Any tv troubleshooting gurus out there?

[Poopycat]

I have a Samsung Smart TV, two of them actually. They are older models; I think the 60 inch is from 2014 and the 55 inch is from 2012. So old. But they’ve worked well. Until Friday when the 60 inch started to do weird things. My problem is, I can’t tell if it’s the TV or the streaming box.

I have DirecTV Stream, not the satellite service but the streaming service. Because of the ages of my TV’s, I have boxes, like a cable box but simpler and smaller. On Friday, my 60 inch’s screen froze and then it was just all lines and my TV automatically restarted. No big deal, all was fine. But then an hour later the picture became unstable, then the picture disappeared and there were just colored lines. The TV restarted on its own, and a picture briefly popped up, then the colored lines showed up again and the TV restarted again. This went on for a while so I unplugged the TV (the remote wouldn’t control the TV). When I restarted both the box and the TV, it asked for my internet connection. I saw the name of my internet connection but the remote didn’t work so I couldn’t select the internet connection. I changed out the remote batteries; still couldn’t get it to work.

I wanted to see if I could figure out if it was the TV or the box that was causing issues so I took the box from the 55 inch TV and connected it to the 60 inch TV. It worked! For about 3 hours. Then the same behavior happened again. I put the box back onto the 55 inch TV and it seems to be working fine.

I also took the box from the 60 inch TV and tested it on the 55 inch TV and I couldn’t get it to set up. I had the same issue, where I couldn’t use the remote to select the internet connection.

So I’m left wondering whether the streaming box is the issue or whether the 60 inch TV is the issue. I think it’s the TV because I couldn’t get the other box to work on it, but maybe the remote is also a problem. Or maybe the HDMI cable conked out?

I guess it’s time to buy a new TV. I hate to do that since the picture still looks good. Maybe I’ll test out a new HDMI cable first. What a pain.

Any thoughts? Is it even worth trying to get it repaired? It might be less expensive to just buy a new TV that already has DirecTV Stream available as an app and doesn’t need a box. I could just dump DirecTV Stream but I do like it; it’s not cheap but it’s user-friendly.

[Jerry1]

I’m assuming they are TV’s and not monitors. So they should have a tuner. Hopefully you live in an area where you can get at least one over the air (OTA) channel. Get a cheap antenna and tune in a station and see how the TV reacts. That will eliminate any input from the box. In fact, unhook the box completely from the TV.

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Can't you just get the app through a Roku or Fire Tv stick plugged into an HDMI port on your TV? You won't need the cable box any more.
People do that all the time when their old smart TV's don't have the apps that they want. Just buy a cheap $25 Roku or borrow one to test it before you buy a new TV
https://www.roku.com/products/players

[njhowie]

Try using the TV without any boxes attached to it. Certainly you'll have the ability to go to the menu and setup screens...does the TV have wifi itself, or only through the box? If it has wifi itself, use it with something standard that is pre-installed like youtube or Netflix.

Also, in the TV setup screen, are you able to check if you have the most recent firmware? Maybe there is newer that you can update with. Same with the streaming boxes - do they have the most recent firmware updates?

If it is definitely the TV, it's not worth attempting to get it repaired. There are many really great TVs out there for incredible prices and the capabilities will continue to get better for lower prices.

[Qs Laptop]

Good work trying to narrow down the problem via process of elimination.

I agree with Jerry1--remove the Direct TV box and try to hook up an HDTV antenna to the antenna input of your 60" TV. You'll need the remote that came with your Samsung TV to control the TV with just an antenna hooked up to it. If you get a good picture and normal operation you can probably eliminate the TV as the problem.

Quote:

I wanted to see if I could figure out if it was the TV or the box that was causing issues so I took the box from the 55 inch TV and connected it to the 60 inch TV. It worked! For about 3 hours. Then the same behavior happened again. I put the box back onto the 55 inch TV and it seems to be working fine. I also took the box from the 60 inch TV and tested it on the 55 inch TV and I couldn’t get it to set up. I had the same issue, where I couldn’t use the remote to select the internet connection.

