QuestionMy television, a 12-year-old Magnavox, has just begun displaying a large solid black square that covers nearly the enter screen at certain times. Generally, it appears during "live" broadcasts (network news, etc.), when the anchor throws to a correspondent.
I have to turn the set off and on again to erase the square.
I suspect that this is part of a 12-year-old TV just approaching the end of its useful life, but would appreciate your opinion.
AnswerDear Anita,
As my site description sez, I'm not a TV repairman, so I don't have a clue what's wrong with your set. However, 12 years is a long time. I just trashed a 15-year-old Mitsubishi/MGA that finally gave up the ghost.
You have a couple of choices. You can pay $40-50 for a diagnostic at the local repair shop. At least you'll know what the problem is and what it will take to fix it. The second choice is simply to save yourself the opportunity cost, trash it, and get a new TV--minimum cost about $300, assuming a 27", flat screen, analog.
You may want to give some consideration to a HD model, especially since you'll pretty much need one when all the broadcast signals convert to digital in 2009, but I think the prices are still too high. Don't let a salesman pressure you into buying an HDTV now unless you really want one. (I've got Dell plasma, the HD pix are to die for, and the antenna signal is not reliable.)
Good luck. And thanks for choosing allexperts.com!
Kindest regards,
Kevin
