Is My TV Dead?

freespirit

One day, suddenly, my TV picture disappeared. Just a black screen now, but the sound on programmes is as clear as ever! There was a crackly static noise before it died, and now when I try to turn it on I see a white spark inside the case, near the back of the tube.
I'm tempted to buy a new LCD TV, they are so lightweight etc, but being a money saver I will make some effort to save the old one (less than 10 yrs old) if it's economical.
Any advice?

avfc4life

Not that im an expert on tvs but its sounds the same as what happened to my mates tv. The tube inside the tv has gone. I dont think its that expensive to replace (think the tube will cost about £50) it will probably be best to go to the place you brought it and tell them what happened and ask how much it would cost for someone to have a look at it. Try and find out roughly what the problem is before and how much it will cost to fix because if its over £250 you may aswell get yourself a new Tv.

Donnie

Televisions are relatively inexpensive now, so unless your TV has an especially large screen and is a premium brand, it's not worth getting it fixed.

BillScarab

For the cost of having a new tube fitted you could probably pick up a second hand CRT TV from ebay. Even 32" Sony's that used to cost a lot of money don't fetch that muxh due to the number of people upgrading to LCD/Plasma.

Wonga

freespirit wrote: »

One day, suddenly, my TV picture disappeared. Just a black screen now, but the sound on programmes is as clear as ever! There was a crackly static noise before it died, and now when I try to turn it on I see a white spark inside the case, near the back of the tube.
I'm tempted to buy a new LCD TV, they are so lightweight etc, but being a money saver I will make some effort to save the old one (less than 10 yrs old) if it's economical.
Any advice?

There is a place in St Helens, Merseyside that specialize in TV repairs (and audio/hi fi) and are reasonable. If you are nearby or just want the details, PM me.

koksrob

BillScarab wrote: »

For the cost of having a new tube fitted you could probably pick up a second hand CRT TV from ebay. Even 32" Sony's that used to cost a lot of money don't fetch that muxh due to the number of people upgrading to LCD/Plasma.

Did same my 32" widescreen with inbuilt sky box, surround sound etc...
got for £24..saw them going for cheaper too.

0rsen

freespirit wrote: »

One day, suddenly, my TV picture disappeared. Just a black screen now, but the sound on programmes is as clear as ever! There was a crackly static noise before it died, and now when I try to turn it on I see a white spark inside the case, near the back of the tube.
I'm tempted to buy a new LCD TV, they are so lightweight etc, but being a money saver I will make some effort to save the old one (less than 10 yrs old) if it's economical.
Any advice?

As a retired TV engineer, I would think that there are several possibilities. Failure of the line output stage, either transformer or transistor, or a dry joint on the printed sub-panel mounted on the base of the cathode ray tube. The cost of the repair would possibly depend on the make of the television. These days, they are hardly worth repairing. Failure of the tube itself is not a very common occurrence.

chrisw

It hasn't done bad for 10 years.

A good excuse for an LCD in my opinion.

freespirit

Thanks for all your imput. I might have a quick word in the local elec shop and ask what the cost might be.
Its a hulking, heavy 20" Wharfdale with teletext. Weighs a ton.
I'm in Scotland, so not near that repair shop mentioned. Why are there so few little repair shops around now, I guess it is usually cheaper to buy new instead. So, now I might need to arrange a lift to get this old tv to the recycling depot!
Throw-away society, eh!