooked to back with no problems.Best to invest in cables only if you need to cut down on amount of wires running to the set. Love it so far.

Comment by Scott — January 16, 2008 #
I’m glad I ran across this site. I, too, have this Emerson TV (my model number has an extra digit on the end: LC320EM82) and I have a Harmony 550 remote. I really like the Emerson which I paid $578 for at Wal-Mart on Black Friday. I watched the price of the preferred Toshiba REGZA 32HL67U which rarely drops below $700 but after a few weeks with the Emerson, I stopped even checking the Toshiba prices. My only complaints about the TV are:

1 - No discrete on/off and input select codes (see below).

2 - Motion blur on some sources.

I think the motion blur is due to over-compression by Dish Network on the local channels. I have SD Dish and this HDTV doesn’t seem to like that but only on local channels as far as I’ve noticed. I plan to upgrade to HD Dish and/or add a OTA antenna for the locals to see if that improves things. Other SD cable channels and all DVDs look much better with no motion blur.

Last week, I happened to buy the Logitech Harmony 550 remote ($79 from Circuit City). It’s being replaced by Logitech although I doubt that my problem is really hardware related and is more likely a firmware bug. We shall see.

My question here is how you have set up the Harmony to control power to the Emerson. As best I can find, there is only a power toggle option for this TV. So when switching activities, starting up, or shutting down the whole system, the power to the TV frequently gets out of sync with the remote. So the next time the remote tries to power on the TV, all it has to work with is a power toggle command which will turn OFF the TV if it is really on already. Discrete PowerOn and PowerOff would sure be nice, but Logitech’s database doesn’t offer that option on this model TV and Emerson’s telephone support didn’t seem to understand what a discrete code even is. The Logitech database doesn’t actually list my LC320EM82. Instead it uses LC320EM81 which may or may not matter in this case.

Does your TV (LC320EM8) have discrete PowerOn and PowerOff comands in the Harmony database? Does the TV respond to those commands accurately or does it just toggle the power each time you send a power command?

If I could find the discrete commands for power on and off (and for discrete input selection, too), I would be 100% satisfied with the Emerson.

Comment by Ray — January 17, 2008 #
Maybe a dumb question, but I have the LC320EM82, are the 4 screws in a rectangle shape in the back of the tv to wall mount it? In other words, do I take them out to attach a wall mount. VESA Mount?

Comment by Roger — January 27, 2008 #
Yes, the 4 screw holes on the back are for a VESA mount.

The bottom stand is removable also.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — January 28, 2008 #
Markus
Thanks dude!!!
Roger

Comment by Roger — January 28, 2008 #
I’ve had this Tv almost a week…I really like it. I think your review was spot on. I also don’t understand the hi-def part. I’m using dish network…so if i get the HD cable to run to the tv…where does it go? It didn’t seem like the manual to the Tv was super helpful in dealing with HD, but im an HD novice, so I don’t really get it…

Comment by Justin — February 13, 2008 #
Bought this TV yesterday for $558 at Walmart’s and am really satisfied with the picture it has. I am a Dish Network subscriber and it works well with this set. My only issue now is all my universal remotes are obsolete. None of them will work with this unit, so I will now have to go out and purchase a new one. Thanks for this review on this set it has given me hope that I have purchased a good TV.

Comment by Joe — February 17, 2008 #
i had the 32 inch tv for a while now and havn’t had any problems yet and i read your review at the top and checked out my tv’s shiny black part on the bottom for a chip and there is no chip in it. its the cinser for the remote if its above the red and green light

Comment by louie — February 28, 2008 #
A few corrections and/or tips, since we’ve reviewed this TV ourselves…

The TV *DOES* have a QAM64 and QAM256 tuner. However only unencrypted HD channels (ClearQAM 256) will come through unscrambled. QAM64 is the standard for analog SD cable broadcast, to clarify the distinction.

I use this TV personally as a Home Theater PC display, and here it does excellently for the $$$. Most modern and reasonably priced graphics cards have component video out capabilities within a reasonable price range. In my case I recycled a couple of ATI x1600XT video cards in a Crossfire (dual video card) configuration to both assist h.264 decoding and to support reasonably high end DirectX9 gaming, to good effect. These, like many middle of the road ATI and Nvidia cards, have component video breakout cables.

