Should I get a warranty for my HDTV?

[kelman3]

Does anyone in here have a warranty for their HDTV? Is something likely to go wrong with one in a short amount of time, like a computer monitor?

I was buying a new HDTV today and then the lady asks me if I'd like to take a 1 year or 3 year warranty with the TV. Then I tell her "Why do I need a warranty? Aren't TVs supposed to last 10 to 25 years?" and she laughs "Not these new big screens".

Should I get a warranty? And if so, which one?

Thanks.

By the way it's a 32" Philips 32PF5320 LCD TV

[SeeMoreDigital]

Personally speaking I never purchase extended warranties... and certainly would not consider doing so from any of the UK box-shift stores!

If you are worried about such things many manufactures offer their own extended warranties....

The primary cause of TV faults are PSU related and LCD (and plasma) panels offer very high life spans, most of which are quoted by the manufacturer... ;)

[Video Dude]

If you are from the US, buy the TV from a warehouse store like Costco. You usually can return the TV, no questions asked, even after a long period of time. Full refund, no restocking fee. I like that policy better than paying for a warranty.

[kelman3]

I'm in the US and I bought mine from Sam's Club, which is a warehouse store like Costco. They told me I've got 30 days to purchase a warranty so I guess I have enough time to contact Philips about their warranty policy.

[Surf]

This may help:

I believe in "burn in" period in electronic gadgets. Try leaving it on for 72 hours nonstop. If it survives after that, then there's a great chance it would last longer than the 3yr warranty period.

add on:
Don't know which HDTV you're buying. If RPTV or plasma or any which is susceptible to screen burn it, then don't choose a channel like CNN if you're doing the above!! You may also want to adjust contrast/brightness/sharpness rightaway and NOT use the factory setting...have fun !

:o, LCDtv.

[Blue_MiSfit]

Dude. Costco.

Return anything anytime, no questions asked.

I returned a half empty container of spinnach dip, two weeks after I bought it, without a receipt.

"would you like cash or store credit, sir?"
"so sorry it wasnt up to your expectation, sir"

My friends returned a $400 MIDI piano 9 months after purchase, no receipt.

"you now have $400 store credit sir"

I LOVE Costco. That's what you pay the membership fee for, though...

~MiSfit

[bob0r]

MAX resolution: 1366 x 768

Why buy that? save some more money and get yourself a full 1920x1080(p) TV

[SeeMoreDigital]

MAX resolution: 1366 x 768

Why buy that? save some more money and get yourself a full 1920x1080(p) TVIndeed, the Toshiba 42WLT66 offers full 1920x1080 resolution... and seems very reasonably priced ;)

[kelman3]

MAX resolution: 1366 x 768

Why buy that? save some more money and get yourself a full 1920x1080(p) TV If you can show me a 32" or bigger 1920x1080 HDTV for $1300 or less, I'll take mine back as soon as possible and get that one.

Dude. Costco.

Return anything anytime, no questions asked.

I returned a half empty container of spinnach dip, two weeks after I bought it, without a receipt.

"would you like cash or store credit, sir?"
"so sorry it wasnt up to your expectation, sir"

My friends returned a $400 MIDI piano 9 months after purchase, no receipt.

"you now have $400 store credit sir"

I LOVE Costco. That's what you pay the membership fee for, though...

~MiSfit
LOL!!
Why would you take spinach dip back? Isn't that just wrong. ;)
Unfortunately I live in Walmart country so Sams Club is my only warehouse option.

I'm having a hard time finding information on the longevity of HDTVs. I'm starting to think something's definitely going to go wrong with this thing.

[Surf]

Consumers like Blue_Misfit help me in landing great deals in "refurbished"...well, not the spinach dip...:D

Kelman, if I were you I would rather invest in a $150-$200 power surge bar from Tripp-Lite... Noticed I didn't mention Monster's?

[kelman3]

On the subject of my HDTV purchase, which is better, LCD or plasma? I haven't looked at a plasma long enough to see the difference.

LCD's cost more than plasmas so I'm assuming they're considered to be better. Is that the case?

[SeeMoreDigital]

LCD's cost more than plasmas so I'm assuming they're considered to be better. Is that the case?No not really...

I guess it depends on how big a screen you want....

Most plasma screens start at around 42" and are only available in a 16:9 widescreen shape whereas LCD screens usually top out at 42" and are available in smaller 4:3 and 16:9 shapes.

Plasma's offer higher contrast (giving you deeper blacks) than LCD's. They don't suffer from as much pixel drag (motion blur) as LCD panels either. They also don't suffer from dead pixels, like LCD. Plus, modern plasma panels, have a much longer life and are far less prone to screen burn-in than with earlier panels... so don't be conned by a dumb sales assistant.

On an energy saving note, LCD panels are quite a bit cheaper to run ;)


Cheers

[leadman584]

As for a decent value in a HDTV, you may find this (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824112174) appealing. I love mine, though I paid $100 more, 2 months ago. And yes the speakers really do suck, but they are detachable. PC Oblivion supports the native 1080p of the monitor/TV. I have it on display at my little repair shop, for folks to play games on a half way decent computer. The pic is here (http://pcperformancecenter.com/images/HDFolding.jpg).