My TV won't turn on!

People generally freak out when this happens.  It is pretty stressful, I must admit. No one likes their TV to just stop working. You can't get to any menus, you can't see anything physically wrong until you press the power button...how the heck are you supposed to figure out what's wrong?! 

Well, here's the thing. Using a tad bit of logic, we realize that there is obviously a problem with the power supply!  Duh, Craig, tell me more.  

Here's the deal, if you don't know how to solder, learn now.  There's plenty of YouTube videos and such.  If you're lucky, you'll get to use this skill.  If you're unlucky, you'll be spending more money and less time on this repair.

Here's the options:

1. It's a bad capacitor. You'll need to remove the old one and solder a new one on the power PCB.  Capacitors are generally only a few bucks.
2. It's a short somewhere else.  No sense looking if you don't want to test a bunch of small components or don't know how.  In this case, we order a new power supply. This can be expensive. 

You can tell right away when a cap is bad.  A good one will be cylindrical and flat on top.  A bad one will either be bulging or bulging and leaking acid.  It's like a battery, if you didn't know.

Here's a pic of a bad one on an LG 50PG25 Plasma:

So anyway, if you need more help with this issue, soldering tips, etc.  there's always the comments box below.

Owning DLP TV's | Self-help and Maintenance

Intro

First of all, I'd never buy a DLP TV if you don't want to learn how to take care of it!  They can be a pain in the behind if you don't treat them nicely.  They have lots of touchy components including a lamp, a color wheel, etc. However, they're cheaper than LCD and Plasma screens and have a great viewing angle (you can sit off center and still view comfortably).  Look for a good contrast ratio, too, as this will make the colors more vivid!

Do's and Don'ts

Be gentle with the TV.  This is a general rule for all televisions, but with this one, you don't want to jar the lamp! Or worse, what if you broke it? They're not cheap to replace and should last if you just treat them nicely.  It's also important to note that the lamp gets very hot and will have a reduced lifetime if not allowed to cool between uses.

You'll also want to give your set breathing room and keep it clean!  Invest in the few bucks for a can of air and blow it out every so often.  This, combined with giving the TV its space, will help avoid overheating.

Symptoms and repairs

My TV turns on for a few seconds before going black!  I can still hear people talking, and Tom Bergeron making terrible jokes about video clips, though. What's up?

In this case, it's often a bad lamp.  You may have noticed over time that the picture got dimmer and dimmer or that it has been taking longer for the lamp to "warm up" and display the picture.  Many TV's will have a power light that turns red and blinks or stays lit.  Different patterns mean different things diagnostically.  However, a red LED paired with the above mentioned symptoms is generally a good indication of a bad lamp!  You can do this repair yourself.  Look in the user manual if you still have it.  Normally, you have to remove a door near the rear of the television and remove a few set screws to get the lamp out.  The new lamp should NOT be touched with your fingers. Use an old t-shirt or gloves to handle it.  Be sure to let the TV to cool down before removing the old lamp.  You can easily burn yourself if you neglect to do so!

Hey! I bought a color TV! Why is my screen black and white?

This is probably due to a bad color wheel.  The way that the DLP television works is that the lamp passes light through a wheel with red green and blue sections.  It processes the image in the three basic colors of light, and combines them to form what you see on the screen.  When the color wheel goes bad, you'll either get a black and white picture that looks fine (the color wheel snapped off) or a distorted black and white picture.  Contact a service technician to replace the color wheel.  Sometimes you may have to purchase the whole light engine assembly, which is a bit costly. Be wary!

This is NOT a 3D TV! Why are the images all offset and layered?

 This is a convergence issue.  The image will look like it's repeated in red, blue and green tones or a combination of the three.  You can adjust the static convergence from the TV's menus until the image lines back up.  If this doesn't work, get it as close as possible.  Dynamic convergence can be adjusted as well using a phillips head screwdriver.  The only problem here is that you must open the back of the set and find the convergence board.  Everything's labeled, and clockwise/counterclockwise rotation of each knob will help you to further align your picture.  If that still doesn't work, then one of the circuits (red, green or blue) is bad on your board.  I recommend getting a service technician to look at this issue if static convergence adjustments do not work.

Check back later for more additions to this list. Feel free to ask questions! I may have dealt with an issue before and I will do my best to help you out!

Firmware Updates

What is firmware?

