RCA D52W20 52" Theaterwide HDTV-Ready TV
By: RCA Average Rating: 2.5 Total Reviews: 25
More Information
 On: 2007-11-27
I would normally have given this a 4 star rating, but the value bumps it up too five. No this is not the best TV money can buy. There are several $1500+ tvs that are alot better, but for its price you would be hard presse to find something much better. It does 480p&1080i which is good for a normal tv watcher. This is not a videophyles TV. It does have DVI Two Component and Two SVIDEO/RCA hookups. You can hook it up to your computer (although it will take some effort) I have had my TV for about 3 years now and paid only $500 for it used. It still looks as good as when I bought it. XBOX 360 games are awesome on this thing! the speakers on it are good, though I never use them since I have surround sound. The viewing angle is decent. It has front S-Video/RCA hookups. If you are determined you can find the code to input to fine tune thi thing. I believe that with the TV off,(let me check)... well I dont remember but it is like hold power and menu for 10 seconds or some combination of buttons. Google it. Anyway the TV is good forthe money, Id go so far as to say it is GREAT for the money!
On: 2007-11-26
I would normally have given this a 4 star rating, but the value bumps it up too five. No this is not the best TV money can buy. There are several $1500+ tvs that are alot better, but for its price you would be hard presse to find something much better. It does 480p&1080i which is good for a normal tv watcher. This is not a videophyles TV. It does have DVI Two Component and Two SVIDEO/RCA hookups. You can hook it up to your computer (although it will take some effort) I have had my TV for about 3 years now and paid only $500 for it used. It still looks as good as when I bought it. XBOX 360 games are awesome on this thing! the speakers on it are good, though I never use them since I have surround sound. The viewing angle is decent. It has front S-Video/RCA hookups. If you are determined you can find the code to input to fine tune thi thing. I believe that with the TV off,(let me check)... well I dont remember but it is like hold power and menu for 10 seconds or some combination of buttons. Google it. Anyway the TV is good forthe money, Id go so far as to say it is GREAT for the money!
On: 2006-11-10
We actually purchased ours from WalMart but paid the same price. I was scared after coming on here to read the reviews, it seemed like it was 50/50. We have had the set for almost 6 months now and we havent had a single problem with it. It has been awesome watching movies, we went from a 27 inch to this size. I love the look and clarity of the picture. I purchased a platform stand for ours, because it seemed to be viewed better for us a few inches higher. So far so good, and we are happy with the purchase.
On: 2006-06-06
I have had my RCA D40W20 for 2 years and it has performed flawlessly! Great HD picture not too bad with SD either. Sounds like I must have received the only working unit! Mine too came from Dishnetwork as a give away for buying their HD-DVR. No complaints with my RCA HDTV. Now, if you want to talk about Dishnetwork, I have many there...
 On: 2006-05-31
We bought this thinking it would be great.......After 4 months the hdvi and component inputs would not work, then no picture at all. TV repairman got here quickly, wish i could say the same for the part that needs replaced. Thomson/RCA customer service doesnt care...told me the part will get there when it gets there. Four weeks now and earliest delivery date is still 2 weeks away. Thomson/RCA customer service said they would get in touch with me after a global search for the part was conducted, that was 8 days ago. Turns out this is a huge problem for this TV. Ive talked to 4 other people, all had the same problem. Save your money and yourself try and find a different HDTV.
On: 2006-03-05
I bought mine as a private label from Dish Network.
It developed a hum through the speakers in about 2 months after purchase.
I had to fight with Dish for repairs. First trip, wrong part. Service tech re assembled with old part, then no sound. 2 months later another service with "right" part. Board was installed, no sound. Reinstalled old board, no sound.
Tompson customer service was awfull, they told me to file a complaint against them.
Finally got them to take the set back, and replace with another.
It was a low price, and worth every penny of it.
Buyer beware, dont get this set!
On: 2006-03-04
I bought mine as a private label from Dish Network.
