Are unbranded cheap TVs are a false economy?
Before you buy a Television or other consumer electronics item you should bear in mind not only the purchase price of the product but additionally the probability of it going faulty, the life expectancy of the product, and the features and the performance.
Cheap unbranded LCD televisions and cheap unbranded plasma TVs that are manufactured by unknown manufacturers may seem to be excellent value for money. As a rule they are sold at lower prices than the equivalent sized models from reputable known brands such as LG, Hitachi, JVC, Pioneer, Philips, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Sharp. The specification that they offer may appear equivalent to the main brands of TVs and often the styling isnt dissimilar.
How do the main brands of televisions justify the premium?
It is easy to think that you are paying a premium for the badge on the branded models of TVs, whilst this is to some extent true there are additional differences that justify the additional cost of the branded TVs.
Often the cheaper LCD televisions and the cheaper Plasma TVs are imported into the UK from factories in Eastern Europe and China and are distributed by unknown importers that dont have the infrastructure in the UK that the main TV brands have. This may possibly seem like a good thing because it keeps the costs down.
Because the unknown secondary brands of cheap TVs are manufactured in anonymous factories there is no incentive for them to invest in the reliability of the televisions for the reason that they dont have a brand name reputation to protect. Ultimately if the TVs that they manufacture last on average 3 years or 6 years it isnt important to them since it is not likely that you will knowingly purchase another Television that is manufactured in the same factory -there is no way identifying the factory that manufactured the unbranded cheap TV.
Moreover the quality control isnt as stringent which again means that the probability of the cheaper TVs going faulty is increased. Consequently the out of box failure rate when new will be higher on cheap TVs than for branded televisions. Cheaper TVs will be more prone to fail within the first year, and beyond, than the more expensive branded TV models.
Major brand manufacturers of TVs manufacture better designed internal circuits with higher quality components to improve the reliability of the Television. Cheaper TVs from unheard of brands dont need to do this. Surveys that have been done by the magazine Which have establish that this is the case and main brands of TVs like Panasonic and Sony regularly out perform the cheap televisions from unheard of brands.
Less likely to be repaired
Spare parts are not as readily available on cheap Television brands as they are for the main Television brands. This is often for the reason that there arent any parts kept in the UK by the manufacturer for the unbranded cheap televisions unlike the main brand televisions so it takes longer to get hold of the parts.
On a cheap unbranded TVs if it has a fault that is not easy to repair there isnt any, or the same level of technical expertise to assist the repair as the main Brands of televisions. In the extreme it is much more likely that cheaper Television will not be repairable at all. If the retailer that sold the product is still trading then clearly they are obliged to either repair the product or swap it for the duration of the warranty period. Then again if the dealer isnt trading any longer then your warranty is probably useless since you cant revert back to the manufacturer like you can with the main TV brands.
I have seen instances on branded TVs where the product has failed 2 years after being purchased, and despite the fact that it came with a 1 year guarantee, the manufacturer has replaced the product or subsidised the cost of the repair to protect their brand image. This doesnt take place on cheap unfamiliar brands of televisions. On the unknown brand cheaper TV when the guarantee has expired if it cant be repaired then it will mean additional expense replacing it.
Better performance on well-known brand TVs
The main brand TV manufacturers invest in research and development to improve the performance of the TVs. Consequently the features, sound and picture quality will be superior to the unknown cheaper TV brands. Typically the cheaper unbranded televisions have second-rate out of date components that stop them from performing as well as the branded televisions. This is apparent if you compare them side by side and can be seen in the reviews in magazines such as What Hi-fi and What Video.
Conclusion
The cheaper brands of TVs arent as reliable and dont boast the same specification and performance as recognized brands such as Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Philip, Hitachi, LG, Pioneer, JVC etc. For the small premium that main brand televisions sell for over cheaper unknown and poorly supported cheap Television brands, it isnt worth buying the cheaper ones for the reason that you will probably pay more in the long run - Especially if you spread the price difference over the life of the Television. In fact in all probability the cheaper televisions are more costly once all factors are considered. So buy a known major brand of TV and save money in the long run. - 16463
Before you buy a Television or other consumer electronics item you should bear in mind not only the purchase price of the product but additionally the probability of it going faulty, the life expectancy of the product, and the features and the performance.
