To Fix Or Not To Fix?

[hidden]

So, got a new TV a few months ago. It was steadily becoming worse. Yesterday, one of the inputs quit playing audio. Another of the inputs had inconsistant video. Sound cutting out on regular channels. Etc.

Spent an hour and a half setting up a repair.

I turn the TV on again after the call and works again.

I am probably getting it fixed since it was bad before and will probably go bad again but don't want the guy to come and everything is peachy..

Should I get the repair or cancel it? (still under warranty so no cost to me)

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

If the warranty offers a replacement then take that one. If you have it fixed, you are still out the time it is in the shop and the shipping bill unless that is covered. If it happens a second time then you should consider having it replaced. What if the fix it and the third time it happens, it happens after the warrenty has expired?

SAVE AND HAVE ALL THE PAPERWORK IN CASE THEY GIVE YOU GRIEF AND YOU NEED TO GO TO COURT

[hidden]

The guy comes to us so we don't have to worry about it being in a shop. They only offer full replacement as a last resort.

Had a Polaroid TV last and it had similar issues. Guy came and "fixed it". Didn't work at all after that. Tried a new part after that. Didn't work. Then they replaced it.

New TV is a Visio

[bbgirlmichelle]

Tell the repair person about the intermittent issues, chances are they have seen similar issues before, but definatly keep the repair appointment.

*huggles*

Michelle

[DailyDi]

Fix it.Vizio is usually good (TV on my desk is one of theirs) so at least give them a chance to make it right.

[lilJester]

under warranty, get it fixed.

[wetman]

Since your problems seem to be at the connection end, I would think it likely to be some 'cold' soldering on the sockets. Here in the UK field techies don't usually solder anything so it would, most likely, be a swap. Specially as you say it's intermittent; one of these things where you can't say that it's fixed because it might go bad again 2 hours later.

I'd try and make them exchange it for another unit, a factory refurbished one would be ok with me (they're tested twice ).

[Bettypooh]

Repair people hate intermittent problems, but it's part of their job to deal with that so keep the appointment If nothing else you'll show that you did your part and that there was a problem should it recur No matter who's name is on it there are only a few manufacturers that actually make TV's (or most electronics for that matter), and the main difference is in the features and styling- and the price

Bettypooh

[wetman]

...

No matter who's name is on it there are only a few manufacturers that actually make TV's

...

Bettypooh

Agree.

Actually, I have to ask there: Over here the brand name Polaroid is more or less gone since instant cameras died. Do they buy and 'badge brand' or make their own?

And I never (my apologies for the ignorance) heard of Vizio, are they worth knowing?

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

The big issue with the fix/replace choice is when does this become "the tarbaby". As I said, If you fix it twice during wanranty and it goes on the third time after the warranty has expired, then what? It is a good bet that If you have to fix something twice while it is under warranty, it is a real pooch just waiting to bite you.

In 1963, my uncle died and my aunt inherited the trucking business. Part of that was a 1958 Chevy Viking truck that my uncle picked up in late 1962 that ran like a top. Well, in late '63 my aunt hired a young driver who, in early '64 racked the truck up totally. My aunt then got a new GMC equivalent of the Viking (both were gas engine). This quit in about October due to a defective wrist pin in the engine. GM made her two offers: A new part or a new motor free and clear. I told her to replace the motor since the defective part probably had strained other parts of the motor which would shorten the engine's life. I got the usual "what do you know?" and she opted to replace the part. By the end 1966 the motor quit for good and all.

One time in the 1990's I want to a big box electronics store and got a record player new. I got it home and started it up and tried the functions, It turned out it was not so new. I took it back and showed the broken part to the manager. He offered to have it fixed for free, I said "I bought this as new, it's clear to see that it is not. If you will give me a rebate of, say 25 or 30%, since it is ovviously used, you have a deal" that got turned down. So I said "Then replace it with what I paid for, a new one" Well he went in the back and brought out several boxes of the same model and we inspected them. It turned out that they were all repacked used record players. I then asked for and got a total refund

You have to keep your eyes open and your defenses up.

