Set up a flatscreen for a friend... Problems!
 

Call came in from a friend who just aquired a used flatscreen set that is 3-4 years old. They paid big money, for them, $300, for it.

I got it working properly by just scanning the channels in the cable mode. Found everything, and a bunch of digital channels, too. I reset all the audio properties, as the original owner had every audio adjustment set to MAX.

Also, reset all the video functions to default, as everything looked contrasty and super-rich colors. Now the color and picture looks fine.

One problem I noticed, and pointed out, the right side of the entire picture from top to bottom of the screen looks like there is some information missing on the screen. It's like empty black stripes in an otherwise clear and clean image. These black stripes run from the top to the bottom of the screen.

I'm thinking I shouldn't have pointed this out to my friend, and just let him be happy with his new set... his 2nd flatscreen set.

Other than this big flaw that I, a former TV station employee, would notice, the image looks fine. I havent touched a flatscreen set, other than replacing a surface mount fuse on one that someone gave me about 4 years ago.

I'm suspecting cheap and junky capacitors. What do you think??

I did have them clean the vent slots in the back while I was there. Lots of built up dust. It's getting good air flow now.

That the TV's video adjustments were set at maximum, or close to it, is very likely why the set was producing an overcontrasted picture with oversaturated colors. I've heard of this happening with flat-panel TVs on display in stores; the display sets on the sales floor are simply unpacked, plugged in and connected to the store's MATV or cable system (if any), then the picture controls are set at ridiculously high levels, if not absolute maximum. The sets are probably not scanned when the cable is connected to them, so they will pick up literally everything on the area's cable system -- including public access channels, community information channels, the area's local stations and must-carry cable channels, et al. The cable system in my area (Time Warner) carries all the channels I mentioned, including school access channels. The public-access channels (all of which are meant for specific areas miles away from where I live) do not interest me in the least, so I delete them from the scan list on my flat TV.

I also delete MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, etc. from that list, since they have "music" that does not interest me one bit (I think it's nothing but noise, and the content of the videos--sheeesh); that leaves me with about 40 channels, including the local network affiliates and the TV Guide Channel, to say nothing of Antenna TV, MeTV and RTV. The cable system here is amazing; it probably has over 1000 (you read that correctly, one thousand) channels, most if not all of the higher ones being the HD versions of the locals and the must-carry channels. My set won't tune to those channels, and I wouldn't pay the $5 a month TW charges for the DTV cable box. I suppose if I had a 42-inch or larger home theater setup and watched a lot of sports, movies, etc. I would pay the extra charge for the box, but since I live in a small apartment and have a 19" FP (the largest set I feel I need in this place), plus a small but growing collection of classic TV shows and movies on DVD/VHS and a subscription to Netflix, I just don't see the need for any more TV channels coming in on the cable.

If the stripes are in the picture area and not just Letterboxing then there's an issue with the set, either the panel is bad or the board that drives it.
Is it Plasma or LCD?

It's LCD. I shouldn't have mentioned the issue I saw. Now, I'll never hear the end of it.

The stripe runs from the top to the bottom of the right side of the screen. It's like every other line is there, and it's dim in the area of the screen. No, it's not letterboxing, or pillarboxing for a 4x3 TV picture. The other side of the screen looks just fine.

Seems like there's a video that is supposed to fix or reactivate dead pixels. I know that you don't have dead single pixel but maybe a few lazy ones possibly? What it does is flashes bright colors in rapid sucession, just don't look at it while it runs!

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Videos to fix dead or stuck pixels. In this case, entire colums of the matrix aren't working.

This...usually...is caused by a bad panel...specifically the connections to the panel itself.

But what I find odd is that you said every other column. Usually this kind of defect will manifest itself as multiple columns next to each other...not every other one.

If you thump the screen gentely, if it is a bad connection, you may see those columns flash or change color. At this point though, it almost sounds like a problem with the panel driver itself.

the point is, this is beyond what you can really do. It needs professional service.
Sent from my Samsung Intercept with Tapatalk

I have not seen the "guts" of one of these sets yet...how is the connection usually made to the panel? Perhaps some sort of heat sealed "flex" cable?

It would seem that out of thousands of connections that must be made, this would be a likely failure point in the design.

jr

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That's a good possibility. The number of connections is insane. A full HD panel is 1920x1080, each pixel is what...3 sub-pixels of RGB..it amazes me they even work.

The problem I was reffering to was inside the panel itself...where the connections from the drivers go between the pieces of glass.

I've had several laptops fail that way...whatever attached the conductive carbon/rubber (or whatever) to the display would fail.

Honestly, its the type of thing you'd destroy the panel and have to take it down to indvidual layers to see what I'm talking about...I forget LCD TVs are built different than laptop screens.

I haven't seen the innerworkings of them really either. I took a peek in the vent holes of my recent TV purchase and..yeah...they've changed and if its the problem I'm thinking...its trashed.

Sent from my Samsung Intercept with Tapatalk

This set is a Samsung. My friend tells me that the dark area of the screen comes and goes. I'm suspecting that connection between the chassis to the screen. They like it, so far, so, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will run for awhile. If not, I'm sure I will be having a look at it in the future!

Merry Christmas, friends!

Bruce