I need some TV advice, please help.

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polkanut

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Mar 14, 2005
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Wausau, WI
Our Sony Trinitron model no. KV36XBR400 flat screen won't turn on so I called the only repair shop in town to come and look at it. He thinks that one of the soldered connections inside may have broken, and guesses it will cost roughly $150 to repair. My question is should we fix it, or get a new set? My cousin gave this set to us when she got her LG plasma tv. It is the best set I've ever had, and the picture & sound quality is top notch. It was manufactured 8/2000, and was the top of the line model at the time. I love this set, but I'm torn as to what to do. Your advice and input is greatly appreciated.

P.S., This beast weighs about 200lbs. I'm not joking![this post was last edited: 6/9/2010-14:08]
 
Does this repair guy

have a decent reputation? Is he willing to guarantee the work, for even 30 days?

If both answers are yes, I'd go with the repair.

However, that's just me.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
We have the 2003 version of this set. It had some power supply problems right out of the box. But it was fixed right in our living room under warranty. We haven't had any problems with it yet.

Sony sets have a tendency to be very reliable. They don't break down that often. But when they do they can be expensive to fix.
I have seen Sony sets still in service after 20-25 years. Our neighbors across the street have a Trintron 25" console set that they bought in 1983 and still has a great picture.

If you love this set, like we like ours, you should get it fixed.
 
You're talking about the Sony of yore. The current Sony line is cheapened down to the point that there is no advantage to buying now overpriced Sony products over others. When the economy tanked Sony cheaped out on stuff and now the same if not worse that most manufacturers.

If you are happy with the set, repair it. Odds are you will get a lot more service out of it. But keep in mind a very nice Panny 42" plasma can be had for $499 or less is you shop around. It's HD picture will blow the Sony out of the water...
 
I have a 2004 WEGA model, and they are the best of the CRT based TV's. They are a real pain to move, but are worth it. I would say repair it. When Plasma sets fail, it costs far more than $150 to fix those. The LCD, Plasma, and OLED TV's are far more complicated.
 
IMHO

I know it's sacrilage but I wouldn't put too much value on that set because I don't consider them vintage and get yourself a new LCD tv.. You'll be much happier. When you cart that 200+ pound monster out for the last time you'll be ever so happy to see the last of it.
 
Pete,

It doesn't get moved because of its heft. I talked it over with my wife, and she feels it should be repaired also. So, I'll give the repairman a call in the morning. Thanks for all of the input so far.
 
I would also say get an estimate on the repairs for the machine-For many of todays CRT type sets-there is a fail safe circuit in the HV reg stage-if this failsafe component fails(usually a diode in the HV regulator)the set won't come on-no HV-this is to prevent possibly X ray radiation exposure or damage to the sets CRT.Another thing for Sony sets-the parts used in them-seimiconductors-esp horizontal output transistors are VERY specific.You need to make sure the repairman uses the proper Sony or Sony approved parts.Otherwise the set could fail again-or further damage can result.Usually Sony Tv's are reliable like the old school Maytag washers.
 
My Sony Trinitron KV32FS120 just started to do the same thi

If you look at your tv, the standby may be blinking a code and here they are.......

Many of the later model Sony TV’s have a built in self-diagnosis function. If the timer/standby indicator is blinking, this could be an indication of a problem with the unit. The diagnostic blinking will occur automatically with no action required by you to engage it.

The timing of the blinking you see would be as follows: two to nine blinks, (depending on the fault), about a third of a second apart, then a pause for 3 seconds, then the two to nine blinks about a third of a second apart again.

Here is a list of the problems that might have occurred indicated by the number of blinks. The words in parentheses are those, which you will see for each of these faults on a diagnosis screen described later in this article.

•Unit is dead, No blinks - Problem in the standby power section. Might check fuse, R607, Q601, IC601, R612 and VDR601 (should show open).

•Continuous blink once a second, no pausing - No reply from the jungle IC301 (data bus is busy, shorted to ground, or held high), IK video path is defective.

•One blink - not used for the self-diagnosis

•Two blinks - B+ over current protection (OCP), unit goes to the standby mode then displays the 2 blink fault. Could be a short in the power supply of any of the circuits.

•Three blinks - B+ over voltage protection (OVP), unit goes to the standby mode then displays the 3 blink fault. This is also a problem in the power supply circuit, check T603 and R672.
•Four blinks - No vertical Deflection (V STOP), Screen goes to a single horizontal line then the video signal muted. Check IC1509, Q1505

•Five blinks - AKB circuit (automatic kine bias), the timer/standby indicator blinks for about 30 seconds then goes to the self-diagnosis function. Something is wrong with the video. Check video out, Q705, 732, 761 and other components on the C board, also check Q218, 219, 220 on the A board. In addition, unit could be in IK blanking, try turning up screen slightly.

•Six blinks - No Horizontal (H STOP), no raster, goes to the blinking self-diagnosis function immediately. Check C515 & 516 and the jungle IC, IC206.