Firmware is permanent software programmed into a read-only memory (ROM).  If this means nothing to you, it's okay.  Basically, all of the functions for your TV, DVD player, Blu-ray player, XBOX, etc. are controlled by the firmware.  It's a combination of software (program/application) and hardware (the circuitboards and other internals).  On one of the chips, there is a place to store data called read-only-memory, and a software version is stored there to tell your device what to do.  Often times, as with any program, the factory firmware isn't perfect.  Later down the road, manufacturers get complaints about the performance of a device and decide to edit the software for the device.  

When do I need a firmware upgrade?

Symptoms that result from firmware malfunction are normally control issues.  For example, sometimes a blu-ray player will refuse to play newer discs that have just been released.  Sometimes there is a difference in the encoding and the player's firmware won't recognize it, and throw up a "disc read error."  Any menus that work incorrectly may be due to a firmware malfunction as well.  Online services like Netflix are finding their way into TV's and disc players as well.  These services require a lot of extra programming and sometimes don't function quite how they're supposed to.  This is another case where you may need to update the firmware.

Even with all this speculation about certain symptoms, the best way to find out is to go to the manufacturer website and look up the model number.  Often times, the firmware update will be available with the fixes listed.  If your TV or other device has symptoms that are not listed under the firmware update, you don't need one! There's no use putting a cast on your leg when you have pneumonia.

If you have doubts, contact a service center or the manufacturer.

How do I update my firmware?

When updating firmware, you're just replacing the file on the chip in the device that tells everything what to do.  Sometimes features are added, but most of the time, an update just improves the performance of what's already there.

Many companies make the latest firmware available to the public.  All you have to have is a computer with an internet connection and a flash drive.  In some cases, the device is connected to the internet already, so all you have to do is find "software update" in the menus!

The basic procedure is the same for every device, but it does vary between brands and models.  Use this list as anoutline only.  For exact instructions, go to the specific manufacturer's website.  Instructions will be listed with the firmware update online.

Basic Procedure:

1. Do a google search for "model no. firmware". 
2. Click on the link that directs you to a URL that looks like it is the manufacturer's website.
3. Download the firmware file and put it on a USB flashdrive.  A 128MB capacity will do.  Note: Remove all other firmware files from the USB flashdrive beforehand!
4. Generally, you just plug it into a USB port on the device and a menu will automatically pop up.  It will show your current firmware version as well as the version that is on the flashdrive, offering two options: "UPDATE" and "CANCEL."
5. Use the remote to select "UPDATE" and let it go!  Often times, the device will simply power off when done.
6. Power the device up again and if everything works, you did it!

Ending Notes

Keep in mind that anything you choose to do is at your own expense.  If at any time power is lost to the device during a firmware update, you may end up with the equivalent to a taxi cab driver that doesn't know the streets he's driving on.  The device will simply not work without a "pilot."  So, don't let your dogs or toddlers near the power cord and don't do this at a time where power may be lost!

I want to say again that you need to follow manufacturer instructions and that this is only a general guide.  If you have any questions, feel free to comment!

Basics of TV Calibration

Basics of TV Calibration

It all seems so simple.  Just adjust the settings until they look good, right? Wrong. A lot of people actually don’t have their televisions set up correctly.  These tips will help you get closer to the intended picture.

Also keep in mind that you want to set up your television for a “dark room,” the setting in which you might watch a movie.  Otherwise, throughout the day you can use presets.  Most TV’s have settings for sports, video games, vivid colors and a standard setting, or something similar.

Lighting

• Have controlled lighting in the room if at all possible (e.g. a dimmer switch, floor lamp).  Watching movies in complete darkness causes eyestrain unless you are using a projector or watching at the minimum viewing distance (see “viewing distance” in the “extra tips” section, below).  Observe your need to fill your field of vision with uniform light.
• Use focused/task lighting to light up the area behind the screen.  It should be a dim light that either faces the back of the screen or shoots up toward the ceiling.  This way, you can darken the rest of the room and not strain your eyes.  Special “daylight” bulbs are pretty good for achieving a natural light color. 

Brightness (see “backlight”, below, before adjusting brightness/contrast)

• Brightness is synonymous to “black level.”  The brightness adjustment is actually just choosing how dark your blacks appear on the screen.
• Too high a brightness setting can wash your image out.  Too low a setting can make you lose details in a pool of blackness.
• Use the highest quality input you have available for your component device (i.e. DVD player, game system, etc.).  The hierarchy from lowest to highest is coaxial (like cable TV), composite (yellow RCA), S-video (somewhat circular with pins), SCART (a European standard), component (red/green/blue RCA), DVI and VGA (pins), HDMI (compact, digital, audio/video).  HDMI carries audio and video signals, is high-quality and is easy to hook up, so why not?  The others require that you obtain audio from the red/white RCA cables.
• Find a disc that allows you to display a letterbox (4:3) picture with fairly equal amounts of light and dark features. Turn the brightness all the way up, and decrease until the bars appear black or just before you begin to lose detail.  For example, if faces start losing features in pools of black, it’s too dark.

