Things to Check

Before you call a repairman, check the following:

• If your television will not turn on, you should check your power cord to insure that the TV is actually plugged in. Make certain that the AC outlet the television is plugged into works by connecting a lamp or other electrical device to the AC socket being used. Press the Power button on your television and/or power the set on using your remote control. Insure that the batteries in your remote are good. If necessary, replace your batteries in the remote control.
• Many newer Television sets have sleep timer settings accessible through the main menu. If your TV turns off unexpectedly, you can try to power up your television manually and verify that the sleep timer settings are turned off by deactivating the wake up timer.
• Adjust the picture quality of your Television by adjusting the picture settings on your menu. If the Television is on but you can’t get a picture, try selecting a different signal input on you television front panel or remote control. Scroll through the input settings one by one to see if your picture comes back with a different input signal setting. Check your antenna, cable, or satellite TV connections, and try a different channel in case there is a problem with the current channel. Remember that both analog and digital sets are subject to weather related outages due to heavy rain, storms, or objects blocking your satellite dish if using Direct TV or another satellite provider.
• If your Television sound reception is poor, go to the menu and select Sound options. Try the mono setting first or choose Stereo, or Dolby or other sound settings to see if your sound comes back on. Most new television sets have an internal speaker off/on setting. Insure that the setting is turned to the on position. If there is still no sound, insure that the Television sets mute option is turned off. This can be done by pushing the mute button on the remote control or through the menu options.
• Verify that your Television is set to the proper source if you are unable to get any channels above channel 13. Verify that your menu settings for cable or antenna source are properly set. Check the TV/Cable function on the menu or a similar function on your TV so that you can properly access your appropriate source. Generally you should select the Antenna option only if you are using a UHF/VHF antenna to obtain your TV signal. You should select the Cable setting if you are using cable TV for your TV signal source. Satellite TV will usually be broadcast to one specific channel (usually channel 2 or 3) in the antenna position or to HDMI or other optional inputs if your satellite receiver is equipped with HDMI and other optional outputs.
• Turn off the closed caption feature if you have a cable box, satellite TV Receiver or black box connected to your television. Depending on your model of television, the closed caption feature may be set to "text" mode. Use your remote or the controls on the TV to turn off closed captioning.

Remember
It's always better to be safe than sorry - if in doubt, have a professional look at your set so you can get it repaired fast!