[Bettypooh]

I don't know about Polaroid or any other particular brands offhand, but with some digging I could find out I just don't have the time ATM- sorry I do have knowledge of the home electronics industry as a whole. While the big name brands were once made in a company's own factories, with the rise of Japan and Hong Kong as efficiency leaders most manufacturing went there. In time other Pacific nations rose to the call, and with cheaper labor became the manufacturers of most home electronic products. Malaysia is currently the biggest manufacturer of home electronic products, with China looming as the next 'big move' nation Almost nothing is made anywhere else these days Most of the circuits and circuit boards are designed by the few bigger outfits then licensed for sale with the other brands who save money by not needing to have a design section There's really no need for more than a few basic TV designs with various 'accessories' tied into it- a "Gold Star" or "Samsung" is essentially the same as the major name brands which cost more to buy, though not to make The main difference in TV's is the quality of the screen- otherwise they're pretty much the same. It's good business for the big names and gives the lower-priced brands a better product to sell for less at the same time That benefits all except for those who seek quality, which is a rapidly declining part of the mix, and nobody is trying to raise that bar Sooner than you think everything home electronic is going to be made in China and will come from 2 or 3 factories there with dozens of names going out the door and no real difference among them to choose from. Welcome to 21st Century Corporate thinking When China has the only major factories left they will control the world supply, thus controlling the world market prices, and therefore controlling the world itself. You gotta hand it to them- it's a simple and smart strategy that's working

Bettypooh

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

Superb!!!!

However, there is a countervailing historical pattern with the Chinese

In the sicteenth cnetury they built and sailed a navy around the Indian Ocean that, in terms of armament was the equal of any in the world, and with the superior design of the "junk" was head and shoulders better at the individual ship level. This was called the "Star Expedition". Not 5 years after this event, they broke it up and just dried up and blew away as a navel power

In the nineteenth century they built a rail system that would have been the envy of any nation. Shortly thereafter they destroyed it at the whim of the "emperor" and became suzereinized by several Western nations

As I understand it, this was attributed to the switch from Confucianism to Taoism, specifically to "Quietism"

The "Cultural Revolution" of the mid 1960's was a floparoo from the start

Now, we have a third try for the brass ring. The actual chancs of bringing it off are suspect. If past is prologue then there is a good chance that, upon reaching the pinnacle of success, they will simply toss the tiara. Modern thought over there is in the hands of only a few. The vast part of the population is still in ignorance and near squalor. Do you think that 30 years can erase the accumulata of 30 generations? A friend of mine visited Beijing in the late 1990's and said he saw people taking a dump in the streets. Holy Port Au Prince; Batman! It would not surprise me if Taoism is still strong. "May you live in interesting times" is a curse; that is hardly the spirit of a foward-looking people.

[Dirty Diaper/Maxipad Lover]

Fix it--it's under warranty and you've already made the appointment. If it fails again under warranty, request a replacement.

As for who makes their own equipment, and who simply rebrands/badges someone elses:

The majority of Vizio's sets are produced by AmTran, a Taiwanese original equipment/design manufacturer. AmTran owns a 23% stake in Vizio, so Vizio is technically their "brand," even though the same sets are licensed/branded by other companies and sold under the names of those companies.

LG manufacturers their own TVs, and I actually find them to be the "best" (I admit that's a highly subjective term,) TV manufacturer at present. LG's sets are of premium quality, and as such, they carry a premium-quality price tag. LG is in the "screen" manufacturing business and sells their products to several name-brand companies. Apple Inc. has been purchasing screens from LG for over a decade now. The classic "iMac G3" had screens manufactured by LG, and Apple's current LED Cinema Displays and modern iMacs also use LG screens, as do devices such as iPods and iPhones, and iPads. If Apple releases an actual TV set (as has been hinted at many times,) there's a good chance that it will be an LG screen with Apple technology built around it. (Such a device honestly wouldn't upset me in the slightest, in fact it would delight me.) If such a set weren't manufactured by LG, Samsung would be the other contender.

Like LG, Samsung is in the "screen" manufacturing business. They build their own TVs, computer monitors etc., and just like LG, they sell their products to other name-brand companies, including Apple Inc. If your device doesn't have an LG screen in it, there's a good chance that it has a screen that was manufactured by Samsung. I generally don't find Samsung's quality to be as good as LG's, but Samsung charges less for their products then LG does. It's also worth pointing out that Samsung doesn't hesitate to use parts manufactured by others in their own devices as well, so a Samsung screen may come with a tuner or other component(s) that wasn't manufactured by Samsung. In general, the devices Samsung manufactures for others tend to be better then the ones they brand and sell for themselves.

Panasonic manufacturers at least some of their own screens. Panasonic is known for their Plasma TVs, and depending on who you ask, Panasonic, not LG is the "best" TV manufacturer. Like LG though, Panasonic charges a premium price for premium screens.

