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CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 05:48 AM Feb 2019

Old television hell HELP



My mother's old TV (20 years old) no longer works it seems which is very sad to me. Its one of the few things I have left from her (she passed in 2002 of cancer).

I dumped the cable a few moths ago.

I was getting ONE channel (C-SPAN) for a couple of months after the cut-off and my DVD player hooked up to it still worked, but now a big nothing.

I've tried several different antennas and none of them work.

I even bought a converter box (analog to digital) and still a giant nothing.

It has a built in VCR that still works but now the DVD player I have attached to is via a small black box with lots of cables no longer works either.

This is basically an old TV that has never been used much.

It is a Panasonic 20" color TV if that means anything at all.

Have I done all I can do? Should I just keep it to watch old VHS tapes on or is there an option I am missing?

Please help if you can.

Many thanks from ...

CountAllVotes

39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Old television hell HELP (Original Post) CountAllVotes Feb 2019 OP
get a roku or amazon fire stick....load PLUTO tv..its FREE!..... samnsara Feb 2019 #1
What is Pluto tv? CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #2
Unless your tv is "new" enough to have a usb port (which I doubt) this is useless advice hlthe2b Feb 2019 #4
yup CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #7
The roku device can be purchased with serial cable hookup for older teevees UpInArms Feb 2019 #14
Is this difficult to set-up? CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #24
Very easy UpInArms Feb 2019 #25
If there are any old time tv repair shops near that work on analog "tube" tvs, you might call them hlthe2b Feb 2019 #3
Thanks! CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #5
I live in a rural area CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #9
you might be surprised HopeAgain Feb 2019 #6
oh I know CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #8
Technology and longevity HopeAgain Feb 2019 #10
It sure was not worth paying a bunch for cable CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #11
We cut the cable about a year and a half ago HopeAgain Feb 2019 #16
And no commercials! Danascot Feb 2019 #20
Too bad DownriverDem Feb 2019 #27
I was really, really against the move to all digital television. LisaM Feb 2019 #29
I got the old TV going again last night! CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #38
Try contacting Panasonic PJMcK Feb 2019 #12
I do not know why it no longer works with the DVD player CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #15
Does the DVD player work with the other TV? LakeSuperiorView Feb 2019 #21
I don't know CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #23
Best advice I ever heard about sentimental things like this ... Auggie Feb 2019 #13
yup.. that's what I'm currently doing to try to "downsize" hlthe2b Feb 2019 #19
I know CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #22
Search the make and model number LunaSea Feb 2019 #17
I got rid of my "monster" a few years ago. I called a local TV repair man. lamp_shade Feb 2019 #18
What sort of inputs does it have? Afromania Feb 2019 #26
New televisions are cheap matt819 Feb 2019 #28
I am on a DSL connection CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #36
Technology has long since bypassed that set. PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2019 #30
That is the boat I've been in for years CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #31
Old television tech here gay texan Feb 2019 #32
It could be that! CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #33
You could make an aquarium, a liquor cabinet or a cat bed out of it. The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2019 #34
Problem found CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #35
This 20 year old television IS WORKING AGAIN! CountAllVotes Feb 2019 #37
Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2019 #39

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
2. What is Pluto tv?
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 06:34 AM
Feb 2019

I do not know what an amazon fire stick is.

Where do I find one?

Please advise. Thank you!

hlthe2b

(106,360 posts)
4. Unless your tv is "new" enough to have a usb port (which I doubt) this is useless advice
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:00 AM
Feb 2019

I think we have a lot of youngsters who don't realize what the older technology was like.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
24. Is this difficult to set-up?
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 12:57 PM
Feb 2019

Does it come with instructions?

I'm not a whiz at this stuff believe me!

Thank you!

