Calling all geeks! Need LCD advice
 

Well...one of my 15" Phillips LCD monitors has been on the blink recently. It was acting up for a month or so, sometimes refusing to power on. I'd unplug it and leave it for a while and then it would work again.

Recently, it just wouldnt power on at all. I checked the IEC cable but it happened with a couple different cables so I know it wasnt that.

Also, there would be some faint "flashing" on the screen even though the power was off.

Anyways, I took it to the retailer where I bought it from (About 3 or 4 years ago) and the repair guy went on a rant saying:

"Oh LCD??? Well, we cant fix those. They need to be sent to a specialist and the LCD needs to be drained before anything can be done and that costs heaps so you may as well just buy a new LCD monitor"

I reckon he is full of shit and just trying to get me to spend more money. What do you guys reckon? Do you think it is just an electrical problem? Is it worth getting fixed or should I just buy a couple new monitors?

I like my 15" dual monitor setup as they fit nicely in between my speakers.

Any help appreciated!

Jase

Ever thought about getting one of these ???You will never look back http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=222-0863

hmmm, I really don't know much about fixing lcds, but I reckon since LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Displays, there may be some validity to the tech's draining theory. Of course, that is just a guess, and the tech may actually be full of shit.

I reckin' you send it back to Phillips. Sure it's been 3 or more years. But your supposed to get 30,000 to 50,000 hours out of an LCD. Unless you've had it on for every hour of every day since you owned it, you haven't used it to it's max life. Something went falty.

Sounds like crap to me, is he trying to say that the screen (LCD is faulty) to me sounds like more to do with the backlight/power issues, but a good search on the net with your model number etc wouldn't hurt, it is sure to have happened to someone else

cheers
kris

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

Interesting to know that you are supposed to get 30,000-50,000 hours out of an LCD.

I definately think it is a power supply or backlight issue. I managed to get the case open yesterday and was able to access the power supply so I think I might take it to another tech and see if I can salvage it.

GND: Although that screen looks amazing, I think I'll stick with my dual 15" setup for a while longer. I cant afford anything too extravagant at the moment

It's a power supply issue.

He is full of shit

That is all.

Thanks Gopal! I needed some reassurance that I can still suss out when someone is trying to scam me.

my 19" LCD sometimes looks black (It apears as though the back light is not on you can just barely make out graphics) but I can still call up the OSD menu and choose reset. Then its back to normal. It is a Hyunai L90D+. Hope that may help.

Thanks GRS...

I actually couldnt even turn the monitor on, so no chance of getting into the menu

Hey if you cant beat the warranty out of your supplier then don't hesitate to open up the back and look for self evident fuse / component blow out. I've fixed heaps of stuff this way. It no drama if you know it's toast anyway.

indead LCD screens are like printers,its not worth fixing a 200$ screen.
usualy if you have warrenty they will just give you a new one,
if you dont .... bad luck.

So i took the LCD to another computer store, and the guy plugs in the power, hooks up the vision cable and everything works perfectly!!!

I hadnt turned it on for over a month once it started dying on me, so I guess giving it a break fixed it up. I'll have to wait and see if the problem comes up again.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

Jase

I still say you should drain it!!!