Did My Satellite Box Cause My TV to Fail?

A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...

Question:

I have a RCA 1985 console TV in excellant condition. After the satellite guy hooked up my new DirecTV receiver, all worked fine. Later that same evening, I was watching TV and heard a couple of crackles or pops, and the TV screen is now a greenish/snowy with horizontal lines in it. You can hear sound fine, and maybe a little figure movement on the screen, but no more pops and no more picture. I know it's heading down the tubes, but any help would be appreciated. I just wanted to check if it's something that the sat  box caused, the tech that hooked it up, or maybe it was the wave of technology.

-submitted by mfriz121

Answer:

If the output on the satellite box is routed through a VCR, you may want to check that the VCR is turned off while the satellite box is in use, which could cause a problam similar to what you're describing. Only a possibility, but probably not what happened in your case.

The crackles and pops are more concerning, which indicates the set is failing. It seems unlikely that connecting a satellite receiver to a TV would cause it to fail. Given the age of the TV, it would appear that it was probably going to fail anyway, and being around the same time as getting satellite is merely a coincidence.

Just think that the TV gods are telling you that watching satellite TV on a 20 year old set is a sin, and that you need to get a new set to better your TV experience. It's a good excuse anyway!

Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com

 

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