Regardless, one could expect the trusty old RCA or Zenith to last twenty odd years. If something did go wrong there were always local repairmen. These were weird, little guys who lived in houses stuffed with wire and vacuum tubes. The smell of solder filled the air. If they'd been born later they might've become computer geeks.
There wasn't much coming down the pipeline. TV technology was static. So, in those days a trained monkey could've bought a new TV set. It was simply a matter of choosing a size and brand. Today, one needs a degree in electronics and a few months of study time to figure out which screen to buy. Let's say you've ruled out all types of projection systems. Alright, do you want flat-screen Plasma or LCD? You've decided that LCD is the way to go. Now what resolution? Is 1366 x 768P enough? Should you wait for true 1050P? How quickly will the prices tumble?
It's not really like I have an option of choosing when to jump in. I'm already very sick of looking at the spare 19-inch tube from the bedroom. The old, dead Hitachi is still against the wall in the corner. We've not gotten around to tossing it yet.
Where's that monkey?