TV repair: a laughable anachronism in our planned-obsolescence consumerist hell?

Don't you live in New York? You're telling me there's not a TV or electronics repair place around?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=television+repair+brooklyn&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11

THAT'S WHAT I SAID

any that will charge less than the cost of a new TV?

also the monster weighs about 120 lbs and I don't have a car.

My ON/OFF button broke!

my condolences, but actual LOL

i'm guessing there are ways to deal with this that don't involve moving the tv or getting a new one

can you come over and put yr head thru the screen? with help?

universal remote control

http://nytechtvrepair.com/service.html

Television repair is our main specialization. If your TV is broken, then you came to the right place! Our technicians are highly qualified and have 20 years of experience repairing any type of TV.
Our Phone Number: (718)787-l30l Working Hours: 10AM - 7PM (Monday-Saturday)

Make a request for In Home TV repair:

Making a request online you get $20 discount coupon for each TV!

All service call charges will be deductible from the labor charges.
It is only if you accept estimated price and would like to repair your television.
If estimate is denied the service call charges must be paid in full.
Another good reason to work with us - we will pick up and deliver your set with no charge.
We also give you free estimate. Most of other companies take the service call charge additionally to the repair. We don't. This is our thanks for your business.
Service call charges are different and depend on your screen size.

That came from typing in "New York in-home TV repair."

universal remote control

^this is probably the easiest approach

Answer to thread question: yes.

Answer to dilemma: get a tv tuner for your computer.

Morbz watches TV?

It's not his remote that's broken, as I understand it.

http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/uploaded_images/Head%20in%20Hands.jpg

I don't have a computer (at home), Oily.

I will investigate other options, thx.

morbs, is there no way to open it up with a screwdriver? maybe it is not a hard thing to fix
(unplug it first)

Nice save.

ilx is here to help

There are only 4 screws in the back, and that really won't letcha get to the button panel -- not that I can see, anyway.

try checking the bottom

always-useful and accurate Yahoo answers:

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080719142640AAVeWn3

don't get "electricuted to death"

see my answer stands up

A remote would not electricute you to death.
It will barly hurt if electricuted

lol xp

http://www.cartoonstudio.co.uk/images/SheepElectricuted.jpg

http://ctran.free.fr/themes/Diddl/electrocution.jpg

yeah, if neither the set or cable remote buttons will turn it on, I'm not sure how a universal would differ.

um... is it plugged in?

TVs should always be designed so that if you turn them on at the wall, they will be ON. Then you'd never have this problem.

lol I was going to say "check the batteries" but I refrained until now

Nick, and by "turn them on at the wall" you mean, plug them in?

Laurel, have you ever gotten a set repaired in NY?

Nick, and by "turn them on at the wall" you mean, plug them in?

In the UK, sockets on the wall have their own switches.

(yes, it's bloody plugged in)

So we say "turn them on at the wall" sometimes. Or maybe it's just me. I have no idea anymore.

xp

I can see the buttons are not anchored to whatever's behind them.

Oh hmm buttons on wall sockets, a crazy world you live in.

Morbs, no. I kept my old one until someone gave me a less old one. The remote is taped together and patched with pieces of carboard.

I may have found a used one for $40

the buttons are probably mounted on some kind of board or bracket, that has come undone from the housing of the television. it's probably not even an electrical problem. if you opened up the tee vee you could probably reattach it or tape it or something.

open it up open it up

i wonder why the remote won't work

yeah open it up - its not working now, so what's the worst that could happen

(uh provided you unplug it first)

it's unwieldy as all fuckin' getout. I didn't see any screws on the bottom.

I KNOW HOW TO UNPLUG

when was the last time you used the remote?

Yeah, I think goole is right from the sound of it. I think it's purely a minor physical problem and could undoubtedly be crazy-glued.

no visible screws = planned obsolescence :(

crowbar that shit open

(unplug first)

Yeah, I was going to say -- some sources say you need to leave it unplugged for 48 hours, or more. Capacitors inside a TV can hold a jolt strong enough to kill you for at least 24 hours after you unplug it. CRTs can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. You're probably fine with front-panel mechanical stuff, but TV repair is generally not DIY-safe.

On my last 25, I pulled the button that was broken off...about an inch in was the button the 'real' button was supposed to press. So I just stuck a pencil in the hole and shoved the pencil around to turn it on & off. I was completely astonished when nobody wanted to adopt my TV when I was done with it. "Come ON guys, it still WORKS!"

lol.

This is the most entertainment I have had all day.

Crippled TV = horror in my household.

Morb - there MUST be screws somewhere. They just hide them cleverly sometimes. Get a flashlight and scour the case. They might be in the back even.

