How Much Does It Cost To Repair A TV?

TV Repair Cost

TV repair costs between $60 and $350 with most spending $207 on average for LCD, LED, plasma, and 4K TVs; costs are higher if repairing older DLP, projection, and HD TVs. TV problems like display issues, powering-on problems, or sound issues can be fixed. Pickup and delivery fees may apply.

TV Repair Cost

National Average Cost	$207
Minimum Cost	$60
Maximum Cost	$350
Average Range	$84 to $300

The cost to repair a TV will include the price of parts and labor costs, plus other associated costs. Additional charges include a trip fee for a technician to come to your home, a fee to transport your TV to and from a repair shop, and the diagnostic fee to determine what needs to be replaced.

Table of Contents

1. TV Repair Cost
2. TV Screen Repair Cost
• Cracked TV Screen
• TV Screen Replacement
3. How Much to Fix Common TV Repair Problems?
• Motherboard
• TV Inverter
• TV Bulb or Backlight
• Power Supply Board
• HDMI Port and Circuit Board
• TV Capacitor
• Replacement Glass
• Picture Tube
• Fuse or Panel
4. Estimating TV Repair Costs By Type
• Flat-Screen
• LCD or LED
• 4K Ultra HD
• Plasma
• Projection
5. How Much Do TV Repair Shops Charge?
• Best Buy and Geek Squad
• Sears
6. Additional Costs and Considerations
7. How to Save Money on TV Repair
8. Replacing vs. Repairing a Television
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Hiring a TV Repairman
11. TV Repair Near Me

TV Screen Repair Cost

The cost to repair a TV screen can be significantly more than the cost of purchasing a new TV. For this reason, replacing or repairing a broken TV screen is not considered feasible.

For example, the price of a new Samsung 40-inch LED TV is about $400, yet the cost of a replacement display panel for this model is about $380. This price is only for the replacement part and does not cover diagnostic costs, labor costs, or travel or shipping fees.

Broken TV screen repair is not a service offered by most TV or electronics repair companies. For example, BestBuy's 90-day warranty, does not list broken TV screen repair as one of the problems they service.

Cracked TV Screen Repair Cost

Unless you are trying to fix a TV from the ’80s or earlier, cracked TV screen repair is not feasible; the entire display panel must be replaced instead. The cost of a replacement TV display panel is more than the cost of buying a new TV, and that’s before labor and other service costs.

Cracked or damaged TV screen repair is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

TV Screen Replacement Cost

The cost of TV screen replacement is generally the same as or more than the cost of buying a new TV. Therefore, replacing a broken or malfunctioning TV screen is not considered a viable option. If the TV is under the manufacturer’s warranty, the manufacturer may replace the entire unit.

TV manufacturers do keep replacement TV screen panels on hand to support products under warranty in case the screen malfunctions, due to manufacturer defect.

If you still want to replace a damaged or malfunctioning TV screen, your best option is to find a used replacement panel or a broken TV of the same model on which the screen is still functional. You might find one on eBay, and you can hire a technician to change out the panel.

The cost of a used replacement TV panel ranges from $50 to $350 or more, excluding shipping, depending on the brand and size. Note that the chances of finding exactly the part you need in excellent condition are slim, and the cost excludes the cost of installation by a repair shop.

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How Much to Fix Common TV Repair Problems?

Whether your TV is LCD, LED, plasma screen, or 4K (Ultra HD), the cost to fix common problems ranges from $60 to $350, depending on the repair type and the brand of TV being repaired.

Cost To Fix Common TV Repair Problems

Problem	Component	Average Cost To Fix
TV powers on and has sound, but no picture	LED or CCFL Backlighting (In most LCD TVs)	$100 – $122
	Bulb (in a projection TV or older LCD TV)	$60 – $115
	Inverter	$104 – $171
TV doesn't power on	Power Supply	$200 – $300
	Fuse	$60 – $136
Rear projection TV powers off due to overheating	Cooling system	$200 – $330
No display, vertical lines, no sound	Motherboard	$200 – $350
No signal from inputs	Input board	$200 – $350
White display, no display, double image, lines	Control board	$250 – $350
TV will not power on or any of the above issues	Capacitor	$61 – $139

These repair problems could have more than one possible source, so a technician should take time to narrow down the exact problem. TVs are repaired by replacing faulty components.

Motherboard Replacement

TV motherboard replacement costs between $200 and $350, including parts and labor, or about $275 on average. Motherboard replacement parts range from $35 to $199 and labor costs from $60 to $125.

