not sure what to do about my tv

[bergoff]

so we had a nasty storm blow through and afterwards my 42in plasma is making a clicking noise. it still works and the pic and sound is fine and all of the inputs work. it will make the cliking sound every 20sec. its just enough to drive you crazy. do you guys know if it would be worth having it looked at or just toss it? my homeowners ins copay is a grand so its really not worth filing a clame. it is about 4 years old samsung. i also lost my stereo in the garage. i could be worse.

 

[robmob]

First thing I would do is unplug it from the wall for a few minutes and then plug it back in and turn it on. Sometimes doing this can clear up problems in electronic devices.

 

[Rolex]

My guess, since it was storm related, is that a capacitor took a surge, and is now unable to control the proper current without arcing. The click you're hearing is most likely a spark. It's easy to find, and easy to fix, but it's not easy to find a TV repairman anymore who uses a soldering gun. It will probably be a circuit board swap out for 2 or 3 hundred.

 

[bergoff]

So I unplugged it over night and it was fine on Saturday. My son was watching it when I left for work with no problems. Then I get a call from my wife that the tv is letting all of its smoke out. What a bummer. Looks like I will need to work some ot for a new tv not some rc stuff. Already looking at 240hz models. I can't watch my 27in in the living room just to small.

 

[ZANDOR]

I know what your saying..i have a 52''when i look at a 30 or so '' tv Its just not good enough.
once you go big theres no turning back!

 

[ZANDOR]

DING DING DING Idea!
take all the iners <is that a word?
Anyway take it all apart and save the outer part of the tv and make a picture frame out of it..it will be the most expensive frame you ever bought..

I like this..

 

[Lessen]

Innards

 

[bergoff]

DING DING DING Idea!
take all the iners <is that a word?
Anyway take it all apart and save the outer part of the tv and make a picture frame out of it..it will be the most expensive frame you ever bought..

I like this..

I like your thinking. I've seen old floor console tvs turned in aquariums. I guess one perk about being a cable guy is that I see tons of tvs and know what not to buy. 600hz Panasonic plasma is a nice set. We will have to see I'll have to measure and see how big I can go.

 

[moe7404]

the bit bucket is full.

 

[RC Addict]

I know what your saying..i have a 52''when i look at a 30 or so '' tv Its just not good enough.
once you go big theres no turning back!

Well, I WAS happy with my 40". Now not so much...

 

[hamz9561]

I don't know if my living room could handle much more than the 37" I've got now. It doesn't really matter right now because my cable company doesn't offer any HD service.

 

[Rolex]

What? Really?
Check that again. I just got the 42" Vizio a few weeks ago, and when I did the channel scan it found almost 30 new channels in hi def that you didn't even know existed on a TV with an analog tuner.
All the high def channels are the major networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, 3 PBS channels and some locals and shopping channels.
Instead of NBC coming in on channel 10 (which still broadcasts the NTSC signal but I blocked it) it will broadcast on 10-1 in full wide screen high definition. The local all day news channel is 21, and 21-1 in high def.

 

[bergoff]

Man your cable provider sucks. I called my insurance agent and I have a 500 copay with replacement cost so I'm just going that route. We will see what they say. I've never had any clames before I hope that it goes well. My total loss is only 1700 it could have been a lot worse.

 

[Rolex]

Man your cable provider sucks.

I'm sure he means Hamz' cable.
I'll be looking into the add on box for all the HD that they have available. What I have now is already in the system at no extra charge.

 

[RC Addict]

I'm sure he means Hamz' cable.

He must have! We all know you have not used your "cable" in quite some time...

 

[Rolex]

When I was a kid, there was no such thing as cable. We used a vine to get a decent picture.

 

[hamz9561]

Rolex, I did scan all the channels and they don't have any digital channels except for the encrypted ones that require a box. I'll probably switch to DirecTV for my HD. The cost for the same channels with them is less and that includes an HD DVR and 2 HD boxes. I'll be saving $15 bucks a month. Anyone think it's worth switching?

 

[Rolex]

You're kidding! :whhooo: No tough decision to make on that.

 

[hamz9561]

The really bad thing is that I get a better picture on Fox off a pair of rabbit ears than I do off of my cable.