Samsung vs. Sony: The big difference is quality
by Bob
(Mesquite, TX)
Over the past 5 years, I have noticed that Samsung tends to use cheap materials in building their displays, and quality suffers.
If you look back at the LED-DLP offerings, one of the big challenges Samsung had from a quality standpoint was that there was a cheap plastic shroud inside the unit that would tear loose.
Likewise, I own two Samsung PC monitors. One I bought in 2005, and it has had on-going periodic power supply issues. Neither Dell (the reseller) nor Samsung (the OEM) has been willing to fix the problem. The second monitor is also a Dell / Samsung, and the power button has broken off twice. The first time, the monitor was under warranty, and they replaced it. The button just broke again a few weeks ago -- obviously a design defect.
Speaking to both of these experiences, and having experienced quality issues with other Samsung products including DVD players, cell phones, laptops, and the like, I would be hesitant to spend the kind of money on this HDTV.
On the other hand, I've owned a Sony rear-projection (standard-def) 53" TV since 1999 and have had ZERO problems.
In doing some research, Samsung has nearly a 6% defect rate, and no clear plan around how to manage it once the customer purchases a defective product. On the other hand, Sony has a less than 1% defect rate, and replacement is handled directly by Sony.
Bottom line: Sony has a high level of quality and stands behind their product. Samsung does not.
