Panel Failure - Is there a solution?

[Rabepobemababe]

I own a Philips 32" PFL 3403 LCD TV. The panel is an MVA from AOU. The TV was purchased during November, 2008. It was all the while connected through a Belkins Surge Protector to the mains. Despite the antiquated panel, I was fond of its picture quality. However, one fine evening in October, 2011, while the TV was on, the colours of the TV suddenly became pale and white, and there was ghosting / clouding of the image. The Philips Service Centre guy said it was a panel problem which cannot be repaired, and asked me to buy a new TV. To have a second opinion, I approached a reputed, independent LCD TV repair centre, to be told the same thing. When I checked online (Consumer Court), I found innumerable cases like mine, where the LCD TV has developed panel problems within three years. Most such complaints in India were related to Samsung LCD / LED TVs, may be due to purely statistical reasons such as the number of TVs sold of the brand. Some were related to Sony LCD TVs. Other brands like LG, Philips (in my case), Toshiba and Panasonic do also figure.

Not to abandon hope, I contacted 'Repair & Return' of Bangalore (Repair & Return Technology India Private limited), which claims to have a state-of-art LCD panel repair facility. In turn, I was told that they are a B2B company and not B2C.

In this background, I request the knowledgeable members of this forum to throw some light upon the following:

1. Why do LCD/LED panels go bad all of a sudden without any apparent reason (even when they are protected through surge suppressors and voltage stabilizers), and without any warning?

2. Why is getting an LCD/LED panel repaired such a difficult task?

3. Repair & Return says they are a B2B firm. Since they are thriving successfully, it means there would be certainly B2C panel repair guys linked up with them. Where to find them?

I would be grateful for the above information.

 

[viper08]

1. Why do LCD/LED panels go bad all of a sudden without any apparent reason (even when they are protected through surge suppressors and voltage stabilizers), and without any warning?

2. Why is getting an LCD/LED panel repaired such a difficult task?

Not a technical answer. But that's what the companies want and design newer Tvs like that. If panel lasts very long like CRT, how would compnaies pull money from customer's pocket again and invest some part of it in new technology attracting buyers again?

Repairing cost would same like going for newer set. In short current market is use and throw methodlogy as companies think that customers are always willing to spend on latest things.

 

[Rabepobemababe]

I was going through some literature in this regard. It states that panel failure rates are a closely guarded secret among the top brands of LCD / LED TVs. It lists "thermal failure" as a major factor for panel failure, and says that in many models, design deficiencies cause thermal failures. I even saw somebody who claims to be knowledgeable in a forum like this commenting, that inclusion of a fan in the chasis would save many a LCD TV from panel failures.

Are these statements true?

 

[DIVASMMM]

One of such kind with recent 2011 Samsung PS43D490 Plasma....
Due to the RCA INPUT port issue, the picture displayed was pale and burnt..but all the other ports were fine. I got TV replacement for the same....but the replacement TV also developed the same issue within 2 days!.....I was using the same STB/DVD playerfor years and never had this issue....first the technical guy claimed that it was because of power passing through the CABLE TV wire and then through the STB to the port which burnt the port.....

SAMSUNG TV had serious issues with the RCA input port....the reason which I felt was......the RCA (Yellow) port has been shared with the Green port. There will be some power rating differences between RCA and Component, but because the same port was shared, it lead to the port failure...

But 2011 Samsung models mostly share the port. Waiting for inputs from other 2011 Samsung TV owners......

 

[gobble]

One of such kind with recent 2011 Samsung PS43D490 Plasma....
Due to the RCA INPUT port issue, the picture displayed was pale and burnt..but all the other ports were fine. I got TV replacement for the same....but the replacement TV also developed the same issue within 2 days!.....I was using the same STB/DVD playerfor years and never had this issue....first the technical guy claimed that it was because of power passing through the CABLE TV wire and then through the STB to the port which burnt the port.....

SAMSUNG TV had serious issues with the RCA input port....the reason which I felt was......the RCA (Yellow) port has been shared with the Green port. There will be some power rating differences between RCA and Component, but because the same port was shared, it lead to the port failure...

But 2011 Samsung models mostly share the port. Waiting for inputs from other 2011 Samsung TV owners......

Interesting ... but If it comes to a consumer court issue, you will have to find a technical expert to prove it with evidence and calculations.

