Our 8 year old large screen Toshiba 61H71 rear projection TV's picture went haywire on July 12. The picture's colors were mixed up, and there was blue shadowing on the images. Using the owner's manual along with website help, I narrowed the problem to the convergence chips (blue could not be focused). I ordered a convergence chip repair kit ($70 from tvrepairkits) and was going to do the repair myself until I opened the back of the TV. Though I have put built computers out of parts, the TV repair was beyond my expertise as there would have to be a lot of careful soldering both to remove the old chips and install the new chips. I called several TV repair shops on July 20 to get estimates for ""convergence chip replacement"" and was quoted anywhere from $70 (just for diagnosis even though I knew what the problem was) to $400 (parts included). Excell told me that if I supplied the parts, they would perform the labor for $175. I made appointment for July 22 (between 3 and 4 pm), and Excell showed up at 3:15 pm. The technician checked the circuitry with his voltmeter to make sure I only required chip replacement and had no issues with blown resistors, etc. It took several minutes of removing wires and connectors just to be able to access the circuit board with the convergence chips (Toshibas notorious for this, according to technician). Still he skillfully desoldered and removed the old chips from the board and heat sinks, and replace with the new chips. After replacing everything, he went through the extensive 9 point focus calibration, and the picture is as good as new! He told me that these chips typically last 7 to 8 years; I told him we'd call again in 2016!
Pros: Skilled soldering in tight quarters
Cons: None found - price reasonable
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