I'm doing just fine with my 32" Sony flat CRT that I've had for coming up on 7 years.

I've been thinking about going with a 40" hi-def replacement, but that looks like that's going to be pushed off for another year. It's time for a new bathroom instead.

Bryan Price

Keep in mind that some blue shirts will intentionally mishandle your stuff if you don't buy a warranty.
If you can't watch them get the box, assume it was slammed around before they brought it out of storage.

braincase

@AdmNaismith:
Flat TVs have a half life of like 22 years. When it'll be half as bright as the day you bought it, Plasma's and LCDs have basically the same life span, except that plasmas can't be put at more than a 35 degree angle due to pressure leaking out gases.

Wildarms7000

I've got a 20yr old Sony picture tube that looks great. Will any flat TV last that long?

AdmNaismith

@morganlh85:

i've had to have a few repaired, mainly because my mom and sister apparently don't realize that the connections on the back to televisions are somewhat sensitive, and jam them as far back into their entertainment centers as they will possibly go.

drewheyman

I don't buy that at all. I've NEVER had to repair a TV, EVER. The only standard TV I've ever had break on me was the fifth-hand circa 1980's console television we used to have. Other than that, never a single problem.

morganlh85

The warranty I got on my LCD gives me a replacement when it breaks, at the end of the warranty, I will take it to the store, have it replaced for the current model that is similar to the price I originally paid, and because of how technology works, the price I paid back then will get me a much better TV now. How is this not worth the cost?

xtc46

this clearly doesnt include crts right? i know there are few if any hd crts being made but the my 'old' 6 year old crt has never had a problem and its on quite often. my hd lcd is great when it works but i've already had to get it fixed once in the 2 years i've had it.

Khamel

OK, here's my only comment on this. They're talking about repair. As I understand it, plasma and LCD repair is usually foregone for full replacement. I may be wrong on this.

This isn't failure rate, this is repair rate, and if the units are being replaced as opposed to repaired, of course their repair rate would be lower than DLPs which can have "repair" by having bulbs replaced.

EvilJ

Uhh - surely this makes LCD TVs FIVE TIMES more reliable than rear-projectors, or 500% more reliable, not 15% more reliable. 0.15/0.03=5

Nice math (or maths as we call it over the pond)

beneditor

I've seen so mnay Sharp LCDs in service where I work compared to the other brands we sell.

trickstyle2

JKR: he's saying that buying an "extended warranty" isn't financially beneficial because for all types of TV's tested, the risk of failure and the cost of the repair was generally low.

SCRAEJTP: are newer sets using LED bulbs now and that's why they don't need replacement? Are LED bulbs actually (finally) becoming common? If so: sweet!

EQC

I wonder how many of the repairs included bulb replacements or color wheel issues, both of which have been eliminated on some newer DLPs?

scraejtp

"Consumer Reports' other conclusion was that neither repair prices nor rates on either type of TV warranted warranties."
-What?
Also, I'm sure that manufacturer quality probably has a big impact on this as well. Just like there are realy nice looking DLP's, and really crappy looking ones.

jkr

@Wildarms7000:
except that plasmas can't be put at more than a 35 degree angle due to pressure leaking out gases.

1. This is untrue.
2. Who watches any TV at more than a 35 degree tilt??

shimmer

As far as I was aware most of the repairs on projection TV's were replacement bulbs, as was mentioned, although more and more bulbs are becoming easier for the user to replace. Also common is people bumping into the tv and the picture gets out of alignment. Its a pretty simple fix for the repairman though. All in all, my guess (without any anecdotal evidence or statistical backing) is that if you don't mind the depth of the set, its more economical per inch to go DLP despite the potential for repair costs.

illiniguy

@morganlh85: Because it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't exist... right? Just like racism, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, rape and sexism, I suppose. Those things are just made up by the media because they haven't happened to me either. WEIRD! Why would they do that?!

Tommasta

@shimmer: Some people don't dedicate their time for watching TV, they might watch it by glancing while cooking, working, etc. I would be pissed if I would have to dock myself to my TV like a spaceship to be able to see what's going on.

arashi

i got a 50" panasonic DLP. within 3 months the bulb blew. panasonic replaced it free of charge! (they were even going to send a guy over to install it)

anyway, my father in law is on his second Sony LCD (first one died by over-saturation of green)sony busted his balls before he got a new one.

my panasonic is tough, it routinely gets the screen smacked and coloured on (kids today) so i don't know what they are talking about.

DSaddict

@beneditor: Um, 0.18 / 0.03 = 6
I think your "maths" are wrong too, rear projection fails six times more than flat screen, with the great caveats noted above.

The Lab

The Lab: is right..

"Rear-projection sets overall had an average 18% repair rate."

"found that the flat panel sets overall had a 3% repair rate"

irfan

Flat panel displays are far more reliable than their rear-projection counterparts.

Interestingly, I've found the same to be true in the dating world.

