The television industry is an ideal setting for warranty comparisons. Unlike with computers or cameras, there are not a whole lot of options or enhancements to consider. It's basically an illuminated rectangle with speakers and a remote control.

In past weeks we've also looked at printers, MP3 players and CD/DVD players, where the simplicity of the features list isn't always a given. But what also makes televisions an ideal environment for analysis is how neatly the market divides based on screen technology. There are the old cathode ray tube models, then there are the new flat screens, and somewhere in between are the models based on a projector and a screen.

Therefore, we took an extra couple of days this week to make sure we did a thorough job of touring the television warranty world. Unlike with some products where all the warranties are the same and all the products are different, warranties really do vary considerably for TVs based on screen size, purchase price, and screen technology. And given the importance the retail channel attaches to extended warranties for TVs, particularly the largest units, we though it important to develop a good baseline understanding of the manufacturers' product warranties.

Flat vs. Fat

We surveyed 229 televisions sold under 32 different brand names. We looked for the old-style tube televisions (which we designated CRT), the rear projection TVs, and the flat screen TVs (either LCD or plasma).

As we did for computer monitors and other product categories on our summer-long warranty tour, we tried to make selections from the low end, the high end, and the midranges of each manufacturer's product line. Screen size was a big factor, but so was price. And price wasn't always a function of screen size.

Three-quarters of the units we found were flat screen, and of those, two-thirds were LCD and a third were plasma. Only 37 were CRT and only 33 were rear projection, so we found something approaching a bell curve when it comes to screen technology. One could make inferences about the waning or waxing of these technologies based on those totals, but we won't go there. Let's just say that flatness sells, and fatness doesn't.

It was quite reassuring to find TVs still for sale under venerated brand names such as Sylvania, RCA, and Zenith, even if they're not the same companies any more. And it was something of a surprise to find representation in the consumer TV marketplace from computer brands such as Dell and HP, automotive brands such as Hyundai, camera makers such as Polaroid, and appliance brands such as Westinghouse. Whatever happened to those TV-in-a-stove products anyway?

Inch By Inch

We found TV sets with screens stretching all the way in size from 2.5 inches to 84 inches, measured diagonally. The smallest tended to be either CRT or LCD models, while the very largest tended to be either plasma or rear projection units. The largest currently shipping screen was an 84" plasma model from NEC, but second, third and fourth place went to rear projection units. The largest CRT model found was a 38" unit from RCA. LCD televisions spanned the range all the way from 2.5" to 65".

With apologies to our international readers, one inch or 1" equals two-and-a-half centimeters, give or take. But since we're touring just the American TV market, we stuck with the units as they were listed. And diagonal screen size in inches is the first and most important feature listed for any TV set sold in the U.S. No matter what the rest of the world thinks, we still like our fuel in gallons, our TVs in inches, and our burgers in quarter pounds.

We thought about listing the televisions by screen type, but that would have denied readers the chance to compare similar sizes based on different technologies. For instance, around the 38" to 42" level there's the possibility of buying either a CRT, LCD, plasma, or rear projection unit -- sometimes from the same manufacturer.

So instead, we decided to chop the world of televisions up into three highly arbitrary groups: everything under 30 inches, between 30 and 50 inches, and 50 inches and above. Within each group, TVs are listed alphabetically by brand, then in ascending order based on warranty, and then in ascending order based on price. A mixture of street and list prices were used, but this doesn't matter much to the analysis because none of the prices are listed here. We merely used the price data to find cases where cheaper TV sets had better warranties than their more expensive brand mates.

Another Bell Curve

One year parts and one year labor is overwhelmingly the typical warranty period within the U.S. television industry. The 90-day warranties found so frequently elsewhere in the consumer electronics sector were less common for TVs. Only a dozen models out of 229 had 90-day parts warranties -- most covered the cost of parts for 12 months, even if labor was covered for only 90 days. However, even 1-yr./90-day coverage frequently turns out to be a throwaway program disguised as a warranty. With labor paid for by the consumer after day 91, unless the failure occurs within a few months of purchase, that means it will probably cost more to fix than to replace, even if the parts are free for the rest of the year.

But we found only thirty models carrying 90-day labor warranties, and most of them were of the old CRT type that are highly likely to be replaced soon even if they do continue to work perfectly. Only RCA, Sharp, and Audiovox sold LCD units carrying 90-day labor warranties. Everybody else was a year or better. Incredibly, there were two plasma screens -- one each from Akai and Insignia -- that carried only 90-day warranties on both parts and labor. At prices close to $1,400 for each, they're hardly disposable if they fail, but those manufacturers don't seem to care.

