I'm trying to diagnose a problem with my TV & rapidly realising that I know a lot less about electronics that I thought I did. The fuse in it spontaneously blew a few weeks ago whilst I was in the middle of a game of Dead Space though I doubt it was the necromorphs that did it, if for no other reason that it hasn't come back to life and tried to kill me yet.
There's only one place in town that repairs TVs and because it’s a big screen one, they wanted me to sign something promising I'd pay for repairs up to au$1000 on repairs & components which is the same price I could replace it for and with a much better model so they've priced themselves out of the market. In fairness they said they've never had to charge that much and it'd probably only be for replacing the panel but they won't diagnose it without the signature and it'd take me months to pay that if they demanded it so it’s just too much of a risk. Considering all of that, I've decided to have a whack at fixing the bastard myself, after all what’s the worst I can do, break it?
The TV was operating normally until the sudden fuse blow and hadn't been moved in weeks so I'm thinking that a short circuit is unlikely since, as far as I understand things, that’s a wire break which I'd think wouldn't happen spontaneously. I replaced the fuse with another of the same model (I was very careful to find the exact one) and it blew immediately after the unit was connected to the mains in a "burning magnesium in year 10 chemistry" sort of bright flash (as in as soon as the prongs made contact, the cable wasn't even fully seated). I didn't see any obvious physical damage or note an electrical burning smell when I pulled it apart so I'm not sure if a component had popped or was broken but a lot of the workings were encased & not visible. It was connected on both occasions to powerboards with a circuit breaker so I wouldn't expect it to be a surge since the breaker didn't trip and everything else was still powered on nicely. Also the outlets were at opposite ends of the house but without knowing the wiring I don't know if that'd be a different circuit but I suspect so.
I know it's not much to go on, all I've really said is "UGH, Magic Box Broken!" but has anyone got a suggestion on what to look for when I pull it apart again?
It’s just so damned maddening to throw out an 82cm TV that I paid au$1500 for when the problem is probably because of a broken component that might set me back 50c

IMO some power transistor must be blown off. They tend to visit the electronic heaven first in such cases, but unless you are Trevor the repairman, or unless your "electronics" skill is high enough, you can't do anything about it.

Tinkering with electrical components that you don't understand is never really a good idea. And I wouldn't suggest you try. I've seen qulified electricians think they can fix something only to cause serious damage to the house mains and almost kill themselves in the process.
And while the chances of that happening with your TV are slim, I wouldn't think it advisable to take the advise of people here if there is even the slightest risk that it could cause a fire or injury.
Are there no other places near to you where a qualified technician could look at it? How about contacting the manufacturer and asking for their advice? They'd know the TV far better than anyone here I expect.

Yeah thats sort of what I was thinking. Shit. Oh well thanks guys
The only other repair place is more than 100KMs away and the manufacturer is viewsonic who aren't famous for good support and sure as hell aren't going to care about a TV thats out of warranty...