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Philips Plasma TV - Half Black Screen

post #1 of 67
3/18/08 at 7:34am
Thread Starter 
I'm not sure if I have the 42PF7220A or 42PF7320A and taking it off the wall just to check the back of the TV is a bit of a hassel.

Anyway, I purchased the TV from CC in Feb 2006 for about $2000. I am running the latest firmware updates, but in the last month or so, the top half of the screen will go black after the TV has been on for a little while. It occurs regardless of what I'm doing (playing Wii, watching TV using the HD cable box, or playing a DVD). It seems to be getting worse and worse.

From searching some of the threads I found a few other people who have experienced the same issue. So, I'm wondering:

who else is having this problem?
what was the problem that had to be fixed?
how much did it cost? (mine is of course out of warranty)

Thanks!
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post #2 of 67
3/18/08 at 1:39pm
Thread Starter 
"bumping"
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post #3 of 67
3/20/08 at 5:41am
Thread Starter 
I guess I should have added Samsung to the list too as I have since learned from other folks that they used the same components...
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post #4 of 67
4/6/08 at 11:31am
I am having the same problem - only the bottom half of my screen will randomly go black. I have a 42" Plasma, Philips 42PF9630A/37.

Any progress on the fix or repair costs?
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post #5 of 67
4/6/08 at 11:46am
Usually when the upper or lower half of a plasma screen goes black or develops bars that extend to the halfway point in the screen that's an indication of a failing video board and/or the associated components or connectors that control that half of the screen. It will be expensive to repair (probably $500-$900+ for parts and labor).
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post #6 of 67
4/7/08 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Derm View Post

I am having the same problem - only the bottom half of my screen will randomly go black. I have a 42" Plasma, Philips 42PF9630A/37.

Any progress on the fix or repair costs?

At this point I haven't done anything. I'm getting ready to head out of town so I figured I wouldn't do anything with it until I get back.

However, I did call around to a few shops. One of them said they charge a flat labor rate of $200. So the repair would be $200 plus any parts they have to get. The other said I'd have to bring it in and leave it for a couple weeks to be checked out, then they could give me an estimate on repair cost.

Right now it is only happening after about an hour of watching it and just a light tap on the side will fix it for a little while.

Meanwhile, I'd love to hear how much others have paid to get this type of thing fixed. I know if it is 500-900 like RandyWalters said, I'll likely be shopping for a new TV.
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post #7 of 67
4/7/08 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vascubaguy View Post

Right now it is only happening after about an hour of watching it and just a light tap on the side will fix it for a little while.

Well if you can restore the picture with a light tap on the side then there is a glimmer of hope that something is just loose or a connector is faulty etc. That would certainly be cheaper to fix than replacing a whole video board . . . .
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post #8 of 67
4/7/08 at 9:44pm
Randy, why is it so damn expensive just to get some new electronic innards? When the TV's cost $3,000 we were told that the glass alone was $1,000...circuit boards $500...etc etc.

Now, the TV's cost 1/3rd that amount and the parts prices have fallen 10-20%, tops ?????
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post #9 of 67
5/3/08 at 5:07pm
I have the Philips 42pf7320A.
For about 3 weeks now, the 1/2 screen problem has become more and more prevalent. I, too, experience it watching DVD, playing Wii or Cable TV. I have double checked all connections for secure interface and reloaded the latest firmware. It used to go away just when I changed channels or turned the TV off/ on. Now it is staying 1/2 screen, only mine is the bottom half.

Luckily, I purchased the CC protection plan. I am calling them Monday.
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post #10 of 67
5/28/08 at 2:21pm
Looks like I am also a member of the BHS club. Apparently, it appears that the problem I am experiencing is at least somewhat heat related. Tapping the side dosen't help. I blew cold air into the bottom of the unit last night, and the screen came back to life for the rest of the evening.

Does anyone know where parts can be purchased should one decide to tackle the problem via DTI?

Randy, I understand that the following boards are part of this system; Y Board, Y Buffer (U), Y Buffer (D), X Board, 2 ea Logic Boards, and of course the Power Supply. I am not sure about the "Video" Board...

Do you have a part number for that board, and are you confident that will fix the problem? I ask because you do seem to have knowledge in this area.

