When buying a TV, avoid the costly add-ons

**min0 lee** · 02-21-2011, 02:22 PM

By Geoff Morrison

updated 2/18/2011 4:51:27 PM ET
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Believe it or not, that $1,000 TV you're buying probably makes the store only a few dollars. The markup on TVs is very small. But that $100 HDMI cable the salesman sold you? That yields $90-plus in profit, easy.
In my former life I was an A/V salesman, but I'm feeling much better now. So I can offer an inside look at what's really going on.
Let's take a look at what the stores are pushing at the end of the sale, and if you really need it.

Extended Warranties
The perennial favorite. If you don't use them, they're 100 percent profit for the store. Think of them like any other insurance. For flat panel TVs, they're not generally worth it. Both plasma and LCD TVs are extremely reliable.

Cables
Sad to say, you're not going to get the cables you need in the TV box. You will need HDMI cables (or component, but HDMI is that little bit better, and a lot easier).
What you don't need is to spend a lot of money. There are only two states possible with an HDMI cable: it works, or it doesn't. If you see a picture, and it looks good, then you are getting the best picture possible. If you don't see a picture, or it's messed up with speckles, then the cable is defective and you should return it.
But $100 HDMI cables do not offer any additional performance over a $5 HDMI cable.
Let me say that again: the video and audio quality from one working HDMI cable is going to be the same as any other.

There are some specific exceptions. If you're planning on long cable runs (50 feet) then a better HDMI cable will be more likely to carry the signal without issue. Better doesn't always mean more expensive.
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Technically, standard HDMI cables are rated to carry 1080i and “High-Speed” HDMI cables are needed for 1080p, but personally I've never had an issue. If you have equipment that takes advantage of HDMI with Ethernet, then that needs a specific cable, as the Ethernet is over a previously unused pin and may not be enabled on older HDMI cables. For 3D, High-Speed HDMI is recommended.

**min0 lee** · 02-21-2011, 02:23 PM

So there's a 6-foot HDMI cable for $3. There's a 10-footer for $2. Remember, if they work, and they probably will, you are getting 100 percent picture and sound quality. Paying more for a cable doesn't increase picture our sound quality.
I also recommend monoprice.com. I've bought a bunch of cables there for next to nothing and they work great.
Power Conditioners
I'm kinda split on these. Many are nothing but snake oil. Promises of better black levels, better picture quality and so on are theoretically possible, but only if you have the worst power in the country. If the power in your home fluctuates to enough that you occasionally joke about living in the Third World, then OK, maybe a power conditioner can help. The catch is that every electronics product has a power supply built in that is designed to regulate the power … doing exactly what the power conditioner claims to do. Now, can it do a crappy job? Can it be overwhelmed? Sure. But not to the extent that the makers of some of these products would lead you to believe.

Some power conditioners have a built-in battery backup, so if you lose power you have time to power down your equipment. If you have a front or rear projection TV, these are great. A hard power off, with no fan-assisted cool-down, like what you would get during a power outage, can seriously reduce the lifespan of your equipment.
Occasionally you'll find a power conditioner/surge protector that claims to be rated to trip before lightning can damage your equipment. If they say it, I guess I'll believe it. But honestly, if you've got 1.21 jigawatts coursing through your house, I doubt a $9.99 plastic box is going to help.
So in the end, we'll cautiously recommend you put your A/V system on some sort of protection, though to what degree and what cost, that's up to you. Both Gary and I like APC products like this one as APC comes from a science/industrial background. We'll leave the snake oil stuff to other companies.

Others
Things such as delivery and setup are up to you. Setting up a TV isn't difficult, and if you get one of the setup Blu-rays I reviewed, it's even easier.
ISF Calibration, which may be recommended by some higher-end stores, is often worth it. Many TVs come from the factory with a color temperature reasonably close to the D6500 standard. If you're spending several thousand on your TV, it's worth it to hire a professional to calibrate it to its ultimate performance.

**min0 lee** · 02-21-2011, 02:24 PM

When buying a TV, avoid the costly add-ons - Technology & science - Tech and gadgets - HDTV - msnbc.com

**min0 lee** · 02-21-2011, 02:28 PM

monoprice.com

**DOMS** · 02-21-2011, 02:52 PM

Years ago I did loss prevention at CompUSA. So I had access to the cost price of each item.

