Sony CRT Longevity

[pcoliver]

I am getting ready to purchase a 36" CRT HDTV and have heard that although the Sony picture is one of the best, it lacks in total system life. Is it true that Sony is one of the worst when it comes to part quality? Any comments are appreciated.

[woodman]

I have more hands-on experience with TV sets than any other 3 people at these boards, and I urge you to avoid Sony at all costs. Their performance may be exemplary, but their reliability comes nowhere near matching it. Customer support (technical support) is also among the poorest in the industry.

Other brands that I do not recommend include:
RCA
Zenith
Philips
Panasonic

Brands to consider instead:
Toshiba
Hitachi
JVC
Sharp
Sanyo

Hope this helps you

[kexodusc]

Woodman knows his stuff...You'd be wise to follow his advice...

Actually, I've been rather impressed with some of the 32" and 36" JVC TV's I've seen, as far as performance goes....

I'll also 2nd his Panasonic warning...I bought a 32" Gau (sp?) that's been nothing but problematic, and if it wasn't for the extended warranty I grudgingly bought, I'd be out a TV right now...Nice looking tv, though, when it works! >

[gonefishin]

My father has a Sony that's 15 years old, which he gave to my sister (and it's still going). He gave it to my sister because he upgraded to an HD Sony Big screen which has worked flawlessly for the past three years. We also have the same Sony model at the fire station that's four years old.

So far...no problems with Sony's...not even from the other people I know who own them. That being said...I own a Mitsubishi, which is the same model as the one my brother owns. Mine is six years old and his is five...both have had no problems at all. Again, I know others who own several Mitsubishi Tv's and not one has had a problem (much like the Sony's)

The only problems I've had first hand experience with was on a Toshiba model, it just stopped working. The person took it back to the store and returned it for another.


One thing to keep in mind that I've found to be true for myself...and everyone I recommended to go to Tweeter for their big screen purchase is that they go down on their price quite a bit. It seemed to make no difference if you signed up for the financing or paid cash...same discount. It also made no difference if you bought the extended warranty or not...same discount.

Ok...so it looks like I have one more thing to add to my last thing above. Get yourself a decent set-up DVD such as Avia Guide to Home Theater or whatever video/audio set-up DVD you would like. But be certain to go thru the video section and make the necessary re-adjustments (such as turning down the contrast). Just follow the suggestions on the video and live with it like that for a while...it may appear a little darker than your accustomed to, but after time you may find that that better suits a nicer looking picture.

have fun!

[pcoliver]

Thanks for the comments. I currently have a toshiba 32" that I have owned for 9 years without problems. My final HDTV CRT choices are Sony and Toshiba. Wish me luck and thanks again!

Patrick

[hifimaster]

I have a 27" Sony Trinitron I purchased in 1991. I have had no problems whatsoever and the picture looks as good now as it always did. I also have a Sony carousel CD player I purchased in 1989 that still works and sounds flawless; a Playstation 1 that I recevied as a gift two weeks after it hit the market, which still works fine; and a Walkman casette/radio player I got in 1984 or 1985 that also works flawlessly.

IMO, Sony doesn't have the reliability issues woodman claims. OTOH, there has been some talk of Sony's quality control issues recently. Maybe that's what woodman is refering to.

James

[Woochifer]

The issue with Sony is that their quality is hit or miss. No question the performance of their TVs is very good, but when things go awry, they go south in a big way. A friend of mine worked at a store that moved hundreds of units a month, and sometimes they would get batches of Sonys that had off-the-chart failure rates. It was frustrating for him because if a customer got one DOA unit after another, the customer might opt for a refund (and a lost commission) rather than an exchange.

My impression is that the newer CRT TVs look really nice, but the tubes start to burn out sooner than they did before. My parents' Sony is still going, but after about four years, they had to shoot the brightness higher and higher until now the picture's got blooming galore.

Between my wife and I, we had numerous Sony products fail before we just quit buying anything from Sony a few years ago. My Playstation 2 was the last Sony product that I bought and that thing's starting to act up (random lock ups and misread discs, and noise from the disc tray), even though I'm not a heavy gamer.

[woodman]

gonefishin' says:
My father has a Sony that's 15 years old, which he gave to my sister (and it's still going). He gave it to my sister because he upgraded to an HD Sony Big screen which has worked flawlessly for the past three years. We also have the same Sony model at the fire station that's four years old.