TV Inverter Repair

A TV inverter repair costs $104 to $171, including parts and labor, with an average cost of $138 for a TV with one inverter board or $178 for two. Parts range from $7 to $74, and the average labor cost for TV inverter repair is $97 per hour.

The function of an inverter board in a TV is to power the backlight of the screen. The inverter board requires a few hundred volts of power. If the inverter board goes bad, this would cause the TV to power on and have sound but no picture.

When an inverter component goes bad, it is usually replaced rather than repaired. In some cases, the capacitors on a converter board fail, and a technician can fix it by replacing the capacitors rather than replacing the entire inverter component. However, if an entire inverter board replacement is not available for the model of TV being repaired, replacing the capacitors may be the only option for TV inverter repair.

TV Bulb Replacement

A flat-screen TV bulb replacement costs between $60 to $115, with most homeowners spending $84 for parts and labor. The price for replacement bulbs ranges from $18.50 to $80.

If an older model LCD TV or projection TV powers on and has sound but no picture, this may be due to lamp burnout, which is both common and expected. In this case, replacing the bulb will fix the problem. An experienced technician should be able to replace the bulb quickly and easily.

Samsung 50-inch rear-projection HDTVs (1080 megapixel) use specialized LED lamp units in which the bulb can be replaced.

Backlight Repair Cost

TV backlight repair costs $100 to $122, including replacement parts and labor, at a repair shop. In-house repair costs are more due to trip fees. The price of backlight replacement parts averages around $2.50 for each LED and between $20 and $25 for each CCFL strip.

If the CCFL strips for your TV are no longer available, a technician can convert the backlight from CCFL to LED using the same number of backlighting strips. Each strip of LEDs costs between $12 and $30.

A new inverter may be needed to power the LEDs, costing between $7 and $74 before labor, or an average of $40. In some cases, a repair shop can convert a CCFL backlight to LED without installing a new inverter.

Backlight failure in a TV may also be due to failure of the power inverter that supplies power to the backlight. In rare cases, both the inverter and the lighting components fail.

Power Supply Board Repair Cost

Repairing a TV power supply board costs $23 to $234 for parts alone. Completely replacing the power supply board costs $250 for parts and labor. If one capacitor has failed, the cost for replacement capacitors is low. However, it’s more cost-effective for the technician to replace the entire board rather than spend time trying to diagnose and replace faulty capacitors one by one.

HDMI Port and Circuit Board Repair

The cost to fix an HDMI port on a TV is $93 to $302. In some cases, the input circuit board that the HDMI port connects to may be damaged and need to be replaced. The cost for replacing this input circuit board, including labor, ranges from $200 to $350.

TV Capacitor Repair

TV capacitor repair costs $60 to $129, including parts and labor. The cost for the replacement part ranges from $0.06 to $14, with the labor portion ranging from $60 to $125 per hour. TV capacitors protect the circuit from getting too much power, filter signals, and facilitate changing channels.

It is not possible to fix a TV capacitor when it fails; it needs replacing. If your TV stops working while you are using it and you notice a smell similar to ammonia or bleach, this is a sign that a capacitor has blown. However, some capacitors do not make any noticeable smell when they blow.

Replacement Glass

Flat screen replacement glass is not available. The only option for flat-screen TV glass repair is to try optical glass glue, which costs $1.70 for a 5-ml. tube. This may be an option for TV glass repair if the crack is only a few inches or less. TV panels are built as one unit at the factory, with the glass adhered to the display panel.

Picture Tube

A TV picture tube repair costs $149 to $249 on average, depending on the size of the TV and where the repair takes place.

• In-home CRT repair ranges from $199 to $249. The cost of repairing a CRT picture tube ranges from $199 for a TV that is 27 inches or smaller to $249 for a TV that is 28 inches or larger.
• In a repair shop, the repair costs range from $149 for a TV that is 27 inches or smaller to $199 for a TV that is 28 inches or larger.

Picture tubes, or cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), were used in old TVs, which had much poorer image quality than modern TVs and were much bulkier and heavier.

Fuse Repair

A TV fuse repair costs between $61 and $136, with most spending $99 on average. The cost of the replacement fuse itself is $1.50 to $11, while labor ranges from $60 to $125 per hour. Additional fees may apply.

Panel Repair Cost

LCD flat-panel repair is not considered cost-effective. If the glass is cracked or the display is physically damaged, it is cheaper to replace the entire TV than to repair or replace the display panel.

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Estimating TV Repair Costs By Type

Estimating TV repairs costs by brand is not something TV repair shops offer, however, there are general prices by type. When looking for specific repair costs for your TV, you’ll find them in the common repairs price list above. Pricing applies to brands such as Samsung, LG, Sanyo, TCL, Insignia, HiSense, Sony, Toshiba, Pioneer, and Vizio.