It developed a hum through the speakers in about 2 months after purchase.
I had to fight with Dish for repairs. First trip, wrong part. Service tech re assembled with old part, then no sound. 2 months later another service with "right" part. Board was installed, no sound. Reinstalled old board, no sound.
Tompson customer service was awfull, they told me to file a complaint against them.
Finally got them to take the set back, and replace with another.
It was a low price, and worth every penny of it.
Buyer beware, dont get this set!
 On: 2006-01-02
Well, if youre reading this review, then its probably because youre unsure about which TV to buy, or are unsure about weather or not you want to quote "give up the quality for the price." I know because I was in the same situation as you when I went out and bought this TV. I bought this TV about two years ago and it still has the same quality as when I bought it.
To be honest with you, this is not the exact model I bought. I bought the RCA D52W15B, but the only difference that I found when researching the two is that the D52W20 model has a protective screen over the actual screen and has a black strip at the bottom of the TV where as the RCA D52W15B doesnt have the protective screen and has a silver strip at the bottom instead. But what I have found with the protective screen coverings is that when there is light, the protective coating will reflect a glare when viewed at an angle. Without the protective coating, I can watch the T.V. with a 145° viewing range without any problems and still get a clear picture.
The picture quality on this HDTV is 1080i, which makes the viewing experience one that you and your guests will remember... that is if they dont have one themselves. ;) This TV seriously produces lifelike colors and clearly defined images. And along with the many picture enhancements, there is the scan velocity modulation for improved detail and auto convergence, which will keep the picture quality in focus. There are a lot more that I yet to have player around with, probably more than enough for the home theater experience.
One factor you need to take in to consideration when purchasing a DVD player if you plan to own this TV, is to make sure the DVDs quality will match up to the T.V. I dont recommend that you cheap out on the DVD player or youll bring down the picture quality with it. The DVD player should at LEAST have component video outputs, and I recommend turning on progressive scan if the DVD player has it. Both the component video outputs and the progressive scan will really help increase the picture quality.
There are a lot of inputs that you can choose from to use. There is an antenna/cable input, two sets of standard A/V inputs, two S-video inputs, two sets of component video inputs, and a DVI-HDTV input. The inputs you should use to achieve the best picture quality are the component video inputs for the DVD player(s) and component or DVI-HDTV input for your cable or satellite. The other inputs seriously only decrease the picture quality from what it could be when its at its best. Also you should keep in mind that when you use the component video inputs, that in order to use the inputs, that you have use component video cables. I recommend using the Monster Standard Cables, but Im not saying you should buy the best ones they offer. I found some cheaper ones made by Monster Standard for around 20-40 dollars a cable, depending on length. (They sell ones at 120 to "who knows where" dollars a cable too)
As for the construction of this television, I found it to be quite durable and well designed. It might have a thin screen, but the screen or picture quality didnt get damaged when I took a slight fall into the main screen. What a scare for me... I freaked, but all was well... luckily. It was a slight accident I encountered when setting up our surround sound system. But dont try it... I wouldnt take the risk if I were you, and really wish that that hadnt happened. As for the plastic casing, which looks really slick, is also really durable. It might look thin, but its really well made.
One of the drawbacks that I noticed was that the picture quality seemed to decrease when I went from my DVD video inputs to my cable T.V. inputs, which I noticed a quite of my friends TVs did as well. After a bit of research, I learned that for this TV, if you dont have an HD receiver, this set will display 480p, but you can purchase an HD receiver, and then the content can be viewed in 1,080i. Quick fix really. But also keep in mind when viewing any station, that not all the stations have switched over to HDTV, so some, actually most, will not meet the best quality that this TV will produce.
There are a lot of screen choices that you can chose from other than the 16:9 format that the display is. But when the T.V. is in the standard format, 4:3, there are gray bars on the sides that are annoying. In order to enhance the picture quality, they should make them black to make the picture stand out more than the bars. Most wide screen TVs come with black bars.
