Guys,
I erroneously asked a question in response to another question, I am sorry, just a new guy trying to figure this out. (I love it) Anyhoo,I am about to buy a Mitsubishi RPTV WS-55819, which is in their Platinum plus series of RPTV's. The salesperson offered me a five year warranty that includes a yearly cleaning of the guns and boards. This warranty cost as much as the new Sony DVP-5700, which is a progressive scan player that I would like to get along with the TV. I am just curious if you think I should get the warranty or the progressive scan player??? A little hel for a semi rookie would be appreciated.

Robby

Robby: Your question is a good one, and has been discussed from time-to-time on this site. Try a search for "warranty" for more info.

Some of the bigger chains insist that there salestaff sell a certain percentage of extended warranties every month. There are prizes for doing so, and penalties for not doing so. So these guys usually have an ulterior motive.

Basically, it's an insurance policy, like Term life insurance: if I die, someone gets paid off. But chances are pretty good that me and the millions of others who have Term insurance are going to die a natural death; therefore, the policy is pure profit to the selling company.

If you've had a number of electrical devices, think back on how many would have benefited from this type of policy. Probably not many....

The truth is that most home theater components fail within the first 90 days, if they are going to fail at all. And, except for very expensive components, after two or three years you would probably want to replace the Device anyway, for something newer with more features.

So-called "cleaning" is hardly a requirement to keep your RPTV running well, although I have seen professionals on this site state that it is worthwhile every so often, because dust does get in there and and might affect picture quality.

I would go for the progressive scan player. In a couple of years, if you see a degradation in your RPTV picture, you can get it "cleaned" for far less than the warranty price they are asking.

Very good question. I am a custom installer and have recently instituted an extended warranty program. We did it mainly to reinforce the fact that service is not free lifetime. If you are semi-knowlegeable, you should be able to perform routine maintenance tasks. If not, and a lot of people aren't, then a maintenance contract may make sense. I would not buy one from the large chain stores, however, as that is not maintenance, but merely insurance. They generally will not perform routine maintenance that would extend the life of your product.