Vertical line on LG Plasma 50PG4500

Question

Hello,
For the past two and a half months, I've had a fixed vertical line one pixel wide on my 127 cm LG 50PG4500 plasma screen that's three and a half years old. Despite what I've often read online and even from LG technicians who have given me no hope, I would like to know if it's repairable without changing the panel. I've read elsewhere on your forum that this type of issue could be fixable, with transistors that control the vertical lines needing to be replaced. The line is more or less visible depending on the color mix of the image; it's not visible on black, white, or green, but it is quite noticeable on red and light blue. Given the size of the screen and the fact that it's no longer under warranty, I don't plan to move it, but I'm handy and if someone has a suggestion to attempt to fix it myself, I'm all ears. I'm also okay if someone wants to come check it out in dept. 13 (near St Rémy), but I don't want to incur significant costs or pay for an estimate if it can't be repaired or if it's too expensive.
Thank you.

Configuration: Windows XP / Firefox 20.0

Blog_LG_France · Accepted Answer

Hello,

This is not a malfunction or failure of any components in your screen, such as a mechanical driver or buffers.
Currently, the description you provide is very clear to confirm that it is indeed a video addressing issue stemming from a malfunction of the panel (panel management card).
This concerns the entire product. The repair will therefore be significant.

--
LG Electronics France Blog

Frandid · Answer

Thank you for your response. I understand that this main management board is separate from the panel itself, could you please provide me with its spare part reference number for my 50 PG4500? I find that 3 and a half years for a TV that was rated by LG for a lifespan of 30 years is a bit light. Any help and information will be welcome, I’m awaiting to see what comes next to decide whether or not to purchase a 3D LG in the future.

Blog_LG_France · Answer

Hello,

In order to obtain this information, you need to contact an authorized LG service center that can provide you with the reference and order the part if possible.

To get the contact details of the authorized LG service centers in your area, I invite you to contact the manufacturer's hotline.

--
Blog LG Electronics France

Frandid · Answer

I only managed to get one technician who thinks it could be the control board but also the panel. For the past few days, I have been seeing new identical vertical lines (a 4th one today) and it seems like it's going to get worse quickly. I would like to know if it is indeed the control board and not the plasma panel itself. I think that since this model came out four years ago, LG should have enough experience and know the answer because my unit must be like the others.
Thank you.

sylvainmorrant · Answer

it's the slab at 100/100

Thierry · Answer

Same TV, same age, same defect, isn't it a manufacturing defect?

Frandid · Answer

Hi. LG replied to me a bit more specifically in private; it is indeed the panel and not a board. I'm now at 9 lines since February, and it's not going to stop! All quite towards the center because I suppose that's where the panel heats up the most. In fact, it seems that this is the normal lifespan of a plasma panel, even a good quality one! It's about 3 years at 8 or 10 hours a day of usage... whereas back then LG claimed on their website "panel lifespan of 30 years at 8 hours a day"...! This advertising was indeed completely misleading. That said, plasma panels from other more reputable manufacturers often last even less... I'm thinking of getting a 140 LCD LED towards the end of the year but there’s no guarantee that it will last longer (either?!)... And unfortunately, I find the LED LCD image much less beautiful than the extremely warm plasma image, the fluorescent aspect if you tweak the settings a bit, particularly in energy-saving mode, along with the range of colors, the contrast, and the complete absence of blurring on very fast movements and actions. With the cold LEDs, it feels cold... Moreover, there’s much less contrast than a plasma, the image still drags even on the latest models (nothing to do with the speed of a plasma which is at cathode level) and the color range is much more limited... All of this is noticeable if you are passionate about image quality. We’ll see... The best would be to afford a 140 or 150 plasma every 2 or 3 years (!) or take the 5-year paid warranty...
If someone wants to do a "class action" against LG for misleading advertising regarding the announced lifespan of plasma panels back in the day, why not...

arthurion · Answer

Same problem on LG plasma TV 127 up to 5 lines, but more than 2 after replacing a capacitor that was hindering the startup.

