Has anyone with a Circuit City extended warranty on a GWIII had them replace the TV under the “Lemon” clause of the warranty? My set is ready for the third Optical Block replacement, which should qualify but I expect resistance from them.

I installed a new lamp last night. It's the whole housing unit, not just the bulb. It's official sony and I never touched it.

However, as soon as it was in, I started noticing a red smudge at the bottom of the screen.

I figure... either there is a fingerprint on the bulb or some dust kicked up and got on the bulb or in the receptacle where it goes.

Here's my question:

I plan to blast air to dust off the bulb and the recepticle inside (it looks like a paneled glass square kind of.

I was also thinking of using a lint free cloth to also wipe off the bulb.

Are any of those a bad idea?

Thanks.

I installed a new lamp last night. It's the whole housing unit, not just the bulb. It's official sony and I never touched it.

However, as soon as it was in, I started noticing a red smudge at the bottom of the screen.

I figure... either there is a fingerprint on the bulb or some dust kicked up and got on the bulb or in the receptacle where it goes.

Here's my question:

I plan to blast air to dust off the bulb and the recepticle inside (it looks like a paneled glass square kind of.

I was also thinking of using a lint free cloth to also wipe off the bulb.

Are any of those a bad idea?

Thanks.If the bulb or its glass is the culprit, you should be able to see the dust on them. I don’t want to rain on your parade, but it could be the more serious light engine or optical block contamination. It may be that your new and brighter bulb is showing this now when it may have been unnoticeable with the dimmer lamp.
Using “canned air” shouldn’t hurt anything as long as the bulb is cool and you are careful. Using a soft cloth to wipe the external glass of the bulb assembly and the “insect eye” lens you describe should be okay as well. Good Luck, Snuffy

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.


Snuffy,

I also bought my GWIII at Circuit City. I'm still on the first bulb, but have noticed I now get about 10 flashes of the status light before I start to get a picture and another few seconds after that before the light gets bright.

When you had your bulb replaced was it not working or did something else trigger you to have them come in and replace it?

Thanks,

-Bruce

Snuffy,

I also bought my GWIII at Circuit City. I'm still on the first bulb, but have noticed I now get about 10 flashes of the status light before I start to get a picture and another few seconds after that before the light gets bright.

When you had your bulb replaced was it not working or did something else trigger you to have them come in and replace it?

Thanks,

-BruceThe bulb just got progressively dimmer until I could no longer crank up the contrast or brightness up enough to get a well calibrated gray scale. The Sony manual says to replace the bulb when it gets too dim, or words to that effect. I was told by the tech that replaced my second one, that next time, call ‘em and CC will send a new bulb by mail. I never noticed the 10 flashes you mention. Each of my bulbs were repaced at around 7000 hrs. YMMV.

The bulb just got progressively dimmer until I could no longer crank up the contrast or brightness up enough to get a well calibrated gray scale. The Sony manual says to replace the bulb when it gets too dim, or words to that effect. I was told by the tech that replaced my second one, that next time, call ‘em and CC will send a new bulb by mail. I never noticed the 10 flashes you mention. Each of my bulbs were repaced at around 7000 hrs. YMMV.

Thanks,

Is there some way to check how many hours you have on a bulb?

-Bruce

Thanks,

Is there some way to check how many hours you have on a bulb?

-BruceYes, there is a log of "lamp hours" kept in the “Service Menu”. Check here for info on accessing it;
http://splinke.googlepages.com/sonyservicemenu-checkingandresettinglamp

Hey guys,

I've just replaced my lamp a 2nd time in 6 months.
I have the KF-42WE610.
The original lamp died last August. Last week the new lamp died.
Checked the service menu timer and only 1200 hours of usage.
I thought these things are rated for 6000 hours?

Is there something that could cause the lamp to go out faster than normal?
Could it be a heat or fan problem?
The replacement lamps here in Canada are $229 plus 13% tax!

Thanks.

Hey guys,

I've just replaced my lamp a 2nd time in 6 months.
I have the KF-42WE610.
The original lamp died last August. Last week the new lamp died.
Checked the service menu timer and only 1200 hours of usage.
I thought these things are rated for 6000 hours?

Is there something that could cause the lamp to go out faster than normal?
Could it be a heat or fan problem?
The replacement lamps here in Canada are $229 plus 13% tax!

Thanks.Sony and the other makers of the bulbs have been very careful not to state “bulb Life”. I guess it’s obvious why, from your experience. I would check and clean the rear fan since heat is probably the cause of the early failure. Of course it could have just been a faulty bulb. Both of my lamps lasted for over 7000 hrs.

