I have owned a Sony GWIII 42WE610 RPLCD TV for a little over 3 years now and have a 5 year warranty.
Never had any problems with it until last week I noticed just to the left of centre when I white background is displayed (like during a hockey game) a faint pink circle pattern about the size of a quarter. In the top left part of the screen with also a white background I also noticed larger, fainter splotches of pink.

I called it in and they said they have to take the whole TV away to diagnose and repair it and I'll get it back in about 5 days.

My questions are, what will they likely have to do to repair it? Replace the entire LCD engine?
Will what they likely have to do mean that I will have to make all the changes again to the service menu that I did to tweak the settings (read: UMR's suggested settings)?
If they do have to replace the entire LCD engine, is this the same as essentially getting a brand new TV on the inside?

Thanks,

Joe,

Its not an LCD engine, its the light engine sometimes referred to as the optical block which contains the LCD panels and a whole lot more.

In the past, replacing the optical block is what was required to correct the problem you described. Although its a major part, its not the same as getting a brand new TV on the inside. They are still other parts that may later go on. Good that you got the 5 year warranty.

yes it is. will my picture quality improve overall once they replace the optical block? also, will i need to make all the changes in the service menu again?

Joe,

Its hard to say whether there will be a picture quality improvement or not. It just depends on what condition your current set is coming from. If nothing else, you'll be getting a new lamp and that by itself could help a lot. I also wonder how much dust builds up in a 3 year old display. Yours should be clean again.

As to adjustments, your grayscale adjustments may be off on the new optical block. Seems like they have varied in the past so there is no way of knowing ahead of time. A simple test is to turn the color saturation completely off and observe if the picture is black and white without hints of color anywhere. Don't forget to check the color temp setting in the user controls in case they change it.

Joe,

Its hard to say whether there will be a picture quality improvement or not. It just depends on what condition your current set is coming from. If nothing else, you'll be getting a new lamp and that by itself could help a lot. I also wonder how much dust builds up in a 3 year old display. Yours should be clean again.

As to adjustments, your grayscale adjustments may be off on the new optical block. Seems like they have varied in the past so there is no way of knowing ahead of time. A simple test is to turn the color saturation completely off and observe if the picture is black and white without hints of color anywhere. Don't forget to check the color temp setting in the user controls in case they change it.

A new lamp? I thought that was a separate piece from the optical block? So when they replace the optical block (I'm assuming with faint blob circles that is what will be done) they also have to replace the lamp?

Would be great if they did. i had bought a new lamp about a year ago so there's probably at least 1000 hours on it, probably more like 2000.

No such luck Joe,
The lamp is not included with the optical block. The lamp is installed in the front of the set, the optical block is installed via the back of the set. A new optical block will cure your faint blob circles. You can problably find a schematic drawing of the assembly of the set if you look on the web....or at least a view of what the optical block looks like.

No such luck Joe,
The lamp is not included with the optical block. The lamp is installed in the front of the set, the optical block is installed via the back of the set. A new optical block will cure your faint blob circles. You can problably find a schematic drawing of the assembly of the set if you look on the web....or at least a view of what the optical block looks like.

No problem with the bulb. But, wouldn't replacing the optical block improve my picture quality? I mean, there would be new LCD panels, wouldn't there?

No problem with the bulb. But, wouldn't replacing the optical block improve my picture quality? I mean, there would be new LCD panels, wouldn't there?

I've had my optical block replaced twice. All the colored fog like spots will go away and your pq will be good as new. Nothing better than new, just good as new. Thank God I purchased a 5 year warranty when I bought this thing. I've got 2 years left and by then I'll be able to slap a nice 50ish Flat LCD with 1080p on the wall for $1500. So putting a 3rd optical block in this this TV again after the warranty if gone will not be a road I travel.

Is anyone's lamp still going strong at around 6,000 hours? Mine's approaching that milestone and I was wondering about when I'd have to replace it.

Is anyone's lamp still going strong at around 6,000 hours? Mine's approaching that milestone and I was wondering about when I'd have to replace it.
My vote goes for putting that old, still working, lamp in the closet in the carton that contained a new lamp with its 90-day warranty. If and when the "new" lamp dies, you still have a working lamp to tide you over until the third lamp arrives.

BTW, my first lamp had about 6,200 hours on it when I made the swap. However, when my optical block was replaced about 13 months later, the tech took lamp 1, installed a brand new lamp 3, and left me with lamp 2 as my back-up.

YMMV

My lamp shows 6300 hrs....gonna take 6by9's advice an order a back up bulb tomorrow.

How do you check the lamp's hours?

Last night while watching our KF-50WE620 we heard a "pop", then the image and sound went out. I pressed the standby, the light started flashing 5 times, pause, 5 times, etc for about 1 minute. It then went solid. After that I tried turning it back on. The LED flashed a few time (look like normal power on flashing), then the bulb light started flashing. I assumed it was a bad bulb, so I ordered a replacement. Now that I have found this forum, I am worried that it is the driver that failed and took out the bulb. What do you guys think?


Thanks!

Pobably not a driver related problem....most likely just a bulb failure...How many hours on the set? You should be up and running again when you install the new bulb.

kristler,

Did you say that your sound went out?? That isn't consistant with a bulb failure.

Check your owner's manual about the flashing light code. It may tell you some more about what's wrong. I no longer have my book as it went with the set when I sold it.

I do believe the sound also went out, but I am not 100% sure. I was just so surprised by the pop and the image going out. As for the owners manual, it didn't mention anything beside the bulb light flashing and the standby light flashing 3 times (bulb ready to turn on / warming up). I don't the hours (just found this forum, so I didn't know how to check until this morning).

kristler,

Its probably the bulb. What you are describing about the loud pop sounds right. When you get a chance, you'll probably want to see if the sound comes on. (provided you are using your in set speakers (not to be confused with a surround system))

All,
Thanks, The lamp replacement worked. I had 3857 hours on the first lamp. Not bad I guess. One thing I would like to ask is how do I reset the lamp hours count? I tried using 3/6 on the remote. It loked at first like it went the count went to 0 by pressing 3, but pressing 6 would bring it back to 3857. Also, which is best. Leaving the TV on or turn it on/off throughout the day.

Thanks to all!

Bill

My set buzzes when I turn the set on, the green led flashes a bit, then flashes red for a bit, then turns off.

The lamp LED never lights up at all.

The audio works just fine. Has anyone had a problem like this? I'm worried that just replacing the bulb won't fix the problem.

Try unplugging it from the outlet for like 10 seconds, you will hear the unit shut off, then plug it back in and try.

My set buzzes when I turn the set on, the green led flashes a bit, then flashes red for a bit, then turns off.

The lamp LED never lights up at all.

The audio works just fine. Has anyone had a problem like this? I'm worried that just replacing the bulb won't fix the problem.
Your worry is understandable, but I think replacing the bulb will fix the problem.

My set had exactly the same symptoms right before I heard a *pop*, and the picture went out. I had the bulb changed and it's better than ever.

Also having bulb trouble but only when I try to play a video game. Bulb is only a few months old and have been playing Nintendo Wii for a couple of months. My set just shuts off when playing, but works fine when watching TV. My light goes back and forth between red and green but won't stay on.
Anyone have any ideas?
Is the Wii killing my bulb?

Thanks

Every now and then my picture gets all "staticky" with multi colors and the sound is lost. I turn it off and then back on and it works perfectly. I'm not sure if this is a cable issue or not because it's never happened with another source. Once when it happened I cycled through to another imput and it still had the "static"

Has anybody else had this happen? Should I call in my warranty when it's a very infrequent problem? It's not likely to happen when somebody else is around. My four year warranty is up in October......

I've had my sony 50we620 for 3 years and have had no problems. I'm looking to upgrade my receiver so I can enjoy PCM sound from my PS3. If I buy a HDMI enabled receiver and hook up the PS3 to the receiver with a HDMI cable and then from the receiver to the T.V. with a HDMI - DVI cable, will this work? Will there be any "handshake" issues because of the DVI? (it is HTCP compliant)
Anyone with a similar setup with suggestions would be appreciated and receiver recommendations.

Also how do you check how many hours the bulb in the wega has used?

I've had my sony 50we620 for 3 years and have had no problems. I'm looking to upgrade my receiver so I can enjoy PCM sound from my PS3. If I buy a HDMI enabled receiver and hook up the PS3 to the receiver with a HDMI cable and then from the receiver to the T.V. with a HDMI - DVI cable, will this work? Will there be any "handshake" issues because of the DVI? (it is HTCP compliant)
Anyone with a similar setup with suggestions would be appreciated and receiver recommendations.

Also how do you check how many hours the bulb in the wega has used?
Right now I run an HDMI to DVI cable from my PS3 to my KF50WE610, then toslink from the PS3 to my avr. Works fine. Later this year, I'll upgrade my avr to one with HDMI inputs.

Any abnormal black crush problems? (not to be confused with the normal black crush :) )

anybody ever have to replace the screen on the kf50we610? During a move, the movers did something to my tv that put marks on the inside of the screen and now the guy that best buy got to fix the tv says that he has to replace the screen. He said there are like 3 screens that are on the inside. Does anyone have any knowledge about this stuff? I have a feeling this guy doesnt know what he is doing, being that he asked me to get a lent free sheet for him to fix my tv. what is it with people, he is the one fixing the tv, shouldnt he have all he needs to fix it? I want a guy in a white lab coat to fix my tv, not mr. redneck, who told me that my tv was dlp, and I said no it is lcd and he said they were the same thing. should I call best buy and ask them to send a new tech out to look at the tv? Thanks for your help.

If he thinks DLP and LCD is the same thing, then he probably won't be able to find the house a second time. :) Just to be on the safe side, yeah, I'd see if they could send someone else out.

I have a Sony 60" GWIII that I've had for about two and a half years. I recently noticed pinkish blotches on the screen which are especially noticable when there is a light screen background. Fortunately, I purchased a 5 year service contract with the set. The repairman came over today and confirmed it is a dirty light engine which he said had to be replaced. He said I was fortunate to have purchased the service contract as a replacement engine will cost appx. $800.

I asked him whether it could be cleaned and he indicated that he was not aware of any Sony service protocol for cleaning it.

Although the repair is coved under the extended warrenty, it is apparant that this problem will likely reoccur in another couple of years and the extended warranty won't last forever. This is distressing.

Is there a way to effectively clean the light engine? Is there a way to keep dust out of the light engine mechanism to minimize this problem? The room in which the set is located isn't especially dusty by any means.

By the way, this forum is great. Based on the information I've found here, I was able to diagnose the problem before I called for service!

I have a Sony 60" GWIII that I've had for about two and a half years. I recently noticed pinkish blotches on the screen which are especially noticable when there is a light screen background. Fortunately, I purchased a 5 year service contract with the set. The repairman came over today and confirmed it is a dirty light engine which he said had to be replaced. He said I was fortunate to have purchased the service contract as a replacement engine will cost appx. $800.

I asked him whether it could be cleaned and he indicated that he was not aware of any Sony service protocol for cleaning it.

Although the repair is coved under the extended warrenty, it is apparant that this problem will likely reoccur in another couple of years and the extended warranty won't last forever. This is distressing.

Is there a way to effectively clean the light engine? Is there a way to keep dust out of the light engine mechanism to minimize this problem? The room in which the set is located isn't especially dusty by any means.

By the way, this forum is great. Based on the information I've found here, I was able to diagnose the problem before I called for service!

We had a similar problem with our GW III, also under an extended warranty. The service man said something like, "I have to try and clean the light engine, and when that doesn't work, then I can order the new one." His attempt at cleaning did nothing, and he said that he has yet to see a cleaning do any good. So, based on his input, it would seem that there is no good way to clean the light engine.

I have just developed a 1 inch wide blue ban that goes along the bottom of my screen while I watch TV(or dvd for that matter).

What gives... :confused:

My purchased was in '03, it was defective and replaced by CC not even before 90 days. So currently on my 2nd set and have already had the optical engine replaced once, AND on my third bulb.

And now this blue bar! :mad:

I fear the worse but thought I'd give it a shot here on the forum to see if anyone can help before I put a hole thru the screen.

ds

Just found this off the Sony web site....

2003-2004 Model Year Grand WEGA Televisions:

Models: KF-42WE610, KF-50WE610, KF-60WE610, KDF-70XBR950, KDF-60XBR950, KDF-42WE655, KDF-50WE655, KDF-55WF655, KDF-60WF655, KDF-55XS955, KDF-60XS955, KF-42WE620, and KF-50WE620.

As technology evolves, Sony continually looks to stand behind the reliability of its televisions. It has come to our attention that a very limited number of televisions manufactured between 2003-2005, after a period of time exhibit a stationary scribble / random line pattern on the screen. Click here to see photos of this symptom.

As part of our commitment to quality, Sony is announcing that for any owner of this model television who paid out-of pocket expenses on or before May 26, 2006 for an estimate or repair service to replace the optical block for this specific issue, Sony will reimburse the customer by mail for his/her parts and labor expenses. To receive reimbursement, please follow completely the directions and terms on the claim form for reimbursement; all claims must be postmarked by May 31, 2007.

In addition, for any customer who later experiences this issue on one of the affected models, Sony will cover the cost of the optical block repair at no charge through September 30, 2007. All other terms of the Sony limited warranty continue to apply.

Called and spoke to a Sony rep about my problem. They gave me a national service number to call for a "phone diagnosis"(can you believe that?) which I did call and a tech did return my call. So far so good, but....

After the phone service call, we established my bluish bar across the bottom of the screen is a sign of a defective optical engine. I also have an intermittent "road mapping" issue that I also mentioned to Sony(this tends to show up infrequently and stay visible for only a matter of seconds, thus diagnosis is difficult but never the less it is still a problem I am having).

Results...(I was told by Sony)"since the road mapping is intermittent, the extended warranty for the optical eng will not appy to my case because it has to be witnessed by the tech in order to quality for the warranty; even though the bluish bar problem IS also a result of a bad optical eng which unfortunately at the current time does not qualify for the free replacement. So they would not honor the replacement of the optical block with this particular issue(s).

I therefore asked Sony to explain why they would cover "road mapping" but not the "blue bar issue" since both are signs of optical eng failure...I got a pretty convoluted BS answer back!!

In the end, if Sony does not cover this part, it will cost me about $1000 out of pocket to fix my set. The set was purchased in the end of '03 and it cost me around $2500 for only about 3 1/2 years worth of use(and 2 replacement bulbs in the process). All I can say is "JOB WELL DONE SONY"!!!!!! And NEVER again....

Okay I have a KF50XBR800, and it has started to turn off after being on for a couple of mins and the red "stand by" led will blink and the tv will then take about a min and the picture will return. Then it will continue this process a couple of mins later...and repeat.....I replaced the lamp a couple of years ago, and I am wondering if that will do the trick........Anyone else know of this problem?

dscoolcat,

Sounds like the "stationary scribble/random line pattern" described in their statement is similar to your intermittant problem. Does it look the same? Does it last long enough to photograph it?

Do you have an extended warranty that you paid seperately for?

dscoolcat,

Sounds like the "stationary scribble/random line pattern" described in their statement is similar to your intermittant problem. Does it look the same? Does it last long enough to photograph it?

