Poll

15 votes were received.
All visitors can vote.

What would you do?

	Keep the 42"
	Buy another TCL
	Spend more for a Samsung
	Spend even more for a Sony

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I bought my 65" TCL Roku TV 5 Thanksgivings ago. This week, wife was watching and the screen would not come on.

I unplugged it for 3 minutes and plugged it back in.

Got on Reddit, not uncommon, found its probably a dead backlight, but some troubleshooting might reset/revive it.

No go.

Called TCL, did some more troubleshooting, hold down the reset button for 20 seconds..... nothing.
"I'm sorry sir, we've gone over all the troubleshooting, and your TV is out of warranty."
"Can you refer me to a local tech?"
"Unfortunately, we cannot do that"
Found some local tech's online, minimum to open up is $120. Backlight replacement would be $220, minus the inspection, so $220 total. I would need to take it to the shop.

It's Super Bowl Season, TVs are on sale.... 65" TCL or Hisense are .... $398, same as I paid 5 years ago.

OTOH, I've got a 10 year old 42" in the spare bedroom, and 22" 1080p monitor storage to replace the 42"....
Maybe spend a little more and get a Samsung or Sony? I think I will avoid TCL, not so much for the cost, but for the e-waste!

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

I don't think TCL ewaste is any different then the others. Televisions have become a throwaway commodity. Spending more doesn't mean it will last any longer. My son has a Emerson set he got free that is still going strong seven years later. He also has a Samsung that needed a new LCD in less than a year (warranty covered it after an argument)

My advice, If you were satisfied with TCL picture quality and features, then replace it with another TCL. If you will feel more secure with a another brand, then switch. The cost difference isn't that much - especially spread over five years. Just don't expect any major difference in build quality.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Buy whatever is on sale.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

I have a couple of TCL Roku TVs. One 55" and another that's 32". The 32" is a few years old and starting having diagonal lines across the screen. Went through the whole process you did with TCL and wound up finding a fix on Google that sorta works. I kind of think of these TVs as throwaway boxes. I've read that these TVs last about 5 yrs max so I'd say buy another.

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JoeM

.....have one TCL and when I first got it, it was great......now 'dimming' issues.....I have to set to lower or it 'blinks'......sometimes I turn on, and it is 'blank' like it was never turned on.......


....yes TCL is throw away but all my past TVs still work on some level.....better to spend on a quality TV like Sony or LG......but if you like that it is disposable (may last 5-7 years) then buy another TCL.....


.....don't buy Samsung.....I had one and it was the worst because Samsung uses cheap capacitors and the TV started having issues.....if you google you will see a lot of people had issues....they would not repair it for free......

.....my next TV will be either Sony or LG.....

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

What Ombligo said. Ewaste is ewaste, no matter the brand. If you think something will lats longer, good luck.

Sadly, 5 years is prob a pretty good run for Tvs from that era. Replace with whatever.

We have 4 TCLs, but only 5 years old, a 55" rarely used. Our 50" get the most use, but only 3 years old. Would buy again.

Im not sure Im reading your post correctly... you said its 65" and paid $400 for it... 5 *years* ago? I don't remember 65: being that cheap back then.

fwiw: [www.rtings.com]

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

As others here have said, it's a throwaway like virtually everything else we buy now.

I like my TCL. When it comes time to replace, i'll be looking to see what TCL currently offers.

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Mr. Lahey: A lot of people, don’t know how to drink. They drink against the grain of the liquor. And when you drink against the grain of the liquor? You lose.

Randy: What the @#$%& are you talking about?

Quote
Ombligo
Televisions have become a throwaway commodity. Spending more doesn't mean it will last any longer.

Incorrect. I recently sold my seven year old 65" LG OLED TV to my brother and upgraded to a new 65" LG OLED TV. The TV I sold him looked as good and worked as well as the day I bought it.

If you buy a $500 TV, you get a $500 TV. You get what you pay for.

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It is what it is.

Once you’ve had a 65” or 68” or 72” screen in a particular room, it’s difficult to go back to watching a 42”. It looks like a toy. Get another cheapie.

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N-OS X-tasy!
...You get what you pay for.

For a one-off item, I don't mind cheaping out - but for something more substantial (especially if its future disposal, like a large piece of electronics, itself is a hassle) I have no problem spending a bit more for quality.

We love our LG 65" OLED. If you are going to update, that is where I would go. The main advantage of OLED is the viewing angle. I sit at a 45 degree angle all the time, and the screen is crisp and bright.

Hisense has been good to me for low-end. Viewing angle is tough tho.

Only thing with OLED is they will burn in, so if you leave your TV paused or on something static, I wouldn't go that way. Otherwise OLED is the best image, followed by QLED (for most people, plain old LED is fine though)

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Quote
Ombligo
Only thing with OLED is they will burn in, so if you leave your TV paused or on something static, I wouldn't go that way. Otherwise OLED is the best image, followed by QLED (for most people, plain old LED is fine though)

LG OLEDs from the 2020 model year on are much less susceptible to burn-in than previous models. Having said that, my previous 2017 OLED had no burn-in at all.

An OLED is not the best choice if any of the below are true of your viewing area/habits:

- If you watch content that has static elements onscreen for extended periods of time. This is the leading cause of burn-in.

- If any portion of the display screen will be exposed to direct sunlight. The organic components of OLED cells break down in direct sunlight.

- If your viewing area is extremely bright. LCDs fare better in such an environment.