•Seven blinks - High voltage shutdown. The high voltage has exceeded 33k and the unit goes immediately into safety shutdown. Check power supply regulation and horizontal circuits.

•Eight
blinks - Problem with the audio (AUDIO), unit goes to standby and blinks the self-diagnosis code. Check IC406 audio amp, PS401, and 402. On some projection models of Sony TV sets, this code means that T8005 (flyback transformer), or the associative components in the high voltage circuits are defective on the D board.

•Nine blinks - Replace D 6116 and D 6301 on the "G" board, do not resolder as this will fix the problem temporary. Or Panel Module Error or Thermal Error. If it is intermittent 9 blinks, meaning sometimes the TV comes on and other times you get flashing, then change the switching regulator on the "G" board or check connections. Make sure the regulator is -12 or -13 (negitive).
•Ten blinks - Check Q8014 and Q8013 for shorts, leakage, or bad solder connections on the " D" board. If the transistors are bad, check R8051 and IC8005, also on the "D" board.

Intermittent problems? This is a great feature. You can also bring up these fault codes on-screen to see a list of the problem numbers with the abbreviation of the problem and the number of times this problem has occurred. This is slightly different than entering the service mode. To see the diagnostic screen, press the following buttons: Display, Channel, 5, volume Minus, ( not plus ) then Power. This brings up a screen with a list of the problems and number of times they have occurred. Each of the problems named, are abbreviated as, "OCP", "OVP", "V STOP", ETC. We have repeated them in parentheses in the text for the "Blinks" described above so you can correlate between the diagnostic screen and the blink codes.

Now that you know about these self-diagnostics, how do you use them? Say that you have a set with a black screen. You see that the LED is blinking four times. This would tell you that you have no vertical sweep, which is why the video is muted. If it was blinking 6 times, you would know that you have a horizontal fault. It's not a sure cure..

IMPORTANT: After you repair the unit, you MUST clear the values on this diagnostic screen. These codes do not reset themselves after the fault is corrected, so if you don't clear them, you'll be seeing "old" fault codes the next time you enter this screen. Clearing is done by going into the service mode (display, channel, 5, volume plus, then power ). Press 8 and Enter, which returns everything to the factory preset condition.

 
The saga continues.......

The repairman finally came last night to look at our TV set, and told us that for the most part it was unrepairable. He could get a different circuit board for it but it would be a rebuilt one, Sony doesn't stock new ones for sets that old anymore. So, we went to Best Buy and bought a 40" Toshiba LCD set, model no. 40RV525R on sale for $616.99. The set is being delivered on Tuesday (6/29), and the Geek Squad is coming to set it up Weds. morning (6/30). We also took the 4yr protection plan, just in case something goes wrong. With my luck however, nothing will happen until the day after the extended warranty expires. LMAO! Did we do right by taking the extended warranty?
 
Not a big fan of LCD sets but depending on cost the 4 years might be worth it. What the heck do you need the geek squad for? You take it out of the box, adjust the picture out of torch mode and you are good. Hopefully you are not getting their so called "calibration" service at $200+. Big rip off.

I bought 2 plasmas and a LCD last year and all are solid. I firmly believe that if the unit makes it through the first month or so, you are good for years.
 
Neither my wife nor I are that technologically savvy, that's why the Geek Squad is doing the set-up. The delivery, set up, and disposal of the old set is all included for $105.49, tax included. They were running a special package deal. I figured it was worth it just to not have to carry the old set out by myself (impossible). The old set weighs about 250-300lbs. Disposal is another headache I won't have to deal with either. So to me it's worth it. We're spending some of the money we received for our wedding 11 1/2 yrs. ago towards this purchase. We thought it was time to spend a little of it.

P.S. Toshiba was highly recommended by the tech who looked at our old set last night. Correct?
 
Don't forget....

Now you need some sort of HD service from your satellite/cable company. Also, use ONLY HDMI cables for the best picture possible. Enjoy the new set when it arrives!

Aaron
 
Sorry to hear of the demise of your Sony. I hope ours lasts a little longer. We are going on 7 years with it. But when you think back, early color sets didn't last 10 years before needing replacement.
 
Polkanut, Toshiba is a pretty good manufacturer so no worries there.

Component cables will work fine for most situations. All SAT and cable boxes mostly put out 1080i which is easily handled by component. and ANY 3 lead cable will work fine, red, white yellow AV cables are fine for component hookups, just remember to run an audio line with it. Directv does have a 1080p option for a few pay per view movies and for that you will need an HDMI cable, same for Blu Ray disks but not DVDs. Some TV's like one of my Samsungs will accept 1080p over component, but finding anything that will output 1080p over component is not likely.
 
Personally,

I think you made a wise move getting another set. Unfortunately, electronics are mostly "throw away" now, even back in 2000. If the extended warranty was not too expensive, it was a great move. Good luck and ... ENJOY!!
 

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