--G0bble

 

[roamingraman]

May be interesting to find new posts in this topic as we have crossed enough time for new developments. Kindly post some ideas in this regard

 

[celltronix]

For LCD \LED panel repair in Bangalore please visit [http://www.celltronix.in] or call 080 41157510 / 9845893115. Celltronix can repair most of the defects in LCD/LED panel . If your TV/Monitor /LCD Projector is out of warranty and take it you a Brand repair center your be charged heavily . Try Celltronix for cost effective repair solutions

 

[Vinod.R]

So what is new here?

This is an oft discussed topic about panel failure etc.

It is still the same. Buy the least costly TV and then throw it when it goes bad seems to be the mantra.

 

[Audi]

In hyderabad I found a good LED TV repair expert .. srinivasa electronics .. Contact Jagdish - 8008859990

He repaired my 2year old sony led tv 46w950a in just 5days .. authorised center asked 35k .. he did it in 11k

 

[Aanuj]

Samsung PS43D470 failed about a week back. I discovered it was due to overheating since the design was not properly heatsinked. A bad design. Changing a few capacitors , resistors , FETs will solve the issue instead Samsung is recommending an entire panel replacement at Rs 23000, I rather buy a new Sony instead , never a Samsung again,even their 29inch CRT has developed issues.

 

[Vinod.R]

Come on Aanuj, wake up and smell the smelling salt!

All companies whether it is Samsung, Panasonic or Sony are all eggs in the same basket.

There is built in obsolescence in all electronic products! Otherwise how would they force you to upgrade if your present TV is working fine?

Forget CRTs! They used to and do last years and years and years! Most of the times.

There is BIO in all products and they want you to invest in a new product between 2-5 years every single time.

I have said the same in different threads and I will never tire of telling it. If you have a working CRT enjoy it, at least you can get it fixed. Otherwise pray to the TV gods that your new LCD/LCD/Plasma or any thin panel that they (all companies) peddle to you works for at least 2 years.

Also in between grey repair shops have a gala time! So do the official service center! All peddle their wares for your money with the least concern for you as a person or customer.

And that is the bitter truth.

 

[Aanuj]

My Sony Kirara Basso 29 inch is doing great. All Sony LCD/ LED, I have 4 of them doing great, I wonder why the Samsung Plano 29 CRT and Plasma panel got in to trouble? I drank my coffee , got back my senses , never Samsung again, never.

 

[quadmaniac]

My Sony Kirara Basso 29 inch is doing great. All Sony LCD/ LED, I have 4 of them doing great, I wonder why the Samsung Plano 29 CRT and Plasma panel got in to trouble? I drank my coffee , got back my senses , never Samsung again, never.

I recently faced an issue with my Sony LED TV. The panel failed twice in 3 years. So don't think Sony is great either.

 

[pushkarDighe]

Hi All,

I have this problem with my Sony TV too. It is a premium Bravia 3D TV purchased in 2011 and in 3 years started showing problems. Now it is very bad. I had checked with Sony center when the issue started happening and they gave me budget of 40k to replace my panel and that too without any guarantee even for a year. Did not go ahead with it.
My main problem is that TVs with really good picture quality are very expensive. Putting that much money only to go down the drain so soon is not acceptable. Other thing is that are TVs very different than computer monitors? Basically if you really look around you will see a LED-LCD panel in varying sizes and use every where. Printers have them, phones have them, many devices / machines have them they are literally every where and at times under terrible conditions. I have seem computer monitors remaining switched on for days together still nothing happens to them and our super premium TVs taken care like princes are dying in days.
I have to buy TV soon as it is a necessity for my parents, I cannot but some mediocre TV. So any suggestion? have things improved since 2011 or it is still "pray to god"

Thank you,
pushkarDighe

 

[plasmoid]

Come on Aanuj, wake up and smell the smelling salt!

All companies whether it is Samsung, Panasonic or Sony are all eggs in the same basket.

There is built in obsolescence in all electronic products! Otherwise how would they force you to upgrade if your present TV is working fine?

Forget CRTs! They used to and do last years and years and years! Most of the times.

There is BIO in all products and they want you to invest in a new product between 2-5 years every single time.

I have said the same in different threads and I will never tire of telling it. If you have a working CRT enjoy it, at least you can get it fixed. Otherwise pray to the TV gods that your new LCD/LCD/Plasma or any thin panel that they (all companies) peddle to you works for at least 2 years.

