Cleveland Classics Big Screen TV Repair

So What’s Your Problem ?

What information to have when seeking tv repair advice.

It always amazes me when customers call for repair, and they don’t know who the tv is made by. …or when it was made… or the model number. By law, all TVs and bigscreens have to list on a label on the back of the product, these 3 things.

Why this is Important

After servicing electronics for close to 30 years now, ALL manufactures have various common problems. Those problems varied from manufacture and year of manufacturing. Believe it or not, I can usually ( 90% of the time ) tell you what your problem is and a pretty exact price on how much your repair will cost. I will be able to assess if your unit can be repaired inhome or if it needs to go to the ship..

As a servicer committed to helping resolve your problems. Be kind and do due diligence and check for these essential numbers and dates. The more efficient we can be in resolving your problem, the LOWER your cost will be.

Whats Wrong With the TV ?

You will want to also make sure you can answer some additional questions, for they will help keep cost down

1) Is the set dead ?

2) How long does it take for the problem to appear ?

3) Has the set ever been worked on before ? If so, is this the same problem ?

4) Has the set ever been professionally cleaned ?

One of the most FAQ is, is it worth the repair ?  Providing information like age and model will give us a good idea, rather we can comfortably and securely repair your tv without fear of future problems. Some units are just too old and problematic to restore, however, some of the best big screen TVs were manufactured between 1995 and 2004, therefore depending on make and model, they will be a viable option for big screen repair and restoration.

Hubby ?? Why is our LCD taking longer and longer to turn on ??

We have experienced a rash of Samsung, Philip/Magnavox, Polaroid, and Akia LCD televisions with power supply problems that cause the tvs to turn on slowly and eventually—not all all.

We have seen the problem with Plasmas too. Recently I repaired a Philips with the Ambi-Light, a Toshiba and an LG…..all with swollen power caps.

There are charging capacitors which should be replaced by certified technicians and you should be looking at a repair bill of $150 plus service fees of $50-$100 depending on your location.

Yes! We can repair these problems in-home and on-site. Don’t go hauling that fragile screen into a car to save $20 bucks.Instead, give us a call at (216) 252-1672. We’ll be happy to help. And you can save your back

Spring is coming ! Protect Your Electronics

Prepare Now for Spring Storm Season

I am always amazed to go into folks homes and find that they have 20 freakin’ vcrs,dvds, bigscreens and lamps all running into one outlet with various extension cords and outlet tripplers.

Most Radio Shacks and Best Buy store offer ” Insured” surge protectors. Not simple power strips, but guaranteed protection systems. You should not have to pay more than 30-40 bucks, but it is a reasonable investment for Bigscreens,TVs, surround sound, video games and computers that you may have paid 1500.00 or more for and enjoy everyday.

Trust me. Not only lightning damage, but when homes loose power, there is a surge when power is supplied back and this is a common point of failure because the surge is beyond what is recommended as a power source for your tv. Always unplug your electronics after power outages. They have standby power circuits that are always active the second you plug them in. That’s why remote controls work. They send a signal to an active circuit !!

The protectors you seek should have written on the front of the package, an insurance policy of at least 10K dollars and some go as high as 100K……Yes, your house could burn down by plugging and tripple plugging electronics into “ONE” outlet

Just more pertinent info from your alumni Craig……Peace…..and stop pluggin all that stuff into one outlet…Thats a Bad Thing to Do !!

If you have problems finding help in your area, feel free to contact me at Classtorations.com and I will get you hooked up

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You Tried to Buy a DLP Lamp From Where ? The Light Depot !!

I have actually had customers bring their DLP lamps to me in their bare hands.

After they had told me they had travelled to various Home Improvement and Lighting Companies.

Dlp and LCD lamps have Mercury content. They should only be handle with gloves and even then, very carefully. There are a lot of do it yourself websites and self help money saving blow-hearts that offer quick fix, easy solutions ( for a price ! ) and they will never divulge the whole truth.

The truth is, once your lamp blows, it is a toxic element, that should be handled and disposed by qualified technicians. This is such a key element of our business, that we will insist on having the failed core back to complete the sale. No core, no new lamp. That’s our policy.

In addition, LCD and DLP projection systems using these lamps, MUST be cleaned when lamps replaced.  Most manufactures suggest this effort and as a business and service supplier, I can only suggest what is needed.  But if you find yourself in need of lamp replacement, please consider the previous points made.

#1  Wear Gloves when Handling the Lamp !  Both removing and installing. Do not touch glass with hand. Oils, dirt, contaminants will ruin the high powered ,high heat optics

#2 Test the market for qualified servicers and see how and what they think about these details. If they don’t know, don’t hire !

#3 Negotiate with servicer/part supplier to also clean/vacuum chassis to keep fans from blocking , thus eliminating heat build up and optical block/light engine failure ( these failures are catastrophic ).

#4 What type of warranty covers the new lamp?  There are guys selling lamps that they removed from broken units and may have 10k hours on them. Yes they wil work initially but for how long ? Standard warranty should be at least 90 days. We have 6-12 month warranty, depending on program chosen.

For more info or questions, feel free to link to our,  ” So What’s Your Problem page and leave a comment and we will provide additional info if possible.

Remember…….Now That You Know….You Cannot ,Not Know (-:<<

Honey ? When did cable switch to 3-D ?

Why Does My TV Look Like a 3-D Movie ?

One of the most common problems and repair issues of traditional crt projection systems is the failure of Geometry Correction or Convergence. To converge is to bring things together. The purpose of this circuit is to align the Red, Green and Blue guns to uniformity.  This is achieved by 2 or 3 ICs that run so hot, you cannot hold your hand on them for long. They are hard working semiconductors prone to failure.

How do I determine if this is my problem ?

Common symptoms will be a separation of colors. You may be watching ESPN od CNN and notice the words at the bottom or Logos at the top, with a 3-D effect or separation of one of the 3 colors from the others. Or you may see a bowing on the sides or bottom/top or both and that is complete failure of both ICs or the supply to them.

Well what does this mean for my bigscreen ?

First off, it can be repaired economically. The repair should be done inhome ( no need for servicer to remove your tv from your home and 1 hour of labor to complete ). Cost should be about $200 plus service fee of $50-$100 ( depending on travel time).

Failure of this circuit is beginning to drive our business and some manufactures, whose units where manufactured between 1995 and 2005 are just beginning to fail for the first time. We have LCD and Plasmas inshop that are only 18 months old. Although there are great improvements and price reductions in these technologies. CRT/Projection systems have been manufactured since the early 1980s and the units produced between 1995 and 2005 are some of the most well designed and reliable and performance was King.

Where do I go from Here?

You will want to check search engines for you model number, manufacturer, Bigscreen repair in your town and negotiate for pricing, inhome service, scheduling, etc.

Cleveland Classic TV is commited to restoring and keeping cherished, invested bigscreens alive and well. We welcome questions and would love to support and guide our clients thru the maze of bigscreen and HD transitional information