Damn!

[Goldenpony]

Got a sob story. 8/31/09 I bought a 50" Pioneer (commonly referred to as the best plasma made) plasma TV. Best freakin' picture I ever saw. I also did something I almost never do, I bought a 4 year protection plan for it. Jump ahead to now. My protection plan expired in Sept. and the main board in the set just went South. Had a tech in today and he said a new board would run $500. I'm already in for $87 for the service/diagnosis call. If I get a board, it will be the cost of the board and another $142 for service call and install.
I really like this TV, but I can get a new Panasonic 50" plasma, newer technology and a new warranty for about $1000. Crap! :(

[1baddlx]

We had a plasma and almost ready to make the last payment and one of the kids threw a jenga block at it and had to pay it off and they wouldn't warranty it.2000 bucks pissed down the drain.no more plasma went with LCD .this has been 4 years ago!I feel your pain

[maverick]

That blows man... Tough decision

[redfirepearlgt]

Yip tough decision. Good news? Panasonic made that Pioneer Elite. I love Pioneer Elite. I am on my second receiver. The first still is in the basement and works. I'd go the new route. $729.00 gets you a new board. $1087.00 gets you the whole TV. Heck pull the power board yourself now that you know what the problem is and go on ebay and find it. I would bet the farm its available on there a lot cheaper than $500. Then you can sell the old Pioneer Elite and people will buy them simply because of the label.

Currently Ebay has a slew of power boards ranging from 50-200 bucks. Find the part number, cross it over an order it. screws and connectors are all thats involved. Just unplug the TV first. ;)

[4n_eatr]

We had a plasma and almost ready to make the last payment and one of the kids threw a jenga block at it and had to pay it off and they wouldn't warranty it.2000 bucks pissed down the drain.no more plasma went with LCD .this has been 4 years ago!I feel your pain

Had the opposite issue. Had an LCD tv that the kids decided to "help clean" and sprayed pledge on it. Almost paid off, out of warranty and the repair guy said if it was a plasma they could just take the front screen off the tv and clean it off, but with it being an LCD it fried the display. I've been with Plasma ever since. I have an LG that's about 4 years old and it's still going strong. A little bit of image retention when it first gets turned on but it goes away fairly quick.

[Goldenpony]

Yip tough decision. Good news? Panasonic made that Pioneer Elite. I love Pioneer Elite. I am on my second receiver. The first still is in the basement and works. I'd go the new route. $729.00 gets you a new board. $1087.00 gets you the whole TV. Heck pull the power board yourself now that you know what the problem is and go on ebay and find it. I would bet the farm its available on there a lot cheaper than $500. Then you can sell the old Pioneer Elite and people will buy them simply because of the label.

Currently Ebay has a slew of power boards ranging from 50-200 bucks. Find the part number, cross it over an order it. screws and connectors are all thats involved. Just unplug the TV first. ;)

It's not the power board, it's the main board. I looked on Ebay and the only one I found was a used one for $475.

[k062693w]

almost ready to make the last payment


Almost paid off

:confused: You finance your TVs ???

I consider TVs as disposable ... They last about 4-5 years and then technology has improved so much in that time and the price for a Better TV is "Usually" lower than what the old outdated one cost ... Just my $.02 :bigthumb

[1baddlx]

:confused: You finance your TVs ???

I consider TVs as disposable ... They last about 4-5 years and then technology has improved so much in that time and the price for a Better TV is "Usually" lower than what the old outdated one cost ... Just my $.02 :bigthumb

It was a 90 days same as cash.my wife's idea not mine.you gotta think back them televisions were extremely high then

[Goldenpony]

:confused: You finance your TVs ???

I consider TVs as disposable ... They last about 4-5 years and then technology has improved so much in that time and the price for a Better TV is "Usually" lower than what the old outdated one cost ... Just my $.02 :bigthumb

you are probably right.

