as soon as i turn my television on for the first 5- 10 seconds the screen begins to flick and there is a clicking noise like an electrical contact at the back of the tube, it then stops and the tele is back to normal with the odd flicker.

g mercuri, January 2005

There have been reports of poor connections to the horizontal terminal of the deflection unit, causing overheating of the cable,... for the problem of "TV stuck in standby".

The symptoms you described could be an early indication of a similar problem.

As stated below..
"Best to have it checked over by a qualified person a.s.a.p., to ensure it's electrical safety and prevent other damage."

Cobweb, January 2005

Thomson have had problems with some of their line output (flyback) transformers, which ultimately generates the EHT.

Breakdown of this component wouldn't suprise me. Unfortunately, they can be expensive.

Cobweb, January 2005

Probably due to intermittent breakdown of a component in the power supply or line output/EHT circuits.

32" widescreen TV's often have EHT as high as 32,500 Volts.
So possibly the EHT is arcing, (especially at the final anode connection to the cathode ray tube), which is often due to..

1. Storage of TV in a damp environment. (Leave switched off for several hours to reach room temperature, if fault persists have it checked over thoroughly by an engineer as this can cause corrosion to the EHT connections, making it unsafe and likely to cause other component failure).

2. Transfering the TV from a cold environment into a warm room. ie. condensation. (Leave switched off for several hours to reach room temperature.)

3. Arcing/intermittent short circuit inside the cathode ray tube.
(Requires replacement of the cathode ray tube).

* Possible causes are not limited to the above but those are some common problems.

Best to have it checked over by a qualified person a.s.a.p., to ensure it's electrical safety and prevent other damage.

Also, check your wall socket, plug condition and especially any multi mains adaptors for poor connections.

Cobweb, January 2005