Do you have an extended warranty that you paid seperately for?

JimP,

I was not fortunate enough to purchase an extended warrany, I didn't think I needed it purchasing a name brand TV(e.g., Sony), but guess I was wrong!

I will try to photograph the event, that is a great idea btw as I can show it to Sony.

Thank you for the help.

ds

ds,

You would expect a Sony to last longer. Guess things aren't as they use to be.

Best of luck on getting Sony to repair it.

I had to have my whole optical engine replaced last year (I have a 4 year extended warr. through CC -- good until '08).

Recently, we're having a problem where the screen will suddenly get VERY reddish (when you turn the source off, the whole screen actually glows red - pretty bright, too). Turning the TV off and on again makes it go away. However, it's doing now about 2-5x per hour.

So, I have another call in for repair and am anticipating a month b/w getting the tech to diagnose the problem, getting the part in, and scheduling him back. ugh.

I asked CC about an exchange program and they said one of three things has to occur first

1) part not available
2) longer than 30 days to fix
3) same part fails 3X during period

Assuming it's the optic engine assembly again, I'll be 2 down with one more to go.

No more projection sets for me.

My Circuit City extended warrantee says absolutely nothing about it being 3 repairs of the same part.Yours may be different,but you may want to reread it.
Mine says"9.No Lemon Guarantee.....if your product is repaired twice and it fails a third time,as verified by the Service Provider,We will replace it under our No Lemon Guarantee".That is from the City Advantage Protection Plan.

Not to mention that some States have lemon laws that would require them to do the same.

I've had my 60" GW3 for a couple of years now, and I have had one bulb replacement, which was covered under warranty. Now I am completely out of warranty and I have begun to notice those smudge/fingerprints described by SJN901. It sounds like I'm going to have to have an engine replacement too. I'm wondering if anyone has managed to get Sony to fix this under the stationary scribble/random line pattern solution they offered for these sets.

My Circuit City extended warrantee says absolutely nothing about it being 3 repairs of the same part.Yours may be different,but you may want to reread it.
Mine says"9.No Lemon Guarantee.....if your product is repaired twice and it fails a third time,as verified by the Service Provider,We will replace it under our No Lemon Guarantee".That is from the City Advantage Protection Plan.

I had a Sony reciever that CC DID NOT replace on the third time in for the same thing. the DID replace it on the 4th time though. It's at the service providers discression.. FYI

The warrantee I have is very specific.Three repairs documented by the service provider means a replacement.They cannot arbitrarily add things to a warrantee that are not on it.It pays to get paperwork for any repair, as they don't always want to leave it.

Well, I finally got the dreaded blue blob blues showing up on my Sony last week - just over the 2 years I bought it. What a shame.

Just found this off the Sony web site....

2003-2004 Model Year Grand WEGA Televisions:

Models: KF-42WE610, KF-50WE610, KF-60WE610, KDF-70XBR950, KDF-60XBR950, KDF-42WE655, KDF-50WE655, KDF-55WF655, KDF-60WF655, KDF-55XS955, KDF-60XS955, KF-42WE620, and KF-50WE620.

As technology evolves, Sony continually looks to stand behind the reliability of its televisions. It has come to our attention that a very limited number of televisions manufactured between 2003-2005, after a period of time exhibit a stationary scribble / random line pattern on the screen. Click here to see photos of this symptom.

As part of our commitment to quality, Sony is announcing that for any owner of this model television who paid out-of pocket expenses on or before May 26, 2006 for an estimate or repair service to replace the optical block for this specific issue, Sony will reimburse the customer by mail for his/her parts and labor expenses. To receive reimbursement, please follow completely the directions and terms on the claim form for reimbursement; all claims must be postmarked by May 31, 2007.

In addition, for any customer who later experiences this issue on one of the affected models, Sony will cover the cost of the optical block repair at no charge through September 30, 2007. All other terms of the Sony limited warranty continue to apply.

I had a problem with stationary scribble / random line pattern on the screen back in July 2005, just a couple of weeks after my 1 yr warranty expired. I called Sony and asked if this was a known problem with this model and said they did not have any documentation of this problem and that I would have to pay out of pocket to fix the problem.

I posted a picture of the random lines on this board and a member, Vivu, had a similar problem and recommended leaving the set on until all the random lines dissappeared. This took over 15 hours before all the lines dissappeared. I turned the set off over night and have not had a problem since.

The question I have is should I take advantage of the Sony offer before it expires or be happy that my set is woking fine without any problems and let sleeping dogs lie.

-James

Is there any difference between the XL-2100U lamp for the GWIII that's indicated in the manual spec' sheet and the XL-2100 replacement lamp assembly? I noticed on the Crutchfield website that the former is no longer in stock, and they're now selling the 2100.

What or how are GW's differentiated and is there a seperate thread for each?
Trying to figure where to get some info/help/advice on my KDF-55XS955

I am having some similar issues as people above are. Just recently the GWIII 60" is showing a blue cloud just at the very bottom of the screen right in the middle about 6" wide and 1 1/2" tall. It really only visible when there are a lot of whites or bright colors. Is that the bulb or just the Tv going down the tubes.

Thanks

zmclean,

Sounds like something with either the polarizers or LCD panels.

If you have a spare bulb, you might want to see if changing it has any effect on the problem area.

I was thinking it was the bulb...how do i check the hours on it to see. I have changed the bulb 2x since i bought it back a few years ok.

Unless you either wrote down the hours or reset the timer, having access to the service menu won't help. It doesn't reset itself.

Does it seem that the overall brightness has been dropping for the last few weeks?

I cant see that i have seen that big of a difference, but i just keep focused on the blue haze and pray it disappears. It sometimes is not there for a while....but it comes back. Its been a good TV and will buy a new Sony when i have to.]

Thanks

I used to live in Chicago and buy the bulbs from local dealers but where is the cheapest place to buy the bulbs now on the internet.

My guess is the light engine:(

zmclean ... look very closely at your "blue cloud" to be certain it isn't an etch-a-sketch pattern that implies the light engine failure.

YMMV

If you see areas of the screen that show pink, green or blue tint to a white background you likely have an optical engine fouling problem. This, I believe, is caused by dust or smoke particles in the light path, which contains prisms, lenses, dichroic filters and the LCD panels.

My screen showed mostly a green and pink tint that got progressively worse and was only solved by replacing the optical (light) engine. Since the fan sucks air into the engine for cooling and has a very poor dust filter, in-home air pollution gets into it. Smoke from cigarettes and cooking are the most likely suspects for fouling the optics. My engine was replaced about a year ago and is starting to show pink and green “clouds” again, :( Grrrrr . Lucky for me, I purchased the extended warranty from CC when I got the set. My next TV will be a direct view LCD flat panel!

Here is the problem with the blue it really shows up on the HD channels. I was able to somewhat capture it by turning on all the light and really overexposing the picture. You can see in the very middle bottom a blue-ish light. Granted its not photographic so this is best i have. Thanks for all your help

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/zmclean/blue.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/zmclean/P4280048.jpg

does anyone have the stock settings for the service menus... i cant for the life of me find the pad where i wrote all my changes down :(

Here is the problem with the blue it really shows up on the HD channels. I was able to somewhat capture it by turning on all the light and really overexposing the picture. You can see in the very middle bottom a blue-ish light. Granted its not photographic so this is best i have. Thanks for all your help

Does the blue cloud vary with room light, does it go away in a completely dark room? It could be a light leak into the mirror chamber or dust on the mirror itself. I had that with my previous Mitsubishi RP set and cleaning the mirror solved the issue. Another possibility is dust on the projection lens.

Your “blue cloud” does not look like the light engine fouling I mentioned earlier, which appears only on bright, nearly white scenes.

I've hooked up my Time Warner DVR via HDMI -> DVI to my GWIII and get a flickering of the picture, almost an off and on type of effect - anyone know what it might be?

DVR is outputting at 1080i.

Tim,

The DVI input on the GWIII is converted to component early in the circuit. Consequently, the digital image is not any better than component.

Try component and see if the flickering goes away. If it does, then I'd just use component.

I agree about the GWIII doing some conversion on the DVI input. My experience, however, has been that there can be a difference between the pq of the component and DVI inputs.

On my upconverting DVD player the DVI input is sharper than component. My dvd player upconverts through both DVI and component, but the quality of the signals produced by the player are different.

On my cable DVR, the component and DVI signals yield the same pq.

Component works fine - I'm looking to use the DVI port as I have ran out of component cable inputs due to my switch breaking.

Any idea why it would flicker like that?

i thought I read somewhere that some Time Warner stb did not have HDMI enabled. Is this your first attempt with HDMI/DVI connection?

This is the first time using the HDMI/DVI connection - I had used the DVI connection for PC use some time ago.

I have my upstairs box connected via HDMI only - it works just fine - though on boot of the box I get an 'HDMI is locked out' error message; once it boots up, all is fine.

I had my light engine replaced due to a green crop circle. You could only see the crop circle on a black screen but I figured I might as well have it changed since I had an EW. Anyway now it appears like there is a blue haze or a blue hue on the whole screen. You dont really notice it on HD channels but SD channels just seem a little cloudy to me. Maybe I am just going crazy or maybe I need to adjust the settings but it just seems like the whites arent as crisp as before. Anybody know if this is a problem? Like I said its barely noticable and I could just be going nuts but it seems a bit off to me. And it looks nothing like that guys TV above me. There is no pattern to it.

I was thinking it was the bulb...how do i check the hours on it to see. I have changed the bulb 2x since i bought it back a few years ok.

So, is there a way to check how many hours are on the bulb? Is this available through the service menu? I looked in the service menu a little bit, but unless you know exactly where to look for it I think it would be hard to find. My bulb burned out last week, I replaced it today and I'd like to see how many hours I had on the old bulb and keep track of how many hours I put on the new bulb. I'd consider changing the bulb every xxxx number of hours to minimize the down time of having to replace a burned out bulb and also how much better the picture is with the new bulb, brighter, over time you just don't realize how much the bulb fades and gets weak.

Thanks

So, is there a way to check how many hours are on the bulb? Is this available through the service menu? I looked in the service menu a little bit, but unless you know exactly where to look for it I think it would be hard to find. My bulb burned out last week, I replaced it today and I'd like to see how many hours I had on the old bulb and keep track of how many hours I put on the new bulb. I'd consider changing the bulb every xxxx number of hours to minimize the down time of having to replace a burned out bulb and also how much better the picture is with the new bulb, brighter, over time you just don't realize how much the bulb fades and gets weak.

Thanks
I hear you on this!!! my bulb just poped on Fri and I'm waiting on a new one :( The wife and I BOTH noticed that it was dimmer, but we just thought it was the sun.

I'm looking into just keeping a second bulb..

This is a huge post that I have also placed on the Sony LCD Projection TV Problems thread at eCoustics (http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/2/137540.html) .

I own a Sony KDF-55WF655 rear-projection LCD TV purchased 12/2004. In April (2007), I noticed a roughly 8" circular blue haze in the lower-left of the display that was mostly restricted to the 4:3 viewing area. Subsequently, I have seen a similar blue haze along the bottom of the viewing area and elsewhere, including an area in the upper-left corner within the extended 16:9 viewing area. The original blue area in the lower-left has not disappeared, but it has moved a bit and spread out further, although not beyond the 4:3 viewing area. The other blue areas tend not to be consistent, sometimes disappearing. See the pictures at the end for examples.

After some testing with a homemade wide-screen DVD with different colored backgrounds, the blue color is not visible when the display is 100% black. It is very obvious, though, when it is 75% black/25% white. During viewing, it is particularly obvious and annoying during black-and-white scenes and on the ice during hockey games, but it is almost always noticeable.

I have compiled a list of over 45 people on the eCoustics and this thread alone who have experienced a similar problem, and it is clear from previous posts that the problem is with the optical block/light engine, because its replacement fixes the problem. One thing common to most of the complaints is that the issue affects the same family of TVs that are covered by Sony's optical block warranty extension (http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF42WE610&news_id=127) on what Sony is calling the "stationary scribble/random line" problem (also referred to as "road-mapping" by many people)—the 2003-2004 KF and KDF models (newer models may also be affected).

Another common element is that the issue seems to arise, on average, about two years after purchase. Although almost all people have reported a blue color, a few have reported other colors. Many have also reported that, over time, the issue progresses into the increasing appearance of bright blue dots, although mine has not done that (yet).

Pretty much everybody has reported that Sony refuses to extend the warranty on the optical blocks beyond the scribble issue to cover the blue haze problem, although various agreements have been reached, such as coverage of the part (but not the diagnosis or installation fee). In that respect, it is worth noting that Sony has issued a warranty extension on the optical block of its SXRD models (http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?news_id=185) KDS-R50XBR1 and KDS-R60XBR1 based on what most people call the "green blob" issue. Interestingly, one SXRD owner reported both green blobs and blue haze in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6508610&&#post6508610).

I am trying to figure out the cause of these problems to determine whether the optical block just needs cleaning, or whether it needs to be replaced. In either case, I think we would all like and should expect Sony to fully cover the cost of the repair, as they have for the scribble and green blob issues, because this is clearly a manufacturing and/or engineering defect that affects a relatively large number of units.

To get a better handle on the situation, I am wondering whether anybody knows enough about the inner workings of the optical block to determine the cause of these problems. My understanding is that white light produced by the lamp goes through mirrors, beam splitters, and/or colored filters (red, green, and blue) onto three small LCD panels (one each for red, green, and blue, although the LCDs themselves are not colored) within the optical block. Then, mirrors combine the three colors of light, and the final image is projected onto the screen through a projection lens.

Some have suggested that the blue haze/blobs arises due to dust build-up in the optical block on some of the parts described above, since it is apparently not a sealed unit, and dust is sucked into the TV by the cooling fan. Lou58 in this thread claims to have fixed a "blotch" problem on his KF-50WE610 by blowing compressed air into the optical block, although it is unclear whether he had the same problem (he included instructions and several interesting annotated pictures of the process he went through to do the cleaning):
Instructions (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7093964&&#post7093964)
Additional photos (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7084500&&#post7084500)

On the other hand, the bright blue pixels experienced by some, and the fact that some have reported limitation of the blue haze primarily in the 4:3 viewing area, seem to be inconsistent with the dust theory, although I am not sure about this. And others have suggested that even if the problem is related to dust, cleaning is not effective.

Still others have suggested that it is an overheating issue that is damaging components within the optical block, indicating that replacement is necessary. Justin Powers posted some pictures on another eCoustics forum (http://forum.ecoustics.com/cgi-bin/bbs/show.pl?tpc=2&post=897458#POST897458) showing apparent overheating in a Hitachi optical block that contained Sony parts that resulted in a blob. However, the blob was pink, and the optical block on the Hitachi seems to be completely different (sealed?), so I don't know how well this supports the theory. In any event, overheating may still be the problem.

