Unknown brand Cheap televisions cost more in the long run
Before you buy a TV or other consumer electronics item you must bear in mind not only the purchase price of the product but also the probability of it going faulty, the life expectancy of the product, and the features and the performance.
Major brand TVs from manufacturers such as Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Hitachi, LG, Samsung, JVC, Hitachi and Sharp always retail for more than secondary brands of TVs with unfamiliar brand badges on them. The unbranded cheap TVs from unknown manufacturers look like good value for money when compared to the known brands of TVs. The styling and features may possibly make justifying the difference difficult.
How do the major brands of TVs justify the premium?
The recognized brands of televisions are more costly because the UK subsiduary of the manufacturers invest in advertising the brand which the unfamiliar cheap TV brands dont do. However are there any additional reasons for the price difference?
Another reason for cheap unbranded Television brands being cheaper is that they dont operate from costly offices in the UK backed up with warehouses, and staff. They often transport the products directly from the factory in Eastern Europe, China, etc to the retailers warehouse with no or scarcely any personnel and premises in the UK. This may seem to be good thing and would help explain the price differential.
The manufacturers of Cheap televisions dont need to invest in their brand reliability, as known brands do. This is because you dont know which factory manufactured the TV so you wont be able to avoid it in the future if you buy another unbranded TV. So they dont have the same incentive to protect their brand from poor performing unreliable products.
The probability of cheap televisions from unfamiliar manufacturers going faulty are greater since they dont operate the same stringent levels of quality control that the top brands do. As a result the probability that the unbranded cheap TV will go faulty from new, either straight out of the box, or once, or even more than once in the first 12 months is far greater than for the quality known brands of televisions.
Cheap televisions dont have the same quality of circuit design and internal components as those in the branded TVs and as a result the chance of a cheap TV going faulty is greater. This is evident in reliability surveys that the consumer magazine Which has carried out where brands such as Panasonic and Sony consistently out perform other cheaper non brands.
Less likely to be repaired
It is also more difficult to obtain parts for inferior brand cheap televisions. This is because the unbranded TVs manufacturers dont store the parts in the UK unlike the major TV brand manufacturers.
If an repair engineer is struggling to find the cause of a fault on a main brand Television they can get technical assistance from the technical department of the UK subsiduary. In some cases if the repair engineer can’t repair the fault then the TV manufacturer will even carry out the repair. The unfamiliar cheaper TV brands dont have this kind of back up. As a result not only is it more likely that the unbranded cheap TV will go faulty but when it does it will be more difficult, if not impossible to obtain technical assistance. Furthermore it will in all probability take longer to acquire the parts. If the problem cant be repaired, due to no technical support, then the unbranded cheap Television is more likely to become unrepairable sooner than the major brand televisions and will need replacing at an earlier time.
I have seen instances on branded TVs where the product has failed 2 years after being bought, and even though it came with a 12 month guarantee, the manufacturer has replaced the product or subsidised the cost of the repair to defend their brand image. This doesnt take place on cheap unknown brands of TVs. On the unknown brand cheaper TV when the warranty has expired if it cant be repaired then it will mean additional expense replacing it.
How does the performance of cheaper unknown TV brands compare to known TV Brands?
Another reason for the higher selling prices for major brand TVs is that the producers invest in research and development to achieve ways of improving the present technology to enhance the performance of the Television. This doesnt take place with cheap unbranded televisions which have poorer features and performance. If you read specialist magazines like What Video or What Hifi you will see that main brand TVs get a lot better reviews than the unknown cheap TV brands.
Conclusion
The major brand TVs are better supported, better designed and they have more features and they perform better than the unbranded cheap Television brands. Once all of this is taken into consideration the main TV brands represent a cheaper alternative in the long run delivering more value and longer service than the unbranded cheap TV brands. As a result make sure that when you purchase a TV that is from a manufacturer such as Sony, Philips, Pioneer, LG, JVC, Panasonic or Toshiba and you will get better value in the long run.
Armadeus Cornelius is an AV enthusiast and expert with nearly 20 years experience in consumer electronics. His website at www.digitaldirect.co.uk offers Cheap LCD and Plasma TVs and a large selection of AV products at low prices. For your convenience you may also find these links useful cheap lcd plasma tv and cheap lg lcd tv
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