92BuickLeSabre

They're wrong!!! They haven't counted in the flat panels that had users with Wii's! If they added how many controllers that have broken off their little strap and flown into flat panels, then that 600 percent would drop greatly!

SomeoneUKno

ugh i work for a tv repair shop and yes maybe i do see more dlp's then lcd and plasmas but if you remove the lamp on a dlp going out every 2-3 years (which is supposed to happen) then in all reality lcd's end up having the most problems as well as the most expensive.

basically here is your break down of problems in a dlp

mitsu- dm module within the first 4 years power supply around 10
samsung- color wheel in less then 3 years power supply around 9

now if you want to talk about the most repairs head over to sony and buy yourself and sxrd and watch it break about 4 times in the service life.

ps if your buying a tv these days always get the extended warranty that goes up to 5 years.

krueger246

I have a samsung HL-S5679W 56" DLP the reasons I got it was because it was freaking cheap as hell for it's size, and it has the LCD bulb's red, blue, and green so no replacement's and no color wheel, and the viewing angle is something like 150 degrees before the screen looks black which is not true for most DLP's.

pokebud

The Lab:

"Um, 0.18 / 0.03 = 6
I think your "maths" are wrong too, rear projection fails six times more than flat screen, with the great caveats noted above."

Nope, Beneditor was right. He said that rear projection failed 5 times more ((0.18-0.03)/0.03), which would would be the same as 6 times as much (0.18/0.03). 6 times more than 3% would be 0.03+(0.03*6), or 21%.

TomFromMD

So...

They say that DLP's have a higher repair rate. MUCH higher. But say that DLP's warranties aren't worth it. Even though every single DLP warranty I've seen includes bulb replacement and the cost of bulb replacement is almost always more than the cost of the warranty? Someone isn't good at doing math.

I am, however, happy to see another nod to the superiority of DLP. I'd like to see a repair rate comparison that does not include standard DLP bulb replacement though. That feels like cheating to me.

yonderTheGreat

Whoop. Didn't see the comment above my own...

aclerok

@krueger246: If you've checked recently, it seems like Sony has worked out the kinks on the SXRDs. Besides the XBR1 and first couple months on A2000s the green blob issues have all but disappeared.

Also, how can a warranty not be worth it on rear projection as long as you look around. I got a 5 year warranty, which includes one bulb replacement which normally cost $250, for $299. So essentially I've paid $50 for five years of coverage. I'd do that anyday.

aclerok

TRICKSTYLE2 : Sharp has been outselling all other brands, so it isn't surprising that you are seeing more of them in for repairs.

LCD also outsells DLP by a lot. The advantages are clear -- low profile that can be hung on the wall, and a brighter, clearer picture. DLP is doomed -- I'd give it half way into 2009. Then the price advantage will be completely gone.

robo

I find those numbers surprising. I've had my DLP for just over 2 years now and I've never had a problem with it and the picture is as clear as the day I bought it. I see the repair percentages going down a lot with the newer DLPs. The LEDs don't use bulbs or have color wheels- which I'm sure make up the majority of those calls. If I bought a new TV today I'd still go with DLP.

Bookworm

Extended warranty on a laptop you bang up daily = good idea. Extended warranty on a TV that will sit in 1 place, and rarely be touched for year = pointless.

lafond66

Warranty = insurance..
and assuming the seller of the insurance is acting rationally and making money on the deal, the cost of buying the insurance is going to greater than the average benefit delivered by insurance.
So people - only get insurance/warranty if the cost to replace the item is so great that you cannot meet it out of your regular cashflow.. So basically for most poeple this mean insure your house, health, life, potentially liabilities from your activities work/car, maybe car.. but for most people insuring your TV or microwave will never make any sense.
Only do it if you are A) Sure the Insurer is both mis-pricing the rik and not going to go bankrupt becaue of it B) Incapable of managing finances at all.

Rcoles

@lafond66: It's not pointless if the unit takes a power surge and the manufacturer won't cover it. And your renter's (or homeowner's) insurance deductible is twice the cost of a service plan. Sometimes quality control has alot to do with it, too

pinkfloyd1972

Here's a question... I'm considering replacing a rear projection 1080i TV with a LCD 46 inch. I'm worried about things hitting the tv though, since I have kids. If they throw something at the current tv, it just bounces of the big plastic front. Does anyone have any experience with objects hitting flat screen tv's? And is it possible to replace the panel if it is broken, as opposed to the whole tv?

ithaca

I've been selling TV's for quite some time, both refurbished and new, CRT, plasma and LCD (both flat and projection. I take issue with CR telling people not to get extended warranties since it seems they don't read the fine print where the extended warranty company pays for alot of things like onsite repair and surge protection. I don't know about most people, but I am not a TV repairman, nor do I have the time to learn that trade. A few dollars upfront save ma a ton of time later on.

I own smoke detectors too, and I suppose if it never goes off, should I regret spending that money as well? I think not.

My 2 cents.

pinkfloyd1972