More popular TVs are usually less expensive to repair because repair shops order replacement parts for them in bulk, which allows them to buy those parts at a lower cost.

Flat-Screen TV Repair

The cost of flat-screen TV repair ranges from $42 to $359. You cannot fix a broken screen, but the price of a new flat-panel TV starts from around $249 for a 1080-mp (non-4K) LED TV from LG to as much as $14,999 for an 85-inch 8K LED TV from Samsung. A TV referred to as a “flat TV” or “flat-screen” TV might be any of the following:

• LCD TV
• LED TV (LCD lit by LED)
• Plasma screen
• 4K TV (Ultra HD)
• Smart TV

LCD TV Repair

LCD TV repair typically costs $60 to $85 for diagnostics testing, and $200 to $300 to perform repairs. LCD TVs use backlighting, which may fail. Newer LCD TVs use LED strips for backlighting. Older ones might use CCFL. If CCFL backlighting fails, a technician can replace it with LED backlighting.

LCD & LED TV Repair Cost

Service	Diagnostics	Repair
In-Home Service	$85	$270
Service at a Repair Shop	$59	$220

LED TV Repair

An LED TV is just an LCD TV that uses LED backlighting, which all newer models do (older models use CCFL backlighting). The cost to replace one LED backlighting strip ranges from $100 to $122, including parts and labor.

4K TV (Ultra HD) Repair

The cost to replace the motherboard, inverter, or LED's in a 4K TV ranges from $100 to $275 or more depending on the brand and model. The cost for screen repair for a 4K TV is irrelevant because it cannot be fixed or replaced at a cost that is lower than the cost of a new 4K TV.

Plasma TV Repair

Plasma TV repair typically costs $40 to $85 for diagnostics testing, and $300 to $400 to perform repairs.

Plasma TV Repair Cost

Service	Diagnostics	Repair
In-Home Service	$85	$359
Service at a Repair Shop	$42	$329
Panel Replacement (In-Store Only)	--	$299

Projection TV Repair

Digital light processing (DLP) TVs are also known as projection TVs. DLP big screens have not been made since 2012, and DLP TV repair is usually not worth the cost except for a lamp burnout, in which the bulb can be replaced. The cost to replace bulbs ranges from $60 to $115.

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How Much Do TV Repair Shops Charge?

TV repair shops charge an average $60 to $125 per hour, or a flat rate of $50 to $250, which includes the diagnostic fee. Additional costs after that depend on the repairs needed and the brand and type of TV. However, most stores will have a minimum charge of about $90.

Best Buy and Geek Squad

Best Buy TV repair is provided through the Geek Squad TV & home theater service. Geek Squad TV repair starts at a base cost of $100 for a diagnostic fee. TV repair is covered under Best Buy’s protection plan, which costs $280 per year when you purchase a TV from Best Buy at the time of purchase, or within the return period printed on your receipt.

Sears

Sears TV repair is limited to:

• Plasma
• Projection
• Projection DLP
• Projection LCD
• Tube 35-inch and larger

Sears does not repair LCD TVs.

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Additional Costs and Considerations

The brand and model of your TV will dictate the final repair cost, with more expensive brands and larger TVs costing more to repair. Consider the remaining lifespan of the TV before paying for repairs. You can now buy bigger TVs with more features and better displays for a TV that won’t need repairs for a while and probably comes with a warranty.

Labor Costs

The cost of labor to fix a TV ranges from $60 to $125 per hour, or a flat rate of $90 to $299. If the work is performed in your home, the cost ranges from $25 to $125 per hour plus the trip fee. Most TV repairs take 1 to 3 hours if the repair specialist has the parts already.

Cost of Transporting a TV to a Repair Shop

Some shops will pick up and deliver a TV for free. Others charge a fee that ranges from $40 to $75 for pickup and drop-off, with an average cost of $58.

If you live in a remote area, you may need to ship your TV to a repair facility, costing $99 to $175. Be sure to choose a delivery service that allows you to track the shipment and confirm delivery. When sending your TV into a service center for repair, you will be contacted regarding the associated costs and asked to process payment before the repair is completed, which usually takes two weeks including the shipping time.

Diagnostic Costs

Many TV repair shops charge a diagnostic fee that ranges from $20 to $60, depending on whether it is done in your home or the repair shop. Some shops charge a flat fee that ranges from $50 to $250 that covers both the diagnostic cost and labor cost. In many cases, the initial diagnostic fee will be applied to the repair cost if you have the shop do the repair.

