something happened to my portable dvd player

[atari2600]

i have an RCA RC5400P portable dvd player and have had it for about 2 years. used it once and awhile, mostly on flights.

all of a sudden the screen went dark. movies still play, i can hear them and i can BARELY see a faint picture on the screen but its so dark now.

any ideas what happened and how to fix?

thanks.

[JimRochester]

From what I've heard, portables are basically disposable because they cost more to fix than they are worth. A new screen would probably set you back almost as much as a new unit. I rarely get extended warranties but did get one on mine because they are prone to breakage and very difficult to fix. Good luck. Nothing is worse than when a toy breaks.

[atari2600]

so im basically screwed?

:(

[pcdoctor]

Probably if the unit is no longer under warranty.
If you are brave, you could open it up and make sure all cables are connected and not corroded.

[atari2600]

hell ive got nothing to lose now.

[Ozymandius]

Sounds to me like the backlight went out. That happens alot with laptop LCDs so I imagine it happens alot with other LCD products. It actually might be worth it to get it fixed. Backlights are relatively inexpensive and are somtimes user replaceable. I replaced the backlight in my laptop and it cost me about $50 for a $2500 laptop, so I would imagine that portable DVD players are a bit less expensive...

Worth a shot.

Sponge