The issue actually came back. It seems like whenever it is unplugged for some time the top screen is scrambled until I do the steps I mentioned above again.
i actually found a solution, so maybe it helps somebody else one day: Push the service button behind the service hatch and at the same time press the enter button. It will go into service mode. Since i couldnt see anything i just pressed a few buttons, but then just unplugged the power, then plugged it back in and the picture came back.
Got a Playchoice 10 today and it works pretty well, except for the garbled top screen. Picture is attached, not quite sure where to start. Any idea? I am not sure how to insert a picture here so i attached a link to a dropbox photo: