[Mad Hatter]

My lovely old tv has been a bit awkward a few times lately.

I push the mains switch button in and the red light comes on. (The power-on/stand by indicator lights up red to show that the power is on. If it does not change quickly to green, the tv is in stand-by mode. Switch on by pressing the stand-by button).

When I press the stand-by button to get the tv to come on, the red light goes off - if I press the stand-by button again, the red light comes on!

(Stand-by: press this button to switch the tv on from stand-by or to switch it to stand-by. The power-on/stand by indicator is red when the tv is in stand-by and green or amber when the tv is switched on. Amber indicates that an AV input has been selected).

Could it be that my batteries are low in the remote control please? Or any other suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.

[iangrad]

Wow where did you get that TV from ( it dates from 1994/5 ) They were the "left field" choice to Philips or Sony at the time but were very un reliable along with all mits TV from this time onward until they ended production . Has yours been stored away ? how has it survived ?

Being very realistic you will struggle to get it sorted out now as all the old time engineers have moved on to other jobs or just retired . Could be time to use its problems as a excuse to get a new TV ?

[Mad Hatter]

Thanks very much indeed for replying. I always said that when this tv blows up, I shall have a new one.

I have been fiddling about with the tv etc all night - it is driving me wappy! At the moment the red light is on at the front, no picture at all but can hear sound, but not very loud, of Graham Norton on BBC1.

A lady we know gave us the tv some years ago and we did have a new Sony Bravio and kept this old one as a spare. The Sony Bravio moved out and I set this old one back up again and it is linked to a digibox, a video recorder and dvd/player/recorder.

Any ideas what the problem is please and thanks in advance.

(Had been considering having a Luxor 32" asda £177 but was advised on here against it but I dont need a tv to "wow" me, just want to watch programmes on it).

[Soundbox]

If it is any consolation, usually when such faults occur, it is down to one small component failing - not anything huge like the tube. If you are happy with the TV it is at least enquiring at your TV repairers (look up in Yellow Pages or ask in a independant electrical goods retailer - NOT Dixons) who may well do you a quick fix - or tell you if it is not possible to repair. We too had a 21" mitsubishi - that lasted us, my Grandma AND my Aunts many years - it was passed along.

[Mad Hatter]

Thanks for your reply Soundbox.

The tv started playing up about 9pm last night. I gave up on it and listened to the radio and just before I went to bed about midnight, I tried to switch the tv on again and blow me down with a feather, the tv came on!! I switched it off and went to bed.

Today the tv has switched on okay and it is on now. A friend of mine has an old tv and a freeview box that I can have. I said I will see how this one behaves over the weekend and let her know on Monday.

It must be an intermittent fault. Just have to see how it goes.

[AlanO]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

Thanks for your reply Soundbox.

The tv started playing up about 9pm last night. I gave up on it and listened to the radio and just before I went to bed about midnight, I tried to switch the tv on again and blow me down with a feather, the tv came on!! I switched it off and went to bed.

Today the tv has switched on okay and it is on now. A friend of mine has an old tv and a freeview box that I can have. I said I will see how this one behaves over the weekend and let her know on Monday.

It must be an intermittent fault. Just have to see how it goes.

The problem with an intermittent fault like this is they tend to be incredibly difficult to trace. It sounds like it could be a 'dry joint' or a capacitor strarting to fail. Either way the set is well over 10 years old, so even fixing this won't guarantee its long term service as all the other components will be ageing and liable to failure.

From a replacement perspective, Luxor as you've found out is a budget brand, as too are Technika, Alba, Bush, Goodmans, Matsui and various others. They're OK as budget sets providing you buy them knowing that.

At the other extreme Panasonic and Sony are regarded as the best - equally they're the most expensive. I'd go Panasonic over Sony, but there are others on this board who'd argue against this day and night.

If you're just looking for a sound, mid-price set which will give you good performance, then your best bet is probably a Samsung or LG - LG tend to be fractionally cheaper, but there's not much in it.

As it happens on this example they're the same price - £250.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...7C14419667.htm

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...7C14419667.htm

[Mad Hatter]

Wow AlanO, thanks so much for your helpful reply and in particular the links to the new tv's. I am very surprised to see the fab prices of these 2 tv's. I thought generally 32" tv's were a lot more money than that. I suppose I ought to take the plunge and have a new tv but I just feel so nervous with all this technology around.

It is like Spaghetti Junction behind my tv, loads and loads of wires because I have the digibox, video recorder and dvd player/recorder too. If I have a new tv, how easy will it be to connect everything up?