Comment by Scott Piercy — February 29, 2008 #
I am looking at the TV at Walmart.com. The description says HDTV. Is this something Emerson added since your first review? I was thinking the converter box for HD is not necessary now. Am I correct? And are you still satisifed with the TV. I have read other reviews on this tv and they claim that it works great for a few months and then it either stops working or the picture goes south.

Comment by Teri — March 1, 2008 #
Yes, this is a High Definition TV with a digital ATSC tuner. The converter boxes are for standard def TV’s only and one will not be required for this TV as it’s already a digital television.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — March 1, 2008 #
This review says you just tested its SD capabilities and said it was great? Also have you tested the Wii on this? I am only concerned about these two qualities (I do not have HD, only concerned about SD quality and Wii). I see this on sale and the boxes are very common in my Wal-Mart, I’m likely to get it this weekend. Anything I missed about this TV?

Comment by Shawn — March 3, 2008 #
Haven’t tried it with a Wii, but SD content looks great. Cartoons and things are very vibrant so I’m sure Wii games will rock.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — March 3, 2008 #
A correction, since I’ve reviewed this TV myself last year.

The TV *does* have a QAM64/256 tuner, so it can tune analog cable and unscrambled digital cable (i.e. ClearQAM).

It is currently sitting directly in front of me as I type, supporting my Home Theater PC, my Wii, my PS2, my upscaling Oritron DVD Player, and my cable television service (Charter).

And yes, a 1280×720 32″ Windows Vista desktop does indeed rock.

Comment by Scott — March 10, 2008 #
I took my cable remote to the store with me and programmed it to make sure it would work with this TV. Code 10171 worked at the store but wouldn’t when we got the tv home. So far no luck with any combination and I’ve tried ALOT. I’ll be returning this tv tomorrow and going with a Vizio that I know works (my son has one).

Comment by Rob — March 12, 2008 #
I tried the Sony 8 RM-VL600 remote and would not work with the Emerson LC320EM82. I guess I got the right Sony 8. None of codes nor learning method. Will pass on buying Harmony as too expensive and wait for universal remotes to catch up to this TV.

Comment by tccmag — March 17, 2008 #
I tried the Sony 8 remote commander RM-VL600 but had no luck getting it to work with Emerson. Nor could I with the learning mode. On DTV site they say their remotes don’t work with, it is too new. I will wait for universal remotes to catch up with this TV.

Comment by tccmag — March 18, 2008 #
Can’t seem to find the correct RF code for this TV to store with the remote provided by my cable provider. The remote appears to allow any code to be loaded and also has a search mode manually. However, don’t want to go through 10000 codes. Any light you can shed on this would be appreciated.

Comment by Rick Bottone — March 21, 2008 #
I guest the emerson lc320em81 is too new for comcast remote can’t get it to work.

Comment by Tattoo Paul — March 22, 2008 #
I have the same problem as a few other people about my display being cracked on the Emerson 32 inch television, and I can’t find a reasonably priced replacement. If anyone knows please reply back.

Comment by Darryl — March 24, 2008 #
I have a like new LC320EM8N and it died and won’t power back on. I’ve had it for 6 months (Oct 2007)and the parts are covered by Funai but the labor is going to cost about $190. What’s the screen worth to you guys that need one?

Comment by Matt — March 26, 2008 #
I have the Emerson TV as well and while I was moving last month it got turned over and broke and screen (not on the outside but inside the screen part) and I am trying to find out where I can buy a new display for this TV. I loved this TV the colors were awesome the kids loved it as well so if anyone has any ideas please let me know my email address is wandamejia1978@yahoo.com PLEASE HELP ME!!

