Hourglass effect and fuzzy

Dull Video...

Your set may have one or more of the following symptoms....

*Dull looking picture
*White looking picture
*Halos around objects
*Red/Orange looking picture

Convergence

* Screen Looks 3D, Warped, Distorted, etc
* Colors do not line up
* TV may shut off - and make a chirping sound.


You can see some more examples and find a fix using this link on Fixya http://www.fixya.com/support/r2861467-solution_video_looking_whiteish_dull

Need the model number to help as I am not sure of you have a RCA or a Toshiba

You have bad capacitors and possibly a vertical IC that is going bad. And check for bad grounds in and around the IC and caps!

Projection sets have two very common problems.

The first common problem is convergence


These sets need to have all three colors - RED - BLUE - GREEN - lined up correctly on the screen in order for the picture to look normal. This is called convergence.

When its out of alignment the video will look 3-D, wavy, distorted, etc. Most of the time you just need to adjust your convergence in the menu. If you cannot adjust it in the menu - then your convergence is broken and needs to be repaired. Convergence problems are very common on all Projection TV sets including Sony, Samsung,JVC,Philip Magnavox,Panasonic,Akai,Pioneer, Hitachi,Mitsubishi,Zenith and others.
You can get more information and a DIY convergenece repair kit with instructions from the link below.

Here are some of the most common problems with these sets...

*Screen Looks 3-D
*Colors wont align
*Screen may look distorted or warped
*No Audio/Video - TV Shuts down - May also make a constant chirping sound

Problem #2 - Another common problem is dull or washed out video.

Your set may have one or more of the following symptoms....

*Dull looking picture
*White looking picture
*Halos around objects
*Red/Orange looking picture

You can see some more examples and find a fix using this link on Fixya http://www.fixya.com/support/r2861467-solution_video_looking_whiteish_dull

Projection sets have two very common problems.

The first common problem is convergence


These sets need to have all three colors - RED - BLUE - GREEN - lined up correctly on the screen in order for the picture to look normal. This is called convergence.

When its out of alignment the video will look 3-D, wavy, distorted, etc. Most of the time you just need to adjust your convergence in the menu. If you cannot adjust it in the menu - then your convergence is broken and needs to be repaired. Convergence problems are very common on all Projection TV sets including Sony, Samsung,JVC,Philip Magnavox,Panasonic,Akai,Pioneer, Hitachi,Mitsubishi,Zenith and others.
You can get more information and a DIY convergenece repair kit with instructions from the link below.

Here are some of the most common problems with these sets...

*Screen Looks 3-D
*Colors wont align
*Screen may look distorted or warped
*No Audio/Video - TV Shuts down - May also make a constant chirping sound

Problem #2 - Another common problem is dull or washed out video.

Your set may have one or more of the following symptoms....

*Dull looking picture
*White looking picture
*Halos around objects
*Red/Orange looking picture

You can see some more examples and find a fix using this link on Fixya http://www.fixya.com/support/r2861467-solution_video_looking_whiteish_dull

Color issues are harder to solve without seeing the problem. It sound like the red amplifier on the crt board is bad. Is there any red in the picture at all? If not, that will be you problem

Is it a clean vertical line or a fuzzy vertical line? It could be as simple as a cleaning.

This indicates a convergence problem..convergence power supply probally.. however ive seen 2 other cuicits cause this ..

Sounds like the Filter Cap is shorting.

I just had my lower Y-buffer board swapped out to fix a problem similar to yours. After an hour and a half of on-time, the lower half of the screen would flicker on and off with the same appearance you mentioned. Changing out this particular board fixed it for me. However, since it has gone from top to bottom on your set, it may be more of a main board problem for you (that controls both upper and lower halves). Beyond this, I don't know any more. I am considering getting a service manual to gain more knowledge about the various PCBs in the unit so I can fix any future problems myself.