Lightening Killed My TV

[aczlan]

Every four or five years we have been getting a bigger TV. The old eyes are not what they used to be. Each time, the bigger TV was as cheap or cheaper than the old one. We paid about $800 for a 55" Sanyo a couple of years ago. I saw it in Walmart last week for $650. Eleven years ago when we built our house, we had two entertainment centers built. One has a 32" space, the other 36". Back then that was as big a TV as we dreamed we could afford. Now our big TV is sitting on top of the one in the living room and our next biggest TV, a 42" Sanyo, is sitting on the credenza here in my home office. If we upgrade again in a few years, we will have to get rid of the entertainment center in the bedroom, or leave the 36" there and take the 42" to my office at work.

Hence the reason why when I build ours it will be a built in corner cabinet that the TV goes on top of. No problems with getting a bigger TV in the future that way.

Aaron Z

 

[N80]

Warning, semi-related and probably rationally unsound rant to follow:

I give up on fried Sony. Do a little research and find the TV I want to replace it with. Target web site says it is in stock in local store. Go to Target. Look at the one on the wall and I'm satisfied with the picture quality etc. After looking around for a while we finally find a sales person. She pulls out a little thing that looks like a cell phone, punches something in and says there is one on the shelf were we are standing and that there is not one in back. There is not one on the shelf. She tells us that in that case they do not have one. Since her little machine is wrong about there being one out front maybe it is wrong about there not being one in back. She says that is not possible and as we are walking away she calls someone to tell them she is going on break.

Seems odd to us so we ask for a manager. Manager says their little scanner is never wrong and no need to look in back. We show her the Target web site on our iPhone. She says web site is often wrong about inventory and takes a long time to update. We tell her the scanner is wrong about there being one out front. No, she says that refers to the one on display and that is probably why the web site says there is one in stock. We ask if we can buy it. She says no. We ask why the web site says there is one in stock when there isn't. She shrugs.

We asks if she might just look in back to see if there is one there. She indicates that she will but that it will be a major undertaking. We walk away.

(Please note, during this entire encounter my wife, who is always patient and always very pleasant does all the talking. Not grumpy old me.)

And go to BestBuy which is in the same building. The selection there is horrible and we find nothing with the specs we are looking for (40-42", 1080p, 120hz, 3 hdmi ports).

Drive across the road to Walmart. They have the TV on display.....but not in stock. Walk over to Sears in same building.....it looks like a yard sale. TV's not working, poor selection, stuff all over the floors.

So here in Rock Hill (pop. ~ 60k) I can't find anyone to take $500 from me. Makes me kind of tired of hearing concrete and mortar stores whine about the impact of the internet on sales. They aren't even trying. I'll buy the TV I want from B&H Photo Video......in New York.

 

[grsthegreat]

Ya, i feel for you.

Best buy gave me such a run around when i wanted to purchase my Sony Bravia a few years back. I ended up buying everything online (tv, surround sound system, etc) and saved over $600 off of best buys prices.

been real happy.

 

[joshuabardwell]

... and then they say, "Well, sir, we don't have it in stock, but we can order it for you!" And I'm like, "If I want to wait a week to get it, I can ORDER it for myself, and have it come straight to my door, and for cheaper than you! The reason I came in was because I wanted to take it home TODAY."

 

[aczlan]

So here in Rock Hill (pop. ~ 60k) I can't find anyone to take $500 from me. Makes me kind of tired of hearing concrete and mortar stores whine about the impact of the internet on sales. They aren't even trying. I'll buy the TV I want from B&H Photo Video......in New York.

They do good work over at B&H...

Aaron Z

 

[crazyal]

Take a look on ebay or do a search. Sometimes you can find a replacement board for cheap. Plug and play.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Warning, semi-related and probably rationally unsound rant to follow:

I give up on fried Sony. Do a little research and find the TV I want to replace it with. Target web site says it is in stock in local store. Go to Target. Look at the one on the wall and I'm satisfied with the picture quality etc. After looking around for a while we finally find a sales person. She pulls out a little thing that looks like a cell phone, punches something in and says there is one on the shelf were we are standing and that there is not one in back. There is not one on the shelf. She tells us that in that case they do not have one. Since her little machine is wrong about there being one out front maybe it is wrong about there not being one in back. She says that is not possible and as we are walking away she calls someone to tell them she is going on break.

