[Jeffhs]

How about flat screen TVs that quit after two years or after the warranty expires? These are also made offshore by obscure Chinese, etc. manufacturers, and are very cheap in stores. I have seen FP TVs priced as low as $99 (which are almost impossible to repair when they go bad, and to find service data on them is even worse) in ad fliers in my newspaper. If those aren't "cheap offshore" products, I don't know what are. Just because a TV has the "RCA" block-letter logo, the lightning-bolt Z for Zenith, etc. on the display bezel (for example) does not necessarily mean it is a quality television, meant to last years or decades like the original RCAs, Zeniths and other TVs made by these manufacturers back in the day.

The store brands are even worse. Insignia TVs, for example, have a very poor reliability record; many people have had nothing but trouble with these sets, as I have read online on the company's website (Insignia is actually a house brand for televisions, A/V gear, etc. sold by Best Buy) and have switched to other brands when their Insignia TV quit. I may do that myself if or when my own Insignia 19" TV quits; who knows when that might be?

I wish I had known about Insignia's problems (other than low volume) before I bought my set; if I had, I would have bought a better make such as Vizio, Samsung or the like right off the bat. Other than its poor reliability record, my Insignia TV has served me well so far and I like it, but knowing it may konk out before (or soon after) the warranty expires doesn't settle well with me. If it fails within what is left of its warranty, I may have it repaired, but if it quits when the set is out of warranty, out it will go and I'll get a better make -- as mentioned, Samsung, Vizio, or any other make with a better reputation than Insignia FPs have had.