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First Plasma/LCD purchase ever - a few questions..

My budget is under $1k and considering 37" - 42" sizes.

Any issues buying from Best Buy?
Any issues buying open stock/demo to save $$?
BB salesman told me I need to have the TV professionally calibrated on a regular basis. Can I DIY this process instead?
Plasma and LCD - does one require more maintenance (calibration) than the other?
And of course, the salesman wants me to buy the top-of-the-line warranty service. I've never ever bought any extended warranty on anything in my life. But is this, or any costly service contract, necessary for these TVs (plasma/lcd)?

I'd be happy to hear about your experiences related to these questions.

Thank you (in advance).
rockadanny
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
Like I said "Dont buy warranty" its a fluke that soemthing goes bad just before warranty expires, 99% of the time a failure will happen very soon after purchase or not at all and I am far from the only one to believe this. If things indeed failed often they wouldnt offer the service at all as the idea is TO MAKE MONEY and if it was common to axchange $150 for $800 then it would never be offered, you cant argue the logic.
sulloj
23 posts
 
Regarding extended warranty: I tend to agree somewhat with Chadnliz BUT I was recently faced with the reality of getting a quote on a big screen tv repair and it was bone chilling! I considered the extended warranty cost of $100 for three years on my new Sony big screen and decided it was worth it. That's only $33 a year for in home service and peace of mind. A service tech charges anywhere from $90 to $150 just to walk into your house and then parts are over and above the service call. Bottom line it's an insurance policy, or as Chris Rock would say "in case shit happens"
swall3
10 posts
 
Bought my Panasonic 46" Plasma at BB for under $900. It was the demo and the last one in the store. I believe there was an updated verion just out with THX but I can live without it. They tried to talk me into a warranty I said no thanks. It's been a couple of months and I very happy with it. Went with their Blu Ray as well.
jamesw20
270 posts
 
Wait on new Samsung OLED soon to be released. Better resolution, thinner, and uses less energy. May be the new standard making plasma and lcd old tech.
rockadanny OP
1,224 posts
 
Thank you all for your ideas. Unfortunately, an unexpected cash crunch has postponed buying anything right now. I'm even considering down grading my awesome sounding 2-channel rig just to generate some cash for paying bills. A great amount of effort was invested building this system - the thought of dismantling it makes me sick. Anyway, it will be quite some time before I replace the old tube. Bright side: by then maybe OLEDs will be affordable. ;^)
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