Thank you, all, for your comments here. I was stricken with the TCL/Roku Black Screen of Death this morning and your diligence and prior good work was immensely helpful to me. Tried the Reset button a few times, as well as unplugging from the wall for fully 20 minutes. No luck.
So I cut my losses. If Geek Squad estimates several hundred bucks plus delays for parts, why fix something that cost less than that when I bought it new 3 years ago? Yes, it stinks to see a TV bite the dust at such a tender age. (Shame on TCL/Roku. Seriously. SHAME.) But I just purchased from Amazon a refurbished TCL/Roku of nearly identical size (50"), plus a 4-year Asurion warranty. All in: $320. Cheaper than repairs. And it arrives within a week. How long before TCL/Roku owns up to their glitch, solves it, and fixes your TV? This thread suggests that'll be a long, awful slog.
Agreed: Samsung, LG, Sony are more-reliable brands. But they cost a LOT more than TCL or HiSense. Perhaps I'll only get 2 or 3 years out of my refurbished TCL. Perhaps the warranty will let me down when/if I encounter problems before the 4-year expiry. Under those circumstances, I'll be out $320. Not ideal. But cheap. And life is short, so I don't want to waste time tilting at the Evil, Underperforming Windmills of Commerce.
As for the dead TCL/Roku, I placed it in my building's Trash/Recycle room, with the remote control and power cord taped to the rear. It bears the sign, "FREE. Backlight is out." My bet is that one of the management company's employees will "know a guy" who can fix it for next to nothing. Heck, maybe it'll even be refurbished and offered for resale. Presto -- I'll have paid it forward.
I wish us all the best of luck and success as we navigate cheap electronics, subpar customer service, and headaches generally. Peace.