You're offering this as evidence that Sony's TV sets are reliable - in spite of what I've said about them? Really? I've stated at these boards a number of times in the past, but for anyone who never read those statements, let me repeat it yet again: A good or a bad ownership experience can be had with ANY make and model of TV set ... what differentiates one brand from another is the "odds" or likelihood of one type of experience rather than the other being in significant numbers. Additionally, your father's set was built 15 years ago, when Spny's reliability was considerably better than it is today, sad to say.

... and:
So far...no problems with Sony's...not even from the other people I know who own them. That being said...I own a Mitsubishi, which is the same model as the one my brother owns. Mine is six years old and his is five...both have had no problems at all. Again, I know others who own several Mitsubishi Tv's and not one has had a problem (much like the Sony's.

Mitsubishi was not listed in my response due to the fact that they bowed out of the direct-view TV biz some years back (5 or 6 - I don't remember exactly).


Then, "hifimaster" says:
I have a 27" Sony Trinitron I purchased in 1991. I have had no problems whatsoever and the picture looks as good now as it always did. I also have a Sony carousel CD player I purchased in 1989 that still works and sounds flawless; a Playstation 1 that I recevied as a gift two weeks after it hit the market, which still works fine; and a Walkman casette/radio player I got in 1984 or 1985 that also works flawlessly.

IMO, Sony doesn't have the reliability issues woodman claims. OTOH, there has been some talk of Sony's quality control issues recently. Maybe that's what woodman is refering to.

Sony reliability did not drop below "tolerable" levels until some years after the units that you own were built. So what do you base your "opinion" regarding Sony's reliability on? What gives you anything resembling expertise in this matter? Why do you think that your opinion is more valid than my 50 years of electronic servicing would entitle me to? 'Nuff said?

and finally, pcoliver says:
Thanks for the comments. I currently have a toshiba 32" that I have owned for 9 years without problems. My final HDTV CRT choices are Sony and Toshiba. Wish me luck and thanks again!

After what I've told you, you're still gonna consider buying a Sony TV? Really? Makes me wonder just why I even try to help people at these boards ... sheeeeeeesh!

[ruadmaa]

Take heart Woodman, there are folks out here who greatly appreciate you sharing your years of experience and knowledge. And yes, put a great deal of credence to your recommendations. Thanks!!!

[Jace]

just curious woodman as i am new to these forums, what gives you so much more hands on experience with tv's than any other 3 people on this board?
-Jace

[woodman]

just curious woodman as i am new to these forums, what gives you so much more hands on experience with tv's than any other 3 people on this board?
-Jace

I was actively engaged in the servicing of TV sets from their inception (in 1948) until I finally retired in 2000 ... that's 52 years worth of experience, getting to know them inside and out - front to back - from here to there - where "the rubber meets the road" and where the "men are separated from the boys", etc. All makes and models ever built and marketed - many of them not merely once or twice but literally hundreds of times. When I say that I have more hands-on experience with TV sets than any other 3 people on this board, I'm not "tooting my horn" or trying to puff up my image on some perverted ego trip, but merely stating the facts as I lived it.

I'm also probably going way overboard in being conservative. I probably know more about television than any dozen people combined at any of the forums that I've visited and contributed to on the internet.

Does that answer your question, Jace?

[Jace]

yes it does. now at least i have a solid reason to believe everything you say about tv's. i dont have your kind of experience, but i know more than the average joe about the principles behind pretty much all the major technologies out there and have actually gotten my hands dirty working inside crt's on several occasions as well as a few other technologies because it is part of what i do as an electronics engineering technologist student. of course, this also means i know enough about tv's and displays to know it takes a person with experience to be able to make accurate comments on them and you fit the bill quite nicely!

-Jace

[pcoliver]

Woodman,
When I said I was still looking at Sony after receiving your and others initial comments was because it seemed it varied from user to user experience. You never mentioned your background in your initial post so when you said you had more experience then the other "3"..... I did not know what that meant. Knowing that you were in the biz for the years that you mentioned has "woken" me up. At this point it seems that buying the Sony 36XS955 would be a mistake. Unfortunate as it limits my options for 36" CRT HDTV w/tuners.

