Don't know what the answer is. We had the same problem with a Phillips. A new remote wouldn't work either. I guess Phillips and Magnavox are the same.

Try this: hold the remote control close to an 'AM' radio and press one of the buttons. If the remote is working, you should hear a low level 'thup, thup, thup' coming from the radio.

If it's a "universal remote" this won't really tell you anything, because the remote may be "coded" to the wrong frequency. Such as wrong brand of tv, or dvd, or vcr.

It is also possible that you have a loose connection on the IR receiver in the set. This is not as likly as a defective remote transmitter.

I have seen where excess "cleaner" on the picture tube face would run down the screen, drip on the remote receiver and corrode the connections. (remote, but still possible)

Good luck,

pw

I am currently having the same problem with a sylvania tv I bought in 2002. The remote will sometimes work and sometimes not work. The only thing that seems to get the remote working is to wait a few hours, although the problem is getting worse and worse, and the remote works less and less often. When the remote doesn't work neither the tv remote nor the cable box remote will work to control the tv's volume or any other function. It's very frustrating, and I'm wondering if there is a way to fix this.

i have a Philips model number 42pfl3603dfy the TV was given to me because they were leaving out of state. I went on line to find the remote for this television . the TV will not respond to the remote any suggestions?

The last few days my main LCD TV has been bawlky at channel changing and the volume has been sluggish and hard to control with the remote.
When I would start changing channels it would just keep rolling up thru dozens of channels -rolling from one to the next. Or the volume bar would be hard to move, then just keep moving and get way too loud or too low.
It happened with both remotes and new batteries. The TV is 4 yrs old so I thought the Ir receiver was going bad.
(I actually put an ad on Craigslist and had a guy coming who wanted to buy it for a computer monitor. Then it seemed to respond better to the remote so I told him not to come).
Then later today it was uncontrollable again with the remotes.

I decided to google 'LCD rolling thru channels' and stumbled on the answer.

The web page said the remote probably had a stuck down key -push them all to free it.
I got both the remotes and tried them and they seemed ok in appearance.

Then I got out my night vision scope --you can see the Ir flare with a night scope (or your dgital camera). Neither remote was firing without being pressed.
Then I looked around the couch and the old DVD player remote was in the remote holder on the arm where we keep some various remotes. The scope showed constant firing of this little remote!!
I picked it up and the firing stopped -- it had been pressed down in a tight holder on the couch.

To prove the problem I simultaneously pressed the tv volume on the tv remote and a number key on the DVD player remote --- and the TV volume went sluggish- then out of control, and the channel changer did the same.

Whoo Hoo!! Thanks again Google and some unnamed dude who posted there!

unplug the tv/vcr/dvd etc and plug it in again after 30 seconds

I read this post because the remote for a little Coby TV / DVD player in our travel trailer wasn't working. Sure enough, I found that a button on the remote was stuck and was probably firing a constant instruction to the TV. I released that button and now the remote works fine!