New TCL P8 TV gone bellyup after 2 weeks.

[giddyup]

Lost half the cable TV programs this morning, tried to rescan channels with no luck. Called out a technician from Numchai (the store) and he couldn't do either, so looks like it goes back for replacement. Now the screen is completely black. No way I'll buy a TCL again if this is the kind of quality to expect. Have two other TV's both Panasonic, the Plasma 10 years old, never a problem, same with the 5 year old LED. Not sure if I'm stuck with a replacement TCL or not, hoping I can change brands even if I have to pay more.

[johng]

12 minutes ago, giddyup said:

so looks like it goes back for replacement. Now the screen is completely black. No way I'll buy a TCL again

Well its ( kind of) good that it went wrong so early still under warranty.. it can happen with any brand,though obviously some are more prone to failure than others.

 

When you say  "completely black" have you tried  selecting different inputs other than the Cable TV..no on screen messages at all ?

[giddyup]

Just now, johng said:

Well its ( kind of) good that it went wrong so early still under warranty.. it can happen with any brand,though obviously some are more prone to failure than others.

 

When you say  "completely black" have you tried  selecting different inputs other than the Cable TV..no on screen messages at all ?

I unplugged it a plugged it back in, but it won't scan channels for local cable network. To be quite honest I haven't been happy with it since the get-go. It did a system upgrade yesterday and half the apps I installed disappeared. The technician says the tuner is kaput. Not a good result for a 2 week old TV.

[david555]

I guess both of your 10 years old had also much higher pricing as the TCL , but even the present A labels went down in price much , looks more like with our smartphones , quick replacements...

 

BTW:  my Samsung smart Screen is for me worthless as a smart TV, partly as many programs are blocked (provider) or useless pay systems , playing SmartScreen  by a box or laptop is easier, if you see what is inside present flat screens is only a computer mainboard and not  much more besides the led tapes and a small electric component .

I had a replacement once by Samsung Naklua side , not yet 15 minutes , they just took out that mainboard and screwed another in and ready, cost 2600 baht (no money for it comparing before western repair prices for TV's....).TV became a throw away thing almost now if faulty  

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, david555 said:

I guess both of your 10 years old had also much higher pricing as the TCL , but even the present A labels went down in price much , looks more like with our smartphones , quick replacements...

 

BTW:  my Samsung smart Screen is for me worthless as a smart TV, partly as many programs are blocked (provider) or useless pay systems , playing SmartScreen  by a box or laptop is easier, if you see what is inside present flat screens is only a computer mainboard and not  much more besides the led tapes and a small electric component .

I had a replacement once by Samsung Naklua side , not yet 15 minutes , they just took out that mainboard and screwed another in and ready, cost 2600 baht (no money for it comparing before western repair prices for TV's....).TV became a throw away thing almost now if faulty  

There's not that much in it between budget and premium brands. The equivalent size 55 inch 4K, UHD, Android Panasonic is only about 2000 baht more, ie 14000 instead of 12000 for the TCL.

[david555]

3 minutes ago, giddyup said:

There's not that much in it between budget and premium brands. The equivalent size 55 inch 4K, UHD, Android Panasonic is only about 2000 baht more, ie 14000 instead of 12000 for the TCL.

So you know what to try next … and hope it is different quality , I stick with Samsung just because that excellent quick repair shop in Naklua nua 

Edited January 18, 2020 by david555

[giddyup]

10 minutes ago, david555 said:

So you know what to try next … and hope it is different quality , I stick with Samsung just because that excellent quick repair shop in Naklua nua 

Maybe just bad luck with the tCL, did quite a bit of research before buying and TCL came up trumps, but when a TV fails after 2 weeks it kind of sours you for that brand.

[petermik]

7 hours ago, giddyup said:

Maybe just bad luck with the tCL, did quite a bit of research before buying and TCL came up trumps, but when a TV fails after 2 weeks it kind of sours you for that brand.

Correct me if I,m wrong but haven,t the latest TCL,s got a 3 or 5 year warranty?

[giddyup]

4 hours ago, petermik said:

Correct me if I,m wrong but haven,t the latest TCL,s got a 3 or 5 year warranty?

3 years yes, but as I said, I'm leery of the brand now and would rather replace it with something else. The shop where I bought it is taking it back tomorrow.

