Having one of the best televisions compared to one of the worst can help you in more ways than you realize. The first one was created back in 1927. The idea of showing pictures back-to-back on a screen was foreign but took off. They first became popular in the United States in the 1960s, as more than 40 million households had one. Back in the day, you would only use it to watch television. You’d have to get up and manually change the channel whenever you wanted to watch something different. There were only a few channels to pick from. Today, you can get cable packages that include international news. We never have to get out of the comfort of our chairs to change the channel or volume. The size of television sets has dramatically increased. They used to be tiny, but today are up to 100 inches.

But televisions these days aren’t just for watching. There’s a whole lot more that comes to them. Televisions are preprogrammed to have different apps like Netflix and Hulu ready at your disposal. There are also tons of different apps to watch the stock market with, allowing you easy access to keep up with your portfolio. You can connect your computer to your television to have the screens match. They can be a good investment if done the right way. It’s a good thing they last longer these days because some of the nicest versions can cost up to $8,000.

When purchasing a new television, there are plenty of factors to consider. The picture quality, sound quality, price, and how long it lasts are just a few of the variables you should think about. These five television brands are ones you should try your best to avoid as much as possible.

7. Hitachi

Hitachi (OTCMKTS: HTHIY) is a Japanese television brand that has become known around the world. Unfortunately, their televisions are just average and aren’t worth what you’re going to be paying for them.

Screens Freeze

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For a brand that’s so well-known, they still occasionally have screens that blink or freeze. Their picture and sound quality just aren’t what they should be. There aren’t as many application add-on features, either. This might not be as big of an issue for you, depending on what you want from a television. If you want one with easy access to tons of different things, then Hitachi isn’t the best option.

6. RCA

If you’re looking for the cheapest option for a 4K television, RCA is going to be for you. However, cheaper doesn’t always mean you’re getting the best deal. If you’re hoping to host watch parties for shows or sporting events, you might not want to do so with an RCA television.

Poor Viewing And Gaming Options

The viewing angles aren’t great unless you have a prime seat. The picture quality can also be shaky at times, something you don’t want from a television. If you’re a gamer or plan to plug in different HDMIs, you might have a tough time at first. The ports aren’t in the easiest places to reach. Even though it’s the cheapest option on the market, it might not end up being the best investment.

5. Hisense

Another cheap option for a television is Hisense. There are tons of great things that the Hisense brings to the table, but also some annoying features.

Frustrating Options

For instance, there are only two HDMI ports. This might not be an issue for some people, If you’re a gamer who also has a Firestick, you wouldn’t want to have to plug and unplug the cords if you ever want to attach something else. The smart features on this television are also limited, meaning you’ll always have to have something else plugged in. The dimming for the picture quality isn’t as great as it could be. This cheap option might sound good on paper, but make sure to consider why it’s so cheap.

4. FFalcon

A common theme on this list is these televisions are some of the cheapest you can buy today. Even though FFalcon is known for providing some great features, the bad features also take over.

Missing Colors

One of the worst parts of this television is the color doesn’t always show up well on this television. If the picture and color quality on a television is bad, then what’s even the point of having it? Another rough part of the FFalcon is the smart features found on most new televisions aren’t that great for this one. You also will have a tough time seeing what’s on-screen unless you’ve got a prime seat, thanks to some not-great viewing angles.

3. Insignia

The last brand on this list is one of the most popular-selling ones in the world. A lot of people like Insignia, but there are still ways they can improve.

Poor Sound

One thing Insignia doesn’t have is a great sound system. Even though closed captions have become more and more popular of late, it still is nice to be able to listen to what’s being said. If you ever need to fix something on your television, which we all do at some point, the settings aren’t user-friendly. This can cause frustration and make you incredibly annoyed. For being one of the most popular brands, the smart features aren’t as great as they could be. Insignia offers a lot but still needs to upgrade a few things.

2. Philips

Philips is an international electronics brand. They make everything from TVs to electronic toothbrushes and sound systems. While praised for a lot, their TVs don’t make their best of products.

Slow Frame-rate and Complex Settings

Philip’s TVs are plagued with several problems. They are not sold everywhere which limits their availability and user-community. Two, the menus and start-up times are known to be slow and stutter. The user-interface(UI) is not known to be user-friendly and some users reported they needed to access developer settings to change frame-rates. If you happen to be in a country where Philips TVs are sold, steer-clear.

1. VIZIO

VIZIO has quickly become the household name of cheap, decent TVs. The sound, picture, and smart tech loaded into them make them fine for the budget consumer. However, at the time of writing Walmart has fully purchased the brand and this is likely to lead to problems.

The TV is Likely To Be Selling You

Walmart isn’t exactly known for its most ethical business dealings. So it should come as no surprise that the real reason why some smart TVs are as cheap as they is because they sell user data. Since the invention of Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), smart TVs collect kinds of data about your watch habits and personal data and then sell them to advertisers. It wouldn’t come as a surprise that if you buy a VIZIO or now a Walmart TV your data might be sold to the highest bidder.

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