Some questions:
- What are the actual parts in the KF/KDF optical blocks?
- Some pictures of the problem appear to contain very bright blue blobs around the edges of the screen, while others (such as mine) appear to contain a lighter blue haze in various areas. Are these problems the same?
- Is the blue haze/blob issue due to dust, overheating, another problem, or a combination of issues?
- Are the bright blue dots due to dust, overheating, another problem, or a combination of issues?
- Why is blue the predominant color seen (vs. green in the SXRDs)?
- Is the optical block technology in the SXRD TVs similar enough to the KF/KDF models that the green blob and blue blob/haze problems could be arising from the same manufacturing/design flaw? What was the issue that Sony acknowledged in the SXRD TVs?
- A few people have reported that the blue haze primarily appears within 4:3 viewing area. (Note, that I watch all 4:3 content in 4:3 rather than stretching it.) Is this a consistent observation, and could it reflect some sort of burn-in, even though Sony would claim that LCD TVs should not suffer from burn-in?
- The blue haze does not appear for me when the image is 100% black, and it appears when the image is not in color (e.g., black-and-white shows). Do others, particularly those with the bright blue blobs on the edges have a similar experience? Does this suggest a problem that arises from a certain cause and/or a specific part?
- Do the replacement optical blocks suffer the same problem, raising the question of whether it is worthwhile to fix (depending on the cost)?
- Can cleaning with compressed air be effective?
- Dave Carney just reported replacing the optical block himself with a rebuilt version from TriState Module. I thought it would be interesting to find out what the predominant repair is when they do the rebuilds of these units. I called them and asked them whether it was simply cleaning, or whether certain parts were replaced due to damage, but they could/would not provide an answer. Does anybody have an answer to this?

I am thinking of putting up a separate web site and compiling information from people with this problem.

I know folks mostly post when they're having problems with their set, but I just wanted to say that my KF-50WE610 has been running well for a number of years now.

Back in 2005, it developed the "scribbles" problem, which required full replacement of the optical engine. This was done by Sony In-Home Service (in the US), on a set which was out of warranty and had absolutely no extended warranty, for around $335 US. This included diagnosis, parts (optical engine and DCI box), and labor. This fully resolved the "purple crayon" issue, although the technician did break a pin off another cable in the process, causing a new issue which required several more visits to diagnose and clear up (but with no additional cost).

Anyhow, after Sony later extended the warranty on the optical block/engine, I was able to receive a full refund for parts and labor for that repair. Since then, it's been running well and getting at least 3-4 hours of use every day off of the same bulb (knock on wood).

...Anyhow, after Sony later extended the warranty on the optical block/engine, I was able to receive a full refund for parts and labor for that repair. Since then, it's been running well and getting at least 3-4 hours of use every day off of the same bulb (knock on wood).
When the scribble problem on the KF/KDF models was starting to be widely reported, Sony continued to maintain that they were unaware of the problem and would cover the part only (sounds like your situation). Then, after more and more reports, they finally decided to cover both parts and labor with a warranty extension. I think things were similar with the green blob issue on the SXRD sets. I would characterize the blue haze/blob issue as now starting to be widely reported, and Sony is currently in the same sort of denial stage as they were with the other two warranty extensions. I would like to help them get to the warranty extension phase on this new problem, as well, so I can get the same resolution you did for your scribble problem. :)

You might want to keep an eye out for the blue haze/blob problem yourself, as it has been around two years since you received your replacement optical block.

Does anybody know of a forum on AVS, or elsewhere, with people with technical knowledge of the hardware. I realize that an owner's forum may not be the best venue for these types of questions, but I do not know where to go.

I just had my second KF-50WE610 optical block replacement within 3 years! CC extended warranty saved my bacon. In both cases the problem was pink and green areas while viewing white or very bright scenes, blue was never involved. I use the TV between 5 and 6 thousand hours per year. This time I examined the block and found it contains 2 fans (additional to the rear cabin fan) and they were full of dust (in 1 year!). I live in a dry and dusty area with out A/C. The smaller fan was almost completely blocked with the accumulated dust. The block is not a sealed unit as one would expect, and the lack of airflow due to clogged fans may be part of the problem. Dust in the light path is certainly probable but I was unable to disassemble further to confirm. The heat can’t be doing the LCD panels any good either. Attempts to clean the LCD panels on my first LE with compressed air and tissues were no help. I will NEVER buy an RP set again and as a matter of principle the same goes for Sony. :mad:

I'm wondering if any sony GWIII owners(DVI input) with a PS3 know if the T.V. is RGB compatible. I'm just going through the newest firmware update and noticed the different DISPLAY options on the PS3. Just wondering if I should enable RGB and if it should be "limited" or "Full". Also any other suggestions about any other tweaks to my GWIII or PS3 to maximize my gaming and blu-ray watching experience would be great.

I just had my second KF-50WE610 optical block replacement within 3 years! CC extended warranty saved my bacon. In both cases the problem was pink and green areas while viewing white or very bright scenes, blue was never involved. I use the TV between 5 and 6 thousand hours per year. This time I examined the block and found it contains 2 fans (additional to the rear cabin fan) and they were full of dust (in 1 year!). I live in a dry and dusty area with out A/C. The smaller fan was almost completely blocked with the accumulated dust. The block is not a sealed unit as one would expect, and the lack of airflow due to clogged fans may be part of the problem. Dust in the light path is certainly probable but I was unable to disassemble further to confirm. The heat can’t be doing the LCD panels any good either. Attempts to clean the LCD panels on my first LE with compressed air and tissues were no help. I will NEVER buy an RP set again and as a matter of principle the same goes for Sony. :mad:

I agree, I'm getting my 3rd optical block soon. Will never buy another Sony TV. Thank god I bought a 5 year warranty. After it expires I'm getting a 1080p LCD from some other manufacturer.

Hi folks. I was one of the first recipients of this model back in October 2003. Earlier this week, when turning on the unit, heard the buzz. Unplugged and seemed to restart. This morning, happened again, but this time failed to restart even after several hours unplugged. There was never a pop and the picture seemed fine up to that point, but gradual deterioration would be tough to detect.

I do have a CC warranty, so I'm going to call them. What I would like to know is if there is another known issue other than bulbs going bad that I would want them to address. In other words, are there secret warranty ballast, lighting circuits, etc type problems that are supposed to get fixed no matter what or does Sony only recommend these fixes if there is a problem. I'm guessing it might just be the bulb, as it is time, just want to ensure they do everything possible on this visit for the long term reliability of this baby.

Hi folks. I was one of the first recipients of this model back in October 2003. Earlier this week, when turning on the unit, heard the buzz. Unplugged and seemed to restart. This morning, happened again, but this time failed to restart even after several hours unplugged. There was never a pop and the picture seemed fine up to that point, but gradual deterioration would be tough to detect.

I do have a CC warranty, so I'm going to call them. What I would like to know is if there is another known issue other than bulbs going bad that I would want them to address. In other words, are there secret warranty ballast, lighting circuits, etc type problems that are supposed to get fixed no matter what or does Sony only recommend these fixes if there is a problem. I'm guessing it might just be the bulb, as it is time, just want to ensure they do everything possible on this visit for the long term reliability of this baby.



http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF42WE610&news_id=127

I just scheduled an inhome repair. CC operator said it was probably more than just the lamp because I had no audio at all. This sound right?

LukieDog

I don't believe dead audio would have anything to do with a burned out lamp. Like the CC operator said, it probably is something else.

Probably would hurt to double check everything just to be sure that a cable or power cord didn't get knocked loose somewhere.

Thanks for the link to esupport,
I have a KDF-55WF655, had it since 2/05. It is a later build model and has worked great for my 2+ years, have not even changed the bulb @ 8500 and counting. Spent a lot of time on this forum when researching a set and after buying for tweaking info and such. Have not been on here in a long time due to no problems, guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Good to know about the extended warranty on the optical block. Sorry to hear that some of you are unhappy with your sets, I have enjoyed mine. Regards

I'm wondering if any sony GWIII owners(DVI input) with a PS3 know if the T.V. is RGB compatible. I'm just going through the newest firmware update and noticed the different DISPLAY options on the PS3. Just wondering if I should enable RGB and if it should be "limited" or "Full". Also any other suggestions about any other tweaks to my GWIII or PS3 to maximize my gaming and blu-ray watching experience would be great.


Anyone? Is my sony GWIII capable of passing BTB?

The GWIII can pass BTB, but wasn't it the most recent firmware update on the PSE that allowed it to output BTB?

The GWIII can pass BTB, but wasn't it the most recent firmware update on the PSE that allowed it to output BTB?

Correct. Update 1.8 allowed this and the recent 1.81 fixed some supposed problems regarding RGB. I have have RGB enabled and set to "Full", so I hope this is the correct setting for the Sony GWIII to display BTB.

Today, my light engine and "circuit board" (repair man's words, not mine) were replaced. When I turned the TV back on and went through the menus, I noticed some new configuration settings -- Cinema Black, RGB Adjustments, White Level adjustments -- I can't find "best practices" values for these settings anywhere... they aren't in UMR's tweak guide.

My question is -- does anybody know what these are and if I should even have them? I'm guessing I received the guts of an XBR set instead of a GWIII?

Got a tech in and it was the lamp. Installed an XL-2100u and I'm back in business. I notice the set is much brighter now, either I gradually lost brightness and didn't notice it or the new "u" lamps appear more bright.

I bought the 4 year warranty from CC and I'm now at 3 1/2, this was the first problem with this unit.


Hi folks. I was one of the first recipients of this model back in October 2003. Earlier this week, when turning on the unit, heard the buzz. Unplugged and seemed to restart. This morning, happened again, but this time failed to restart even after several hours unplugged. There was never a pop and the picture seemed fine up to that point, but gradual deterioration would be tough to detect.

I do have a CC warranty, so I'm going to call them. What I would like to know is if there is another known issue other than bulbs going bad that I would want them to address. In other words, are there secret warranty ballast, lighting circuits, etc type problems that are supposed to get fixed no matter what or does Sony only recommend these fixes if there is a problem. I'm guessing it might just be the bulb, as it is time, just want to ensure they do everything possible on this visit for the long term reliability of this baby.

^^ I got mine when you did. At the time there was the bulb controversy so Sony was offering a free one if you called. I have two bulbs. What is interesting is that when using one bulb the set can be shut off and almost immediately will come back on, maybe a 10 second delay. The other bulb sucks because if the tv accidentally gets turned off, the tv takes mantes to come back on as if the bulb needs to cool down. There was the issue of some models of the bulbs I believe overheating and exploding and that is what Sony offered a free replacement. I took advantage of it just in case. The crappy bulb is a Philips, and I am not sure what the one inside the set is.

Hi.

A friend of mine owns a KF-50WE610 that he purchased back in 2003. It started having the optical block problem with a large pattern showing up on the left side of the TV. Obviously, it is out of warranty, but I spoke to a Sony rep via chat and they said that even though it is out of the manufacturer's warranty, they would still replace it for free, citing the webpage where Sony says they will cover all costs up to 9/30/2007.

When the service rep comes out, does he have to pay them and then fight with Sony to get his money back, or does the rep already know that Sony will be covering all costs?

Thanks in advance.

...When the service rep comes out, does he have to pay them and then fight with Sony to get his money back, or does the rep already know that Sony will be covering all costs?...
If it is the scribble pattern problem, and an event has been created with Sony Support, and the service rep is from a Sony-authorized repair center, then he should not have to pay anything.

Yeah I went through Sony's support website. We scheduled an in-home visit with Qualxserv In-Home Service so I'm assuming everything should be ok.

And yes the only problem is with that scribble pattern showing up. He replaced a bulb about 12-18 months ago, so that isn't an issue.

Thanks for your help.

I turned my 2004 50" GWIII (KF-50WE610) on last night and the entire screen had a major green cast. It almost looked like one of those night vision cameras. I could see a little red here and there (for things that should be red) but they weren't as red as they should be. The screen was of normal brightness. This green cast occured on all the inputs that I have hooked up (DVI for cable box and both component inputs connected to DVD players). I turned the set on and off a couple times to see if it would clear up the problem. It didn't.

I called Best Buy's extended warranty number last night and they are sending a tech out next week.

I turned the TV back on today and the problem is gone! I am not sure whether to cancel the tech. I am concerned the problem will return soon, but the tech probably can't diagnose the problem if it isn't exhibiting it when he/she is here.

I did a forum search and found references to a "scribble" problem, but the pictures of that problem do not match what I was seeing, which was affecting the entire screen. Has anyone encountered this problem?

I turned my 2004 50" GWIII (KF-50WE610) on last night and the entire screen had a major green cast. It almost looked like one of those night vision cameras. I could see a little red here and there (for things that should be red) but they weren't as red as they should be. The screen was of normal brightness. This green cast occured on all the inputs that I have hooked up (DVI for cable box and both component inputs connected to DVD players). I turned the set on and off a couple times to see if it would clear up the problem. It didn't.

I called Best Buy's extended warranty number last night and they are sending a tech out next week.

I turned the TV back on today and the problem is gone! I am not sure whether to cancel the tech. I am concerned the problem will return soon, but the tech probably can't diagnose the problem if it isn't exhibiting it when he/she is here.

I did a forum search and found references to a "scribble" problem, but the pictures of that problem do not match what I was seeing, which was affecting the entire screen. Has anyone encountered this problem?
I have the very same model and that green screen has happened to me once in 3 years, also one with a red screen. Both seemed to occur after an over-night thunderstorm, and short power outage. I was able to clear them by unplugging the TV for a few minutes.

[QUOTE=dalemccl]I turned my 2004 50" GWIII (KF-50WE610) on last night and the entire screen had a major green cast. It almost looked like one of those night vision cameras. ...

I turned the TV back on today and the problem is gone! I am not sure whether to cancel the tech. I am concerned the problem will return soon, but the tech probably can't diagnose the problem if it isn't exhibiting it when he/she is here.

--------

The same thing happened to me about 3 days ago -- and naturally it was on a Saturday. Turned on my GW 42" and the entire screen had a pronounced green cast -- same on all input channels. This happened after lots of rain storms in the area.

I was just about to call and set up a repair (and was dreading that hassel and expense) when I read the post quoted above. So I turned my set back on and -- shazam! -- it works perfectly.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that is the end of the story for me.

Thank you to the members of this forum!

I have a three year old KF-50WE610, when a program has a light background there are numerous spots that look like thumb prints colored blue and pink on the screen, is this the same thing as the scribble / line pattern problem as outlined on the Sony website?

I have a three year old KF-50WE610, when a program has a light background there are numerous spots that look like thumb prints colored blue and pink on the screen, is this the same thing as the scribble / line pattern problem as outlined on the Sony website?
Sounds like it. Does your TV look similar to the pictures in the Sony extended service coverage bulletin?

Sounds like it. Does your TV look similar to the pictures in the Sony extended service coverage bulletin?

The spots are far more noticeable from a distance than close up. I have a DVR and when a light scene comes along, I'll pause it and check out the spots close up and they really don't look like the ones on Sony's website, what are the size of those? I suppose the size varies from tv to tv. I'm probably the only one that notices the spots, they aren't anything that jump right out at you. To me the ones on Sony's website look like a huge blob, not thumb print size like mine. But if I can get it fixed I'd like to do so before the Sept. 30th deadline.

The spots are far more noticeable from a distance than close up. I have a DVR and when a light scene comes along, I'll pause it and check out the spots close up and they really don't look like the ones on Sony's website, what are the size of those? I suppose the size varies from tv to tv. I'm probably the only one that notices the spots, they aren't anything that jump right out at you. To me the ones on Sony's website look like a huge blob, not thumb print size like mine. But if I can get it fixed I'd like to do so before the Sept. 30th deadline.
If the "thumb prints" are a series of individual pixels "stuck" on with a bright blue color, they may be subject to the blue haze/blob/star pattern bulletin.

