who's stuff is reliable (1 Viewer)

[MikeFree]

does anyone know of a web site that reports on manufacturers warranty claims. im trying to get a feel for whos RPTVs are the most reliable. im looking to buy a 70" or bigger set in DLP or LCD

 

[Arthur S]

Mike

In my humble opinion, Consumer Reports is the most valuable source of information on the reliability of mechanical (cars etc.), and electronic equipment. They receive over 800,000 surveys each year to compile their reliability ratings.

To the best of my knowledge, they simply do not have sufficient volume of responses on 70 inch DLP or LCD to comment.

If you find a site that provides the information you are looking for, we would all be most grateful if you would share it with us.

Regards

 

[Steve Berger]

The problem with reliability reports is that by the time there is a service history on a product, it is irrelevant because that product is out of production. TV chassis design generally runs on 6 month cycles: 12 months if you're real lucky on a mature product, which DLP and LCD are not yet.

Warranty reports are equally misleading. New product designs often get fixed by shotgun methods since there is no service history of "common failures" to aid servicing. Parts may get replaced when an adjustment or firmware upgrade was all that was needed. In order to get reimbursed for their time, many (perhaps most) "operator errors" also get written up as a "repair" by servicers.

I would suggest that whatever you purchase should actually be manufactured by the company whose name is on the product and it should be a known electronic product builder. (I know I wouldn't want a "John Deer" television) This could take some serious research in some cases. In 30+ years of servicing TVs, the only general rule that I have seen is that Korean Manufacturers lack quality control: they often have great price, performance, and features but suffer random catastrophic failures of major components.

 

[Jim Mcc]

The type of set you're looking to buy is too new for any reliability ratings from anywhere.