I have a JVC 32" CRT TV. I had it connected to satellite, and the
picture would get darker, then go away completely. I switched TV's to
rule out the satellite or any connecting cables, it is definetly the
TV. After the picture went away, if you turn the TV off and then back
on, the picture would appear again, but only briefly. The TV is out of
warranty, but is only a few years old, and I paid about $600 for it. I
currently have another TV that is much better, so I'm not overly
concerned about it, its just that its not too old and I would rather
have it repaired if it can be. So my question is, does anyone with TV
experience recognize these symptoms, is the TV essentially toast, or
is there some hope of fixing it. If I could repair it for 100-200
dollars I would consider it, but if it's going to cost more than half
of what the TV cost, I would just pitch it. I know its tough to
diagnose without seeing the unit, but I just thought someone might
know, "oh its probably the blah blah blah, don't bother having it
repaired".

Definitely the gangle sprocket or the giggling pin.

Are you able to attempt the repair yourself -- you can use a soldering
iron (and sucker) and know where the ?meet thy maker? voltages are?
Much preferred that you use an isolation transformer but not necessary
if you don?t mind the occasional death inducing electric shock. You do
get used to them ;-)

Almost certainly it?s a chip failure. If you have a vague idea of how
a TV works, you may have a notion as to where to look. It is highly
unlikely to be one mounted on a heatsink and most likely one with lots
of pins. Other components, such as discrete transistors *can* cause
this sort of fault but it is extremely rare, all the more so now that
there are very few of them in modern sets. Lots of ways to store the
brightness settings but it is just as likely to be a signal path chip
dying so it?s difficult to diagnose on a parts basis.

However there are two tools for first order diagnosis which work in
the majority of cases -- heat (soldering iron) and cold (freezer
spray). When newly switched on, you can attempt to speed up the fault
by heating the plastic casing of likely chips with a soldering iron.
They?ll take quite a bit before they fry but you only need to take the
package to slightly too hot to touch. If this fails, wait till it?s
gone dim and squirt likely candidates with freezer spray. This often
instantly cures (temporarily) but condensation tends to short pins so
you may have to switch off a few times and dry with a hairdryer.

You can also apply heat with a hairdryer rather than a soldering iron
but it?s a bit tricky directing it to just one point. However a good
all round blast with a hairdryer should precipitate the fault and
prove the hypothesis.

If a chip is identified, next problem is sourcing. I may be able to
advise but this place is UK. Not really practical to ship to me.

Will watch for updates.

Best

My God, Guzzi, and you can be so serious sometimes