Fix it or Ditch it?

milkman · Jul 1, 2007

Five year old Panasonic 47" HD Projection TV, I've looked around at new, and if you think tractor buying is a tough decision.... I checked the closest places are 25 and 50 miles to get it repaired, $60 and $50 respectively to check, price applied to repair, usually $250-$300 repair cost for big screen. Wife wants plasma, that would mean in addition to cost of set, remodel to one wall plus new component cabinet. I'm leaning toward repair old, what do you guys think? Here's what it looks like now.

RoyJackson · Jul 1, 2007

Any idea what's actually wrong with it?

Biggest hassle I see is moving it to the repair facility. Other then that, I'd go for the repair.

BTW, if you go new..take a good look at LCDs. They're pretty nice and last longer then plasma TVs.

milkman · Jul 1, 2007

Wife wants plasma, we looked at tvs at Sam's yesterday and I couldn't tell the difference in the picture on the plasma vs LCD, I really think the reason she wants plasmas is because she wants the thin set and not particularly plasmsa. When the plasma first came out, I heard they only lasted like three years and they started to fade, then later I heard they had that fixed, don't know for sure. If it was a matter of the price difference of repairing the old vs new LCD it wouldn't be such a hard choice, it's just if we go with new all the peripherals will jack up the cost. We'll probably load it up tomorrow and have it checked, only cost $50 and we'll have to decide one way or the other.

Alan L. · Jul 1, 2007

If you like the TV I think I'd get it fixed if its only $300. I just bought a 50" Panasonic plasma and love it. A salesman at Best Buy told me they have almost no returns on plasma compared to any other type of TV. Based on the hours of life it should last 15 or 20 years.

LCD TVs still cost significantly more for the same size, in fact they are just now making them bigger at all. On advantage to LCD is they seem to have less glare, although I can say the glare is not that much of a problem on the plasma because the image is so bright.

The plasma also has a very wide viewing angle.

crbr · Jul 1, 2007

I can post up a link to an informative audio / video forum if you're serious about research.

Giada is hot no matter how the picture comes in. That chick rocks.

Ditch it and please the wife. That's a small price to pay to keep a woman happy...

milkman · Jul 2, 2007

crbr said:
I can post up a link to an informative audio / video forum if you're serious about research.

Giada is hot no matter how the picture comes in. That chick rocks.

Ditch it and please the wife. That's a small price to pay to keep a woman happy...

I'd be interested in the link, and you are 100% right on all other counts.

LMTC · Jul 2, 2007

FWIW--one of my sons is a middle manager for a large retailer of this type of equipment (one of the three largest). When he bought his first big screen TV some years ago, he bought projection--something around 60". Lasted 3+ years, estimated repair was very expensive. When he replaced it recently he bought LCD, 47" I think. When our Panasonic 26" of ten years recently began to fail, he recommended LCD for us.....but we were only looking at 32". I have had LCD monitors for app. 4 years and none have failed in any way so far.

gordon21 · Jul 2, 2007

It would be worth the trouble to get the TV fixed. I had one with a similar screen issue years ago. It was a power supply and the bill was about $250.
On many models you can take the guts out and take just them to the repair shop. The guts are in a slide out tray about 2 cubic feet in size. It will have all your electronics and the three lens. There will probably be only the main power cord and some speaker wires attached to the tray to unhook.

Of course you can always get the wife the plasma TV in addition to keeping this one. Put the 47' projection TV in an extra bedroom.

milkman · Jul 3, 2007

When the TV first went screwey, a friend asked if it could possibly have been lightning, I didn't think so, I'm beginning to wonder now, a satellite box on another set started acting up right at the same time and is now completely out now so I'll ask the repairman to specifically look for signs of a spike. The Dish man is coming tomorrow, hope he has more smarts than the four different people we talked to on the phone, got absolutely nowhere, wanted to charge for shipping new box, charge for service call, till the DirecTV word was mentioned, all of a sudden a mouth with a brain attached was on the phone.

goodoleboy · Jul 3, 2007

My mom wanted her Toshiba fixed after setting up a time with my brohter and moving up and down a flight of stairs (TV weighed almost 500lbs), spending $225 to fix, it broke again 2 weeks later this time with the power source problem... I spent $40 in gasoline alone picking up and dropping off once, and i think we caused damage to it moving it up the stairs.

I have tried really hard to not get into the "Throwaway Mentality" that TBN dont like, but its hard not to do after that fiasco.
Add all the costs such as gas and having to get help moving it back and forth before you decide.