Consumers watch out for High Def televisions that cannot be repaired
9:45 p.m. Sunday, May 11, 2008
What's not to like about a High Definition television? They offer a better picture than the tube televisions, and by law, television stations nationwide must broadcast in digital transmissions in just nine months.
That's why people like Greg Canady are upgrading to slimmer and more expensive HDTV's.
"They're real expensive," Canady said. "The more name brand you get of course the higher the TV."
You could easily spend $1,000 or more buying a new TV, but a 49 News Investigation found not all are made equal. Best Buy Home Theater Senior Derek Raine says when some HDTVs break they can not be repaired.
"A lot of your off brands that you're not gonna see everywhere just because depending on the company that makes it, they may or may not make additional parts for them," he said. "If you can't get parts for them, you can't really fix them."
Warranties
If you do get an off-brand HDTV, Raine says make sure you get a warranty. That can protect you from some of the problems that may come up. However, depending on the warranty policy you may be paying shipping charges for that 42" TV, which can also be expensive. And some stores that sell off-brand televisions only offer warranties for a certain amount of years without any way to extend them.
Parts aren't the only thing needed to fix the television.
Local TV repair man Rao Gandu told 49 News even if a company does make parts, he may not be able to fix off-brand televisions.
"The only way we can troubleshoot any TV, either HDTV, Digital TV, Analog TV, is (when) we have the schematics and the parts available too," he said.
The parts may all look the same, but Gandu says he can't even figure out what is wrong with an off-brand television like TruTech or Vizio unless he has the plans to fix it.
Canady said having a brand IQ was something he learned in our investigation.
Gandu and Raine say Brand Names like Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic are a better buy. They say they are simply made better and are less likely to break.
"Your Sony and your Samsung brands are gonna be more of an expensive TV because the parts are gonna be a little better made (and) a little more reliable," Raine said.
And even if they do break, both Raine and Gandu say name brands are easier to fix.
"They do provide the field support," Gandu said. "They provide the parts and schematics so it will be easy to repair them."
Visit 49's HD Television Awareness page
49 News is counting down to the day when high definition television is standard. We've been planing ahead to bring you clear, better sounding television through a digital channel. Plus, we're multicasting. Learn more about our new digital channel and find 49 News stories on Making the Digital Switch. Go.
Easy, but not cheap.
"With the boards that go out in them, the screens," Raine said, "if you need to get a screen replaced it's almost worth it just to buy a new TV because you're gonna be spending quite a bit of money."
So even though the price tag of off-brand televisions is less, in the end you may truly get what you pay for.
"That gives me some thought," Canady said. "Now I'm gonna look at the more expensive ones and see if they got a warranty and can be fixed."
If you already have an off-brand television that is broken, there is a slight chance you may be able to get it repaired. Gandu says if you call the company that manufactures your television, they may be able to repair it.
But, depending on the company, you may have to pay for expensive shipping and repairs.
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