It's 4 years old and used in the bedroom. Unfortunately its no longer under warranty. It has probably only been used for an hour or so each evening in the time I've had it. I've never had any problems with it before and yesterday no picture was appearing at all. At first I thought it was the V+ service that it's connected to but when I pressed the remote to go to the on demand service I could hear that it had changed so I know it's not the V+ service.

When I turn it on it flashes for a moment and then goes back to a black screen.

Can anyone tell me what might be wrong or what I could do to reset it if that is possible?

Many thanks

Are you using the internal tuner or something plugged into a SCART socket? If a SCART then just fiddle round the back of the telly and push the plug back in. And check the other end of the lead as well just to be certain. SCARTs are a horrid French invention and they just love to become partially detached and losing picture is a not uncommon result of a loose plug.

If it isn't that then double check the video format settings on the TV. If the attached box is sending RGB and the TV is set to Composite (PAL CVBS or however it describes it), or vice versa, then you might get a blank screen. So try changing it and see if that restores picture.

Of course if you can't call up the on-screen menu of the TV or using the internal tuner produces a blank screen (assuming there is an aerial connection of course) then that implies the panel may be broken. Or there is a power supply issue. Samsung have had problems with poor capacitors in the power supplies failing. Always possible this has happened in your case.

Thank you for your post. I've tried almost everything you've suggested, but you are right, I can't call up the on screen menu so i'm not able to check the format settings

I just don't understand why it's happened?? It's hardly used. It's in a place where it is not even touched or interfered with so there's no chance that any leads would have been knocked loose.

I'm really annoyed because I wouldn't expect a tv that I bought brand new and paid £250 for, to only last four years

Thanks again for your help

Unfortunately Samsung used sub-standard capacitors in their sets, resulting in lot's of early failures - four years is more than many lasted, and probably due to it's low usage.

You say it "flashes" at first power on.

That sounds like the backlights are tripping. Typically they power up, the inverter detects a fault condition so shuts down straight away.

It could be something as simple as failed capacitors. It could equally well be one of the tubes has failed or some other component in the inverter.

As long as it's not one of the tubes it's probably repairable. If it is one of the tubes, then sometimes it's possible to frig the inverter to stop it shutting down, but that only prolongs the inevetable total failure.