Dead plasma?

[x2skier]

I think I know the answer to this one, but I thought I would check with the experts before I drop a bunch of money. About four days ago I noticed that my plasma screen had dimmed significantly and then just last night the picture cut out altogether. Is there a repair for this or am I going tv shopping in the near future?

So then as a follow-up what should I be looking for in the new display. For the set-up I have I would need it to be 42" or a little larger. I am not an audio / videophile so I do not need top performance. I probably would go for a good quality workhorse, and I do not think that I have a preference of plasma or LCD (I know that in another ongoing thread).

Thanks

 

[stratman]

I think I know the answer to this one, but I thought I would check with the experts before I drop a bunch of money. About four days ago I noticed that my plasma screen had dimmed significantly and then just last night the picture cut out altogether. Is there a repair for this or am I going tv shopping in the near future?

So then as a follow-up what should I be looking for in the new display. For the set-up I have I would need it to be 42" or a little larger. I am not an audio / videophile so I do not need top performance. I probably would go for a good quality workhorse, and I do not think that I have a preference of plasma or LCD (I know that in another ongoing thread).

Thanks

What's your budget? Can you swing a 50" plasma? Plasmas tend to have better color rendition than LCDs, especially blacks, they tend to be less expensive. How about resolution? Does HD matter to you? Do you have HD cable/sat? Post these and you'll get plenty of help!

 

[TLS Guy]

What's your budget? Can you swing a 50" plasma? Plasmas tend to have better color rendition than LCDs, especially blacks, they tend to be less expensive. How about resolution? Does HD matter to you? Do you have HD cable/sat? Post these and you'll get plenty of help!

How old is your TV and what is it? If you like it and it is only a year or two old, then get a repair estimate. It might be a simple fix, you won't know unless you ask.

 

[x2skier]

Thanks for the help so far. I think I do have room for a 50", but that would probably be max. I have Time Warner Cable with high definition (not sure of the broadcast resolution). I would not be able to use a hdmi cable because all of my equipment is remotely located. I do have component video cables available.

I will look into a repair as posted by TLS guy. The set is only 3.5 years old. It used to have a great picture. I was afraid that once the set goes dark I was screwed. I appreciate the help.

 

[stratman]

Thanks for the help so far. I think I do have room for a 50", but that would probably be max. I have Time Warner Cable with high definition (not sure of the broadcast resolution). I would not be able to use a hdmi cable because all of my equipment is remotely located. I do have component video cables available.

I will look into a repair as posted by TLS guy. The set is only 3.5 years old. It used to have a great picture. I was afraid that once the set goes dark I was screwed. I appreciate the help.

What brand is your display? How much did you pay for it? Balance that with the cost of a new display versus the cost of repair, then factor in age of display. Has it given you problems before? Usually when a display starts acting up I get ready to replace. If you can swing the 50" set, Panny makes an excellent unit for a reasonable amount of cash, that represents an excellent performance/dollar ratio. If cash is not too much of a problem, the new KURO from Pioneer are beautiful and their blacks are the best, but it'll cost you more than the Panny.

 

[Emusica]

I think I know the answer to this one, but I thought I would check with the experts before I drop a bunch of money. About four days ago I noticed that my plasma screen had dimmed significantly and then just last night the picture cut out altogether. Is there a repair for this or am I going tv shopping in the near future?

So then as a follow-up what should I be looking for in the new display. For the set-up I have I would need it to be 42" or a little larger. I am not an audio / videophile so I do not need top performance. I probably would go for a good quality workhorse, and I do not think that I have a preference of plasma or LCD (I know that in another ongoing thread).

Thanks

Can we get a repair history, if any? What brand? Viewing habits? My plasma is approaching 3 but I've had no problems whatsoever.

 

[x2skier]

Repair History

I have had no issues with the set until this point. I did find a local repair shop that will give me a free estimate if I take the set to their shop. I have a friend coming over on Wednesday night to help me with that. I do have the original box and packing so the transport should be safe. I noticed the price of a 50" Panny at the Audioholics Store TH-50PX77U. It was not that bad. I will re-post when I get the service estimate and go from there. Thank you again everyone.

I forgot to mention, the brand of the set is NEC.

 

[x2skier]

I took the Plasma into the repair shop. He had it a few days and ran it through all of the inputs. The repairman told me that the picture was flawless on every input. I'm thinking great, it is probably a bad wire in my home or a bad component. I bring the set home, re-hang it on the wall, and the picture flashes on - then goes black. I have plugged in components (from other locations that work perfectly) direcly into three different inputs in the T.V. I have also tested the power at that location; 120V almost exactly. I plugged in a very good surge supressor that also tests the ground wire and that is testing fine. I am at a total loss here. I can keep the screen on as long as there is nothing coming into one of the video inputs. If I have all of the inputs unplugged or if there is no signal going to them I can run through all of the inputs on the remote and they show up very clearly on the screen with a no signal message. As soon as I turn on a source and switch the plasma to that source I get a flash of the picture and then it goes black. Any Ideas?

 

[TLS Guy]

I took the Plasma into the repair shop. He had it a few days and ran it through all of the inputs. The repairman told me that the picture was flawless on every input. I'm thinking great, it is probably a bad wire in my home or a bad component. I bring the set home, re-hang it on the wall, and the picture flashes on - then goes black. I have plugged in components (from other locations that work perfectly) direcly into three different inputs in the T.V. I have also tested the power at that location; 120V almost exactly. I plugged in a very good surge supressor that also tests the ground wire and that is testing fine. I am at a total loss here. I can keep the screen on as long as there is nothing coming into one of the video inputs. If I have all of the inputs unplugged or if there is no signal going to them I can run through all of the inputs on the remote and they show up very clearly on the screen with a no signal message. As soon as I turn on a source and switch the plasma to that source I get a flash of the picture and then it goes black. Any Ideas?

This is a strange one. We need more detailed information. Tell us exactly what is plugged into each input of the TV, the cables and sources. We need very great detail here.

It is also possible it is the mounting screw causing trouble, may be shorting to something. See if taking the TV off the wall mounting cures the problem.

It is also possible that this is a weird intermittent fault that was not present when checked in the shop. I hope not, as that would be hard to pin down. This has to be pinned down before you buy another TV.

 

[x2skier]

Funny, I thought the same thing about the mounting screws last night so I did take it off of the wall and I have the same problem. I also have the same plasma in out bedroom that works very well so I swapped out the power cord. No change to the problem. I carried the television to another part of the house just because I felt the need for a hernia. No change to the problem.

The input sources that I tried were the standard rca video input direcly from a vcr. I tried the component video direcly from a dvd player, and I tried another 5 wire input that is from a vga output from a laptop computer. I tried all of these inputs individually with the other inputs completely unplugged. I even tried it with multiple patch cords just for fun. I finally re-boxed up the plasma and I am going to take it back to the repair shop to see the screen for myself. This is screwey.

 

[TLS Guy]

I think I know the answer to this one, but I thought I would check with the experts before I drop a bunch of money. About four days ago I noticed that my plasma screen had dimmed significantly and then just last night the picture cut out altogether. Is there a repair for this or am I going tv shopping in the near future?

So then as a follow-up what should I be looking for in the new display. For the set-up I have I would need it to be 42" or a little larger. I am not an audio / videophile so I do not need top performance. I probably would go for a good quality workhorse, and I do not think that I have a preference of plasma or LCD (I know that in another ongoing thread).

Thanks

I think you proved it is the TV! If it works in the repair dept again, have them keep it a while and see if it misbehaves. One other think check your house voltage to make sure you don't have a low voltage situation. Should be 120 volts.