Comment by wanda mejia — March 31, 2008 #
I purchased this tv about 6 1/2 months ago… the big ol 19″ wasn’t gonna cut it in my new apt. i use a $9 rabbit ear antenna and pick up HD broadcast in Phoenix area and it is AWESOME!! football games look sweet. i hav an x-box and i have the component(RGB) cables for the x-box and the games look amazing with no lag, check out the 720p games (X-Men Legends II) looks sooo much better with even the component cable vs stock RWY cables on the TV. there are no remotes for under $50 that currently have working codes as of 4/11/08. i have purchased/returned 9 different remotes and do not want to buy a $80 remote, but i might just have to cuz i want it to control all my stereo features as well. i also just cuz i could hooked it up to my radeon X1300 pro card via component connection and yes 1280×720 DOES look sweet but 1360x 720 looks just that much better. the 1366 i forced with my vid card and it squashes. i cannot get it to fill the ENTIRE screen yet but i think its my video card cuz i have issues with some games with my 15″ lcd monitor as well. i could not be happier for the price. my buddy has a 62″ projection HDTV and the “free” broadcast of the superbowl was watched on my TV and not his because it looked so much better. GET THE SERVICE PLAN if you get it from Wal-Mart, it is worth it. i have a cat that likes to get behind the TV cuz its warm back there and i am always coming home dredding that he knocked it off the stand

Comment by Keith — April 11, 2008 #
i bought this t.v. about 3 months ago and was really pleased at first. Then the sound sometimes lags, and the channels can look a little smudgy sometimes, and then out of no where i went to turn it on and the power button flashes for about 2 seconds and it shuts back into stand by mode. Any one else having this problem and any suggestions about how to go abou tfixing this. Not sure if its too late to return it wal-mart for an exchange, so if its a manufacture thing maybe they will fix or replace, you think?

Comment by nancy — April 13, 2008 #
I bought 32 inch emerson 2 days ago woke up this morning and all I see are colors flashing on the screen with the sound of the channel I want to watch. I read trouble shooting and it states to turn it off for 30 mins and turn it back on if you have sound but no picture did this and still does not work. I’m about to take it back in. I bought this because it looked like a good deal now I know better to go with the good deals and just spend a little more money on name brand items this really sucks. Anyone know what is wrong? Or how to fix this?

Comment by starbuck — April 22, 2008 #
This TV does include a qam tuner. If you wish to access HD programming without a converter box via cable you will need to run a scan. From the setup menu select channels>auto scan>cable1hour after only a few minutes the indicator will show digital channels are registering. The entire process takes about 45 minutes. When this is complete you’ll be able to access the hd channel. Email me if you guys have any questions.

Comment by Steven — April 23, 2008 #
I can’t believe all you people complaining about the remotes. Oh no, you have to use 2 remotes. Good hell, I’d bet you’d go w/o TV for a month if the remote was lost, just because you’re to friggin lazy to get off your fat ass and turn it on/change the channel by hand. You got a great TV at a great price, and you blame the TV because your remote won’t work with it?

Comment by Jason — April 26, 2008 #
hahahaha

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — April 26, 2008 #
I bought an LG 42′ LCD TV from HSN. I have basic cable as well and when I plugged the tv in and turned it on. It cant find any channels with the 75 ohm cable that was provided. Why cant it find any channels during the autoscan?

Comment by JaNell Walker — April 29, 2008 #
I have had this TV for a few months and I love it. I don’t have Dish HD just standered and I too notice the motion blur but only on the local channels. I have an external antenna connected and wow. Even with most of the elements for the 25 year old antenna thats been up on top of the house since I moved in 15 years ago pulled in some really good HD channels. The sound is surprisingly well. If you live in a big city, I dont, get a set of rabbit ears or a cheap HD antenna from Wal-Mart and see what you get.

Comment by Reggie — May 1, 2008 #
Mark, I got this TV a couple of months ago and I love it! I have DirecTV HD and I was impressed with the clarity. I also have a DVD upverter and my movies look incredible on this TV. It’s a great bargain compared to other name brands and I would recomment it to anyone.

Comment by Jesse — May 7, 2008 #
I don’t care about the universal remote or having to use 2 remotes - but my puppy chewed up my remote & now it does not work. I can’t find a place to reorder a remote on the website for tis tv. Any suggestions?

