Expert: cleggsan - 2/12/2005

Question
Sir Wise One - I'm in need of some of your wisdom :)  I have a Philips 42PF9966 42" Plasma TV.  It has a line that is 1 pixel wide and starts from about 8 inches from the right side of the screen and travels upwards about half way up the screen.  It shows on all inputs, all channels, in the on screen menus, and never goes away ... the line appears red when a white or black image is on the screen behind it, and its green when a red image is on that part of the screen.  I wondering if you think its a pixel problem that is not fixable, or if it is some type of video board issue that can be fixed. Its not under warranty.  Thanks for any information  you can provide :)

Answer
Considering the description you presented it seems to  me the display screen is defective.  They cannot be repaired.  The only way is to replace the entire plasma display.  What a terrible thought!  They are grotesquely exensive!

However, it is worth checking the connectors going to and from the display. If you are brave, open up the set and see if you can find the connecting cables to the display from the electronic drive board.  Wiggle the connectors and probe around just to see if there may be a loose wire or cold solder joint lurking in the works somewhere.

Let me know the outcome. I am desirous of hearing back any problems and fixes for plasmas and lcd displays.

Regards,
The Wise One