Overall, Im really happy with this TV. Its definitely worth the money to buy it. I would say on a five star rating scale I would give this TV a 4.30.
© 2005 - David Chen - All Rights Reserved
On: 2005-12-29
The actual rating is actually a negative-negative star not only for the D52W20 but also for the Thomson customer service. First, the product after 4 months from purchase, the monitor failed. The TV would not turn on and the on/off switch would go through a cycling phase. Sent it to be repaired and found out the HO Transformer is defective. After another 8 months after the repair the same problem occurred with the transformer. I come to find out that this is a well known problem with this model and Thomson thus far refuses to rectify it. Dealing with Thomson customer care is just real bad. Do not buy especially from RCA/Thomson.
 On: 2005-12-29
Up until 6 months ago I loved this TV. Ive had it for a little over two years now and had always really enjoyed watching TV and especially DVDs on it. Was never really wowed by the picture but was certainly never dissapointed. I orginally picked this up as a starter HD/Widescreen TV because Im really not in any position to take advantage of a serious theatre but thought this would hold me until then and be a really nice secondary TV for an living room or bedroom. Anyways, all was well until I woke up one moring and went to watch a movie and the TV wouldnt turn on. Thought my batteries in my remote were dead so I tried the power button on the TV and still nothing. I havent watched it in 6 months b/c it wont turn on, I cant fix it myself and Im 2 1/2 hrs from the nearest Service Center. Finding out now that this is a common occurence for this set and have been told that my best option would be to scrap it and buy a new TV from another company. Really dissapointed and dissenchanted at this point. Oh well, if you buy this TV I hope you have better luck then me.
On: 2005-12-20
The set looked beautiful in the store, so I picked it up. Of course, I neglected to see the open/used/abused models at a discount price placed around the Home Theater section of the store. I go home, plug it in, and what happens? The screen/projector flickers! The color morphs in and out. The color balance, auto tuning, etc. cant do anything to cure the problem. I take it back to (censored store name) and then they told me that about 9/10 of this model get returned to their store for the same reason--HORRIBLE QUALITY! Save your money if you want a bigscreen TV... buy a Toshiba or a Mitsubishi for a long-life tv. Trust me!!!
On: 2005-12-06
Were talking NEGATIVE stars here! RCA, GE and Proscan are all owned by Thomson Electronics which is no more than Thomson Pharmaceuticals, a French drug company that bought those three companies. Thomson seems to know exactly nothing about electronics and less about customer service. I hand-carried a defective DVD unit to a local Authorized Service Center. The runaround began. A part was bad. The part was ordered. The wrong part arrived. Part ordered again. Part arrives broken. Part ordered again. No parts available anywhere in the country for a 5 month old unit. They say theyll send a new unit. More than a month later new one arrives at service center. Outside box is in perfect shape. Inside box is smashed. Unit is tested and found to be non-functional. They put a smashed-up box in a good box and shipped an already broken unit. I havent yet mentioned that the whole time this was going on I logged literally hundreds and hundreds of long distance calls to Thomson because they have no 800 number. After two and one half months had gone by altogether since Id dropped it off, another new unit finally arrived. I took it, unopened, as well as the other one Id bought back to where Id bought them and they gave me my money back. I went to Best Buy and bought two Panasonic DVD recorders for 10 bucks less apiece. Theyve been working flawlessly ever since. NEVER buy ANYTHING from RCA, GE or Proscan! NEVER!! Unless you enjoy banging your head against a brick customer service wall for more than two and a half months. If you read this and you still buy ANYTHING from RCA, GE or Proscan, you DESERVE the screwing Thomson is going to give you. I will dance a jig the day I hear Thomson goes out of business. I hope this review helps to speed that process.