Thanks in advance for your insight.
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post #11 of 67
6/6/08 at 7:03pm
My Phillips 42" model number 42PF7220A-37 and mine just started to do the same thing. I am going to try the fan idea and see what happens. Please post and ideas for fixes. Thanks.
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post #12 of 67
6/8/08 at 10:16am
This just started yesterday. I noticed i did not have the newest firmware, so i just upgraded to 1.6. I will be extremely disapointed if the tv's video card is indeed crapping out after just 2.5 years.
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post #13 of 67
6/8/08 at 12:18pm
Ok guys, I think I fixed mine, but it might be too early to tell. When I was examining the back of my TV I felt around the back and noticed that most of the heat was at the top of the set. I also noticed that all the vents were covered with dust. I took a can of compressed air and blow out all of the vents. There was a ton of dust in there. Since then I haven't had any trouble. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I am also building a rig with fans that will hang on the back of the unit and force air into the vents. I am thinking that this problem might be due to overheating since this TV can get quite warm; even too warm to touch, this can't be good.

Please post any ideas that you might have.
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post #14 of 67
6/10/08 at 10:00am
could or not be over heating. says in the manual it has a over heat sensor that shuts the tv off. 3 years after my purchase of a 42" philips plasma, top half of screen went black once in a while. started doing it more often, then never got full picture back. screen then displayed a light show of color bursts on various locations on the screen and last of all went dead. dropped it of at local tv repair shop. tech said depending on what board is gone cost could be anywhere from $100. to $600. plus labor. so, if i fix this unreliable, expensive ($1,800.) piece of junk will it happen again in 3 more years or sooner?
PS, $1,800. seem like a lot of money to watch tv for only 3 years. if its over $300. for repair i'm going LCD, can't be any worse than plasma.
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post #15 of 67
6/23/08 at 1:14am
i have the same problem, but it is also fixed with a light tap on the left side of the set.

Ridiculous, my set has been in the shop twice already, and my extended warranty just ended 2 months ago! What a lemon.
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post #16 of 67
6/29/08 at 5:28am
I having the same issue, mines on the bottom of the screen, on my 42PF9630A/37. I refuse to take it in to the "Authorized Philips Repair Center" here in Atlanta as they absolutely destroyed my previous Philips HDTV and charged me 400 bucks for it.

In fact that experience was so bad I swore I would never buy a Philips product again. Ironically enough I actually won my 42PF9630A/37 in a raffle so I cant complain too much, but I would surely NEVER PAY for a Philips product again. They just don't seem to have the same quality or life span as other brands. And when they do break my experience with their service was 100% negative.

The heat issue is interesting though. It would be nice if you could place a small fan up there to fix the issue.
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post #17 of 67
7/4/08 at 3:27pm
Same issue here: i have the model 50PF7320A/37 philips Plasma. top half of the screen goes black some times powering it off or unplugging it/plugging it back in fixes it, ALSO sometimes rotating the screen up and down allows normal viewing to return. i've also noticed that when it does this there is an extra noise emiting from the back of the display: a high pitched whine like static build up (when you stand near a powerline tower). when i unplug it, i wait for the noise to dissipate and then it seems to recover. it does seem to be happening with increased frequency. i'm in new england and i wonder if humidity may be a factor?

anyway, took the TV down and pulled the back off. the noise is coming from the main center board where all the regulators and heatsyncs are. i know some noise is normal, but what i'm hearing is outside of the normal sounds. right now i don't see what is running to the top half of the tv (versus the bottom half). does anyone have a schematic of the main board?
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post #18 of 67
7/5/08 at 2:01am
vascubaguy, I highly suggest emailing the CEO of Philips at scott.m.weisenhoff@philips.com. I, along with many others, have gotten their TV's repaired out of warranty. I lucked out, my TV was a half of a year out of warranty and they agreed to cover parts, labor, and transportation. Sometimes they will only cover parts. Either way, it's worth a try. Just be aware, it can take up to a week to receive a response. If you're lucky you'll get an email stating someone from the "Presidential Escalations group" will contact you shortly.

If you've waited over a week and still don't get a response try contacting his office directly at (212)536-0526 (Might be wrong. I used it when Paul Zeven was still the CEO).
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post #19 of 67
7/6/08 at 12:54pm
I own unfourtionatly a phillips plasma tv that decided to develop a black, five inch strip that goes completly across the screen horizontaly and the picture is very grainy and little red specs all around ! after calling three phillips approved contractors with a crazy cost of 250 to 300 bucks just to look at it I decided to look on the forum if any one had the same , or similar problem,after reading the horror stories about the phillips plasma tv 42pf9630a/37 I will try to repair it my self! I am electronic and electricaly savy I have 20 years in the field so I decided to try this repair on my self just to see whats involved!!! to start off trying to get parts is almost impossible does any one know how t obtain the parts I would need for this model? thanks
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post #20 of 67
7/6/08 at 2:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters View Post

Usually when the upper or lower half of a plasma screen goes black or develops bars that extend to the halfway point in the screen that's an indication of a failing video board and/or the associated components or connectors that control that half of the screen. It will be expensive to repair (probably $500-$900+ for parts and labor).

