[stlblue]

Last week I was at Wal-Mart and they had 2 demo flat screens for half price ($400 & $600). I won't be in the market for a new TV until after the first of the year, but am curious if it's a good idea to buy flat screens that were presumably on for a long periods of time before being purchased.

[superchad]

If you are looking at that budget I would guess you are not expecting too much but all the same that idea scares me............Walmart magnifies that concern. There is no way to tell how long its been on so it looks like a crap shoot at best, if its at Walmart I suppose if its displayed up high away from fingers (check for prints to see if its been pawed alot) I would worry less but if its low and easy to reach god only knows who and how hard its been messed with and extremely cautious viewing of entire screen area is a must! Do they sell that with warranty that starts as if purchased new?

[stlblue]

I'm not looking at Wal-Mart or that budget right now. I was killing time while waiting on the pharmacy. Warranties on demo products are normally covered as new. I've had very good experiences buying a DVD player, washing machine, tread mill, and microwave (off the top of my head) from Best Buy, Sears, & Home Depot, but those were purchased because they were just sitting there. My question is w/ the new TV technologies (ANYWHERE),  is buying demo units powered on for extended periods prudent?