Extended Warranties

The more expensive a TV is, the more sense it makes to purchase an additional warranty to defray the potential for costly repairs. Best Buy offers an $89 five-year extended warranty for entry-level TVs. On larger TVs such as the 85-inch Samsung QLED 8K TV, which costs $14,998, the five-year warranty from Geek Squad costs an additional $1,699—11.33% of the cost of the TV.

For Best Buy’s extended warranty, repair work is performed through their Geek Squad subsidiary and includes the following:

• All parts and labor
• Product failures because of dust, humidity, internal heat
• Any workmanship or material defects
• Correcting dead pixel and image shadows
• Damage from power surges
• In-home service for large TVs

The warranty is transferrable if you sell or give away the TV.

Certified TV Repair Technicians

You may want to seek out a repair shop that uses only certified technicians. Two of the leading certifying organizations in the electronics arena are

1. The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies
2. ETA International

With modern TVs, repair entails component replacement or replacement of capacitors, for which high levels of certification are not necessary. Generally, TV repair shops will let you know if their employees have certification.

If Your TV Has Picture but No Signal

If the TV powers on but you do not see a signal from your cable connection, satellite dish, or DVD player,

• First, check that the connecting cable is securely in the socket on both ends. If that doesn’t work, try substituting another data cable if you have one, or test it with a replacement cable.
  • A data cable $4 to $15     
  • A higher-quality HDMI cable             up to $75
  • A coax cable – for older satellite systems                                    $4.50 – $10
  • A component cable – older, with red, white, and yellow connectors $6 – $10
• Satellite dish repair is either covered by your satellite service company or the cost for a technician to fix it ranges from $80 to $150. Repairs may also be billed at an hourly rate of $50 to $65.
• If you have a rooftop antenna, the cost for a technician to service it is the same as the cost for servicing a rooftop satellite dish.

Cost of Mounting a TV

The cost of mounting a TV ranges from $149 to $199, with most people paying around $174 for the labor. The mounting hardware costs between $20 and $500 depending on the brand of mounting hardware and the size of your TV.

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How to Save Money on TV Repair

There are various ways you might be able to save money on TV repair. These include transporting your TV to a repair shop, using a shop that charges in 15- or 30-minute increments, diagnosing the problem yourself, using salvaged parts, and doing the repair work on your own.

You can also consider the cost of TV repair when purchasing a new TV. More popular TV models are less expensive to repair because repair shops buy parts for the most common TVs in bulk and are therefore able to get them at lower prices.

Trouble Shooting Common TV Repair Problems

TV Does Not Power On

• Plug - If the TV is not powering on and no status LEDs are lighting up, start by plugging the TV into a different outlet. If the TV is too challenging to move, you can run an extension cord from another nearby outlet.
• Circuit breaker - Check the circuit breaker for the power outlet that the TV plugs into. You can check the breakers by opening the door to your breaker panel and looking for circuit breakers that are in the OFF position.
• Power cable - Check the power cable. If it is a removable cable, you can test it by substituting a power cable from another piece of equipment in your home, or you can buy a replacement cable for this test. The cost for a replacement TV power cable ranges from $2.50 to $10.
• Remote control - If the TV is not powering on with the remote control, you should try replacing the batteries. For remote controls with a status LED light, there could be enough power to light the LED but not enough power to send a signal to your TV.

TV Turns Off After a Certain Amount of Time

If your TV turns on but then turns off after a while, consider:

• If it is a projection TV, it may be overheating which caused by a problem with the TV’s cooling system.
• There may be a sleep timer set on the TV. Check your TV’s settings to make sure this is not the case.

No Picture

There are many reasons that a TV may power on but have no picture.

• Backlighting burned out - In modern LCD TVs, the backlighting may be burned out. A technician can replace LEDs or CCFL backlighting strips.
• Inverter is bad - It is possible that the inverter, which powers the backlights, has gone bad and needs to be replaced. It’s also possible that one or more capacitors on the inverter have gone bad, in which case a technician may be able to replace capacitors more cheaply than replacing the entire inverter.
• Lamp burnout - In a projection TV or older LCD TV, no picture may be caused by lamp burnout. In this case, a technician can replace the bulb quickly and easily.

Picture Is Not Displaying Correctly

If the picture is displaying but there are problems such as vertical lines, a double picture, or a white display, this could indicate a faulty motherboard or mainboard.

No Sound

If the TV powers on but there is no sound,

• Be sure that the volume is up on input devices such as a DVD player or cable box.
• Change the channel to be sure it is not just a problem with that channel.
• Plug headphones into the headphone jack. If sound comes from the headphones plugged into the headphone jack, this indicates a problem with the TV speakers.
• Make sure your audio cables are correctly attached. See if a new cable works.