Which one do you think would be the best tv to buy? Thanks again.

[AlanO]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

Wow AlanO, thanks so much for your helpful reply and in particular the links to the new tv's. I am very surprised to see the fab prices of these 2 tv's. I thought generally 32" tv's were a lot more money than that. I suppose I ought to take the plunge and have a new tv but I just feel so nervous with all this technology around.

It is like Spaghetti Junction behind my tv, loads and loads of wires because I have the digibox, video recorder and dvd player/recorder too. If I have a new tv, how easy will it be to connect everything up?

Which one do you think would be the best tv to buy? Thanks again.

No problem - you're welcome.

In terms of connecting up your existing equipment, my advice would be decide what you need. Particularly given that the trend is towards only having 1 SCART socket on newer TVs as HDMI becomes more popular.

So - ifirst one, is your digibox just a basic Freeview box? If it is you'll no longer need that as a new TV will have it built in.

Your DVD player / recorder (I'm assuming it's one unit) will need the SCART connection unless it is a very new one and has an HDMI connection (the instructions will tell you this).

The VCR is the tricky one. I have to ask is it something you really want or need to keep? The picture quality on VHS is poor when compared to DVD and LCD screens really don't respond well to a poor quality source.

If you do want to keep it - one option may be to 'daisy chain' this through the DVD recorder (if that has more than one SCART socket).

Hopefully that makes sense - if not repost (you may want to put details of what the various sources are e.g. makes / models) and I'm sure someone will offer some advice.

In terms of which one - I really don't have a preference, both will be 'sound' in terms of picture and sound quality and offer the features you probably need - it may come down to which you think looks nicer !

[Mad Hatter]

Been reading the reviews for both of the tv's. There are concerns with the Samsung regarding the stand that it is a bit flimsy and wobbly.

With the LG one review said there was only 1 scart socket and they wanted to connect a digital recorder and a dvd player, neither has hdmi connection so they had to use RCA leads.

Another review on the LG said can be a bit dark if you use the eco-save function but it can always be adjusted to suit the available light. (I've never heard of an eco-save function).

Ooh eck.

[Mad Hatter]

Sorry, posted not knowing you had replied.

Going to go and have a look behind the tv and will get back to you. I only like the video recorder wired up so I can watch video's of holidays - I dont record anything anymore on video.

The reviews seem better about the Samsung but a lot say how flimsy the stand is but that is neither here nor there is it.

[AlanO]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

Sorry, posted not knowing you had replied.

Going to go and have a look behind the tv and will get back to you. I only like the video recorder wired up so I can watch video's of holidays - I dont record anything anymore on video.

The reviews seem better about the Samsung but a lot say how flimsy the stand is but that is neither here nor there is it.

To be honest, if you've got home movies on VHS, you probably want to get them transferred onto DVD.

VHS tapes do deteriorate over time (as does any 'magnetic' tape media) so from a preservation perspective, copying those to DVD would be a sensible move. Equally, you can't buy new VHS recorders now, so if it failed you'd have to pick up a second hand one.

Moving your collection to DVD resolves this and means you don't need to worry about hooking your video up to your new TV.

[Mad Hatter]

The Panasonic dvd player/recorder has 2 scart sockets and the Samsung video recorder also has 2 scart sockets. I also have a scart lead in the back of the tv and at the end of that scart lead, are 2 scart sockets.

My brother talked me through how to connect up the digibox, video and dvd player over the phone but he isnt talking to me at the moment so I wouldnt be able to ask him for any help if I have a new tv so I may struggle.

Yet on the reviews it was said it was so easy, took just a few minutes etc. I ought to try and be more confident . . . .

Could I not include the video recorder in with the new tv but connect it to another tv I have in the dining room, if I wanted to watch a video?

Thanks again.

[Sue_Aitch]

http://www.dtg.org.uk/consumer/connection_wizard.html is your friend

If you like the Telly you have and are working to a budget, get a TV repairman to have a look: I had my CRT repaired a while back for £60 and it has been worth every penny.

[AlanO]

Originally Posted by Sue_Aitch

http://www.dtg.org.uk/consumer/connection_wizard.html is your friend

If you like the Telly you have and are working to a budget, get a TV repairman to have a look: I had my CRT repaired a while back for £60 and it has been worth every penny.

I have to say the decision on whether to repair a CRT set should be guided by two things:

1 - its age.
2 - the brand.