JVC used to be the best TV manufacturer with LG often being the alternative to JVC among videophiles. JVC made their own sets and they were excellent and well worth every penny. A few years ago they lost their minds and sold themselves to Kenwood, and everything went downhill from there. Kenwood's JVC--the one that exists today--sells crap--their sets are terrible, and they probably are rebranded. Considering that Kenwood laid off JVC's employees when it acquired the brand, it's a safe bet that the sets aren't made by the same people who used to make them even a few years ago. (As a quick side-note, JVC optical media is fine. Taiyo Yuden bought the rights to the JVC optical media name, and they're known for top-quality blank discs, and have been for quite some time. You can still buy them and know that you're getting a quality product.)

Sharp is another company that may manufacturer their own screens. Sony has been known to use other parts made by Sharp in Sony TVs in the past, (see below,) so it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. If Sharp doesn't manufacturer their own screens, they manufacturer a lot of the surrounding technology, and frequently seem to incorporate it into other companies devices as noted above.

Several companies partially manufacturer their own equipment, or manufacture parts that are used with TVs, even if they use another company's screens. Sony has been using parts from other companies for years--I'm not sure if they still build their own screens or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. Hitachi probably manufacturers "everything but the screen," or several parts that they put into their sets, but I don't believe that they build their own screens. Of course, I could be wrong, but I haven't heard of anything using a Hitachi display, which leads me to believe that they've taken the approach of buying the screen from another manufacturer and then building proprietary technology around it.

This article from PCWorld (see the chart) should tell you whose manufacturing reliable TVs, even though it won't tell you whose actually building them. After looking at the chart, I'm half-convinced that Mitsubishi probably manufacturers JVC's sets, if only given that they seem to have the same quality issues.

Finally, I should mention that there's nothing wrong with companies that "partially manufacture" devices. Nikon and Canon rule the professional D-SLR camera industry. Nikon's specialty is glass, and Canon's specialty is printers. Many of Nikon's professional D-SLR cameras use Sony CMOS sensors though to actually record their pictures. Sony builds professional D-SLR cameras as well, yet they're rarely compared to Nikon or Canon. (Sony bought out Konica-Minolta because they were already building most parts used in professional D-SLRs and wanted Konica-Minolta's talent for building camera bodies.) Nikon's professional cameras take pictures that are far superior to those taken on Sony's professional cameras. (Assuming that the same photographer is taking the photos of course.) The reason for this is that even though Sony and Nikon both use Sony sensors, Nikon puts those sensors to better use. Thus, just because one company makes a major part for a device, that doesn't mean that their device is the best. Likewise, just because one company licenses a major part from another, it doesn't mean that their own parts aren't superior to those used by the company that built the part that they've licensed. This can be said of many devices, including professional D-SLR cameras and TV sets. If you ripped open a set made by LG or Panasonic, you'd probably find speakers that were made by another well-known company, or other parts that LG or Panasonic didn't build. Some of those companies may be name brands, while others may be commonly used brands that most people are unfamiliar with. Think of the example that I use earlier when I mentioned Apple Inc.'s computer monitors. The screens are made by LG or Samsung, the Mini DisplayPort connectors on them were designed by Apple Inc. and probably built by Foxconn/Hon Hai. The Thunderbolt connectors that'll replace Mini DisplayPort on updated monitors were designed by Apple and Intel and will also likely be built by Foxconn/Hon Hai.

[LILJIM]

under warranty, get it fixed.

I agree 100%!!!!

[curiositykilledthecat]

let them troubleshoot it and if that doesnt work they'll repalce it.

[belinda_sue_fox]

As for who makes their own equipment, and who simply rebrands/badges someone elses:

The majority of Vizio's sets are produced by AmTran, a Taiwanese original equipment/design manufacturer. AmTran owns a 23% stake in Vizio, so Vizio is technically their "brand," even though the same sets are licensed/branded by other companies and sold under the names of those companies.

LG manufacturers their own TVs, and I actually find them to be the "best" (I admit that's a highly subjective term,) TV manufacturer at present. LG's sets are of premium quality, and as such, they carry a premium-quality price tag. LG is in the "screen" manufacturing business and sells their products to several name-brand companies. Apple Inc. has been purchasing screens from LG for over a decade now. The classic "iMac G3" had screens manufactured by LG, and Apple's current LED Cinema Displays and modern iMacs also use LG screens, as do devices such as iPods and iPhones, and iPads. If Apple releases an actual TV set (as has been hinted at many times,) there's a good chance that it will be an LG screen with Apple technology built around it. (Such a device honestly wouldn't upset me in the slightest, in fact it would delight me.) If such a set weren't manufactured by LG, Samsung would be the other contender.

