Samsung forum: Samsung LN46C630 46" LCD flickering...

Thanks for the suggestion... I had already tried naming the input to no avail. I have been scouring the forums for solutions and this appears to be a widespread issue with Samsung and Windows video card drivers through VGA. I believe the flickering is do to refresh rates and the only solution is to hook the pc via HDMI. This wasn't too bad, although it did require the purchase of a 30' HDMI cable. However, now everything seems fine. I am getting 1080p from the pc on the HDMI/DVI input.

With that said... I am extremely disappointed in the level of technical support from Samsung! I might be a CEDIA certified installer, but most people are not. We, the consumer, should not be made to feel that we are in the wrong for requesting service. I was told by Samsung the TV was defective and to call the retailer (beachcamera.com) for replacement since it was under 30 days of purchase. Beachcamera.com blatantly LIED to me saying that they don't refund on TVs. After reading through their return policy, in fine print and through another link it appears they don't. So I was back to Samsung and was argued with repeatedly from customer service, however they still didn't hold up to their guarantee. I would also like to add that their returns department never even called me back after leaving a message!

Simply put... SAMSUNG CUSTOMER SERVICE IS HORRIBLE AND THIS IS THE LAST SAMSUNG I EVER BUY! I DO NOT RECOMMEND BUYING ANYTHING FROM BEACHCAMERA.COM EITHER! THEY ARE HACKS AND DO NOT HOLD UP TO THEIR 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE!

Why should I have to hook up the TV differently only because your TV can't decode a VGA signal properly? I have had this PC hooked up to a 42" Panasonic plasma for 2 years @ 1366x768 (720p) with no issues. Samsung needs to get in the game! I shouldn't have to resort to troubleshooting and teching out a problem that is yours! You've lost a customer for good since now I'm STUCK with the TV!

I am done with this hassle. Samsung said they would repair the tv, but why should i have to live with a repaired tv that i just bought. I told them I wanted a NEW one! I told the agent I wished to speak to a supervisor and was disconnected after holding for 20 mins. As far as beachcamera is concerned, their policy does state they don't replace TVs. However, they do guarantee customer satisfaction and clearly I was not satisfied! I wanted a refund and was going to purchase a different TV elsewhere.

In short, I'm done!!!!!

Hey I have had the same problem. I did some digging and came to the conclusion that it was the backlight inverter so I ordered a new one from shopjimmy.com and replaced it myself. It fixed the problem for about 2-3 months and the tv just started flickering again this week. I'm going to try and replace the power source and the backlight inverter this time. I'm thinking maybe the power source isn't working right (I've read that Samsungs have capacitor problems) and is frying the backlight invertor. If this doesn't do it I'm calling it quits on the tv. I've read of a lot of people having lots of problems with this tv starting just after 12 months. Mine started almost exactly at the 12 month mark. I'll let you know if this works once I do it.

Hi,
I also have the same problem as described by plimbruck and mongo0se. It started in late June, but was very intermittent for the first couple months.Then in September the flicker occured ~ 75% of the time. Now it happens almost 100% of the time and the screen gets darker overall, fading to black on the right side. After it has been on for about 10 minutes, the entire screen goes black! The all black stage just started happening 4 days ago. So much for Sunday football.

At various points along the ride to black, I found that the following would sometimes cause the TV to "flip states", meaning if it was flickering, it would stop, if it wasn't, it would start. Sometimes:
changing P-mode, any video frame that was black - usually between commercials, going from Tivo recording -> to live Tv, power cycling the TV. The black screens most consistently started the flicker. The longer this has gone on, the worse it got, the less effect any of the above had.

What had no effect:
Changing tivo input from HDMI to component, switching input to DVD source via component, bypassing Tivo by connecting the coax cable (comcast) directly into the TV.

I purchased the product on 5/31/2010 from Best Buy, but didn't register the product with Samsung until I was forced to accept that this problem wasn't going away. That would be around Sept. 18th.

I have submitted a repair request via Samsung and have been routed to their local vendor. I will call tomorrow for a price on an evaluation. I do not expect it, nor the resulting repair, to be cheap.

Regarding the warranty, if this is a common problem with this model at 1yr+ age, I would expect Samsung to make some exceptions to the standard warranty. I am an engineer who lives in the world of failures. I understand that "things happen", even with the most well engineered and manufactured products. I don't expect perfection from anybody. I do, however, expect to be treated fairly if I am one of the unlucky few..

Samsung_HD_Tech,
Do you have any advice on how I may escalate with Samsung?

Thanks,
Shawn

YES!! This worked. Super easy fix. Doesn't seem right that it should be this simple. I'm just hoping that this fix doesn't cause further issues but if the Samsung tech performed this that makes me feel OK with it! Thanks!! You saved me $$$ and more importantly frustration. Don't see how such a widespread problem has been a mystery for this long?

THANK YOU for posting this! Worked like a charm with minimal hassle. My TV is way past warranty, so I was very pessimistic about its prognosis. Can't thank you enough for sharing the surprisingly easy fix!

Were you able to obtain a copy of the photo of the jumper to clip?

Hi, Thanks fro help guys. I have the above model with the identical fault which just managed to wait until the warranty expired before flashing like mad!
Wasn't sure it would work but cured it straight away, tested for past couple of hours and still fault free.

[IMG]http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg40/bigtel28/IMG-20120104-00605.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg40/bigtel28/IMG-20120104-00606.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg40/bigtel28/IMG-20120104-00609.jpg[/IMG]

I had the problem on a 55" LN55C630. Researching online I found that if the capacitors are good, the EASY fix involves cutting a jumper on the power supply motherboard. For my model this was jumper JP854. For model LN46C630 the jumper is JP852.
Steps to repair:
1. Remove back panel - 18 screws
2. Find the jumper on the power supply board (which is the one the power plugs into) on the upper left. DON'T TOUCH THE BOARD IN 'HOT' REGION.
3. With wire cutters, cut the jumper wire on the motherboard, so that they no longer connect.
4. Reassemble

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZwQ0gRQ9sg

I posted a video on my fix. In the video I provide a link to another youtube video that shows the flickering exactly like my TV was doing. Check out the flicker and fix as the link above.

Samsung has been sending techs to do that for us without charge. It's a shame folk think this is going to result in charges or a new set. Then again, how many folk want to call it in? (no one I know)
Bob

Hey, I've got the same issue as the rest of the folks here with the flickering. My question is, does anyone have a link to the service bulletin or a pdf of it where they indicate to cut/remove the jumper on the JP852/854? I want to be sure people aren't getting creative and I don't want to introduce a fire hazard into my house.

Like you said in your analysis gnash11, what's the harm in doing it? The TV is worthless without the fix in it's present state. But I also don't want to burn my place down!

Thanks,

-Ray

With the fix being so easy, please leave comments on the YouTube posting with model number and experience so that others will know that it works. Just trying to make it easier for others to find the fix that saved my TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZwQ0gRQ9sg