Average lifespan of a TV is about 2 1/2 years...

[EightFingers]

As to covering TVs, aren’t some TVs always “on” as in to turn them completely off, they need to be unplugged?

What do you cover them with?

Puna: Our roosters crow first

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

aren’t some TVs always “on” as in to turn them completely off, they need to be unplugged?

Yes, but they put out very little heat. They newer LED sets create almost no heat when powered down with the remote. I cover screens with whatever I have that’s the appropriate size, hand towels for smaller computer monitors, table cloths for larger tv screens. I wouldn’t use anything plastic.

Covering screens also keeps the connection ports from rusting or filling with dust.

[Southwick]

Do you cover screens to protect them from dust or is there another reason?

[leilanidude]

What do you cover them with?
-------------
I use a large, soft table cloth over TV's and a pillow case over monitors. Pillow cases are sewn shut on the short end and cut open on one of the wide ends to just slip over the monitor.

[kalakoa]

newer LED sets create almost no heat when powered down with the remote.

They put out zero heat when powered down with an external switch because the standby power is a waste of off-grid resources.

The combination of dust and condensation is really destructive long-term. Dust holds more moisture, which gathers more dust, etc. Eventually there's rust on the electronics and you're buying a new TV.

For larger electrics such as power tools out in the garage, use a fleece or wool blanket sprayed with silicone (sold as waterproofing for camping gear).

[My 2 cents]

The closer you are to the ocean, especially here on the windward side, the more salt in the air becomes a factor. Surprised nobody has mentioned that.

[kalakoa]

Surprised nobody has mentioned that.

If you can afford to live near the ocean, you can afford a new TV every couple of years, right?

(If I could see the ocean ... I wouldn't watch TV anyway ...)

[1voyager1]

I've never seen short lifetime TVs.
Even when CRTs were the norm, we'd get 10, 15 years or more service out of our sets.*
We've only had 2 flat screens since over the air went digital.
I bought a converter for my CRT and M'Lady bought a flat-screen in AK.
I took mine, still working nicely, to a recycle center, and sold the converter.
M'Lady sold hers before moving here.
We bought a new one for her to use here.
It is still working nicely, but is getting a bit behind in the technologies.
So what?

*EDIT:
Keep in mind that when I throw something out, nobody wants to try using it.

[randomq]

I hope to not buy anything new until ATSC v3 rolls out here. If it is actually adopted widely.

[terracore]

My guess is that it will suffer the same fate as ATSC v2, becoming obsolete before it can be rolled out, and skipped for something better. As a consumer I'm not thrilled about a system that delivers the programming over the airwaves and the advertisements via the home wifi, or that that the system uses geo-location for the purpose of delivering targeted advertising to my living room. Other than the improved picture quality (which I probably can't notice anyway) the system seems to be more to the advantage of advertisers than consumers.