It might (and it really is might, given the price of 2nd hand CRTs) be worth considering if it is under 7 years old and is a decent brand - Pansonic, Sony possibly a JVC, Toshiba or Samsung.

Anything older and you're compromised by the fact that other components will be ageing and therefore liable to failure - result you'll end up continually paying repair charges.

The reason for the brand is their inherent reliablity - the likelihood of ongoing failures is lower for a Panasonic or Sony, but still cannot be discounted.

If you've paid to repair a set which is over 10 years old, I'd suggest this is a false economy given the relative cost of a replacment and the likely remaining life of your set.

[Mad Hatter]

Sorry AlanO, didnt say, the digibox is just basic and yes, I wouldnt need to be connecting that up.

I dont know how to transfer video to dvd? My Panasonic player/recorder takes a ram disc and is one unit.

Since the tv was playing up and would not switch on, it has been fine. I did bump into a friend on Saturday and she has an old tv and freeview box I can have so maybe I shant have a new tv just yet but I am tempted. Those 2 tv's wont be £250 forever will they. But maybe tv's will continue to come down in price?

I dont think I would spend money repairing this tv.

Thanks again AlanO.

[Mad Hatter]

Regarding my tv, a friend suggested I operate on/off from the plug rather than the switch but I didnt think that would work because of the way the switch functions, tried it and yes, it works fine so switching the tv on and off at the switch. But another friend suggests that operating the tv that way can do it damage. I am not worried if it would do it damage as the tv is so old anyway but I am curious as to whether it is true?

Also it has been suggested that these big old heavy tv's use much more electric than the modern up to date tv's. Is this correct? Thanks in advance.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

Regarding my tv, a friend suggested I operate on/off from the plug rather than the switch but I didnt think that would work because of the way the switch functions, tried it and yes, it works fine so switching the tv on and off at the switch. But another friend suggests that operating the tv that way can do it damage. I am not worried if it would do it damage as the tv is so old anyway but I am curious as to whether it is true?

No, it's complete nonsense - it's EXACTLY the same thing, both simply switch the mains.

Also it has been suggested that these big old heavy tv's use much more electric than the modern up to date tv's. Is this correct? Thanks in advance.

Yes they do, considerably more.

[Mad Hatter]

Thankyou for your helpful reply Nigel Goodwin.

Just seen a tv at Argos today a Toshiba 332BL502 at £229.99, I thought that was very reasonable - what do you think to Toshiba.

I am hoping to continue with my old tv until a black cloud of smoke appears from the back!

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

Thankyou for your helpful reply Nigel Goodwin.

Just seen a tv at Argos today a Toshiba 332BL502 at £229.99, I thought that was very reasonable - what do you think to Toshiba.

A lot of Toshiba sets are just cheap Vestel's, the low price of that one leads me to believe that one is as well.

[Mike_1101]

I had something similar with an old Sony TV nearly a year ago. type KV-A2512U, it's about 20 years old. It would not come out of "standby" and changing the remote control batteries did not help. I then moved into a spare room where it wasn't used.

A few days ago I was thinking about scrapping it but thought I would give it one last chance and connected it to a freeview box. I was very surprised that it decided to work and the picture is good for a 20 year old set but the tube is showing its age.

I wonder what was wrong with it and why the fault cleared? There aren't many places fixing TV sets in this area now and I wouldn't want to spend much on it.

[Mad Hatter]

I have been plodding along okay with my old tv and not touching the on/off switch but pulling the plug out to switch off the tv and putting the plug back in to get it on etc.

But these last few days when I have put the plug back in, it hasnt automatically put the tv on and I am having to try and get the tv on again with the on/off switch.

Would this have been expected to happen eventually? Thanks in advance.

[polkadotpaper]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

With the LG one review said there was only 1 scart socket and they wanted to connect a digital recorder and a dvd player, neither has hdmi connection so they had to use RCA leads.

Another review on the LG said can be a bit dark if you use the eco-save function but it can always be adjusted to suit the available light. (I've never heard of an eco-save function).

Ooh eck.

?? which LG model is that because my uncle has one the that TV got like 3 or 4 HDMIs.. and about the eco-save, as far as I know LG won a award for best eco friendly TV or something. Here's the link for more detail http://lostinlondon86.blogspot.kr/20...-smart-tv.html

[Mad Hatter]

polkadotpaper, I think you are on the wrong thread but the LG you are referring to - there is a link on AlanO 9.6.12, 21.32 to the LG 32LK330U.