Today I received a message that is pretty typical of questions that I get every day.

Hello! Someone threw the remote at the screen. It's a
Samsung TV 75MU. I was wondering if you could give me an estimate please.
thank you!

The question is not a bad one, but the it assumes that the problem is something less than a catastrophe for LCD and OLED TV's. Screens are very delicate devices which can sometimes be broken by nothing more than a dirty look. Okay, I exaggerate a little. But sometimes it seems that way.

To help to understand how a LCD or OLED TV can be broken so easily we have to imagine how these devices are manufactured. The display or sometimes called "the panel" are a complex series of layers no thicker than a sheet of single pane glass. It it usually made of 2 pieces of glass or clear plastics sanwiching a complex layer of liquid crystal circuits which are actually sprayed onto the glass using an inkjet process. This liquid crystal layer is VERY fragile.Sometimes a customer will call me and say "But the glass isn't broken it's just the part behind the glass..." I guess it might be just wishful thinking. But all I can say is I'm sorry but that part is the screen.

Here is an example of the replacement cost of a panel. This is taken from an actual distributor's web page and it shows the cost and recommended retail of the part. Shipping, installation or sales tax are not contained in the bottom line..

As you can see the display is not available. The dealer price of the replacement part may seem like there is a lot of markup . But there isn't a whole lot if you take shipping and handling into consideration.

And who would pay more than the replacement cost of any TV these days to replace a screen?

So the short answer is your TV can't be or shouldn't be repaired if the panel is cracked. Consequently the only value remaining may be in the remaing parts.Some broken TV's have more value than others and some have no value at all. But that depends on the market and demand for those specific parts.

Personally I am only interested in purchasing a broken TV if I have an immediate need for the part in the set and will only pay for the whole TV based on the value of that individual part as seen on eBay

But if you do decide to throw the TV away please consider recycling with a local TV repair shop or a qualified recycling center. Never send electronics to the landfill.