Is it cost-effective to have a large flatscreen tv repaired?
 

I have a 51" rear projection Sony flatscreen that's about six yrs. old. A few minutes ago the screen went orange when I turned it to satellite radio. Sound is fine on all channels but the screen is now gone. Looks like it's turned off, though an LED on the control panel flashes occasionally. Remotes for the tv and DirecTV box work fine. The picture had been losing quality for the last year, but I haven't noticed it getting any worse in the last few mos. Is it even worth it to have someone look at this or am I screwed? Jeff Spicoli's old man doesn't live near me.

How comfortable are you with partially disassembling it and de-soldering / soldering? It's probably a burnt out convergence IC - you can get these for about $20 for the full set. Probably be about $350 parts/labor to have it repaired by someone else.

I'm not too bad with electronics work. I have no ability whatsoever to diagnose or do things that take brains. But I can easily follow instructions and work with my hands. How can I research this more?

I'd do some searches on "your tv model" + "replace convergence IC". I'm sure somebody has documented something. You can also search for the service manual for your set - you usually have to pay for these. Here's some good resources...
www.avsforum.com
www.fixya.com

I went through this same thing with my rear projection Mitsubishi at about the same age as yours.

Thanks. Did you DIY the fix? I read some more about this job and apparently, some parts can store some serious voltage, even when unplugged.

Yes, I fixed mine myself. If it's been unplugged for more than 15 minutes or so everything should be discharged. If your paranoid about it leave it unplugged for a day, although by the time you figure what you need to order and have it shipped it will definitely be discharged so probably a mute point ;) The nice part is you'll be able to clean up the mirror and have access to all the adjustment screws to focus the display. You'll be amazed out how good the picture will look again.

If it's more than just swapping out a bad part, it's probably more than I want to deal with. Taking it apart, ordering parts and fixing it a week later is probably not gonna do it for me. But at least I might sound somewhat informed when I talk to a repair guy about it and so won't get gouged.

It's really not that difficult, would just require a bit of research to figure out the right part for your particular set. The circuitry is not small - very easy soldering. But yeah, if the project aspect doesn't interest you I'd just pay a repair man.

Hi, Rick.

I just went through the same kind of thing on my 51" Mitsubishi Rear-projection. Just a few differences, the set was about 12-13 years old. Some funny (electronic-death) noises, then loss of picture, then, the set wouldn't turn on at all. Bad smells, too.

If I was patient, I bet I could've fixed the set myself. As Already mentioned, in those rear-projection sets it's always the same things. Convergence ICs, or a few of the can-capacitors that fry. You might get lucky; there's A LOT of fuses in those sets; if you download a manual or something and maybe you'll get lucky and it will only be a fuse. Otherwise, If you're good with a search engine, I bet you can fix it for <$100. But, you need to decide what your time is worth/hr.

Since my set was almost 15 years old, I let it go and bought a 42'plasma and I don't regret it. I really worried about choosing the wrong one but I really enjoyed www.cnet.com and consumerreports.com, and I only spent about $800 and I'm thrilled with my Panasonic plasma.

This sounds like my guy here.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/sks/860648693.html

I just bought two roundtrip tix to China yesterday and now my bike needs new tires. My commission check for Sept. is going to be $76. I can't go buying a new tv now.

Worth a shot, I bet.

Lol, I bought a Panasonic Plasma after my Mitsubishi rear projection as well. I went for the 1080p version though :D My Mitsubishi is a CRT based rear projection 1080i set (awesome picture) so I felt it worth saving. If it was 15 years old I would have probably gone the same route and ditched it.

Does this effect DLP TV's too?

Just spoke with the repair guy, who's coming over today. He said it sounds like a focus tube and that 95% of the time it can be adjusted and all will be fine. He said it would be $100 for him to do it. This doesn't sound too bad.

The web is a great source for this type of information. My favorite is:
http://www.hometheaterspot.com
I was able to get fixes for my tv there that were very easy to understand and follow. Plus, like this forum, there are a bunch of people there to help.

FWIW, someone stuck an ad on the fridge at work today for a 52" projection tv in "perfect condition" for $350. Market value?

Jerame, don't you think HDTV has ruined porn ??:D
All those blemishes and freckles !!

Sorry, Todd. My prono doesn't require a television.

Rick,

I just fixed a 48 inch Mitsubishi that had the "blinking green light of death" by pulling the DM board and replacing 4 capacitors on it. Tech's wanted $900 and I did it for less than $20, including the desoldering iron. Just bought a 73" Mit flat screen set on CraigsList that works fine (no repair needed) for $800, so no need to go overboard.

Do not throw the set away and if its something easy that needs replacing let me know. Am back in town on the 16th or so.

Joe A

Holy cow!
Where did YOU come from?
:D