LED-LCD HDVT: Vizio as a brand?

[Drako]

randomly had someone at a store throw out the "Q2 2011" Kuro tech returns...

Randomly? Next years VT series will have the "Kuro" tech, and will be priced accordingly next year. The current VT sets are pretty damn close to "Kuro" level performance as is.

 

[sivart]

Been digging deep into reviews on Vizio and such. Kinda worried. Anyone own a Vizio longer than 3 years?

Check the reviews at the BBB or Customer reviews at like Costco, Amazon & Wal-Mart.

Unless Vizio has recently changed the way they make TVs this is kind of worrisome.

I mean I expect the TV to last at least 10 years or more. That does not mean I will keep it that long. I may upgrade, however I'd want to move this TV in another room and have it still work.

My Vizio 720p Plasma was purchased in March 2007 and it still works great after nearly 4 years. Then again, if you peek in the case it is an LG Panel.

So really Vizios lifespan is as good as any brand these days?

I would say yes, so far. How many flat panels are there out there that are 10 years old already? I'd say less than 2% of all of them.

Vizio sucks. They have NO replacement parts for anything. They are a disposable machine.
I had one that started dieing around 18 months in.

Your personal experience and that sucks that it gave out for you. I've had the same experience with Sony products (back when they made good tube TV's), so one occurrence isn't a pattern.

Aren't all electronics these days disposable? Really, how many "TV repair shops" do you see around these days. Maybe back in the 1980's, but I can't name a single one anymore. The one I used back in the late '90's is now gone, too. If you take a TV to get repaired, you are looking at $50 just to look at it, $50 for a house call and then probably $100/hr + parts. You are easily at $300 for something minor and you can get a new 50" TV for under $600 these days. Not worth repairing.

 

[Crow550]

Wow. How'd I miss this? You can get a 5 year Warranty from Vizio too.

 

[Peppered]

I bought A Curtis Mathis 27" console TV when built in Stereo and simulated surround was new.
Curtis Mathis was also made in the Us then.
This tv lasted me 12 years before one of the tuners broke (it had two).
Now days you see reports that Plasma TV's loose there Black lv after a few months of use.

We need to have the same quality in TV's that we had before the flat Panels came out.
we don't need to go back to the days were we had to go to the local drug store to get a tube for the one that burnt out.
My Samsung plasma is about 5 years old I hope i can get another 5 years out of it or at least until the 3d tv's that don't require glasses to wear come down in price.

 

[RKS]

Wow. How'd I miss this? You can get a 5 year Warranty from Vizio too.

I'm sure everyone knows that buying a Vizio at Costco get you a free 3 year warranty. I'd take my chances. Even Samsung has the horrible caps issue, PQ matters little if the TV won't even turn on.

 

[sivart]

I'm sure everyone knows that buying a Vizio at Costco get you a free 3 year warranty. I'd take my chances. Even Samsung has the horrible caps issue, PQ matters little if the TV won't even turn on.

Last I checked Costco doubled or extended the manufacturers warranty by 1 year, whichever is lesser. So, that would be a 2 year warranty on most Vizio TV's. (at least that is what mine (circa 2007) had applied)

 

[Modelworks]

pretty sure the plasma division and engineers ended up at panasonic

Some of them are working on flcos displays. The next tech for panels. Instead of three little dots making each color, flcos using one single dot and can cycle colors so fast through that single dot as to make it appear one specific color depending on the order and rate of the flashes. So far they only do 800x600 resolutions, but in a few years they will rule.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5zQfMAwxI&feature=player_embedded

 

[RKS]

Last I checked Costco doubled or extended the manufacturers warranty by 1 year, whichever is lesser. So, that would be a 2 year warranty on most Vizio TV's. (at least that is what mine (circa 2007) had applied)

1st Year manuf., 2nd year Costco, 3rd year Amex since I assumed most people would charge a $1K + electronic item. 😀

 

[thegimp03]

I'll buy my next TV at Costco. My next door neighbor's 46" Samsung LCD had issues within the Costco warranty period, he took it in to see about getting it fixed, and since Costco didn't have that model in stock anymore, he was able to apply his original purchase price toward a new TV on the floor. He ended up picking up one of the 55" Samsung 3D LED's, and Costco gave him $100 back because they were running a great combo sale on the LED, glasses, and blu-ray, and the price of the combo was less than what he'd originally paid for his old LCD. He brought it home and showed me and it looks sick mounted on the wall.

 

[sivart]

1st Year manuf., 2nd year Costco, 3rd year Amex since I assumed most people would charge a $1K + electronic item. 😀

I was thinking this too when I bought mine. Called Amex and their "extended warranty" starts at the same time as my Costco extended warranty (i.e when the manufacturers warranty ends). Maybe things have changed since 2007?

 

[blurredvision]

I just replaced my 3.5-year old Vizio with another Vizio. Picked up one of the newer XVT 4SV units. The LED backlight with 160 local dimming zones on a 47" looks abso-freaking-lutely amazing. My old Vizio will either be given to my grandma or take up residence as a computer monitor.

Somebody was asking before for evidence of a Vizio lasting longer than 3 years, so there ya go.

 

[RKS]

I just replaced my 3.5-year old Vizio with another Vizio. Picked up one of the newer XVT 4SV units. The LED backlight with 160 local dimming zones on a 47" looks abso-freaking-lutely amazing. My old Vizio will either be given to my grandma or take up residence as a computer monitor.

Somebody was asking before for evidence of a Vizio lasting longer than 3 years, so there ya go.

I just picked up the XVT473SV a week ago. I did have a 55' LED Vizio this past summer but it was returned due to a stuck red pixel. It had a great picture as well.

 

[Howard]

Some of them are working on flcos displays. The next tech for panels. Instead of three little dots making each color, flcos using one single dot and can cycle colors so fast through that single dot as to make it appear one specific color depending on the order and rate of the flashes. So far they only do 800x600 resolutions, but in a few years they will rule.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5zQfMAwxI&feature=player_embedded

I think large-scale OLED might have better success. FLCOS seems like it will still require a backlight, meaning finite (not infinite) contrast ratios.

 

[smitbret]

Bought mine three years ago. Works fine. Still the built-in best speakers that I've ever heard.

 

[Modelworks]

I think large-scale OLED might have better success. FLCOS seems like it will still require a backlight, meaning finite (not infinite) contrast ratios.

How about combining the two technologies ? That would be amazing.