LG LED TV... monitor keeps logging off

[wellsy1]

We have a 46" LG LED/LCD TV...we only watch tv. Last night was a normal night, shut off as normal. This morning we get the power on, cable on and the
picture comes on for a couple of seconds and the screen goes black. Sound, is on, cable feed and electrical is good. I disconnected the power source for
a couple of minutes and tried, same scenario...any ideas what is causing this?

[UberGerbil]

So you're still getting sound from the TV, but you're getting nothing on the display, not even the on-screen menus? (In other words, it's not shutting off, and it's not trying to show the wrong input or is blocking the input because HDCP isn't happy, etc).

[wellsy1]

So you're still getting sound from the TV, but you're getting nothing on the display, not even the on-screen menus? (In other words, it's not shutting off, and it's not trying to show the wrong input or is blocking the input because HDCP isn't happy, etc).

Everything is there except for the display, menu etc. Pic comes on for about a second.

[riviera74]

Wellsy1, Welcome to the forums!

Have you tried a different HDMI port or different cable?

[UberGerbil]

I hate to say it, and I'm no expert, but that doesn't sound good. That really sounds like a hardware failure. Hope you're still under warranty?

Have you tried a different HDMI port or different cable?

That kind of thing is always worth a try, but if it was a port/cable problem he should still be able to see the OSD even if the TV didn't like what it was seeing from its inputs. Without an OSD how do you even tell it to use a different port?

I suppose you could try shining a bright light at the screen and looking at it closely (perhaps from an angle) to try to see if the picture is still there but the backlight is off.

(BTW, I was shopping for TVs this holiday season and I thought LG only had 47" models in its LED line, whereas the 46" ones were conventional backlights. Which model is this exactly?)

[wellsy1]

Sorry, wrong info...worked up because I cant watch the game today...it is a model number 42LE5500 42"...I am going to set it up from scratch again and
try different scenarios...I will bypass the HD box and the cable input. See if I can also try another HDMI cord as well...
thanks for the help so far..

[wellsy1]

I hate to say it, and I'm no expert, but that doesn't sound good. That really sounds like a hardware failure. Hope you're still under warranty?

You know, after I replaced the capacitors in my piece of crap SamSung (viewtopic.php?f=37&t=62360) my screen name on that thread was Wellsy,
I researched a new TV and came up with LG. Rave reviews...it is a good TV, but this time I bought a 4 year "in home" warranty from Visions. I am not taking any more chances with TVs...I think all of them are made to break down, and to recover the low profits after selling them, force the purchase of the parts that are probably marked up 500%...
So to answer your question...yes I have extended warranty, so should everyone else when buying a TV these days.

[wellsy1]

I suppose you could try shining a bright light at the screen and looking at it closely (perhaps from an angle) to try to see if the picture is still there but the backlight is off.

I can see a picture faintly so as you are saying, in the background, is this a backlight problem then? I don't suppose there is an on/off back light switch anywhere...lol?

[UberGerbil]

Wait, you're that guy? Wow, TVs just hate you. I almost looked up that thread to link to it with the suggestion to look through it for helpful hints.

Looking at the PDF of the manual for that line of TVs, it looks like there's a power saving mode (p 132) that turns off the backlight after 3 seconds -- which sounds exactly like what is happening to you. However, it is supposed to turn back on with any button press on the remote. But there's an "Energy Saving" button on the remote (up by the power button - maybe you hit it by accident last night?), so try pressing that thing repeatedly and see if it makes any difference.

[wellsy1]

Wait, you're that guy? Wow, TVs just hate you. I almost looked up that thread to link to it with the suggestion to look through it for helpful hints.

Looking at the PDF of the manual for that line of TVs, it looks like there's a power saving mode (p 132) that turns off the backlight after 3 seconds -- which sounds exactly like what is happening to you. However, it is supposed to turn back on with any button press on the remote. But there's an "Energy Saving" button on the remote (up by the power button - maybe you hit it by accident last night?), so try pressing that thing repeatedly and see if it makes any difference.

