YY HITACHI WIDE SCREEN TV HAS NOW GOT A PICTURE LIKE AN HOUR GLASS?

Probably a dry soldered joint in the East/West scan correction circuit or an electrolytic capacitor failed or both.

Best to get it attended to by an engineer asap as it won't get better and it is easily remedied.

If you continue to watch the TV for a long time with E/W distortion & finally get it repaired, on restoring the full scan you may well end up with a permanent image of the bowed sides burnt on picture. I have come across cases of this.
Although such a shadow images usually only show while the TV is turned off.

Have it repaired now, to save yourself a bigger bill down the line.

Cobweb
September 2005