What causes it, and can it be fixed?
Lines across the picture is one of the most common faults we see. It’s also one of the most misdiagnosed — plenty of people are told their set is a write-off when it isn’t.
Here’s what’s actually going on.
First, rule out the easy things
Before assuming the worst, spend two minutes on this.
Try a different input. Switch to another HDMI source, or bring up the TV’s own built-in menu. If the lines disappear on the menu screen, your TV panel is fine — the problem is the cable, the set-top box, or the device you’re plugged into. That’s a cheap fix, or no fix at all.
Try a different HDMI cable. A failing cable can produce lines and flicker.
Press gently around the edges of the screen bezel. If the lines change or vanish while you press, that points to a loose connection — and it’s repairable.
If the lines appear on everything, including the TV’s own menu, the fault is in the panel or the boards. Read on.
What the pattern tells you
Thin vertical lines, fixed in place, often coloured
Usually a failed driver IC on the edge of the panel — the chip controlling that column of pixels. This is a bonding fault. It’s exactly what our bonding machine is for, and it’s a repair very few workshops in Malaysia will attempt. Most will simply tell you to replace the set.
One or two thick vertical bands, or a whole section of the picture wrong
Often a T-CON board fault — the board that feeds the panel. Frequently repairable, and usually cheaper than panel work.
Horizontal lines, or a picture that rolls or tears
Commonly a loose or damaged ribbon cable between the boards and the panel. Often one of the more affordable repairs.
Half the screen dark, or dimming toward one side
Backlight failure — an LED strip has gone. The panel itself is usually fine. Very repairable.
Flickering that comes and goes, often worse when the set is cold
Typically a power supply board fault, usually failing capacitors. One of the cheaper repairs — and one people wrongly take as a sign the TV is dying.
A spiderweb crack radiating out from a point of impact
The panel is physically broken. This needs open cell panel replacement — see below.
The one fault that isn’t repairable — and the one everyone thinks isn’t
If the glass is physically cracked, the panel itself has to be replaced. There’s no repairing broken glass.
But here’s what most people don’t know: replacing the panel does not mean replacing the television.
We use a laser machine and a bonding machine to work at open cell panel level — the same class of equipment used in panel manufacturing. Sets that other shops write off, we can often recover.
That capability is rare in Malaysia. It’s the reason dealers and factories send us the work other service centres turn away.
Read more about our Open Cell Panel Repair
Is it worth repairing?
Our honest rule of thumb: if the repair would cost more than roughly half the price of an equivalent new set, replacement usually makes more sense.
We’ll do that maths with you, openly, before you commit to anything. We would rather tell you to buy a new television than take your money on a repair that doesn’t make sense. That’s how a business lasts thirty-nine years.
But a great many sets that people are told are finished are not finished. If someone has told you your TV can’t be fixed, it costs you one photo to find out whether that’s true.
What happens next
1. Send us a photo. WhatsApp us a picture of the fault on screen, plus a photo of the model number sticker on the back of the set. We’ll tell you what we think it is and roughly what’s involved — free, and with no obligation.
2. Bring it in, or we’ll collect. Collection can be arranged across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. A transport charge applies depending on the area.
3. We diagnose and quote. You get a firm price before any work begins. No surprises.
4. We repair and test. Typical turnaround is 7–10 working days.
5. Collect or we deliver. Backed by a 30-day warranty against recurrence of the same fault.
WhatsApp Us: 017-4629757
Laser Electronics Enterprise — Authorized Panasonic Service Centre
No 15, Jalan 14, Desa Jaya, Kepong 52100 Kuala Lumpur
Repairing televisions since 1987.