The expensive lamp replacement and OB contamination are the reasons I will never buy a RP set again, although my GWIII has a superb picture. If you will notice in the stores there are fewer and fewer RP sets in their inventory. One HT storeowner told me that they aren’t selling many, due to customers wanting their sets to mount on the wall. This, coupled with other problems, renders the RP set’s days numbered, IMO. Samsung did try to use LEDs for illumination on some of their DLP sets, but due to RE, ghosting, flimsy build and poor geometry, they’re not for me.

Has anyone with a Circuit City extended warranty on a GWIII had them replace the TV under the “Lemon” clause of the warranty? My set is ready for the third Optical Block replacement, which should qualify but I expect resistance from them.

MyGWIII is not through CC but my reciever was. I had to have 3 replacement parts so 4 including the orriginal. the same seems to be going for my GWIII too. I've had 3 replacement OB's in it (they could not get it fixed, untill the third one :( LOL) but if that 3rd replacemnt breaks under warrenty, then yeah they should give you a new one.

(Now for my TV the replacement cost for the one OB and labor was more than a new TV, but because the total cost was not 3/4 my orriginal cost, they did not replace the TV.FYI)

If the bulb or its glass is the culprit, you should be able to see the dust on them. I don’t want to rain on your parade, but it could be the more serious light engine or optical block contamination. It may be that your new and brighter bulb is showing this now when it may have been unnoticeable with the dimmer lamp.
Using “canned air” shouldn’t hurt anything as long as the bulb is cool and you are careful. Using a soft cloth to wipe the external glass of the bulb assembly and the “insect eye” lens you describe should be okay as well. Good Luck, Snuffy
Well, you were right! I checked again very closely with the old bulb in a dark room, and... SAME THING! ugh.

So that is new optical engine #3 for me. I'm going down the CC "replace under the extended warranty" route. We'll see what happens.

Hey guys, I noticed on my friends TV (50")if you start in at the top left on the screen and moved about a foot in there looks like there is a 6"ish hair moving back and forth.. I have looked through quite a bit of this post, but didn't see anything about it. Has anyone else had this problem?

Hey guys, I noticed on my friends TV (50")if you start in at the top left on the screen and moved about a foot in there looks like there is a 6"ish hair moving back and forth.. I have looked through quite a bit of this post, but didn't see anything about it. Has anyone else had this problem?
Sounds like it might be a cobweb. I had several of those. Eventually, if there's enough airflow, it'll fall away. I try to spray (bug spray) near the TV to keep spiders away and keep the it far enough from the wall to maximize airflow. My kids don't climb up where the TV is so, I don't worry about them getting poison on their hands.

Hey guys, I noticed on my friends TV (50")if you start in at the top left on the screen and moved about a foot in there looks like there is a 6"ish hair moving back and forth.. I have looked through quite a bit of this post, but didn't see anything about it. Has anyone else had this problem?If the “hair” or whatever is in sharp focus and a particular color, it likely resides in one of the LCD panels. If blurry and gray or black, it could be just about anywhere in the light path. Digging into the guts of the TV would be the only way to remove it with a vacuum cleaner or compressed air. Not an operation for the faint-of-heart.

This type of thing is just one of the problems that is killing RP TVs. I understand Sony is taking the coward's approach and will no longer be producing these types of sets. What a pity.:(

hey guys... i have a sony KF-50we620 which had 2 or 3 blue blobs on the screen. so i called up sony who redirected me to a repair shop called A N Electronics, who i described the problem to. they ordered the part and came in today, but after looking at the screen they said its not the same problem that is covered by warrenty. they said that the warrenty covers a realy bright blob, not a dull one like mine. can someone with experience with this problem tell me if my blob will progress into a bigger blob? or if it should be covered by warrenty even though its not bright? what should i do? the tech guys that came over said that they can remove the dust from inside, but we will have to pay out-of-pocket. any help?

...they said that the warrenty covers a realy bright blob, not a dull one like mine. can someone with experience with this problem tell me if my blob will progress into a bigger blob? or if it should be covered by warrenty even though its not bright? what should i do? the tech guys that came over said that they can remove the dust from inside, but we will have to pay out-of-pocket. any help?

That's pretty uncool of the tech to make such a fine distinction. If it is truly the blue blob/haze issue, it will probably worsen over time, but I don't think Sony has set any sort of brightness threshold to obtain coverage. If the problem is due to dust, it should not create a "blob" or general "haze"--there should be visible spots that apparently usually look a lot like purple fingerprints. See my Sony optical block web site (linked in my signature below) for more details. Perhaps you can call Sony support and tell them what the tech said, and then hopefully have them tell the tech to replace it under warranty.

thanks for the quick reply spinkle. it does not look like purple fingerprints, it is a blue blob about two and a half inches by two and a half inches. there are some smaller ones off to the side, but those are hard to see. the tech said that he would have to "look into it" (i hate it when they say that :) ) and he will call to say if its covered or not. what pisses me off most is that they actualy came in with the new optical block, but left without replacing it :(.
so sony extended the coverage to december of this year, right? if it isnt covered i hope it gets worse before that so they replace it.
either way, looks like i will have to do some convincing... *strokes knife*.

kidding about the last :)

p.s i have already read your website in the past when i was reasearching the problem. great job on it!