Thanks again for the insight.
Patrick

[gonefishin]

gonefishin' says:

You're offering this as evidence that Sony's TV sets are reliable - in spite of what I've said about them? Really? I've stated at these boards a number of times in the past, but for anyone who never read those statements, let me repeat it yet again: A good or a bad ownership experience can be had with ANY make and model of TV set ... what differentiates one brand from another is the "odds" or likelihood of one type of experience rather than the other being in significant numbers. Additionally, your father's set was built 15 years ago, when Spny's reliability was considerably better than it is today, sad to say.

What the heck?


I didn't make any outlandish claims...I didn't try to make myself out as someone I'm not...all I did was offer my experience to a given question asked.

go ahead and re-read it again if you like...




http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsth...reads.php/Cat/

The above link will bring you to Hometheaterspot. This is about the best site for contacting not only owners (like myself) to hear about their experiences or views on the set they own...but it's also a one stop shop for current certified techs and specialized for several brands of televisions.



Happy holidays all,

Dan

[gonefishin]

It just hit me what may have contributed to the comments woodman made. I have my browsing habits at AR set to the linear mode. So, when responding I just clicked on repond this post under the last post, which was Kex's (which was a reposnse to woodman's initial post). So my thread was also under the reposnses of woodman's, when it should have been under the initial post by pcoliver.

did that make any sense?

Anyway, I should have made sure my comments were responding to the initial post.

[nightflier]

Other brands that I do not recommend include:
RCA
Zenith
Philips
Panasonic

Brands to consider instead:
Toshiba
Hitachi
JVC
Sharp
Sanyo

Wood, are these in a particular order?

[woodman]

Wood, are these in a particular order?

The non-recommended list - a definite yes!

The recommended list is more of a qualified list ... qualified in light of what I said in another reply here that stated that you can have a good or a bad ownership experience with any make or model of set. Some brands (and models) are just likely to provide more positive than negative, while others are more likely to give the opposite.

[dr_deuce]

Woodman et al,

Thanks much for your time and great advice. I found this thread because I'm also a disappointed owner of a 1997 Sony Trinitron (that I bought used 6 mos ago) that is now completely dead (some online sources suggest I may have a failed flyback transformer...ugh).

I have a few questions:

1. In general, what is your view on the quality of modern tv's vs. units made 5 or 10+ years ago? The conspiracy theory is that today's tv's are disposable and built to last until just after the warranty expires, to encourage people to buy new ones (or simply because this is the most cost-optimized design). Do you buy it?

2. Old-and-proven. Is there a magic failure-less time period after which the set is going to last a long time, kind of like a test/trial phase? In other words, is the distribution of failures over time fairly uniform, or will most failures happen over a specific time interval (i.e. first 3 years)? Specifically:
- Should I consider buying (another) used Sony that hasn't failed after 10 years?
- Should I buy the 3 or 5 year service plan for a new TV?

3. Fail again? If a TV has failed once, is it worth trying to fix, or am I better off investing the $150 or so in a new unit?

4. No-name brands. Have you heard of Circuit City's ESA brand? I believe Funai makes these (they also make Emerson, Symphonic, and some other no names). Where do you rank Funai quality?

5. Toshiba vs. Sharp. They're both on your list of good tv's. Any preference?

6. Junk the Sony? I have a dead 32" Sony Trinitron with a good picture tube. It's too expensive for me to fix, but there's still enough good stuff left that I hate to totally chunk it. Do you know of any charities that accept repairable tv's? Any other ideas?

Thanks again,
Doc Deuce

[Worf101]

Thanks again for disemenating the knowledge my friend. Just a side question... what do you think of Samsung CRT's? They're not on either of your lists and I'm curious about your opinion of them since I have one in my bedroom system...

Da Worfster

[dean_martin]

I move that Woodman be given a monthly time-slot of 30min. for a lecture series on televisions that would include a brief Q&A session at the close of each "episode". In addition, Woodman's lecture series will be cataloged with a link so that all questions on the boards can be referred to the lecture series. Finally, I also move that Woodman be paid $100,000.00 per session to be paid from the AR Foundation for the Betterment of Home Entertainment Fund.

Any seconds?

[paul_pci]

I move that Woodman be given a monthly time-slot of 30min. for a lecture series on televisions that would include a brief Q&A session at the close of each "episode". In addition, Woodman's lecture series will be cataloged with a link so that all questions on the boards can be referred to the lecture series. Finally, I also move that Woodman be paid $100,000.00 per session to be paid from the AR Foundation for the Betterment of Home Entertainment Fund.

Any seconds?

I second the motion!