TV electronics, or lack of...

[Mikey]

Yesterday I had Info Care (philips) out to replace the power supply in my tv under warranty...

The tv is 47", but there was so little inside it... One pcb with the power supply that is around 10x15cm, and another board with the connectors and such, a few connectors between power supply, and from the other board to other things, and that was it... So much air inside the tv...

Good thing is, the power supply seems to be made to not break down on purpose. (even when the old that got replaced actually broke) Capacitors was no where near heatsinks, some resistors lifted off the board with some spacers... But why they made the case so big is a mystery to me...

[IanB]

But why they made the case so big is a mystery to me...

It could help with cooling, avoiding the need for a fan?

[SeanB]

Mostly to hold the panel inside. The integration has gotten to the point that most of the systems fit on either a few special chips, or are bonded to the LCD or plasma panel flexible boards. The space is generally there to provide either cooling, or to have a balance for it on the stand, as the sets typically are front heavy.

They cut costs, so often they use cheap caps, and then they will fail in a few years.