KF- 42WE610 April 2004 purchase My spots are two green circles about Quarter size,only visible when black background. I have had them for quite some time and nothing new has popped up ,Covered by Sony?

[QUOTE=dalemccl]I turned my 2004 50" GWIII (KF-50WE610) on last night and the entire screen had a major green cast. It almost looked like one of those night vision cameras. ...

I turned the TV back on today and the problem is gone! I am not sure whether to cancel the tech. I am concerned the problem will return soon, but the tech probably can't diagnose the problem if it isn't exhibiting it when he/she is here.

--------

The same thing happened to me about 3 days ago -- and naturally it was on a Saturday. Turned on my GW 42" and the entire screen had a pronounced green cast -- same on all input channels. This happened after lots of rain storms in the area.

I was just about to call and set up a repair (and was dreading that hassel and expense) when I read the post quoted above. So I turned my set back on and -- shazam! -- it works perfectly.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that is the end of the story for me.

Thank you to the members of this forum!

My green cast problem hasn't come back and it has been 3 days since it happened. Hopefully it won't come back ever. Both you and Snuffy101 experienced this after a rainstorm. In my case it hadn't rained recently.

I have a 2 year old 42" and I've just experienced that green hue! Im about to go see if unplugging it will help... By the way we havnt had any rain around here recently...

[QUOTE=rockbl][COLOR=Yellow]

My green cast problem hasn't come back and it has been 3 days since it happened. Hopefully it won't come back ever. Both you and Snuffy101 experienced this after a rainstorm. In my case it hadn't rained recently.
I have a 2 year old 42" and I've just experienced that green hue! Im about to go see if unplugging it will help... By the way we havnt had any rain around here recently...
Think the actual cause is a very short surge or sag in the AC power that causes the logic circuits in the TV to have a brain fart. It could be that the power companies are doing some switching or some moron ran into a light pole. :)

I have noticed that the voltage has been around 116 instead of the typical 119. That could very well be the explaination.
I just checked the voltage at the closest outlet to the breaker panel and im averaging 113 volts, which cant be good at all for any electrical component. Also 117 at the TV itself.

I have noticed that the voltage has been around 116 instead of the typical 119. That could very well be the explaination.
I just checked the voltage at the closest outlet to the breaker panel and im averaging 113 volts, which cant be good at all for any electrical component. Also 117 at the TV itself.
Your readings are very typical and of no real concern. Modern power supplies in electronic equipment are quite tolerant of voltage levels as low as 105V or as high as 125V. The nominal voltage is considered to be 117V. The sags or surges I was referring to, are very short (1 second or less) that go outside the levels stated here. So-called surge protectors usually protect for the surges of the voltage above the maximum. They do little however, to protect for sags to lower levels. For instance, when lightning strikes near by and your lights blink, that is usually a sag.

Thanks for the quick lesson on AC power. TV continues to work fine so alls well i hope.

Forgive me if this is redundant (and given the size of the thread, I'm sure it is), but a search didn't quite turn up an answer for me.

Last weekend I turned on my 50" GWIII (Sept. '04 build) to the sound of buzzing and the blinking power LED. This was followed by another buzzing and another round of blinking then a long pause before the picture came up. Later that day when I turned on the set it started up normally.

The next day, I got the buzz & blink too but startup was much faster. The screen seems a little dim, but no other issues (no crop circles, thumb prints, scribbles or green cast).

I'm guessing this is the bulb getting ready to go on me, but it seems so sporadic I wanted to double check. I haven't looked since the buzzing started, but I'd guess the set is around the 3500 - 4000 hour mark.

So, does this sound like a bulb on its last legs? Thanks in advance for your help.

Forgive me if this is redundant (and given the size of the thread, I'm sure it is), but a search didn't quite turn up an answer for me.

Last weekend I turned on my 50" GWIII (Sept. '04 build) to the sound of buzzing and the blinking power LED. This was followed by another buzzing and another round of blinking then a long pause before the picture came up. Later that day when I turned on the set it started up normally.

The next day, I got the buzz & blink too but startup was much faster. The screen seems a little dim, but no other issues (no crop circles, thumb prints, scribbles or green cast).

I'm guessing this is the bulb getting ready to go on me, but it seems so sporadic I wanted to double check. I haven't looked since the buzzing started, but I'd guess the set is around the 3500 - 4000 hour mark.

So, does this sound like a bulb on its last legs? Thanks in advance for your help.
Early on, these sets had problems with the lamp assembly not seating correctly. The symptoms you state sound familiar. I'd suggest reseating the lamp assembly. Just follow the directions in the users manual for lamp replacement. Be sure to unplug the set first. My first lamp lasted about 7000 hrs. and was replaced for getting so dim I had maxed out all my setting (contrast and brightness). Good Luck . . .

Early on, these sets had problems with the lamp assembly not seating correctly. The symptoms you state sound familiar. I'd suggest reseating the lamp assembly. Just follow the directions in the users manual for lamp replacement. Be sure to unplug the set first. My first lamp lasted about 7000 hrs. and was replaced for getting so dim I had maxed out all my setting (contrast and brightness). Good Luck . . .

Thanks, Snuffy. I'll give that a shot.

We moved recently so maybe it got jostled out of place along the way. I haven't had any problem in the two months since moving, but who knows...

I've got a backup bulb on the way just in case.

I bought an extended warranty from Tweeter along with my 50" GWIII back in 2004. Since Tweeter recently closed all their B&M stores in the Dallas area, I was a little concerned about how they would honor/service those warranties.

I e-mailed corporate customer service and got the following direct number to their warranty service center.

1-800-569-6274

I haven't tried it yet, though I need to schedule my annual "check-up." I thought this might help other Tweeter customers out there, too. Good luck.

I bought an extended warranty from Tweeter along with my 50" GWIII back in 2004. Since Tweeter recently closed all their B&M stores in the Dallas area, I was a little concerned about how they would honor/service those warranties.

I e-mailed corporate customer service and got the following direct number to their warranty service center.

1-800-569-6274

I haven't tried it yet, though I need to schedule my annual "check-up." I thought this might help other Tweeter customers out there, too. Good luck.

I got mine from Conns in SA Texas. I now live in Norther OK (NOT MY CHOICE) I had the bulb go out, and Conns sent a Sears tec out for me. I was very impressed with the service I got from Conns Warrenty. I'd expect Tweeter to be the same..

well I just had to call Conns.. it's looking like the OB "may" be going out on mine. I've got a blue bar across the bottm right side of the screen, and the right side has a blue tint to it.

I've also noticed theat Blacks turn "blue" and STAND OUT, if ya'll can follow it.

Just as a reminder, here (http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock) is the web page I set up that summarizes Sony's optical block problems.

Just as a reminder, here (http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock) is the web page I set up that summarizes Sony's optical block problems.Thanks for the hard work you have done on this subject. I read the entire thing and it pretty well nails it.

My theory of the problem can be summed up in one word, DUST. I have had 2 OBs replaced on my KF50WE610 since 2004, for green and pink clouding. The inside of the box and the OB get extremely dusty. I believe, after a few thousand hours of use, the fans get so clogged with dust, airflow drops and the panels and filters overheat and break down. Contamination of the rather fragile *dichoric filters/reflectors also plays a part. Due to the nature of these dichroic elements they can not be easily cleaned except in a lab. If Sony wants to continue with this technology, they need to engineer a filtered input airflow design with user replaceable low micron filters. Alternatively, a completely sealed OB with better IR filters and heat sinks for cooling.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichroic_filter

Has anyone successfully removed the screen and cleaned the inside of it? Mine has some dust buildup and I noticed there are a couple of plastic panels on both sides of the rear case. Are these removable for cleaning the screen? If not, how difficult is it to access the inside of the screen? My model is KF50WE610. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Well I'll givean update on my TV... 60 GWIII (I would like everyone to note, this thing is on ALL the time it's gotten it use and I've been very pleased with it)

It looks like the "light engine" is bad and the tech is ordering one.

Here is the kicker it's covered under warrenty, but I had to have that company (Conns) contract out to Sears (I moved) for the service call. The bill is$2221.26 for parts and labor I found a 60" A2020 online that I could get for less than that!!!!!!

I've called Conns to see what they'd like to do because I'd hate for them to have to spend too much on this (would I like a new TV, hell yeah, but I'm happy if they just fix it)

1. Fix it, and I've still got about a year to go on my warrenty (they've already done a $500 service call last year)

2. save them some money in the long run and replace it with a 60" A2020 or A3000, and keep a customer SUPER HAPPY (with glowing refrences ;) )

I'm all for option 2, I'll find out more tomorrow when I talk to the supervisor.

I have a three year old KF-50WE610, when a program has a light background there are numerous spots that look like thumb prints colored blue and pink on the screen, is this the same thing as the scribble / line pattern problem as outlined on the Sony website?

My KF-60WE610 displays the exact symptom you've described. It looks exactly like the problem posted by Eric Lavergne in the ecoustics Sony LCD Problems thread http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/2/137540.html
I've attached the jpg he posted in that thread to this post to illustrate the problem.

It is my belief that although this problem is distinctly different from the "blue blob" and the "squggly line/etch-a-sketch" problems, that it is also a light engine issue and may be as widespread as the other issues although it goes unnoticed by many casual users because it is not as prominent as the other issues.

I have seen many other people describe what sounds like this problem in this thread and others related to this set. But I haven't got a clear idea of what can be done about it. Since Sony will only recognize the 2 very obvious problems with their light engine, they do not offer any solution for those of us that have this one.

I'm curious about the procedure to clean the optical block with compressed air as this problem does look like it could occur from the collection of dust. (To Lou58 or anyone that has had success with this method, Do the pictures I attached look similar to the problems your set had before the fix?)

Obviously, I'm out of warranty, but I'm still a little reluctant to open the case while Sony is offering some help to certain individuals, but I'm also afraid that the normal routine will not apply to my specific problem.

To anyone with this or a similar issue please reply with your experiences.

I may post this in the other threads as well.

[QUOTE=orijonl]My KF-60WE610 displays the exact symptom you've described. /QUOTE]

Yep, that's what mine looks like, but I have to say yours looks worse. The spots on mine are spread out more, not so closely grouped.

Can anyone else post there photos on the screen issue. (I like the Pink Thumb print name)

Eric

[QUOTE=orijonl]My KF-60WE610 displays the exact symptom you've described. /QUOTE]

Yep, that's what mine looks like, but I have to say yours looks worse. The spots on mine are spread out more, not so closely grouped.
You can usually call your local Sony authorized repair shop (there is usually one local shop that handle Sony warranty works) and ask them for quote to do dust cleanup.

[QUOTE=mhaider]
You can usually call your local Sony authorized repair shop (there is usually one local shop that handle Sony warranty works) and ask them for quote to do dust cleanup.

I called the local store that I bought my Sony from and they no longer do local repair work, I'd have to deliver it myself to one of their stores 90 miles away from where I live, needless to say I won't buy anything from them again. I did talk to one of the service techs at the out of town store and he didn't want to mess with it, he knew about the dust problem and he said that if he tried to clean the optical block dust would just settle somewhere else, replacing the optical block would be at my expense since my extended warranty has already expired.

My opinion, Sony made a horrible job of designing the optical block if dust can so easily get into it. I wish they'd fess up to the problem and take care of this like they're doing for the squiggle problem.

...I'm curious about the procedure to clean the optical block with compressed air as this problem does look like it could occur from the collection of dust. (To Lou58 or anyone that has had success with this method, Do the pictures I attached look similar to the problems your set had before the fix?)...
I'm not sure that your problem is dust, but, if it is, I posted some pictures and text of the procedure to get to the LCD panels on a KDF-55WF655. Look at the very bottom of this optical block (http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock) web page for a link to another page with the procedure. Also see the first page for pictures of the optical block itself.

I called the local store that I bought my Sony from and they no longer do local repair work, I'd have to deliver it myself to one of their stores 90 miles away from where I live, needless to say I won't buy anything from them again. I did talk to one of the service techs at the out of town store and he didn't want to mess with it, he knew about the dust problem and he said that if he tried to clean the optical block dust would just settle somewhere else, replacing the optical block would be at my expense since my extended warranty has already expired.


It is usually not the store that sold you the TV that will do the warranty, when I contacted Sony to repair my set they referred me to a local company that only do repair. Usually those guys see a lot more Sony TV problems than your average repair shop.

It does not hurt to get a quote. If you have to replace the light engine, it used to be around $1200, almost like getting a new tv. And I got their address through sony support.

It is usually not the store that sold you the TV that will do the warranty, when I contacted Sony to repair my set they referred me to a local company that only do repair. Usually those guys see a lot more Sony TV problems than your average repair shop.

It does not hurt to get a quote. If you have to replace the light engine, it used to be around $1200, almost like getting a new tv. And I got their address through sony support.

I did call Sony tech support about my tv's problem and they gave me the local store where I bought my tv as the authorized Sony Service Center I should contact.

It does not hurt to get a quote. If you have to replace the light engine, it used to be around $1200, almost like getting a new tv. And I got their address through sony support.
$1200??? Damn Cali prices... I had mine replaced last year and it only cost me $850.

$1200??? Damn Cali prices... I had mine replaced last year and it only cost me $850.

Like I said in My last post, Mine is costing $2,221.26. Granted I'm NOT having to foot the bill, I've got the extended warrenty. But I could buy an A2020 for less. :( Granted they said they were gonna just replace the light engine. (IS that the same as the optical block?)

I'll try to get a good pic of mine.

Here are my pics.
I know it looks white in these, but it's blue. and it is on the entire right side of the screen too (it's just a slight tint to the whole right side)
Sony said I can not have this problem, because I've got a GWIII.
They said I could only have the "squiggly lines"
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/014.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/015.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/016.jpg

I bought my 60We610 2/28/04 and for the 1st time last night my TV won't turn on! the green light blinks, and then the red light and the lamp lights blinks, and then there is nothing, except there is a very vague buzzing sound. I called the warrantee center and they tell me that if it is the bulb their contact doesn't cover it! does anyone know if that is right?

(The TV and the EW were purchased at Good Guys, but the EW is with GE)

Thanks,

Eric

I bought my 60We610 2/28/04 and for the 1st time last night my TV won't turn on! the green light blinks, and then the red light and the lamp lights blinks, and then there is nothing, except there is a very vague buzzing sound. I called the warrantee center and they tell me that if it is the bulb their contact doesn't cover it! does anyone know if that is right?

(The TV and the EW were purchased at Good Guys, but the EW is with GE)

Thanks,

Eric

Lucky you!! yours last more than 3 years!! Check how many hours on your lamp if you can... And no, mine EW does not cover the bulb either.

Lucky you!! yours last more than 3 years!! Check how many hours on your lamp if you can... And no, mine EW does not cover the bulb either.

The TV doesn't turn on, can I still find the life span on the bulb?


Thanks Again,

Eric

Does anyone know where can I find the bulb for a reasonable price?

