How do I know if my TV is working?
 

A couple months back I bought a new LCD TV. I loved it and all was great. Now it seems the picture isn't what it used to be. Some shows look more pixelated or blocky. Others look very faded and washed out. When I first got it an HD football game looked great now it just doesn't seem nearly as sharp. How am I supposed to know if it's just me getting used to the TV or if it something going wrong with the TV?

In the old days you just turned it on and it worked or it didn't. Now a TV comes with so many combinations of settings and some images are in 480, 720, 1880, I or P and it changes depending on what the source is. So how can I find out if my TV is working properly? Is the only option paying some Geek Squad guy to tell me? I bought it from an internet store if that helps. Thanks.

Are you on cable or sat, check the signal strength? Call the provider and have it checked out. You pay for the service, it shouldn't deteriorate unless it's sat and you have a signal blockage, trees or a structure.

Get out the manual and go to the test section. Just like installing a printer cartridge, there's a set up screen on your TV.

Agree, sounds like a bandwidth issue. If on cable call the provider. There is a minimum bandwidth for quality picture. Even though the level of bandwidth that you are paying for may be acceptable you may not be getting it at your router.

If that's the case it's a good thing since they'll need to up your allocation and you get a higher tier for the same price.

Happened to me once with FIOS.

Some suggestions:

As mentioned above - check your TV settings -- it is very easy to 'fat finger' the remote and switch the resolution and/or programmed settings on your set.

Check your settings on your cable/dish box. Make sure you have the proper setting set -- for example - my cable box allows me to switch from 720i / 720p / 1080i resolutions.

Make sure your connections are solid, including cable to the box, and the connections between your cable box and TV set.

Hope this helps!
-Z

Another thing you can do is unhook your cable or dish input and see what the picture looks like just using the "out of the air" signal. If you have a local network affiliate, you should get a very sharp picture that way.

Digital broadcast signals on a HD monitor look better than most Direct TV channels. Not sure that would help diagnose it. I'd reset to factory defaults and go from there.

All I get is snow.
Jim

play a DVD. go from there.

rjp

Sometimes the answer is so simple it's elusive.

Thanks everyone. A friend said play the DVD and that will be my next step.