Here's a 47" Sanyo, model DP47460, LCD TV from 10/2010 and I'm using this TV to demonstrate why I refuse to spend money on a new TV.
This TV is two years old and has already experienced a failure of the main circuit board. This board is hard to find and expensive when it does turn up. Even if I fixed the set, it would probably suffer from a another major fault within one year.
Back in the old days, it was not unheard of to spend close to a grand, if not over a grand, for a basic 25" cabinet model color TV. However, one knew that they were getting a good product that would last and companies provided sufficient technical support when repairs were required. Even in the '80's, I remember some 19" non-remote knob tuned color TV's costing in the $350-$400 range. In '87, my Dad bought a 13" knob-tuned Emerson color TV for $150 and that was considered a low-priced TV back then. And, that Emerson TV always performed well for us for many years. In those days, there were TV repair shops on every corner and they stayed busy.
Then, the old American companies started sending production to foreign countries and, eventually, these companies were sold out to foreign interest. The result was that TV's became cheaper and the quality dropped along with the prices.
Today, you will have a hard time finding a new production CRT (picture tube) based TV. The majority of what's out there are low quality flat paned HDTV's that are Chinese made and they are costly to repair, assuming that repair parts are even available.
In the old days, TV's used a large chassis constructed of parts that were easy to replace. It was possible to fix many of these TV's without any form of service information.
Today's TV's are so complex to the point that they contain circuit boards with many surface mounted parts that are difficult-to-impossible to service. Add the fact that service information is often unavailable makes for a TV that's difficult to repair unless the whole circuit board can be obtained. Another problem is that they often use the cheapest parts that they can obtain and the result is a TV that does not hold up.
When buying a TV, a lot of people look at the lowest possible price without thinking about how reliable the set will be. The other day, one of our local stores advertised a "no name" 32" LCD TV for $249. Now, how good do you think a $249 32" TV is going to be? Obviously, it was made cheap in order to sell it for that low price and it's likely not going to last long. I know a lot of people don't care how long a TV last because when it breaks, there will be something "better" out and in an effort to "keep up", they'll just buy a new TV. However, I'm not that way. When I spend hundreds of dollars on a TV, I expect it to last more than a year or two. And, I expect to be able to have it repaired at a reasonable price when it fails.
Knowing that few new TV's are going to meet my expectations is one of the reasons why I choose to hang on to the older model TV's. They may not be a whiz bang HD model; but, they still work well for my needs.
If you are planning on buying a new TV, try to stay away from wal-mart and buy from a dedicated electronics store. Also, take out the extended warranty because you'll likely need it. Last, try to stick with a decent brand (Panasonic, Sharp, etc). And, take note that the old brands like RCA, Zenith, Magnavox, Sylvania, etc. are NOT the same as the TV you grew up with that lasted 25 years. Back then, those brands were actual American owned companies who produced quality products. Now, they are nothing more than names purchased by offshore companies (Funai is the most common junk maker who uses the old brand names) for the purpose of slapping them on their junk.
Another reason I refuse to buy a new TV is because of all the crap programming. Up until the early '90's, we actually had real TV programming. Now, all we have are those stupid reality shows, comedy shows that are not that funny, cop shows that show too much blood and guts; and, let's not forget all of the daytime "judge" shows, along with crap talk shows like Maury Povich and Jerry Springer. Now, why would I want a new TV just to watch that crap? About all I watch is the 6 PM news and vintage TV shows that I have on DVD and VHS tape. Frankly, I don't need a big HD TV for that. I grew up watching TV on vairous 19" color TV's housed in woodgrain plastic cabinets and various 12"-19" B&W sets. I survived just fine back then and I'll survive today with those old TV sets.
Негізгі бет Why I refuse to buy a new TV
No video
Пікірлер: 468