Thanks in advance,

Eric

Try flEa BAY for the bulb... friend got it for $130 there last year.

Also call your service tech... they press series of code from your remote to get those info.. I wish I have that...

Does anyone know where can I find the bulb for a reasonable price?

Thanks in advance,

Eric
I looked online and found them from 130 to 200. I went ahead and spent the money to get it form a "reputable" dealer. You should be happy, I'm on my 3rd bulb and I got mine in May-Jun of 04 :D

It is SUPER EASY TO CHANGE BY THE WAY

I looked online and found them from 130 to 200. I went ahead and spent the money to get it form a "reputable" dealer. You should be happy, I'm on my 3rd bulb and I got mine in May-Jun of 04 :D

It is SUPER EASY TO CHANGE BY THE WAY

Wow! third one? I guess I have been very lucky then. :) Who is the reputable dealer that you used?

Thanks again,

Eric

Try flEa BAY for the bulb... friend got it for $130 there last year.

Also call your service tech... they press series of code from your remote to get those info.. I wish I have that...

Thanks Mightihd

Does anyone know where can I find the bulb for a reasonable price?...
The XL-2100 replacement lamp is available at the Sony authorized Internet dealer listed here (http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/assets/authorized_dealers/) (the only one with a valid link that starts with the letter "O"). They charge the same price that Sony charges at their online store, although Sony does not even list that part anymore (a little scary). It is very hard to find these parts at reputable dealers. The dealer described above is the only one on Sony's list where I could find the part, and they charge Sony's list price, so hopefully it is OK to post this information in this forum. (I was unable to post a direct link.) It only comes with a 90-day warranty, but I think it might be better to get an official part that is guaranteed to be unopened rather than taking a chance on eBay. Could you end up with a lamp with 4,000 hours on it that someone took out of their TV?

You can check the lamp hours in the service menu, but the TV needs to be on to do it. If the lamp is your problem, then you should be able to check after you put the new one in. I'm pretty sure the lamp hours of the old lamp will still be stored, and you should reset the lamp hour timer. I can post instructions on how to do this in the service menu, if you can't find them elsewhere on the Internet. Three years is a pretty long time for a lamp, so that is most likely your problem. They should last about 6,000 hours, although it may only start to get dim at that point, and then completely burn out in the next couple thousand hours. That is my interpretation of what I have read and experienced personally.

The XL-2100 replacement lamp is available here (http://www.*******.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=21866), a Sony authorized Internet dealer, for $200. That is the same price that Sony charges at their online store, although Sony does not even list that part anymore (a little scary). It is very hard to find these parts at reputable dealers, and that is the list price, so hopefully it is OK to post this information in this forum. You can check the lamp hours in the service menu, but the TV needs to be on to do it. If the lamp is your problem, then you should be able to check after you put the new one in. I'm pretty sure the lamp hours of the old lamp will still be stored, and you should reset the lamp hour timer. I can post instructions on how to do this in the service menu, if you can't find them elsewhere on the Internet. Three years is a pretty long time for a lamp, so that is most likely your problem. They should last about 6,000 hours, although it may only start to get dim at that point, and then completely burn out with the next couple thousand hours. That is my interpretation of what I have read and experienced personally.

Thanks for the link, I am having a technician come out to look at the TV just to be sure there are no other problems, since it is covered under the warrantee. I will then place an order for one ASAP. I will look for the how to's here, but if I don't find out then I might PM you on it.

Thanks again,

Eric

Wow! third one? I guess I have been very lucky then. :) Who is the reputable dealer that you used?

Thanks again,

Eric
I got it at one call, you can just google the lamp and get a LARGE list of places. I did one call cause it was gonna be the quickest.
but here is a list.
link (http://www.bestwebbuys.com/electronics/Sony_XL-2100_-_Projection_TV_replacement_lamp-4350127.html?isrc=e-compare-similar3)

My TV is on between 12-16 hrs a day Wife and I work opposit shifts and the kids love yo play games on the BIG tv

I have a OCt. 2004 GW3 50 inch. It too has the purple patches mainly only visible on a white background. They are like large fingerprints. There is also some bleeding in from the bottom, same purple and hard to notice.

I have the extended warranty from CC and glad I did. They are going to call and send a tech to get it fixed.

I got it at one call, you can just google the lamp and get a LARGE list of places. I did one call cause it was gonna be the quickest.
but here is a list.
link (http://www.bestwebbuys.com/electronics/Sony_XL-2100_-_Projection_TV_replacement_lamp-4350127.html?isrc=e-compare-similar3)

My TV is on between 12-16 hrs a day Wife and I work opposit shifts and the kids love yo play games on the BIG tv

Thanks again,

I had the repair guy come by, and he had a lamp with him. The lamp is a sony lamp, so I guess it is ok. Anyway all is up and running now.

12-16 hrs a day! I guess it would make sense on the hours. I need to figure out how to reset and check the timer on it to see how many hours it lasted. The old lamp in there was a phillip.



Thank you all,

Eric

Thanks again,

I had the repair guy come by, and he had a lamp with him. The lamp is a sony lamp, so I guess it is ok. Anyway all is up and running now.

12-16 hrs a day! I guess it would make sense on the hours. I need to figure out how to reset and check the timer on it to see how many hours it lasted. The old lamp in there was a phillip.



Thank you all,

Eric
to check lamp hrs you need to get into the service menu.


coincedentaly I have need of the service menu too. the tech replaced the light engine, and I'M PISSED. all the settings are now messed up.

I'm using a THX optimizer (the same one I used when I got my PS3) and now on the first test for white boxes I can NOT see a single box. the second test with the boxes around the THX logo...I can NOT SEE A THX logo in the middle AT ALL and only 4 boxes on top and bottom.

Man I'm mad LOL well not mad just fustrated.

Here is a link to an old thread on the service menuservice menu thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=331875&highlight=how+tt+get+into+sony+GW+III+service+menu)

by the way if I read it correct then I've got 12,085 hr's on it :eek: that averages 10.6 hrs every day since I bought it LOL

I'm calling the company in the morning because this TV is officaly messed up

well I hope no one gets mad that I'm "tripple posting" LOL

Here is the way my GWIII looks AFTER THE TECH replaced the light engine.

note the "yellow" on the right side of the screen. That used to be blue :(
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/yellowtint2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/yellowtint1.jpg

I'm getting him back out here ASAP

I bought my 60We610 2/28/04 and for the 1st time last night my TV won't turn on! the green light blinks, and then the red light and the lamp lights blinks, and then there is nothing, except there is a very vague buzzing sound. I called the warrantee center and they tell me that if it is the bulb their contact doesn't cover it! does anyone know if that is right?

(The TV and the EW were purchased at Good Guys, but the EW is with GE)

Thanks,

Eric

Extended Warranties vary. I got my bulb replaced using my extended warranty from Fry's as did my father, who has the same TV also purchased at Fry's.

Here is a link to an old thread on the service menuservice menu thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=331875&highlight=how+tt+get+into+sony+GW+III+service+menu)

by the way if I read it correct then I've got 12,085 hr's on it :eek: that averages 10.6 hrs every day since I bought it LOL

I'm calling the company in the morning because this TV is officaly messed up

Thanks for the Link, but it all seems very complicated to me. :confused: I was however able to get to the lamp hours and it looks like 6665 if I am reading it right. I just need to figure out how to reset it now.

Cheers,

Eric

well I hope no one gets mad that I'm "tripple posting" LOL

Here is the way my GWIII looks AFTER THE TECH replaced the light engine.

note the "yellow" on the right side of the screen. That used to be blue :(
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/yellowtint2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/yellowtint1.jpg

I'm getting him back out here ASAP

Wow! :eek: this guy didn't even notice that? I wonder if they do any tests once they install something? my guy just put the lamp in, and ran out the door. I asked him about adjustments on the service menu and he said " Don't bother with them, they are self contained and you should never have to do anyhting else to the unit." ;)
Anyway I hope you get this resolved soon.

Thanks for the Link, but it all seems very complicated to me. :confused: I was however able to get to the lamp hours and it looks like 6665 if I am reading it right. I just need to figure out how to reset it now.

Cheers,

Eric
I think that when you are in the service menu looking at the lamp hours, you can use the keypad [9] or [6] to reset to 0. And [Mute] + [Enter] to write the change.

:) my guy told me that I was just standing too close to the TV LOL he is comming back out on Friday ;) we'll see how this works.

I think that when you are in the service menu looking at the lamp hours, you can use the keypad [9] or [6] to reset to 0. And [Mute] + [Enter] to write the change.
I have [3] -> [Muting] -> [Enter] written down as the key sequence, although the first one may not matter. I have added a more detailed lamp hour check/reset procedure to my optical block web site (see the link at the top of the optical block page linked in my signature below).

well my service tech came out......
I got a "defective" light engine. Per him. Now I have to wait for another one. This is getting a bit old.

I have faint purple what look like fingerprints mostly visible on only white backgrounds. I had a tech come out and he said the light engine is "contaminated". Dust inside is the laymen's term. He said the light engines really DO NOT need to be replaced, but that if he cleans it with compressed air and inside the rest of the box as well that it will kick more "contaminants" around. He also said he has yet to replace a light engine with a rebuilt one and that so far he has only used new ones for install. He mentioned that MIts and Hitachi use rebuilt light engines in their models. He also said the "contaminant" (dust issue) will reoccur as the fan circulates around and carries the dust etc. Even with diligent cleaning the issue will occur as it is inside the box that becomes worse.

He said there is NO technology today that doesn't have some sort of problem and he specifically stated each problem for each type of display. DLP, LCD, LCD RPTV, PLASMA, LCOS all have issues. He said the SXRD sets will display the same problem of dust on the light engine over a period of time.

GET an Extended Warranty for ANY of these sets.

He said the other failure these tv's exhibit is the silicon LCD layers separating mainly due to heat and that gives the big color blotches that look like road maps on the screen

I have faint purple what look like fingerprints mostly visible on only white backgrounds. I had a tech come out and he said the light engine is "contaminated". Dust inside is the laymen's term. He said the light engines really DO NOT need to be replaced, but that if he cleans it with compressed air and inside the rest of the box as well that it will kick more "contaminants" around. He also said he has yet to replace a light engine with a rebuilt one and that so far he has only used new ones for install. He mentioned that MIts and Hitachi use rebuilt light engines in their models. He also said the "contaminant" (dust issue) will reoccur as the fan circulates around and carries the dust etc. Even with diligent cleaning the issue will occur as it is inside the box that becomes worse.

He said there is NO technology today that doesn't have some sort of problem and he specifically stated each problem for each type of display. DLP, LCD, LCD RPTV, PLASMA, LCOS all have issues. He said the SXRD sets will display the same problem of dust on the light engine over a period of time.

GET an Extended Warranty for ANY of these sets.

He said the other failure these tv's exhibit is the silicon LCD layers separating mainly due to heat and that gives the big color blotches that look like road maps on the screen

A-MEN to that.
Mine paid for itself in one service call, and now I've had the OB replaced, AND he's comming back out to put ANOTHER OB in it. (I'm just waiting for the 3'rd one)

I think that when you are in the service menu looking at the lamp hours, you can use the keypad [9] or [6] to reset to 0. And [Mute] + [Enter] to write the change.

Thanks, I will give it a try when i get home tonight.

Eric

I have faint purple what look like fingerprints mostly visible on only white backgrounds. I had a tech come out and he said the light engine is "contaminated". Dust inside is the laymen's term. He said the light engines really DO NOT need to be replaced, but that if he cleans it with compressed air and inside the rest of the box as well that it will kick more "contaminants" around. He also said he has yet to replace a light engine with a rebuilt one and that so far he has only used new ones for install. He mentioned that MIts and Hitachi use rebuilt light engines in their models. He also said the "contaminant" (dust issue) will reoccur as the fan circulates around and carries the dust etc. Even with diligent cleaning the issue will occur as it is inside the box that becomes worse.

He said there is NO technology today that doesn't have some sort of problem and he specifically stated each problem for each type of display. DLP, LCD, LCD RPTV, PLASMA, LCOS all have issues. He said the SXRD sets will display the same problem of dust on the light engine over a period of time.

GET an Extended Warranty for ANY of these sets.

He said the other failure these tv's exhibit is the silicon LCD layers separating mainly due to heat and that gives the big color blotches that look like road maps on the screen

Hughmc,
I have the same problem as yours. Purple stains apear clearly in the white background. So, I need to ask what did you do with your TV?. Is the light engine replaced?. Is is possible to disappears these purple stains by using the compressed air?.

I have faint purple what look like fingerprints mostly visible on only white backgrounds. I had a tech come out and he said the light engine is "contaminated". Dust inside is the laymen's term. He said the light engines really DO NOT need to be replaced, but that if he cleans it with compressed air and inside the rest of the box as well that it will kick more "contaminants" around. He also said he has yet to replace a light engine with a rebuilt one and that so far he has only used new ones for install. He mentioned that MIts and Hitachi use rebuilt light engines in their models. He also said the "contaminant" (dust issue) will reoccur as the fan circulates around and carries the dust etc. Even with diligent cleaning the issue will occur as it is inside the box that becomes worse.

.



FYI on my TV,
I had the Light Engine replaced and they replaced it with a bad one. The whole right sire of the screen has a yellow tint to it. He will be back out on Tues to put the next one in. 1 orriginal, and now I'm on my second replacement.
:(

Hughmc,
I have the same problem as yours. Purple stains apear clearly in the white background. So, I need to ask what did you do with your TV?. Is the light engine replaced?. Is is possible to disappears these purple stains by using the compressed air?.

DreamsMaker, I did have the optical block replaced due to "contamination" which is actually just dust and not a failed or defective part. It is a 1000.00 part or so to replace. The tech I had change mine said they don't just clean the optical block or try to rid it of "contamination" with compressed air as it may just blow the dust into other areas and not get cleaned properly. What a money maker for the repair techs huh? My guy, who is 45, says that he will have work till retirement, because ALL of these new technologies have issues.

By the way, even with the same bulb in it that has 12k hours on it :eek:, the picture looked way better and brighter after having he block replaced.

DreamsMaker, I did have the optical block replaced due to "contamination" which is actually just dust and not a failed or defective part. It is a 1000.00 part or so to replace. The tech I had change mine said they don't just clean the optical block or try to rid it of "contamination" with compressed air as it may just blow the dust into other areas and not get cleaned properly. What a money maker for the repair techs huh? My guy, who is 45, says that he will have work till retirement, because ALL of these new technologies have issues.

By the way, even with the same bulb in it that has 12k hours on it :eek:, the picture looked way better and brighter after having he block replaced.

Sears charged me $2221.26 to replace my OB/LE (thank God for the EX-Warranty)

Sears charged me $2221.26 to replace my OB/LE (thank God for the EX-Warranty)

Isnt that insane considering I paid about 2400.00 new after some discounts at CC. Now the same or simlar tv can be had for less than 1500.00 new.:eek: It makes no sense how the parts for the GW3 cost more than buying a new tv of same size and brand new.

I had the same tv, after 3 years the same thing happened. I tried blowing out myself but it only made it worse. So unless you know what your doing don't try that. My parents have it now and don't seem to mind it.

I got a new sony last year and learned my leason so as been posted before buy the extended warranty on new technology.