On: 2005-11-29
I bought the TV new a year ago. Had it about 4 months when I noticed that the cable connector had come loose. Replaced the TV and the new one did the same thing less than 4 months later. Also had problems with the picture and they had to replace a major component. Guess the TV is designed to be replaced every few months. The picture isnt good enough to warrant the cost! Will not own another RCA product. Good luck with customer service!
On: 2005-10-20
This unit has not worked properly since new. Great picture on regular cable, but when hooked up to HD receiver, it shuts itself off. 7 months trying to find someone to repair it, now been in shop over six weeks, with no end in sight. WARRANTY SUCKS.
On: 2005-09-15
I bought this TV about a year and a half ago, and although I was initially impressed with the picture quality of the TV, my TV has been in the shop for a total of 3 months as of this writing. The problem Ive had with the TV is quite similar to the one which others have described, where the TV randomly blinks off and on until it finally burns and fizzles out.. I have also seen that it is a serious fire hazard because of this same problem, although I was fortunate enough not to have my set catch on fire. I had purchased a 3-year extended warranty from The Brick, but their service center says that they have tried with no avail to obtain the needed parts from Thomson/RCA. I have tried contacting their customer support department, and they have been nothing but rude and unhelpful. I would not recommend this TV or any other RCA product, unless you enjoy headaches.
On: 2005-02-13
They dont have an option for 0 stars. My D40W20 caught fire after 6 months of use. I could see flames inside the cabinet. Dealer/RCA would not take back. I took the TV to service center after fighting with dealer/RCA for a month. I picked up TV after 2 months at repair shop. Now the remote control receiver will not work.
Save yourself the hassle. Do not buy this TV under any circumstances.
On: 2005-02-11
Check posts on Internet forums before buying. I have had personal experience. Check out the www.hometheaterspot.com RCA GE PROSCAN forum for details. This product series has known problems that RCA has not resolved, despite the apparent number of units failing.
On: 2005-01-15
We have had this television for 7 months, and the picture quality has degraded to absolute garbage. Everything is a nauseating spring green, and no adjustment will cure the problem. Highlights are totally blown out, and shadow detail is not visible. Even tho the set is under warranty, Thomson (RCA) is giving us the run around about repair or replacement. Even the authorized service center cant get a straight answer or parts. Avoid RCA if you dont have a toss it out in 6 months and buy another set mentality. Buy a Sony.
On: 2004-07-20
I bought the RCA D52W15, which is essentially the D52W20 without the screen shield. The price, quality of picture and overall style were the selling points for me. Normally I would buy a Sony or other Japanese brand well known for quality, but this set just looked better than any others I had seen. The cabinet styling has a very slim look. Many sets looked big and blocky from the front as well as the backs being made with particle-board where the RCA is build like the DPL receivers using light but sturdy looking plastic. I noticed also that every set with a screen shield (just about all) was reflecting the lights of the showroom where the RCA has the mat finish (D52W15 only) and barely reflected any room lighting giving a better picture without distraction. I dont have kids or pets living in the house so Im not worried about the screen being damaged. I am very happy so far with the performance and look in my home. As of this writing I have had it a little over a month. I bought a service contract, With a large purchase like this and being an RCA, I dont want to take chances. I have experimented with the settings and have gotten satisfaction in viewing even poor quality video. I notice even on the same stations some shows look stunning while others look poor and out of focus, so its not the TV. I am sure the more expensive HDTV sets have more features for setting the picture parameters, but I find this set has enough to get great viewing. I find the "Cinerama" screen format is best for most 3:4 ratio broadcasts where you want the whole screen filled with least distortion on the edges. I find when watching widescreen DVDs, to eliminate black bars still seen because of being filmed in a non standard aspect ratio, I use the "16:9 up/down" mode and center the picture and loose very little picture while filling my whole screen. I hate seeing black or grey bars. I have set the contrast down to about 35%, it will save on CRT phosphor wear and then juggling color and black levels it looks better to me than the factory settings that tend to be over saturated in most cases. The audio is good, but It doesnt matter, being I am hooked up to a good A/V receiver with surround sound. Even commercials sound and look good.
