Buying a floor model HDTV

[Via]

I got offered this TV for $1599:

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-p...623.html?tag=mncol;lst

It's the same price I could have had the step-down model for a few weeks ago.

The difference: This is a display model. I watched about 5 minutes of a BR disc and it looked very good, I would almost say great; then again, I don't have a ton of experience with large HDTVs.

The salesman said it's rated for 60,000 hours and I get a 1 year parts/labor warranty.

Is buying a display model HDTV a bad idea?

 

[Via]

Not one person here has an opinion?

 

[Muadib]

I bought my old 36" from a Sears wear house about 8 years ago. It too was a floor model, and it's still going strong today. If you decide to go for it, hopefully yours will serve you as well.

 

[sdifox]

not a good idea... those things are on all the time...

 

[SearchMaster]

Can you get into a system menu and see how many hours are on it? Also, you can be guaranteed that it didn't go through proper break-in period which I believe is more important for plasmas than most.

 

[sivart]

I wouldn't buy a floor model of any type of TV. All TV's can get burn in if left on the same image long enough (yes, even CRT's and LCD's).

I would consider it if the discount was north of 50%, other than that I'd walk away and save up a little longer to get a new set.

 

[Rio Rebel]

I would never buy a floor model unless the price cut was so great it offset the risk.

The main thing is 1) you don't know you much use/abuse the tv has taken beyond its physical appearance, and 2) the entire life of a floor model tv is spent with the contrast blasting too high, reducing the life considerably vs a tv which has been calibrated in ANY way and the contrast set to a reasonable level.

I would never buy a floor model just to save 10-15%...if the cut were much deeper, I might start considering it.

 

[msi1337]

I bought a 32" LG LCD about 3 years ago. It was an older model they weren't carrying and I got it for $150 from Best Buy. they said I had to buy a 4yr plan on it, but since it was under $200, the plan was only like $20. so, my total was about $180 out the door.

it has worked perfectly since the day I got it. It does have 2 tiny stuck pixels, but I dont notice them.

 

[Deeko]

I did it with my 50" SXRD. Bought the TV about 2.5 years ago. No problems with the TV, and the lamp is still going strong.

 

[ericlp]

It's really a YMMV type. It really depends on two factors ... How much off are they giving you? If it's 40-50%, and they can give you a deal on an extended warranty then go for it. Other wise, your risk of failure increases and you have to ask yourself, is a 20% discount with that risk and only you can answer that question.

Personally, if it was close to 50% off and I got em to do a 3 year warranty for like 40 bucks more then it would be tempting.

 

[mmntech]

I bought a floor model, a 26'' Samsung LCD, which was also a refurb. I've never had any issues with it, at least not so far knock on wood. However, the store just had it on static display. It wasn't even plugged in.

The MTBF on most LCD TVs is 60,000 hours. If the store is open from 9am to 9pm daily, the TV should last 14 years of continuous use. You're obviously not going to have it going for that long every day and it's pretty likely it hasn't been sitting in the store for too long either. So I don't think you really have to worry about its life being significantly shortened.

 

[Via]

Thanks for input.

I decided to go new. Probably Panansonic.

 

[Insomniator]

Gotta be nuts to spend 1500 on a floor model.

 

[djnsmith7]

No way I'd buy a floor model. Most units are run for 14+ hours a day. Even if you do find a floor model that only has a few hundred hours on it, it's how those hours were accumulated that would bother me. But, it's your money & we all have different opinions.