What's killing my TVs??

ownedbylins

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
3
0
10,510
I just had my 2nd Vizio die on me in the last month! What in the world is going on? The first one was about 4 years old. One day it started flickering when I would turn in on. It would turn on, off, on, lose power completely, on, off, and then would stay on. When I got a new one (new to me- my inlaws got a 3D tv and gave me their 3 year old 42") I unplugged the old, replaced it with the new. I decided to use my old tv until it completely gave out and took it upstairs. I couldn't get it to even get power anymore. Bummer!
But now, my 2 year old small Vizio stopped working!! I saw that the WII it was connected to wasn't getting power either, so I flipped the switch on the extender and the Wii turned back on. But no luck on the tv. What in the world is happening? Is it the electricity in this place or something? I know that in the Kitchen here, lightbulbs only last around a month before they burn on. So I know there's electric issues. Could the house be killing my tvs?

(Note: Neither of these had a surge protector. Apparently, they're just extender strips. My new one is on a surge protector.)

Please use language I can understand. I know absolutely nothing about electronics :)
 
Solution
It is impossible to say exactly why the TVs died but you have to realize that they are built to be as cheap as possible and one of the ways that this is accomplished is to use parts that are so close to the minimum values that the designer specifies that they have very little margin of error. When the part ages or is stressed during normal use it fails more often. Capacitors in the power supplies are a major culprit. All brands have this problem but lower tier manufacturers such as Vizio are more prone to cost cutting. The no brand sets are even worse but even big brand names are cost cutting as much as possible. Be prepared for any TV to have a life of 4-5 years.
Your thoughts on increasing power problems is also true and make...
It is impossible to say exactly why the TVs died but you have to realize that they are built to be as cheap as possible and one of the ways that this is accomplished is to use parts that are so close to the minimum values that the designer specifies that they have very little margin of error. When the part ages or is stressed during normal use it fails more often. Capacitors in the power supplies are a major culprit. All brands have this problem but lower tier manufacturers such as Vizio are more prone to cost cutting. The no brand sets are even worse but even big brand names are cost cutting as much as possible. Be prepared for any TV to have a life of 4-5 years.
Your thoughts on increasing power problems is also true and make the above issues worse. Most power strips have very limited surge suppression and that wears out with time as each surge wears down the parts that suppress the surge.
They will need to be replaced over time. A whole house surge protector might be a good idea since you are also losing light bulbs. An electrician can install one at the electrical panel.
 
Solution

ownedbylins

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
3
0
10,510
Thanks guys! I really liked the smaller tv too. It was crystal clear and completely touch screen. I was sad to see it go. My dad bought the exact same model at the exact same time as me and he's never had an issue.