Tried all that, we use another universal remote for this TV anyways, but there was an energy saving feature and a backlight setting on the menu controls that I tried
to adjust and fiddle with...still nothing. Is it possible something internal like another CAPACITOR...lol, is fried you think?

[wellsy1]

Wellsy1, Welcome to the forums!

Have you tried a different HDMI port or different cable?

Yes and yes...no go....

[riviera74]

Wellsy1, Welcome to the forums!

Have you tried a different HDMI port or different cable?

Yes and yes...no go....

It is possible that it may well be DOA. Unless the manual says otherwise, you probably need service.

[UberGerbil]

I am not taking any more chances with TVs...I think all of them are made to break down, and to recover the low profits after selling them, force the purchase of the parts that are probably marked up 500%...
So to answer your question...yes I have extended warranty, so should everyone else when buying a TV these days.

A friend who had a run of bad luck with failing flatscreens told me that the repair guy told him that only Sony supplies the parts to make it easy for independent techs to do repairs. I don't know if that's true or not; I do know he replaced his failing screens with Sonys and hasn't had a problem (of course there's still time...). I have a couple of relatives who've had Sony screens for several years without a problem also. There was a time when Sony seemed to be charging a premium for nothing more than their name, but perhaps you do now get something for the extra dollars when you buy their screens.

Tried all that, we use another universal remote for this TV anyways, but there was an energy saving feature and a backlight setting on the menu controls that I tried
to adjust and fiddle with...still nothing. Is it possible something internal like another CAPACITOR...lol, is fried you think?

Yeah, given all that, I'd be betting on hardware failure. Take advantage of that warranty.

[wellsy1]

Thanks for all the help everyone...calling the warranty people in the morning...

[wellsy1]

Just thought I would post a follow up to this situation and to re enforce purchasing extended warranty on all TV's. Spend the extra money.
Turned out they replaced the entire powerboard! TV is under a year old so it met LG's warranty, but holy crap, give me a break. I have an extra 4 years after that
as well...cost me 300.00 for the extended through Visions in Langley B.C. In house warranty...they come to the house, if they can't fix it...bamm!!! New TV.
Thanks for everyone's input last month...
-Ron

[UberGerbil]

Thanks for the follow-up -- it's always good (and often helpful) to know how something turned out. Unfortunate that it was an outright failure -- and at such an inopportune time, too -- but good to hear it got handled by warranty. I think this knocks LG a notches down my brand preference list, however.

[wellsy1]

They are all too blame...LG, Sony, Samsung or whoever...today's technology is growing too fast and not siting back and asking themselves
"is this going to work?" "is this going to last?" They just pump them out and expect the public to pay for it...and we do. And if we don't, well we don't get
to watch TV. It's a bloody shame...I only wish just one of them had the balls to stand up and guarantee a 2000.00 TV for 5 years.
Hell it was only 20 years ago that a TV would last 20 years, lol...

[UberGerbil]

Thing is, most people don't want that 10 year $2000 TV -- most will say "What can I get for under $1000, and I'll take my chances?" Especially since there will be some new must-have feature long before then. Long term reliability is a diffuse good, not an immediate gratification the way a bigger screen or a lower price or 4¾D-with-ultra-thin-480Hz-lazer-retinal-backlighting! might be.

Maybe after a whole generation is burned by early decrepulence there might be more desire for long-term quality... but I'm not holding my breath.

[wellsy1]

Maybe I'm not part of the most..I am more than satisfied with the LED quality I'm getting now...I'll take the 2000.00 TV for ten years...just give me my hard earned moneys worth.

[adam1378]

This might be an LG issue with Hdmi. I have the 42LGX and occasionally I will get sound but no picture. No signal is the error and I have to shut the TV off and turn it back on it works fine. I think if I turn the tv on before sending a signal to the tv it won't pick up the signal. Just a thought, I can tolerate the occasional error(happens maybe once a month) but I question LG quality.