Samsung UE46F5500AK LED TV loops on and off

[prophet01]

After 7 years of perfect, reliable sevice my TV decided to play up and started switching itself on and off in a loop whilst I was connected to Netflix.

I disconnected from the wall socket, waited a couple of minutes then re-connected. It, off course, had disconnected from Netflix and opened on a standard channel.

 

I was able to scroll throught the channels without issue. When I attempted to re-connect with the internet to get back to Netflix using the "media" button it started looping on and off again.

 

Having done a little testing over the last couple of days it appears that the issue is related to using the "media" button to get internet viewing use i.e. Netflix/BBC iPlayer etc.

For example this morning I switched on and all was fine on the standard channels. I was able to change channel wthout issue. As as soon as I hit the "media" buttton it started loopng. I left it on - after a few minutes it stopped and settled on a standard channel. This time when I simply attempted to change channel the looping started. After 5 minutes of looping it settled but, again, continued looping when I tried to change channel.

 

Hope there might be a knowlegeable person on here who might be able to assist.

[jastheace]

oh yes... samsung.

i'll assume it's a smart TV rather than using a dongle/ smart stick.(amazon, roku etc...)

a couple of things you can try, you've probably done this already, leave it turned off (unplugged from the wall socket for as long as possible, say a few hours.)

if no joy, i can suggest that you try a factory reset. i know it's a pain having to do passwords etc, but that's the next step, try a software upgrade, through the TV menu is OK, but download to a USB stick from a PC then from the USB to the TV seems to work better...

if no joy still.... if the TV is actually turning itself off then back on, maybe clicking or flashing the standby LED, there used to be a common fault with leaky/ faulty capacitors on the power PCB inside the TV. 

capacitors will sometimes show signs of bulging or leaking electrolyte. capacitors used to be easy to find at places such as amorn. replacement boards should be easy to find, use the part number or PCB ID etched on it. there is possibly a chance that the fault with the power supply board may have corrupted software on the main/ mother board, but symptoms would be more severe than you describe.

good luck getting it sorted.

Just to add..... maybe try this very very first.... in the TV settings, reduce the backlight to a minimal setting, maybe 'eco' mode if you can't find backlight setting. it must be the backlight you reduce, not the 'brightness' of the screen. if this stops the fault, let me know and i will reply...

[Maybole]

Please excuse my ignorance. What do you mean by "looping"

[prophet01]

@jastheace

Yes, smart TV.

Appreciate your time and suggestions. Will give them a try tomorrow and report back.

[prophet01]

@Maybole

2 hours ago, Maybole said:

Please excuse my ignorance. What do you mean by "looping"

 

As stated in my post

"switching itself on and off in a loop" i.e. turning itself on then off then on then off then on then off... ad infinitum

[mtls2005]

A quick search on the interwebs indicates this is a known problem.

 

Maybe have a search and read. Often, you'll find others have similar problems, and there are solutions.

 

Sounds like it's related to your internet connection? Is that WiFi or wired ethernet? Do you have any unique networking set-up? Multiple routers? VPN? Give your router(s) a good long power cycle. Check that in the settings to see if it's connected with a valid IP. If you can switch types from WiFi to wired, or wired to WiFI, try that.

 

Seeing maybe a half-dozen workarounds: power cycle at wall, turn AnyNet off, turn Power on with Mobile to OFF. Factory reset. And a few more.

 

Could have gotten stuck on a SW update. Maybe rerun SW updater?

 

A riskier option would be to update SW from a USB stick, but save that for last.

 

 

 

 

[FarangRimPing]

8 hours ago, prophet01 said:

@Maybole

 

As stated in my post

"switching itself on and off in a loop" i.e. turning itself on then off then on then off then on then off... ad infinitum

Interestingly, my Samsung TV started turning off and on by itself yesterday, for the first time ever. I thought it might be a problem with the remote so I took out the batteries of the remote. It still kept on doing it. I tried many different things with the TV, such as putting it on a UPS, changing the electrical cord, etc. No joy.

 

I then changed the batteries on the remote and it's back to being perfect! Maybe you should give it a try.

[prophet01]

 

@jastheace

As you suggested, I first tried reducing the backlight setting to the minimum, zero.

Interestingly I was able to watch a full film without encountering the issue. It was onlywhen I attempted to scroll back through the film that the looping re-started.

 

19 hours ago, jastheace said:

if this stops the fault, let me know and i will reply...

I eagerly await your reply.

