How can a TV suddenly die without warning?

Rather interestingly, when it comes to TV equipment, integrated solutions are seen as the way forward, yet when it comes to audio equipment, the manufacturers still recognise separates as a sign of quality; to the point when they introduce what I term 'fake separates' - an audio system where the thing comes as 3 or 4 physically separate boxes which have different functions assigned to them, yet all must be bought as a complete package, all are interelated (usually connected together via custom ribbon connectors) and all must be present for the system as a whole to function. I've never really understood why people shell out more money for these - there might be more than 1 box but they're just as much an integrated, all in one, hifi as is something which comes in a single unit.

I had a 14" Inch Sony Televideo, and for me it was the other way, it was the Video that broke first, the rewind function started to go dodgy and the picture quality started to suffer a bit and from time to time it was starting to chew up the odd tape, which wasnt a good thing. I bought in 1999, from Dixons in the clearance stock for £250, shame as I was throwing away a good TV, but I gave it to a friend of my dads who only wanted a TV. But I got a new Ferguson 15" Inch Flatscreen (not plasma) TV from Dixons for £89.99, though it cuts the top and bottom of the picture off, it's a good TV, good picture resultion and what have you.

Plus it has a channel Identifier, which the old TV didn't have.

why is that funny?

Also worth knowing that if you have a John Lewis nearby :

1. They offer 5 years guarantees on their TVs as standard (not as an extra cost "Extended Warranty")
2. They will price match other dealers who the same model in stock - and I believe this includes internet retailers IF they have the model available at the time (in the same configuration - i.e. watch out for stands, which are sometimes included, sometimes extra)

What brand was the television, james2001?

I got one of those Ferguson 15" flatscreen TV's for the kitchen. Took it back the next day. The cut-off was absolutely appalling. On Sky News, I could only see the bottom of the logo, and I couldn't read the ticker at all. I thought it was faulty until a surprisingly knowledgable employee at Currys said they were all like that (though he was the second person I spoke to - the first told me it was because I was watching widescreen - God help him, I mean, he really picked the wrong person).

Yup thats the one, very nice they are, but the cut off on some channels is a bit crap, for instance if I watch ITV News the DOG will only display the 4 squares and cuts off 'i t v News', but on 14:9 or 4:3 Letterbox, it doesn't look too bad. I was thinking of taking it back, but I threw away the reciept some time ago, but it doesn't bother me really, as long as I can watch the TV, I don't care.

It was just a Matsui, so not top name. But it cost around 160 quid when I bought it, could probabally buy it for half the price now.

Hmmm.

Those Matsuis are rebadged Orions, made by a Thai company called Thakral. They have a poor reputation on the VCR side, they seem to last well enough but they're plagued by minor faults like multifunction switch failures and dodgy power supplies. They're usually cheap to fix though, just badly built. The TV side is usually very strong.

It's probably worth seeing if it can be fixed.

I am goign to see if it can be fixed, the problem is places like Dixons & Comet charge a fortune just to look at them, let along the charge to fix it. it seems mroe worth it jsut to buy a new one. And there doesn't really seem to be many local TV repair shops any more, msot of the ones in the yellow pages are either in Nottingham or Chesterfield, which is too far.

I never want to hear you complain about cropping ever again.

May I ask what you mean by that? There's isn't any poor overscan on my TV at all, I guess that's what you're getting at.