Power surge or defective part?

dawk

I have a Panasonic Plasma that is 2 months old. A few days ago my wife turned the set on with the remote, but there was no picture or sound (the screen was lit, but was dark gray). The red power indicator light did not flash any type of code, it glowed steady as it normally does.

I tried to access the menu with the remote, but the set did not respond to any remote commands except when we powered it on. I tried pressing the buttons on the side of the set (menu, vol, channel), but the set did not respond to those either. I could not power the set off with the remote, but it did power off by hitting the power button on the front of the set. At this point, the only remote function the set responds to is when it is powered on.

The set and all other components are connected to a Monster Cable Power Surge Protector as is the coax cable.

I contacted Panasonic and we did some troubleshooting over the phone, but nothing helped. The Panasonic rep stated he never heard of the type of problem I was having. They are sending a tech to my house, but my appt. is two weeks away.

I was wondering if the issue could have been caused by some sort of power surge. To me this would seem unlikely as my PS3, satellite box and receiver are all connected to the TV and work fine (tested them on my 26" bedroom set) and we didn't lose power or have any storms prior to the TV having issues.

How would a technician determine if a power surge caused the issue? I'm not sure if I would rather have this set fixed under warranty or if I would rather have a tech determine it was a power surge since my homeowners insurance would cover most of the cost of a replacement. It seems to me that this set has a serious issue. I'm afraid if it gets fixed, it will have other issues down the road, but at the same point I hate having to pay a deductible with my insurance company. Just wanting to hear the opinions of others. Thanks in advance.

Scottnot

That's because the person you spoke with is one step above a telephone answering machine; they may never have heard of elephants either.

I'd say that is very unlikely.

If the technician saw that a circuit board was "fried", that would be one indication.
If during diagnostics, the tech simply determines that one of the boards in the set has failed, he'll simply replace the board.

Very few people carry homeowner's insurance with deductibles below $500 . . . do you?

Are you technically competent to make that call?

There is no reason to think that once the set is repaired it should have any further issues.
Even if it does, the greatest probability is that they will develop during the warranty period.

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Charles Krug, 1978 Vintage Selection, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Beringer, 1980, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Port
Morano, 1980 Vintage Port
Beaulieu Vinyards, 1982 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Stratford, 1983 Merlot
Chateau La France, 1986 St. Emilion
Sutter Home, 1982 Napa Valley Zinfandel

The lonesome sipper

dawk

Unfortunately, I don't have a deductible below $500. I called my insurance company for information in the event I need to make a claim. I was told the cost of the set would be based on the retail price. I purchased the set on sale and paid $600 below retail. If what I was told is correct and I find the set with a similar sale, I think I'd be alright. Of course this is assuming the tech finds a surge caused the problem and the problem cannot be fixed.

As far as being technically competent, I'm not even close. I suppose I'm being a bit paranoid. My first HDTV, a DLP, died after 5 years. The cost to repair it wasn't worth it, especially with today's prices. Now the replacement has died after two months. Regardless, I appreciate your reply and glad to hear your thoughts.

Loves2Watch

I have had many problems with those Monster surge protectors/power centers. Have you plugged everything in to the wall directly, bypassing the Monster?

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Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.
Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.

dawk

I did bypass the surge protector and plugged the set directly into the outlet, but had the same results. It'll be a long two weeks waiting for the technician to come out

PFC5

Just for kicks, try unplugging the TV overnight. It is a free thing to try and a long shot, but who knows? It may reset something.

Good luck & please update when you get some answers.

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Denon AVR-887
Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs)
All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr)
Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35
For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841
Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS
RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+
SA 3250HD
47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom)
Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support)
Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers
The_Cable_Game
Take the high ground and be happier

dawk

The technician came today to fix the set. He replaced the main board and now it works great! Just in time for preseason football tonight

Scottnot

Thanks for the follow-up report.

All's well again.

__________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles Krug, 1978 Vintage Selection, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Beringer, 1980, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Port
Morano, 1980 Vintage Port
Beaulieu Vinyards, 1982 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Stratford, 1983 Merlot
Chateau La France, 1986 St. Emilion
Sutter Home, 1982 Napa Valley Zinfandel

The lonesome sipper