Why am I able to see my Cathode-Ray Tubbed Television in pitch black even when it is turned off?

Question

And not just when i turn the TV off at night and go to bed. I mean, i can see where my TV is in pitch black even if it hasn't been turned on in a week. It's weird, i see nothing but black except this little lightly colored gray blotch, and it's my TV! I don't even have to turn the light on at night because my CRT monitor television guides the way like a lighthouse with the bulb burned out.

Answer 1

Pretty much what Pugboy said.  I suspect that what you have is a TV equipped with an "instant on" feature.  This is basically a TV that stays on all the time, but that has the final output to the speakers and CRT "muted" while it is in standby (off) mode.  If your video muting circuitry is beginning to fail, you would get something like what you have described.

You can certainly go the "unplug to turn off" route to solve the problem - your TV will take longer (like 30 to 60 seconds) to turn on, but that shouldn't be a **major** inconvenience.  But this may also be a sign that other electronics in your set are failing, so use this as an excuse to consider switching over to flat-panel technology.

Answer 2

Stone me !!!  I wonder which village is missing its idiots ??. The reason for the slight glow is because the CRT screen is slightly ---LUMINOUS----  . There that was simple wasn't it ?.

Cheers Pete

Answer 3

The TV is on, but not displaying a signal. In other words, it is actually showing the "darkest" black picture it can produce (which will look like a steady grayish light on most TV's). If you unplug it, it will be completely off, and the "black light" will go away. It sounds like your TV's electronics may be dying. In other words, you may turn it off on the TV or remote, but it is still really on, just not showing a signal, e.g. cable, DVD, game console, etc. If that is the problem, it's not worth fixing if it's a CRT. Just use it, if possible, until you can afford a flat screen TV.