Which TV brand would you buy without warranty? - Page 2

50-year consumer electronics reliability average curve since 1960 (currently):

1. Panasonic/Quasar (Matsushita)
2. Toshiba
3. Sharp
4. Sanyo/Fisher
5. NEC/Fujitsu
6. Sony
7. Funai/Symphonic/Emerson/Magnavox/Sylvania
8. JVC
9. Hitachi
10. Orion/Sansui/Emerson/Toshiba
11. Zenith
12. Samsung
13. RCA
14. LG/GoldStar/Zenith
15. Curtis Mathes
16. Mitsubishi/MGA
17. GoVideo/CineVision
18. Phlips/Philco/Magnavox/Sylvania
19. Daewoo
20. RCA/GE/ProScan/Thomson (the worst)

70-year consumer electronics reliability average curve since 1960 (prediction, not actual, but good reference):

1. Panasonic/Quasar (Matsushita)
2. Toshiba
3. Sanyo/Fisher
4. NEC/Fujitsu
5. Sharp
6. Sony
7. Funai/Symphonic/Emerson/Magnavox/Philips/Sylvania/Toshiba
8. Apple/Sharp/Sony (Foxconn)
9. JVC
10. Orion/Sansui/Emerson/Hitachi/JVC/Sanyo/Toshiba
11. Hitachi
12. Dynex/Insignia/Prima (XOCECO)
13. Zenith
14. LG/GoldStar/Zenith
15. RCA
16. Vizio/Hitachi/JVC (Amtran)
17. Samsung
18. Toshiba/Panasonic/Sanyo (Compal)
19. Hisense
20. TCL/RCA/Panasonic/Toshiba
21. Curtis Mathes
22. GoVideo/CineVision
23. Westinghouse/Apex/Element/Haier/iSymphony/RCA/Sceptre/Seiki/Sigmac/Silo (TongFang)
24. Daewoo
25. Phlips/Philco/Magnavox/Sylvania
26. Mitsubishi/MGA
27. Coby
28. RCA/GE/ProScan/Thomson
29. Curtis/GPX/Oritron/Supersonic/Sylvania
30. Toshiba/RCA/Craig/Venturer (Alco)
31. Vizio/Apex/Digix/Dynex/Insignia/KCPI (Contel) (now the worst manufacturer in the world)

Eleven new OEM manufacturers, all Chinese, have been added to the 70-year list.

Toshiba (Compal), which makes 95% of TVs for Toshiba right now, is rated eighteenth (#18) most reliable manufacturer in the world, which is considered as average.

Edited by InYourEyes - 6/8/12 at 11:25am

I couldn't vote, because I didn't have enough info -- Like, what's the price break for not having a warranty?
I have to agree that it's absurd to talk about buying with no Mfr warranty. The only Warranty service I have ever actually used was Sony's and I was very pleased, because a) the unit was out of warranty but Sony recognized a serious problem and extended the warranty specifically for that issue, and b) the local guys that do sony service were the most professional and knowledgeable techs I've ever had in my home. Sadly their company is no longer in the home theater business, and probably also out of the TV service business.

AOC (Envision)'s reliability data is unknown, due to newness of the company, and insufficient number of customers reported a problem.

Admiral, yes, I remembered them well. Even Admiral's own rating was insufficient during the 1960s.

Samsung is NEVER known for reliability, despite it being the #1 best-seller worldwide, and they do NOT have the reputation yet for reliability. People that say Samsung is the most reliable are the ones that have one that is still working fine, with no history proof, so they continue to buy more. One day in the future, Samsung will get you, and Samsung will give you a defective item you will really hate. Samsung, lately, is slipping in the overall reliability charts, since it last peaked in early-2000s, and Samsung already lost its place to LG. Today, LG is now the most-reliable Korean electronic manufacturer.

For most people, including me previously, they have had Samsung products in the past that already broke, didn't last very long, poor design, and etc. (excluding microwave ovens, these have been reliable).

