If you are planning to buy a new TV, the first thing that comes to mind is life expectancy. Generally, TVs are robust enough to last longer. However, there are some factors that determine the life expectancy of your TV.
Depending upon your watch hour and TV settings, they can last for years in an optimal environment. Since replacing a TV screen will cut off a huge part of your budget, it is better to take care of your TV and make it last longer.
In this article, we will discuss how long TVs last, when should you replace them, and some tips to make them last longer.
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How Long Do TVs Last?
Your TV has a bunch of components integrated into it. And every component has its own lifetime. Out of all those, the display panel is one that has a short lifespan comparatively. LCD panels have a lifespan of about 60,000 hours, while LED panels have about 100,000 hours.
If you watch TV for about 6 hours a day, your display panel will last about 28 years in the case of an LCD screen and 45 years in the case of an LED TV. Having said that, there must be a condition that other components do not get damaged.
Many TV manufacturers mention the lifetime of their TVs in their advertisements. You can also get an approximate idea of the TV’s age from there. Or, you can look into the TV manual too. The TV company’s warranty period will also give you some rough insights into how long that TV can last.
Factors Affecting Lifespan of Your TV
Your TV comprises different electronic components. Not to mention, those components’ lifespan ultimately determines your TV’s lifespan. We have explained how those components determine the overall age of your TV.
Display Panels
LCD and LED are the leading technologies when it comes to display panels on TV. They occupy a huge share of the TV market today. As discussed already, LEDs have more life expectancy than LCD ones.
Liquid Crystal Display panel, LCDs, makes use of fluorescent lamps for producing images on the screen. They are thicker panels and less energy efficient than LED screens. Those fluorescent lamps get dimmer over time, thus decreasing the quality of the image it produces. Ultimately, requiring you to replace your TV screen.
While LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) make use of LED lamps that are much more energy efficient than LCDs. LEDs can be a better opinion if you don’t want your screen to be replaced too early in the future. Keep in mind that they can be quite expensive initially but better than LCDs in the long run.
Display Components
T-Con board, LVDS cable, and ribbon cable are some of the display components that communicate between the display panel and main board of your TV. These components do not normally get damaged, but power fluctuations and lightning strikes can damage them.
Moreover, if you place your TV in a dusty room, the dust can get clogged over those electronic components, causing overheating and eventually damaging the TV.
Power Components
The electronic components on your TV, like Power Supply Unit (PSU), main board, and backlight inverter, normally do not get damaged unless there is a power surge. The quality of those components used on your TV also determines the overall age of your TV.
Moreover, even if you have used the surge suppressor, the high voltage in the lightning strike can pass through the coaxial and ethernet cables and may damage your TV.
Speakers
The sound levels you listen to on your TV also determine its age. Listening to TV at a louder volume can damage your speakers. Replacing a damaged speaker is possible, but in case the speaker is integrated into the board, you may need to replace the entire board.
Picture Quality
Whether you own an LCD or LED TV, watching it on a higher picture quality utilizes much power. This ultimately decreases the lifespan of fluorescent bulbs or LED lamps, causing the entire display panel to fail.
TV Brand
Some renowned TV brands use quality components on their TV. The cost of your TV also gives you a rough idea of the quality of the components used in it.
If you get two TVs with the same feature, one cheaper and the other a bit expensive, you can easily know which one uses the quality components. While saying so, you can not conclusively say that the expensive one lasts longer as the brand value also matters in setting the price of the TV.
When is the Time to Replace Your TV?
Over time, the manufacturers release firmware updates for their TV. If you have a TV model from 5 years back and have not faced any failure to date, it can stop working despite there being no issue with the hardware. The manufacturers can stop providing support and updates to your TV, ultimately making it outdated for installing new applications and hardware.
There are other things as well that signal you to buy a new TV.
Flickering TV Screen
A flickering TV screen is a common issue most TV users face. If your TV starts showing horizontal lines on the screen or color fading out, it is time to replace your screen. Replacing the screen costs as much as replacing your TV. So buying a new TV would be a better option.
However, there exist some DIY (Do It Yourself) methods to repair your broken TV screen, but the process is sophisticated and may be an uphill task for general users.