[john terry1001]

On 1/18/2020 at 3:45 PM, giddyup said:

Lost half the cable TV programs this morning, tried to rescan channels with no luck. Called out a technician from Numchai (the store) and he couldn't do either, so looks like it goes back for replacement. Now the screen is completely black. No way I'll buy a TCL again if this is the kind of quality to expect. Have two other TV's both Panasonic, the Plasma 10 years old, never a problem, same with the 5 year old LED. Not sure if I'm stuck with a replacement TCL or not, hoping I can change brands even if I have to pay more.

That type of bad luck can happen to any make of TV. As an ex-TV engineer with 40 years of experience and close connections with most major manufacturers technical/research departments I personally have a preference for LG. The first one I bought in Thailand about 13 years ago is still going strong (now in the bedroom) but the second one I bought about 5 years ago packed up after just 10 days. It was repaired next days and is still going strong now, never another problem.

 

As for TCL, I bought one for the wife's family at the same time as our LG thirteen years ago and it's still going strong today never had a moments problem. I've also bought two 24" TCL's, one used 24-7 as the CCTV monitor and the other I use as a second monitor connected to my PC which, apart from using as a second PC monitor I mainly watch watch TV on. Never had any problems with all three TCL TV's.

[Henryford]

I've had Samsung and LG TVs pack up in a short time, it's just luck of the draw. Doesn't matter what you spend.

[Pravda]

Sorry... TCL has always been <deleted>. 

 

Don't believe any internet reviews. I work with Amazon and know first hand how reviews can be padded, especially the ones that show on top of Google search engine. 

[ThomasThBKK]

my TCL is going strong, did u not fill out the warranty card? They have 2 years warranty.

 

And no TCL isn't anymore <deleted> than Samsung and LG.

[metempsychotic]

On 1/18/2020 at 4:05 PM, giddyup said:

I unplugged it a plugged it back in, but it won't scan channels for local cable network. To be quite honest I haven't been happy with it since the get-go. It did a system upgrade yesterday and half the apps I installed disappeared. The technician says the tuner is kaput. Not a good result for a 2 week old TV.

Who watches cable tv anymore? (But that is another discussion)

 

Have you tried inputting a video source, are other tv's in the house working?

 

If so return it.

[giddyup]

The technicians from where I bought the TCL came and picked it up today, they both agreed that the 55 inch TCL P8 just wasn't scanning TV channels correctly and therefore faulty. Their opinion of TCL was very negative, they said buy another model like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic or LG but don't touch another TCL as they have had nothing but problems with them. So tomorrow I go back to pick something else even if I have to pay more, my preferences are either Panasonic or Sony Android 4k UHD 55 inch TV's, which only work out to be a couple of 1000 baht more expensive that the TCL.

[Will27]

23 minutes ago, giddyup said:

The technicians from where I bought the TCL came and picked it up today, they both agreed that the 55 inch TCL P8 just wasn't scanning TV channels correctly and therefore faulty. Their opinion of TCL was very negative, they said buy another model like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic or LG but don't touch another TCL as they have had nothing but problems with them. So tomorrow I go back to pick something else even if I have to pay more, my preferences are either Panasonic or Sony Android 4k UHD 55 inch TV's, which only work out to be a couple of 1000 baht more expensive that the TCL.

I recently shopped for TV's.

 

I narrowed it down to Panasonic and Sony as well.

Opted for the Sony in the end.

 

Don't think you can go wrong with either brand TBH.

[Jai Dee]

A neighbour of mine just bought himself a 65" Hisense 4K TV from PowerBuy for about 15K baht with free delivery and I must admit that it performs very well.

 

It also came with a 3 year warranty.

 

You can find it here.

[giddyup]

10 minutes ago, Will27 said:

I recently shopped for TV's.

 

I narrowed it down to Panasonic and Sony as well.

Opted for the Sony in the end.

 

Don't think you can go wrong with either brand TBH.

What model Sony did you buy? I'm going to look at the KD-55X8000G, it's about 15000 baht. Also want to look at the Panasonic TH-55GX650T, both have Android 9 OS.

[giddyup]

10 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

A neighbour of mine just bought himself a 65" Hisense 4K TV from PowerBuy for about 15K baht with free delivery and I must admit that it performs very well.

 

It also came with a 3 year warranty.

 

You can find it here.

I'm a bit shy of the budget Chinese TV's after the TCL problem. I have always had Panasonics in the past and never a problem. In fact I'm still using a 50 inch plasma TV that's over 10 years old now, still works like a charm.