Also, I have repeatedly told most of the poor, hard-working, blue-collar people to stay away from Samsung at all costs, since they usually cannot afford another one if it stops working. I tell them to look at Sanyo or Funai (Emerson and Magnavox) instead, and save their money. More expensive TV doesn't mean it will be more reliable. Period. These blue-collar workers are surprised to hear that Wal-Mart sell more reliable, longer-lasting TVs than at Best Buy, Costco, and Sears.

Finally, TV technicians will NEVER say Samsung is the most-reliable brand. Go ahead and ask every one of them if you don't believe. 99.9% of TV technicians nationwide will vote Panasonic more reliable than Samsung.

Well, at least the Gen Y people are learning here. Baby-boomers and Gen X people already know Samsung's yucky past.

Not necessarily news, but last fal,l HD Guru posted this article regarding Vizio;
http://hdguru.com/disposable-tvs-viz...pairable/5485/

It was very similar to an article that was published in 2007 (with another follow up a few months later);
http://hdguru.com/your-new-disposabl...anel-hdtv/107/

They also pointed to this about extended warrenties;
http://hdguru.com/what-retailers-don...rranties/5126/

Not to pick on Vizio, but the first two links clearly point to Vizio and their 'cost cutting' where the consumer looses. The same can be said about all the 'off' brands, namely Polaroid, Westinghouse, Insignia etc. especially since these are just 'names', nothing more.

What was interesting in the 3rd link;

Vizio is another one of the other lesser-reliable TV brands, similar to Samsung, but Vizio is not any worse than Samsung and many of the Chinese off-brands. Vizio receives average reliability overall, meaning neither good nor bad, scoring two points higher than Samsung, according to the upcoming 70-year consumer electronics reliability average curve.

This 70-year (prediction) reliability average curve will always fluctuate with brands switching in places during the next 20 years through 2030. The top-half, most-reliable brands will see less movements, since they have already proved themselves back in history. The bottom-half, least-reliable brands will always fluctuate, because they may suddenly come out with products that are very reliable, after learning past mistakes, and this certain manufacturer can jump up in the charts very fast. LG/GoldStar/Zenith was a good example before.

You're correct that Toshiba also outsources with Funai. Toshiba was forced to switch to Funai after leaving Orion in mid-2008, because Orion had decided to terminate OEM production on DVD/VCR combos and DVD recorders. Toshiba only offered one to three models from Funai per year since 2008, which is really only a small percentage. Now, Toshiba had left Funai, actually, after Toshiba has decided to discontinue offering DVD/VCR combos and DVD recorders in their lineup. Only the DVD players and Blu-Ray players remain, which are all made by Alco, with stinky reliability ratings and lousy customer review ratings from Amazon.com. Toshiba do their best finding the cheapest labor they can find for most of their products, and Alco/Venturer is one of the cheapest Chinese electronic labors in the world.

Funai, as a manufacturer itself, did surprise me in the reliability ratings, and I was already warned about this before. Their flat-panel TVs continue to be one of the most-reliable out there. DVD players and DVD recorders also receive good reliability marks, and sometimes more reliable than Panasonic (I'm not kidding). Funai also got a really major head-start in reliability during the 1980s when their VHS VCRs were rated third most reliable, after Panasonic and Toshiba, in the VCR reliability charts provided by Consumer Reports. CRT tube TVs did okay and always scored better than Samsung. Funai's reliability rating slipped a little in the late-90s when they had some troubles with their VHS VCRs, but gradually improved again when VHS VCR production was reduced in favor for DVD players, DVD/VCR combos, Blu-Ray players, flat-panel TVs, and etc. In the end, today, Funai has successfully made it being one of the top-10, most reliable electronic manufacturers in the world. Funai should be proud of themselves, I think. I wish I can pass this message to Tetsuro Funai, founder and CEO.

