COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - It's the difficult decision we all face when our electronics break: take it in and try to fix it, or throw it out and buy a new one?

There is never a good time for your TV to break, but for most guys, Super Bowl week may be the worst. Jim Hall went to turn his on Sunday night, and it didn't come on.

Age and size are the biggest factors to keep in mind when deciding to fix or junk a television. Hall's is six years old.

"If the TV's over 10 years old there may not be a part available," said TV store owner David Windham.

Consumer Reports recommends replacing a TV at six years. If it's a LCD or plasma television that's larger than 32 inches and less than six years old, a couple of hundred dollars is worth it to fix it.

"You pay $2,000, or even $1,000 for a television and it has a problem, you just don't throw it away and go out and buy another one every two or three years," said Windham.

But a crack in a flat-screen is typically a deal-breaker.

"Flat-screens that people accidentally crack for whatever reason, they're real expensive to fix," said TV store owner Charles Mills.

In that case, junk it.

A broken DVD player is another story. No matter what the age, if the warranty's up, the cost of buying a new one is typically less than you'll pay to fix it.

"You can get one for less than $100 to replace everything," said Mills. "We charge $35 to look at the unit, so sometimes that's not worth replacing the unit."

When it comes to computers, a software problem is usually fixable.

"It's probably 90 percent of what we're doing right now is virus removal," said computer expert Christy Goodwin. "A good antiviral program can stop a problem like that."

Older software like Windows 95 or 98 may need to go if you're trying to run more modern video applications. Hardware problems can be costlier, and may result in junking the computer.

Digital cameras don't last as long as film cameras, and repair costs can often be more than buying a new one.

"For that reason do you want to sink another $100 into repairing this camera that you bought for $200 and you can replace it and get more features for about the same money," said camera store owner Linda Appleman.

But look out. If a camera is dropped, it's on the way to the junk pile.

"If there's a sensor problem, if there's been a drop, it may not be feasible to repair," said Appleman.

If you decide to junk a TV, a lot of repair shops will take the set off your hand to use for parts at no charge. But make sure you call a shop first before hauling your TV to a store to get rid of it.