TV Problem - Samsung LNA650. Random visual glitches. (1 Viewer)

[Amnesiac7]

Hello,
I purchased this TV (LN40A650) in 2008, and it's been working fine until recently.
I haven't been able to find anyone reporting a similar problem, but here is the description.
- I'll notice a weird glitch, like a small square of static suddenly appearing in the middle of the screen (otherwise, the image looks fine), and then the TV flickering for a second, then a thin band appearing at the very top of my screen, directly beneath the bezel.
- This usually happens about 20 mins or so after the TV is first turned on.
- That line/band at the top of the screen goes away when I turn the TV off and then on again.... I haven't seen the problem reoccur after turning the TV off and on again once the issues appear. It only reoccurs the next day, when I turn the TV on for the first time in the day.
What could this be?

 

[schan1269]

Sounds like the ongoing "Samsung being cheap on their TVs" crappy capacitors on the power supply.
Get it fixed before the power supply dies.
Google...
Samsung Power Supply Capacitors
You should come up with a few thousand search pages.

 

[Amnesiac7]

I called Samsung. There were some doubts from some of the reps I spoke with, I think, about whether or not what I am describing above really indicates a capacitor issue. Because of this I'm worried that when the service technician comes, he'll discover the problems I've been experiencing have nothing to do with the capacitor and I'll be charged for the visit.
What do you think? Do the visual glitches above indicate a capacitor issue? One Samsung rep told me that the capacitor is essentially the part that powers on and off the TV. Thus, when you hear clicking (one of the symptoms listed on Samsung's website), that's the capacitor repeatedly trying to turn the TV on. This is also why the other symptoms include the TV cycling on and off, taking a long time to power on, etc.
I don't have those symptoms -- I guess the TV takes a long time to turn on, but it's always done that, or so it seems. I can't really tell if there has been a difference. The TV itself doesn't cycle on and off, but the image does occasionally disappear as part of the visual glitches I described above. For instance, the TV image will suddenly vanish, leaving me with a black screen, then it will restore the image in a moment, but with a weird, jumpy line at the top of my TV. Does this sound like something that could be traced back to the capacitor?

 

[schan1269]

The power supply supplies juice for the entire thing. Not just on/off.
Since this happens when "woken up", I'd say the first place to start is the power supply.
And what is this "If not what I said I get charged"???...so...
You have a problem, time to come fix it. Period.

 

[Amnesiac7]

See this link for clarification: http://www.samsung.com/us/capacitorsettlement/
I'm not covered under warranty. So, they'll fix any of the TVs with those symptoms, which indicate a faulty capacitor, but they won't fix the TV if the problem is due to another part.
That's why I've been trying to figure out if the symptoms I am describing seem like the sort of thing that a faulty capacitor might cause. When you say "power supply," are you referring to power cord that goes into the outlet, or are you referring to an internal part within the TV? Is "capacitor" synonymous with "power supply" in this context?

 

[schan1269]

I'm refering to the internal part of the TV. The cord is just a cord.
It could be one of the flatwires leading the the picture control module. That technically isn't part of the capacitor issue. But...it still technically could be if the power supply is wonky.
TV of today are stupid easy to fix. You can't fix "the screen", but you can fix everything else.
You can remove the back cover of the TV(unplug it first) and look at the capacitors on the PS. If they are bulging, then they are a problem anyway...regardless of whether they are causing this problem.
But, if you find the capacitors aren't bulging...then figure out the part number of the picture control and look for one on Fleabay.

 

[Amnesiac7]

I decided to plug the cord directly into the wall outlet before use today, and I found that no issues came up.
Could it really be that the surge protector is at fault? Since moving, it's essentially the only thing that's changed about the TV. I've added a surge protector. I thought it was that I was using a cord with the improper voltage, but once I changed the cord to the right one, the issues persisted.
The issues only started cropping up once I started using the surge protector. Now that it's plugged into the wall, I'm not experiencing the issues...so far, at least. Just finished using the TV for a few hours. I find it odd that a surge protector could create those glitches, but perhaps that's what happened.