How long has insignia been around

Join today to get started. But then it became easier to source components, which in turn decreased profits. Consumer Reports has seen a wide range of quality in televisions carrying licensed brands. For instance, some Hisense-made Sharp sets have done well in our TV ratings —though none rival the top models—while others scored poorly.

And several RCA- and Westinghouse-branded sets are near the bottom of the list. Retailers like Costco grant you the same cushion. This is particularly important with licensed brands, because the manufacturers' warranty periods may be shorter than what the major brands provide. And it might be tough to get a licensed-brand set serviced, especially if it requires parts from overseas. I've been a tech journalist for more years than I'm willing to admit.

In my spare time I build and play guitars and bass, ride motorcycles, and like to sail—hobbies I've not yet figured out how to safely combine. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. By James K. Updated May 17, Photo: Getty Images. The evolving economics of manufacturing is one reason for such shifts. What Does This Mean for You? More on TVs. More From Consumer Reports. Here we list licensed TV brands and who actually makes their sets.

Brand Details Insignia Insignia is Best Buy's value-oriented house brand for consumer electronics products, including televisions. The TVs are marketed here in the U.

Magnavox Once a U. The Japanese manufacturer also controls the U. As a historical footnote, Funai was the last remaining company to make VCRs, which it stopped producing in Onn Onn is a Walmart private-label house brand for a variety of electronic products, including TVs and sound bar speakers.

Walmart doesn't disclose what companies are making the products, but if you look through the manual for TVs it says that warranties are the responsibility of "Element TV Company," the same as for Element TVs, a company that assembles televisions in its South Carolina facilities.

Philips The Philips brand in the U. Polaroid The once-venerable Polaroid name has gone though many changes since the original Polaroid company declared bankruptcy in After reorganizing, the Polaroid brand was licensed and then sold to Petters Group Worldwide in , which itself went under three years later after an FBI investigation found the company was being run as a Ponzi scheme.

In , a group of investors snapped up the Polaroid brand and launched a company called PLR IP Holdings, which now administers the licenses. The current U. Makena's U. ProScan ProScan was once the premium TV sub-brand of RCA; now both brands are owned and controlled by Technicolor, which created the color film process that was widely used by Hollywood until the mids. And at this size, it's more suited to mid-size lounges or your master bedroom suite.

And at this heavily-discounted price, it's fantastic value. This size is small enough to fit on a counter top, so it could be good as a kitchen set.

There's also a USB input for loading on files like music or photos from a digital camera. On the audio front, it has two 5W front-channel speakers. And a built-in V-chip lets you block content based on program ratings, and check ratings of unfamiliar programs.

It's a Full HD panel, for starters. That means the screen has more pixels, resulting in better picture quality. It's obviously bigger, which will make it a lot more impactful in the room. And it has three HDMI sockets, for plugging in one more device than the smaller model. Basic, but a bargain at this price. So far, we've mostly discussed Insignia's smaller TVs, but it does make bigger sets too.

In fact, its TVs go up to 65in, which is pretty big by anyone's standards. Naturally, these models cost more than its smaller TVs. But they're still very affordable compared to the same-sized sets from rival brands. Which is a great price for such a big TV. It boasts the Alexa-enabled remote, and 4K picture quality, which is sharper than HD.

And it's HDR compatible, which gives you a bigger difference between the light and dark parts of the picture, adding depth and making it look more lifelike. It just goes to show what a great deal this is. Snap it up before Best Buy comes to its senses. You can currently pick up some great bargains on TVs of all sizes from a range of retailers. A big screen an one of the lowest prices around.

Check out more of the best cheap TV deals. Find out how to choose the right TV. What Hi-Fi? Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies.

Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London and Bath.