When it comes to buying an in-house brand, you might expect some compromises in return for a good price. For $800, do you really expect more than just a big screen when you buy Best Buy's 55-inch Insignia NS-55E480A13A? Surprisingly, there is more to this TV than first meets the eye.
This is not a "feature" TV by any stretch -- there is no 3D playback, PC sharing, or fancy remote as seen on some competitors. There isn't even Smart TV tech onboard, yet that is exactly its main attraction: you can add a Roku Streaming Stick to this television for a better experience and more content than offered by just about any other budget Smart TV.
The question is, is the extra $100 spent on a Roku Streaming Stick worth it, especially when standard Roku boxes cost as little as $50? The savings from just getting a Roku box would go a long way toward a good universal remote like the Harmony 650, for example, which makes an external box just as simple to use as an integrated menu. Then again, there's something to be said for the simplicity of integrated Smart TV.
Even if you take compatibility with the Roku Stick out of the equation, the Insignia is a very good value. It performs better than many similarly priced TVs, with decent black levels and bright, if not entirely accurate, colors. Shadow detail is entirely acceptable for the price, and even backlight uniformity is impressive for an entry-level 55-inch TV.
There are plenty of TVs competing for your attention at under $1,000, and despite lacking a "name," the Insignia performs well for the price -- but see if you can get the Best Buy salesperson to throw in the Roku Streaming Stick for free.
Series info: It's worth noting here that there is a 42-inch Insignia NS-42E480A13, but its design and specifications are different enough for us to not include it as part of a series review.
Design
As TVs have been getting thinner and sleeker, it's unusual to see a 2012-13 TV with visible speakers, but here it is. The Insignia NS-55E480A13A features two 10W speakers flush with the bottom of the piano-black bezel, yet it lacks the top-heavy look of older TVs such as the LG Scarlet 47LG60. As an edge-lit television, it's fairly slim and suitable for wall-mounting, especially as the stand is nonswiveling and unremarkable.V
As TVs have been getting thinner and sleeker, it's unusual to see a 2012-13 TV with visible speakers, but here it is. The Insignia NS-55E480A13A features two 10W speakers flush with the bottom of the piano-black bezel, yet it lacks the top-heavy look of older TVs such as the LG Scarlet 47LG60. As an edge-lit television, it's fairly slim and suitable for wall-mounting, especially as the stand is nonswiveling and unremarkable.V
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While we didn't get hands-on time with the remote (it wasn't included in the box with our review sample), it looks fairly comprehensive and well-laid-out -- there is even a separate home button to bring up the default screen of the Roku device or Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) phone.