I assume the remotes you refer to are the remotes for the Direct TV streaming boxes. Is that correct? Are the two remotes interchangeable? If so, you could try taking the remote from the box on the 60" and see if it works to control the box on the 55" TV. If it works you can eliminate both remotes as being the problem.

Quote:

So I’m left wondering whether the streaming box is the issue or whether the 60 inch TV is the issue. I think it’s the TV because I couldn’t get the other box to work on it, but maybe the remote is also a problem. Or maybe the HDMI cable conked out?

The fact that the box from the 60" TV does not work on the 55" TV tells me there is something wrong with that particular box. The fact that the box from the 55" TV worked for three hours on the 60" TV makes me suspect the HDMI cable.

I'm assuming you re-used the same HDMI cable connected associated with the 60" TV for that time the box from the 55" TV was connected to the 60" TV? If so, the fact that the box (and the remote) from the 55" worked on the 60" for three hours makes me suspect the HDMI cable. Try bringing all the components from the working 55" setup--Direct TV streaming box, HDMI cable, remote--to the 60" TV and test it.

[RunningBum]

You could try a VCR or Blue Ray player if you don't get any OTA signals.

If you have multiple HDMI ports, try switching those too.

[Freedom56]

If the picture is clean when you are in the system menu, then the problem is likely the HDMI signal. Make sure that your TV software/firmware is up to date. The same for your streaming box. Connect a laptop to the HDMI interface and if the images are clean, then the issue is your streaming box. The problem you are describing can occur when those streaming devices attempt to send and HDR signal when the TV is not setup to receive it. Disable HDR mode on your streaming box.

[rk911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poopycat I have a Samsung Smart TV, two of them actually. They are older models; I think the 60 inch is from 2014 and the 55 inch is from 2012. So old. But they’ve worked well. Until Friday when the 60 inch started to do weird things. My problem is, I can’t tell if it’s the TV or the streaming box. I have DirecTV Stream, not the satellite service but the streaming service. Because of the ages of my TV’s, I have boxes, like a cable box but simpler and smaller. On Friday, my 60 inch’s screen froze and then it was just all lines and my TV automatically restarted. No big deal, all was fine. But then an hour later the picture became unstable, then the picture disappeared and there were just colored lines. The TV restarted on its own, and a picture briefly popped up, then the colored lines showed up again and the TV restarted again. This went on for a while so I unplugged the TV (the remote wouldn’t control the TV). When I restarted both the box and the TV, it asked for my internet connection. I saw the name of my internet connection but the remote didn’t work so I couldn’t select the internet connection. I changed out the remote batteries; still couldn’t get it to work. I wanted to see if I could figure out if it was the TV or the box that was causing issues so I took the box from the 55 inch TV and connected it to the 60 inch TV. It worked! For about 3 hours. Then the same behavior happened again. I put the box back onto the 55 inch TV and it seems to be working fine. I also took the box from the 60 inch TV and tested it on the 55 inch TV and I couldn’t get it to set up. I had the same issue, where I couldn’t use the remote to select the internet connection. So I’m left wondering whether the streaming box is the issue or whether the 60 inch TV is the issue. I think it’s the TV because I couldn’t get the other box to work on it, but maybe the remote is also a problem. Or maybe the HDMI cable conked out? I guess it’s time to buy a new TV. I hate to do that since the picture still looks good. Maybe I’ll test out a new HDMI cable first. What a pain. Any thoughts? Is it even worth trying to get it repaired? It might be less expensive to just buy a new TV that already has DirecTV Stream available as an app and doesn’t need a box. I could just dump DirecTV Stream but I do like it; it’s not cheap but it’s user-friendly.

you might try hooking them to a diifferent source like an over-the-air antenna or a DVD player.