...it does not look like purple fingerprints, it is a blue blob about two and a half inches by two and a half inches. there are some smaller ones off to the side, but those are hard to see...
It certainly sounds like it should be covered. I would suggest being polite, but insistent, with the tech--pointing out that there is no brightness threshold described in the coverage announcement, and that these things always get progressively worse over time. If that fails, be polite but insistent with Sony support.

The optical block problem is more accurately described as "purple scribbles", rather than "fingerprints". That is, it will look like someone has scribbled with a pen in various places. The size of the scribbles may decrease if the TV is left on for a period of time, but the individual pixels will be quite sharp, not blurry or imprecise.

Blurry blobs are more likely to be dust, in my understanding...

it looks sort of like this one, the only difference is its smaller

http://splinke.googlepages.com/DSC03398proc-600.jpg/DSC03398proc-600-full.jpg

The optical block problem is more accurately described as "purple scribbles", rather than "fingerprints"....
The "random scribble" problem (as Sony describes it) is actually a third problem that has a very distinctive appearance (large etch-a-sketch or road map-like in appearance). It apparently arises due to inferior-quality material in the parts of optical blocks manufactured during a certain period. The "blue blob/haze/star" apparently arises due to overheating of parts in the optical block, presumably due to poor engineering of the cooling system. Both of these problems have coverage extensions from Sony.

The "purple fingerprints" tend to be much smaller, fainter visual anomalies that apparently arise due to dust in the light path. This problem does not have a coverage extension from Sony. The open nature of the light path that allows dust to accumulate and be amplified on the projection screen seems like another case of poor engineering. Sony has abandoned rear-projection.

it looks sort of like this one, the only difference is its smaller...
That's the picture of my TV that Sony put on their coverage extension support page to illustrate the problem. Mine started smaller than that, too...and it grew much larger than that before my optical block was replaced.

If the “hair” or whatever is in sharp focus and a particular color, it likely resides in one of the LCD panels. If blurry and gray or black, it could be just about anywhere in the light path. Digging into the guts of the TV would be the only way to remove it with a vacuum cleaner or compressed air. Not an operation for the faint-of-heart.

This type of thing is just one of the problems that is killing RP TVs. I understand Sony is taking the coward's approach and will no longer be producing these types of sets. What a pity.:(

Snuffy, it is not in sharp focus, and you only see it with certain colors. It is pretty faint, but just enough to be noticeable.

That's the picture of my TV that Sony put on their coverage extension support page to illustrate the problem. Mine started smaller than that, too...and it grew much larger than that before my optical block was replaced.

i suppose i will have to wait for the tech to get back to me. if it takes longer than 2 weeks i will assume he decided it wasnt the same problem and not to replace it. if that happens, i geuss i will call sony again and tell them what happened and ask to be reffered to a different repair shop.

The "purple fingerprints" tend to be much smaller, fainter visual anomalies that apparently arise due to dust in the light path. This problem does not have a coverage extension from Sony. The open nature of the light path that allows dust to accumulate and be amplified on the projection screen seems like another case of poor engineering. Sony has abandoned rear-projection.

Has anyone, or do any of you all know someone, who was able to get their TV fixed under warranty for the "purple fingerprints"/dust problem? I started noticing this back in Nov and it's getting worse. At first, it was only noticeable when the show had a white background and lots of movement (hockey games looked awful). But now it's so distracting to me, I don't even want to watch the damn thing anymore. I even moved my xbox 360 over by the pc to play on my lcd monitor.

How would they even fix this? Take the TV apart and clean the inside?

How would they even fix this? Take the TV apart and clean the inside?

when the tech guys came over to my house they said that they could clean out the dust for $150 CAD.

But now it's so distracting to me, I don't even want to watch the damn thing anymore.
How would they even fix this? Take the TV apart and clean the inside?


I feel your pain. i am in the same situation with mine. It is so distracting sometimes that I wanna toss my remote into the screen to give me a reason to go buy a new TV. Tomorrow I will be taking my entire TV apart and attempting to blow out any dust I can find. With my luck I will end up makingit worse, watch.

Tomorrow I will be taking my entire TV apart and attempting to blow out any dust I can find. With my luck I will end up makingit worse, watch.

so how did that go?

i suppose i will have to wait for the tech to get back to me. if it takes longer than 2 weeks i will assume he decided it wasnt the same problem and not to replace it. if that happens, i geuss i will call sony again and tell them what happened and ask to be reffered to a different repair shop.

