Lost Picture on our Plasma TV...***UPDATE 7-29***

[MIGrandma]

Looks like we just lost the picture on our plasma TV this morning. Was watching a show on DirecTV and lost the picture. Thought it was probably DirecTV's problem, but turned that off and just went to local channels. No picture still. Put a movie in, still no picture. I think we've had the TV about 3 years.

Anyone else lose their plasma TV picture? How did you fix it?

UPDATE: DH called about our TV that day and they set up an appointment to come and repair it since we'd gotten the 3-year warranty extension for $59 and it was expiring the following Tuesday.

How lucky was that, in that the TV broke BEFORE the warranty expired?! They normally break AFTER it expires!!

The appointment is for tomorrow, between 8 a.m. and noon. Can't wait to get it fixed. We're straining our eyes in our family room trying to watch the itty bitty 19" screen from the kitchen TV we brought in and hooked up.

 

[java]

If you leave the screen on too long I believe a plasma can burn out. (what we were told anyway) Has it been off for a while? Maybe try unplugging and letting it cool down.
But I fear it may be dead. Good luck.

 

[AKL_Megs]

Apparently, plasma TVs don't have a long life. Yours, unfortunately, may be dead.

I suggest an LCD next time around, they have a much longer life span.

 

[DrCavin]

Make sure you have it set to the correct source, ie dvd/dvr, etc

 

[foolishmortal]

Apparently, plasma TVs don't have a long life. Yours, unfortunately, may be dead.

I suggest an LCD next time around, they have a much longer life span.

they have long life if you take care of them, and have a much much much much better quality picture then LCD.

If you are not watching, turn it off. dont leave it paused more then a minute or so on dvr or dvd/bluray/video games, etc...

My 50" flat screen plasma in my man cave is a great TV and the picture is outstanding, espcially compared to my more expensive 50" lcd in the family room. Truer color, crisper picture and no glares or loss of picture from side view.

 

[MIGrandma]

Make sure you have it set to the correct source, ie dvd/dvr, etc

We were watching the morning news and it just went out. Sound is there but no picture. We've had that problem before, and it was the DirecTV. Go up a channel and the picture came back. Tried that this time and nothing. Turned it off, waited a few minutes, turned it back on, nothing.

DH got the owner's manual out and we did buy the extended 3-year warranty for $59.99 at the time of purchase.

The warranty runs out TUESDAY, so he will be calling about it this afternoon when he gets home.

At the time we bought it we saw the plasma and LCD TV's side-by-side and for things like NASCAR racing (which DH loves) the LCD had drag and shadows so that's why we didn't want one. I've heard they have improved that though, so probably next time we'll go with that.

But with the extended warranty, it says if they can't fix it they will replace it.

 

[foolishmortal]

We were watching the morning news and it just went out. Sound is there but no picture. We've had that problem before, and it was the DirecTV. Go up a channel and the picture came back. Tried that this time and nothing. Turned it off, waited a few minutes, turned it back on, nothing.

DH got the owner's manual out and we did buy the extended 3-year warranty for $59.99 at the time of purchase.

The warranty runs out TUESDAY, so he will be calling about it this afternoon when he gets home.

At the time we bought it we saw the plasma and LCD TV's side-by-side and for things like NASCAR racing (which DH loves) the LCD had drag and shadows so that's why we didn't want one. I've heard they have improved that though, so probably next time we'll go with that.

But with the extended warranty, it says if they can't fix it they will replace it.

if you are using for sports (like i am) espcially faster sports like auto racing and such, your plasma is better then any lcd you will find. plasmas have a faster "refresh" rate ie my plasma is 600 hz the lcd's are 60 vs 120 vs 240 hertz.

Also the lcd's may look brighter but brighter doesnt mean better picture. take an lcd and plasma side by side and watch the same thing, you will notice a brighter picture on lcd but the plasma will have better color. red red's black black's no fading like the lcd. Now for many this isnt an issue but im picky and I want what IM watching to look truer, not just brighter. the downside is you cannot have a plasma everywhere that and lcd can be. if you have a room with alot of glare from sun and whatnot lcd is better because of brightness, but if you have a room with no glare plasma will give you better results for sports, and is also alot cheaper for the same size of tv.

 

[budmonster]

Our 50 plasma did this on New Years Eve just after midnight. Just went black still had sound though. DH did some research and found out that it was the Y-sustain board, that they have a history of going bad. We were going to replace it but it would have end up costing up over 300.00 dollars for a refurbished board. So DH did what any man would do... just bought a new TV. This time we went for the 55 inch LED and I must say WOW. It has a awesome picture.

 

[bicker]

If you leave the screen on too long I believe a plasma can burn out.

That's not the case. Plasma televisions, even three years ago, were rated for thousands upon thousands of hours of service.

