How long do TVs last? (HDTV's)

cnet.com ^ | February 23, 2012 | Geoffrey Morrison

[Las Vegas Dave]

One reader asked about the lifespan of modern televisions, but first we need to discuss what manufacturers mean by "lifespan."

CNET Reader Dadar asks:

Are the "lifespan" claims by manufacturers proper? I've read numbers ranging from 50,000 hours to 100,000 hours, often with plasma TVs at the higher end of that scale compared to LED and CCFL LCDs.

I would have thought, being solid-state devices, light emitting diodes would have had a greater lifespan than their fluorescent counterparts. Hearsay also puts plasma at the bottom, but numbers I've found show the opposite? Are any of these true?

All claims by manufacturers should be taken with a grain of salt, but you pose an excellent question.

The first thing we need to discuss is what manufacturers mean by "lifespan." This doesn't mean that after a certain amount of use, the TV will just stop working. This rating has nothing to do with parts or warranty coverage. Most manufacturers don't even mention lifespan on their Web sites.

What they're talking about is brightness. The generally accepted method for measuring lifespan is the number of hours of use until the TV is half as bright as it was when new ("half brightness"). The TV is still watchable, it's just not as bright. Nearly all new TVs are very bright, so they'll largely be watchable at the end of their "lifespan" ratings, assuming no other issues.

The fact is this: all TVs get dimmer with age. How many years it will take before it's unwatchable depends on a lot of factors. A few generalizations can be made, though. For one, the brighter the TV, the shorter its life. Turning down the TV's backlight control, or turning down the contrast control on a plasma, will extend its life (and lower your electric bill). Will watching a dim TV give you mediocre enjoyment for 30 years? Probably not, but it will help.

What's the longest lasting TV tech? Hard to say. Plasmas are often the only technology that even lists lifespan, and this is almost always a claimed 100,000 hours. The florescent lamps in CCFL-based LCDs age just like any other florescent lamp, and I've seen them rated for 30,000 to 60,000 hours (sometimes more). The "white" LEDs used in LED LCDs will also dim over time. There is little published data on LED lifespan (as in, the companies aren't talking), but it's assumed to be similar to CCFLs.

As far as the long awaited OLED TVs hopefully out later this year, there's no hard numbers, either. However, blue LED longevity was always a major factor holding back the technology (as in blue dimmed faster than red and green). In talking with OLED manufacturers, I've been told that blue lifespan is now in line with other TV technologies, which is why we're seeing OLED TVs now instead of five years ago.

What do these numbers mean? Well if we go with these numbers (all we have, at the moment), and you watch 5 hours of TV every day, a plasma will reach half brightness in around 54 years. Even the lower rating on LCDs would mean 16 years before half brightness. If you watch more TV than that, well, the math is pretty easy. Even running 24 hours a day, you're still looking at more than 10 years with a plasma till half-brightness.

To be fair, each technology ages differently, and not entirely equally. CNET TV reviewer David Katzmeier is doing longevity testing with plasmas, with interesting results. There have been reports of some LED LCDs experiencing a color shift as they age. There are multiple CCFLs in LCDs that use them, and while they're likely to age in a similar fashion, it's possible they won't, leading to dim areas of the screen (horizontally). But again, we're talking many, many years of use before this is even a possibility.

Keep in mind that with LCDs, what's aging is the backlight (both CCFL and LED). In extreme cases, the LCD layer itself can age, but it's largely the backlight that's the issue. Technically, you can replace the backlight of an LCD, but I dare anyone to prove that this is remotely cost effective. You're better off just buying a new TV.

And that, as much as it's sure to anger many, is the overriding advice here. Plasmas and LCDs are reliable and long-lived. Will they last as long as that ancient console CRT you've had in the basement since the '70s? Maybe, maybe not, but why would you want them to? Ten years ago, flat-panel TVs were incredibly expensive and looked like crap. Today, they're cheap and gorgeous. Imagine what amazing 70-inch 4K OLED you'll be able to buy 10 years from now. TVs get larger, cheaper, and better every year. So even if your TV "only" lasts seven years, you'll be able to replace it for far less money than you paid for it with something that performs even better.

In other words, don't worry about lifespan.

[Las Vegas Dave]

HDTV pings!

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[Las Vegas Dave]

BONUS article for the ping list.

Over-the-Air TV Catches Second Wind, Aided by Web

It’s cool to have rabbit ears again.

Largely relegated to obscurity decades ago, old-fashioned television broadcasts—over the airwaves and not via cable or satellite—are enjoying an unexpected revival in the digital era.