Like LG, Samsung is in the "screen" manufacturing business. They build their own TVs, computer monitors etc., and just like LG, they sell their products to other name-brand companies, including Apple Inc. If your device doesn't have an LG screen in it, there's a good chance that it has a screen that was manufactured by Samsung. I generally don't find Samsung's quality to be as good as LG's, but Samsung charges less for their products then LG does. It's also worth pointing out that Samsung doesn't hesitate to use parts manufactured by others in their own devices as well, so a Samsung screen may come with a tuner or other component(s) that wasn't manufactured by Samsung. In general, the devices Samsung manufactures for others tend to be better then the ones they brand and sell for themselves.

Panasonic manufacturers at least some of their own screens. Panasonic is known for their Plasma TVs, and depending on who you ask, Panasonic, not LG is the "best" TV manufacturer. Like LG though, Panasonic charges a premium price for premium screens.

JVC used to be the best TV manufacturer with LG often being the alternative to JVC among videophiles. JVC made their own sets and they were excellent and well worth every penny. A few years ago they lost their minds and sold themselves to Kenwood, and everything went downhill from there. Kenwood's JVC--the one that exists today--sells crap--their sets are terrible, and they probably are rebranded. Considering that Kenwood laid off JVC's employees when it acquired the brand, it's a safe bet that the sets aren't made by the same people who used to make them even a few years ago. (As a quick side-note, JVC optical media is fine. Taiyo Yuden bought the rights to the JVC optical media name, and they're known for top-quality blank discs, and have been for quite some time. You can still buy them and know that you're getting a quality product.)

Sharp is another company that may manufacturer their own screens. Sony has been known to use other parts made by Sharp in Sony TVs in the past, (see below,) so it wouldn't surprise me if this was the case. If Sharp doesn't manufacturer their own screens, they manufacturer a lot of the surrounding technology, and frequently seem to incorporate it into other companies devices as noted above.

Several companies partially manufacturer their own equipment, or manufacture parts that are used with TVs, even if they use another company's screens. Sony has been using parts from other companies for years--I'm not sure if they still build their own screens or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. Hitachi probably manufacturers "everything but the screen," or several parts that they put into their sets, but I don't believe that they build their own screens. Of course, I could be wrong, but I haven't heard of anything using a Hitachi display, which leads me to believe that they've taken the approach of buying the screen from another manufacturer and then building proprietary technology around it.

This article from PCWorld (see the chart) should tell you whose manufacturing reliable TVs, even though it won't tell you whose actually building them. After looking at the chart, I'm half-convinced that Mitsubishi probably manufacturers JVC's sets, if only given that they seem to have the same quality issues.

Finally, I should mention that there's nothing wrong with companies that "partially manufacture" devices. Nikon and Canon rule the professional D-SLR camera industry. Nikon's specialty is glass, and Canon's specialty is printers. Many of Nikon's professional D-SLR cameras use Sony CMOS sensors though to actually record their pictures. Sony builds professional D-SLR cameras as well, yet they're rarely compared to Nikon or Canon. (Sony bought out Konica-Minolta because they were already building most parts used in professional D-SLRs and wanted Konica-Minolta's talent for building camera bodies.) Nikon's professional cameras take pictures that are far superior to those taken on Sony's professional cameras. (Assuming that the same photographer is taking the photos of course.) The reason for this is that even though Sony and Nikon both use Sony sensors, Nikon puts those sensors to better use. Thus, just because one company makes a major part for a device, that doesn't mean that their device is the best. Likewise, just because one company licenses a major part from another, it doesn't mean that their own parts aren't superior to those used by the company that built the part that they've licensed. This can be said of many devices, including professional D-SLR cameras and TV sets. If you ripped open a set made by LG or Panasonic, you'd probably find speakers that were made by another well-known company, or other parts that LG or Panasonic didn't build. Some of those companies may be name brands, while others may be commonly used brands that most people are unfamiliar with. Think of the example that I use earlier when I mentioned Apple Inc.'s computer monitors. The screens are made by LG or Samsung, the Mini DisplayPort connectors on them were designed by Apple Inc. and probably built by Foxconn/Hon Hai. The Thunderbolt connectors that'll replace Mini DisplayPort on updated monitors were designed by Apple and Intel and will also likely be built by Foxconn/Hon Hai.

Why, just why?

The most common type is mostly white-skinned apart from the upper 1–6 centimeters, which protrude above the ground and are purple, red, or greenish wherever sunlight has fallen. This above-ground part develops from stem tissue, but is fused with the root. The interior flesh is entirely white. The entire root is roughly conical, but can be occasionally tomato-shaped, about 5–20 centimeters in diameter, and lacks side roots. The taproot (the normal root below the swollen storage root) is thin and 10 centimeters or more in length; it is trimmed off before marketing. The leaves grow directly from the above-ground shoulder of the root, with little or no visible crown or neck (as found in rutabagas).

