Emerson or Magnavox 39" 1080p LED TV (Refurbished)
Our Take
- Nothing special here, just regular HDTVs
- Doesn’t impress your friends…or dog
- 39" is a weird size: kind of small for your main TV, kind of big for your bedroom/kitchen TV
- 1080p is unnecessary on a screen this size, unless you sit super close
An investment in a better TV later.
Why would you spend a lot of money on a kick-ass HDTV right now, when in just a few short years you’ll need to upgrade to watch the 4K video content that will surely be standard by then? Alternatively, why would you buy a 4K TV now when there’s nothing to watch in 4K?
You wouldn’t. You would buy one of these TVs. And wait.
Not that there’s anything wrong with these TVs. Fully compliant with all PAFN (Perfectly Adequate For Now) standards, these nearly-identical Emerson and Magnavox models pretty much deliver the stuff you would want from a TV while you’re waiting to level up. Their 1080p resolution might even be a little excessive for a 39" display. Whatever “picture modes” and “picture enhancements” they offer will seem quaint and cute in few years, like the COLOR/B&W switch on an Atari 2600.
Then, around 2020 or thereabouts, when there’s finally enough 4K content out there to justify a 4K TV, you’ll be legitimately ready for an upgrade. The price is so low you won’t feel bad about ditching this one after five or six years of reliable service. And you’ll buy one of the 4K ones, and watch Robot Gladiator Football in four thousand glorious horizontal lines of resolution happily ever after.
Not on these TVs, though. Just want to make sure we’re clear about that.
