Expert: cleggsan - 7/6/2005

Question
I have a GE GuidePlus Gemstar (I couldn't find any other model
information) that is almost 2 years old.  I believe that it is a 32"
TV.  One day it shut off and made a high pitched whining sound.  
We had to unplug it, otherwise it continues to whine.  Do you
have any idea what this could be?  The nearest service center is
over an hour away and I do not want to take it all the way there
if the repair is not covered under the warranty.  I appreciate your
time.

Sincerely
Stephanie

Answer
Stephanie,

The whine or squeal is coming from the horizontal deflection amplifier and the flyback transformer.

ONE: I doubt if it is still under factory warranty; but it could be under an extended warranty if you paid extra for it at the time of purchase.

TWO:  The repairs will cost about $150 to $200.  It may be too much to spend on a set that is 2 years old.

THREE:  GE brand tvs have not been very reliable and they have many customers who have had to prematurely replace them because of such failures.

You can find the nearest GE service center from this web site:

http://www.home-electronics.net/StoreLocator/0,7324,CNUS-LNUE,00.html

In my personal opinion, unless you have and extended warranty, you will be better off by thinking about a new model.  But, I am biased against the GE brand having owned one a couple of years ago and experienced similar problems with it.

Wish I could give you better news.

Thanks for consulting with allexperts.

Cleggsan