I have a Samsung LN-T4061F that I purchased at the end of 2007 so it is out of warranty. Recently, it’s been having trouble turning on – cycling through on off several times before turning itself on finally. It also has purple dots on the screen. These usually go away if I turn the TV off and then back on. I did some research on the internet and they say it’s because of an undersized capacitor and also probably needs a firmware update. Are you familiar with this problem and how much would it be to fix it? Given that the set is 5 years old, am I better off to get a new one?

Thank you

Date: 03/26/2012

IHTS Response:

Lara, the best thing to do is first check with Samsung at 800-726-7864 to see if they will cover the repair. This is true for most TV manufacturers as they are sometimes willing to cover certain repairs. If they are unwilling to cover any portion of it then drop it off at our shop in Plymouth or call 763-544-1355 to set up onsite service. Most repairs are around $140 and many are even less than that. Our minimum charge is $50.

If you do get Samsung to cover the repair we would ask that you have them send the authorization to us as we are a factory authorized service center. However if you get referred to another service center we won’t get mad, there are plenty of good repair shops in the twin cities.

I hope I have answered all your questions. Feel free to contact us anytime.

TV was purchased in summer of 08. After it has been on for a while, streaks begin to form on the right 1/3rd of the screen and that portion of the screen becomes unviewable. Any idea if this can be repaired at a resonable price vs purchasing a new set?

Thanks.

Date: 02/28/2012

IHTS Response:

Chip, Its hard to say for sure, but my initial thought is the panel may be defective (not worth repairing) based on your description.  However, most LCD TV’s with a defective panel will have this symptom at power on and it clears up eventually, the opposite of what yours does.  My best guess would be one of two circuit boards, both of which would be cost effective to replace.  We charge $50 for a diagnostic if you drop it off or $100 to diagnose on site and either would be applied to the final bill.

That all being said, I do think it is worth your while to at least have it looked at.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

I WENT TO TURN TV ON AND THERE IS NO RED LIGHT. I CHECKED POWER AT CORD GOING INTO THE TV. 120 VOLT IS THERE. IS THERE A FUSE OR RESET BUTTON INTERNAL SOMEWHERE? SUGGESTIONS PLEASE.

Date: 12/08/2011

IHTS Reply:

Tom, there is a fuse but the reason it opens is problems in the power supply or main board. The SS board can also cause the fuse to open. I do not recommend that you put a new fuse in. If you bring it to us we can tell you what caused the fuse to blow.

This is an edge-lit LED/LCD TV. I think they call it a razor led or something like that. Anyway, a month ago it fell face down, not hard as I caught it midflight but an object in front of the tv was able to put enough pressure on the screen to break what I think is the LCD board. Outside of tv and screen is fine, looks brand new until you turn it on, then you can see a crack in the image. My question is this. If it is an edge-lit LED, could that mean the LCD part is fine or visa versa? I know little about tvs, so I appologize for any stupid questions. If I needed to replace the screen/board all together, I am aware of the price on replacing LED screens(buy a new one I’ve been told), is it possible to replace it with just a regular LCD screen? The TV is only 7 months old, not a scratch on it and looks brand new! Just want to explore any and all options before I send it to the landfill. Thank you for any help you can give.

Date: 12/13/2011

IHTS Reply:

Nicholas, its not a stupid question because we get it a lot. The two layers at the front of the screen are there to protect it so you did actually crack the LCD screen and it would cost close to the price of a new TV to get it fixed. LED technology simply refers to the type of backlighting in the TV. Standard LCD TV’s use compact fluorescent lamps to light the screen and LED TV’s obviously use LED’s. Other than that, the panel itself is LCD technology on both. I hope this helps to explain it for you. You should donate the TV to someone who can recycle the internal parts rather than throw it in the dumpster.

I turn my TV on and there is a mild dark shadow in the middle of the screen from top to bottom of screen, the colors are all dark, after about 10 to 15 minutes the picture returns to normal with very good picture quality. I have the Smart picture set to Natural but the condition will happen on all Smart picture modes. The picture remains normal until I shut it off, but the problem repeats until 10 to 15 minutes of viewing.

Date: 01/28/2012

Reply From IHTS

Lloyd, the dark area in the middle of the screen is most likely caused by a microscopic crack in the lcd panel (usually located on tab behind the frame of the screen).  Unfortunately this cannot be repaired without replacing the panel which will cost around $1300 for the part.  There are people online that may tell you the crack can be repaired but these are temporary fixes and in my experience the problem always reoccurs usually within a month.  The fact that the picture returns to normal after 10-15 min is consistent with a cracked panel as the panel expands from the heat and reconnects itself.  My recommendation is to start looking for a good price on a new TV.

Hi,
My Mits. DLP was purchased in 2007. Last year I purchased a replacement lamp from your place and the TV ran awesome! But… now white spots are appearing on the screen. There are 7 so far and I’m guessing it will only get worse as I doubt it’s a lamp issue. So I’m wondering if this something I should have you repair or just buy a new LCD.

Date: 10/13/2011

Response:

Unfortunately Dave, the DLP chip is not available as a replacement part so you would need to replace the light engine assembly which costs $450 + labor. I will let you determine if its worth it. There is no history to this model that would indicate a repeat failure in the future if you were to replace the engine, so basically, the question you should ask yourself is a new 65″ DLP worth $650?

TV had occasional problems turning on. I replaced lamp and it worked for a while. Then it began having the same issues turning on, not it won’t turn on at all. This lamp is new so I assume it’s something else. It’s old enough I am wondering if it’s worth fixing.

Date: 11/08/2011

Response:

Mike, It could be the lamp timer is keeping it from turning on. It could also be a defective lamp (especially if it is a cheap online lamp). I would need to listen to it to know more. Bring it in for a diagnostic or have us out to look at it. Its definitely worth getting looked at.

I have a 2006 Panasonic 50” Plasma Viera (Case Number xxxxxxxx). When the screen displays white, there is a curved yellow band (about 1 inch in width) that appears in the upper left hand of the screen. This band only appears on white screens, and will appear in any input. Any potential causes for this type of issue and/or solutions? Thanks

Date: 11/13/2011

Response:

Kevin, the fact that its curved tells me its probably foreign substance on the backside of the protective glass or the face of the panel. We would have to pull the panel out to look at it then determine if it could be removed (most likely) or if it is permanent (unlikely). The diagnostic is $50 if you brought it to us.

1. Cracked panel = buy a new TV.
2. Single thin line in the picture = buy a new TV.
3. The brand is Dynex, Insignia, Haier, Coby, or other strange brand that doesn’t support its product after the sale = buy a new TV

The rest of the defects in TV’s are fixable with the right parts and more often than not, $100′s of dollars cheaper.

The next question you may ask is “what will keep this from happening again?” or “does this mean more parts will go out on my TV?”  My answer is always “no”.  We rarely see a TV twice because we get to the cause of the failure and we don’t just mask the symptom.  We also guarantee our labor and the parts we install.

The screen lights up and the audio is fine, but the picture is nothing but a flickering and somewhat blurry gray screen. What’s wrong? Is this worth repairing or should I buy a new TV?

Date: 06/22/2011