March 2007
TV brand repair history
See which brands have the best track record for reliability
If you're investing hundreds or thousands of dollars in a TV, you want some assurance that it will give you years of good service. To find out which brands have been most trouble-free, Consumer Reports surveys hundreds of thousands of consumers every year. Our expert survey researchers distill the real-world experiences of those thousands of users into repair history charts. Unlike the more limited information you may get from friends or online forums, these charts are statistically valid and unbiased--the most comprehensive, valuable information you can find on brand reliability.
These charts indicate the percentage of respondents who have had to repair their TV or who have experienced serious problems with it. As the financial industry likes to say, past performance is no guarantee of future performance, but it does offer valuable information as to which brands have been most reliable over time.
At this point, we have enough data to report fully only on conventional picture-tube TVs and CRT-based rear-projection TVs. We can give you an initial assessment of newer TV technologies, though, and we're compiling more complete repair histories as more consumers buy and use these sets. All the data we have apply both to analog standard-definition sets and digital high-definition models, which have shown no difference in repair rates.
The most familiar type of TV, conventional picture-tube TV sets, has generally been very reliable over time, with a low rate of repairs. For information on specific brands, see our repair history charts for 27-inch and 30- to 36-inch models (available only to ).
Data on LCD and plasma flat-panel TVs are promising. During the first year or two of use, both types appear to be as reliable as conventional picture-tube TVs, though it's too soon to know how they'll hold up over time. LCD flat panels from JVC, Magnavox, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba have had relatively low repair rates. Plasma flat panels from Fujitsu, Hitachi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, and Toshiba have also had relatively low repair rates. Philips and Vizio plasma sets have had more repairs than most. We don't yet have enough data to comment on other brands.
Our data on rear-projection sets bought new in 2005 or 2006 show that about 10 percent needed repair--three times the rate of picture-tube and flat-panel TVs. Microdisplays using LCD, DLP, or LCoS technology, which have largely replaced CRT-based models, require a special bulb. Failure of these bulbs, sometimes prematurely, has been a common problem with microdisplays, but not the only one.
These TVs have been even more repair-prone than CRT-based rear-projection TVs during their first year of operation. Our survey data show that Panasonic (LCD) and Sony (LCD and LCoS) microdisplays have been less repair-prone than most brands. RCA's DLP-based sets and JVC's LCoS-based models (which they call by their own term, D-ILA) have been more repair-prone than most microdisplays.
See which brands have the best track record for reliability
If you're investing hundreds or thousands of dollars in a TV, you want some assurance that it will give you years of good service. To find out which brands have been most trouble-free, Consumer Reports surveys hundreds of thousands of consumers every year. Our expert survey researchers distill the real-world experiences of those thousands of users into repair history charts. Unlike the more limited information you may get from friends or online forums, these charts are statistically valid and unbiased--the most comprehensive, valuable information you can find on brand reliability.
These charts indicate the percentage of respondents who have had to repair their TV or who have experienced serious problems with it. As the financial industry likes to say, past performance is no guarantee of future performance, but it does offer valuable information as to which brands have been most reliable over time.
At this point, we have enough data to report fully only on conventional picture-tube TVs and CRT-based rear-projection TVs. We can give you an initial assessment of newer TV technologies, though, and we're compiling more complete repair histories as more consumers buy and use these sets. All the data we have apply both to analog standard-definition sets and digital high-definition models, which have shown no difference in repair rates.
The most familiar type of TV, conventional picture-tube TV sets, has generally been very reliable over time, with a low rate of repairs. For information on specific brands, see our repair history charts for 27-inch and 30- to 36-inch models (available only to ).
Data on LCD and plasma flat-panel TVs are promising. During the first year or two of use, both types appear to be as reliable as conventional picture-tube TVs, though it's too soon to know how they'll hold up over time. LCD flat panels from JVC, Magnavox, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba have had relatively low repair rates. Plasma flat panels from Fujitsu, Hitachi, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, and Toshiba have also had relatively low repair rates. Philips and Vizio plasma sets have had more repairs than most. We don't yet have enough data to comment on other brands.
Our data on rear-projection sets bought new in 2005 or 2006 show that about 10 percent needed repair--three times the rate of picture-tube and flat-panel TVs. Microdisplays using LCD, DLP, or LCoS technology, which have largely replaced CRT-based models, require a special bulb. Failure of these bulbs, sometimes prematurely, has been a common problem with microdisplays, but not the only one.
These TVs have been even more repair-prone than CRT-based rear-projection TVs during their first year of operation. Our survey data show that Panasonic (LCD) and Sony (LCD and LCoS) microdisplays have been less repair-prone than most brands. RCA's DLP-based sets and JVC's LCoS-based models (which they call by their own term, D-ILA) have been more repair-prone than most microdisplays.