Comment by colleen — May 9, 2008 #
I bought a replacement remote for this tv at newremotecontrol.com It was 29.99 6.00 shipping. That was the cheapest price that I could find, all the other sites were selling it for 39.99 shipping. They shipped very fast; ordered Friday, received Monday.

Comment by Ricki — May 10, 2008 #
I’m having the same problem as Nancy above (turn it on, it flashes for about 2 sec and then goes back to standby). Does anyone know how to fix this?

Comment by David — May 10, 2008 #
David and Nancy, My tv did the same thing. I have the LC320EM82S model and I called the Customer Service Department on the owners manual (800) 256-2487 They told me to unplug the TV from the power supply and let it reset for 45 mins and the problem should be cleared. I was talking to a co-worker while getting some coffee and he had the same problem with his Sony LCD tv and was also told to unplug for 30 mins to “reset” the tv. It worked for him so I’m optimistic that this will be resolved when I get home to do this.

Comment by Jesse — May 14, 2008 #
Jesse, Thanks for the info. I unplugged mine overnight. The next morning I still had the same problem, so I returned it to the dealer for an exchange. They did not have exactly the same model. The replacement was $20 more, but after some discussion they swapped it for no additional cost. It seemed prudent to add the extended warranty. I wonder if they went to a new model because of problems. The new one is working fine (so far).

Comment by David — May 17, 2008 #
I have only had the ‘going back to red light’ problem twice, I tried turning the TV on again and it works fine.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — May 17, 2008 #
got the emerson 32 hd last May, about 5″ from the right hand side have 2 lines running top to bottom 1 green 1 yellow they last about 20 min. then disappear, any solution or reason for this
thank you

Comment by townie — May 24, 2008 #
I got this tv a few days ago and I am having a problem that customer service has not been able to solve.
I can’t get the stereo sound to work with the digital cable box connected. It works with the cable going directly to the tv, but then I can’t get all of the digital channels and when it goes through the digital box I can only get mono sound.

Can anyone help?

Comment by Brian — June 14, 2008 #
I also have a Emerson LCD 32, they have a manufacting defect. You turn off, then they will not come back on. Customer service knows about this they don’t care about you or your TV. My TV is 4 months old, the part to fix will not be in untill Sept. 30
Wal-Mart knows about this too. Funi-Corp is a rip off if you have a Emerson TV take it back to the store ASAP before your 90 days are up. God help you if you have to deal with customer service. Check out other websites.

Comment by Wanda — June 30, 2008 #
Amen Wanda! Our Emerson 32″ died after only 3 months and no one cares except the TV repair guy who offered to fix it for $480…we only paid $550 for it…HELLO??? Ok, I consider this a very expensive life lesson but companies should stand behind what they sell.

Comment by Rebecca — July 2, 2008 #
I bought the TV after reading ur review and people’s feedback. I am quite happy although I have one issue. The “back” button on the remote doesnt seem to do anything on my TV. I would have thought it would allow me to swap between two channels rapdily.. which is quite basic functionality … and it doesnt (with no pnp, this was my hope of poor man’s pnp!)
Any similar probs/soln?

Thanks…

Comment by Affan — July 9, 2008 #
I BOUGHT THE EMERSON 32″ LCD ABOUT 4MONTHS AGO @ WALMART. IT WILL NOT TURN ON AND WALMART WILL NOT EXCHANGE. CALLED EMERSON AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD TAKE 2 OR 3 WEEKS TO CONFIRM OUR RECIEPT AND MAYBE ANOTHER 2 OR 3 WEEKS FOR THEM TO HAVE SOMEONE CONTACT US AND WHO KNOWS HOW LONG TO HAVE SOMEONE FIX IT. WE CALLED A LOCAL TV REPAIR SHOP THAT DOES FACTORY WARRANTY FOR EMERSON BUT WAS TOLD THEY ARE NOT GETTING PAID FROM EMERSON SO THEY WILL NOT WORK ON IT UNLESS I WON’T TO PAY. I WILL SAY THE TV PICTURE AND SOUND WAS GOOD WHILE IT WORKED. BASED ON EMERSONS SERVICE I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TV.

