3 Ways To Get More Good Years Out Of Your TV
Posted on: 22 January 2015
Your TV is more than just a piece of furniture -- it brings the whole world to you in the form of news, sports, and entertainment. It's only logical, then, that you want to get as many years of performance out of it as possible. Here are four ways of doing just that.
1. Investing in Repairs (But Only When It Makes Sense)
Surprising as it might seem, repairing a TV isn't common practice in today's world of disposable electronics. People have grown accustomed to throwing out their TVs and other electronics the moment something goes on the blink. But if you have a unique or older model, you may despair of ever finding something that can truly replace it -- and that means you may need to invest in repairs. There are still plenty of experts who know how to work on a wide range of TVs, from vintage models to the latest flat-screen units. But under no circumstances should you attempt to tinker with any of your TV's components yourself! Even if the TV isn't plugged in, the stored electrical charge can kill you. Leave this work to the specialists from sites like http://www.merlinstv.com.
What should you do if have a TV that could be easily replaced with a similar model? Here the choice becomes tricker. A typical TV repair job will cost a few hundred dollars, so your decision will be based in part on what you originally paid for set, and what retail price you can expect to pay for its equivalent. Asa general rule, any repairs that will cost less than half the price of a new set are worth considering.
When you're buying a new TV, give serious thought to purchasing an extended warranty on it. While these warranties make less sense for cheaper or sturdier electronics, they're a smart choice for larger, costlier, more delicate objects like flat-screen televisions.
2. Safeguarding Against Surges
One good lightning storm could prove the end for your prized electronics. A sufficient surge of electricity zipping through your cables can severely damage the circuitry, forcing you to pay for extensive TV repairs or even buy a new set. This frightening possibility makes surge protection a priority for any television owner.
- More robust surge protectors can absorb more powerful electrical spikes. You can tell you powerful a surge protector is by reading the packaging -- it should indicate how many joules of electricity it can withstand. Go for a rating of 600 joules or higher, because you never know how powerful that errant lighting bolt or other electrical surprise might be.
- Make sure the surge protector you buy has a coaxial connector on it. This enables surge protection for the coaxial cable connection to your TV. (An electrical burst can fire through your cable box and fry your TV's circuitry just as surely as one that travels through the power supply.)
3. Adapting to New Technologies
As much as you may love your old-fashioned CRT "tube" television, it probably doesn't sport the proper connection ports to plug into modern game consoles, video players and streaming data boxes. That's because the standard has shifted from composite, S-video, and component video to HDMI, which handily carries both video and audio at high resolutions. But that doesn't mean you have to toss your TV and buy a new HDTV to replace it. Many third-party converter boxes can serve as "mediators" to get that state-of-the-art signal to your TV so you can view them in standard definition.
In some cases, you may not need any kind of extra converter at all -- you simply need to choose your connected devices wisely. Some streaming media players, for instance, still come with old-style RCA (composite) audio and video ports alongside a modern HDMI port to make them compatible with a wide range of older or newer TVs.
From consulting a TV repair service to investing in surge protection, you have many options for preserving the operational lifespan of your TV, no matter what model you may own. Take these tips to heart for many more years of happy viewing!
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