Isnt that insane considering I paid about 2400.00 new after some discounts at CC. Now the same or simlar tv can be had for less than 1500.00 new.:eek: It makes no sense how the parts for the GW3 cost more than buying a new tv of same size and brand new.

I know LOL
I told Conns that, and they said untill it cost more than what I spent they will fix it. I told them well one more LE/OB and ya'll can send me a new TV....
We will see how it goes after tuesday (The tech is comming back to put the next one in.

Well the tech FINALY came out today. New Light engine..... looks WAY better than it did!!!!

BUT in certain screens you can still see that the right side is washed out and kinda yellow.

I'm not sure just what to do, I've adjusted it to get rid of it most of the way, but now I'm ALWAYS looking at that trying to find the "yellow stain of doom" :( kinda sucks.

I'm going to see what the boss says (wife ;) ) and then we may be having a LONG talk with the place we got this TV from.

My Wife, AND the tech BOTH saw the discoloration... I'm just not sure how I should go on this. I'd like a new TV (I do not know anyone who wouldn't) BUT I do not minde the one I have. Granted my confidence is shaken in it....

Well I'll let ya'll know tomorrow.

Here is a "worst case pic"
it usualy does NOT look like this.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/100_2746.jpg
But this is what I can see at times and that is NOT right.

The TV has gone from this:
the original Light Engine
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/015.jpg

To this the second Light Enging (my piss stain)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/yellowtint1.jpg


to this, the third light engine
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/100_2742.jpg

it even shows up on a plain background.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/100_2737.jpg

The TV has gone from this:
the original Light Engine
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/015.jpg

To this the second Light Enging (my piss stain)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/yellowtint1.jpg


to this, the third light engine
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/100_2742.jpg

it even shows up on a plain background.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/100_2737.jpg
:eek: I have had my LE replaced twice and both times it was like getting a new TV. You are likely getting some third rate re-builds or just crappy cleaned LEs. I don't remember if you said who is doing your service but they must be taking the cheap way out. I'd escallate this issue to their upper management and sue the bastards if they can't or won't do better than this.:(

:eek: I have had my LE replaced twice and both times it was like getting a new TV. You are likely getting some third rate re-builds or just crappy cleaned LEs. I don't remember if you said who is doing your service but they must be taking the cheap way out. I'd escallate this issue to their upper management and sue the bastards if they can't or won't do better than this.:(

Oh I so agree LOL
But I'm in a "unique" situation. the company I bought it from (Conns) is in south Texas, and that region. Due to being in the Military I've moved to Northern OK. They have contracted out to Sears to replace the LE/OB. I just recieved one from Conns yesterday (they overnighted it ;) )

So far I've had two bad replacements Granted the second one looked nicer, but still messed up. Both of those were from Sears, and the tech told me that it was OK on both of them.... I told him if it ain't 100% it is NOT OK!!!!


Sears is comming back out tomorrow, and they will be installing the LE I got from Conns (and when I opened it the styrofoam was MESSED UP it was all broken.... so we'll see on this one. I understand the 3 time rule well this is my 3rd replacement LE.


My thing is if it's bad I do not know what to do to get it back down to San Antonio.... It will not fit into my suburban (unless it's laying down and I make my kids hug their knees for the LONG drive. LOL and I'd hate to drive 9-12 hours back with a new one laying down on it's side. I'm NOT spending 80$ each way for a Uhaul either.


Either they get this set fixed TOMORROW or as far as I'm conserned Sears can take the set and Conns can give me a CC for what I spent and I'll go to another store and get an A3000

...Sears is comming back out tomorrow, and they will be installing the LE I got from Conns...

84jeepjohn,

There has been some interest in what replacement optical blocks look like (e.g., to determine whether there are any visible changes to the replacement blocks and to determine which parts that are attached to the original optical blocks are transferred to the replacement blocks). If possible, could you take pictures of your replacement optical block and provide any part number that might be on it, as well as the model of your TV (as I recall, it is a 60"...perhaps a KDF-60WF655 or KDF-60XS955?)? I can then add this information to my web site. If not, no worries.

84jeepjohn,

There has been some interest in what replacement optical blocks look like (e.g., to determine whether there are any visible changes to the replacement blocks and to determine which parts that are attached to the original optical blocks are transferred to the replacement blocks). If possible, could you take pictures of your replacement optical block and provide any part number that might be on it, as well as the model of your TV (as I recall, it is a 60"...perhaps a KDF-60WF655 or KDF-60XS955?)? I can then add this information to my web site. If not, no worries.
No problem. I took a bunch if pics and I'll add some here and I'll send them all to you. If you or anyone needs a different shot. Let me know :)
I will say three things.
1. I was not happy about the damag to the styrofoam... but hey that's what it's there for.

2. the OB/LE looked ...... newer than the others... probably new for once.

3. the mirror/prizim where the bulb butts up to just lookes wrong. the vertical lines seemed to be wavy... best description (I got two bad pics)

OK here is a quick list.
First this ;)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics022.jpg

now the inside
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics001.jpg
note all the styrofoam doing it's job?

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics002.jpg

this is looking down on it. The bulb would go in right below this \|/ word. the covered thing is the lens
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics003.jpg

from the side
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics011.jpg

here is a model number
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics014.jpg

and another one
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics010.jpg

this is the best I could get on the mirror that the bulb shoots through.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics016.jpg

This has come in every OB/LE I've gotten, and the tech has no clue to what it is. I guess the different models used the same light engine.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics020.jpg

My GWIII is a KF-60WE610

I hope they don't penalize you or void your warranty for opening up that box....

jeepjohn I PM ed You .....

I hope they don't penalize you or void your warranty for opening up that box....

Then they better not send it directly to me!!! I will not acept a package and not open it.

Hell I had one phone service girl ask me if I was going to put the OB/LE in myself!!!!! I told her NOPE!!!!! get someone out here. (I think I could do it without a problem, but I figure... It IS under warranty)

Well the tech is here right now :) and he finally figured out what this box was
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics020.jpg

It goes in behind all the inputs on the back of the TV. It's burried in there so he had not seen it. We will have the TV on momentaraly and then we "should" know if it's GOOD!!!!!!

well it looks like he fixed it!!! :)

I have to go back and redo EVERYTHING though. all the settings I had are now erased :( but the yellow looks like it's gone :) I'll have to check it out tonight, but like I said it looks Good. Like new :)

this is the best I could get on the mirror that the bulb shoots through.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/TV/Lightenginepics016.jpg
That wavy lens you picture here is actually called an "Insect Eye Lens", no joke. Its function is to collimate the light from the bulb for maximum and even brightness. All 3 LEs I've seen had this configuration. Hope you latest LE made you whole again, Snuffy

Jeepjohn, Good News... For settings We have a lot on this set UMR Does... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=331875

That wavy lens you picture here is actually called an "Insect Eye Lens", no joke. Its function is to collimate the light from the bulb for maximum and even brightness. All 3 LEs I've seen had this configuration. Hope you latest LE made you whole again, Snuffy

what I was trying to show was the vertical lines on it were not straight. They are wavy. BUT it works fine (for now) so I'm not gonna complain LOL

Been a while since I posted but it looks like my KF-50WE610 finally died after 3 1/2 yrs. At first I thought it was the bulb, which btw is original, had finally blown. For about a week I'd been having trouble getting the tv to start up. I'd sometimes get 22 or so green flashes then a solid red. Sometimes if I unplugged it from the surge protector & waited a bit to try again it would fire up fine-weird. Finally this stopped working so I ordered a replacement bulb for $113 shipped off eBay. So I go to take the front cover off the TV, then the bulb cover which I come to find out has partially melted to the plastic frame just above it. I finally bust it loose only to find that most of the plastic that surrounds the socket where the bulb unit goes was warped, melted &/or brown from the heat of the bulb. The bulb cage also had a crack in it. This did not look safe & as far as I could remember from trying to start it a few days before I could hear the fan running. All this of course happens 6 months after my extended warranty expired. So my wife gets a hold of SONY that day & they put her in touch with their "Product Safety Dept." From our description they decided to have a SONY authorized repair man come out & take a look at it luckily all at SONY's expense. Of course now we have to wait 3 weeks for them to come out.
I can't see how SONY could possibly repair it the only thing they could do would be to replace it w/a new one which is probably a longshot. If they don't do something I'm going to contact consumer affairs at one of the local tv afiliates and at least get them some bad press in hopes of motivating them.
I paid over $3k for this thing & you can't tell me this is normal wear & tear.
Anybody else here have this happen to their TV?

Been a while since I posted but it looks like my KF-50WE610 finally died after 3 1/2 yrs. At first I thought it was the bulb, which btw is original, had finally blown. For about a week I'd been having trouble getting the tv to start up. I'd sometimes get 22 or so green flashes then a solid red. Sometimes if I unplugged it from the surge protector & waited a bit to try again it would fire up fine-weird. Finally this stopped working so I ordered a replacement bulb for $113 shipped off eBay. So I go to take the front cover off the TV, then the bulb cover which I come to find out has partially melted to the plastic frame just above it. I finally bust it loose only to find that most of the plastic that surrounds the socket where the bulb unit goes was warped, melted &/or brown from the heat of the bulb. The bulb cage also had a crack in it. This did not look safe & as far as I could remember from trying to start it a few days before I could hear the fan running. All this of course happens 6 months after my extended warranty expired. So my wife gets a hold of SONY that day & they put her in touch with their "Product Safety Dept." From our description they decided to have a SONY authorized repair man come out & take a look at it luckily all at SONY's expense. Of course now we have to wait 3 weeks for them to come out.
I can't see how SONY could possibly repair it the only thing they could do would be to replace it w/a new one which is probably a longshot. If they don't do something I'm going to contact consumer affairs at one of the local tv afiliates and at least get them some bad press in hopes of motivating them.
I paid over $3k for this thing & you can't tell me this is normal wear & tear.
Anybody else here have this happen to their TV?


Haven't had that problem, but I'm on my 3rd light engine. Now I'm starting to see horizontal lines going across my screen. Something different than the fog I was getting when they replaced the light engines. My TV is 3 1/2 old also, but I bought a 5 year warranty. I would be pissed if I hadn't bought the warranty. $3000 is alot for a TV that only last a couple years. Sony has dropped the quality ball on this. Don't think I'll ever buy Sony again.

My KF50WE610 now has a new problem. Green and purple line going across horizontally. Has anyone had this problem? Here is a pic


http://webpages.charter.net/tidebill/Sony%20TV%20lines%205.jpg

I have a 4 year old gwiii with over 12,000 hours on the original bulb. I am starting to get ghosting on all images. Is this related to the age of the bulb?

I have a 4 year old gwiii with over 12,000 hours on the original bulb. I am starting to get ghosting on all images. Is this related to the age of the bulb?

Does it look like blue or green spots of fog? If so Its you optical engine going bad.

No, just a ghost on all images and lettering

I have a three year old Sony KF-50we620 and I am getting buzz and flashing green on startup - eventually the red light flashes and the set goes off.

It does this intermitently. If the set starts, it works fine, but sometimes it takes hours for it to start. I have had the 'lamp power supply' replaced when the set was under a year old. It had the same symptom.

I've read on the board about the 'buzz' issue. Does anyone know if Sony is claiming any responsibility for this problem? Do I have to pay for a new lamp power supply? It seems like it's a common problem and Sony should do something about it.

Should I try reseating the lamp per the instructions in the owners manual? Has that actually helped the problem for anyone?

I have a 3 1/2 year old Sony KF50WE610, last week the entire screen had a chartreuse green tint to it. I called a local Sony authorized service center to come out to repair the unit, when they arrived today the unit was turned on and this time the screen was red. They advised me that they needed to take the unit back to thier shop for further testing and that the problem was most likely a processor related issue & most likely an expensive repair.
This is the second time the TV quit, the first time the bulb self destructed at 1 month after the warranty period.
Has anyone else seen this problem with the red or green screen, if so what was the problem
thanks

Update
Sony authorized service came out to check the TV. Turns out it's the optical engine that's bad, the repair would cost $1325 including parts & labor. I called Sony customer service and after getting to a level 2 rep she informed me that only the etch a sketch pattern was covered under thier additional coverage warranty. What a bunch of B.S they know that they have a design problem with these sets and they refuse to stand behind thier product.
This was the last Sony product that I will ever purchase. A $3000 + TV should last more than 3 1/2 years.:mad:

^^Agreed, that is BS. This is why we need, more so want, to get these tvs for the lowest possible price and haggle. More importantly get the extended warranty. I did and although it expires in 6 months, I just had the optical block replaced 2 months ago. I have the same tv, but 50 in. Sorry to hear!

Why should we be FORCED to get additional warrantees?I had an optical engine replaced on the same TV.Luckily I had purchased the warrantee(the 1st extended warrantee I ever purchased).The price you quote for repair is too high.You could buy a NEW replacement for that!

Force the issue with Sony.Write the president.

My 3rd optical engine has been ordered. I've had mine 3 years 9 months. Thank god I had the sence to buy a 5 year warranty or I would be raising some holy hell at Sony. Bet your azz I won't be buying anything else made by Sony. My Sony is under warranty until Dec of 09. When it breaks after that I'm gonna video tape me destroying it and put it on You Tube. :mad:

I've bought 2 other HDTV's since I bought this Sony and they have a much better pic than this thing. First was a Vizio 37in just to play Xbox 360 on. Then son went off to college and gave it to him. Then I replace that with a 42in 1080p Vizio. Which by the way cost 1/3 of what I paided for my Sony.

I saw this topic in the archives and wondered if anybody still around this thread had had this problem fixed (and it stayed fixed....). A couple times in the past it's refused to turn off without unplugging but it's happening more frequently now. I only have 3 weeks left on my extended warranty. :eek: Almost afraid to have someone out because if the "fix" gives me a new problem it probably won't be covered.... :rolleyes:

So, has anybody had a successful fix for when the TV won't turn off? I'd like to have some idea when I call what to ask for in case they have to order a part. Three weeks isn't a lot of time.

I've had this problem with my 70XBR950. I don't know of any fix once it occurs, but I've started being very careful about using other remotes to turn off my audio system, satellite receiver and such until the TV is completely shut off. To the best of my memory the failure of the TV to shut off occurred only when I would first push the TV power button, then attempt to shut other items by remote before the lamp on the TV shut off.

I saw this topic in the archives and wondered if anybody still around this thread had had this problem fixed (and it stayed fixed....). A couple times in the past it's refused to turn off without unplugging but it's happening more frequently now. I only have 3 weeks left on my extended warranty. :eek: Almost afraid to have someone out because if the "fix" gives me a new problem it probably won't be covered.... :rolleyes:

So, has anybody had a successful fix for when the TV won't turn off? I'd like to have some idea when I call what to ask for in case they have to order a part. Three weeks isn't a lot of time.

