Getting a name brand TV doesn't mean it won't have issues either. I picked up a 43" Samsung Plasma on black Friday sale a while back...lasted about 6 months until it blew the capacitors in a spectacular fashion. Samsung capacitor failure issues with their plasmas was a fairly common thing...I found that out after researching. I still wish plasma's were made...picture quality (even this particular one being a 1080i model) and gaming were awesome on them (600Hz refresh rate). Ran it as an auxillary display to my projector.
Visio is a name brand now, have been for quite a few years. Personally I'd go with LG, Panasonic, Sharp, or Samsung, depending on the type of display looking for - the seem to always be at the top end when it comes to picture quality at good prices. Sony makes excellent displays as well, but you usually pay more for them.
Because of my watching/gaming habits I haven't done 'TVs' since the Samsung Plasma blew though...been only using front projection. Front projection = best bang/buck ever, especially these days! Where else can you get an excellent 110" image for less than ~$1500 (projector and screen)? I'd much rather replace bulbs every 3-5 years or upgrade to a better projector than ever replace a large display unit over 100"...
I've been using a TCL for about 5 years, purchased via Amazon. I'm quite happy with the price/performance ratio. It's only a display for me, so I can't comment on sound quality or any features other than "on/off". It gets a fair bit of run time because we use it like art, letting the AppleTV run a slideshow.
A coworker has had a couple of Vizios. The first one had the backlight go out, but I think the others have been going for 3+ years now. I have a fairly recent Samsung, but I'm not super impressed with it. Not sure I would pay the extra if I had it to do over.
My current computer monitor is a Sanyo 32" that has been bulletproof for 2 years. $189 on sale at WalMart during a black friday sale online.
I also have two Vizios (both 32" smart TVs) that were something like $249 and I very much like the features, picture, ease of use.
asoduk
HalfDork
2/26/17 7:45 p.m.
Just joining the hive...
TLDR: TVs don't last like they used to. Find the cheapest version of the size you want and hope it lasts 2+ years.
The best selling name brands don't guarantee a long life. I got a 50" high end Samsung from my BIL that wouldn't turn on. Quick googling had me fixing it in an evening, but it still went bad after only 3 years. I've heard similar stories about Vizio, Hitachi, and Sharp. We currently have an old Panasonic Plasma that has been great for nearly 10 years. Knowing this, I recently bought a 50" 4K Sekei for the office. The speakers suck, but it looks great. It was cheap enough that I won't complain if it dies in 3 years.
I've been shopping for a TV myself lately and am torn between the TCL 55" 4K dumb tv from walmart, or the 55" TCL Roku from Amazon. Throw in some random 65" deals from Sams Club for marginally more money too.
I feel like no matter what direction you go, it won't last as long as an early 2000s name brand tube tv. The one brand I won't even look at is Sony. Its a great picture with great features, but many of their models don't have standard mounts for a wall mount and require a $100 adapter. F that.
Also worth noting, I made a trip to BestBuy recently to look at TVs. Their huge "buy me" display was a $10k OLED from LG. I think its 80" or so. I laughed at the sales guy when he told me how much it was. They had the store setup to sell bigger TVs with smaller 55" models next to the big boy. They look tiny in that warehouse, especially next to something huge displaying from a better source.
And a somewhat hipster note: TV sucks in 2017. What do you even watch? Can you even notice the difference in 4K? Go work in the garage. Go play with your kids. Chase your wife around the house. Plant a garden. Buy a biturbo Maserati.
