Alan, Id rather not say the names of the brands out of respect for companies. They have all done the job fine for a limited time but have broken down.
The ones I have had have been in the $200-$350 range..

Does anyone know the thread the above mentioned discussion was held in?

thanks

Never pay for an "extended warranty" you are entitled to it by law (Google Statutory Warranty).  It applies to almost all items.

Basically a store sells you a flat screen TV for $2,000 - its a recognised brand such as Sony or Panasonic etc..   It comes with a 1 or 2 year manufacturers warranty and the salesmans tells you, you can extend the warranty to 3 or 5 years for and extra $50.  Don't do it.

what he doesn't tell you (likely he doesn't know) is that by law you are entitled to a full refund or repair if the product fails before it should (the time varies and depends on factors such as brand, cost, item etc - it's basically what one should reasonably expect the item to last).  Now if I bought a Sony TV for $2,000 I'd expect it to last at least five years - and so it should - if it doesn't you should be able to make a claim on statutory warranty. 

The store you bought it from is responsible (they had the sale of contract with you) not the manufacturer - they then have to take it up with the factory - not you.  if they tell you otherwise contact consumer affairs.

Buy off internet (particularly Ebay)- I don't know I would pursue any warranty - unless it's a recognised store.

Lifetime warranty is a different matter if they are offering it.

Hope that helps someone