RCA 38" HDTV kaput after 14 days! (1 Viewer)

[Pete K]

My wife called from work today.
Seems the power here in Temple went out--
nothing too unusual with our heat down here.
Anyway she said the TV wouldn't come back on.
When I got home to check it out I found that the fan runs but when trying to turn on in makes the clicking noise and the green power light on top flashes.
Additionally there is a thin vertical burst of red on the screen with about every other click. Anybody experience the burst who has had the clicking problems with the TOSHs or other?
Interestingly I see in the RCA manual that came with the TV the page where acquiring assistance is supposed to be has been intentionally left blank--also the half of the warranty card that one keeps doesn't have the number to call---this is very telling.
I think the number is posted here somewhere--if not I'll check the RCA website---the only website that makes my computer bog to the point of ---oh never mind.
I just hope this doesn't turn out to be a major and expensive disappointment.
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FtHoodMtBkr
http://members.tripod.com/woodbridge_251cinema/

 

[Ron-P]

Did you have it hooked up to a surge protector? I'll bet when the power came back on it fried the TV somehow. If it is only 14 days old can you exchange it for a new one?
Peace Out~

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http://home.earthlink.net/~peregrinefalcon/

 

[Timmy]

Ron has the idea here; a two week old set should be instantly replaced by the dealer. Try that avenue first before opting for warranty repair.

 

[Jim Kirkman]

Pete,
The problem with my Tosh 40H80 was that it would often reset to the 4x3 mode and would lose it's clock settings. Also, sometimes the power light would come on, but no picture. When this happened it would not respond to any remote commands or buttons on the front of the set. I noticed no flashing. I would have to unplug then replug the set to get it to work again.
As I reported on another post (see link), my tech has found a fix for this problem.
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/...ML/006947.html
Also, I agree with the others who said that such a new set should be replaced by the dealer.
Jim

 

[Pete K]

All,
No I don't think it was plugged into a surge protector--just into an old power strip I've been connecting my equipment to for years. Never had a problem with my 27" Sony and it made moves from Korea to Lawton, OK to Baumholder, Germany and fianlly here to Temple, TX.
And there were plenty of power outages in OK.
ABTelectronics would take it back since it is within 30
days--but if I remember from their website I'm going to
lose out on shipping if I return it or have to pay shipping again if they exchange it.
So that's why I'll try the local (only 4 miles away)
authorized repair center first--wife will call tomorrow.
I guess there's always the homeowner's insurance--hopefully
the repairs are covered by warranty or I can return it in time. Hoping it doesn't come to that.
Will post again when I know the prognosis.
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FtHoodMtBkr
http://members.tripod.com/woodbridge_251cinema/

 

[Jack Briggs]

FYI, Pete:
When I was auditioning my Sony WEGA, I asked about that behemoth 38-inch 16:9 RCA, one of which was in the showroom. For what it's worth (and I mean, we're talking about a Good Guys salesman here), the man I was talking to told me they've sold a few of those sets and that each one has had power-supply failures. According to him, the power supply is not robust enough. That was what he said.
You might want to see if you can work out a deal of sorts. But if you bought mail-order, I suppose that might not be possible.
I wish you the very best. These are big-ticket purchases, and you have every right to expect a perfectly functioning TV.
JB
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[Andy_A]

Sorry to hear about this. I sell those TVs and have not heard of the power supply problem. I definitely recommend to all some sort of power conditioner/surge.. I highly recommend the Monster Cable/Monster Power HTS 2000 or the HTS 1000. For the price, this piece of equipment cannot be beat, IMHO. It does so much (really). Better picture, better sound, and protects all your equipment.
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"There are no stupid questions, but there sure are a lot of inquisitive idiots."
-source forgotten

 

[Jeff Whitford]

I also sell these sets and they are junk. No offense. They have already been recalled once for problems and showed back up about a month ago. Get your dealer to exchange it for something else. Also when telling them about it I wouldnt mention the electrical power going off as they will blame it on that. Andy is right about getting a good surge protector like the Monster one though.
PS I just noticed that you bought it on line. Here is another glowing example of why you should buy locally. Good luck!
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Jeff Whitford
Hometheater Guru

 

[Pete K]

Well the service center won't even pick it up until Thursday; a whole week after it was called in direct to them.
Funny thing is- I did buy a Panamax and was just too lazy to get around to hooking every thing to it--esp since the Panamax instructions warn if one connects a TV to it they must also connect all equipment going to the TV into it.
For example the "cable". Heck the RCA instruction guide didn't even make mention of a surge protector.
Bet next time I will. And when I get the TV back I'm going to find someone who sells the Phillips Service Plan as I understand their rates cover most brands and are reasonable--$250 or less for 4 years.
Darn snakes wriggling around in one of Temple's relay stations OR is it just a case of bad power supply/protection within the RCAs. I still stand by the fact that nothing else has ever happened to any of my equipment during any power outages with or without bad weather.
All I know is I'm out a TV for however long. Sigh.
I'll post again after the service company gets the TV and gets back with me..
..I cannot say the picture was junk.
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FtHoodMtBkr
http://members.tripod.com/woodbridge_251cinema/

 

[Pete K]

Well after what seemed like aeons the service center brought me a brand new set that Thomson sent to replace it.
I have it and the "cable" and all equipment plugged into a panamax surge protector now.
Hopefully this time I don't have problems; if I make it past a few months I'll get a Philips extended warranty service--I think suttertel has them as low as 150$ for 4 years of coverage--anyone know the pros and cons of this plan?
BTW my local authorized service center had the gall to tell me since I lived "upstairs" the next service I needed, to call RCA direct and arrange for an out of town service center, 'cause there was no way they were having anything to do with it again!
Well--I got 10 unwatched DVDs--gonna be a couple of busy weekends; hope my mountain bike fitness don't go to pot!

