Reliability by brand

TV brand repair history

See which brands have the best track record for reliability

If you're investing hundreds or thousands of dollars in a TV, you want some assurance that it will give you years of good service. To find out which brands have been most trouble-free, Consumer Reports surveys hundreds of thousands of consumers every year. Our expert survey researchers distill the real-world experiences of those thousands of users into repair history charts, which are available to subscribers. Unlike the more limited information you may get from friends or online forums, these charts are statistically valid and unbiased—the most comprehensive, valuable information you can find on brand reliability.

Our charts indicate the percentage of respondents who have had to repair their TV or who have experienced serious problems with it. As the financial industry likes to say, past performance is no guarantee of future performance, but it does offer valuable information as to which brands have been most reliable over time.

Data on LCD and plasma flat-panel TVs are promising. During the first few years of use, both types appear to be as reliable as conventional picture-tube TVs, though it's too soon to know how they'll hold up over time. Our data on rear-projection sets show a higher rate of repair. Conventional picture-tube TV sets have generally been very reliable over time, with a low rate of repairs. We have no repair data for front projectors.

Subscribers can access TV brand reliability information here.