At the other end of the bell curve, there were numerous manufacturers standing behind their products for longer than a year. Of the 33 TVs that had anything better than a one-year warranty on either parts or labor, only two were CRT models, and only nine were LCDs. The other 22 were all plasma screens from Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG Electronics, NEC, Pioneer, Sampo, Samsung, and Sony. And there were another 22 plasma screens with only a one-year warranty, including five priced over $5,000. So, while at least eight plasma sellers are trying to boost their competitiveness and quality image with better-than-average warranties, two are still selling plasma screens like they were throwaway items.

Terms & Conditions

Because the flat screens used in commercial applications so frequently fall victim to image burn-in, and because those sets may be turned on more or less all day, it's common to find manufacturers either disclaiming or severely limiting their warranties if the units are used outside the home.

It's also becoming common to see manufacturers try to limit distribution by disclaiming warranties if the unit was purchased from anyone but an authorized reseller. For instance, Fujitsu General is generous with its three-year warranties, but the company makes a special mention in its terms and conditions that the warranty is invalid if the product was purchased from an unauthorized dealer or online retailer. Shipping in both directions is also not covered at any time.

Sampo also disclaims the two-year warranty in bold print if the product is not bought from an authorized retailer. But Sampo expressedly endorses commercial applications of its displays.

Regent USA, the company behind the Maxent brand, explicitly states in its terms and conditions that the warranty period for its plasma and LCD units is one year for consumers and 90 days for commercial applications. Sony does the same for its 42" rear projection TV, and Toshiba does the same for its plasma TVs. Norcent and RCA completely exclude commercial users from their warranty policies, so any TVs used for commercial purposes are out of warranty.

You may have peeked below and noticed the .08 years in the Mitsubishi column. That's not a typo. Mitsubishi guarantees the screen on its largest rear projection televisions with only a 30-day warranty, covering parts and labor. The bulb is covered for one year, parts only, meaning the customer must replace it themselves. But at least the most crucial piece of the hardware is covered for more than a month.

In contrast, Panasonic covers the bulb in its projection TVs for 90 days, and the rest of the set for one year (parts and labor). Panasonic guarantees its CRT screens for two years (90 days for labor) and the rest of the set for one year (90 days labor). The glass panel on its plasma sets is covered for two years (one year labor), with all other parts covered for one year (parts and labor). Sharp and Sony guarantee their CRT screens for two years (90 days labor) while the rest of the sets are warranted for one year parts, 90 days labor. NEC guarantees its plasma screens for one year, with all other parts and labor covered for three years.

Durability vs. Vulnerability

The problem is that CRT, plasma, LCD, and projection TV screens all have different durabilities, and different vulnerabilities. Not many of us have ever kicked in a tube TV, but we all know what a cataclysmic event that would be in the life of the product. CRT screens don't crack unless they're hit hard. Plasma and LCD screens don't explode, but their screens can burn in persistent images, and pixels malfunction over time, one at a time. The bulbs inside of projection TVs burn out like the light bulbs they are.

Therefore, some manufacturers assign either longer or shorter warranties to the screen or the bulb, as the case may be. But the Mitsubishi 30-day warranty period on the screen is especially brief, as are the Panasonic 10-day warranties on some of their rechargeable batteries for cameras -- they're almost out of box, out of warranty products. And they should be red flags for potential customers, if they were properly disclosed before the sale. We bet most Mitsubishi projection TV and most Panasonic digital camera customers have no idea how long ago their screen and battery warranties expired, nor do they care until they need to care.

So let the warranty tour begin. We'll start at the small end of the market -- in other words what used to be the market until designers got the idea that bigger is better. Perhaps someday we'll have to measure our screens diagonally in meters. But it doesn't seem all that long ago that a 27" screen was considered large.

Notice how several manufacturers assign the shortest warranties to the low end of their line, where screen sizes are smallest, unit price is lowest, and the technologies are oldest. Those Audiovox miniature LCDs sell for under $100, as does the Toshiba 13". But then again, so do two of the Sylvania units, and they have one-year warranties. So obviously some manufacturers position their wares as disposables while others are willing to stand behind them for a year.

And while there are no warranties over a year at the real low end, Planar has found a way to back a $500 17" LCD screen with a three-year warranty. Sampo has a 15" LCD and a 29" CRT that get two-year warranties. And Sony has a 19" LCD model that also can double as a PC monitor. Admittedly, its $800 list price puts it at the top end of the small-screen segment, but nobody would call it a disposable.