Funai also provide the lowest-number of defects out from the box in the world. If you click on this link below, "Magnavox," all made by Funai, is rated third most reliable TV brand, but Magnavox scores the highest in "Problem on Arrival," meaning that you opened up the sealed, unopened retail box, and does it work or not when you first plug it in.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/24456...d_to_beat.html

On the Insignia, NO, not true at all. Most Insignia plasma TVs are made by LG, and 20% of Insignia LCD/LED TVs released were made by LG. 80% of Insignia LCD/LED TVs, as well as the Dynex brand, are made by Amtran. Best Buy have misinformed their customers many times in the past, only to entice people to buy their in-store brands than others for profit.

Insignia plasmas are made by Samsung (SDI). Zenith plasmas are made by LG. The Dynex/Insignia LCD sets come from various suppliers, but most often I see XOCECO, Hon Hai (Foxconn), Prima, etc.

Another anecdote on the reliability of Samsung TVs... we have a new ES6500 on display that has only been out about a month. Tonight when trying to turn it off I noticed that the scrolling Auto Motion Plus demo was scrolling incredibly fast, so fast I couldn't read it. The TV was really hot to the touch, it wouldn't respond to remote commands and wouldn't turn off with the on-set power button. I had to unplug it to get it to power off.

Im a best buy employee, current insignia plasmas are supplied by SDI; it says so in our inventory system.

Some Insignia plasmas are made by Samsung, but most of them are from LG. Zenith has been owned by LG since 1995. Thanks for mentioning more of these Chinese TV makers. I always have trouble knowing who made these Dynex/Insignia LCD TVs. It turns out that XOCECO is a more reliable TV manufacturer than Amtran.

There are 3 current Insignia model plasmas, The 50" and 42" P650. These have been available for about two years, and the 51" P680. They are all manufactured by Samsung, and share a nearly identical chassis with Samsung TV sets and the same touch-sensitive control panel on the face of the set, they all say "manufactured by SDI Mexico" on back of the set, not to mention that 51" is a size only made by Samsung.

Fellas no disrespect but why are you debating POS plasma's and DVD/VCR combos in the LCD forum? And why bother with a 50 year reliability report when manufacturing methods and sourcing are constantly changing, not to mention the room environment/conditions and viewing habits of the end user will have at least as big of an effect on reliability as anything discussed so far.

I believe this report does really help in terms of purchasing, and it gives a good idea where companies are heading right now, and how they did in the past based on reputation and expertise. Consumers can lower their risks by purchasing one of the top ten most reliable brands/manufacturers in the world, assuming the products they buy were not outsourced to another manufacturer.

Some people have asked me to shorten up the list and list all of the inexpensive manufacturers in the world competing for the lowest price. These are the people that don't want to spend a lot of money, want the cheapest, or regularly upgrade a TV every year without losing too much on depreciation. This list is also good for blue-collar workers that work hard for every dollar earned.

List of all the least-expensive, most reliable brands competing for lowest-price:

1. Sanyo/Fisher (most-reliable)
2. Funai/Symphonic/Emerson/Magnavox/Philips/Sylvania/Toshiba
3. Orion/Sansui/Emerson/Hitachi/JVC/Toshiba
4. Dynex/Insignia/Prima (XOCECO)
5. RCA/TCL
6. Vizio/Hitachi/JVC (Amtran)
7. Hisense
8. Toshiba (Compal)
9. Westinghouse/Apex/Element/Haier/iSymphony/Seiki/Sigmac/Silo (TongFang)
10. Coby
11. Curtis/GPX/Supersonic
12. Toshiba/RCA/Craig/Venturer (Alco)
13. Vizio/Apex/Digix/Dynex/Insignia/KCPI (Contel) (least-reliable)

Sanyo is, by far, the most-reliable brand in the world for the poor or for people that don't want to spend a lot of money. Sanyo products can be found at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. Funai and Orion TVs can also be found at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. Best Buy sell both the Dynex and Insignia brands, and Best Buy offer less-reliable TVs for the poor than from Wal-Mart.

