42" Plasma TV Has 3" black vertical bar in the... (by 4 users)

I have had my SuperScan 42" EDTV Plasma for 3 + 1/2 years. Of the 6 possible connections I have connected to it: (AV1)-CableDVR, (AV2)-Samsung up-converting DVD player, (AV3)-nothing, (AV4)-Pioneer 5 disc 500W Suround/DVD, (RGB1)-HP DV5400 Notebook PC via VGA cable, and (RGB2)-Mackbook Laptop using a Mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter connected to a HDMI/DVI cable. I have been happy with it's performance for the most part, knowing I didn't buy top-of-the-line so it has some trouble with darker scenes which tend to be somewhat pixelated on the S/s DVDplayer and the cableDVR (both are 480i), while the computers and the up-converting DVD are all higher resolution and have much better displays.

My problems are:

1.) For about the last six weeks when I turn on the tv and go to the cableDVR or the S/s DVDplayer the flesh tones are very much on the red side, which I can solve by going to Menu/Tint and move the number either up or down - once I have done this the flesh tones are corrected, even though I leave the number set at the same as before I moved it - in other words just the movement on the tint scale resets the color to display the correct values I have setup. This is a symptom of some part that is failing? I would like to know how to fix this.

2.) This just started last night. after having the tv on for about half an hour a black vertical line 3 inches wide appeared in the center of the screen. I tried turning the tv off and waiting various lengths of time from 1 minute to ten minutes with the results of either the black vertical bar was there when I turned it back on, or it would re-apear after 1 minute or so. I switch to all my devices and the bar is there for every device. Today I have just begun using my computer and the bar was gone for the first ten minutes, but then showed up again. 

And the spooky part is, after 30 minutes I decided to look online for some way to figure out how to fix it, and when I got to this site, the black bar went away. But I'd still like to know what I need to fix it, as it will probably come back, and it's very hard to watch a movie with a 3" bar down the middle, and shrinking my application widows to fit on either side of the bar is also a distraction.

3.) (minor) Does anyone know what the remote codes are for SuperScan? I bought it from Sears and the sales guy said it was Hitatchi with the Sears Plasma name of SuperScan, but I don't know if that's true or not and none of the Hitachi codes work for it either.

I've contemplated buying a new TV and it will take six months of eating less and buying less gas for the car to save enough on my disability payments.