Turnip leaves are sometimes eaten as "turnip greens" ("turnip tops" in the UK), and they resemble mustard greens in flavor. Turnip greens are a common side dish in southeastern US cooking, primarily during late fall and winter. Smaller leaves are preferred; however, any bitter taste of larger leaves can be reduced by pouring off the water from initial boiling and replacing it with fresh water. Varieties specifically grown for the leaves resemble mustard greens more than those grown for the roots, with small or no storage roots. Varieties of B. rapa that have been developed only for use as leaves are called Chinese cabbage. Both leaves and root have a pungent flavor similar to raw cabbage or radishes that becomes mild after cooking.

Turnip roots weigh up to about one kilogram, although they can be harvested when smaller. Size is partly a function of variety and partly a function of the length of time the turnip has grown. Most very small turnips (also called baby turnips) are specialty varieties. These are only available when freshly harvested and do not keep well. Most baby turnips can be eaten whole, including their leaves. Baby turnips come in yellow-, orange-, and red-fleshed varieties as well as white-fleshed. Their flavor is mild, so they can be eaten raw in salads like radishes.

See i can add loads of useless information.

[Creepymouse]

We had a sudden problem with one we got from Wally a few years back, the TV just started turning itself off and then would not turn on for an unknown amount of time. Given that this was for our son, who is disabled and spends quite some time watching his movies while he plays, we had to make sure it would work. Looked it up online, and I find that this is extremely common and RCA basically refuses to do anything about it. So, we simply returned it to Wally and got a different model.

Sadly, the second TV broke about a week after the warranty ran out. We did eventually buy a Visio which is still running fine, but we loaned it to a family member and we're watching a crummy old RCA CRT with mono sound. LOL

Would probably buy another Visio, but we're saving for wifey's implants now.

[Yvhuce]

You people and your fancy new TVs... I've been watching the same old 15 inch Philco for the past 20 years... The only thing really wrong with it is that it no longer accepts the power on/off command from the remote (or a universal remote, for that matter). But, since it's sitting within arm's reach of the computer, that's not really a problem...

[ItchyTasty]

TV brands I know from experience that are high quality and last donkeys years are:

Panasonic

Sony (my friend has one of the old 14 inch Sony Trinitron CRT ones from the 80's that still works fine)

Toshiba (mostly)

Pioneer

Sharp are ok, but don't seem to last as long as the above mentioned.

[hidden]

Well, got it fixed. Switched out the main board. See what happens...

[Creepymouse]

That's changing, Lightning. I've read reports that Sony's new stuff isn't very durable at all, breaking just after the warranty too often, and their customer service is going south just like all the other coproations. [sic] Just because they've got a reputation for durability in the past decades, does NOT mean it will continue.

We must always learn from the past, but we should be prepared when the future does not behave as it has before. (My combination of two mutually exclusive anectdotes)

[hidden]

Well, depending on how things are in the morning, I may be calling the repair guy back! 1 channel is stuck. Another hasn't come in all day, the picture brightness changes, etc.

[dl_ashlee]

TV brands I know from experience that are high quality and last donkeys years are:

Panasonic

Sony (my friend has one of the old 14 inch Sony Trinitron CRT ones from the 80's that still works fine)

Toshiba (mostly)

Pioneer

Sharp are ok, but don't seem to last as long as the above mentioned.

Ya, but that was in the CRT days, many LCD's haven't even been out long enough to know their track record.

For LCD's (not plasma's) I at this point would only consider Samsung/LG, but you have to realize you need to get the mid-upper ones as the lower to mid priced ones are the ones that usually don't come with an actual Samsung/LG manufactured screen.

I would certainly make them come replace something if it was intermintently working. Also with LCDs today I would certainly get the in home extended warranty. You should be able to also keep extending them like you can with most appliances. I know friends that keep getting their stuff replaced because they keep renewing their warranty on their fridge/stove/washer/dryer. I am usually totally against getting extended warranties, but for these big ticket items I think they are a must buy.

Was actually awesome for us when we went to buy our current LCD we were trying to decide if we should wait for a better deal, but I guess the sales person (Fry's) needed to sell more at that point as he offered to remove the sales tax and give us the 3-year in home warranty for free. Lol, it was like buying a car, he had to go talk to his manager before he could do it.