Care and repair and maintenance of our extinct plasma TV’s, just to keep them going a little longer.

I don't think it really matters as much where it was manufactured, as it matters what the intention was when it was being designed and fabricated. I think every Blu-ray player I've owned has been made in either China, Japan or Korea, and they were of varying quality - the expensive Oppo was built like a tank and still works flawlessly, while some of the inexpensive ones are showing their age and/or occasionally behaving quirky. To me, that says less about country of origin and more that the Oppo was designed to last, while the other players were designed to be functional on a budget, with longevity not being a top priority.

 

I largely agree. But consider the "fast-evolving". Have you ever seen stuff rolled out in such a half-assed and disorganized manner as current displays are? I'd say a lot of the products aren't even finished being designed. Roll it out anyway, promise some afterthought as an upgrade so the display at least won't be totally out of date 2 years later re some important video format. Some of the manufacturers can barely figure out how to calibrate their displays (I doubt they truly know).

I guess the "good" displays are cheap enough that I personally don't truly care. I really prefer not to buy things that look poorly-built to me. I'm not the "disposable" type of person, I'd rather pay more for something solid. But the world is moving away from that. Intentionally.

Reminds me of that movie where somebody designed something indestructible and permanent...the truly massive resistance to it from all the "special interest" groups (as we'd call them now), and the resistance from general society itself. Makes you think, obsolescence might possibly actually be a good societal thing, but goes against my nature so I have a hard time with it.

 

Agreed on the cost differential. I know when my board was replaced it was with a new OEM one from Panasonic. Today, I'm not so sure that would be the case. At the time, I asked the technician whether the boards would still be manufactured by Panasonic since it had just been announced they were ending manufacturing and selling plasma TVs and he seemed to think they'd continue making them for repairs because there were so many of them out in the field. However, it's now 2018 so I'm curious to hear what it takes to replace a board these days over four years later.

There are several boards that can need replacing. I didn't get any details concerning the how and why except that it was an SN Board replacement, which runs down the right side of the TV which the ribbons that deliver the picture to the plasma screen are connected.



Funny end to my story is that the authorized Panasonic service center was 45 miles away so I box up the TV in its original box and transport it there. The technician says, "I don't need or want the box." Fine, it was just for transport in my van. It takes a week or two to get fixed and when I show back up the technician immediately wants to just basically throw it in the back of the van. I assure him that I want to put it back in the box for transport. I get home and turn it on there is a series gray horizontal lines running through the bottom third of the screen.




And I'm like, "What the... ??" So I call the place back up and am told it must have occurred during transport because it looked fine in their shop. Which begged the question: And you wanted to put it on the floor of my van without the box? Anyway, they say bring it back in and they'll take a look at it. Well I'm confounded with the idea of boxing the TV back up and driving another 90 miles round trip when I just did the trip not even an hour ago. So I figure, "Well, it wouldn't hurt to open it up and check to see if those ribbons are seated correctly." So I place a post-it note next to the lines so I know which ribbon they belong to, unplugged the TV, took the back off (so many screws!), and re-seated that particular ribbon. Turned the TV back on and the lines were gone. And, thus, I knock on figurative wood and cross my fingers every time I've turned it on or off since!

 

It sounds like you may be referring to the HDR and HDMI standards. They do have a rushed feeling to them. Manufacturers are probably thinking they need to have something to entice buyers. 4k resolution alone isn't a big enough difference. It's ultimately up to consumers to determine what is and isn't enticing enough to justify the "push" . Personally, I shake my head at the people who fall all over themselves in their eagerness to get THIS year's smartphone. For that matter, I'd still be using that RPTV if it hadn't died.

 

I don’t but that’s still a cool idea!

 

Good to know that these boards are still replaceable and/or fixable lo these many years later!

My take on it is that since plasma TVs cannot be bought new anymore I'm willing to have boards fixed and replaced until I can't get them fixed and replaced anymore. Or I'll think about buying new when a comparable picture such as an OLED comes down to a more budget-acceptable price!

I can't take credit for that as it is from someone's blog about fixing a Panasonic plasma. Imagine that!

https://innovativeslacker.com/blog/how-to-fix-panisonic-10-blink-error/

Incidentally, the person who wrote that blog above eventually suffered from the same gray (black) lines due to improperly seated ribbons.

 

My friend had his Plasma serviced about a year and a half ago for just over $300 also. The technician told him with the faulty part replaced his Samsung should last another 20 years or so.

 

I have a 2009 Kuro 50". I use it like I have the past nine years; nothing special in its care and feeding. I can only hope it lasts until I can upgrade to 4K, which is maybe next year at the earliest.

 

I bought a rechargeable screwdriver a few years ago, and it was an excellent $30 purchase. I don't do a lot of DIY, but I do enough installing of lights and miscellaneous around the house to be glad for it.

 

Do you happen to have a link to that one? That’s in my price range for something like this..

 

My Panasonic plasma was purchased in 2009 and is still kicking.

I’m holding out for Oled UHd as well.

Specifically the 007 films on UHd blu ray.

 

I bought it about five years ago. It's a Black and Decker cordless screwdriver, gyro controls so it just spins when you turn it with no button to press. It was at all the hardware stores when I was shopping then.

 

My brother had his Samsung plasma for over 10 years. If it ever starts acting up I will encourage him to get it fixed. - He has a first generation Samsung 4K LED set that pales in comparison to the video quality of his plasma(we tried them out side by side when he first purchased it). Especially considering he has zero interest in 4K content, he just needed a new TV a few years ago, and happened to buy a 4K set.

When My friend's Plasma ""popped" and it didn't power on I had to talk him into getting it fixed. This made three times I recommended to people I know get their sets "fixed" instead buying a new TV. Weird to me. There are many TV repair places around town. They know what they are doing. The TV will be repaired, and if the cost is too steep they will be notified before the repair process. Doesn't make sense to me to throw a TV with many years of life left in it away.

 

Me too, same situation, no comparison, (Pio) 1080p plasma wins. No HDR on those early 4K Sammies either, and that's the kicker for 4K. They run cool though, and not bad for gaming (I suppose...I still prefer plasma).