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Which last longer? I was told that the LED would outlast the LCD

by Kevin
(Summerfield, NC)

I was told that I need to buy a extended warranty because the LCD engine would burn out in 3 or 4 years and cost $900.00 to replace or I could buy the LED and the engine would last much longer and would be worth the extra initial investment in light of the LCD engine not lasting as long.

I have also been told that these products last 60,000 hours which is 6.8 years at 24 hours a day. I was encouraged to buy a expensive surge protector because of the sensitive nature of the produce and the dirty power - fluctuations that will damage the electronics. I told the salesman that I was still using a SONY Trinitron that I bought before Jimmy Carter was elected and had no problems with it except that the screen is 19" .

What is your opinion? I am having a hard time deciding on Plasma, LCD or LED. The picture quality difference is minimal. Trying to sort out fact from being steered toward a higher commission product is the problem. I am to the point of going to Costco and purchasing a 46" Sharp to avoid the salesman confusion. I think they make more money selling the extended warranty than on the TV. Costco doubles the warranty to 2 years and don't seem to give a hoot which TV you buy- they say see which brand looks the best to you in your price range put it in the basket and write a check-no financing. I just need to know what to put in the basket. Please advise a non-tech viewer that wants to buy a bigger screen for viewing sports and movies. Thank you.

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Reply by Andrew Ghigo

As stated elsewhere on the site, CCFL LCD TVs come with a rated lifetime of 60,000hrs to 100,000hrs while LED LCD TVs have a rated life of around 100,000hrs. In either case, these represent a life that is anything between three to five times that of the good old CRT TV.

Note however that these rated lifetimes refer to the display panel only and not the electronics inside. The display panel lifetime represents the time by which the display brightness would fall to a level (half the original value) that is no longer suitable for normal viewing due to the deterioration of the elements making the display, due to use.

Any failure of the electronics inside an HDTV is independent on the display technology and is in no way related to the display panel being LED, CCFL LCD, or plasma.

As to the 'LCD engine' and 'LED engine' mentioned by the sales reps, this is more of a misnomer. There is no such engine inside as is the case with rear projection TVs. Apart from the display panel, it is all electronics and no moving parts.

So if you would like to know my opinion... I would encourage you to choose an HDTV that best suits your needs - one that delivers a picture you like and that falls within your budget.

There are a few differences though between plasma and LCDs (LEDs are also LCD TVs) that are more related to use rather than picture quality and that may render one technology better than the other under certain circumstances; I suggest to read the following plasma vs. LCD TV article on this site for more information.

But otherwise, technology should not be much of an issue when choosing your HDTV.

As to the extended warranty matter, I would not take an extended warranty on a new HDTV - these are more of a way for the retailer to make even more money. There is the manufacturer's warranty and that should be more than enough with any major brand. If one where to see a TV expected failure rate pattern, failures would normally crop up either during the first few months of use - in which case, it would be covered by the manufacturer's warranty, or after a few years of use, in which case any extended warranty would have already expired.

But extended warranty is like taking an insurance cover - it all depends how much you are ready to pay to cover any additional risk.

Hope this helps!

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