LCD TV - repair or replace?

[Misterer]

There have been display related problems with my Samsung LE37M8 TV lately (I've been using it for ~5 years). Usually it works OK, but sometimes the picture becomes distorted in one of the following ways:

1. Vertical stripes of distorted picture appear.
2. A part of the picture (usually the lower part) freezes up, sometimes bright vertical lines appear (they look somewhat like an IDE cable, but bright). The screen starts to dim out until it's completely black.

The distortions usually disappear after some time but in some cases it takes a long time. Quite often the problem happens when the TV is turned on after a long time of being off.

I am told these are most likely matrix related problems. One repair guy had a look and said he would repair the TV, but I'm skeptical because at first he did some soldering that did not need to be done at all. I contacted another guy and that one said I should just dump the TV for good since repairing it will most likely be unreliable.

What's your opinion on this? Repair or replace?

 

[c1001]

replace. unfortunately, TV's aren't built to last these days. they also aren't built to be easily repairable. 5 years sounds pretty good, and the cost to replace will proably end up being cheaper than the cumulative total of repairs.

 

[SJetski71]

Does the picture shift around if you tap the bezel with your hand?

If so it can mean you have a loose cable inside. If you are feeling brave, you could unplug it for around ~ 24 hours ( for built up power to discharge), then take it apart and unplug + replug all visible cable connections. This action would strip off any oxidized copper which can cause a bad connection. You'll should see ribbon cables and standard cables in there. Just watch where you are sticking your hands and proceed carefully.

 

[Mixre]

Replace! You'll get some great deals in a couple months, closer to superbowl time!