Contrast

• Some TV’s will list this as “picture” or “white level.” It’s the complement to the brightness setting.  It determines the intensity of the whites in the picture and affects the overall light output of your television.
• In stores, white level is set very high, as it makes the images look brighter.  However, stores are well-lit, generally by fluorescent lighting (and lots of it)!  In your home, high contrast/white level can make details hard to see and distort lines in your image.  In a dim room, it can cause eyestrain.  Additionally, you may find yourself with a failed backlight much sooner than expected.
• Because of the many downsides to a high contrast setting, it’s ideal to set it between 30 and 50 percent.  Find an image with a white object that has details in it.  For example, a white button-up shirt would work.  Turn contrast all the way up and then decrease until the details become visible.  This may not fall into the 30-50 percent category, but that’s okay as long as you follow the guidelines provided.

Color and Color Temperature

• Color is also called “saturation.”  It’s a measurement of how intense the colors are on the screen.
• Too much color results in a very loud unrealistic image.  Too little results in a drab gloomy picture.  Zero saturation gives you a black and white image.
• To get a proper level of color, first set the color temperature to “warm” or “low.”  This will help you get close to the NTSC standard of about 6500 degrees Kelvin. 
• Find an image of a person with light, delicate skin tones and turn up the saturation until they look slightly sunburned.  This will happen because red tends to show up the most in television displays.  From there, turn it down until the tones look natural.  Sometimes this means the rest of the picture looks a little too grey.  If this is the case, you may have to turn up the saturation a little bit.

Tint

• If you don’t know what you’re doing and feel like you’ve learned a lot by reading thus far, don’t worry about tint.  Leave it at its midpoint.

Sharpness

• Generally, you want to leave sharpness at zero.  It just creates artificial edges.  The only time it’s necessary to increase the sharpness of your image is when you have a soft cable signal or you can’t read text very well on the screen.  In this case, slowly increase it until it becomes clear again.
• If your set has an edge-enhancement setting (may be called SVM or VSM), disable it.  It will only hurt your picture. 

Other Enhancements

• There really isn’t a need for other included enhancement features such as “auto-whatevers” and noise reduction.  DVD-quality video and better will be good enough where these just damage the picture quality.

Extra Tips

Backlight (see “brightness” and “contrast”)

• Some TV’s include a backlight control.  This does what it sounds like; adjusts the brightness of the CCFL tubes (or LED’s in some newer TV’s) behind your LCD screen.
• Brightness and contrast are best adjusted with the backlight turned all the way down in a darkened room.  If the picture appears too dark, slowly increase the backlight control until the picture is at a natural-looking brightness. 

Viewing Distance (see “lighting”)

• This is a general guideline for min/max viewing distance.  Other resources may tell you different, but they will be fairly close.  The best thing to remember is “presence.”  Your image has a greater presence when it fills a larger portion of your field of vision.  Sitting too close isbad for your eyes, and your mothers weren’t ever wrong.  However, sitting too far away will end up being bad for you as well.  You shouldn’t have to squint to see details.  You’re either too far away or need glasses if this is true!
• When purchasing a set, keep viewing distance in mind.  Figure out where the set will be located and where you will be watching from most often.  Follow the link below, or find another table via manufacturer websites to decide what size television is most appropriate.
• There’s more to it than that if you’re interested, but information is easy enough to find online!

http://crkalino.com/index.php?p=1_49_TV-Viewing-Distances

Home Theatre Set-up Videos

• There are several DVD’s (and now Blu-ray discs) out there made for calibration of your television.  They are great for walking you through the steps needed to successfully obtain the best possible picture.  Search around a bit online or ask a service technician near you about these videos.  There are a variety of DVD’s including levels from beginner to advanced.  Often, you just have to read a little to find the one right for you.  Some offer very detailed explanations and instructions, where others assume a tech savvy audience.

Professional Calibration

• To be completely honest, a professional calibration is unnecessary in non-commercial situations.  If you follow the steps outlined above, you will often achieve a picture that is good enough for you.
• The only real difference between what you can do and what the pro can do is adjustment of the color temperature.  There are special tools that are used to adjust “grey levels.”  Most TV’s will not come out of box at the correct 6500 degrees Kelvin color temperature, and are unable to reach it via user menus.  This really isn’t that big a deal for the average person.  If you feel the need, find a professional who will do it for you!