HP SL4778N 47-Inch 1080p MediaSmart LCD HDTV Reviews

• MediaSmart - A Great Investment

  
  By A2MT74VNSWZM90 on 2007-08-26
  First the easy stuff: The LCD TV and associated specs are exactly what you would expect from any of the top 1080P providers. There isn't a significant difference between this display and similar displays from Samsung, Sony, etc. The image quality is tremendous. The available connectivity options are as expected. Great warranty. Great price point. Gloss black frame may be rather unique compared to some other displays.
  
  Now the real differentiator - MediaSmart: HP's MediaSmart solution is incorporated into this fine 1080P HDTV and provides some truly unique value for anyone with a home network. (Wired or wireless, or both). With built-in ethernet (hard wired and 802.11 b/g/n) you can easily make the TV the hub of your entertainment experience. Using just the TV remote you will be able to access all the pictures, music, and videos stored on any PC in the house.
  
  Music - Even using 802.11b, your music will stream flawlessly through the MediaSmart TV. I use 802.11g and can stream music while someone is using the PC that the music is stored on. No interuption for either person. Very cool.
  
  Pictures - After kicking off a favorite music playlist, or creating a new one from the TV, you can then switch over to your pictures and start a slideshow of favorite pictures or a favorite folder. The slideshow will transition between pictures very gracfully as your music plays in the background. I use this during parties for the kids or when adults attend I take 30-40 quick pictures of the couples/group and download them to the shared folder on the PC. In under two minutes you can display brand new pictures in VERY high resolution to your guests. I use a dSLR camera with 10 megapixels and the results are stunning.
  
  Video - Since I do not yet have Blu-ray or HD DVD, I downloaded a few 1080P videos off the internet to really show off the 1080P capabilities of the display. The videos are stored on the local PC and via the TV remote you select the movie of choice and press play. It's that simple! I stream the videos via 802.11g, but if someone is using the PC at the same time you really need 802.11n or a hard wired ethernet connection to get uninterrupted streaming. A simple $125 wireless router upgrade is in in my future.
  
  As a final note, I also have an HP Digital Entertainment Center connected and the display is outstanding as a PC Monitor. The HP DEC connects via one of the three HDMI ports and is very easy to see even from 15 feet away. Using the included wireless keyboard, I can sit on the couch and surf the internet or play games with ease.
  
  I also have a DVR cable box, bose sound system, and Nintendo Wii connected to this TV. Even with all that, I still have an open HDMI port for a soon to be added blu-ray or HD DVD player as well as component video connections if needed for other devices. Throw in a SlingBox and you have a virtually perfect home entertainment system for your family room.
  
  MediaSmart is the real deal. Better then AppleTV and Sony's difficult solution. Highly recommended.
  
  

• Great Picture

  
  By A1I9RNB64FX2BT on 2007-10-04
  This is a beautiful TV. It was quick and easy to set up and it connected to my network with no problems. Streaming video works wonderfully with wireless 'n' router. I'm very pleased with this purchase.
  
  

• Feature performance less than optimal

  
  By A27NPU6EM4GP8V on 2007-12-01
  I bought the SL4778N for 2 large reasons: VGA connector and the MediaSmart capabilities. However on both fronts I have been very disappointed. I wanted to be able to play slide shows of my digital photographs as we've been traveling a lot recently. The interface for doing this is completely lame. The only options for the slide show is that I play 'all' photos on the server, which is 4+ years of digital photographs... or I play a certain 'folder'. It can not automatically handle nested folders and the images in them. (I have my photos organized by year/month/day/*.jpg. It is possible to play a slideshow of 2007/06/23/*.jpg, however if I want to see all the pictures from 2007/06 and all the days in June, I can't... since it can't handle nested directories, instead I have to manually go to 2007/06/01 and then 2007/06/02... this is not interesting.) The image processing is really slow, with high resolution pictures, around 6 MP, the slide show is so slow that I can't easily jump from image to image. Overall the interface for slide shows is weak.
  The other disappointment is the VGA connector. I have not been able to get anything to connect to the MediaSmart VGA connector at a resolution higher than 1360x768. I have a very high end gaming machine which I planned to connect to the MediaSmart, however I was sad to learn that I can not get it to 1920x1080. I even bought a VGA cable for my XBOX 360, however it too confirms that input via the VGA on the MediaSmart is unable to reach 1920x1080.
  
  Ignoring the 2 most important reasons for buying this monitor, the rest of the TV is nice. Quality is good (though not as good as some samsung and sony monitors I saw, but close enough that for my needs I am happy.)
  
  Builtin speakers and connectors, including multiple HDMI plugs is nice. I will eventually buy a new XBOX 360, one with the HDMI connector so I can enjoy the higher resolution, however overall I'm disappointed. Mostly because of the big claims about the value of features which just don't seem to have been designed well.
  
  

• HP = Nightmare Support

  
  By A1H83T95NU0T5W on 2008-08-25
  I wish I had read the review by F. Damico, 18 months ago(of course impossible as it was recently posted). I purchased a 65" HP DLP which I loved as a product....great picture, great sound, etc. Of course, things break..and that's where you look for a company to stand behind it's products.
  
