Hi I have a 42in Samsung rear projection HDTV and one day the colors and the image on the screen became totally distorted. The red/green/blue colors all seem misaligned and the picture itself has been pincushion'ed on both sides.

I've attached pictures and was just curious if anyone has seen this before and if there's a reasonable way to fix it.

Thanks

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~rsachdev/tv/Picture%20001.jpg

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~rsachdev/tv/Picture%20002.jpg

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~rsachdev/tv/Picture%20003.jpg

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~rsachdev/tv/Picture%20004.jpg

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~rsachdev/tv/Picture%20005.jpg

Typical hardware failure of the convergence circuit. $250-$400 parts & labor for the repair.

Hammer

Had the same issue with my Mits. Until you get it fixed, a good smack on the back seems to fix it for a while.

Might read the long thread on one of the Pioneer Elite RPTV models that outlines DIY repair of cold solder joints in the convergence board. Recall there's similar discussion for a Mitsubishi CRT model. Needs some adeptness at soldering, and for many suspect it's a better idea to pay someone working in this area. Could also be a part failure, of course. -- John

Related, but different, question... I just had a local pro replace both the convergence IC's and resistors in my Sony 46WT510 a couple months ago due to a convergence issue (obviously). Now, the day before the stinkin' Super Bowl the thing failed again! So, a couple questions... what would you guess is causing the hardware failures? Second, what is typical in the repair industry in terms of whether or not I should expect the folks that just fixed this to fix it again without charging me another $300? Could they have not used enough silicone paste, or whatever, that would have caused them to fail again this soon? Am I screwed or should I expect them to fix it?

Thanks for your time and efforts!

Most places are 90 days parts & labor because they want you to buy an extended warranty. Why they failed again could be anything from poor soldering skills, improper heatsink paste, overdriving the convergence circuit, or is the Tv not getting fresh air circulation.

Hammer