[k062693w]

It was a 90 days same as cash.my wife's idea not mine.you gotta think back them televisions were extremely high then

Gotcha !!! :bigthumb

I bought a 55" Sony in 2001 and paid $2700 for it and purchased a 5 year warranty, 2 months after the warranty expired it took a $hit !!! They wanted $900 to fix it, So I went and paid $1,200 for a new 50" LCD and it lasted 4 years before it took a $hit also !!! Didn't even try to get it fixed, Threw it in the trash and bought another !!! Like I said DISPOSABLE !!! :lol:

[Goldenpony]

Gotcha !!! :bigthumb

I bought a 55" Sony in 2001 and paid $2700 for it and purchased a 5 year warranty, 2 months after the warranty expired it took a $hit !!! They wanted $900 to fix it, So I went and paid $1,200 for a new 50" LCD and it lasted 4 years before it took a $hit also !!! Didn't even try to get it fixed, Threw it in the trash and bought another !!! Like I said DISPOSABLE !!! :lol:

Kind of where I am. I paid $2000 for my Pioneer, bought a 4 year plan and it took a $hit 3 mos after the plan ended. I will probably get another plasma, looking at a 50" Panasonic.
What do you do with a dead 50" TV? How do I get rid of it. It seems like somebody would want it for parts. The most expensive part, the plasma display is still fine.

[k062693w]

I currently own 4 Vizios (37" in the camper, 42" in my son's bedroom, 47" in the bedroom, And a 50" Smart TV in the living room) and I have been very satisfied with the picture and quality of them ... I know the ones I have were made in America, But I've heard they have recently been outsourcing ??? I haven't checked to confirm it, But I'm happy with the ones I have ... Again just my $.02

And I have bought all 4 from Best Buy ... They seem to have the best price, And they will move the TVs you are looking at next to each other so you can compare pics ... At least the one near me will !!! LOL

[1baddlx]

:confused: You finance your TVs ???

I consider TVs as disposable ... They last about 4-5 years and then technology has improved so much in that time and the price for a Better TV is "Usually" lower than what the old outdated one cost ... Just my $.02 :bigthumb

It was a 90 days same as cash.my wife's deal not mine.you gotta think back them televisions were extremely high then

[Mista Bone]

Kind of where I am. I paid $2000 for my Pioneer, bought a 4 year plan and it took a $hit 3 mos after the plan ended. I will probably get another plasma, looking at a 50" Panasonic.
What do you do with a dead 50" TV? How do I get rid of it. It seems like somebody would want it for parts. The most expensive part, the plasma display is still fine.

Easiest way is to drop it off during a recycling drive. Check with your local county.

NO one wanted a FREE 27" tube TV that was only 1 year old when I put it in storage, Goodwill didn't even want it.

Trashed and recycled. valuable metals inside.

[mustang8998]

If you want to recycle a used TV.....

http://www.2trg.com/

Located in Blue Ash.

[Goldenpony]

Heard back from Pioneer concerning the email I sent them. Basically, they said tough, sucks to be you. Didn't expect much more than that.

Now, there has been another development. If this were any other TV than a Pioneer Kuro, I would have it on the curb by now. I heard back from from the service company that did the diagnosis. They were able to locate what they refer to as a "green board". A green board is basically an almost new to new board with either no time or very little time on it. It is cannibalized out of a set usually with a broken screen and as I said, cannibalized for parts. They said this board would run $228 (new board was $500), They will come out, install it check it all out and give me a 90 day warranty-same warranty as a new board would have. Total parts & labor, $481.
To muddy the water, I have found a 50" Panasonic, 3D Smart TV for $1000 plus tax and something like $339 for a 5 year protection plan. This set is very highly rated. Panasonic is also getting out of the plasma TV business, so this will probably be the last shot. Panasonic is probably the top brand of plasma now that Pioneer is out of the picture. I figure I had better move quick one way or the other. Opinions?

[Goldenpony]

Well, hope we made the right choice. Gonna get the Kuro fixed.

[jktruckin06]

I just listened to them talking about this on the radio yesterday. They said in todays throw away society, that if it will cost half or less to fix it then go that route. Hopefully you get 4 or 5 more years!

[Goldenpony]

Well, like I said, if it was anything other than a Pioneer Kuro, it would be on the curb. After 4 1/2 years the picture still looks as good or BETTER than anything I see in the store. They are called "Legendary" on the internet.
I realize it's a gamble, but I guess I'm willing to take it.

[Blowpastyou]

I own 3 vizio LED tvs... would never buy another brand. I had a lcd vizio since 07. Still works perfect

[Goldenpony]

Have a smaller Vizio LED/LCD in the bedroom. Works great, but in a different league than our big plasma.

[Goober]

The smaller Vizio LED tv's aren't as good as the larger ones. I have a 60" Vizio LED smart tv that has an AMAZING picture when it's on 1080P.

[maverick]

You made a wise executive choice... And shall you enjoy your television for that much more for years to come!

[Goldenpony]

After agonizing over it, we went ahead and got the Kuro fixed. Really glad we did. Total for everything was $392.85 and the board has a 90 day warranty on it. Very happy with the outcome. TV looks great!