How to Fix a Broken Sylvania TV
By Billy Kirk
Troubleshooting and fixing Sylvania TV models doesn't always require expensive manufacturer repairs. Whether your television set is suffering from cabling problems, static, electronic interference or plasma-related burn in issues, you can repair all these problems even if you have never attempted Sylvania repairs before. No prior electronic component knowledge is necessary to fix your broken Sylvania TV, and special tools and other items are not required.
Step 1
Check the audio/video cable connection between the Sylvania TV and your satellite or cable receiver box. The receiver box connects to the TV via a multi-colored audio/video cable that features a number of prongs. There are three prongs at each end of the cable, and each set has three different colored prongs. The Sylvania TV and your receiver each have a set of colored audio/video ports, and these port colors match the different colors of the prongs. Match like prongs and ports up and make the connections. Ensure that a white prong isn't in a red port, for example.
Step 2
Ensure the coaxial cable is firm within the "ANT IN" port on the back of the receiver. If this cable is loose it will create "noise" on the TV display that appears as static. Tighten the cable by pinching the silver band on its end and twisting it clockwise until you can no longer adjust it any further.
Step 3
Check for interference if distortion on your screen continues. Computers, speakers and other equipment that draw a lot of power can give off electronic interference that creates display irregularities including but not limited to color blurring and image doubling. Move any such suspicious equipment to a new location that isn't as close to the TV. Ideally, any devices that can be moved to another room entirely should be.
Step 4
Combat burn in on your television if your Sylvania is a plasma screen model. Burn in occurs when a single image is left on the screen for too long and becomes semi-permanently fixed in place even when the channel is changed. The "ghost" of the image can remain superimposed over other images for some time. If burn in occurs, immediately turn off your plasma TV and allow it to cool down, then turn it back on and attempt to watch other channels with regularly changing images. Give the set a few hours of watching programming that is unrelated to what created your burn in. The TV may fix itself during this time period.
Step 5
Allow static to play exclusively on your Sylvania TV in order to eliminate burn in if the effect doesn't begin to immediately fade away. Disconnect the coaxial cable from the rear of the receiver. This will cause the cessation of normal programming and moving white and black dots will appear on your TV's display instead. Allow this static to play for an hour or two, then attempt regular programming again. Your burn in should have dissipated.
References
Writer Bio
Billy Kirk is an experienced professional writer and editor who has written and published articles of varying topics and varying types including news articles, special features and editorials. He has written extensively for regular online publications as well as blogs. Kirk holds a Bachelor of Arts in media production from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.