Panasonic TH-58PZ700U Failure -- Vertical Bars Present

Hello fellow forum members, I'm in need of some help / direction! My beloved 4-year old 58" Panasonic Plasma (TH-58PZ700U) just developed two 2" vertical bars during viewing last night. I have attached an image for reference. As you an see, the bars run half-way down the middle of the screen and start from the top.

It's unfortunate, but my extended warranty just ran out in December of 2010 so I'm wondering if you think this is;

1) Fixable?

2) Worth having fixed?

3) Any TV techs out there can give a rough diagnosis visually lol?

I'm assuming since it only effects the upper half of the screen that the failure might be a result of one of the video capture boards (Purely an assumption at this point).

Also, does anyone know where I can find a service manual for this model?

Thanks...

Well, the original MFG warranty is long since expired. Panasonics' coverage is only 1 year parts /labor and2 years on the panel / lcd. It was my extended warranty that expired in 2010. I already contacted the Guarantor and was pretty much told I was SOL. What I should have done was spent the $90 and e-extended the expired over the phone before I told them I had a problem with the plasma. But hindsight is 20/20 right? Oh well... such is life.

So now I'm stuck with a broken set and not sure what to do. I can't really afford a new set of the same size at the moment and I know I wont really be satisfied with a smaller TV either.

The TV tech I just spoke with told me, without looking at the TV, that its most likely the screen itself and is going to cost more than $1000 to replace.
Are there any repair techs that frequent these forums that can confirm this?
$200-400 is what I might be willing to spend, but otherwise forget it.

From what I have read -- and because its on the internet, it must be true -- that the main cause of the problem is one of the two capture boards and or connectors that is most likely the cause for this problem.

There are video capture boards on eBay for as little as $20 + S&H, but being in Toronto, it's going to cost a small fortune to get it here from the states. I'm not afraid to take this apart and swap out boards if thats the problem. I have a ESD mat and some electronics experience. Just need a little direction or a FSM.

Thanks.

Alright, Update time…

So after much research I was not only able to locate a FSM, but also a Display Trouble Shooting Guide.

Note Links to both are below:

Factory Service Manual
Display Trouble Shooting Guide

My understanding of the Trouble Shooting Guide is that the problem should first be chalked up into the “Abnormal Display” Category.



The problem can be caused by 1 of 4 things;
-One, The Digital Logic Board
-Two, The Buffer Boards C2 & C3 Faulted Simultaneously (unlikely from what I have read)
-Three, The Driver IC’s for the two affected sections which are embedded into the PDP Panel have failed(Not repairable, requires PDP Panel Replacement)
-Four, Faulty, or unseated connection via cabling (unlikely)




Due to the inexpensiveness of the buffer boards, I ordered both the C2 & C3 boards online and received them this weekend. I found them for $20 each + S&H. All in all, $53CDN was not too bad of an investment. I was also surprised how quickly they arrivedatmy door step -- way to go usefulparts.com ! However, replacing them did not fix my problem. The bars still remain. I also went through the affected areas (Boards related to this problem) and cleaned & re-seated all the connections (Both wired as well as ribbons) just to rule out this possibility. Yes, after that, the bars still remain.

So It would appear that I have two more options now. I cannot find any Digital Logic boards for this model TV in Canada and I’m not sure that I want to drop another $125 to have a D-board shipped from the US just to test a theory when the problem is most likely the PDP Panel itself. Sigh :/

Also, I’d like to mention that I have not received any SOS messages from this TV. The self diagnostic displays everything is ok.


EDIT: Does anyone know if there is a way to test the DriverIC's?

I never thought of that... No reason why it shouldn't work.

That will be my next attempt. Now i just need to source the cable locally. Anyone know a good source in the greater toronto area (GTA)?

Thanks!

Tried new boards and it fixed the problem.