Could an electrical problem cause an intermittent fault with our TV?

[Debian]

Hi all,

I’m not an electrician by the way, I am just an average Joe looking for some advise.

About a month ago we bought a cheep LCD TV for the kitchen.

After a month, the TV would intermittently display a white picture, you could hear audio but could not see a picture.

I tried a different set top box, a different cable and a DVD player. The fault stayed with the TV

We took the TV back to the shop, but they could not find a fault with it.

We took the TV home, continued to use it, again the same fault happened.

We took the TV back to the shop, this time they replaced it. They did not test it this time.

After about two days with the new TV, the screen went black - again audio could be heard.

There is no pattern, some times the picture is fine, sometimes not. Once we lose the picture, we turn it off at the mains, then back on, sometimes this cures the fault. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Now we have moved the TV into another room to see if the fault follows, after two days it has not happened again.

I am beginning to think the power at the mains is faulty.

Is there a device I can plug in to the mains that would show me if mains in the kitchen was fluctuating or not providing enough output?

I had thought “we’ve got a another faulty TV”. But in our bedroom, one of the mains sockets sends my wife’s alarm clock mental. The LCD display looks shafted with a dodgy display.

I am just wondering if the mains is flaky.

We have only been here 6 months. None of the other mains outlets seem to cause a problem.

Could it me another dodgy TV?

 

[stef]

Make up an extension lead and reverse (for TEST PURPOSES ONLY !!!) line and neutral and see if the problem
persists. So you can confirm/eliminate reversed polarity on the supply. But personally I suspect an external
connection problem I would agree with HDMI incompatibility. My panasonic DVD recorder does a similar
strange thing to my Philips TV when using HDMI.

 

[Golden_Boy]

Make up an extension lead and reverse (for TEST PURPOSES ONLY !!!) line and neutral and see if the problem
persists. So you can confirm/eliminate reversed polarity on the supply. But personally I suspect an external
connection problem I would agree with HDMI incompatibility. My panasonic DVD recorder does a similar
strange thing to my Philips TV when using HDMI.

What possible difference could that make ? Its AC for goodness sake. As soon as it enters the set there is a bridge rectifier that produces 350 volts DC. All the following circuitry runs from this 350 volt DC supply ( via a switch mode supply )

 

[stef]

I don't know, really but I think it has something to do with the phase being used by the equipment.

 

[Hundleton1]

I don't know, really but I think it has something to do with the phase being used by the equipment.

whats the score with the peeing contest going on here, i spent 12 years working in the AV industry working for a few of the majors in the UK, i don't intend to name as i don't feel i need to, its easy for anyone to talk tech and baffle the customer the real skill is being able to put that into practice and fix the problem.

as for the TV it unlikely its the mains supply, it more likely to be an environmental issue first, direct sunlight ect, if its a small set does it have a power brick rather than a built in PSU? these tend to go faulty quite often.

as for you already having had one replacement i have seen large batches of sets come in bad, i did a hotel install once and they got 20 sets from Argos, of the 20 15 were faulty, imagine we had not brought the lot that would have been the whole stores stock for some time all being bad.

i would personally take it back get something with a name you recognise, also just check for environmental changes between the rooms that could cause the problem.

 

[Spudnik]

whats the score with the peeing contest going on here.....

My thoughts exactly.

Please keep it calm.

 

[Golden_Boy]

whats the score with the peeing contest going on here, i spent 12 years working in the AV industry working for a few of the majors in the UK, i don't intend to name as i don't feel i need to, its easy for anyone to talk tech and baffle the customer the real skill is being able to put that into practice and fix the problem.

as for the TV it unlikely its the mains supply, it more likely to be an environmental issue first, direct sunlight ect, if its a small set does it have a power brick rather than a built in PSU? these tend to go faulty quite often.

as for you already having had one replacement i have seen large batches of sets come in bad, i did a hotel install once and they got 20 sets from Argos, of the 20 15 were faulty, imagine we had not brought the lot that would have been the whole stores stock for some time all being bad.

i would personally take it back get something with a name you recognise, also just check for environmental changes between the rooms that could cause the problem.

At last...........

 

[Debian]

Just to let you know, we swapped the TV for a brand name (paid slightly more though) and the TV has been fine.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Spudnik]

Glad you got it sorted in the end.

 

[Golden_Boy]

Just to let you know, we swapped the TV for a brand name (paid slightly more though) and the TV has been fine.

Thanks for all your help!

Happy viewing