The Famous Plasma Black Line

Mar 12, 2006 10 Replies

I have a SONY plasma TV. It's developed a problem - a thin horizontal black line that goes from one end of the screen to the other (about 4" from the top of the screen). I've also noticed that several other people have reported the same problem. I've even seen folks selling their plasma TVs on ebay with this same problem.



The bad news is that I am told by service technicians that the problem is a bad display driver board, which is part of the display panel. Cost to repair: $2,000.



My gut tells me it's a bad chip somewhere. I shouldn't have to replace the entire display. Correction - I shouldn't have to throw a $4,000 tv in the garbage after three years.



Does anyone know how to really fix this problem. My model is KZ-32TS1U.



Thanks, AABob



The entire display with the ic circuits that are an integral part of the glass display all needs to be replaced. That is how you fix the problem.

Unfortunately the chips are bonded onto the ribbons which are bonded to the panel so the fix is indeed to replace the panel. Sucks I know, it's the primary reason why I'm too paranoid to buy a plasma TV.

It is not inherently impossible to fix. I'd estimate you could probably set up a station to try to fix it for well under 10 million dollars.

If you could find an identical panel with a broken glass it might technically be possible to transfer the driver from one panel to the other, but with the ones I've seen there would be absolutely no way in hell of doing this at home. It really is a shame, I don't understand why they bond them rather than just using some sort of connector.

Didn't we just discuss the political issues in adding 25 cents to the cost of a product? Could imagine how many levels up the chain of management would be needed to add a few dollars worth of connectors? :)

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I do not see the reason for anything over 1500 or more to build in throw away, they are expensive and customers will be mad to hear like that because of one part is intergal of the LCD or Plamsa (drivers ICs (make it solderable on gull-wing ICs) on a strip of board assembly. SILLY!!

This should be repairable and we need that kind of lifehood to able to keep doing this on LCDs and such. In old days these LCDs had soldered on ICs on back of LCD.

Cheers, Wizard

I guess you should have done some resarch into Plasma before you purchased the Garbage.

You're absolutely right. And I am mad! Does anyone have any experience with SONY management? Can I complain to someone there about their $4,000 disposable TVs?

Go to the top and get to speak to a General not a Private and BE nice. It will work for you.

It drastically decreased the size and weight of the support electronics, and increased the reliability. Imagine how many tiny wires you'd have to connect to the external electronics. A 1280x720 pixel panel. You'd need a reliable, inexpensive

921600 c> If you could find an identical panel with a broken glass it might

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