A 6' USB cable sold for $30 and had a cost of $3.

I buy all my cables online. Hell, I but 95% of my stuff online from Amazon and NewEgg. NewEgg's customer service is second to none.

**vortrit** · 02-21-2011, 02:53 PM

Thanks for the post. I'm actually thinking of getting a new television soon. Mine is getting ridiculously old. I actually have it in storage. I wouldn't mind getting on I can mount on my wall which you can do with just about all of them out now anyway.

**DOMS** · 02-21-2011, 02:55 PM

On a related note, since I had access to the cost price and could buy at cost, I would run reports based on cost. The home office would set the cost of items they wanted to move (and for other reasons I didn't know) to 1 to 10 cents. I would buy a cart load of stuff (usually books and software) for a buck or two.

**vortrit** · 02-21-2011, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Years ago I did loss prevention at CompUSA. So I had access to the cost price of each item.

A 6' USB cable sold for $30 and had a cost of $3.

I buy all my ca les online. Hell, I but 95% of my stuff online from Amazon and NewEgg. NewEgg's customer service is second to none.

The last computer I had I built myself and bought all of the parts off of there. I also bought my laptop from there, and will buy my next one from there too. NewEgg is great. I purchased a power supply for one of my computers there that didn't work and they sent me a better model for free.

**DOMS** · 02-21-2011, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by vortrit

The last computer I had I built myself and bought all of the parts off of there. I also bought my laptop from there, and will buy my next one from there too. NewEgg is great. I purchased a power supply for one of my computers there that didn't work and they sent me a better model for free.

Ha! It's funny that you had a problem with a power supply. That's what got me to really like NewEgg.

I had a power supply that I bought from them die 9 months later. I called expecting nothing, instead they apologized profusely, sent me a UPS label to sent it back, and then credited my NewEgg account. I went from a 575W modular PS to a regular 750W power supply. I've sworn by them ever since. I bought a few things that I've had to return and never, not even once, have I had a problem.

They have great prices and great customer service. They're the best.

**klc9100** · 02-21-2011, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by vortrit

The last computer I had I built myself and bought all of the parts off of there. I also bought my laptop from there, and will buy my next one from there too. NewEgg is great. I purchased a power supply for one of my computers there that didn't work and they sent me a better model for free.

this could be used as evidence of you running multiple accounts on IM. you're obviously a computer genious with numerous computers at your disposal. . .

;-)

**sara** · 02-21-2011, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by min0 lee

By Geoff Morrison

updated 2/18/2011 4:51:27 PM ET
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Believe it or not, that $1,000 TV you're buying probably makes the store only a few dollars. The markup on TVs is very small. But that $100 HDMI cable the salesman sold you? That yields $90-plus in profit, easy.
In my former life I was an A/V salesman, but I'm feeling much better now. So I

this is exactly what happend to us when we went to Best Buy and the sales man tried selling us the HDMI cable.. Good thing I caught that and asked him is it additional?

**ROID** · 02-21-2011, 07:35 PM

He just threw it in like we had to have it for the television to work. It was an extra 100 dollars. He didnt even ask us.

**vortrit** · 02-21-2011, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Ha! It's funny that you had a problem with a power supply. That's what got me to really like NewEgg.

I had a power supply that I bought from them die 9 months later. I called expecting nothing, instead they apologized profusely, sent me a UPS label to sent it back, and then credited my NewEgg account. I went from a 575W modular PS to a regular 750W power supply. I've sworn by them ever since. I bought a few things that I've had to return and never, not even once, have I had a problem.

They have great prices and great customer service. They're the best.

That's the only thing I ever had a problem with from them. It was a clear power supply because the whole PC I built was clear. I think I ended up getting on that was black but it still ended up looking cool because I ended up buying a blue-tinted acrylic case instead of completely clear.

**sprayherup** · 02-21-2011, 08:34 PM

I have this one and it still works great.

**charieB** · 02-21-2011, 09:47 PM

You don't need a new television if you still have a working one. Now a days, we can't find cheaper ones. Its so expensive especially flat screened televisions.

**vortrit** · 02-21-2011, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by charieB

You don't need a new television if you still have a working one. Now a days, we can't find cheaper ones. Its so expensive especially flat screened televisions.

What do you mean? Flat screens are way cheaper than they used to be. They seem fairly reasonable now.

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