Troubleshooting is the process of narrowing down the cause of your problem.   Often it is a process of elimination. You need to gather as much information about your problem as you can to help this process along.  Use all your senses. Does the unit smell funny?  Is it hot to the touch? Does it make strange noises?  Does the malfunction occur just when it is hot or cold? Does the malfunction occur just in certain modes of operation? Did the malfunction occur just after a power outage, or a visit from your grandchild? (Little fingers like to play with switches.)  Lightly tapping on a unit to see if the problem comes or goes, may help to determine the malfunction.  Try moving the unit to a different power source.  Move it to a different cable connection. Try to get the suspected unit by itself with no other units attached and check it out that way.  Try using different cables. Cables do go bad. All this will help you, and the technician narrow down your problem.

• TVs
• DVD's
  
• TVCRs
• BIG SCREEN TVs
• RECEIVERS, AMPLIFIERS

• If your DVD player will no longer read a DVD or you have pixilation in the video, the laser assembly most likely has become faulty or is becoming faulty. See: Laser Assembly

• Put in a CD. Will it play?? If your DVD player will not play a DVD but will play a CD, the DVD part of the laser is most likely bad. Your DVD player has just become a CD player.

• If your DVD player will not read a DVD or a CD, that may, or may not, be good news. A cleaning might bring the unit back to life. Again the laser may have gone all the way down. 

• Laser assemblies being supplied in todays DVD players/recorders are cheaply made, with little quality control, and have a high failure rate. Yet the cost of a replacement laser assembly will approach or exceed the cost that you paid for your DVD player/recorder. This often makes your DVD player/recorder not cost effective to repair. Time to go shopping.
   
• Don't pay a whole lot for a new DVD player/recorder. User life for today's DVD players is under two years. Paying more will not increase the user life of a DVD player, as they all use the same cheap laser assemblies. If you do pay a coulpe hundred for a DVD Recorder or Blue Ray DVD player, I would suggest purchasing an extened warranty that offers a repair or replacement.

• Stuck DVD. Door will not open. Little Jonnie pulled the DVD drawer out, or jammed it in. All may be cost effective to repair. Using a screw driver or knife to pry the door open will not work and will only cause damage to the DVD player and or disc.  Try unplugging the DVD player, Give it 20 or 30 seconds and then plug it back in. If your lucky it may give your disc back to you.  If not, consider a repair.
  

VCR WILL NOT ACCEPT A TAPE  See: Tapes

• The part of the VCR that the tape goes into is called the BASKET. Today, in the newer VCRs, the Baskets are very flimsy and are easily broken. If the tape refuses to go in, the Basket may be broken, or the unit may be "Out of Time" (The Basket and Gears are not in the proper location) A broken Basket or a unit out of time will require repair.

• Again you may have a Basket problem or the unit may be "Out of Time" (Basket and Gears are not in the proper location) A unit out of time will require repair.

• This can be caused by a multitude of problems. The VCR requires repair. A cleaning will not take care of this problem.

• Normally this is an indication that the tape is not transporting (The tape is not moving). The VCR may require Belts and Tires, Idler assemblies etc.. The VCR is in need of repair.

• If you have a snowy picture or blue screen, and you have audio your VCR may require cleaning.

STUCK TAPE

• The VCR may have "eaten" the tape. The unit may be out of time or have a basket problem, or you may have installed a faulty tape. Try the steps below. If the problem persists it is time to take your VCR in to be looked at.

• Try unplugging the VCR for 15 to 20 seconds.  Plug the VCR back in and try to eject tape again.

• Try turning the VCR upside down, then try to eject the tape.

VCR tape Analog TVs will continue to work with cable, satellite, VCRs, DVD players, camcorders, video games consoles and other devices for many years to come.removal can be quite tricky.  When most people try to remove their own tapes they often cause quite a bit of damage, to both the VCR and the tape they are trying to remove. This often results in a repair bill of $65 or more and the loss of a tape.  The Audio Works charges ten dollars to remove a tape, or twenty dollars for a VCR cleaning which would include tape removal, and a diagnostic of the VCR.

TVs 
There are no consumer serviceable parts in a TV.  High voltages may be present and could be hazardous to your health. TV's have as much as 25,000 to 30,000 volts in circuit even if the set is off and unplugged. A implosion hazard also exists because of the picture tube. Let the professional take care of your problem. Do gather as much information that you can about your problem. Are you having problems with certain channels? Does the malfunction happen only when hot or cold? Do you hear a snapping, popping, or clicking noise?  Does the TV smell funny? Did you try a different power source or cable connection? Be sure to bring your remote with the TV if you take it in for repair. It will be needed during the repair and check out of your unit. Don't wait too long. Some malfunctions if caught early will be cheaper to fix. Be sure to call your repair shop to see if room is available for your set.

TVCRs
There are no consumer serviceable parts in a TVCR.  High voltages may be present and could be hazardous to your health. TVCR's have as much as 25,000 to 30,000 volts in circuit even if the set is off and unplugged. A implosion hazard also exists because of the picture tube. Let the professional take care of your problem. Please do not attempt to remove stuck tapes!  This process can be quite involved and if done incorrectly a lot of damage may occur which will increase the cost of the repair to you. Often if the VCR is "out of time" both the TV and VCR may not operate.

BIG SCREEN TVs 
There are no consumer serviceable parts in a Big Screen TV.  High voltages may be present and could be hazardous to your health. TV's have as much as 25,000 to 30,000 volts in circuit even if the set is off and unplugged.  Let the professional take care of your problem. 

RECEIVERS AND AMPLIFIERS
There are no consumer serviceable parts in a receiver or amplifier.  High voltages may be present and could be hazardous to your health. Let the professional take care of your problem. Receivers and amplifiers do have fuses. However, just replacing a fuse seldom takes care of your problem.  There is a reason the fuse blew. There is also a reason that you do not have access to the fuse unless the cover is removed. Certain checks are required before replacing a fuse or further damage may occur.  Installation of a fuse with the wrong rating , or by-passing the fuse, may cause a fire or further damage.

 Do gather as much information that you can about your problem.  Check your connections. Are your speaker wires in good condition and connected. See: SPEAKERS. Are you having problems just with one channel? Try using your headsets to see if the channel is missing there as well.  Make sure your balance control is centered. Swap your speakers to see if problem swaps sides. Insure that all the switches are in the proper location. Be sure to try different input sources. If you do not have an output when you have "CD" selected but you have an output when you select "Tape" or "Tuner" your Receiver may be just fine, and you could have a CD or cable problem. Older audio units often have problems with the front panel controls. See: CONTROLS

• If you have a very low output from your speakers with the volume turned up, and your switches are correct. (Check the Mute and Tape 2 buttons) You most likely have a blown output transistors in one or both channels. This is usually caused by faulty speakers or the speaker wires were shorted together. Playing your stereo at very high volume levels, with improper ventilation may also cause this malfunction. Your amplifier/receiver requires repair.