Repair or upgrade

[shuv]

My Samsung plasma 50C550 has the pink/purple coloration issue. On a white/light background its very prominent. Otherwise its okay.

A Sammy engineer visited yesterday and said that the panel needs to be replaced. He quoted around 25k. I forgot to ask him about warranty on the new panel though.

Now, my question is repair or upgrade? Keeping in mind that I bought the unit for about 70k in 2010, does it make sense to spend 25k now? Even if the new panel is good for lets say another three years, the other components are already three years old. Would they hold up for the next three years?

If I decide to upgrade, then opens a whole new can of worms. What to get? Obviously something bigger than 50

Apparently you cannot buy a basic TV these days even if you want to! I don't need 3D, facebook, media player, wifi or an app that scratches my bottom when I want. I just want a TV with the most important feature, good PQ. Sales guys totally ignore the reason why I want a TV...to watch er TV? I don't want my TV to mate with my phone. What would I do with that offspring?

Rant over!

Now, what to buy? Plasma? LED? Brands? Models? I'm not going to spend 250k on a TV. I would rather buy a Nano and mount it on the bloody wall. 150k is okay. It would hurt but its okay.

Rant finally over.

For now.

Thanks for reading guys, waiting for your inputs.

P.S. Reliance Digital has offered 20k as exchange value, but I think the offer is time bound.

 

[Swarna Surjya Chakraborty]

Hi,
25K is a big investment but that does not guarantee you another 3 years or more. It is frustrating to learn that a plasma panel lose shine in just 3 years. If you can afford to invest, go for a replacement. Try Samsung 51 inch F5500 plasma @75K approx.
20K is good for an old panel but bargain hard to improve that amount.

 

[sgmane]

For a replacement panel there is warranty and that too limited time period. One of the FM here changed his panel (brand Sony) and got a 6 month warranty or so. But he has mentioned that with hard bargain he got a warranty.
But then again - whatever new TV you go, these electronics build quality do not last longer. A sammy engineer who i contacted very recently - did inform me that almost most of the TV's now-a-days have quality issues. The "true colours" of the TV shall show you once the warranty period is over. Even brand's like Sony have issues. Ultimately its your luck if you can have the reliability of the product for longer years just like we had those CRT display's for decades which are still going strong in some houses.
Now that your Sammy had gone dead, you may choose with other brands and try your luck this time.

 

[shuv]

Thanks for the replies Swarna Surjya and Sgmane.

I called up the Sammy engineer and asked about warranty on the new panel. It comes with a grand warranty of one month only. Mighty generous of Samsung I must say.

So, a new TV it is!

Any recommendations people? Should I stick to Plasma or try out the LED thingy?

Usage is mostly Tata Sky SD channels with four or five HD movies a week.

Would like to get something bigger than the current 50.

P.S. There was a misunderstanding with Reliance Digital. 20k buy back value is only applicable to used LEDs. Rant time I guess!

 

[Swarna Surjya Chakraborty]

Thanks for the replies Swarna Surjya and Sgmane.

I called up the Sammy engineer and asked about warranty on the new panel. It comes with a grand warranty of one month only. Mighty generous of Samsung I must say.

So, a new TV it is!

Any recommendations people? Should I stick to Plasma or try out the LED thingy?

Usage is mostly Tata Sky SD channels with four or five HD movies a week.

Would like to get something bigger than the current 50.

P.S. There was a misunderstanding with Reliance Digital. 20k buy back value is only applicable to used LEDs. Rant time I guess!

You are already a Plasma User..are you not happy with it? Plasma is primarily advised for better color rendering and black levels while LEDs for the brighter picture. Choose your preference wisely.
For bigger screen plasma is advised because of low price to screen size ratio.

For Plasma...Go for Panasonic ST or VT( if available ) or Samsung Series 8 64 inch PS64F8500ARLXL coming at 2L approx.

For LEDs..stick to SONY BRAVIA W950 series or SAMSUNG Series 8 for the best in class PQ.

 

[shuv]

Am a plasma fan boy. My other TV is a Panasonic G10

Since the TV is for my parents' use, the LCDs would be TIR free. That is the only reason for looking at LCDs.

Thinking of writing a stinker to Samsung India. Lets see what they have to say.


Edit: Just checked the usage hours. 6016 hours and the TV was advertised as 50000 hours to half life!

 

[shuv]

Well, have written to Samsung. Waiting for their response.

In the mean time, what are the models that I should consider? For a 55" LCD.

There is roughly a 70k difference between some models. Is the amount worth it?

 

[sanjub22]

Re: Repair or upgrade ( My Pana PV8 dies )

Hi guys ,

Have a similar problem .

My Panasonic plasma TH 42PV8 dies only after 4 years of service. It had been diagnosed with a main board problem (the technician didnt even open the back lid ) and then I have been given an estimation of 20k for the board replacement which will come with a mere 6 months guarantee. So need your valuable comments guys... would it be a worth choice to spend 20k for a parts replacement ? Any PV8 holder had a similar issue and a solution ?

Sanju

 

[shuv]

A FM's PV8 main board was replaced under warranty quite a few years ago. Its still going strong.

But spending 20k on a four year old PV8? I personally wouldn't do that. Why not write to Panasonic support and see what they suggest. 20k sounds a bit high for the mainboard as the 50" 1080p replacement panel from Samsung costs 21k.

 

[sanjub22]

A FM's PV8 main board was replaced under warranty quite a few years ago. Its still going strong.

But spending 20k on a four year old PV8? I personally wouldn't do that. Why not write to Panasonic support and see what they suggest. 20k sounds a bit high for the mainboard as the 50" 1080p replacement panel from Samsung costs 21k.

Completely agreed ... Pana support is also quoting the same price after tax and they couldn't confirm me anything on the guarantee... they were trying to avoid that aspect and most surprisingly ... encouraging me to go for a new one rather than replacing the mother board. So , I guess , I have decided to discard the PV8 off .... and perhaps going for Sony KDL 42W650A ... no more experimenting with other brands ....

 

[shuv]

The Panchanantala Panasonic shop has some older TVs. You could give them a call. And, tell them to give you some kind of decent buyback on the PV8.

I also have to buy a TV soon. How about kind of a group buy? We could bargain hard I guess.

 

[sanjub22]

The Panchanantala Panasonic shop has some older TVs. You could give them a call. And, tell them to give you some kind of decent buyback on the PV8.

I also have to buy a TV soon. How about kind of a group buy? We could bargain hard I guess.

Did that already dada ..... but I am in no mood to buy another Panasonic ... moreover ... have finalized Sony W650A from Reliance Digital (of Avani Mall Howrah ) who has offered me around 68k for the 650A + BDP S1100 . And as this is completely unplanned and sudden .... I had to go with a 4-14 EMI plan from Bajaj which is available in Reliance Digital ..... the only last thing I have to do is to negotiate with them a bit for the dead body of my Pana PV8 .... the above price is excluding that exchange... they agreed initially but the salesman couldnt commit any price to me as I went there on the verge of shutting down the shop and the manager perhaps has left by then ....