The Sharp TV I bought three years ago suddenly stopped turning on last Monday. I researched on the Internet, touched the mains switch and unplugged it, but it wouldn't give a damn. I was going to take it to a repair shop, but it would cost at least 40,000 yen, considering the cost of repairing it, shipping, and packaging. Moreover, I couldn't watch TV during that time.
So I decided to buy a new TV on Amazon, even though it was a painful expense. I rarely watch terrestrial TV and I don't want to pay the NHK subscription fee if possible, so I thought a monitor display would be fine. In fact, I only watch Amazon prime video and Netflix on TV.
The Sharp LCD TV I had been using was 60 inches and 4K-capable, so I didn't want to drop the size if possible, but I couldn't find a suitable monitor display. So I decided to go with a smart TV.
I found one that was 65" and reasonably priced. Strangely enough, I had just read an article about a manufacturer called Hisense the other day. It was written that they are a Chinese manufacturer that acquired Toshiba's TV business and have excellent cost performance. And the price is less than 90,000 yen. It's also compatible with Amazon prime video.
My Sharp TV was compatible with Netflix but not Amazon prime video, so I had to watch it via my Ultra HD player, but it was convenient to be able to watch it with just the TV controls.
Yesterday afternoon, Yamato Transport delivered the product and even installed it for me. They were very efficient, and that's what Yamato is all about. They took back the TV we've been using. I already paid Amazon for it, but you have to buy a recycling coupon for it under the Consumer Electronics Recycling Act. The cost differs slightly depending on the size and manufacturer of the TV, but the price I paid was 2,970 yen for the TV.
I didn't know until I heard from the Yamato Transport people that OLED TVs are not eligible for recycling. In that case, they will be disposed of. According to a research report commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in fiscal year 2017, OLED TVs are out of the scope of recycling because of the difficulty of recycling OLED modules.
I'll blog about how I feel about my new TV after I've been using it for a while.
It's a smart TV so I can watch my wife's YouTube. I'm looking forward to that too.
