This is true even at much lower repair cost levels, for other reasons. I recently made an upgrade decision on a TV (in my RV). It was *not* an economical one. I could have replaced the plug for about $20 and it *might* have continued to work. The power supply connection was a bit loose on the circuit board, but still probably would work.
However, I gained the following by upgrading for around $180 (32" Roku TV from Philips):
- Lowered the weight by half.
- Lowered the weight by an additional 25 pounds due to the insanely massive metal hinged cabinet door frame it was attached to.
- Lowered the power consumption, important as we mostly boondock on solar. This is true even though the new TV is AC vs. the older DC model.
- Lowered the power consumption an additional amount since the new TV is 'smart' and can connect directly to WiFi, so I no longer need to run a separate computer for get online content.
In comparison, our first 'high definition' TV was a 36" glass tube model that weighed 215 pounds and cost us $1000. It lasted around 20 years.