UpInArms

(51,803 posts)
25. Very easy
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 02:01 PM
Feb 2019

And some instructions are included

You don’t have to be a whiz ... and you will enjoy lots of options

😊😊

hlthe2b

(106,360 posts)
3. If there are any old time tv repair shops near that work on analog "tube" tvs, you might call them
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 06:58 AM
Feb 2019

Not to compound your dilemma, but in most areas of the country, should you decide you eventually want to discard it, you will have to pay a not insignificant amount of money to dispose of it. I had a couple of friends go through this about five years ago with old tvs and computer monitors.

So, I think your best bet is to find a repair shop that has an old established history and conceivably someone who likes to "tinker" or at least can advise you.

Good luck.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
5. Thanks!
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:07 AM
Feb 2019

I had another one that died a few months ago.

I took it in to have it recycled.

The cost was only $2.00 if you go to a certain place on a certain day/time.

I do not care to dump a lot of $ into it so I guess I'll just keep it to watch VHS tapes on.

It is very sad as it comes in really good!

I managed to get the TV in the other room going with a MOHU Leaf. It is a digital tv and a newer one. It actually comes in a lot better with the MOHU Leaf than the B.S. cable did!

Thanks for the advice.

I really appreciate it as it seems I am wasting my time and energy.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
9. I live in a rural area
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:13 AM
Feb 2019

There is not much here and not much help.

I've been watching a lot online.

I should get a newer/bigger monitor for my desktop in the other room, that's what I should do!

Thanks again!!

HopeAgain

(4,407 posts)
6. you might be surprised
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:07 AM
Feb 2019

how cheaply you can get a new 20" flat screen for today. Less than $70 on Amazon. Ive seen 32" for $80, A 20 year old 20" certainly won't be worth paying to fix. If you have any old VHS tapes you like to watch, keeping it fot that is probably a good idea.

If it is a reception problem (do you live in a remote area?) it might be a different matter aitogether. a Roku, Chromecast or Fire Stick will not work unless the converter has a usb port (20 year old tv won't) and you have good internet.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
8. oh I know
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:12 AM
Feb 2019

You can pick one up for about $150 or so.

I just wanted to keep this old set-up going being this television set has been used very little over the years. *sigh*

Thank you!

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
11. It sure was not worth paying a bunch for cable
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:24 AM
Feb 2019

I think the bill was going to slowly but surely creep up to over $100 a month.

I had basic cable for $35 a month and it simply was not worth paying for.

The signal really sucks. I get far better reception online.

I'm checking out Pluto tv now. There is a movie on it right now about the IRA in Ireland.

Have been watching a few free movies on vudu.com as well!

I think a new monitor is in order. The one I have now is a 17" HP monitor that I bought in 2008 for $150.00 and has never failed.

HopeAgain

(4,407 posts)
16. We cut the cable about a year and a half ago
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 09:04 AM
Feb 2019

Got one of those indoor flat antannaes and a Roku. Get free Netflix through T-Mobile and Prime TV comes with my annual Amazon Membership. Never even considered going back to cable. We were paying around $70/month and didn't even get HD.

Danascot

(4,897 posts)
20. And no commercials!
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 10:08 AM
Feb 2019

We have the same setup - roku, amazon prime, netflix. Nothing we watch has commercials! We visited relatives recently. They have the tv on in the background and I saw the news come on and started to watch. But the constant commercials made it completely unwatchable. I can't believe we used to put up with this. The old model is dying, thank goodness!

LisaM

(28,601 posts)
29. I was really, really against the move to all digital television.
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 02:25 PM
Feb 2019

Like you, we had a small, older TV that we could watch in a pinch on an island we go to (we'd only put it on for really special events, like Michael Phelps breaking the Olympic title record, or the Michigan- Ohio State game). Other than things like that, it sat in the closet, but it could get the local ABC, CBS, PBS, and NBC stations, and we could get Canadian TV.

Then they changed the law, it could still (kind of) get the Canadian station, but nothing else. So we ditched the old TV, and I brought our smaller digital TV up one weekend so we could watch a game. I was pretty sure it wouldn't pick up any of the newly-digitized stations (I was right), so I bought an antenna, the strongest one they had at Best Buy and took that up, too.

