sony sucks

Since January 31, our Sony Wega has refused to turn on. The power LED blinks red instead of the usual green. So much for Sony's legendary reliability. We had researched this model for two years prior to purchasing it, and it was supposedly quite reliable. Current research indicates that others who purchased this TV around the same time (Jan. 2006) have experienced similar issues. Warranty? What warranty? Until very recently, Sony's standard warranty for consumer electronics was only 90 days. Sony's new standard warranty is one year, but that wouldn't have helped us, since this unit is just over a year old. We're kicking ourselves for not purchasing an extended warranty. We shouldn't have been so trusting of a corporation, even though we've seen countless other Sony products last many years without maintenance. Lesson learnt.

To repair the Sony, we were quoted approximately $300 for labour alone. It doesn't make sense to spend that much money repairing a TV that was made so poorly that it failed within one year.

A similar CRT TV (with a flat screen) now costs $650. Why the price has gone up in the past year, I cannot imagine. This option was tempting, and reasonably priced, but we'd be replacing the new set within two years. Also, we've been wanting more from our TV set (larger size, greater clarity, weight reduction), so it was difficult for us to justify spending $650 just to get back to the point of wanting a different product.

An ideal long-term replacement would be a flat-panel LCD HDTV, which could handle the requirements of television and media for years to come, while doubling as a proper computer monitor. The thought of having our ideal TV for the long-term (with an extended warranty) was tempting enough, so we purchased a 32" JVC LCD HDTV. I took it home, placed it on our entertainment center, and watched it disappear in the room. I hadn't realized that the large TV served as the room's focal point, and the 32" flat-panel was tiny in comparison. Back went the 32", and in came the 40"; a JVC LT-40X667 flat-panel. It's a perfect fit, and the black cabinet (as opposed to the 32" silver and black) matches the black of our Infinity on-wall speakers. As I deliberated in Best Buy for nearly two hours, the LT-40x667 was the TV that impressed me most, and it's even more impressive in our living room. Yes, we also paid for a 4-year extended warranty.

A few days ago, we sold our PS2 with all accessories on eBay. There is no more Sony in our house, except for an old pair of earbud headphones. Maybe in a year or three, if CRT parts drop in price, we'll get the 32" Sony TV repaired, and use it in our basement.