A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...

Question:

My 6 year old Sony TV is having picture problems. When we turn it on it blinks from the picture to totally black every few seconds or so. It does this when we watch videos or DVD's also. The sound is fine. Is this a tuner problem? Is it worth fixing?

-submitted by mhale5

Answer

If you've checked to make sure all of the connections to your TV are good, then the problem is most likely inside the TV. As far as the tuner goes, if everything is routed through an RF modulator to the TV it could be the problem. However, it's doubtful that all of your gear is connected in this manner. Most likely, your DVD player is connected with a line-level composite or S-video connection, which wouldn't be affected by the tuner. At this point, only a TV technician will be able to diagnose the problem.

Whether or not it's worth fixing depends on you. Higher powers that be could be telling you it's time for a new set. I'm sure you wouldn't mind one that's HDTV capable and hangs on the wall. However, buyng a nice new TV is probably going to be more expensive than fixing your old one, depending on whatever repair quote you get and how much you'd spend on a new set. You'll have to weigh it out and go with your gut.

Whatever direction you choose, we hope you follow up with everyone at TechLore about your decision by using the link to the discussion page below.

Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com