Seems odd to us so we ask for a manager. Manager says their little scanner is never wrong and no need to look in back. We show her the Target web site on our iPhone. She says web site is often wrong about inventory and takes a long time to update. We tell her the scanner is wrong about there being one out front. No, she says that refers to the one on display and that is probably why the web site says there is one in stock. We ask if we can buy it. She says no. We ask why the web site says there is one in stock when there isn't. She shrugs.

We asks if she might just look in back to see if there is one there. She indicates that she will but that it will be a major undertaking. We walk away.

(Please note, during this entire encounter my wife, who is always patient and always very pleasant does all the talking. Not grumpy old me.)

And go to BestBuy which is in the same building. The selection there is horrible and we find nothing with the specs we are looking for (40-42", 1080p, 120hz, 3 hdmi ports).

Drive across the road to Walmart. They have the TV on display.....but not in stock. Walk over to Sears in same building.....it looks like a yard sale. TV's not working, poor selection, stuff all over the floors.

So here in Rock Hill (pop. ~ 60k) I can't find anyone to take $500 from me. Makes me kind of tired of hearing concrete and mortar stores whine about the impact of the internet on sales. They aren't even trying. I'll buy the TV I want from B&H Photo Video......in New York.

So what are you looking for? Brand/Model?

I cant believe BB didnt have a 40" 120hz tv with at least 3 hdmi. I have a Dynex (their brand) 42" and 55" both with 4.. Of course, I only use one since my 7.1 amp has 4 too with auto switching.. Something to look into if you cant find a tv to your liking with 3+ HDMI.

 

[CliffordK]

Over the years I've dealt with a few printers that have died after power surges. Perhaps a computer or two... Anyway, it most commonly is the power supply.

Just start typing any numbers you can find on the power board that look like they are describing the board into an internet search, and see what you come up with. It probably won't be cheap, but perhaps you can replace the power supply for $100 or so. I assume it is a separate circuit board from the rest of the TV.

An electrical tester should tell you if the fuse is blown. HF testers are cheap, but I've had lots of troubles with them. I'd much prefer going to a "reputable" store, and buying at least a $20 tester.

 

[jinman]

I was in Sam's yesterday and could not believe all the TVs they had. If I can't buy it at Sam's, I just order it online. However, I'm not sure anything as big and bulky as a TV will be the best thing to order online. Even inside a box that is relatively undamaged, you don't know how far or how hard it may have been dropped. You may find after unpacking and installation that it does not work. Then it's a super pain to return, etc., etc.. Your online purchase from B&H will probably be fine, but I always worry about big items.

Recently I bought a queen size memory foam mattress that was shipped. They sucked all the air out of it and rolled it up into bag and put it into a box that was 2'x2'x66" and weighed over 90 lb. When FedEx arrived, the box had a double fist-sized hole in the side. I put my hand in and felt around to discover that there was no damage to the bag holding the mattress. Had that been an appliance or furniture inside that wasn't soft, it might have been a different story. You do take a bit more of a risk when you buy big items online that get shipped. I bought a window type heat pump from AJ Madison and had it shipped to my house two months before the room addition started. I opened the box, but never took the unit out. When we went to install the unit, I found the plastic front cover of the unit had been smashed and broken inside the box. Luckily, I was able to glue and tape it until the glue dried so that you can't see the damage, but it was a pain in the patoot to have to do a repair since I didn't want to hassle with ordering a new part.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Even inside a box that is relatively undamaged, you don't know how far or how hard it may have been dropped. You may find after unpacking and installation that it does not work. Then it's a super pain to return, etc., etc.. Your online purchase from B&H will probably be fine, but I always worry about big items.

I ordered a large TV off of Amazon once. It came via cargo truck, not by UPS or other carrier.