Broken LCD? Westinghosue 37w3?

[jhbball]

So my trusty Westinghouse 37w3 37'' lcd seemed to have died to today. I power it on, the back light comes on, but it looks like nothing is being displayed. Just a black "lit up" screen. When I switch the input, it looks like something is happening, but it doesn't actually display anything.

I unplugged the power for a while, and tried to plug it back in. But it's still doing the same thing.

So what are my options? Has anyone had experience trying to repair an lcd, or sending it back to Westinghouse for repair?

FYI, I purchased this TV ~3 years ago.


Thanks dudes, as always.

 

[newnameman]

You get what you pay for when you buy from the lower-tier manufacturers. Your best bet is probably to just buy a replacement.

 

[sdifox]

Time to get a new one. Your processing board is fried and chances are it is not worth fixing.

 

[dainthomas]

Next time get something high quality like a Norcent.

 

[Modelworks]

Does it even show the menu or input choices lettering ?
If not a couple things could be the problem.

Power supply issues. The circuits inside require +5V and +3.3V along with other voltages. If the buttons seem to be doing something then +5V is probably okay since it is required for the micro controlling the buttons to work.

The LCD panel itself is connected to the display or driver IC via a ribbon cable. Ribbon cables are notorious for coming loose. If that is not making connection then you will get nothing on the display. Some panels don't use a ribbon cable but instead use fingers that press against contacts on the board, another area where a loose connection can give no display.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Call Westinghouse and find the location of the nearest service center - if it's close by it may be worth popping in for an estimate, though ...

Replacing a 'board' with labor could easily be a $300-$400+ proposition, or yah might get lucky with a simple easy repair.

You mentioned the back light works - - - is there anyway to physically switch your input from one hdmi slot to another, or a dsub or DVI ???

 

[jhbball]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
Does it even show the menu or input choices lettering ?
If not a couple things could be the problem.

Power supply issues. The circuits inside require +5V and +3.3V along with other voltages. If the buttons seem to be doing something then +5V is probably okay since it is required for the micro controlling the buttons to work.

The LCD panel itself is connected to the display or driver IC via a ribbon cable. Ribbon cables are notorious for coming loose. If that is not making connection then you will get nothing on the display. Some panels don't use a ribbon cable but instead use fingers that press against contacts on the board, another area where a loose connection can give no display.

Thanks for the response.

The buttons are still doing something. When I try to cycle between inputs, the screen flickers a bit.

Nothing displays on screen at all though, even the menu. Is it safe to pop it open and just see if things aren't connected, or something?