What I think you may be referring to is that if you leave an image on a plasma screen for hours and hours, without allowing the image to move, then that image may burn itself in to the plasma screen. That was true three years ago, but much less likely for new plasma sets, because of various improvements. Regardless, that's surely not what the OP is seeing.

Apparently, plasma TVs don't have a long life.

Again, that is not the case. They do have a long life. Of course, some brands (such as Panasonic, Samsung and LG) have superior quality and reliability. Other brands may indeed fail sooner and more often. And even the best brands could have anecdotal instances of an early failure.

I suggest an LCD next time around, they have a much longer life span.

Again, that is not the case. LCDs and plasmas generally have the same longevity, an average ov about 100,000 hours.

they have long life if you take care of them, and have a much much much much better quality picture then LCD.

The big differences between LCD and plasma are as follows:

Picture Quality: Plasma is significantly better than LCD.
Ability to present motion: Plasma is significantly better than LCD.
Power Consumption: LCD is significantly better than plasma.
Use as a Computer Monitor: LCD is significantly better than plasma.
Use at high altitude: LCD is significantly better than plasma.
Value for price paid: LCD is better at smaller sizes (below 42"); plasma is better at larger sizes (above 42").

That's about it.

 

[foolishmortal]

That's not the case. Plasma televisions, even three years ago, were rated for thousands upon thousands of hours of service.

What I think you may be referring to is that if you leave an image on a plasma screen for hours and hours, without allowing the image to move, then that image may burn itself in to the plasma screen. That was true three years ago, but much less likely for new plasma sets, because of various improvements. Regardless, that's surely not what the OP is seeing.

Again, that is not the case. They do have a long life. Of course, some brands (such as Panasonic, Samsung and LG) have superior quality and reliability. Other brands may indeed fail sooner and more often. And even the best brands could have anecdotal instances of an early failure.

Again, that is not the case. LCDs and plasmas generally have the same longevity, an average ov about 100,000 hours.

The big differences between LCD and plasma are as follows:

Picture Quality: Plasma is significantly better than LCD.
Ability to present motion: Plasma is significantly better than LCD.
Power Consumption: LCD is significantly better than plasma.
Use as a Computer Monitor: LCD is significantly better than plasma.
Use at high altitude: LCD is significantly better than plasma.
Value for price paid: LCD is better at smaller sizes (below 42"); plasma is better at larger sizes (above 42").

That's about it.

I agree except for high altitude as I am in Denver and still see a difference for the better in plasma, and dont use it for comp monitor so dont know about that, but yes picture vs picture plasma wins! and isnt that what a tv is all about?

 

[bicker]

I agree except for high altitude as I am in Denver and still see a difference for the better in plasma,

The reason why LCD is better than plasma at high altitude is not picture quality, but rather noise. Plasma technology tends to lead to a lot more buzzing at high altitude, on average. This is something they've been working on for years, but even the 2010 models still exhibit the problem.

Note that "high altitude" in this context is typically over 6500 feet, so Denver is probably not going to exhibit the problem very much. By the same token, this is one of several reasons why laptops and portable DVD players (which folks often like to use on airplanes) are generally LCD screens, instead of plasma.

and dont use it for comp monitor so dont know about that,

Use as a computer monitor is basically the most significant burn-in scenario left. Even video games are sensitive to burn-in, these days, and so generally aren't going to be of-concern.

but yes picture vs picture plasma wins! and isnt that what a tv is all about?

Yes and no. That logic, if taken to its logical conclusion, would say that it makes no sense to buy the second-best television out there, despite the fact that it is hundreds of dollars less than the first-best television. Of course, many budget-conscious consumers recognize that there is a trade-off between price and quality, and therefore televisions with lesser picture quality have their rightful place in the market.

I do participate in a lot of forums where this dichotomy comes up and I can tell you that it is a little ridiculous watching some of the most rabid PQ snobs try to justify their assertions that no one has a good reason to buy anything but the television with the absolutely best picture quality. And a little sad, actually.

 

[foolishmortal]

I do participate in a lot of forums where this dichotomy comes up and I can tell you that it is a little ridiculous watching some of the most rabid PQ snobs try to justify their assertions that no one has a good reason to buy anything but the television with the absolutely best picture quality. And a little sad, actually.

i agree but i'm going off my own situation as well as the tv's i looked at and researched for 3 weeks before buying my current plasma, plasma vs lcd same size tv in a low light/glare room for sports and gaming plasma is not only better but also cheaper so really best of both worlds. Sure I could have bought a more pricy LED tc but I still thought the plasma was a better picture for what I use my tv for. and again i have an lcd as well and it works graeat where my plasma wouldnt in this room. I agree with you all tv's have a place

 

[bicker]

And don't get me wrong - I bought a plasma. I clearly found it superior given my priorities. I'm just trying to paint the balanced picture.