[Jai Dee]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

I have always had Panasonics in the past and never a problem. In fact I'm still using a 50 inch plasma TV that's over 10 years old now, still works like a charm.

Same here... got a 50" Panasonic plasma TV that is is over 10 years old and still works like a charm... won't handle 4K though.

I originally paid over 200K baht for it... 

[giddyup]

5 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

Same here... got a 50" Panasonic plasma TV that is is over 10 years old and still works like a charm... won't handle 4K though.

I originally paid over 200K baht for it... 

I bought a 43" Panasonic Plasma about 15 years ago, didn't even have a tuner, I had to buy a separate set top box, all up cost me over A$5000, or more that 125000 baht, probably buy the same thing for 5000 baht now, if you could find a plasma. Thought it was the best thing since sliced bread when I got it, 43" seemed huge at the time.

[Don Mega]

On 1/21/2020 at 11:05 AM, ThomasThBKK said:

my TCL is going strong, did u not fill out the warranty card? They have 2 years warranty.

 

And no TCL isn't anymore <deleted> than Samsung and LG.

Yeah I bought a 55" TCL December last year for 6k, works a treat and has 2 year warranty.

[giddyup]

14 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Yeah I bought a 55" TCL December last year for 6k, works a treat and has 2 year warranty.

Mine had a 3 year warranty, but it started giving problems immediately, so the shop where I bought it has offered me any model I want as long as I pay price difference. When the techs from the shop come out and advise me to buy just about anything other than TCL because they have had so many problems with them, that's good enough for me to look elsewhere. I might add that I did have my heart set on a TCL as all the reviews I'd read were positive, so maybe I just got a lemon.

Edited January 29, 2020 by giddyup

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Yeah I bought a 55" TCL December last year for 6k, works a treat and has 2 year warranty.

They all have 3 year warranties now.

Was looking at a 65" for 15kbht earlier this week.

[Will27]

48 minutes ago, giddyup said:

What model Sony did you buy? I'm going to look at the KD-55X8000G, it's about 15000 baht. Also want to look at the Panasonic TH-55GX650T, both have Android 9 OS.

Went for the x8000G model in the end.

Wasn't for me but I did the research.

A good middle of the road model I think.

 

I have a larger, older Sony.

Very happy with the brand.

 

Previously had a Samsung that died, so I won't go there.

 

Rtings is one of the better review websites around.

The model numbers can vary though.

 

Here is a review of the Sony:

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x800g

 

They've also just reviews the best 55 inch Tv's.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/55-inch

 

Here's one on the Panasonic

 

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/panasonic-tx-55dx650

Edited January 29, 2020 by Will27

[giddyup]

9 minutes ago, Will27 said:

Went for the x8000G model in the end.

Wasn't for me but I did the research.

A good middle of the road model I think.

 

I have a larger, older Sony.

Very happy with the brand.

 

Previously had a Samsung that died, so I won't go there.

 

Rtings is one of the better review websites around.

The model numbers can vary though.

 

Here is a review of the Sony:

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/sony/x800g

 

They've also just reviews the best 55 inch Tv's.

https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-size/55-inch

 

Here's one on the Panasonic

 

https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/panasonic-tx-55dx650

Thanks for that. Sony comes out a little better than the Panasonic.

[giddyup]

58 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Thanks for that. Sony comes out a little better than the Panasonic.

Might add that the review for the Panasonic isn't for the same model, the model I'm interested in as both UHD and HDR as well as Android.

[Will27]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

Thanks for that. Sony comes out a little better than the Panasonic.

Yep,

Only a bee's dick in it.

 

All comes down to personal preference in the end.

A bit like Ford vs Holden.

[giddyup]

6 minutes ago, Will27 said:

Yep,

Only a bee's dick in it.

 

All comes down to personal preference in the end.

A bit like Ford vs Holden.

As I said above, the review for the Panasonic must be for an older model, either that or the US has a different OS, ie Firefox, where the model sold here has Android as well as HDR, which they said the model reviewed didn't have. Anyway, I'll take a USB drive with me to play on both.

[Don Mega]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

They all have 3 year warranties now.

Was looking at a 65" for 15kbht earlier this week.

Think mine might be a factory2nd/refurb. hence the 2yr warranty... Looking to buy the 65" for 9k next month.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Don Mega