Our 10 year old Sony 46" TV Just Died

[MiniDave]

At the time in 2008 it was the absolute top of their line - well, maybe not the Top top but definitely a high end one - I'm sure they had more expensive ones......but I digress.

For a few weeks now we'd been getting the "green screen of death", where we'd be watching TV and the screen would just turn green, although the sound was still on. Turning the TV off and back on would clear it right up...sometimes for several days, sometimes for only a half hour or so.

Tonight it simply went black, and a red light was blinking on the front, so Rose did a little sleuthing online, the prognosis is one of the electronic boards is dead and would cost far more than a new TV to replace....$300 for the board alone but that might not fix it. Seems a shame that we've reached such a state where what to me is a perfectly usable thing can't be fixed for want of parts or cost.......

Don was in Costco today and saw that they had a 65" curved screen high end Samsung TV for $800, and a regular 65" Samsung for $590.......we got this one on sale for "only" $2200 including tax, title, freight, dealer prep and lic fees in 2008 and it was by far THE most expensive electronic thing we'd ever bought but we like watching the occasional Redbox movie so we figured it would pay for itself in not going to the theatre.....I'm not sure it has but.................no matter.

A 2017 Sony top of the line 4K, smart 65" is now about $1600.......trying to decide whether it's worth it to spend this kind f money again, considering how very little there is on TV these days that I watch. A little football, certainly F1 and a few other racing programs..........not much else. I had hoped to retire this one to the shop when we got the new TV, oh well......

[ADRay]

hate to say it, but it had a good, long life for what it was. they don't make things the way they used to

[BruceK]

I always see the huge display of TVs when at Costco and I remember 5 years ago or so when, for a brief time, it looked like the next trend was for 3D TVs - they were the featured 'hot' tech for TV.  Then that 'trend' just faded away as nobody seemed to want them.

And I remember way, way, way back when Betamax and VHS were first introduced.   Betamax was technically superior over VHS, but that just didn't matter as more movie content was available in VHS and more companies made VHS tape players.  So Betamax faded away. 

I guess what I'm thinking is that 4K is the big new thing - and it is unlikely to fade away for a while.  But there are arguments for and against being on the leading edge.

Why not to go 4K now:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-wolpin/5-reasons-not-to-buy-a-4k_b_14682700.html

Why you should go to 4K now:
http://www.businessinsider.com/4k-tv-should-i-buy-2017-11/#5-4khdr-is-the-new-standard-for-the-foreseeable-future-so-buying-an-hd-tv-at-this-point-is-a-mistake-5

There are 9 months separating those two articles, (Feb 2017 vs. Nov 2017) so perhaps the tipping point has now been met...

If it were me, I'd consider other brands besides Sony. Not sure buying a brand name carries that much anymore.  It was explained to me that there are only a few manufactuerers in the world that build the flat panels that make up the TV and monitor screens, so whether you go for Sony, or LG, or TCL, or Vizio or whatever, the guts that make up the TV are the same. 

I typically use CNET to read detailed reviews on electronics before buying.

https://www.cnet.com/topics/tvs/products/


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[gr8kornholio]

I gave up on Sony after I bought one of the last "best there is" tube TV's.  Never lived up to the hype and got replaced 2 yrs later by a Panasonic plasma that still works just fine and going on 14 years.  Of course for the last 8 it's been the bedroom TV.

Was checking out Samsungs latest led technology at Nebraska furniture mart the other day.  Spectacular picture.  As good if not better than the OLED tvs.  Some day the bedroom one will die, be replaced by the living room then upgrade time.  LOL

[MiniDave]

My wife's a gadget nut, the Sony we're looking at has a voice activated remote control - that might be enough to tip the balance right there!   ;D

[BruceK]

My wife's a gadget nut, the Sony we're looking at has a voice activated remote control - that might be enough to tip the balance right there!   ;D

I suspect voice activation, with the necessity for humans to dumb down our speech and to constantly repeat verbal commands, is but the first step in preparing us for our future life where we will be subjugated under our robot overlords.    Just sayin'.   ;D

[MiniDave]

The new 65" Sony was delivered today, I like it but Rose says she gets motion sickness watching it - it IS big!   ;D

We're gonna try a Blu Ray movie tonight and see if we can tell any difference from out last 46" Sony, I'm sure with 10 years newer technology we should see some improvements.

[94touring]

Congrats! 65 is the way to go.

[MiniDave]

Old vs new.......

[94touring]

Watching movies on that is a good way to recover from the flu.

[BruceK]

Looking good there!  Enjoy!