Or overpaid white collar corporate types that are just plain cheap.

Best thread ever

This list is also good for white-collar workers that work hard for every dollar earned.

How about retired people on a fixed income that wear shirts without collars?

Doesn't really matter... buy cheap, get cheap. Shouldn't be a surprise.
Buy expensive... still potentially have problems.

It's a crapshoot.

Heh... even a cable subscriber can't get someone in the U.S. (or speak English) to answer a question when there's a problem.

Absolutely, white-collar people are included. Majority of these cheapo brands are purchased by low to mid income families, or college students.

Sony's in the lead?? REALLY?? That's one brand I wouldn't buy without a warranty!

I completely agree, as would any other owner of the crap Sony SXRD HDTV's.

This is a really interesting thread, and I thank the OP for starting it!

One thing I find AVSForum good for is information on product quality and reliability. Personally I have no problem purchasing "last years" model, so some of the info here has approximately 12 months of info behind them. Just recently I decided to replace my 60" Sony SXRD XBR2 when the optical block failed. Sony offered a so-called price accommodation, but even at those prices, they're still overpriced for the lack of quality they've been producing and selling for a while now. Based on the comments at AVSForum, my replacement was either going to be with a Sharp or LG, 60" or 65", whichever I could first find a killer deal for. I ended up with the Sharp LC60LE830U for $999 + tax at Fry's closeout the beginning of this month, brand new in factory sealed box. That was the killer deal I was looking for. First TV I've ever owned that was not a Sony. Will probably get the Costco/SquareTrade extended warranty for $59 which basically gives me an extra 2-years beyond my credit-card extended warranty, so a total of 4-years. I am not sure I would pay $200 for the extension, but for $59, why not.

In answer to the OP's original question, I would -never- buy a Sony TV with -or- without a warranty, so I guess I will never be buying a Sony TV ever again

People's all-time favorite brand is Sony, so I'm not surprised to see it getting the most votes.

Sony, previously, had troubles with their Trinitron CRT tube TVs and VHS VCRs during the 90s, and SXRD projection TVs as well. BUT, older Sony Beta VCRs, Trinitron CRT TVs from 70s and 80s, commercial monitors, camcorders, cameras, radios, cassette decks, Walkmans, CD players, and DVD players were all highly-reliable, which successfully makes Sony the fifth (#5) most-reliable consumer electronics manufacturer in the world. Sony is still a far more reliable brand than Samsung, overall.

I'd be looking for makes with a good long term history that have not outsourced production in more recent years--i.e. Sharp and Panasonic vs Sony and Toshiba. I sell tvs and often have older customers who still think RCA is a good brand based on good experience with sets bought back in the 70s/80s.

Sanyo also has a good, long-term history not outsourcing in recent years, and it's one of the most-reliable brands in the world. 98% of all Sanyo TVs sold in the past 50 years were made by Sanyo.

These older customers were referring to the good, old RCA Corporation days before Thomson took it over in 1987. RCA used to compete very well with Zenith for quality before 1987. Later, Thomson screwed up the quality for RCA. Then, Thomson sold RCA to TCL in 2007, and RCA's quality begin to improve. They're going be fine with RCA/TCL (ranked #13).

Sanyo is now owned by Panasonic, not a bad thing given Panny's history. Our experience with RCA since 07 has been that they are the most returned brand we sold.

The Funai brands we sell (Sylvania and Magnavox) have improved over the last 5 years. '06 models typically failed at 18 months and repair parts were not available. Most of our warranty replacements for years were for Magnavox and Sylvania sets.

In the late 50s, early 60s there were only 3 brands actually making color sets--RCA, Zenith, and Magnavox. Other brands like Admiral, Sylvania, Sears Silvertone, Philco, etc. used RCA chassis.