Frandid · Answer

Re… Arthurion, I am surprised by what you describe. I think you have a very different problem. I now have about 15 vertical lines, all on the central part of the screen, and none of them has ever disappeared, not even for a second, after their appearance. These are 1 pixel wide lines (no more) that are invisible on black, white, and gray, barely visible on "normal" broadcasts - cinema films, TV movies, and documentaries with natural colors - but very visible on bright red and bright blue, like on game shows or the enhanced synthetic colors of news channel logos. Strangely, on bright green, I only have one. These are "sub-pixel" colored lines that are affected, always 1 pixel wide from top to bottom, essentially red and blue by deduction. I haven't done it yet due to lack of time, but one day I will make a color test Blu-ray with Vegas Pro to count them precisely for each color. I have a friend who has one from the same series and who has no defects yet, but it is a year younger than mine, and he uses it 3 times less than I do (about 3 hours/day compared to my 8 hours). I haven’t looked too closely, but I haven’t seen any bulging on the capacitors regarding mine. And I am convinced that it is indeed the panel that is gradually losing its vertical lines one by one for the moment on the central fifth of the screen, probably because there must be a bit more heat in the central area than at the edges and sides. In any case, no line has ever disappeared after its appearance, that's for sure!
I will soon get an edge LED in 140 3D, but the seller at Auchan frankly told me that he had no idea about the reliability beyond 2 years, and LEDs can fail too, we know that well, even if they are more durable, they last less long than the pure LCD of my PC screen, which is 11 years old and has not a single dead pixel!!! (Another time!). On an edge, which is actually LCD for the display and LED only for lateral backlighting, I have no idea what visual defect it will cause when the LEDs start to fail… But in terms of quality, it is superior to simple LCD in terms of contrast and speed. Nevertheless, I know that it will be inferior to a plasma. I make comparisons every time I go out in stores, and in edge LED, LG has better colors than other brands, quite close to mine, probably thanks to the XD LG "engine"... It is always much warmer than Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, Sony, and others (even when they use the same panels!), somewhat like Sony's Trinitron from the 80s, but much more pronounced. And this, regardless of the color settings, color temperature, etc. In short, LG employs good engineers, but I think they could do better in terms of materials lol… Given that in plasma only the lines close to the center fail, I think that if they had put half a dozen small heat extraction fans, it might have greatly limited this extremely short lifespan problem of the panel before the lines fail...
AlexBelz, you also surprise me by saying that you have a line or two depending on the day... Do you have good eyesight? ;-) At my place, it never varies over time. Simply, depending on the color of the image. On black and white films, I have absolutely no visible lines!!! On pure bright red about 7 or 8, the same for blue and only one for green the last time I did a freeze frame with test images. New lines generally appear after about 3 to 4 weeks, but since I surpassed a dozen, I no longer count them. I must have about fifteen, but I have had few new ones in the last 6 months, the majority appeared between the ages of 3.5 and 4 years!

yelvent · Answer

Hello,

I have the same problem with my LG 50PS3000 television. I had taken an additional 3-year warranty with Auchan. This one expired on April 11, 2014, the very evening the black line appeared in the middle of the TV screen. The next day, Auchan disclaimed all responsibility and advised me to contact LG to see if they could grant me a favor. What a shame.... Apparently, the best screens are Panasonic, is that true???
Best regards.

