Aliens invade my telly!

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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:07 pm

I have a Sony flat screen (but old tech, with a tube)TV, I turned it on today, and everyone had blue skin!

The Sky Guide, usually in blue, was all in green. Anyone understand the strange magic of TV? Is the red gun going? Switching on and off made no difference, it was the same for terrestrial and satellite signals.

Just to be awkward, I just tried it again to take a photo, and its back to normal. From experience, I don't expect it is for long. Of course i didnt take the extended guarantee, do you think I'm stupid?

If it does die, I have an excuse to go out and buy an LCDTV, or as the phonejacker says, a luhcuduh tuvuh, ready for the hudd.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:14 pm

Personally, I never do the extended guarantee. They are there to make money, so why would they offer anything that would help you financially? Besides, if you look at the terms you'll notice a lot of stuff isn't covered. Take a look at bestbuysux.org and you'll see what I mean.

Got my HDLCD tv just after Thanksgiving. STAY AWAY FROM HP! TV wasn't too bad (if you don't count how the screen failed with lots of 2" circles on it, but they replaced it free) but I like universal remotes. The only universal remote that works with them are the $100+ Logitech Harmony series remotes.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:17 pm

Roy check your cables, but I doubt they are the problem. It does sound like your Red has gone out. Check the colors in the menu and see if adjusting red helps. You may have to get a new tv Sad

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 4:47 pm

Hmm, thats what I think, though its not dead yet. The red gun failing isnt like a dry joint or anything easily fixable. Its not the cables, the sat is on an RBG lead and its just the same as the ones that are fed from the aerial.

I would like a flat LCD telly I can nail to the wall, but on the other hand, the Sony is only a couple of years old. It almost helps if it dies, however theres no way I can eBay a failing TV, if it fails for its new owner, thats my reputation gone in a flicker.

If I can time it right at the tip, maybe I can drop it 30 feet onto concrete, like a Led Zeppelin tour....

he last one I chucked, I was gutted that there was a load of waste there to break its fall. I need to ring first and check they have a hard landing for it. Razz

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 5:25 pm

I never take out extended warranties. They're rubbish. I've been in electrical shops where the salesperson seems more interested in selling me one than the product I'm after.

If they start that nonsense with me now, I just ask them to sell me a TV, stereo or what ever, that wont break down in less than three years. If they can't do that I tell them I'll find a shop that will. Wink

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:18 pm

The good thing about those good old CRT TV sets is that you can (could) attempt to fix it by slamming it hard with your fist. Hurts too much on those flat TVs from nowadays.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:27 pm

I agree with OD and windypops, you've done the right thing not going for an extended guarantee. As the old lady says in the Catherine Tait show....
What a bleedin liberty!

Sounds like the red gun has gone.

My approach? Well I'm pretty low tech, I just bought a JVC 26 inch flat screen TV with freeview incorporated. It cost me something like �300, and it's fine for watching the telly on. (I only watch about 2 hours a day so I'm not big into huge LCDs and stuff).

If it blows up next year, or if I smash it.... I buy a new one. No big deal.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:40 pm

@wokabo

It's called percussive maintenance.

Extended warranties make the retailer (and the sales assistants commission) more money than actually flogging the tellies. I always ask the sales assistant if their products are so good why should I fork out for the EW?

Even if the product crocks out shortly after the warranty period it should still be fit for the purpose for its expected reasonable lifetime, which in the case of a computer/TV is more than twelve months.

Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:00 pm

Current legal thinking on "reasonable period" is 6 years!! I don't think there is legal precedence on this one yet though

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 12:18 am

Go EZ on the percussive maintenance. I know it seems that a lift of the front a few inches off the surface and a drop of the tube can cure all but it is dangerous.

I agree with the gun gone bad theory except for one fact. The Trinitron has but one gun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitron

The cathode is kept very warm with heaters and the leads of the CRT sometimes corrode. It may be there. I can't say its easy to fix a bad connection there because it actually is dangerous for someone that does not know that a CRT can hold a charge that will bite you.

If its the red driver, its safer but harder to work on as real troubleshooting and desoldering skills are required.

The actual problem you are describing is called greenitis. For some reason the red circuit is driven harder than the others. Could be output of phosphors, I do not know. The point is when a CRT fails over a period of long use, its how they die.

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:45 am

Ahh...Percussive maintenance. Or 'Murphy's screwdriver' as we call it in our house. Very Happy

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:58 am

^^ reminds me of a story an uncle of mine told me once:

he saw a blond chick stepping into her car, but the car wouldn't start. She stepped out of the car, took a hammer out of the boot, opened the hood, started slamming the hammer somewhere in there a few times, closed the hood, stepped into the car, started the engine and drove off.

So it's true, there's nothing a good bang can't fix.

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:35 am

^ Blonde eh! She must have been in a Triumph Stag then. Petrol pumps were in the boot, always gave trouble, nothing a little persuasion couldn't fix.

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:13 pm

Here's the fix if you are sort of handy with a #2 Phillip's screwdriver(+) and are feeling lucky. Pull the power on the telly. Put it face down on a soft surface. Take the screws holding the back off. On a Sony there are arrows pointing to them. Lift off the back. There may be a mains connection that will have to be pulled off carefully with the back cover. Or not, depends on the model. Don't touch anything. Keep a good looking girl or guy that knows CPR around.

Carefully pry off the connector to the CRT. The one on the end of the neck. Do not touch the anode cap on the side of the tube.

Carefully clean the exposed pins with contact cleaner. Do this one at a time. You may see a green or white corrosion on one or more of the pins. Do the same with the connector. Q-tips or toothbrushes work. Those brushes for between the teeth are great.

Reconnect, aligning the keyway on the connector. Replace the cover and screws. Test. If its still screwed up, donate it to the Goodwill.

Do not take a hammer to the neck at night. Do not watch the gun assembly implode towards the shadow mask and light up.
Do not take a 12 gauge with 00 buck to it. Its really messy.

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:27 pm

If it's an LCD then one of your panels has gone. An LCD uses one red, one blue and one green panel. It's not worth the cost of the part (and LCD panels are expensive) or the labor to fix it. Trying to take it apart and figure out what's wrong is fairly dangerous. Just touching an LCD panel will cause it to fail.
Bite the bullet and get a new LCD or plasma.
Stay away from LG brand - cheap and lousy - NEC, Hitachi, Samsung, Sharp, Philips or Panasonic are all good.
Good air circulation around the unit is something people forget about. I see a lot that are put into entertainment units or near a heat vent where the heat builds up along with the dust and simply fail after a short time - usually just after the warranty runs out. Always keep a can of compressed air around and use it to blow off the dust. Buying an extra warranty is ok but check out the small print. The cost of these TV's have come down so much over the last couple of years that most manufacturers aren't willing to support more than a one year warranty as it's not cost effective for them.

Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:47 pm

^^^

Roycropper wrote:

...old tech, with a tube)TV..

RoyCropper has a CRT. LCD's? LG cheap? I wish they were. They have amazing contrast ratios, brightness and resolution levels. I just bought a Samsung LCD today to replace my 5 year old LCD because everyone wants bigger. The equivalent LG was 50% more money. For tellies, the Olivia* brand kicks butt for cost effectiveness.

Cheers Cool

*According to Consumer Reports.