Hello! When we watch movies on DVD or VHS or watch TV a red "not available" message appears in the middle of the screen on top of whatever it is we're watching... Now the remote has gone funny as well - won't activate the TV, though it makes the red light on the console flicker -- and if you try to access the menu from the console, it just scrolls through all the options and won't let you select anything. We tried unplugging and checked cables... I googled this and found one opinion that the processor was bad... any insight?
The reason the TV doesn't respond to the remote is that the set is busy trying to change channels (or scroll through menu options.) because one of the channel-- up/down "button" is stuck on the front panel of the TV. They are very delicate, and respond to the slightest input. (You should see the CH light on the front of the set.)
So, I had the same problem, and just finished following the advice for fixing this problem by using a hair dryer and pen knife to remove the strip covering the "buttons."
I have to admit that I was afraid of what damage I might do in removing the little strip from the face of the TV, but I only paid $114 for the set at Salvation Army, and it's otherwise a great set, so I had little to lose.
Trust me, you can't hurt anything by removing the little panel. Just take your time, and let the heat do the work, lest you crease the strip. (It took about five minutes for me to get it off.)
I chose to disable the front-panel controls altogether by simply removing the little pads that activate the switches.
The pads look like tiny little rubber bands, about 3/8" across, and will stick to the double-sided adhesive when you remove the strip. (Don't worry, they are not attached to the set, and you won't be destroying anything in this process.)
I suppose you could always get replacement rubber thingies, but I'd just as soon use the remote, and avoid future hassles.
Posted on Jan 02, 2008
It has been over one year since I posted the above solution.
There have been no further problems whatsoever with this set, and we enjoy the 1080i picture enormously.
Obviously, with the pen-knife solution, you are forced to use the remote for everything but on/off, but the soft-touch buttons are absolutely the cause of the "not available" problem, and the solution is very straightforward.
This TV just died over Christmas, and it won't turn on. We bought a new flat-panel yesterday at Costco.
I briefly checked the posts about power failure, and saw something about flyback transformer solder connections.
My wife won't let me take it in for repair, but insists that we get it out of the house and recycle it :-(
The new TV is calibrated properly, and the digital cable-converter box has been set up properly, but the picture is nowhere near the high quality we have become accustomed to with the tube set... I'm gonna miss this TV!
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An expert TV repair in Billings, MT gave me this advice. On the Samsung televisions with touch sensor buttons on the front bottom panel, sometimes the buttons get messed up, which sends conflicting signals to the computer and it can't receive input correctly. We removed this panel with a hairdryer and a pen knife (it's hard to tell it's there, but it's smoother than the TV and you can feel the edge at the bottom) and then carefully put it back on. Everything now works fine.
This happens to ours as well. It is trying to change channels by itself, so when it is in component mode, changing channels is not an option.
I will try removing the front cover and checking it out.
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