If the smearing looks like a teared flag to the right of the bright objects, and the smearing gets worse (seems to elongate to the right) when the brightness/contrast is increased. It could be the CRT (Tube). Another symptom is the defocusing of the bright object when the brightness/contrast is increased. If it is the tube, by a new TV, unless it is under warranty, as replacement is often unpracticable, or cost efficient
Buzz
July 2004