bostondann
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Dec 26, 2010, 7:00 PM
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Sustain Boards Known Problems
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After 13 months of ownership (just past the warranty expiration) my LG Plasma TV developed a serious problem. These include picture degradation, shutting down at random, screen lines, color degradation and others. We systematically applied solutions such as switching cable locations, using different cables, trying a variety of power supplies (basic strips to battery backup) and nothing seemed to help. We observed the TV in different modes and kept having the same problems whether we were using the Set Top Box (cable), the DVD player or the gaming system. One observation stuck out form the rest – the problem did not occur when we were watching a black and white movie. But as soon as the film ended and we switched to a color movie, the screen popped and went blank.
I started researching the issue on-line (thank you Google!) and after some trial and error with search terms eventually discovered other plasma television owners with similar problems – some have been kind enough to post pictures and videos that allow me to see the same problems as my plasma TV. Further investigation revealed that a common culprit appears to be the Y and Z Sustain Boards. These circuit boards are akin to the vertical and horizontal deflection circuits of older televisions and are at the heart of creating a picture on the screen.
Unfortunately, the Y and Z Sustain Boards (more simply called the YSUS and the ZSUS) are a serious weak point in ALL plasma televisions. Do a Google search for problems with plasma televisions or problems with these boards and your search results will light up with hits! Information about problems with these components span years of plasma manufacturing and cover a wide variety of brand names. The worst offender seems to be LG – especially since they manufacture these boards as components for many other brands and have been doing so for many years.
Doubly unfortunate is that this problem seems to be rampant in the plasma television industry yet no one seems to know about it. It does not seem to be a safety issue (no fire hazard, etc.) so the Consumer Product Safety Commission has no information on it. It is a standard component of a larger item with no particular brand involved, so the Better Business Bureau has no record on it. And the issue is spread out and technical enough that the average consumer seems to be unaware that it is such a major issue. How many plasma TV owners have to have this problem before it becomes general consumer knowledge?
In other words – this is a KNOWN ISSUE with plasma televisions yet it has somehow fallen through the cracks of consumer knowledge and the plasma manufacturing industry is certainly not bringing to anyone’s attention.
A call to LG customer support was less than helpful. The customer service representative on the other end of the line had no information on this issue (even though it is quite common). I knew more about the inner workings of my television than he did. The LG warranty does cover the “Panel” for a two year period – and these components would appear to be core to the “Panel” – but the service rep I spoke with could not provide me a definition of what is included as part of the “Panel”.
To put this in perspective, my family once owned a Sony Trinitron for nearly 20 years before it was replaced and our former primary television (still in service) is a nearly decade old Sharp CRT unit. Neither of these units developed the problem this LG Plasma is having and neither ever needed the sort of repairs (both dollar and labor wise) that this plasma unit needs. When I spend the kind of money necessary to purchase a product such as a television, I expect to get more than 13 months of service out of it. I intend to get this unit repaired or replaced and I do not intend to be the one paying for it!
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