Comment by JG — July 11, 2008 #
I just returned this TV to Walmart before my 30 days were up. On satellite I never got anything better then 480i. Push the info button on your remote for this reading.The picture was always blurry or fuzzy. I thought I would double check and bought at 1080i DVD player. I hooked up through the hdmi port. I did not notice much of a difference in picture quality. There sure as heck should have been.

If anyone has owned this TV and I sometimes wonder with some of these reviews. You would also know that any surround sound system you have will not connect to this TV unless you have a digial coax port.

Jim

Comment by Jim — July 13, 2008 #
Your going to need a HD receiver from your satellite company to get a better resolution then 480i (Standard Def.)

Most TVs lack RCA sound out, which is why you would hook up your sound system directly to the equipment such as the DVD player or satellite box, otherwise you would be converting it to stereo and then back to digital which defeats the purpose of high quality surround sound.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — July 14, 2008 #
We have the Emerson LC320EM8 LCD TV which is just over a year old. We have just noticed that sometimes a vertical green line shows up in the middle of the screen and stay there for a while. Has anyone else had this problem? If you have what can we do to get rid of it permanently? If not does anyone have any ideas?

Comment by Charlie — July 16, 2008 #
Just purchased this TV from Walmart. I was told by the TV rep at Walmart that this Emerson’s electronics were made by Samsung. That sold it for me because Samsung make the best TV on the market. Can anyone tell me if the info the rep told me was correct? I am concerned because of the mixed reviews for this 32″ Emerson.

Comment by Fred — July 21, 2008 #
Emerson makes their own electronics, however the screen in the LC320EM8 IS made by Samsung.

Comment by Markus Langenfeld — July 21, 2008 #
I just got the phone with customer support. The guy said THERE IS NO CODE PUBLISHED for remotes. They donot have the code yet. Only the highend remoted that copy the codes will work. He said they get lots of calls for the codeand he wishe they had it. If anybody finds one that will work on a direct tv remote let me know.

Comment by Terry — July 22, 2008 #
Product Info: LCD TV
Serial #: J12728757
Do Not Purchase This LCD!!!
Or any other Emerson/Funai product.
They will not stand behind the warranty.
This LCD only lasted 10 months.
Walmart refered me to the Funai Corporation to resolve the warranty issue.
Below is the story.
Problem: I have been trying to get this issue resolved since march of
2008. It is now July 30 2008. Emerson/Funai Corp will not take care of
this issue. I have contacted the Funai office many times since
march. I have talked with badge numbers Jim1579, Fernando, badge 1963,
badge 1964 Kay, badge 6961, badge 1052 Alexis, supervisor Amanda
61608, badge 1155 plus supervisor Amanda 72408 Funai told me
this TV was unrepairable and i was entitled to a full refund. They
told me they would send out a box to return the LCD in. After several
weeks I called back to find out why I had not received the return
box. Funai advised me that it might take up to a month to receive the
box. After several more weeks with no box i contacted them
again. Funai advised me that they were out of boxes. I asked them if i
could use the box that my new TV came in. A Westinghouse LCD that i
purchased from Walmart. Funi told me that i could use this box to
return the LCD. i packaged and labeled the LCD as Funai
requested. Then i called back to set up a pick up date. The LCD was
supposed to be picked up before June 23 2008. The LCD was not picked up
by that date. I called Funai and was advised that they had a mix up
with the shipping company (Stevens Global). The LCD was finally
picked up on 6 26 08 shipping ticket 88847128. I still have not
received a refund on this item a month later. I can not make any
progress dealing with Funai. I am tired of making phone calls over and
over,with more excuses and no resolutions.

Comment by Ken — August 10, 2008 #
I have had an Emerson LC320EM82S for 11 months now, and it has stopped working just as many others have reported. It will not stay turned on for one second.
This problem is so widespread that consumer groups need to raise Hell with Emerson for charging people to fix a known defect in their product.

Comment by Glenn — August 25, 2008 #

Hardware Review: Emerson LC320EM8 32’’ LCD TV

114 Comments »

Leave a comment

Categories

Subscribe

Popular This Month

Latest Entries