Am I getting ripped off?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Yes salespeople get a commission on selling an extended warranty but at ~$75 per year I think they are a bargain.In-home warranties cover everything and they come to your house to pick it up,if they can't repair the tv then they will replace it.
My backlight on my LCD went out after 1.5 years but my extended warranty covered it.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/news/november-2006/why-you-dont-need-an-exten...anty-11-06.htm

[samijubal]

Yes salespeople get a commission on selling an extended warranty but at ~$50 per year they are a bargain.In-home warranties cover everything and they come to your house to pick it up,if they can't repair the tv then they will replace it.
My backlight on my LCD went out after 1.5 years but my extended warranty covered it.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/news/november-2006/why-you-dont-need-an-exten...anty-11-06.htm

Had you used a credit card and the TV had the standard 1 year warranty, it would have been covered anyway. At 3% in 3 years, you've got to be pretty unlucky to need an extended warranty. Most breakdowns happen in the first 3 months or so. Of course that 3% would go up with off brands, that applies to name brands. Panasonic plasmas are very reliable TVs, doubtful you'd ever need an extended warranty. With the price of TVs coming down fast, by the time the 2 years are up a new TV will probably only be about twice what a warranty would cost.

[orsetto]

If the OP cannot fix his Hitachi or find another RPTV, then a Panasonic plasma would be the closest in quality in that price range (LCD looks godawful to anyone used to RPTV). RPTV hdtv received a premature burial not due to unreliability but because consumers are totally fixated by the concept of hanging a TV on the wall, despite the plain fact most LCDs and many plasmas look like total shit displaying standard-def cable, OTA, and home-recorded DVD. I was just in Circuit City and Best Buy last night and could not believe how dismal all the flat panels were- horrendous motion artifacts and jaggies galore which would only disappear when the broadcast shifted back to full HDTV (usually during commercials or sports). Those who wonder why BluRay can't get off the ground need only to look at what people are willing to accept as displays: 40% of US viewers are watching standard def cable on enormous flat panels too large for their living room, and are perfectly satisfied with the experience. Yucch.

Reliability is a relative factor when weighed against performance. I don't mind replacing a bulb every two years if I have a fully satisfying TV, while a rock-solid LCD panel that gives me a headache viewing TCM is worthless. The problem here is we are not allowed choices of anything anymore because mfrs treat the marketplace like "American Idol" and refuse to sell anything that isn't a total "winner". RPTVs were *just* on the cusp of big refinements when they were pulled from the market (the Sony model recently bought by LS is a good example), and a couple of mfrs had begun to introduce models driven by durable LED lamps: no burnout. The LED system needed one more generation to work out some bugs, but RPTV had the rug pulled from under it and we'll never see that evolution now. A shame: RPTV was a good alternative for those who find LCD and plasma unwatchable. Plasma is also rapidly disappearing as an option: note Pioneers pullout and the dearth of non-huge plasmas at stores. LCDs rule the roost no matter how rotten they often look: relief may come in the form of the much-improved OLED panels, but practical large screen sizes are still some years off and will be pricey. What to do in the meantime...

[samijubal]

It's not just lamps in RPTVs. Many people complain of having to replace optical blocks 2 or 3 times and some even more than that. Sony is one of the worst for optical blocks going bad. People are right to go for the more reliable flat panels and stay away from RPTVs. The RPTVs may give good bang for the buck but in the end they cost more because of the high operating cost.

I haven't seen anything that looks unwatchable on my Panny plasma. There was stuff like VHS that was just too lousy to watch on a CRT, that stuff actually looks better on my plasmas than it did on CRT.

[lgh529]

...I was just in Circuit City and Best Buy last night and could not believe how dismal all the flat panels were- horrendous motion artifacts and jaggies galore which would only disappear when the broadcast shifted back to full HDTV (usually during commercials or sports).

I would not make a judgment of TV quality because you saw a crappy picture at BestBuy. Remember that the minimum wage employees that work there rarely know how to set up a TV system. I've seen some displays that I knew were fantastic, but looked horrible in the BestBuy store.

...Plasma is also rapidly disappearing as an option: note Pioneers pullout and the dearth of non-huge plasmas at stores...

Huh? Haven't you seen the new Pioneer Kuro displays? Pioneer is still going full throttle on plasma. I attended the InfoComm trade show in June and saw hundreds of display with all types of technologies. In my opinion, the Pioneer Kuro displays beat any LCD panel out there. The black levels are so deep, you couldn't tell the display was even on unless there was non black content.

Even some companies like Sanyo who have been exclusively LCD panel manufacturers are expanding into other technologies, like DLP light engines for their projectors.

So to say LCD is that only thing we're going to see the store is a bit short sighted

[video_man2008]

I wouldn't get an extended warranty if I we're you,It's a scam really.

[edDV]

I wouldn't get an extended warranty if I we're you,It's a scam really.

Imagine yourself in the warranty biz. You would use best psychology theory to sell policies for times when failures are least likely (e.g. 13-36 months) then rely on lawyers to minimize payment.

[jagabo]

I would not make a judgment of TV quality because you saw a crappy picture at BestBuy.

Our local Fry's has a way over-compressed HD signal feeding all the HDTVs on the main floor -- there are big macroblock artifacts everywhere. The SD signal that feeds them is actually an interlaced source converted to 720p without any deinterlacing. So all the HDTVs show huge interlace comb artifacts when viewing SD!

[samijubal]

Pioneer didn't pull out of plasma, they just stopped making thier own panels and started using Panasonic panels.

Sanyo doesn't sell only LCDs, they also sell plasmas. I don't know if they actually manufacter the plasmas but they definitely sell them.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Had you used a credit card and the TV had the standard 1 year warranty, it would have been covered anyway.

Unfortunately my CC wasn't one of them.Only AmEx,MC Platinum and Visa Signature cards offer the extended warranty but they don't cover in-home service.

[CapeKO]

Just purchased a 50" Panasonic plasma from Costco.
They double the warranty to 2 years, plus 90 days return.

[samijubal]

The Panny 50" PX80U is $999 at Fry's again now.

[Trident5]

You might want to try your local second hand or salvation army store..you just might find the whole tv there doesnt matter if its beat up ya just rip out the part ya need and take the rest. ya never know what ya might find at these places. a couple months back went with a friend to a salvation army he didnt have alot of money so just wanted to see what he could pick up. while we were looking at the tv's they rolled out a 60 inch from the back. now im going wow as i look at the price tag only 500.00 the go oh im sorry sir thats wrong, its only 50.00. were like does it work he goes ya great picture well we check it out sure enough its a bute and my bud goes home with a 60 inch tv jeez should of gone shopping on my own lol.. like i said ya never know chk around ya might find a bargain.