The television turns on, but but shuts off after a few minutes.

A television shutting itself off may mean a few things:

• Bad lamp (most likely the cause)
• Overheating
• Bad power supply
• Bad ballast

To properly diagnose your television, we'll have to know more about the symptoms. You can start by moving the television away from any walls. This will give it better ventilation and cooler operation. Then you can check the lamp indicator lights. To find out what the lights mean, click here.

If you've never had any issues with your television before, chances are that the lamp has simply gone out and the mercury in your lamp is spent. You can typically wait for the television and lamp to cool down a bit and fire the lamp up again, though there's no telling how long the lamp will last.

To purchase a new lamp, click here.