Distorted Sound
If your TV sound crackles, there may be issues in the speakers or the sound modules. They are replaceable, but in case they are embedded into the main board, you may need to get a new TV.
TV Turning On and Off By Itself
If your TV keeps turning on and off itself, it can be due to software or hardware failure reasons. You can learn more about why TV keeps turning off from this comprehensive article. In case there is a hardware failure, you need to replace the entire TV.
Delayed Start
If your TV takes forever to start, probably the outdated firmware is causing the issue. As said earlier, manufacturers stop giving updates and support when your TV is too old, and it may be time to get a new one.
Higher Electricity Bill
If your electricity bill is higher than usual, your TV can be responsible for this. A faulty PSU of the TV starts consuming more power, and you may get a high bill. Electricity consumption is equally dependent on other things like the age of your TV, screen size, and display panel.
Not Supporting External Devices
Older TVs do not support the latest media, streaming, or gaming console devices like PS4 and Switch. If you want to use those devices, you may need to get a new TV.
It solely depends upon you if you want to get a new TV. Probably you want a TV with a bigger screen for your living room, or you saw a new TV with exciting features. You can replace your old TV with a new one at any time.
How to Make Your TV Last Longer?
Now that you know the factors affecting your TV’s lifespan, you can do certain things to help your TV last longer. We have tried to cover each and everything you can do to make your TV last longer in ten headings below:
Isolate Your TV
The first thing you can do is not let your kids and pets play around with the TV, as in most cases, they are responsible for damaging the TV. You can mount the TV on the wall and protect it with a screen guard as a first step to making it last longer. But make sure there is no water seepage on the wall where you plan to mount your TV.
Make a Habit of Turning Off Your TV Regularly
Most people have the habit of leaving the TV turned on even after they finish watching it. It adds an unnecessary burden to the display panel and adds extra hours to it. You can save up some hours if you turn it off regularly. If you are watching something for a bit longer, give periodic breaks to your TV.
Maintain Room Temperature
High temperature is one of the detrimental factors for your TV. The TV itself gets heated when overused. Further, if the room temperature is higher, you may damage your TV’s internal components. You can use fans or air conditioners to decrease the room temperature. Make a habit of turning off your TV once you finish watching.
Please keep in mind that overcooling can also cause damage to your TV. Temperature fluctuations can condense the TV components, ultimately damaging them. So, only operate your TV at appropriate temperatures.
Lower the TV Volume
When you set your TV volume to a higher level, the amplifiers drive more power from the PSU, causing overheating of itself and the capacitors. The capacitors may get blown out due to overheating thus damaging your entire TV board.
Maintain Lighting of Your Room
If your room is too bright, you need to increase the brightness and contrast of the TV to view the images and video properly. It will use much power and reduce the life of fluorescent or LED lamps.
If possible, set your picture settings to medium, set contrast to low, and maintain the lighting of your TV room. Modes like Standard and Energy saving are available in most TVs that save power and increase panels’ efficiency even with good picture quality.
Avoid Long Pause on Your TV
When you keep viewing a single image for a long time or leave your video on pause, the same pixels on your display panel get lit for longer, decreasing the panel’s life expectancy. If you want to leave your TV on standby, you can turn on the screen saver instead.
Do not Install Unnecessary Apps
Most Smart TVs allow you to install third-party apps on your TV. While saying so, you should be very careful while downloading and installing those apps. Some apps may install malware on your TV, making it almost unusable. Please do not install the unwanted apps until and unless it is necessary.
Perform a Periodic Cleaning
You should also consider cleaning your TV periodically. Dust mainly gets into your TV from the speaker grills and ventilation system on your TV. It may end up damaging the circuit boards due to overheating. Set up your TV in an isolated room where it is less prone to dust and debris.
Use a Surge Suppressor
Surge suppressors protect your TV from electrical spikes and lightning strikes. They stabilize and only supply the dedicated voltage to your TV. Get one of them and connect your TV via it despite connecting directly to the wall outlet.
Only Seek Professional Help
If you face issues like crackling sound or lines on your TV screen, you may want to repair it yourself. But never try dismantling the TV yourself unless you have knowledge and proficiency about it. You may further end up damaging it and run into a problem. Only seek assistance from a professional to get your TV repaired.