Frandid · Answer

Hi
it's going to be tough with Auchan... Try to insist, threaten on a commercial level, etc... For a few hours of warranty...! LG won't do anything, that's for sure! I don't know anyone who has had a repair for this defect... (The defect described above looks similar but is unrelated; it's a capacitor issue and is not stable since lines can "come back"; that's not the case with mine and doesn't concern startup or heating, a blown line never returns.). So, personally, I think it's definitely the panel but with no proof, it could be the addressing/control board (not expensive, around €400 max). However, the panel costs more than double the price of the television... !!
No, for Plasmas it's the same for all brands, lines appear on all of them after a few thousand hours (10 / 12, sometimes less than 8000), that's less than 4 years if you use it a lot or 8 / 10 years if you use it less than 3/4 hours/day. But it depends on the numbers... We are far from the 30 years at 8h/day advertised by the old LG plasma ads... Panasonics have the defect too... and the best picture is that of LG; I had done plenty of tests on this subject. Mine now has a good fifteen lines, often doubles... I haven't changed it yet, you get used to it, they are all in the central third of the screen, mainly in the center actually, and at 4 m you can barely see them on a normal image or a movie, they are not visible on black, white, gray, only on very bright colors. I'll take a Led (LCD/led) in passive 3D 140 or 152 when they are under €1000, little interest in taking the same size... For now, only active 3D can be found under €1000 in 152 but it's too tiring, heavy glasses and you have to change the battery all the time... Passive 3D is much better even if the definition is reduced but in 3D you don't see the difference and it's much more comfortable and lighter. Even in Led I prefer LG for color, the problem is that the connections are getting fewer, often only 3 HDMI and 1 SCART, sic, me who has a mountain of VHS scopes / double and triple combos / SVHS / HDD / DVD / Blu-ray / Laserdisc from brands like Toshiba, Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic, Philips, etc. (11 devices!) it's a hassle for connections, the SCART switches are bad (analog interference, moiré, etc.) it's better to use SCART or composite RCA / HDMI converters and multi HDMI switches, but that's extra costs... They never think of enthusiasts and perfectionists... For LEDs/LCDs we don't have feedback yet, they might fail even faster, the LEDs are not eternal by any means... To think that my oldest PC LCD screen is 11 years old, runs 10 hours a day, and doesn't have a single dead pixel...
Good luck, keep us posted, what's missing on the net is the feedback; after that we don't hear from anyone...

GaelWin · Answer

Identical malfunction, LG 50PG4500, 1 line for 1 month and this morning 1/3 of the screen. Purchased in January 2009, so 5 and a half years, running 12 hours a day...

Mika2603 · Answer

Hello,

I have a Hitachi plasma TV that I bought in 2005 and I have the same problem described above.

A large vertical green line has appeared and from what I have read, it is related to the screen.

I can't complain since the TV is 9 years old.

So it is time for me to invest again.

But I will certainly no longer trust the salespeople's claims who, to meet their sales targets or due to incompetence, inform you about a lifespan....

bilou · Answer

We are in the same situation with the same 127cm screen that is 3 years old. The customer service tells us that the plasma screen is dead, so it goes in the trash... Is there a solution...? Thank you.

bilou · Answer

We are in the same situation with the same 127cm screen. The screen is 3 years old, and the customer service tells us that the plasma screen is dead, so it's rubbish... any solutions...? Thank you.

Maximj · Answer

Hello, as I don't see the reference for my LG50PK250, I assure you that since it was turned on in May 2010 (maximum 5 hours/day), it has recently shown a green line that cuts the screen in half!
Bravo LG and the seller Darty for their indifference.

stephan0811 · Answer

Hello,  Same problem with my LG plasma 127cm (I no longer know the exact model) purchased in May 2009 (5 years old).  1 vertical line of 1 or 2 pixels visible mainly on red and blue tones (invisible on green, white, or black)  usage: about 8 hours a day

clientdéçu · Answer

Same problem with the LG plasma TV 50PK550 127cm.....4 years is really a short lifespan!! What is LG doing ????? DISGRACEFUL

Djay · Answer

Hello
I had the same issue after 2.5 years, my LG plasma 350PK 127 cm showed a vertical line and now I am at 3 today.
While searching a bit, I came across these links:
http://www.gamoover.net/Forums/index.php?topic=22986.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPeYCFWWQrw

So, I just bought the YSUS board on eBay for 45 euros second-hand... we'll see if it works.

Let me know if you also think that this board could be the cause.
I will keep you updated after the replacement.

Djay · Answer

I just replaced the ysus board and there’s no change... very disappointed with the process, some information had given me a little hope, in fact, I wasted my time and money.

Wideday · Answer

Same for me, I have a TV LzG that I bought three and a half years ago, what can we do in this case, change the panel? Is this solution effective?

Vertical line on LG Plasma 50PG4500

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