[QUOTE=Smacky;11915424]My 3rd optical engine has been ordered. I've had mine 3 years 9 months. Thank god I had the sence to buy a 5 year warranty or I would be raising some holy hell at Sony. Bet your azz I won't be buying anything else made by Sony. My Sony is under warranty until Dec of 09. When it breaks after that I'm gonna video tape me destroying it and put it on You Tube. :mad:

I've bought 2 other HDTV's since I bought this Sony and they have a much better pic than this thing. First was a Vizio 37in just to play Xbox 360 on. Then son went off to college and gave it to him. Then I replace that with a 42in 1080p Vizio. Which by the way cost 1/3 of what I paided for my Sony.[/QUOTE

Good news my warranty company called and said they are not going to fix my TV anymore and are going to replace it with a new TV. So I have a Sony KDS55A3000 coming for exchange. I am pretty happy about that.

I still have little smudges on the screen. I dont think it is the optical engine... but it's out of warranty and they have to be crazy to think i am paying 1300 bucks to fix an out of date TV. (3 years.. out of date... who would have thought?)


We saw a Samsung 71 series today I was literally blown away by it.... wow.. time to upgrade anyway.. :)

I still have little smudges on the screen. I dont think it is the optical engine... but it's out of warranty and they have to be crazy to think i am paying 1300 bucks to fix an out of date TV. (3 years.. out of date... who would have thought?)


We saw a Samsung 71 series today I was literally blown away by it.... wow.. time to upgrade anyway.. :)

What ever you decide to do, get the warranty. These TV's aren't cheap to repair. I got my $249 back from my 5 year warranty.

I'm having trouble connecting my PS3 through component and DVI to my friends KF-50WE610. No matter what I do, I can't get a picture. I have hooked it up to my Dell 2405 LCD and it has no problems. I tried doing the reset(holding down the power button till the second beep) and nothing. I only can get composite to play. Is there something I'm missing? Should I connect the composite and the DVI at the same time and try to configure it that way? I know it has to be something simple but I just can't figure it out. Thanks in advance!

Is anyone having a good experience with their Sony Wega LCD RP? It seems there are tons of complaints against these models.

So, basically... if my set gets too bad should I put any money into it at all or just go buy a Sharp or a Samsung?

ZERO problems since getting the replacement bulb under warranty. I have an October or November 2003 build, 60".

Is anyone having a good experience with their Sony Wega LCD RP? It seems there are tons of complaints against these models.

So, basically... if my set gets too bad should I put any money into it at all or just go buy a Sharp or a Samsung?

I've had mine (50") since January 2004 (pushing 4 years). Replaced the bulb once. Been working perfectly.

It was my primary TV for 2 years, and is now my secondary TV. I've had it on a UPS the entire time.

I've had my 42" Grand Wega III since Nov. 2003 with no problems. Just had to have a bulb replacement last year while still under my extended warranty. It's been a great set for me, but I'm giving it up (giving it to my parents) since I just upgraded to a 46XBR4 LCD that I receive next week.

ZERO problems since getting the replacement bulb under warranty. I have an October or November 2003 build, 60".

Mine is the same size and build date, only had the bulb replaced once.

I do hear the fan come on every so often tho....never noticed that before.

I've owned my TV since fall 2003.

I have begun to consider selling her off for a new TV. What's the going rate these days for a GWIII 60" (non-XBR)??

thanks for the pos. responses.

I think I'll try to sell though. I'm getting the crackle sound sometimes and when it does that it doesn't start up. If I wait it'll start eventually. the indicator comes on as though the bulb needs replaced but when it comes on the bulb seems to work fine. Until I try to turn it on again.

This happened before and it turned out to be the bulb power supply, this was replaced under warranty and now if it needs to be replaced again I'm afraid of how much it'll cost. Maybe I'm better off cutting and running.

any thoughts?

I have an Oct. 2003 build 42we610 (new lamp Feb. 04) and it's been fine (knock on wood). I'd get a new lamp if it blew but I won't get any other repairs made. I'll just junk it when the time comes and get something newer, cheaper & better AND not a Sony.

SONY KF50WE610 Update
Classical " Blue Blob " problem developed and just got worst. Sony
replaced the entire optics block and " B " board and I just paid for
the labor.
A letter to the Sony Executive review board ( in Fort Myers Fl ) got a
very quick responce and great customer service . Set was purchased
6/2004
B board replacement was required due to different setup parameters for
the updated optics engine.

Another new guy here. I've been looking through this stuff and have a response to some of the last posts and a couple of questions.

I have a March 2003 build and haven't had any problems. I bought a 2nd bulb and replaced it at 4,400 hours when the first bulb was still working. I didn't want to wait until the first one blew and find out that my replacement was defective. When the bulb blows I have a working used bulb to hold me over until I can purchase another.

Lately I've been noticing "barely noticable unless your looking for it" blochy spots over the entire display screen. It is only noticeable if the screen is displaying a mostly white or very light background. My guess is that I'm seeing dust on the inside of the display, either on the bulb, optical block or rear of the 50" screen. Has anyone had the inside of the screen cleaned?

Long story - short. I have a 50" GWIII (built Nov-2003). It was installed in May 2004 and a month or two ago I started noticing a green blob in the lower left corner. Did some reading here and elsewhere and feared the worst. Called the Sony service company in town (no extended warranty and even if I did, it probably wouldn't have mattered because the shop I bought all my gear from went bankrupt a couple of years ago). They actually identified 3 areas where there was some dust affecting the picture. Took it back to the shop where they have a "clean room". They were able to clean it up very nicely. No parts needed to be replaced and I had it back a week later. So whereas I'm not very impressed that Sony put out such a poor design and I will NEVER buy another Sony product in my life, I am relieved that I didn't have to go through a whole OE replacement after 3.5 years.

Looks like I will have to have this thing cleaned every few years, but what can you do? It's not like the other products out there don't have their own issues.

Long story - short. I have a 50" GWIII (built Nov-2003). It was installed in May 2004 and a month or two ago I started noticing a green blob in the lower left corner. Did some reading here and elsewhere and feared the worst. Called the Sony service company in town (no extended warranty and even if I did, it probably wouldn't have mattered because the shop I bought all my gear from went bankrupt a couple of years ago). They actually identified 3 areas where there was some dust affecting the picture. Took it back to the shop where they have a "clean room". They were able to clean it up very nicely. No parts needed to be replaced and I had it back a week later. So whereas I'm not very impressed that Sony put out such a poor design and I will NEVER buy another Sony product in my life, I am relieved that I didn't have to go through a whole OE replacement after 3.5 years.

Looks like I will have to have this thing cleaned every few years, but what can you do? It's not like the other products out there don't have their own issues.

May I ask how much it cost to have that done?

My Sony GW3 50 inch had the optical block replaced two months ago under warranty. Same age as your set. Warranty is ending in a few months I believe. I have no doubt it will get dust inside it again. I agree it is a money making BS scheme for repair techs when the block can be cleaned. Not that the techs are scheming intentionally, but Sony has made it such that they tell the tech guys NOT to clean it and swap it out.

Crazy me but I still like SOny tvs and bought the A3000 SXRD with EX. warranty as I am counting on the same dust issue happening again.

I have a kf-50we610 and i have blue dots all over the screen was this the same problem you had.

May I ask how much it cost to have that done?


$300 Canadian. That included $50 for pickup and delivery and $70 for the initial house call. I instructed them to replace the bulb at the same if it needed replacing, but they said it was fine.

Folks,

My KDF-60XBR950 has developed a slight problem. This just started Thursday. It has developed what I can best describe as a brighter "flare" spot on the lower edge of the screen, just to the left of center. It has a slight blueish tint to it. If what is being displayed is totally black, you cannot see the artifact, but anything else you can. I would say it is about 12-18 inches wide and about 2-3 inches high. Any ideas what this might be?

Thanks.

Another KDF 50we655 owner here. Purchased in Feb. 2005 and unfortunately, we did not get an extended warranty.:o

Add me to the list of people with the purplish "finger prints" problem. I just started noticing it a couple weeks ago, though not really sure when it started. It's really only noticeable when the background is white or light colored and has lots of movement, like hockey. But now that I know it's there, I am always looking for those spots and it's driving me crazy. :mad:

Since it doesn't appear to be covered under the optical block warranty, I guess I will not doing anything about it for now. The boss (wife) says it's not "that bad" and doesn't want to pay to get the TV cleaned. :(

I have the same problem with my KF-WE610. The blue blob and many bright blue dots. I think I am going to try and fix it by the compressed air trick and if that does not work, then go with a rebuilt light engine. I read somewhere that using a hair dryer on the cold setting worked to remove the dust. I am going to try that and vacuuming at the same time in the general area.

personally I think the compressed air is a waste of time, I tried it and if anything it my have agravated the problem. You need a new opticle block.

When you change it you will see there is no way to blow the dust out.

I also have the pink/blue thumbprint problem (KF-50WE610 nearly 4 yrs old with a lamp replace 6 months ago) I can not believe the stuff I've been reading in the last few pages of this thread! Thank God I took an extended warrenty on it!! I have a service guy coming Thursday. I appreciate the info received here and am ready to confront the warranty provider and insist they replace the optical block.

Apparently Sony knew of this and other issues eariler this year and offered via their website warrent extentions and/or reimbursements to those who contacted them with the problems (see previous pages and links) They however set an experation date of 9/30/07 as a cut off on contacting them. I dont know about you guys but I dont often (if ever) go to their website. We're not going to be aware of problems unless we experienced them (just noticed mine recently). Surely they have owner contact info (from warrenty registrations). Should'nt owners be notified of a defect as is the case in auto recalls!!!

I'm sure the other manufactors are no saints but I dont know if I could ever forgive Sony for this. I have ONLY bought Sony TVs. I'm currently in the market for a 32" HD set for the bedroom. Dont think it's gonna be a Sony.

There must be 100 guys here all with the same problems .... sounds to me like the stuff class action lawsuits are made of .

Folks,

My KDF-60XBR950 has developed a slight problem. This just started Thursday. It has developed what I can best describe as a brighter "flare" spot on the lower edge of the screen, just to the left of center. It has a slight blueish tint to it. If what is being displayed is totally black, you cannot see the artifact, but anything else you can. I would say it is about 12-18 inches wide and about 2-3 inches high. Any ideas what this might be?

Thanks.

If it looks like this... and it probably does from what you described... it's your optical block/light engine.it's only going to get worse trust me
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/015.jpg
after the first or second RELPACEMENT
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/84jeepjohn/100_2624.jpgthey finaly got it fixed BUT it ended up costing MORE than a new 60" LOL they said it had to cost more than 3/4 of the orriginal out the door price... well one more problem... NEW TV

here is a good site about it
http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock

When it gets this bad you can't watch it anymore. That is a black screen,
or is supposed to be.

Well, looks like I will be joining the KDS50A3000 club thru no fault of my own.

I purchased a KF50WE610 50" Grand WEGA III back in Sept. of 2003 and got the extended 5 yr. warranty for $275. About two yrs. later I was noticing smudges on the screen during bright scenes. Called for a service tech and they replaced the optical block and bulb at no charge. Started seeing the same smudges lately and called again - same issue, tech says they have to replace the optical block. I get a call from the company that administers the warranty and they say their not going to cover the work as it is not economical with one replacement already on record.

Instead they are going to ship us brand new KDS50A3000 as a replacement for the GWIII, which we get to keep by the way and IMHO is still very usable since I'm the only one that notices the smudges in our house. Now that was money well spent!!!

Well, looks like I will be joining the KDS50A3000 club thru no fault of my own.

I purchased a KF50WE610 50" Grand WEGA III back in Sept. of 2003 and got the extended 5 yr. warranty for $275. About two yrs. later I was noticing smudges on the screen during bright scenes. Called for a service tech and they replaced the optical block and bulb at no charge. Started seeing the same smudges lately and called again - same issue, tech says they have to replace the optical block. I get a call from the company that administers the warranty and they say their not going to cover the work as it is not economical with one replacement already on record.

Instead they are going to ship us brand new KDS50A3000 as a replacement for the GWIII, which we get to keep by the way and IMHO is still very usable since I'm the only one that notices the smudges in our house. Now that was money well spent!!!


That is really cool! I should be so lucky! I had the service guy in yesterday. He agreed that I newed a new optical block. Should have it replaced next week. Got till Feb 2009 on my warrenty..if I see the smudges again before the end of the warrenty, I'll have to remember your good luck, data..

Well, looks like I will be joining the KDS50A3000 club thru no fault of my own.

I purchased a KF50WE610 50" Grand WEGA III back in Sept. of 2003 and got the extended 5 yr. warranty for $275. About two yrs. later I was noticing smudges on the screen during bright scenes. Called for a service tech and they replaced the optical block and bulb at no charge. Started seeing the same smudges lately and called again - same issue, tech says they have to replace the optical block. I get a call from the company that administers the warranty and they say their not going to cover the work as it is not economical with one replacement already on record.

Instead they are going to ship us brand new KDS50A3000 as a replacement for the GWIII, which we get to keep by the way and IMHO is still very usable since I'm the only one that notices the smudges in our house. Now that was money well spent!!!

Same exact thing happened to me. Got my Wega III in Dec of 03. After 2 optical blocks instead of replacing it again, they sent me a 55A3000. I've had it for about 3 weeks now. It is an amazing TV. You won't miss your old set. Much smaller area around the screen. I feel very lucky, and you can bet your azz I'm gonna buy another warranty.

A message from Sony Electronics...

Posted: 12/11/2007


2003 Model Year Grand WEGA™ Televisions

Models: KDF-60XBR950, KDF-70XBR950, KF-42WE610, KF-50WE610 and KF-60WE610

As technology evolves, Sony continually looks to stand behind the reliability of its televisions. It has come to our attention that a limited number of Grand Wega rear projection televisions (models listed above), after a period of time, exhibit blue dot or star pattern on the screen.

As part of our commitment to quality, Sony is announcing that for any owner of these model televisions who paid out-of pocket expenses on or before December 31, 2007 for an estimate or repair service to replace the optical block for this specific issue, Sony will reimburse the customer by mail for his/her parts and labor expenses. To receive reimbursement, please follow completely the directions on the claim form for reimbursement; all claims must be postmarked by June 30, 2008. See claim form for complete terms and conditions.

In addition, for any customer who later experiences this issue on one of the affected models, Sony will cover the cost of the optical block repair (parts and labor) at no charge through June 30, 2008. All other terms of the Sony limited warranty continue to apply. Sony utilizes a network of hundreds of qualified independent third-party servicers to perform in-home television warranty service. Sony, through its authorized servicer network, will endeavor to repair your set within 30 days of your first contact. For diagnosis, warranty service, or if you are not provided a repair within 30 days, please contact Sony at (888) 649-7669.

Now that sounds like a nice deal

The picture below is the upper right corner of my TV (sony kf-42we610). I just noticed it yesterday. Can anybody tells me what's wrong with my TV? Is this a known issue for this model? I'm new here and right now I'm still trying to read this thread and catch up on the discussions as much as I can but if anybody can tell me any information about this problem, it would be a big help. I got the TV 2004 and it's good I bought a 5 year warranty extension with it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/rcjian/100_3970.jpg

The picture below is the upper right corner of my TV (sony kf-42we610). I just noticed it yesterday. Can anybody tells me what's wrong with my TV? Is this a known issue for this model? I'm new here and right now I'm still trying to read this thread and catch up on the discussions as much as I can but if anybody can tell me any information about this problem, it would be a big help. I got the TV 2004 and it's good I bought a 5 year warranty extension with it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/rcjian/100_3970.jpg

Go back 2 posts in this thread from yours. Thats all the info you need. Contact sony and have your optical block replaced, or if you are lucky a new tv at no cost.

