Buying a TFT? Read this

Ra

Sneaky little tip that occured to me whilst looking for a TFT this week. Currently TFTs are liable to dead pixels. Essentially this is where a few odd pixels on the screen are faulty and are often permanently blue or green regardless of what is happening on screen.

This is not only extremely annoying, but perfectly allowable as long as the pixels dont total more than 3 or 7 (dependent on what you get). Now, legal it may be, but on a £300 purchase i consider this a joke as you arent allowed to ask for another one, the shop is perfectly within its rights to refuse you as it is covered on this matter

Here's the tip: Buy off the net, where you get a minimum of 7 days 'cooling off' period. If your TFT arrives with dead pixels, ask them to swop it...if they refuse, return it within the 7 days and get another. Perfectly within your rights and head elsewhere. Keep doing it until to get a perfectly good TFT (which the odds are a lot better you will).

Hope this helps

Peter-Pan_5

It certainly helps me RA

Figment

Beware though - many online suppliers will not pay for the return postage.

Lopo

...and what happens if you get the dead pixels down the road - say a few months? It can happen anytime. I have actually seen a screen with 3 dead pixels, only for 2 of them to come pack to life and behave normally. Very odd.

Yes its annoying generally. LG for example say its normal in the small print of their owner user manuals!

I personally stick a warranty on such larger purchasers, then say have a minor incident with it a few years into it, resulting in hey presto...a new unit! Some covers will protect you against defective panels if it includes and is deemed as wear and tear.

Logically thinking, an expensive LCD/TFT screen today is probably going to be around 40-60% of the cost of a new unit in 3-4 years from now. If you have a cover which gives you the full price protection, then that figure will get you a very nice unit down the road...

Makes sense to me, and has always worked to my advantage....once had a £400 pc replaced for a £800 unit!

At the end of the day....you get what you pay for...(unless you steal it!)