I just realised that I may be lucky to have a TV that’s lasted 10 years and nine months so far. It’s had one breakdown (maybe six months ago) but that was fixed in a day for a pittance. The picture is as good as ever, as is the sound. No colour distortions or snowfall.
Am I lucky? How long does a TV generally last? If you replaced your TV voluntarily, to get a bigger one or a widescreen one or one with blue go-fasta stripes you’re disqualified. Only TVs that crashed (or have yet to crash after a long time) are in the running.
You’re not alone… we’ve had our TV for just over a decade and never had a problem with it. We didn’t even buy the darned thing, I won it playing bingo when I was 8
TVs are extremely reliable nowadays; if they don’t fail in the first three months, they’ll last for years. (Probably one reason for the push for HDTV). I had one set for maybe 20 years and it worked fine.
Fifteen years here. An RCA. It finally developed the most irritating BUZZZZZZ and we couldn’t stand it anymore. The picture was fine. Perfect, in fact. But our new one is really awesome. We were just remarking last night on the clarity of the picture. I wish I could remember the brand name. Maybe JVC?
Until about a year ago, my mom had a TV that had been in the family 30 years. Color was still pretty good, too. Don’t think it even had a brand name on the front.
My family got its first color TV in 1968 (Zenith), about two years before I was born. We had that TV until about 1981. Its replacement, also a Zenith, lasted about 15 years. I don’t even remember the brand my parents are using now, but they’ve had it for about 6 or 7 years.
I got my first TV when I was 13 in 1983. It was a Sharp model. It lasted until 2001, at which time I turned it on one night but it never came up. I then detected that eletrical burning smell and realized it was coming from my TV that had just died. I now have a Philips in its place.
My wife bought the 19" color TV that’s in our kitchen in 1984; it still works fine, but its not hooked to cable (it only accepts the first 50 channels on cable).
My husband bought a 25’’ Sanyo about twenty years ago. Thing is damn near indestructible. We once dropped it from atop a table onto a hard floor. The case cracked, but it still worked.
My grandmother’s had the same TV for almost thirty years.
I spilled beer all over the back vents of a TV once. I could hear that beer sizzling away! It continued to work, though slightly brighter and less contrasty. I was amazed.
I think the TV I have now is nearly 10 years old. I took it back and forth to college many, many times.
I sold a 20 year old 25" Sony console set to someone last year for $150. Still bright, colorful and sharp. The only problem was the tuner died some years ago, which isn’t a problem if you use a cable box or VCR to do the channel-changing.
Not sure what’s more amazing - that it’s still working after 20 years, or that I got $150 for it.
The 4 year old 19" GE set that’s in the bedroom isn’t aging very well at all. Half the time, it’s in black and white when we turn it on. Turning it off and back on restores the color. :dubious:
Bought a Toshiba 19" in 1976. Got over 20 years of everyday use out of it. Then still used it on occasion until last year. A fine set.
I am a DIY electronics repairer, so I “take care of things”. Safe usage, regular cleaning, the odd adjustment. So it takes something serious to get me to throw something out.
A GE I bought in the late 80s only lasted about 5 years. Never again. My JVC 27" started having problems within 5 years. Egad, JVC has gone so downhill. So far no problem with a recent Sanyo.
Note that TVs built in the last 6 years or so are generally very cheaply made and won’t last like my Toshiba.
We had a Sanyo that went approx 17 years before the tube blew when a station, for some reason, broadcast a signal that filled the screen with all blank white.
Up until then, it really kept its color and contrast very well.
I have a 25-inch Magnavox with picture-in-picture that I got as a display model around 10 years ago. Never a problem with it. In our basement (for treadmill-use watching) there’s a 19-inch TV (not sure of the brand at the moment) that’s around 30 years old. Works fine, but the volume doesn’t adjust that well anymore.