In the midrange screen size, longer warranties are a little more common, and shorter warranties are a little less common. It's no wonder: only two of the units in the list below retail for less than $500, and only 16 more retail for $500 to $1,000. The top of the line in this screen size can range as high as $4,000 or more for the JVC and Polaroid LCD models, or the LG and Fujitsu plasma models.

Higher Price & Longer Warranty

Interestingly, there are nine models on the list below that sell for more than $2,500 yet still have only one-year warranties. We won't mention them, but we will mention the eight other sets selling for more than $2,500 that carry longer-than-a-year warranties: the Fujitsu Plasmavision P42XTA51UB; the Hitachi 37HLX99; the Hitachi 42HDX99; the LG 42PX4D; the NEC PX-42XR4A; the Pioneer PRO-930HD; the Sampo LME-42X8; and the Sony FWD-40LX1. Five are plasmas and three are LCDs, and all are between 37" and 43" in size.

The only other CRT on any of these lists that has a two- or three-year warranty is the 34" Sony model, which lists for $1,200. There are no rear projection screens on either of the lists with anything better than a one-year warranty. So maybe the manufacturers know something about durability that they're not saying? Or could it be that the pressure to leave retailers room to sell extended warranties is so strong that manufacturers dare not encroach on their territory?

We're already deep into the territory that only a few years ago would have been classified as big screen. But the fact is that they get even bigger. And somewhere north of a 27" screen there comes a point where weight and size make it impractical for manufacturers to insist that the consumer must bring the defective unit back to the point of purchase to get it repaired.

Each manufacturer has a different policy, and there is no consensus. But most have some policy about a pickup, either by a shipping company or by an authorized repair technician. One of the best policies comes from Dell Inc., which is somewhat of a surprise given the beating they have taken lately for their computer customer care. For its larger plasma screens, after the usual troubleshooting back-and-forth over the phone, Dell sends a technician to the home, who packs and ships the unit for the customer. But the customer may have to pay a $100 fee for the visit. For the smaller LCD units, Dell will simply ship a replacement unit to the customer, and will expect them to ship back the defective unit.

BenQ provides a one-year warranty on parts and labor, but it will pay for freight in both directions for just the first 90 days. After 90 days, the customer must pay for freight in both directions. With a smaller unit, that may be a minor charge, but some of these really big screens need two people to carry them. Just imagine for a second if refrigerators were fixed that way.

In-Home Service vs. Pick-up or Drop-off

The line between sending it back and picking it up varies from one manufacturer to the next. RCA's CRT warranty allows for pickup of any tube TVs larger than 20" by an authorized RCA service center technician. Panasonic sets the line between carry-in and in-home service at 22 inches for its CRT units. With the less bulky flat screens, the line of demarcation is of course higher. Norcent, for instance, provides a carry-in warranty for flat screens up to 40", and an in-home repair for anything over 40". Sampo picks up anything larger than 33", regardless of its screen technology. Sony provides for a pick-up of anything larger than 30".

Keep that in mind as you scan the list below. It may be worthwhile to buy the extended warranty after all -- not because they're extended in terms of time, but because they're extended in terms of service level. Again, going back to the refrigerator analogy: imagine if GE or Whirlpool regularly send someone out to pick up the unit or package it for shipment via UPS. What would you do with the food? It's immensely clear why the repair is usually done in the home. And it's becoming clearer why these big screens don't travel well. It's not just a question of weight or size. It also involves loss of use, and many consumers would pay to prevent that from happening. In other words, it's not just the length of the warranty or the width of the screen that matters. It's also the depth of the repair service.

In this very large screen segment it's common for manufacturers to position a part of their line as premium, both in terms of price and in terms of warranty. All six of the plasma units selling for more than $8,000 carry warranties longer than a year. Of the 22 plasma models selling for between $3,000 and $8,000, twelve carry warranties longer than a year. And of the twelve brands that play at this rarified price level, only Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Zenith have nothing to offer that carries a premium warranty.

Automotive Warranties

• Passenger Cars & Light Trucks

Computer Warranties

• Handhelds
  
• Notebooks
  
• Desktops
  
• Workstations
  
• Internal Hard Drives
  
• External Hard Drives
  
• Flash Memory Devices
  
• Monitors
  
• Printers
  
• Copiers
  
• Scanners
  
• Fax & Copier
  
• Fax Phone & Copier
  
• Three-in-One Office Machine (scan, copy & print)
  
• Four-in-One Office Machine (fax, scan, copy & print)

Consumer Electronics

• Televisions Over 50"
  
• Televisions 30" to 50"
  
• Televisions Under 30"
  
• Digital Projectors
  
• Digital Video Recorders
  
• Digital Cameras
  
• DVD Players
  
• CD Recorders
  
• MP3 Players