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TV is dying...

D

danny_w

macrumors 601
Original poster
I fear my Samsung 50" plasma tv is about to die after less than 5 years. There are several vertical colored shimmering bars on the right side of the screen and a bright green wide shimmering bar at the very right edge. I guess this could be the video card in the tv, but I guess there is really nothing to be done is there? I use it primarily for :apple:TV but also occasionally for live tv or dvd, and the lines appear on all inputs.
 
My Samsung plasma lasted about two years before I started getting the infamous purplish banding. Trying to get Samsung to do anything for me proved futile, so I bit the bullet and replaced it with a Panasonic plasma (fantastic TV by the way). After this experience, I will never buy a Samsung TV again.
 
I have 2 Samsung's from 2007 that still work like new. Never had any problems with either. One is a 40" LCD, and the other is a 61" DLP (LED backlit)

It's the luck of the draw. You can have problems with any brand..
 
Thanks everybody for your inputs. Yes I know that you can have problems with any brand. guess I will be shopping for a new TV soon, probably a Panasonic plasma. I just really hate having to spend the money again so soon.
 
danny_w said:
Thanks everybody for your inputs. Yes I know that you can have problems with any brand. guess I will be shopping for a new TV soon, probably a Panasonic plasma. I just really hate having to spend the money again so soon.
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A friend of mine who is a videophile say's Panasonic makes the best plasma TV's. Just thought I'd tell you that. Personally, Plasma's have a flicker problem, at least to my eyes. Almost like an old CRT refreshing at 60HZ, but not as bad. Everything else about plasma's, except brightness and power consumption are superior to LCD's. BTW, I'm not the only one who sees the flickering issue. Ignore this if you don't see the flickering..
 
danny_w said:
Thanks everybody for your inputs. Yes I know that you can have problems with any brand. guess I will be shopping for a new TV soon, probably a Panasonic plasma. I just really hate having to spend the money again so soon.
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You're not going to find a new Panasonic plasma, because they've stopped making them.
 
Irishman said:
You're not going to find a new Panasonic plasma, because they've stopped making them.
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There’s still a decent number at various resellers, but they’re disappearing pretty quickly. I think quite a few folks are buying them up knowing they’ll be gone soon.

Huge bummer, our Panasonic plasma is outststanding, I’d buy another for sure.
 
D.T. said:
There’s still a decent number at various resellers, but they’re disappearing pretty quickly. I think quite a few folks are buying them up knowing they’ll be gone soon.

Huge bummer, our Panasonic plasma is outststanding, I’d buy another for sure.
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The VT60 was a hell of a TV.
 
I have 2 LCD TVs: a 32" Samsung 720p (5 y/o) and a 46" Sony Bravia 1080p LED/3D/240hz (4 y/o). Both work great and have no problems at all. The Sony gets major use and the image is still clean and sharp. I use AppleTV 99% of the time for both TVs and they work great.

I'm itching to upgrade to a 4K 55-65" TV since my Living Room is big with high ceilings, so it would fit nicely. I'll probably stick with Sony since most of the TVs I've owned were Sony and never had a problem. Also, my receiver and BD player are Sony and I like that they can "talk" to each other.
 
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D.T. said:
No doubt. I almost wanted to buy one and store it for future use 😀
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I was fortunate enough to be able to snag one of the last Pioneer PDPs, right after they announced they were getting out of the business. It was the PDP-51FD. Still going strong 5 years later!
 
Do any of the Panasonic plasmas have analog audio outputs? I can't find any mention of it anywhere in the reviews, only an optical out. I have to use wireless headphones to hear clearly (hearing loss) and my headphones only have analog input; works find on my Samsung which has inputs and outputs galore. the Panasonic P50X60 seems to have very limited connectivity.
 
danny_w said:
Do any of the Panasonic plasmas have analog audio outputs? I can't find any mention of it anywhere in the reviews, only an optical out. I have to use wireless headphones to hear clearly (hearing loss) and my headphones only have analog input; works find on my Samsung which has inputs and outputs galore. the Panasonic P50X60 seems to have very limited connectivity.
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You could use an optical to analog adaptor like this for your headphones.
 
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Really sorry to hear about your TV. Sadly, plasmas are on their way out. I am glad my 2nd plasma is still going strong. My first one broke during a move. The Panasonic series of plasmas are quite amazing for what they are.

If you opt to get a plasma, just know that in a few years, repair/replacement might be a challenge (even with a good* extended warranty). I'll just hope my Panasonic VT50 lasts for at least another 3 years. My previous plasma was a Pioneer Kuro and I loved the way my blue rays looked on that plasma. The VT50 looks excellent and the newer models of Panasonic even better.

good luck on whatever you purchase(d).
 
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I'm in the same boat. My 7 year-old 37" LG LCD is ghosting graphics worse every day, and has a faint dark patch on the left side. Despite the "short" life, I'm looking at another LG, the 42LB6300.

One thing I just don't get is that the smart TV's all have 3 or more HDMI inputs while the non-smart TV's have 2. I don't need a smart TV (I have an ATV and my Blu-Ray player can do the smart functions) but I do need 3 HDMI inputs.

The LG noted above is on my short list. I don't need 3D, don't need more than 42" (current 42" TV's fit in the same footprint as my current 37"), also looking at Vizio M422i-B1. All else considered, I'll probably order the LG as it has an IPS panel with better viewing angles and LG actually makes the panel while Vizio probably buys the panel from someone else.
 
hallux said:
I'm in the same boat. My 7 year-old 37" LG LCD is ghosting graphics worse every day, and has a faint dark patch on the left side. Despite the "short" life, I'm looking at another LG, the 42LB6300.

One thing I just don't get is that the smart TV's all have 3 or more HDMI inputs while the non-smart TV's have 2. I don't need a smart TV (I have an ATV and my Blu-Ray player can do the smart functions) but I do need 3 HDMI inputs.

The LG noted above is on my short list. I don't need 3D, don't need more than 42" (current 42" TV's fit in the same footprint as my current 37"), also looking at Vizio M422i-B1. All else considered, I'll probably order the LG as it has an IPS panel with better viewing angles and LG actually makes the panel while Vizio probably buys the panel from someone else.
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Getting another Samsung would definitely be the simplest solution. Everything would just plug right in, and I wouldn't even need to reprogram my Harmony remote. But I have been out of the TV market for a while and I really don't know what is the best budget solution anymore. 1080p would be nice but I really don't need anything more than 720p; the widest viewing angle possible (while not breaking the bank) is important, along with the deepest blacks (reasons for a plasma). Even refresh rate is not really important. I think my current TV cost around $800 new but I would like to spend less if possible.
 
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