Go back 2 posts in this thread from yours. Thats all the info you need. Contact sony and have your optical block replaced, or if you are lucky a new tv at no cost.

Well I do have an extended warranty for my TV and my warranty company have a policy of replacing the TV if its not economical for them to fix the problem. So I would really cross my finger for them to just replace it instead of repairing cause I do want a new TV. LOL

Well I do have an extended warranty for my TV and my warranty company have a policy of replacing the TV if its not economical for them to fix the problem. So I would really cross my finger for them to just replace it instead of repairing cause I do want a new TV. LOL

If the warranty company gives you any problem go direct to sony. They will take care of this isssue for you.

If the warranty company gives you any problem go direct to sony. They will take care of this isssue for you.

Does Sony replace the TV or they just pay for the parts and labor? Thanks

The technicians just arrived at my house this afternoon. Right away they say its the Optical Block Light just by looking at my TV. They will replace it as soon as they get the part, hopefully next week.

That is great news. I have a dead one that will now be fixed.

I've had my Sony KF-50WE610 since Sept. 2004(no problems with the bulb yet) and just bought a PS3. Under the display options you can set it to RGB (limited or Full) and Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr. I've figured out that the latter isn't compatible with these Sony T.V.'s, so should I set the RGB setting to Full or Limited. I've read that the Full setting is the way to go if your T.V. is compatible. So I guess my question is are the Sony GWIII compatible with the RGB Full setting?

I've had my Sony KF-50WE610 since Sept. 2004(no problems with the bulb yet) and just bought a PS3. Under the display options you can set it to RGB (limited or Full) and Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr. I've figured out that the latter isn't compatible with these Sony T.V.'s, so should I set the RGB setting to Full or Limited. I've read that the Full setting is the way to go if your T.V. is compatible. So I guess my question is are the Sony GWIII compatible with the RGB Full setting?

No, it isn't. I have the same tv and also the new Sony A3000. Even though the A3000 has the setting for rgb full, it doesn't display it properly. I have the PS3 set to limited.

good news and bad news:

good news: My TV is fixed attached is the photo of a broken OBL


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/rcjian/Photo-0158.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/rcjian/Photo-0159.jpg


bad news: I just noticed that the image in the screen is not horizontally straight, noticeable especially when there is a straight horizontal line or border on the show Im watching or when Im viewing the TVguide. Does anybody know how to adjust screen that is sligthly tilted like mine? So that I can do it myself if not the technicians has to adjust it themselves when they come back to replace the driver inside the TV. They said the driver nedds to be replaced too!

Thanks

After getting a new OB in August'05 due to some white splotches I now have the blue haze. An actual Sony tech replaced the last one and also did some rewiring based on some service alert. Anway, now Sony confirmed the problem and I have to use a local authorized repair center. Seems no local Sony employees anymore here in San Diego.

Anyway, have a call in to a local and they will come out and tell me if it is the problem then get an authorization and fix it. My issue is just like the picture at the top right of the link below. The part I hate is they have to decide "if" it is the problem. I guess it is better than nothing. I will post back the results after they (if) actually fix it. Hopefully I can get another 2 years out of it.

Notice this alert was just posted December 11. The first place I called said the GW3 was not being covered so I sent them the link. The second place I called was up to date and aware of the coverage but is swamped with calls. So I just have to wait a bit longer.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF50WE610&news_id=237

Thanks for that link, I printed it out as well as bookmarked the page. We got our 60WE610 around this time back in '03. So far all I've had to do is change the bulb once, but it's nice to have this on hand just in case.

I purchased a KF-60WE610 September 04 and luckily have been without any problems. I just purchased a Sony Blu Ray Disc player 300 for Christmas and the HD quality is not nearly as impressive as inside of the store. My TV is essentially a 720 monitor and I am wondering if I need to step up to a full 1080 monitor such as the KDS-R60XBR2 to realize the full impressiveness of Blu Ray. Please comment or reply if you are considering or have made the step up to full 1080.

I have the same set and have not bought the HD DVD add on for my xbox for that reason, I don't think it would be worthwhile since the set will not do that resolution.

I have the same set and have not bought the HD DVD add on for my xbox for that reason, I don't think it would be worthwhile since the set will not do that resolution.
If you can tell the difference between SDTV and HDTV then you'll easily be able to see the difference between Blu-Ray/HD DVD and regular DVD. I have a GWIV and a 768p plasma and it's easy to see the improvements that high-def discs offer over standard DVD.

I purchased a KF-60WE610 September 04 and luckily have been without any problems. I just purchased a Sony Blu Ray Disc player 300 for Christmas and the HD quality is not nearly as impressive as inside of the store. My TV is essentially a 720 monitor and I am wondering if I need to step up to a full 1080 monitor such as the KDS-R60XBR2 to realize the full impressiveness of Blu Ray. Please comment or reply if you are considering or have made the step up to full 1080.

I have a 50WE610, and a couple 1080p sets. BluRay and HDDVD are very impressive on the 1080p sets - almost like the difference between HD and SD (not quite as dramatic, but you get the point).

I never hooked it up to my 768p WE610, but I imagine it wouldn't look as good.

Well, I went over to a friend's house last night and he has a Sony KDS-R60XBR2. He has a Blue Ray disc player and I took a few of my movies over with me. The difference between my 60WE610 and his unit is striking....the KDS-R60XBR2 with the full 1080 is absolutely stunning when using with a Blue Ray unit. We both have the same HD Comcast cable and converter and the HD cable channels on his unit looked significantly better...almost as good as the Blue Ray disc. Looks like I may have to invest in a new unit....the difference is that striking.

I purchased a KF-60WE610 September 04 and luckily have been without any problems. I just purchased a Sony Blu Ray Disc player 300 for Christmas and the HD quality is not nearly as impressive as inside of the store. My TV is essentially a 720 monitor and I am wondering if I need to step up to a full 1080 monitor such as the KDS-R60XBR2 to realize the full impressiveness of Blu Ray. Please comment or reply if you are considering or have made the step up to full 1080.

If you can tell the difference between SDTV and HDTV then you'll easily be able to see the difference between Blu-Ray/HD DVD and regular DVD. I have a GWIV and a 768p plasma and it's easy to see the improvements that high-def discs offer over standard DVD.

To see the full impressiveness of Blu Ray, a 1080 set would do the trick. Not that you wouldn't see a difference on the set that only diplays 768, the 1080 would give you the best picture.

...bad news: I just noticed that the image in the screen is not horizontally straight, noticeable especially when there is a straight horizontal line or border on the show Im watching or when Im viewing the TVguide. Does anybody know how to adjust screen that is sligthly tilted like mine? So that I can do it myself if not the technicians has to adjust it themselves when they come back to replace the driver inside the TV...
The screws that hold the optical block need to be tight. My KDF-55WF655 optical block has two screws that required a long-shafted Philips screwdriver. When the technician left them loose, the picture was a bit crooked. There is also some sort of adjustment "wedge" in back of the optical block. Presumably, this can be used to make minor adjustments. The tech should really ensure that the picture is straight before they leave. Check out my Sony optical block web site (http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock) for more details and pictures.

I got my KF-60WE610 back in November 2003. I also purchased the 5-year warranty at the time. My original lamp finally died on me. I'm wondering if this is covered under the extended warranty or not. I'd like to know the facts before I call for a service visit. Thanks.
Nick

For my 5-year extended warranty, the bulb is not covered. The program may vary from vendor to vendor.

mightihd,
Thanks for the response. I don't suspect my warranty covers it either. I'm going to just order a new one.

mightihd,
Thanks for the response. I don't suspect my warranty covers it either. I'm going to just order a new one.My 3-year EW form CC does cover bulbs. I have already had 2 bulbs and 2 OBs replaced at no charge. I'm about ready for another replacement of both before June, when the EW runs out. Don't be bashful, give 'em a call and find out.

Well, I went over to a friend's house last night and he has a Sony KDS-R60XBR2. He has a Blue Ray disc player and I took a few of my movies over with me. The difference between my 60WE610 and his unit is striking....the KDS-R60XBR2 with the full 1080 is absolutely stunning when using with a Blue Ray unit. We both have the same HD Comcast cable and converter and the HD cable channels on his unit looked significantly better...almost as good as the Blue Ray disc. Looks like I may have to invest in a new unit....the difference is that striking.


While 1080p helps, the real difference is the contrast, black levels/shadow detail. I have both the GW3 and A3000.

While 1080p helps, the real difference is the contrast, black levels/shadow detail. I have both the GW3 and A3000.

So, would you say an upgrade from a 42WE610 to a 50A2020 would be a big step? I am thinking I should pull the trigger on one of these SXRD sets before they are all gone. Plus I can get the 50A2020 for $1,300.
To justify it to myself and the wife I need to know it's going to be a pretty big difference in performance! ;)

So, would you say an upgrade from a 42WE610 to a 50A2020 would be a big step? I am thinking I should pull the trigger on one of these SXRD sets before they are all gone. Plus I can get the 50A2020 for $1,300.
To justify it to myself and the wife I need to know it's going to be a pretty big difference in performance! ;)


for 300 more you can get the 60 in A3000 which is a better set.

for 300 more you can get the 60 in A3000 which is a better set.

True, and I can also get the 60A2020 for $1,800.
The A3000 series is not available here in Canada and might never be, given Sony's decision to drop SXRD rear projectors.

After getting a new OB in August'05 due to some white splotches I now have the blue haze. An actual Sony tech replaced the last one and also did some rewiring based on some service alert. Anway, now Sony confirmed the problem and I have to use a local authorized repair center. Seems no local Sony employees anymore here in San Diego.

Anyway, have a call in to a local and they will come out and tell me if it is the problem then get an authorization and fix it. My issue is just like the picture at the top right of the link below. The part I hate is they have to decide "if" it is the problem. I guess it is better than nothing. I will post back the results after they (if) actually fix it. Hopefully I can get another 2 years out of it.

Notice this alert was just posted December 11. The first place I called said the GW3 was not being covered so I sent them the link. The second place I called was up to date and aware of the coverage but is swamped with calls. So I just have to wait a bit longer.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF50WE610&news_id=237

When I saw this link I immediately called my local repair shop directly. They ordered it and I had the light engine and the digital board that drives it replaced yesterday. The difference in image quality is striking. My suggestion to anyone doing this is to print the page out with the url so your local service shop has hard evidence. As sure as my serivce shop was a couple weeks ago this was cover, today they were confused. To be sure I'm going to drop off a copy of the link (along with the LONG phillips screwdriver the tech left behind ;) )

Hopefully some good folks here can help me out. I tried to include as much relevant information as possible.

WEGA KF-42WE610

Manufacturing Date: 08/2004

Purchase Date: 10/2004

Referencing information from the following link.

http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock


I have a Sony WEGA KF-42WE610 model with the exact problem (2003-2004 Grand Wega models: purple "fingerprints") described in the article and shown in the attached pictures. I called Sony a few months ago, and their technical support was not sufficient to indicate the resolve the problem (They asked I unplug the television for 30 minutes, that was the extent of their troubleshooting). No big deal, they gave me the phone #'s of several authorized repair shops. After the first call, the diagnosis could not be determined over the phone and the service call would be out of pocket unless it was determined the optical block was the problem. No estimate was offered if it was a dust problem that required cleaning. Like many others, I am in difficult position to pay for expensive repairs for a set that I paid over $2700 about three years ago. I do anticipate a bulb replacement will be in the near future, but I did account for that at the time of purchase (now I am curious if the bulb is part of a new optical block replacement). My question, how do I get Sony to fix this problem, which I do feel is a manufacturing/design flaw. Could this, or should this fall into the optical block problem that Sony has acknowledged, and if so how do I communicate the information to an authorized repair service so they will be most likely fix the problem.

This is a photo of the problem. Pictures don't really describe the problem as accurately as viewing it in person. Very distracting!

Note: This is a picture of the sky, the color gradient in the sky is normal, but the blotches are not!

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9739/sonyzq2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


FYI: I did reference this article, and read of some other problems that might be described as similar, but thought a new thread would better address the issue.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=638845&highlight=kf-42we610

Also, here is a link to the Sony e-support site

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF42WE610&news_id=237

HELP

^
From a page I remember reading in the Service Manual, the blotches, about the size of quarters (50” set) are from dust particles in the optical block. I don’t have the manual but I read one the service guy had when he replaced my first OB. Since your blotches are purple, the dust is likely on the green filter, lcd panel or mirror. These sets suck in a lot of dust, cooking smoke, etc. causing the problem. Cleaning the OB is difficult at best and not always successful. Lucky for me, I purchased an EW from CC and had them replace the OB twice, now. No, the bulb is not a part of the OB, in fact it does not even need to be removed to R/R the OB.

Thanks Snuffy.

I've been searching for a service manual and haven't had any luck. Unfortunately, I don't have any warranty coverage at this point unless it could fall under the extended warranty that Sony is currently offering for problems associated with the optical block (which is not definitively defined).

I wish Sony could have designed the set with a sealed unit, and maybe liquid cool the block, or use a HEPA filter so dust doesn't end up where it shouldn't.

My best bet might be a sympathetic service tech.

I found the service manual, but not much useful information (at least to me) - unless I get adventurous and want to disassemble the unit. Anyhow, thought I would post up the link if anyone is interested.

http://www.eserviceinfo.com/index.php?what=search2&searchstring=LCD-B1504++LCD-B2004

(halfway down - it is a 6 part download)

Still looking for advice if anyone has some.

OK, got the repair done today. Tech was really good at this as he has done literally dozens here in the san diego area. Took him 45 minutes start to finish. Now it is like it new again. W00t for sure.

No cost to me. He said this repair is now about $1000 to complete had I paid myself so there is some conflicting reports on costs. The company is a Platinum Service Provider recommended by Sony so I am happy.

Lets hope I can get another 2 years out this one. My last one lasted 2 years. BTW, he said in all that he has replaced he has not had to go back and replace again. Lets see how long that holds true for me.

I've had my GWIII (50") since oct. 2004. Although its been a good set with zero problems (and have 18 months left on the warranty), those shiny new sony LCD's are tempting me to upgrade. I'm particularly looking at the 52" Sony Bravia W3000 LCD or possibly waiting a couple months until the newer 52" that was unveiled at CES is available. Do you think I will notice a huge improvement in HD content (currently have PS3 for gaming/BR and a HD DVD A3 player) from making the switch to the new Sony LCD from the GWIII. Or should I just wait for my warranty to end in 18 months and then buy whatever is new and shiny.

Thanks Snuffy.

I've been searching for a service manual and haven't had any luck. Unfortunately, I don't have any warranty coverage at this point unless it could fall under the extended warranty that Sony is currently offering for problems associated with the optical block (which is not definitively defined).

I wish Sony could have designed the set with a sealed unit, and maybe liquid cool the block, or use a HEPA filter so dust doesn't end up where it shouldn't.

My best bet might be a sympathetic service tech.


I have the exact same issue.

Did a tech come out to look at your TV yet? I haven't called one yet cause I don't want to pay to get it fixed when it's obviously a design flaw and should be included in the extended warranty for the "other" optical block issue.