Also in between grey repair shops have a gala time! So do the official service center! All peddle their wares for your money with the least concern for you as a person or customer.

And that is the bitter truth.

So true...gone are the days of the Sony Trinitron which ran without problems for 20+years

 

[efernand1]

Bottom line....LEDs / LCDs / Plasmas are not like CRTs which were built like a tank and last a good 15 to 20 yrs..

Technology has improved and also made us jumpy for new features which made us do away with CRTs.....today we are the ones as consumers bearing the brunt!

Poor built quality LCDs / LEDs / Plasmas often last 2-5 years...be it any brand....all components are from China....so don't expect the best TV in the market......

My take is simple, hunt for a TV which has all the required features / connectivity you will really use and purchase the same for a good price with warranty.....if it survives for 3 years +...its a good investment...then sell it and buy a new one.....(Write Down value per year of use 34%, 33% and 33%)... many of us are so busy with family, work etc...honestly ask yourselves how many hours would you really spend in front of a TV...so Is it worth spending so much on a Top brand? For some it is luxury and a status symbol...for folks like me...its a consumable to serve a purpose....I am not brand conscious...I will use what works for me in performance, connectivity, value and of course budget.

There are dedicated TV threads on this site which have actual feedback, comments and woes of some of our members using different brands...do make a visit to read those posts which are insightful!

 

[pushkarDighe]

Frankly I’m would love to buy a TV which has top notch picture quality and no other fancy features.
But such TV will not sell as general buyer wants millions of features irrespective of use. Here is a statement which a colleague of mine made 10 years ago when deciding on a GPS model “That GPS model cannot play MP3 so don’t want it”
This kind of customer mentality makes these manufacturers add junk features which push cost and may even degrade the overall quality.
My TV has a YouTube app which died few years back as it was not upgradeable and the YouTube site kept blocking it due to security issues.
But i have paid for it, right?
I may watch TV for an hour max on alternate days but thanks to satellite broadcast the picture quality is good. Even a ordinary blu-ray player will give you fantastic picture quality for a bluray disk. Use a good TV and you will notice lot of difference over the cheap models.

The question that now I face is should I buy a ordinary TV for general viewing and may be a projector for quality viewing? Again in office i have been seeing projectors remaining ON for whole day and still working flawless for years? Worth considering?

 

[nivlacbot]

What would it take to change the status quo (7 years and counting) ? Dial M for ... ??

Manufacturers should be responsible for quality - 5 in 100 tvs failing may be okay. But 5 in 100 functioning should be penalized - ban them from selling their time-bombs for a period of 3 years; that should get their attention. This is organized loot IMO.

 

[Vinod.R]

It is us as consumers also who are at fault, even though the majority of the fault lies with the companies.

Let me talk of an example of an AVR/amplifier. In the golden ole days, these used to be made in Japan, have top notch quality and look like a tank.
Now it is all features, features and more features for the new generation of folks. To give an example, my kids did not know that a stereo amplifier could sound so good (That is an interesting story in itself, for which I will open another thread.).

When they can listen to their music in a mobile (Which they can change every 3 to 6 months by the way) who bothers about quality?

The same rule also applies for televisions. It was HD, then FHD and now 4K and then maybe 8K or 16K in the future. How can they sell you a 4K TV if your FHD/HD tv is working fine? So they make sure that some component or the other will surely fail in your slim, thin sexy looking TV within the next 2-5 years, so that you can and will upgrade to the next best thing (4K now, even though there is a total lack of content, which has just begun to trickle in?). So they call it QLED, OLED or whatever LED (which by the way is LCD with a different type of lighting) and then market it to you.

Do you guys know how many good working CRT TVs are thrown away in kabbadi shops only for the reason that it is not slim and trendy, though it is a perfectly working Television? I am sure if you check out your local paper/kabbadi shop, you can find perfectly working CRT TVs for a steal.

I can keep on typing on this subject, but I hope that I have made my point/my two cents here.

 

[nivlacbot]

I guess one way is to vote with your money. Seriously considering getting something like the just launched MI 4.

If all of them are going to get antiquated in 3 years OR stop working with support=replace panel/tv, why pay double today for the Samsungs n Sonys? If you want a premium from me, get your s* in order.