 On: 2004-06-24
At first I thought the RCA D52W20 was an excellent purchase, but over the next few days of ownership I started to notice the many, many flaws that ultimately led to my returning this product after 20 days and buying a Samsung instead.In order of importance, the significant problems with this set are: 1) The screen edge regions did not produce a sharp image.
2) The convergence needed to be adjusted twice daily as there was a marked drift on both the blue and red projectors.
3) There is only 1 (center) manual convergence point. Similar sets from Sony, Toshiba, etc give you 9 points to adjust.
4) Ghost streaks appeared to the right of bright objects in high contrast situations. This being said, the RCA generally produced a "good" picture, and who really watches the edge of the screen anyway, right? ;-) Bottom line - this set is available at a discount price, but it also delivers discount quality.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-25
I just had my TV arrive last week. So far I couldnt be happier. The picture is ok in regular mode and the HDTV picture is outstanding. The look of the TV is very sleak and modern. It has some cool features like PIP and push button recording to your VCR (I have tivo so I wouldnt use that feature). All in all Im very happy with the TV. Also, I paid just $1050 for it on sale at Circuit City. I think it was mismarked. Cant beat that deal! I just hope it proves to be reliable in the long term.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-03-23
I love our new TV. Its freakin HUGE, the picture and sound are fantastic. The HDTV channels we get are in another league. I was watching the NCAA tourney last night and it was so crisp you could have sworn you could reach right in and pick up the teeny players. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
On: 2004-01-24
Bought my TV in May. Loved owning it. Then it broke. Found out picture tube had a design flaw in it that allowed fluid to slowly leak onto the circuit board. Turned it on one day and the whole thing just popped and turned off. Circuit board shorted out frying most of the interior. It has been 2 months now and still havent gotten it fixed. Not the repair guys fault. Thomson Electronics, who is the maker, is taking forever to replace the parts. My repair guy who was recommended by Thomson, said I should just try and get a new TV since most of the parts need to be replaced. Thomson doesnt like that idea. They say it
is not their policy. Got off the phone today. May take another 10 days before they even find one of the parts. I will never recommend or buy a Thomson product again. By the way I think they make RCA and Proscan as well. They also settled a class action law suit two years ago in Minn. regarding faulty picture tubes.
KP
On: 2003-11-15
This TV has a very nice, classy, understated look about it. The picture and features it has are absolutely amazing. I swapped from a 36" Sony flatscreen and am ecstatic. The picture tube TVs are just too darn HEAVY. You need a forklift every time you want to move it to a different place or perform a thorough cleaning. They are very difficult for 2 people to handle and you really cant use more people because there is not enough room. I can move this set around by myself!! And it is BIGGER! You can keep your large picture tube TVs; the picture is better on this one!
On: 2003-10-15
Got this TV last July 2003 and have been enjoying it. The picture and sound quality is more than what I expected. I used to own a 27" Zenith and there is just no comparison. Im recommending this product to everyone. Its worth it.
by: Anonymous On: 2003-08-11
i thought this television was big, and boy was i right. it is so big.
On: 2002-12-10
Well I am still amazed at the picture in HDTV 1080i; This TV is awesome, for the money, I looked at the Mitsubishi and was impressed as well, however
The price tag was much higher. This 52" unit is the same as the Scenium line without the
Added DVD, etc. On a note I did like the black border around the Scenium but I was
On a budget. The Scenium models were over 2K. Back to this unit, It truly is nice, the
White looks as good as a tube set, sitting back watching a HD broadcast takes you into a
State of mind that causes your brain to keep saying "wow" look at how good this looks
This keeps distracting me from the content of the show... I am just now starting to get
Over that shock and can follow along with the program.
It has DVI, plus 2 sets of Component inputs and 3 sets of S-Video. You cant go wrong with this set. I sold my 4 year old 4:3 46" RCA and could never go back!
|
|