All I got were three shopping channels from Vancouver, two of them in Chinese! I called the antenna company, and the guy was really very helpful, but he told me that due to the rock formations where we are, there were virtually no digital signals capable of crossing them. And we used to be able to get all the main channels!

So, I hear ya, this is ridiculous and was essentially a giveaway to satellite and cable (and now streaming) TV. The public owned the airwaves. So they took away the airwaves......

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
38. I got the old TV going again last night!
Sun Feb 17, 2019, 02:36 PM
Feb 2019

I think I let out a loud yell! YES I DID!!!!

I got it fixed and it is going again (14 channels v. the 12 I was paying cable tv for)!

It took some time, a lot of thinking and a few bucks but it is working perfectly again!

This youtube video here helped me a lot:



Don't give up! It IS possible to keep it going for not too much.

Best of luck!!



PJMcK

(22,886 posts)
12. Try contacting Panasonic
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:54 AM
Feb 2019

Here's the repair/support page from their website:

https://shop.panasonic.com/supportservice

There's a link to finding a service provider near you. It also appears that they have a "mail-in" service but I didn't look at that page.

Years ago, I had an excellent Sony TV that gave me about 15 years before trouble set in. Around 1995, I got it repaired by a shop in NYC and it still works as a monitor for VHS and DVD players.

The problem with older TVs is that they don't have the modern connectivity of HDM1 and USB. Additionally, analog sets need the digital converter to receive broadcasts or a cable converter.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
15. I do not know why it no longer works with the DVD player
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 08:45 AM
Feb 2019

Major bummed about this.

I do not know why the DVD player no longer works!

It is connected to a small black box as is the other VCR that I have so I had two VCRs working and the DVD player as well.

What happened? -- I cannot seem to do that!

 

LakeSuperiorView

(1,533 posts)
21. Does the DVD player work with the other TV?
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 10:35 AM
Feb 2019

Older devices that hooked up to analog TVs used to use either of two channels, because one of the channels might be in use for broadcast TV. The would be able to use 2 and 3, or 3 and 4. You might have accidentally switched the DVD player to use the alternate channel.

Or it might not work anymore. I have several broken DVD players sitting in the basement waiting to go to a recycle place. I would try hooking up the DVD player to the other TV to see if it is working.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
23. I don't know
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 12:54 PM
Feb 2019

I cannot remember how the little black box works either.

I bought it at Radio Shack so I could use the DVD player with a different old TV. That TV died and I hauled it away. I plugged the cable into the old TV that is there now and it worked. I was getting one channel after the cable was disconnected and it was set on channel 4. It worked for watching DVDs and VHS tapes but now the built in VCR is all that works on it. It is a rather large, awkward TV and quite heavy!

The second VCR does not work either (connected to the same small black box) and it had worked when I was still getting one channel. Since the change over happened, I'm screwed it seems.




.

Auggie

(31,801 posts)
13. Best advice I ever heard about sentimental things like this ...
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 07:54 AM
Feb 2019

take a picture of it. That way you'll always remember it. It'll ease the sting of recycling.

hlthe2b

(106,360 posts)
19. yup.. that's what I'm currently doing to try to "downsize"
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 09:44 AM
Feb 2019

It hurts so much to discard things my parents owned--or at least the ones that meant something to me, but after awhile, you just HAVE to.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
22. I know
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 12:41 PM
Feb 2019

It is so hard to let go.
Maybe I should dump all of it and just get a new monitor for the desktop and forget it. The dump is a mile from where I live so I can drive small batches of stuff over there to be rid of it.

It is so hard to let go.

I did the best I could with no help at all and I know that.

Thank you.

LunaSea

(2,927 posts)
17. Search the make and model number
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 09:10 AM
Feb 2019

With countless support forums online for just about anything, there's a good chance someone else has had the same problem
with that model and a few minutes search might be worthwhile.

