Which HDTVs Are The Most Reliable? November 06, 2007
Read more Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , HDTV , Home Cinema , Home Entertainment , LCD , Plasma , TV
That was the goal of the latest report by big US consumer product testing outfit, Consumer Reports.
And the winners are: LCD and plasma displays, with the underdog rear projection TVs (RPTVs) dragging home third. The report found that LCD and plasma TVs require few repairs in the first three years of use compared to RPTVs.
Unlike many surveys, this one was big, looking at a total of 93,000 TVs bought between 2004 and 2007. On average, LCD and plasmas had a 3% repair rate, but RPTVs had a whopping 18% repair rate. According to Consumer Reports:
Among LCDs, Dell (which recently stopped selling its own brand of TVs) and Hitachi were among the less reliable brands, as were Philips plasma TVs. Aside from Panasonic, other brands with low repair rates include Sony, Sharp, Samsung, Toshiba and JVC in LCDs. For plasma sets, Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung also had low repair rates.
Among the tiny percentage of sets with problems, most repairs were free, presumably because they were covered by the manufacturer's standard warranty.
For rear-projection TV sets, the Consumer Reports looked at the frequency-of-repair charts covering microdisplay sets using DLP and LCD rear-projection technologies. Toshiba and RCA DLP sets stood out as the most repair-prone. Hitachi LCD-based sets were more repair-prone than Sony and Panasonic sets of this type.
The moral though, according to Consumer Reports, is that if you are buying a branded LCD or plasma TV, do not be conned into buying an expensive extended warranty since you probably won’t need it.-Martin Lynch
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
Comments
Good post - buying televisions can be a minefield if you are not informed and it's good to have stats at hand that show that LCD and Plasma TVs are generally good quality and quite reliable.
2 Years old PS42S5HX
Taken to Samsung authorised repair centre (on customer support recommendation).
Charged £60 non refundable 'inspection charge'.
Quoted £1139 to replace pdp panel (£899 for part)
The TV can be bought for around £650 new so how can that be justified.
Samsung customer care accepts no responsibility.
Moral of the story is - do not buy unless you can get a 5 year warranty.