GE 31GT660 Standard Televisions
GE 31GT660 Standard Televisions
USER REVIEWS
[Jan 14, 2002]
Fred
Casual Listener
Strength:
Low Price
Weakness:
VERY SHORT LIFESPAN Under 24 Months. It worked good for about 14 months then Brightness Gradually diminished and could not be adjusted. Picture became "blurred" around contrasting scenes. Was particularly bad when receiving signal from VCR or DVD player. Sound developed similar problem. Haven't gotten any responce from Thomas, so far. Circuit City only pointed me to an 800 number with No Live Person. At 24 months, Ready to Replace Similar Products Used: Toshiba TV |
[Oct 03, 2001]
Greg
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Cheap, held up for 3 years
Weakness:
broke after 3 years The TV worked okay for 3 years. The biggest problem was light streaks on a dark screen (example: a star on a black sky would cause faint horizontal lines to stretch across the screen). Recently, the TV started shutting down by itself and remaining off for 5-10 minutes. Repairmen say this is a common (if weird) problem with this TV. One of many gliches. This TV is notorious for crapping out after 3 years or so. Repairs would cost $150-200, so I'm junking it and getting something new. I cannot recommend this TV or any similar GE TVs. |
[Apr 04, 2000]
Brian
Audiophile
Strength:
Its cheap,Nice picture for price
Weakness:
Bright things on screen make line across entire screen. I bought this set over a year ago and cannot say enough about this set.The picture is not close to being the best but at this price it is more than enough.I was looking for a set for my bedroom and was looking at the more expensive brand 27 inch tvs and the saleman showed me the GE and told me that it was actually less than the other sets.I bought the set and it comes across as being much bigger than it actually is.My only gripe is the problem I described above in the weaknesses.Here is another example-If a person on screen is holding a candle you will see a line of brightness across the whole screen unless you turn down the brightness to levels that are too low.Recommended at the four hundred dollar price point. Similar Products Used: MM36100 |
[Mar 12, 2000]
Ron Van der Meer
Casual Listener
Strength:
Very good picture, low price, good-looking cabinet, cabinet design minimizes dust getting in. Has all the input jacks we need.
Weakness:
Basic remote - tiny buttons - hard to control by feel We had hoped to get by with our 19-inch Sony Trinitron until forced to enter the Age of Digital, but it pooped out after 18 trusty years of service. We paid $450 for the GE at Circuit City and see it advertised everywhere now for $399. At these prices we almost consider it a "disposble" set to get us by until reasonably priced HDTV sets get here. Consumer Reports says GE/RCA (Thompson) products have a poor repair history but our set has been perfect for two and a half years. The basic warranty is for one year. At a price of $399 why bother with extended warranty plans ? If it breaks, so what ? You just have an excuse to go out and get a better set for less money. Amazing values these days ( the 19" Sony was $900 in 1980 ! ). Similar Products Used: None - first "big screen" set. |
[Apr 25, 2000]
Dr. D
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
I was looking at 27" sets when I saw the GE 31" hidding in the corner. To say they don't promote these sets is an understatement. The picture was much better than the 27" I was looking at, and for $ 399.00 it was a steal, compared with the 32" sets selling for hundreds more.
Weakness:
The built in speakers are weak, both in volume and in tone, but as I am using this set in my home theater I just run the audio through the surround speakers. If you want a 31" tv with a great picture & a great price for use in your home theater, I don't think you will find a better deal. GE has a winner with this TV, but don't expect the store to lead you to this unit first. Thompson (GE/RCA) seems to have two plants making these sets, US & Mexican. Similar Products Used: 27" RCA colortrack 2000, one of the first monitor style tv's to come out some 10-15 years ago, and I am still impressed |
[May 30, 2000]
Jim
Casual Listener
Strength:
Price is right for a screen this size, I paid $369.00 and a free TV stand came with it! All the input jacks you need. Auto setup makes it very easy to get up and running fast.
Weakness:
Speakers aren't the greatest, but I plan on connecting up some different ones anyway. I priced around ALOT and this seemed like the biggest bang for the buck. It was Memorial weekend and Best Buy was having a sale. Normally selling at $399.00, was reduced to $369.00 plus a free TV Stand! They were sold out of them before I left the store, along with many other TV's they had onsale. Setup is pretty automatic like most TV's and VCR's these days, but is no looking up codes in the manual for VCR setup. No codes to enter for setting up your VCR, just pick your brand onscreen. You can enter captions for all your stations like NBC, ABC, etc. Also fully support Spanish. Definately the best bang for your buck! Similar Products Used: 27" Sony, 27" Emerson, better speakers on both, Sony had a better picture I think, but priced higher |
[Jul 03, 2000]
Ralph
Audiophile
Strength:
The durabilty of the set is great. Hasn't given me any problems whats so ever. The set is used everyday since 96. Still going strong. Has a S-video connection.
Weakness:
Soeakers are very weak. Have to bring the volume more than half way to get a decent sound out of it. Doesn't have a separate Bass & Treble adjustment. Picture quality is not than great using TV Antenna. Better off getting a DVD or DBS receiver for better receiption. Should hae two inputs. Only has one. Remote quit working after two years but the replacement is not expensive. I truly expected more from the TV set but for the price, I believe its great. |
[Sep 06, 2000]
Chris Smith
Casual Listener
Strength:
It's cheap
Weakness:
Terrible reliability and sound I was initially exited to find a TV this big for such a low price. It performed adequately for the first month. The sound wasn't very good, but the picture wasn't bad. After about a month of use, it would ocassionaly stop working ("static & snow" instead of sound and picture.) This became more and more regular. I took it to a local authorized service center for warranty, and after being repaired, it worked fine - for a while. A couple months later, the same problem returned. I then got a replacement set, which thankfully, hasn't had the same problem. |