BEST LCD OR PLASMA 42" TV SET ON MARKET???

 Hi,

I am planning to buy one of those 42 inch LCD or plasma hdtvs

I want a TV that will be trouble free for years like my old Hitachi 35
inch TV, which still works perfect after about 15 years of heavy use.

I realize that plasmas or lcd tvs have not been on the market for 15
years, so it would be a real guess.

Can someone recommend a tv from their own personal experience. I do
not wish to read magazine reports


Which brands have the reputation of being trouble free or maintenance
free?

I do not want to buy a new set after five years.

Thanks.

Roger

 

Thats less likely now, the technology wont necessarily last as long,
particularly with plasma.


And we do know that they dont last as long as glass TVs did, particularly the
plasmas.


That wont help with the life question, because none of the ones that have
been around for say 5 years and are still going strong are buyable now.


No such animal.


Is it really that important now that the prices have dropped to very reasonable
levels ?

 meteore wrote:

I think this is one of those things that nobody really knows the answer
to for sure, so you have to make an educated guess based on known failure
points.

Manufacturing quality, which to some extent is determined by the
manufacturer is one characteristic that matters.  Probably the best
way to gauge that is just by the manufacturer's reputations with past
products.  It's no guarantee, but it's better than no information.

Another major characteristic of LCDs is the backlight.  Right now,
most of the LCDs on the market use a cold-cathode fluorescent tube.
Though the actual LCD panel will last for *quite* some time, the
backlight will burn out eventually.  It's just a fluorescent bulb,
after all.  Personally, that's why I'm probably going to wait for
the next generation of LCD TVs, which will use LEDs as the backlight.
LEDs don't last forever, but they will last longer than cold-cathode
fluorescents, and probably something more like the time that the
LCD panel itself will last.

Right now there are a few LED backlight LCDs on the market, but
they're all really new and expensive.  But there are supposed to
be more coming out, and if it gets to be a feature that is offered
on middle of the line TVs (which is what I'm assuming), I'll
probably get one of those.

   - Logan

 Logan Shaw wrote:


On the other hand, those florescent tubes are replaceable.  Right now
they're awfully expensive, but they might be a lot cheaper by the time
you need one in a few years.

Personally, I haven't gone hi-def because it was too much money, would
have obsoleted my stereo receiver, and due to programming.  My old
analog cable is so expensive already.  Plus everything hi-def is locked
down with DRM.  If I can't watch it when and where I want, it's not
worth paying for.

 

I have a hi def tuner that works through the USB port on my computer
and allows me to record to a hard disk or view like I am using a TIVO.

--
   Ron