MahlerIsGod

This is my new baby:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...7%22to32%22TVs

Believe me it was time for a new TV and this was a significant investment for a student and I want to keep it around as long as possible. What do I need to ensure this? I am pretty sure I have the basics of that TVs and water, butterscotch pudding, etc. don't mix. For example, what do I wipe the screen with when it gets dirty/dusty? Any help, pointers, suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

__________________
"But a work of art is a conscious human effort that has to do with communication. It is that or its nothing. When an accident is applauded as a work of art, when a cult grows up around the deliciousness of inadvertent beauty, we are in the presence of the greatest decadence the West has known in its history."

Redjake

I have a 27" JVC. I've had it for years now and it still looks like new. Some simple pointers:

don't drop it or knock it off its stand

wipe the screen with windex or something.......I use a paper towel usually and windex or just water


other than that, those things last a pretty good while (from what I can tell)

__________________
Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

aerozeppelin

Get it calibrated or calibrate it yourself. Nothing worse than shortening the life of your TV and/or burning it in because you left the contrast and brightness set too high (and they are set WAAYYY to high by default on most/all TVs). Plus, you get better and more accurate color. Just get a calibration DVD (Digital Video Essentials comes to mind, as does AVIA), or if you want to splurge get a pro to do it.
Burn in is a real threat, too, if you don't get stuff set right - I burned the ESPN logo into my Panasonic HDTV after ~9 months of use.

bal8664

I would recommend one of the monster power strips to plug it into. They have one for i believe 20-30 bucks that filters all the power that goes through it to give the tv a more even power source. This will make sure it lasts alot longer, and of course protect against surges and stuff. This iorts especially impant if you have air conditioners or other electrical devices with motors running. What happens is they send electrical signals back through the lines which is why the tv gets fuzzy when the vaccuum is on, or flickers when the ac first turns on. This is not good for the tv at all. and a 25 dollar investment can make the tv last years longer.

spade111

Yeah... direct view (tube) units have the lowest maintenance of practically any other type of display. You can't really go to wrong if you :

-Turn it off, or put it in standby mode every night.
-Calibrate it every 6 months, using AVIA, or similar.
-Give it a bit of a rest every couple hours, grey screen, or standby.
-have a good extended warranty. (I know sounds like bullS#!*, but I've been saved a few hundred dollars here and there with and extended warranty)


Really though... I wouldn't worry about it that much. Should last for 5 years at least without any trouble. I'm not sure if Sony is doing this yet... but there are companies out there that actively put electronics into their products that fail after a certain amount of use. It's called generating consumption... and it's becoming more common. Hp has been doing it for years... So beware the megacorporation that is out to steal your money.

__________________
"If the work of the city is the remaking or translating of man into a more suitable form than his nomadic ancestors achieved, then might not our current translation of our entire lives into the spiritual form of information seem to make of the entire globe, and of the human family, a single consciousness?" -Marshall McLuhan - 1939.

shakran

No need for a DVD, just get some colorbars. Your local college's video services department should be willing to record a few minutes worth of colorbars from their colorburst generator for you.

http://www.videouniversity.com/tvbars2.htm

that's how to use bars to properly adjust your TV.