UNPLUG it - and don't mess with anything that looks like a little film can (capacitor discharge issue noted above)

I mean tv, not 25.

I'd seriously be careful with using crazy glue too, a little of it goes a LONG way;(take it from me, Miss DIY) First examine it to see if duct tape can remedy what ails it.

Capacitors inside a TV can hold a jolt strong enough to kill you for at least 24 hours

I KNEW some of you were trying to off me.

Bought $40 used set. Old one sits on floor til I find a cheap fixer.

kill you for at least 24 hours

lolz

I am glad that this thread has discovered the dangers of capacitor discharge, TVs have especially strong ones.

I mean tv, not 25.

After reading this thread, I really want to know how one can mis-type 'TV' as '25'.

I assumed Abbott meant a 25" TV.

kinda regardless of what she meant, total o_O lol

I always mix up the letter t with the number 2 and the letter v with the number 5. I always have, all my life, especially in 'think quick!' situations, such as when I give out my phone number but say its sixth number is 'v.' No shitting.

This makes playing games like Brain Age really hard.

the letter v with the number 5

woulda fit right in in ancient Rome

"New York in-home TV repair."

these places charge like a plumber, $60-$70 just to come over and diagnose your TV, then if they can fix it it's parts & labor on top of that

hey in case anyone ever searches and reads this thread before they get killed, removing the suction type plugs attached to the CRT can also do serious electrical bodily harm/killing. oh yeah, and the tube can implode too, even from a minor bang against it with a screwdriver.

xposts: abbott, just so you know that someone out there shares your pain, i always flip flop the names of "orange" and "green" unless i pause and really think about it first.

i am not advocating taking the tv apart, but i think abbott's recommendation should be followed in the first instance here

aw man i do want to see a tube implode though
from a distance

Pencil seemed safe bcz I put it eraser-side in. Rubber's not conductive, not so much anyway. I never got zapped.

Probably no bare wires or high voltages even on the inner section of the button, but anyone thinking about poking electrical equipment with a pencil might want to make sure it has an eraser or use something else, seeing as pencil lead is a stick of graphite, which conducts.

(Hey, it's unlikely and hardly worth worrying about compared to giant CRT capacitors, but...)

I spent a lot of my school physics lessons dropping pencil leads across low-voltage power packs to watch them burn. Only set the power pack on fire once, though.

after less than 3 weeks, broke the $40 used TV I bought THE SAME DAMN WAY.

Don't ever touch the fucking manual power button on tehse things.

you didn't get electricuted to death, tho, rite?

No, I'm waiting to follow you

i've had a tv rendered useless by this. the switch was soldered to the main circuit board but the stresses caused by actually pressing it was enough to break the solder blob after a while (have had the sockets on vcrs do the same thing). was easy enough to fix, even with my limited soldering skills.

have also had a tv that wouldn't turn off, which is less of a problem. also seemed to depend on the time of year and how long the tv had been on. ambient temperature?

I have zero soldering skills.

Unfortunately, it also seems like you have zero don't-break-TV skills.

How did this happen again so quickly? Are you turning off your TV with a butcher knife?

no, I swear. I got home w/ the used set and suddenly the remote didn't work. Obv it was in the back of my mind that lightning could strike again... I press buttons gently!

this just isnt your year doc

suddenly the remote didn't work

This usually means dead batteries.

I put in new batteries, don't be nebb-ish

Make sure the IR receiver on the tv is clean and not blocked in any way. The TV/VCR button on the remote might have been pushed inadvertently, try pressing it once, then try controlling the tv. The IR receiver on the tv could be dead too, obv. Sorry to be nebb-ish, but I just had to deal with the dead battery thing with my MIL.

http://blogs.westword.com/catspjs/HugeTV.jpg

The remote is DEAD; it's not a factor.

fine.

I'd pick up a cheap universal remote.

but judging by the operable remote I had for the last TV, which became useless once the button broke, that won't work?

i would hire a "pretty cool" postliterate jock to fix this problem

i would use both remotes simultaneously and "cross the streams"

but unplug it first.

MORBS – Put a pencil in there!

doc i think gabbneb is hitting on you

The original big TV has been "fixed." You'll never get the details (bcz I'd never hear the end of it), but the answer was something no one suggested.

"You're not the regular TV repairman."

whatever you do, DON'T CALL THIS GUY
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/What

Sterling Holloway?

or this guy:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7335725351067764604

did the repair involve a) glue or b) chewing gum?

if the tv is in a plastic case and you cant find screws you can usually just squeeze the front in on both sides and pull and it'll unlatch the front cover. don't know if this is the case though.

when am i not hitting on morbs, max?