Cheap unbranded LCD televisions and cheap unbranded plasma TVs that are manufactured by unknown manufacturers may seem to be excellent value for money. As a rule they are sold at lower prices than the equivalent sized models from reputable known brands such as LG, Hitachi, JVC, Pioneer, Philips, Panasonic, Sharp, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Sharp. The specification that they offer may appear equivalent to the main brands of TVs and often the styling isnt dissimilar.
How do the main brands of televisions justify the premium?
It is easy to think that you are paying a premium for the badge on the branded models of TVs, whilst this is to some extent true there are additional differences that justify the additional cost of the branded TVs.
Often the cheaper LCD televisions and the cheaper Plasma TVs are imported into the UK from factories in Eastern Europe and China and are distributed by unknown importers that dont have the infrastructure in the UK that the main TV brands have. This may possibly seem like a good thing because it keeps the costs down.
Because the unknown secondary brands of cheap TVs are manufactured in anonymous factories there is no incentive for them to invest in the reliability of the televisions for the reason that they dont have a brand name reputation to protect. Ultimately if the TVs that they manufacture last on average 3 years or 6 years it isnt important to them since it is not likely that you will knowingly purchase another Television that is manufactured in the same factory -there is no way identifying the factory that manufactured the unbranded cheap TV.
Moreover the quality control isnt as stringent which again means that the probability of the cheaper TVs going faulty is increased. Consequently the out of box failure rate when new will be higher on cheap TVs than for branded televisions. Cheaper TVs will be more prone to fail within the first year, and beyond, than the more expensive branded TV models.
Major brand manufacturers of TVs manufacture better designed internal circuits with higher quality components to improve the reliability of the Television. Cheaper TVs from unheard of brands dont need to do this. Surveys that have been done by the magazine Which have establish that this is the case and main brands of TVs like Panasonic and Sony regularly out perform the cheap televisions from unheard of brands.
Less likely to be repaired
Spare parts are not as readily available on cheap Television brands as they are for the main Television brands. This is often for the reason that there arent any parts kept in the UK by the manufacturer for the unbranded cheap televisions unlike the main brand televisions so it takes longer to get hold of the parts.
On a cheap unbranded TVs if it has a fault that is not easy to repair there isnt any, or the same level of technical expertise to assist the repair as the main Brands of televisions. In the extreme it is much more likely that cheaper Television will not be repairable at all. If the retailer that sold the product is still trading then clearly they are obliged to either repair the product or swap it for the duration of the warranty period. Then again if the dealer isnt trading any longer then your warranty is probably useless since you cant revert back to the manufacturer like you can with the main TV brands.
I have seen instances on branded TVs where the product has failed 2 years after being purchased, and despite the fact that it came with a 1 year guarantee, the manufacturer has replaced the product or subsidised the cost of the repair to protect their brand image. This doesnt take place on cheap unfamiliar brands of televisions. On the unknown brand cheaper TV when the guarantee has expired if it cant be repaired then it will mean additional expense replacing it.
Better performance on well-known brand TVs
The main brand TV manufacturers invest in research and development to improve the performance of the TVs. Consequently the features, sound and picture quality will be superior to the unknown cheaper TV brands. Typically the cheaper unbranded televisions have second-rate out of date components that stop them from performing as well as the branded televisions. This is apparent if you compare them side by side and can be seen in the reviews in magazines such as What Hi-fi and What Video.
Conclusion
The cheaper brands of TVs arent as reliable and dont boast the same specification and performance as recognized brands such as Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Philip, Hitachi, LG, Pioneer, JVC etc. For the small premium that main brand televisions sell for over cheaper unknown and poorly supported cheap Television brands, it isnt worth buying the cheaper ones for the reason that you will probably pay more in the long run - Especially if you spread the price difference over the life of the Television. In fact in all probability the cheaper televisions are more costly once all factors are considered. So buy a known major brand of TV and save money in the long run. - 16463
About the Author:
For nearly 20 years Armadeus Cornelius has built a wealth of experience in the consumer electronics sector. Click the following link for more details on how to buy a main brand Cheapest TV. If you want more information on the Cheapest TVs from main brands go to http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk.
