Hitachi 46W500... never to be resolved

[TilliamWe]

This is a rear projection TV, I'll assume pretty old, maybe built in 2003? Yesterday the picture went to horizontal lines with "flashing" colors in the back ground. The background is solid, changed between green and blue and purple. Not a hint of the picture that is supposed to be coming through.

This TV was free to me, and I don't want to spend a ton. Any "easy" simple" "cheap" ideas as to what's wrong with it, before I load this HEAVY monster into my van and take it to the local TV repair place? (They are pretty good place, but I want to have some knowledge before I just drop it there.)

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

I'll be interested in hearing any ideas on this. We are using a 43" Toshiba rear projection TV that is at least 12 years old, if not older. It was given to us by my dear departed FIL in 2005 after he went out an bought a 65" Toshiba. He had used it regularly for many years before that.

It has an excellent picture (considering it is not a modern plasma or, LCD or LED nor HD) which was recently significantly improved when we switched from Cable to Satellite. I just cannot see tossing it out when it works so well. This is not even to mention that I built a factory looking base for it, out of scrap plywood, then painted it to match.

One of these days (keeping my fingers crossed) something will go wrong with it and I will be in the same shoes you are; deciding whether to fix it or dump it.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Well, my wife tells me that yesterday afternoon, she turned it on to just have it play a musical DVD to keep our 21 monthold happy, and the picture came back! They both laughed and cheered! And then the picture went out again!

Doesn't sound fatal, sounds like a loose connection. Anyone?

Gonna call a repair shop today, I think.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Doesn't sound fatal, sounds like a loose connection. Anyone?...

Sounds more like a failing component to me. Be sure to report back when you take it to the shop.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Well, aren't you "Mister Glass Half Empty"! I'll prefer to be "Mr. Glass Half Full" in this case.

Sure a part could be failing. But since it's failed for HOURs, but then works for a few minues (it did it yesterday too, I am told), makes me wonder if it's not a loose wire/connection that just needs tightened up. You know, like the big plug being loose on a Mercruiser and the boat just dies for no reason, ut starts up later?! (Like how I related to boating there?! )

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

http://www.fixya.com/tags/line_picture_up/browse/hitachi

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Tim, thanks for the link! I'll read up on it later today/tomorrow.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Well, aren't you "Mister Glass Half Empty"! I'll prefer to be "Mr. Glass Half Full" in this case.

Sure a part could be failing. But since it's failed for HOURs, but then works for a few minues (it did it yesterday too, I am told),

Si Si Senor! It is called HEAT. Component heats up, then circuitry spreads apart. Component cools down, circuitry comes back together and makes contact for a while.

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

We had a Samsung rear projection that did the same thing. It turned out is was the controller for the two cooling fans that keep the color guns from overheating. Price for the new part was a tad over $400 if I remember so we opted to buy a new TV instead of getting the part. The new tv was around the same price as the part.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Not the situation at all Boom. It's not coming back when cool, it's coming back when hot. Then going out, right away, same temp. It's not going out when hot, it's out as soon as the TV is turned on (cold).

However the picture did come back today, then went out differently then it has been. Will read up on Tim's link tomorrow, to see if it's something I can do, before I take it to a shop. It's HEAVY, and my wife is not able to help me enough to keep me from dying while picking it up!

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

My wife wouldn't let me spend the $40 minimum charge for the TV shop to check it out. She insisted that we load it up in our minivan anyway, and take it to a "free recycling" place in the Sam's Club parking lot.

Alas, I will never know what it actually needed or how much it would have cost. But since I have no intention of ever buy a rear projection TV, I guess I didn't need to know. But it would have been nice not to have to spend $500 to replace it with an LCD tv. But that's a wife for you. Rather spend $500 cause it was her idea, than spend $40 to find out what is wrong, "cause it's just gonna cost more after that to fix it!"

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

I had an old projection TV that had similar issues. I bit the $40 bullet and had some one come out and look at it. First thing he did was flex one of the printed circuit boards with a screwdriver and was able to get the problem to come and go away. Turns out it was poor solder joints. He got out a soldering iron and proceeded to reflow as many as he could. TV never had a problem for many years after this until I gave it away.

To bad I didn't see this thread earlier. Could have been something for you to try.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

No prob Bruce. I wouldn't have done the soldering, so it would have cost me the $40 plus to have it checked and done. And the wife just wasn't going to let that happen.

 

[dolluper]

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Re: Hitachi 46W500 picture went out

Hummmmmmmmmm wifey......no luck there I hear you