  Well if you are looking at HP and TV's.... I'd look somewhere else! They clearly are not serious about the TV business or their reputation in it, to whit;
  1) I have so far made 7 telephone calls to HP. They won't provide a direct access to there TV department , only their HP 1-800 HP INVENT number, no matter how clearly you speak to their IVR system, it inevitably routes you to their PC support center on the other side of the globe...
  2) roughly 50% of the time that support center is successful in connecting you with their TV department
  3) if out of warranty, you need to purchase a service agreement (for $629)..which I did. HP says they will make three attempts, and if failing to repair the product, they will drop the charge to $369, and of course you are then stuck with a very large boat anchor.
  4)HP represented that AT&T was the service provider, which it turns out is not truthful (AT&T turns around and subs that work out to someone else...no company, just individuals from what I can piece together)
  5) in the one attempt to repair the TV, in two weeks time, the individual who came out to work on the unit, confided to their sidekick " I've never work on this fancy a unit before", got scared half way through.... put the parts back together...told me he would read up on the TV and be out the next day to finish it.
  6) You guessed it...no show, no call...
  7) Back to HP (30 mins to get to the support department) at which point they inform me that someone will be out in another two days' time. Won't tell me who, won't narrow it down to a half a day, etc.
  8) NEW EDIT 8/28/08 ; You've got the drill by now..... no show on yesterday's service call...no call from HP or the Service tech infoming me of same (I was there the whole day). When I have an hour too waste on the telephone, I will yet again attempt another call.
  
  So, like Mr. Damico, I beg you to save yourself the grief....do not buy an HP TV.
  
  

• Doesn't last long-

  
  By A1QIRKSME2A3SE on 2008-04-09
  I purchased the MediaSmart TV 8 weeks ago and was very pleased. The picture WAS great and the setup fast and easy. If only it still worked. After only 2 months the main board died along with the picture. HP service just informed me they will replace the TV with a "reconditioned" TV. They will not provide a new one as this is not their policy. I would gladly accept that if it were a year old, but $2400.00 dollar and 2 months
  is unacceptable. I'm not happy about acquiring someone else's headache. READ YOUR WARRANTY CAREFULLY.
  
  
• Great TV
  By A3A58JEFR34HQG on 2008-03-16
  I did not purchase this TV for the computer use. I was in the market for a new TV and went to my local Best Buy. They were selling the display model. At $1100 I could not pass it up! I have to say I have not been disappointed. The 1080P picture with my Blu-Ray and HD DVD via HDMI is outstanding. My only complaint is when watching my DirecTV on my local CBS HD station it cannot keep up with the picture. Especially fast moving screens like college basketball. I'm not sure if this is the TV or the channel as I have not experienced any problems with any of the other HD channels. My main use of this TV is for the Blu-Ray and HD DVD, so I would have to give this item 2 thumbs up in that category.
  
  
• Great TV
  By A25CN32LJ3C4VK on 2008-04-05
  Just got the HP 47" MediaSmart TV and hooked it up to make sure it worked. I love it, very nice picture quality, very easy to hook up to your wireless network, and instantly have access to your home pc. Updated the tv's software over the internet flawlessly. You will not be disappointed.
  
  
• hdtv
  By ARY9VCLCO6ZVV on 2008-02-10
  GREAT PRODUCT. lOVE IT. WE PUT OUR SMALLER HDTV IN THE BEDROOM AND HAVE THIS ONE IN THE LIVING ROOM. lOVE THE HP MEDIASMART TV'S.....wOULD LOVE TO HAVE ONE IN EVERY ROOM!
  
  
• HP LCT 47" TV
  By A1ES31JQZN4J8D on 2007-12-21
  The system showed up defective and the service follow up was disjointed and inconsistant.
  The time and number of calls it took to get the repairman was very excessive and eventually HP had to replace the system.
  The replacement process with the HP Customer Care Rep, Andrew, was excellent until it came time to have the old unit picked up and then it became musical phone calls.
  So far the new TV is working well and I am happy with the performance.
  
  
• Do Not Buy HP Televisions
  By A3H0S19Q2ED9ZT on 2008-06-18
  I purchased a 58inch HP Pavilion HD TV roughly 2 years ago. The computer went out in the TV. HP replaced the TV as they could not fix the problem. The technician, (whom was wearing an HP shirt and name badge), that installed the new TV said that with the new TV my warranty resets. He told me this because I expressly asked "what happens if the new TV ends up having the same problem?" Less than 9 months later the new TV also broke with the same computer problem. I contacted HP technical department and I was told that the warranty explained to me by the HP technician was incorrect. They went as far as to try and say that the technician was from a 3rd party and didn't work for HP. I asked for the 3rd parties' name and was told that HP wasn't required to give me that information. I implore anyone that is considering buying a TV from HP to consider Sony or any other product TV besides HP.
  
  

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