I came home from work, turned on the TV and began to watch Countdown with Keith Olberman (yes – I’m the one). I wasn’t more than 10 or 15 seconds into the show when I heard “pfffft” and the picture went out.
I approached the TV cautiously. There was the very distinct smell of fried capacitor. Without looking, my guess is the power supply is gone.
In the good old days that wouldn’t be a major problem. We’ve progressed beyond the good old days. This TV is now ready to be thrown away! I took a piece of notebook paper and some Scotch Tape so I could attach a hand written sign that says, “TV Dead.”
It is a Zenith projection TV, probably 45″ picture. In this day and age it’s small for a projection TV. The picture is OK, not great. Years ago, not long after we got it, someone scratched a small portion. It’s only visible from obtuse angles.
Helaine is prone to watch QVC for hours on end. Sometimes, especially on solid colors, you can see where QVC’s standard screen is burned into the display.
Now comes the interesting part.
Back when we bought the TV, maybe 10 or so years ago, we had a cabinet in our family room built around it. They still make TVs with 45″ screens, but now they’re 16:9. Our is 4:3. In other words, sets are wider and shorter. It will be interesting finding one that fits.
Once we find the proper size, we’ve got to decide whether to get HDTV or standard definition. Should it be another rear projection or a new technology like plasma¹ or LCD?
The shopping starts later today, I suppose. I really hadn’t planned on forking out the cash for a new TV. This sucks.
¹ – It is my understanding plasma is very susceptible to burn in (like our current set) while LCD is burn proof.