TV sets in the cold

[Ted O'Reilly]

Can current TV sets (LCDs, plasmas) take cold weather? I mean REALLY cold weather...

A friend wishes to replace the old set at his summer cottage in pretty-far North Ontario, where temps can get down in winter, like -20, -30 celsius. Not wishing to move the set in and out, he wonders if the new sets can withstand the winter?

Would Liquid Crystal Display become Ice Crystal Failure??? What'cha think?

[mgraham333]

The first thing I would do is check the manual for temp tolerance specifications. I did some looking around and found this. It seemed to be the best of the lot:

I asked the manufacturers: - LG, Panasonic, Sony and Samsung. Here are the emails I received from the experts:

The storage temperature for these units is -20 to 60 degrees Celsius. Regards David Herbert LG Canada

Please be advised that the recommended storage temperature should be between -20 Celsius and +60 Celsius. However,thetelevision cannot be plugged in until the television's internal temperature is 0-40 degrees Celsius. Please ensure that you unplug the television prior to storing it, and that the television is well warmed-up before plugging it in after the storage period. Regards, Panasonic Canada Inc. - Customer Care Centre - bg

Thank you for submitting your inquiry to Samsung.For all 3 different technologies, LCD, DLP or PLASMA, the manufacturer recommends a storage temperature (TV off mode) between -4oF to 113oF (-20oC to 45oC). Same storage temperatures for all. We also recommend that regardless of what type you buy, that you unplug the TV from the wall socket when not in use for a very long period and to let TV warm up by just plugging it for 12 hours before operating the next time. - Samsung Limitless Support

I'm glad to provide you the information regarding the operating temperature and storage temperature of the Sony TV. The television can be placed in storage with environmental temperatures between -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (F) and 20-90% Relative Humidity (RH). The recommended temperature for proper operation is between 41°F to 96°F. Proper operation outside of this temperature range cannot be guaranteed. Thank you for your time. Sony of Canada, Ltd. C6EL Jason

[Ted O'Reilly]

Matt, this is great info...just what I was looking for. Thanks a lot.

(And good luck with that Cold Fusion stuff. Good item on 60 Minutes last night).