Search make and model #, add "repair" or list a symptom in your search.

Also check boards like Craigslist for local repair folks in your area. Best prices I've found for electronics repairs have come from
ex-service techs who do repair work on the side.

lamp_shade

(15,092 posts)
18. I got rid of my "monster" a few years ago. I called a local TV repair man.
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 09:41 AM
Feb 2019

It still worked and even if it didn't he was happy to take it off my hands but charged me $20 to come and haul it away.
It was money well spent.

Afromania

(2,789 posts)
26. What sort of inputs does it have?
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 02:07 PM
Feb 2019

I'm thinking maybe a dvd/blu ray player that has netflix or something built in.

matt819

(10,749 posts)
28. New televisions are cheap
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 02:12 PM
Feb 2019

Go to Best Buy and pick up a flat screen LED TV. They're cheap. You can get a 32" LED tv for $89. The cheapest roku is $30. Of course, this assumes you have a decent internet connection. Then watch what you want for free, or shell out for Netflix, Amazon Prime, and any others. But you can do okay (or okay enough) with the free channels.

No need for analog-digital conversion or antennas. I bought a Sony Bravia on sales for around $200 and am very happy with it.

The internet connection could be an issue, I realize, depending on where you're located. DSL would be okay, and these connections could be relatively inexpensive depending on where you're located.

We are way past the concept of "free" tv, sadly.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
36. I am on a DSL connection
Sat Feb 2, 2019, 05:47 PM
Feb 2019

It is not very fast but its all that is going in these parts that is suitable for me.

It costs me $34.95/mo. + 10 gbs of server space which I often use.



PoindexterOglethorpe

(26,727 posts)
30. Technology has long since bypassed that set.
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 02:31 PM
Feb 2019

Buy a new one.

Or, do what I did ten years ago after a move: I didn't buy a TV, and watch pretty much everything I want to see via the internet. I have Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix. Various networks put things up to watch for free.

I want to stress that I'm not some elitist that never watches TV, just someone who ten years ago couldn't afford to purchase a conventional TV screen nor pay for cable. I'd originally intended this to be just an experiment, and honestly thought I'd go back to regular TV/cable after a while. Instead, I find I absolutely don't miss it, and as mentioned above, get to see pretty much everything I want.

Here's something else helpful: Whenever some breaking story occurs, local TV stations often go to live streaming, which is generally better than will be shown on the national networks.

Anyway, best wishes to you whatever you decide to do.

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
31. That is the boat I've been in for years
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 03:03 PM
Feb 2019

Broke.

After my mother died she left me some $, but no million $ or some such thing. Most of it is gone now as I decided a better life was more important than hoarding $, esp. if I may not be around a whole lot longer.

I appreciate your good wishes. They are very much appreciated & needed too!

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
33. It could be that!
Fri Feb 1, 2019, 03:34 PM
Feb 2019

I had not considered that something could be wrong with the television or tuner itself!

You need TWO remotes to operate it; make that THREE with the DVD player!

ACK! I'm thinking I'm done!

Thank you!

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
35. Problem found
Sat Feb 2, 2019, 05:34 PM
Feb 2019

It has nothing to do with the TV itself nor the DVD player.

Problem = rf Modulator box that is connected to the antenna, etc.

The red light no longer comes on.

Found another on ebay for $5.00!

So, I figure I'll get ye old gal going again soon hopefully!

Thanks to all that have replied to my query!

CountAllVotes

(21,068 posts)
37. This 20 year old television IS WORKING AGAIN!
Sun Feb 17, 2019, 02:28 PM
Feb 2019

Like WOW I did it!

I am now getting 14 channels and they come in perfectly!

I got some rabbit ears that plug into a digital analog converter box and some new quad cables.

Got it all hooked up and it is working perfectly once again!

So glad I was able to figure this out.

So, ye old tv isn't about to be recycled and it didn't cost me much to get it going again!

Response to CountAllVotes (Original post)

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