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It is what it is.

have a 55" TCL S4 of about the same age, knock silicon, still good.

if you're adventurous, and there is any LED on (could be peeking thru the vents too), it might be worth having a look at and disconnecting the power supply overnight.

But only if you see an LED lit in the set and you're adventurous.
Fixed our 2007 Sharp Aquos replacing a inadequately sized resistor in the PS some years ago. It's still making pictures.

Otherwise, probably a tosser, unfortunately. Hopefully, you have ecycling where you are, although what happens to ecycled stuff in many places is suspect.

How long any new TV will last is a crap shoot no matter the brand.
Me, I'd buy a TCL again or a Vizio. They're less expen$ive and from what I've seen, every bit as good as Samsmung or Balony.
Parts is parts with TVs. One company makes PS and sells to everyone.
One makes backlight, one makes panels (LG mostly) and the badged company just puts it in a case, if they even do that.

65" TVs sell for $400-$700 . It's not like an M1, the car or the Mac.
Wouldn't bother with 8K.

Whatever you get, make sure it has plenty of breathing room.
Heat kills TVs.

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!#$@@$#!

Nolite manducare flavo.

Quote
N-OS X-tasy!

Quote
Ombligo
Only thing with OLED is they will burn in, so if you leave your TV paused or on something static, I wouldn't go that way. Otherwise OLED is the best image, followed by QLED (for most people, plain old LED is fine though)

LG OLEDs from the 2020 model year on are much less susceptible to burn-in than previous models. Having said that, my previous 2017 OLED had no burn-in at all.

An OLED is not the best choice if any of the below are true of your viewing area/habits:

- If you watch content that has static elements onscreen for extended periods of time. This is the leading cause of burn-in.

- If any portion of the display screen will be exposed to direct sunlight. The organic components of OLED cells break down in direct sunlight.

- If your viewing area is extremely bright. LCDs fare better in such an environment.

We're just about to replace an ancient 42", stand mounted LG, w/ a 60"-65" wall mounted TBD TV in the bedroom. Only viewing will be from the bed, so no drastic angles to be concerned with. Maybe Rolando and I can get a 2fer?

Actually, jumped in cuz the football game has a persistent banner on the bottom, and some basketball games also have persistent elements onscreen.... Is stuff like that gonna make the TV susceptible to burn-in? Otherwise, no direct sunlight, or excessive brightness in the bedroom.
==

Quote
Buzz

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N-OS X-tasy!

Quote
Ombligo
Only thing with OLED is they will burn in, so if you leave your TV paused or on something static, I wouldn't go that way. Otherwise OLED is the best image, followed by QLED (for most people, plain old LED is fine though)

LG OLEDs from the 2020 model year on are much less susceptible to burn-in than previous models. Having said that, my previous 2017 OLED had no burn-in at all.

An OLED is not the best choice if any of the below are true of your viewing area/habits:

- If you watch content that has static elements onscreen for extended periods of time. This is the leading cause of burn-in.

- If any portion of the display screen will be exposed to direct sunlight. The organic components of OLED cells break down in direct sunlight.

- If your viewing area is extremely bright. LCDs fare better in such an environment.

We're just about to replace an ancient 42", stand mounted LG, w/ a 60"-65" wall mounted TBD TV in the bedroom. Only viewing will be from the bed, so no drastic angles to be concerned with. Maybe Rolando and I can get a 2fer?

Actually, jumped in cuz the football game has a persistent banner on the bottom, and some basketball games also have persistent elements onscreen.... Is stuff like that gonna make the TV susceptible to burn-in? Otherwise, no direct sunlight, or excessive brightness in the bedroom.
==

No, a couple of hours of that type of use at a time won't cause burn-in. The type of folks who leave their TV set to, say, Fox News for 8+ hours a day every day are the folks I'm talking about.

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It is what it is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2024 04:39PM by N-OS X-tasy!.

You may've seen this:


[www.youtube.com]

Once you’ve had a 65” or 68” or 72” screen in a particular room, it’s difficult to go back to watching a 42”.


I've taken this as Gospel even before I got my 32" Sony Trinitron.

I've always known that a BIG screen would be visual crunch for me, having seen the Videobeam and Sony front projection TVs, way back.

Eyes must be averted when walking into Costco.

My next TV will be 65" or bust.

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I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

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Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

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N-OS X-tasy!

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Ombligo
Televisions have become a throwaway commodity. Spending more doesn't mean it will last any longer.

Incorrect. I recently sold my seven year old 65" LG OLED TV to my brother and upgraded to a new 65" LG OLED TV. The TV I sold him looked as good and worked as well as the day I bought it.

If you buy a $500 TV, you get a $500 TV. You get what you pay for.

Yep. Splurged (for me) on a LG OLED 55” seven years ago and it still works great.

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Mike Sellers

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N-OS X-tasy!

Quote
Ombligo
Televisions have become a throwaway commodity. Spending more doesn't mean it will last any longer.

Incorrect. I recently sold my seven year old 65" LG OLED TV to my brother and upgraded to a new 65" LG OLED TV. The TV I sold him looked as good and worked as well as the day I bought it.

If you buy a $500 TV, you get a $500 TV. You get what you pay for.

Yep. Splurged (for me) on a LG OLED 55” seven years ago and it still works great.

As does my son's seven-year-old cheapo Emerson that he won in a raffle. Everything works until it doesn't. Five years +/- seems to be the average life though.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

….I don’t want no scrub……

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!