 

[prophet01]

@mtls2005

 

5 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

A quick search on the interwebs indicates this is a known problem.

 

Maybe have a search and read. Often, you'll find others have similar problems, and there are solutions.

 

That's exactly what I always do first whenever I need answers.

However when there are so many fix suggestions, as in this instance ranging from simple setting alterations to component swap-outs  as you found, I like to first try and find someone who has first hand experience.

 

Appreciate the suggestions and will give them a go depending on whether or not a fix is found via  @jastheace .

 

[prophet01]

3 hours ago, FarangRimPing said:

Interestingly, my Samsung TV started turning off and on by itself yesterday, for the first time ever. I thought it might be a problem with the remote so I took out the batteries of the remote. It still kept on doing it. I tried many different things with the TV, such as putting it on a UPS, changing the electrical cord, etc. No joy.

 

I then changed the batteries on the remote and it's back to being perfect! Maybe you should give it a try.

 

Such a coincidence. I'll definitely give it a try.

[jastheace]

@prophet01

if you're still having problems... can i just ask have you noticed any irregularities with the screen, such as bright,dark areas, or even purple dots/ areas?

 

[prophet01]

@jastheace

As mentioned in my post earlier;

"As you suggested, I first tried reducing the backlight setting to the minimum, zero.

Interestingly I was able to watch a full film without encountering the issue. It was onlywhen I attempted to scroll back through the film that the looping re-started."

 

No irregularities were experienced prior to the looping issue.

[Susco]

Sounds like a power supply issue to me, where the tv shuts down when too much power is required.

[CharlieH]

Had something very similar, short story, it was the remote handset ! Took it out of the room and the issue stoppsd.

 

Bought a replacement handset, problem solved.

 

Obviously cant guarantee your is the same, but, try it, take batteries out of the handset, ya never know, worth a try and cost nothing to find out.

 

Just a suggestion.

[jastheace]

if the other posts regarding remote control isn't helping, then do try my other suggestions, especially software upgrade.

using streaming will use marginally more power, and needs 'clean' power. hence my thoughts on the capacitors on the PSU/ power supply board. failing capacitors will have a lower value and the supply will get 'noisy'. 

as i said, check out my other suggestions first. the next step i would go to is to check the power supply. many local TV repair shops will only charge a few hundred baht for  an assessment.

I mentioned LED's as when they begin to fail, they will draw more power, and a feedback loop to the PSU will detect this, and power on /off, but there would be visible signs on the screen. replacing the PCB would have no effect, to test i would disconnect part of the backlighting.

maybe best left to a shop?

[prophet01]

Ok folks, apologies for the delay in getting back.

 

@jastheace

So, not only did I try changing the batteries I tried another Samsung handset,

I tried a factory reset,

I tried a software update, unfortunately all to no avail.

 

What makes a difference, as stated in a previous post, was your suggestion to reduce the backlight to the minimum setting, zero.

This appears to allow internet viewing, at least for a period of time, before the on/off looping kicks in.

 

I admit to being wholly ignorant with respect to electronics so I'll end up taking it to a TV repair expert but I'd be grateful if you'd explain why you initially suggested doing this. I assume it's related to power requirements (in relation to internet use) and its effect on electronic components.

[jastheace]

53 minutes ago, prophet01 said:

 

What makes a difference, as stated in a previous post, was your suggestion to reduce the backlight to the minimum setting, zero.

 

I'd be grateful if you'd explain why you initially suggested doing this. I assume it's related to power requirements (in relation to internet use) and its effect on electronic components.

pretty much. unfortunately some brands of TV are under engineered, yours included. (my opinion and my experience.) there are fewer LEDS in newer TVs. 

I had a 2013 model 42 inch which was edge lit with 200 odd leds. i'm about to work on a 2015 model 55 inch which has around 50 leds directly lighting the screen from the rear. the fewer leds mean they are worked harder and brighter than 'normal'. if i had the tv, i would start by disconnecting various strips to see if the fault disappeared. that was my idea behind suggesting reducing the backlight intensity. otherwise a fault with the power supply, being noisy, possibly due to failing caps. i could waffle on, but you're probably almost falling asleep with boredom already, so i'll leave it there...

except to post these 2 images. of LED strips.

first one is what u have.   second one is the better idea.

If u r in Thailand, I can't see a repair shop charging more than 300 B to diagnose, or 1000-1500 for proper repair.

[prophet01]

Eventually  got round to taking the the unit to a little indipendent repair shop.

Turned out to be the power supply board. All sorted.

Thanks for the input.