2010-08-27 20:44:09 LG LCD tv (47LG50) blacked out!

On a longshot I hope there may be someone out there with some tech expertise on LCD TVs.

I bought a LG 47inch LCD last year January, was watching TV last night in HD. All of a sudden, the screen went black with no loss of sound. I tried turning it off. no dice. No menus, in screen info, etc.

WTF? Shelf lives of TV's are a yearly thing now? This shit is messed up, I treat my TV with respect and care. No burn in images, no dead pixels, no loss of sound quality. It is plugged into its own outlet. I don't move it. Nothing should go wrong. I have old TVs up the wazoo, no problems. Hell, I even have a 14year old 32inch RCA, and it still works!

What am I doing wrong here. LG won't extend the warranty. My unit was manufactured in June 08. All TV's manufactured before Jan 08 are covered by an extended warranty for two years, possibly due to issues. What are the chances that certain components used in my LG TV were from the previous generation? Seems plausible right? I've Googled the issue and have read about many other consumers with the same problem.

Well I'm sorry for going on. Truth be told I am a student living on my own, with a part time job. I purchased this TV because it was on a no interest plan for two years and I have good credit (try to at least). I am STILL paying for the TV. It now feels as if I have a 47 inch picture frame. One that I am still paying for.

I can't afford service. $75 to look at it. A T-CON board replacement, ballast board replacement, Main Board replacement; All these cost some serious dough, and I have some serious empty pockets. Am I actually going to have to sit with a dead TV for a few months now, until I can manage to get some money? Or should I swallow my pride and ask a few friends for a loan? Perhaps I can try to fix the problem myself? After all, I used to build and tweak my own computers back in the day. Is it the same thing??

Or maybe the good folks of LG service and support would find it in their hearts to make my warranty part of the 2-year 2008 models. I could ask a friend for a ride, drop it off to the licensed repair people by my place, who kind enough to tell me what the problem might be. All they need is a fax like the last one saying my TV is under a two year warranty plan, instead of the one.

Dare I dream.... sigh.

2010-08-28 05:52:54

Well that's a lot of questions. I say try to smack a bit from the back.

Now seriously, check all your connections, you probably have, check again. Is sound coming in from another source, or is it all through the same cable (like HDMI?). Check your source for video, try something else. Unplug from the wall, there may be a way to reset to factory defaults (read manual/google).

I don't know, before you go crazy with other stuff, don't forget the basics.

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2010-08-28 21:36:02

Thanks for the replay LEBATO. Truth be told, I have checked and rechecked all cables, wires, plugs etc. I even tried a little love tap on the back but no dice. The sound is coming via the same HDMI source and is definitely from the TV. I troubleshooted it over the internet, and it seems to be a bad T-CON (timing control board). LG sells them for $250, I found one locally for $40. (it was from the same model with a broken screen, tested and working!). Since my warranty is done, I am attempting to fix it myself, with the help of an official LG training manual I've found while searching the net.
Hope it works, i'll keep you posted!

I want to play the Vanquish demo when it comes out, plus finish MAFIA2 dammit!!!!

2010-08-29 00:15:14

Are you able to get into the service menu? Most (if not all) LCD tv's have a service menu you can access by pressing a combination of buttons (Google the button-press-combo for your tv).

You never know, it might somehow trigger/reset something. On the other hand, be carefull not to screw anything up (!).

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2010-08-29 18:07:44

I can't even access the service menu. There is no image being displayed on the screen, including menus

Plus, shitty T-Con board I ordered is not the same. Hell, the t-con panel doesn't even look like any other I've seen on the net, even other LG tv's

2010-08-29 22:06:05

Yeah, I realise the image is gone. But, perhaps the act of entering the service menu would somehow trigger something to pop the screen back again. The service menu is a low-level menu, unlike the usual menu's you can access on your tv.

But either way, I figured it'd be a desperate long-shot worth trying... ;)

---
-- "Bob Loblaw Lobs Law Bomb" --

-- "You're under arrest, and I'm breaking up with you..." --

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2010-08-30 22:28:37

Well here's an update for the folks at home watching. I went over to the authorized LG repair location. Met a nice guy, and he leveled with me. It would cost $1810 for all major parts (T-CON, MAIN BOARD, basically the very thing that is likely wrong). That is because it comes with a total Panel replacement. WTF? It is more than the TV, almost by double.

So I am going to reason with LG again. I will let you know how this goes. I've opened up a case.

Wish me luck

2010-09-01 05:39:53

That's retarded, why would anyone want to "repair" a tv at that cost.

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2010-09-01 07:37:08

Very ridiculous, but not unheard of. A friend recently bought a new Samsung because they wanted nearly the cost of a larger, new model to repair his TV that was several years old. I don't think they actually want to repair it. They probably just want to make you buy a new one. That's not to say that older components (especially for models no longer in circulation) aren't expensive, but it probably costs them more to repair it too, so in the end they figure it's win-win for everyone--not that it actually is.

2010-09-02 18:17:59

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I called in to the authorized repair station again. Dude said he was just about to mail me the estimated cost to fix my TV, which was NOT provided because LG has informed him that the PART is NO LONGER AVAILABLE, because they have chosen to discontinue my TV. So, no parts available, and they are unable to fix my TV. What the???

I'm pissed off now. I can't even fix my TV!! I have sent an email to LG yesterday, forwarding the estimate and requesting they do something about it. I have yet to receive a reply. They have yet to respond to my first email.......

What do I do? LG should be wiped off this planet for all the problems it is causing it's customers (me!). Living in Canada sucks! I heard that in the US, they wouldn't treat you like this. There are laws on warranty, I feel like calling LG all over the world for help.!

2010-09-15 17:29:34

In the EU you also have 2 years warranty by law..

2011-11-10 21:32:39

Loosethoughts - what was your final result? It is 2011 and I am now dealing with the same issue. I bought LG LCD 47LG50 in 2008 and just recently (last week) the picture started to black out. I can still hear the program/show but there is no picture. I have to turn off/on the tv for it to work. Once on it works for 3 - 5 mins before blacking out again.

Sorry for your struggles but thanks for the guidance