 

[JakeR]

Also no offense intended, but RCA is, by far, the biggest major-name junk dealer in the electronics business. All of their stuff is total garbage which won't even have the decency to last the full warranty period.
These sets were recalled last fall due to power problems. Really, guy, you were sticking your jaw out on this one.

 

[Michael Hofferica]

I agree with JakeR because i remember looking into buying this 38" RCA model from Circuit City last year and the next time i checked on it, the salesman said that they had been recalled..so this scared me away from this set and from the story of this thread, i am glad i ended up settling on Panasonic 34WX50 which i have been very happy with
mike

 

[Brett DiMichele]

I think some of you guys are off your rockers.
I can not vouch for the integrity of ALL RCA
products but I can say that my 61" 4:3 PiP RPTV
Blows away the other RPTV Competition. I compared
every model of every major name brand company for
features and picture quality (didn't care about price)
and I went with the RCA and didn't look back..
Thats just my opinion though...

 

[Jeremy Little]

Yeah, I work at Best Buy and they were recalled. It took them 3 months to get our store a replacement display. RCA "claimed" the problem was minor and pertained to the video quality. They also stated that it was a voluntary fix. As far as power supplies go, I think everyone has gone to the cheaply made kind. I mean, we had a whole slew of Widescreen Toshiba's come back last year and they were all related to the tv not coming on. All were H80 series. Also, the 27"-36" Wegas did the same as well. All were FS13 or FS17 chassis.
My recommendation is a GOOD surge protector, one with coaxial protection, a nanosecond reaction time, and maybe a phone line if you have DSS or TiVo. None of that Watts-Dog crap the power company has. Also, check how much signal you lose on a coax pass-thru. Some will drop your cable like 6 dB which is no good if some stations are weak anyhow.
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Heal a Million, Kill a Million

 

[Frank Frandsen]

If you check Consumer Reports RCA and GE(same company)cosistently have the worse repair record of any brand. Too bad, my dad always bought RCA, but he switched to Toshiba..

 

[Jack Briggs]

Seth Paxton: Got any comments on this thread?
I wouldn't call all RCAs "garbage," but I'd be cautious. (The 36-inch direct-view 4:3 "high-res" set has a nice picture, IMO.)
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[Stephen L]

I wouldn't call all RCAs "garbage," but I'd be cautious. (The 36-inch direct-view 4:3 "high-res" set has a nice picture, IMO.)

The picture is fantastic. I loved the picture but thought about RCA's reliability .Still haven't pulled the trigger on my next set but my oh my I love the picture from this set.
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Steve

 

[Brett DiMichele]

Excuse me if I respectfuly do not agree with what consumer
reports says. There have been many times where consumer
reports has posted one thing and another reputable zine
has come to a completely diffrent conclusion.
Since I am a car nut I can go about this from the car angle
to explain what I think. Import cars are generaly thought
to be far more "advanced" and far more "reliable" than cars
made in the U.S these days. It's amazing to me how people as
a whole can be brainwashed into beleiving so blindly in a
product that even when it does have faults they will still
defend it to the death. Honda would be a great example. As
everyone (including Consumer Reports) thinks they are the
best thing since sliced bread.
Honda has went as far as
trying to make www.alldata.com which is a reputable web
site for TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) stop posting TSB
information for thier product, now a clear thinking human
could interpret that as Honda's way to cover the actual
truth that thier product can and does fail just like any
other piece of equipment.
When I looked at RPTV's I didn't go in with a preconception
about the name on the set. I went looking for the best list
of user features and picture quality. And I know that I made
the right decision when I picked my RCA RPTV. Am I going to
say that it has been problem free? No I will say that I did
have a warranty repaired issue (bad capacitor) it was fixed
under warranty in a timely fashion so with that in mind I
have no complaints.
Since I got to see the inside of this
TV and I spoke in detail with the service person I am very
happy I picked this set.. RCA went as far as making the CRT
projector assembly a removeable unit with carry handles. I
was told to be thankful because MOST RPTV's need to be dis-
mantled to work on and this could mean a service person has
to spend hours on your living room floor to get it apart.
Thanks RCA for making the guts modular!
As I said before I can not vouch for the entire RCA line and
I wouldn't even try as I don't have knowledge of all the
product they sell. But I am pleased with my choice and next
time around, if Hitachi has a better picture and features
then they will get my money. I am loyal to to no company
just what they give me for my money.
Thanks for listening..
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