Looking to buy new TV...will it last 5+ years

[MatthewBrum]

So, my current TV a 1995 unit built into a stand that swivels is starting to lose sound every once in a while. So I want to get a new flat screen but am concerned about the life of the product. I'm pretty sure it won't last 15 years, but can I expect 10 years. I would hope to get at least 5 years but I have heard stories suggesting otherwise.

My price range is $700 max and the wife and I are not into watching a lot of movies or the whole HD thing. What do you think I should get?

[TerryH]

It's really up to you and your expectations. I suppose you could still buy digital and not get HD signals, but why bother at this stage. You would have to upgrade your tuners to recieve HD signals.

If 720p works for you, then you get a bigger screen for less. As the resolution goes up the screen gets smaller to stay in your budget.

720p good
1040i better
1040p best

Here's one that has good reviews and right at $700. It's also 1040p so you can be assured of getting the best picture possible with todays technology.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4522367&sku=T24-4008

[Gogar]

I don't think you should worry about the TV lasting 10 years, because the delivery technology will likely change faster, requiring you to get a new TV anyway. At least, that's what the TV manufacturers are counting on!

[MatthewBrum]

I guess 10 years is a long time for anything these days. That TV on tigerdirect looked good and is in my price range. I think 40" screen size is plent big for me. I would think the reviews are the best bet for getting the right feedback.

[m21sniper]

10 years seems quite reasonable to me.

[onewhippedpuppy]

More money = more quality, generally speaking. $700 isn't much money for an LCD TV, unless you want a little one. These days, you're lucky if anything lasts 5 years.

[TechnoViking]

Buy a Sony Bravia 1080p in a size that meets your budget.

[MatthewBrum]

Originally Posted by Martin Smith

Buy a Sony Bravia 1080p in a size that meets your budget.

I'll look into it, I've heard Sony's are good

[MatthewBrum]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

More money = more quality, generally speaking. $700 isn't much money for an LCD TV, unless you want a little one. These days, you're lucky if anything lasts 5 years.

I would consider spending more if I knew the quality was better. I know about quality on certain things, like the quality Weber grill I got last year but on TV's it is hard for me to tell.

[m21sniper]

You get a Sony and 30% of the purchase price is for the name.

[GG Allin]

My Sony 32 inch bought in 95 is still alive and kicking, great picture too. Technology changes or not this TV stays 'til it stops working. I'd love to think the current TV's out there could last this long.

[MatthewBrum]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

You get a Sony and 30% of the purchase price is for the name.

do you have a preference of brand, how does the saying go " it has Sony internals" from the Zohan movie?? Are TV's like car batteries where they are all made by a couple mfg's with just different labels?

[m21sniper]

I had a 53" sony projection that lasted 5 years and burned out ($600.00 to repair).

Currently i have a Vizio 37" flat screen that you should be able to get for your budget. I've had it about 4 years i guess, it still works perfectly and the picture is quite good. Check out the wall mart(or equivelant) website.

[exitwound]

LCDs are. There are only a handful of manufacturers in the world who make the actual screens. The features around the screen though are what differ between manufacturers.

And I wouldn't worry about the longevity. I bought my HDTV in 2002, 7 years ago. It's a 65" rear-projection. It's never blown a bulb or required service. It doesn't have any HDMI inputs, but the components work just well, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a dvd/blu-ray player that doesn't offer component outs still. Even after all this time, it's 1080i display is perfect for DirecTV's 1080i streams.

I believe that whatever you buy today will still be compatible with the hardware of 7-10 years from now.

And oh yes, Vizio is a remarkable buy for its price. CostCo and Sam's Club typically stock them dirt cheap.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by MatthewBrum

I'll look into it, I've heard Sony's are good

My Sony flat screen lasted 2 years. A Samsung I bought 6 years ago is still working fine. Replaced the Sony with another Samsung.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by TerryH

Here's one that has good reviews and right at $700. It's also 1040p so you can be assured of getting the best picture possible with todays technology.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4522367&sku=T24-4008

One thing about these guys, good prices, good stock, good service, BUT if there is a rebate involved watch out.

This is from experience, not as a customer but as someone that knows their inner workings from having worked directly with them on a couple of deals.

[911Freak]

Originally Posted by MatthewBrum

do you have a preference of brand, how does the saying go " it has Sony internals" from the Zohan movie?? Are TV's like car batteries where they are all made by a couple mfg's with just different labels?

We are also looking at a LCD purchase in the near future~

A Tech guru told me recently that Samsung manufactures most of the screens for the majority of brands (with the exception of Sony, Visio and a few others)
She also told me that the quality is very good on these LCD Flat screens.

Additionally she suggested to go with a min of 1080, 60Hz & 50,000:1 dcr (dynamic contrast ratio)

The LG 42" LCD 1080p 60Hz 50k:1 is a very good flat screen @ < $900, pretty reasonable for the price, the Visio's are good buys as well...

Some of the bad a$$ new LCD's are running 480Hz which is just nutz...

+1 Tiger direct is a great resource for reviews and deals

YMMV just my .02

[nota]

Originally Posted by mbrouder

My Sony 32 inch bought in 95 is still alive and kicking, great picture too. Technology changes or not this TV stays 'til it stops working. I'd love to think the current TV's out there could last this long.

I just bought a 32'' sony wega 1080i tube CRT tv for a $100 off craig's list
newer LCD tv's just donot look good unless you are dead in front of them
new teck OED and or LED tv's are coming and will cure that problem in a few years

BTW sony wega's have the best sound with good speakers and sub built in

[vash]

five years? i dont think you can judge a TV's lifespan like that. if you had some teenage kids that watch alot of TV, and play dancedance revolution 24/7..it will die earlier than someone that just flips one on occasionally to watch the news...or porn.

so my answer is: it depends.

[MatthewBrum]

So I'm going with a Sony 32" Bravia on sale this week for $450. My wife and I liked the picture the best and it was the only TV with a matte finish around the perimeter of the screen. I'm also going to get a Phillips home theater system for $180 at Wal-Mart.