DIY Television Repair

The primary way to save money on TV repair would be to perform the work yourself. This may require you to purchase and get familiar with various tools such as soldering tools, and methods for replacing a capacitor or some other component.

• The right tools - In the case of switching out power supply boards or inverters, standard tools such as screwdrivers or pliers might be sufficient.
• The right parts - It can be complicated to determine which component of a TV is failing and causing the TV not to work correctly. If you buy a replacement part and perform the repair yourself, the TV may still not work, either because you replaced the wrong part, the part was old and not working properly to begin with, or you did not perform the work correctly. Buying multiple replacement parts can become costly.
• Lack of experience – you might cause more damage to the TV due to your lack of knowledge and experience, and you might also end up causing a fire with your soldering iron or being electrocuted.

For these reasons, it is best to have the TV diagnosed by a professional TV repair technician.

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Replacing vs. Repairing a Television

The cost of repairing a TV could be as much as $500 if multiple repairs are needed. Consumer Reports recommends not to spend more than 50% of the cost of a new TV repairing the old one.

If you have a newer TV that cost thousands of dollars, having it repaired would most likely be cost-effective. If the TV only cost a few hundred dollars to begin with, replacing the TV is more likely to be the best option.

Keep in mind that even if your TV works perfectly when it comes back from the repair shop, it will still have other older components that could fail.

How Much Does a New TV Cost?

The following are the prices of a new TV from Best Buy, as of fall 2019:

How Much Does a New TV Cost?

Brand	Model	Average Price
Samsung	85" 8K LED Q900	$14,999
	75" 4K LED 7 Series	$2,199
	65" 4K LED Q90	$3,499
	55" 4K LED Q80	$1,999
	43" 4K LED Q60	$1,299
Sony	85" 8K LED Z9G	$12,999
	75" 4K LED X900F	$2,799
	65" 4K LED X950G	$2,199
	55" 4K LED X950G	$1,399
	43" 4K LED X800G	$649
LG	77" OLED 4K C8 Series	$6,999
	65" 4K OLED E9 Series	$4,299
	55" 4K OLED C9 Series	$2,499
	43" 4K LED UM7 Series	$399
Vizio	75" 4K LED P Series	$3,499
	65" 4K LED P Series	$2,199
	55" 4K LED P Series	$549
	43" 4K LED V Series	$299

Not included in these prices from Best Buy are 1080P screens, which range from $249 to $279 for 43-inch TVs from brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG. On the upper end, Sony and Samsung both have 95-inch 8K LED TVs for $69,999.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a flat-screen TV be fixed?

In most cases, a flat-screen TV can be fixed. The exception is a physically damaged display panel or screen.  Most other issues including failing speakers, backlights, or power supply. Burned out fuses and damaged input ports can also be repaired.

How do you fix a broken TV screen?

If the screen is not physically damaged but is not showing a picture or is displaying “snow’” or vertical or horizontal lines, a technician can repair the TV by replacing failed components. If the screen is physically damaged, it cannot be repaired.

How much does a flat-screen cost?

You cannot replace a broken flat-screen display. New TVs costs anywhere from $249 for a 1080P (non 4K) LED TV from LG to as much as $14,999 for an 85” 8K LED TV from Samsung.

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Hiring a TV Repairman

• Read online reviews on local repair companies here on HomeGuide.
• Check the BBB for records on disputes and how they were resolved.
• Choose someone who has been in business for at least 3 years.
• Don’t work with anyone who asks for money upfront.
• If they offer in-home repair, make sure their employees have had background checks.
• Decide how much you are willing to spend on repairs vs. buying a new TV.
• Get at least 3 quotes.

TV Pickup and Delivery Fees

Some shops will pick up and deliver a TV for free. Others charge a fee that ranges from $40 to $75 for pickup and drop-off, with an average cost of $58.

If you live in a remote area, you may need to ship your TV to a repair facility, costing $99 to $175. Be sure to choose a delivery service that allows you to track the shipment and confirm delivery.

Benefits of Professional TV Repair

There are several benefits to professional TV repair.

• Diagnostics – A professional TV repair technician has the right training and experience to figure out which component(s) need replacing quickly.
• Time – A professional TV repair technician can usually complete repairs within 1 –3 hours.
• Mistakes – If you improperly diagnose the problem with the TV, you will be wasting both time and the cost of the replacement part.
• Cost of Parts – Repair shops often buy high-quality replacement TV components in bulk, making them cheaper.
• Guarantees – Most professional TV repair shops will guarantee their work.

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