From looking at the poll results this issue seems far to common on these tv's, question is how long would the newly repaired tv last before it happens again?
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post #21 of 67
7/11/08 at 8:19pm
Well darn, add me to the list of this happening to their Philips. I have a 42" about three years old. Does any one have any remedies other then sending it in for repairs?
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post #22 of 67
7/12/08 at 12:14pm
The high pitched whine is likely from switch power supply circuitry. It could be power supply itself going bad or extra load from other parts going bad.

Clear up dust to improve cooling sounds like a good idea.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bythefsh View Post

Same issue here: i have the model 50PF7320A/37 philips Plasma. top half of the screen goes black some times powering it off or unplugging it/plugging it back in fixes it, ALSO sometimes rotating the screen up and down allows normal viewing to return. i've also noticed that when it does this there is an extra noise emiting from the back of the display: a high pitched whine like static build up (when you stand near a powerline tower). when i unplug it, i wait for the noise to dissipate and then it seems to recover. it does seem to be happening with increased frequency. i'm in new england and i wonder if humidity may be a factor?

anyway, took the TV down and pulled the back off. the noise is coming from the main center board where all the regulators and heatsyncs are. i know some noise is normal, but what i'm hearing is outside of the normal sounds. right now i don't see what is running to the top half of the tv (versus the bottom half). does anyone have a schematic of the main board?
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post #23 of 67
7/13/08 at 9:45pm
I purchased my Philips 42pf9630a soon after they went on sale. Have had little quirks but unplugging and plugging back in usually solves them. Had the BSOD issue but installed the August 2006 firmware update and that solved it.
Now I have something different and can't find any info on threads that directly state it. The screen will go black, volume still on, with green LED still lit. The TV is taking input from a Motorola DCT6416 III HD Dual Tuner DVR unit (utilizing Time Warner Cable) and the Philips can go black watching a recorded DVR program or watching cable TV. Have not updated firmware since. Haven't noticed this happening while watching a DVD. Could this just be the Motorola unit acting up? Anybody have any thoughts?

Thanks,
Roger

I also posted this on the original thread for this plasma....
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post #24 of 67
7/14/08 at 8:09am
This is happening to my cousin tv also, philips 50in 7220A/37, half lower portion is black. He ask me if I was able to fix it for him by updating to newest firmware. I updated the firmware, but it did not help. It happens randomly no matter the source. I have not tried blowing air yet, hopefully someone can help. I have a Panasonic 50in plasma with much better picture quality and with zero problems.
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post #25 of 67
7/16/08 at 10:30am
how does a group of folks go about getting a company to issue a recall?
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post #26 of 67
7/16/08 at 11:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by puppetpimp View Post

how does a group of folks go about getting a company to issue a recall?

Somebody has to get killed first

How can we get people to plunk down a few hundred dollars more and buy a good brand instead of a crappy brand?
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post #27 of 67
7/16/08 at 9:58pm
Quote:


Somebody has to get killed first

perhaps my salesman!
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post #28 of 67
7/16/08 at 10:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters View Post

How can we get people to plunk down a few hundred dollars more and buy a good brand instead of a crappy brand?

What about all the problem threads with Pioneer and Panasonic ?

The new Philips LCD and plasma 9631 owners are very happy with their TV's, Randy. I wouldn't say they're crappy.
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post #29 of 67
7/24/08 at 4:52pm
just some followup: i did take my tv off the wall and pulled the back off. cleaned up the innards and didn't find anything obvious. its working fine now, but if the issue returns i'll be looking to swap the power supply first.
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post #30 of 67
7/24/08 at 6:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilipsPhanatic View Post

What about all the problem threads with Pioneer and Panasonic ?

The new Philips LCD and plasma 9631 owners are very happy with their TV's, Randy. I wouldn't say they're crappy.

Certainly no brand is immune from the occasional defect or component failure, but the Pioneers and Panasonics are less prone to fail than the Philips/Magnavox/LG/Zenith bunch. They're just not as reliable as the big names.
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