My Cart - TVs – we love ‘em. No matter how well you take care of your TV, short of keeping it tucked safely inside the bubble wrap and box, there’s always a chance something might go wrong. Here at Electronic World, we have all our televisions – from cheap LG TVs to Samsung Smart TVs – checked over by experienced specialist technicians, but even then, every now and then, issues can occur. It’s the nature of electronics . Maybe it’s the wrong lead going into the wrong port, or an issue with the colour balance. Whatever it is, those little problems can be seriously frustrating.
That’s why we’ve put together this troubleshooting guide that’ll give you the run-down on the most common issues facing your TV, and those simple solutions so you can get back to watching House of Cards.
No Picture, No…Nothing
Don’t you hate it when you switch the TV on and there’s no…nothing? No picture, no sound. Just a black void where BBC news used to be. Chances are, it’s not your TV on the fritz, it’s loose cables.
Solution: Reconnect all cables, in the DVD player, set-top box, games consoles and, of course, the TV. Take them all out, and re-insert them, rather than just pushing them in hard.
Picture Quality is Zero
Occasionally, you’ll switch on the TV and while you do have a picture, it’s not the one you want. The images are pixellated and blocky, or you get the blue screen of death on your TV. Or the image is frozen. Or ‘No Signal’ flashes on screen.
Solution: First change channels – it might be a single broadcaster at fault. Occasionally poor weather can also cause pictures to go screwy. If it’s not, then it could be your set-top box. A hard reboot usually solves this problem.
Screen Burn
That ghost of an image hovering, near-transparent in the background can be distracting, but luckily, it’s an easy fix. This is most common on plasma TVs, but this is good advice whatever TV you own.
Solution: Always power down your TV by the mains, rather than leaving it on standby.
Missing Channels
You switch on your TV, get ready to settle down to watch The Office when disaster strikes. You can’t find the channel. You surf through hundreds of channels and it’s definitely missing. Now what?
Solution: Retune your digital set-top boxes so you know you’re receiving the freshest possible signal.
No Sound from Computer to TV
These days we watch in a variety of ways, including hooking computers up to the big screen. But then disaster strikes – you can see the pictures, but you can’t hear a thing.
Solution: Make sure you’re using a HDMI cable – other leads will transmit images from the computer, but no sound.
Change In Freeview Channels
Have you ever noticed that you’re receiving Freeview services intended for an entirely different region of the country? There’s a reason for that.
Solution: Depending on the area in which you live, the signal transmitted to your Freeview box may be weak or interference is occurring from the transmitter. In such cases, you can get a professional aerial installer in, or change to a different service, such as satellite or cable TV.
It Didn’t Work!
Ok, so you’ve tried everything. And still no joy. Now what? Panic? Nah…
Solution: Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the fact is, you’ll need the original instructions for your TV. In that instance, a quick Google of your TV’s make and model will bring up the appropriate guide.
Dead Pixels
Is your television showing little black dots where parts of the image should be? Then that means, unfortunately, that those tiny pixels have been vanquished. They have ceased to be. They’re pushing up the daisies and singing with the choir invisible. They are ex-pixels.
Solution: Unfortunately, if your TV’s showing dead pixels, there’s no fix for it. It happens, and it’s annoying, but the only thing you can consider doing is purchasing a new TV. If that’s the case, we’d be happy to help find you the TV that’s right for you. Just contact us on 0121 327 3273 and we’ll get you back on schedule.
