Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhs
"The new junk", as you put it, is indeed what we must deal with today. New DTVs may not last longer than two years or until the warranty expires (whichever comes first), but unfortunately, that's the way of it nowadays. Time was when anyone could and did expect a new TV to last at least ten to fifteen years (my grandmother had a GE console TV she bought new in 1951, and the set was still working 20 years later when she finally got a color set, which lasted 30 years); however, such is not the case today. I bought a cheap 12" tube-type portable TV in 1975 that lasted all of three years before burning up. In sharp contrast, the Zenith 12" b&w portable I bought to replace it lasted 22 years, and was still going strong when I eventually gave it up in 2000. When I moved here in late 1999, I bought an RCA CTC185 19" table model TV that still works well today, 12 years later, and my 1995 Zenith Sentry 2 was (and I have every reason to believe still is) still working as well as always.
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First off, Jeff, I have to say that I always enjoy reading your well thought out, articulate posts
Cheap is as cheap does, but let's look for a moment at costs of technology in relative terms and present value of past-era dollars.
The 1963 Zenith 17" black and white portable that I still use in my office on occasion (and working perfectly, as most Zeniths of the era still do), was according to an ad found on the internet, priced at $149.95 new. Translate that into today's dollars, that works out to $1,070. An RCA roundie color set ad that I came across from 1965 shows sets in living COLOR, priced from 399.95, meaning that's the low end of the scale. In today's dollars, that's $2,760.00.
That said, it's not much of a stretch to see why the sets lasted longer, and were much more well cared for. When you have to pay more for something considered durable goods, you certainly expect it to last. And television has become more of a disposable luxury than it ever was, not only because the technology has been available for far longer, but because there are a lot more entertainment options out there.
Sure, the quality isn't there, but just as in today's cars, the value of the technology is much more important to the consumer than a well-constructed unit, because as Jeff said, it's going to be obsolete shortly anyways.