[Jeffhs]

I have the 32" version of this TV, bought new about a year, maybe two, ago (I'm not sure exactly when I bought it). It still works as well as it did when it was new. I also have an Insignia 19" flat screen, bought perhaps ten years ago; it too still works very well, although when I bought my 32" set I put the smaller one in storage, for use if and/or when the 32" set quits.

As well as the 32" set works, however, I don't expect it to quit for quite a while, and of course I intend to keep it as long as it does work. I am almost convinced many, if not most flat screen TVs quit not just from component or display screen failures (except perhaps from defective parts in brand-new sets); rather, they wind up in the trash because they are abused (knocked off a stand, dropped, something is thrown at the screen, causing said screen to crack, etc). The last can and probably has happened when, in a fit of anger, a football fan throws something at the screen, or kids do wrong-headed things such as swinging baseball bats or throwing balls (!) in front of or near the set. Many people simply do not realize how fragile flat screen TVs are; they are not like the old CRT sets were, where the worst that could possibly happen might be the safety glass in front of the tube shatters or breaks. With a flat screen HDTV, once the screen cracks or breaks, the TV is junk; I do not think the display screen can be replaced.

The comment I read stating that today's HDTVs are throwaways when they go bad, or are for any reason abused, is right on the button. As was mentioned in a previous post, these TVs are cheap enough these days (as one poster said, some sets are selling for well under $100) that they simply are not worth repairing when they do quit or malfunction. I see a day coming (if such a day hasn't already) when TV repair shops will have no choice but to go out of business, the reason, of course, being what I just mentioned: flat screen TVs simply are not worth fixing once the warranty expires. There could be exceptions, such as a $1000 flat screen with a 90-inch (!) picture, but for most HDTVs with screens in the 19-30" range, reparing them is just not cost-effective. I would not be the least bit surprised if many TV shops might actually refuse to even look at a flat screen of that size, for just that reason.