Comments on: TV on all the time

Question: TV on all the time

Epsilon-minus semi moron — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:48:49 -0800

Craigslist HD TV deal..it was $25. The rub being it "doesn't always turn on". The first week it was fine. Then it started not turning on until later in the evening. The boyfriend (possibly) diagnosed the problem and will attempt to fix it when it becomes absolutely necessary. However, until then we are leaving it on all the time.

We are keeping it on one of the video channels. Is there a chance that doing this(keeping it on a channel that is black/silent versus one with action/noise) uses less electricity? Thank you!

By: roomwithaview

roomwithaview — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:53:40 -0800

Turn down the backlight when not in use, if there is such a setting on that model.

By: Zambrano

Zambrano — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:02:57 -0800

No. It uses the same electricity.

Just don't leave it on a channel with a ticker- like CNBC or CNN. It will burn in.

By: Justinian

Justinian — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:09:04 -0800

Just don't leave it on a channel with a ticker- like CNBC or CNN. It will burn in.

Only if the HDTV in question is a plasma TV. And even then, very unlikely.

By: box

box — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:12:16 -0800

It depends what kind of teevee it is (plasma vs LCD), but it probably uses (very slightly) more electricity for a black screen than a white one (the backlight runs either way, but a black screen requires sending a charge through more liquid crystals) (LCDs are different from CRTs in this respect), and for noise versus silence.

You can check this with a Kill-a-Watt (or similar device) if you're so inclined.

(Incidentally, LCDs suffer from image persistence, but not burn-in.)

By: roystgnr

roystgnr — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:54:58 -0800

Seconding "turn down the backlight", based on the results of my own Kill-A-Watt. The contents of the screen make little difference, but on my 47" TV the backlight settings vary power usage from 100W to 285W.

By: jmd82

jmd82 — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:56:36 -0800

Regarding fixing the TV, trying to fix the inards without knowing what you're doing in dangerous. TVs still have an enormous amount of energy stores up inside even if it is off. If you don't know how to properly discharge said energy or avoid the components, he'd be playing with fire.

By: cosmac

cosmac — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:22:23 -0800

TVs still have an enormous amount of energy stores up inside even if it is off

Again, depends on the type. Very true if it is a CRT, not so true for LCD or Plasma.

The channel choice might make a very slight difference but not enough to matter. Backlight (or brightness on plasma) makes a bigger difference.

By: bengarland

bengarland — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:11:08 -0800

Since it worked fine the first week you had it, maybe the key is unplugging it (or just switching the main power with a power strip) for a few hours every day. I'm just guessing, but this may explain why the seller had problems with it, then unplugged it, sold it to you, and it worked fine for a while.

Also, does it not turn on with the remote nor the button on the front?

By: Kwantsar

Kwantsar — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:16:20 -0800

Not an answer to your question, but just in case you haven't thought about it: If the problem is related to the power supply (rather than the display) and if your TV has an "audio only" feature, you may be able to keep the TV "on" while saving the display and saving electricity. Every Aquos I have owned does this. What model is the TV?

By: maudlin

maudlin — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:18:00 -0800

I have a cheap-ass Insignia HDTV that had a similar problem after it spent a few months next to a cold exterior wall. We figured out by Googling that running a blowdryer over the top vents did -- something -- but even though it was a major pain in the ass to spend 5 minutes with the blow dryer every time I turned it on, it probably used less power than leaving it on all night and day when it wasn't being watched.

I finally broke down and called a local tv repair place and got it fixed for less than $200, and it's still working perfectly almost 2 years later. I'd recommend trying the blow dryer or getting it fixed ASAP.

By: Zambrano

Zambrano — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:20:57 -0800

Only if the HDTV in question is a plasma TV. And even then, very unlikely.

Any type of TV can burn-in. I have seen enough of them (at TV stations I've worked) to know.

By: roomwithaview

roomwithaview — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:21:37 -0800

Also, my Samsung LCD seems to power off the backlight without turning the whole unit off when it cannot detect a source.

By: Epsilon-minus semi moron

Epsilon-minus semi moron — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:15:13 -0800

Bengarland: It won't turn on with either..it will actually make the sound like it's trying to, then nothing.

Kwanstar: It's a Sony Trinintron

By: barc0001

barc0001 — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:55:36 -0800

If it's a Trinitron, that means a tube. Flat tube (well, cylindrical) with an aperture grill. That being the case, I would highly suggest your boyfriend not attempt repair on it himself unless he actually knows what he's doing. Tube TVs have capacitors in them that can store lethal charges for weeks after being unplugged, and all he has to do is touch the wrong point and he could be looking at anything from a really nasty electrical burn, to a trip to the morgue.

By: Epsilon-minus semi moron

Epsilon-minus semi moron — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:53:19 -0800

barc0001..After reading that to boyfriend, he wants to know "can I wear rubber gloves?" The problem, from what he found with the Google, is one of the chips on the D board is bad. So he needs to remove said board, and solder the bad chip. Obviously,YANMElectrician but I'd prefer not to have a dead boyfriend...so given what he plans on doing, is there still that chance?

By: saeculorum

saeculorum — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:51:34 -0800

barc0001 is absolutely positively completely right. You do not want to touch the inside of a cathode ray tube television. In addition to the high voltage electronics, the tube has a tendency to explode if you look at it wrong. Oh, and the chassis of the television may be electrically live if the manufacturer cut a few shortcuts to gain FCC EMI certification. If your boyfriend is not a trained technician, I would warn against you doing anything with that TV. It's not worth the risk.

For the record, I'm saying this as a professional electrical engineer.

By: maudlin

maudlin — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:06:14 -0800

My repair guy soldered the chip for (I'm checking the receipt) $176. If you get a similar price from a shop in your town, for a total cost of about $200, you'll have a functioning tv for another few years, at least. And, according to some people on this thread, a functioning boyfriend for many more years.

By: knave

knave — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:07:25 -0800

Maybe you can switch the TV to an input that isn't connected, to turn it 'off'. I know my LCD monitor will switch itself into powersave mode (turning off the display entirely) when there is no signal present on the currently selected input. Perhaps if your TV has HDMI1 and HDMI2, you can switch to the input that isn't in use and it'll go into powersave mode. (Not sure how likely this is to work on TVs, but it's worth a shot.)

By: lalochezia

lalochezia — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:09:05 -0800

The fact that your boyfrien is asking you "can I wear rubber gloves" indicates he doesnt know what the hell he's doing around capacitors that have enough farads to send him up the styx. Your call.

By: obiwanwasabi

obiwanwasabi — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:57:36 -0800

I'm almost tempted to wire you $25 so you can cut your losses and throw the TV out the window. Your bf will kill himself if he goes into the back of that set. This isn't some hysterical scaremongering. Bang, dead. Really.