I’ve got a Magnavox 21" TV that is approximately 20 years old.
It worked great, until about a month ago, when it developed an interesting quirk. The TV has decided that it gets to tell me when I can watch it.
If I turn it on, and it doesn’t want to work, it will let me watch just enough of a TV show to get drawn in (30 seconds to 5 minutes), then shut itself off. It then refuses to turn on again for 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
It may do this for two cycles, or as many as thirty cycles. Then it “warms up” enough to stay running, and will give no further problems the rest of the evening.
One additional trend I’ve noticed is that it does this more often in hot & humid weather.
Personally, I think it’s objecting to all of the sex and violence on TV these days. But it may just need a mild exorcism, and it will be fine.
The question is, should I junk this beast and go buy a 48" HD TV to replace it, or pay the priest the exorcism fee and keep watching it? Is there a $.39 part that I can replace so that this TV keeps working, move it to my office, and still get the 48” HDTV?
Weird- my tv does the exact same thing. I have had it for about 5 years and it started doing it after about a year. I find that when it shuts itself off, if I unplug it , then plug it back it, it’ll come back on. Otherwise , alot of times I just keep it on all the time so I dont have to mess with it.
It won’t. It would only work if the remote had a sticky power button, but the symptoms are not consistent with that. It’s most likely an internal thermal defect in a component of the power supply. In cases like this, replacement is generally the best option, unelss the unit is still under warranty. After 20 years, you’ve gotten your money’s worth out of it.
WTG Bosda! Two whooshes with one post, and one of them is Q.E.D., no less!
Oh, to the OP. Buy a new TV. Especially in the smaller sizes (<30") they’re basically disposable now (ie, the cost difference between repair and replace is negligible).
Well, could I also throw my “possessed TV” tale into the mix?
Recently my old bedroom telly (about 14 years old, Ferguson portable, 14") was pressed into service in the lounge. Since then it has randomly switched itself on and off (from standby mode that is - it stays off when the power switch is off), and changed channels when I try to watch something. The only thing I can think of is that it only does this when my PC is on. The PC is the other end of the room from the TV - probably 25 feet away.
What is going on here? Is my PC emitting infrared signals to the TV somehow?
I’ll accept the woosh, because I had NO clue how duct tape would correct the problem. I had in mind all sorts of 'lectronic circuits arc’ing from hither ‘n’ yon, and my trusty duct tape <SNAP> solving the problem.
But it may just need a mild exorcism, and it will be fine.