With an increased array of online-video programming now drawing viewers’ attention, companies are starting to pitch consumers on complementing online video streamed from the Web with broadcast-TV signals as a way to save money on cable subscriptions.

If it gains traction, this trend could undercut part of the rationale for selling off TV spectrum in voluntary auctions, approved by Congress on Friday, aimed at freeing up spectrum for wireless broadband.

There are signs that consumers are responding. TV-antenna seller Richard Schneider of St. Louis says sales at his company are soaring. Mr. Schneider’s Antennas Direct sold 70,000 antennas in January, and he expects to double last year’s sales of about 600,000. That was up from 400,000 antennas in 2010.

< snip - click on the below link >
http://moneyland.time.com/2012/02/21/the-return-of-television-rabbit-ears/

[James C. Bennett]

These days, engineering timed obsolescence into devices and products is a highly specialised operation. Ever notice that bright pink substrate under metallic-looking phones? That is done to stand out as the products experiences wear with use, making it appear visibly obsolete within a certain time span. Likewise, components are made to partially fail over time so that consumers replace the products using them with new ones. Companies produce new models so frequently these days, such practices are important to pay for R&D cycles.

[org.whodat]

They last until they break.

[Peter from Rutland]

I was part of a team that automated Samsung’s LCD manufacturing facility. They ran us through a brief course on how they are manufactured and yes, they do have a ‘lifetime’. The article explains it fairly well.

[JoeProBono]

[Pravious]

Wow. That’s a whole lotta words just to say “beats me.”

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I watch on my Toshiba TV—vintage 1992...still great.

[bmwcyle]

LED TV engineering life is 32 years

[Bruce Kurtz]

My 2009 Sony 52 inch LCD lasted 15 months. Got an estimate to repair to replace the panel. It was $500 over the cost of the TV, provided they could get a panel. I was lucky I paid for the TV with a credit card. The credit card company extended the warranty by a year, and I got about a 90% refund.

[snoringbear]

“Wow. That’s a whole lotta words just to say “beats me.””

Yeah, for sure. However, I noticed that DLP technology wasn’t mentioned in this thread. I own a DLP and the bulb went bad after five years. So, bought a new bulb, popped a panel on the side of the tv and swapped out old bulb with new buld and was back to 100% brightness and good to go. Course, new DLP tv’s are becoming a rare bird to find anymore. Oh well....

[mosesdapoet]

After much bally-hoo my rural area replaced their analog signals ...Where I received every available network NBC,ABC,CBS from locat afilliates with no problem. Then after purchasing three HDTV sets and setting them up. And for about alomost a year received their signals no-problema...Then they moved their antenna array. Today and for the past 3 years those HDTV sets are setting there collecting dust.. I rely on am radio

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Our first Sharp 42” is still working ten years after we bought it.

[JoeProBono]

[Citizen Tom Paine]

The information that you are looking for is “mean time between failures”. (MTBF). When you know it, you will know how long 95% of the devices will still be working. Five per cent will have failed in that time period. If the MTBF is 9500 hours, after that time 95% of the devices will still be working and 5% will have failed.

[USS Alaska]

Technically, you can replace the backlight of an LCD, but I dare anyone to prove that this is remotely cost effective. You're better off just buying a new TV.

I bought a Samsung 63" LCD five years ago and the picture was getting dimmer so we bought a new light bulb and I installed it {very simple to do}.

The original TV cost $2110 {including tax} and the replacement light bulb cost $145 {including tax and shipping} which is about 7% of the original price.

If it costs $145 every five years to make the TV perform as if it is new, I think it is cost justified.

If the same thing happens 5 years from now, why wouldn't I replace a light bulb {albeit a damn bright one} instead of buying a new TV?

[Errant]

Howdy! I also have a DLP and had to replace the 100W bulb about 4 yrs ago. The original bulb was running at the brightest setting and I conclude that is why it didn't last long. I'm running the replacement bulb at a lower setting and it's doing great.

It still has a great picture that rivals the newer LCDs and Plasmas. I just wish the color wheel motor was quieter.

[NavyCanDo]

Sounds like they will last until the next “Gotta get me one of those” technology breakthrough in TVs, that make all TVs before it old school. Not sure what that will be yet. Certainly not 3D. Too small of an interested market for those. But some big jump is 10 to 20 years ahead, you just know it.

[Sirius Lee]

Joe, there’s something wrong with your television. It’s all fuzzy and floppy and it tilts hard to the left.