I had a similiar problem with green blobs. If I turned off the TV, the blobs would still be visible till the lamp turned off. Had a buy a new op block to get rid of the issue.
Yeah, I took off the back and used like 3 cans of compressed air to clean out the back. Didn't help with my particular problem.

I feel your pain. i am in the same situation with mine. It is so distracting sometimes that I wanna toss my remote into the screen to give me a reason to go buy a new TV. Tomorrow I will be taking my entire TV apart and attempting to blow out any dust I can find. With my luck I will end up makingit worse, watch.

I know what you mean about wanting to toss the remote into the screen. I am thinking of getting a Wii and may "accidentally" let the wiimote slip. Oops, sorry honey, we need a new tv. ;)

Did you clean out your TV yet and if so, how did it go?

Hey BOTTLEDZ28, let us know how it went, I have the purple fingerprints thing along with some yellowish tinted ones on my KDF-50WE655 that are only visible with light colored screens such as white or sky blue, I am about to do the same thing but take it all apart like in splinke's guide and clean the projections lens and blow some air down into the LCDs.

yes, please let us know how it went.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13278771

I did post in this thread earlier, and started another topic in January with the "fingerprint" problem. I thought that splitting the topic to dedicate the responses to a single issue might be better suited. Anyway, I'll be subscribed to both threads. Thanks to all of you and your thoughtful responses. I haven't attempted any DIY fixes in fear of making the problem worse, it is somewhat tolerable for now.

so now i seem to have a green blob of equal size to my blue blob. this one is on the right of the screen. does this mean i dont have the warrentied problem? is it dust? this is realy frustrating, the tech hasnt called back like he said he would.

Ok, here is the update. I took as much of the TV apart as I could today and I did NOT fix the problem. I was able to get inside the middle of the TV and phyiscally blow off what looks like a glass half globe of some sort. Im not sure what the name of it is but it must be the part that sends the image to the large mirror above it. I cleaned it off and also cleaned off the mirror. I vacummed all the dust out that had collected in the back of the tv and I still had the same 12 or so dots on my screen when I put it back together. Needless to say, I was not too happy. But, thats the least of my problems right now. You see, I pulled the bulb out to clean it and what I found was disturbing.
It seems this TV has a major design flaw in it. The bulb has melted all of the surrounding plastic inside the housing for the bulb. The access panel was so distorted that I had a hard time getting it off. The bulb itself has a long crack down one side of the case. This happened on my last bulb but the plastic in the TV wasnt melted that bad because I didnt notice it. I know others have had this problem so I know its not a freak thing with my TV.
I called Sony and told them about my issue and that I needed to put this on file with them. I spoke with someone in the safety dept and they knew I wasnt too happy about it. Basically I told them that I have a potential fire hazzard in my house now with a Sony logo on it and that it is unexceptable for Sony to allow this to conitune without doing something about it. I bought this TV in Feb of 2005. There is no excuse for this to happen after only owning it for 3 years. I have gone through 5 bulbs in that time and now I need another one. That is ridiculous!
So, after being on the phone for a few hours and speaking with numerous people, I finally got them to pay to have a local Sony tech come to my house and do an inspection of my TV to see what the problem is with it and why its melting from excessive heat. Yes thats right, they are paying the full bill of the inspection. From there, the tech will foward his finding to Sony and they will go from there. Sony rep told me that at that time Sony will make a decision on weather or not they will repair the TV or not. They said that I will have to pay for the repairs if it is from normal wear and tear. Ya right. Im sure that severe melting of my TV is from normal wear and tear. Hopefully, the Sony tech guy will tell Sony that most of the TVs housing is warped and melted and that it will need to be replaced. I know Sony will not replace all the plastic panels that are melted. Some of them are the main plastics to the outer casing of the TV. Hopefully they will just replace the TV. We will see what happens on Friday.

tks for the update, as you said something has to be wrong because it sure should not be melted like that, and that is alot of lamps to go through for the price of the dang things, I read somewhere there is a ballast that controls the lamp, maybe its sending to much power to the lamp causing to burn hotter and heating the surrounding plastic. They had some info where as to get to the three LCD panels inside the optical block, to dust them, you have to really take it apart by pulling the three wire ribbons out of their seats and remove the main LCD block that sits inside the optical block. Here is a picture of what I am talking about this is from another guy who pulled his apart:

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2995/dscf1556bo6.jpg

Well good luck with Sony and keep us informed.

Do you have anymore pics that show the inside of the TV? Id like to know how much was taken apart to allow him to get into that area like that. I chose not to remove the front screen since there was some wiring that ran along the inside bottom of it and I just could not get to it to unplug it. I also did not take the large back panel off as the mirror is in there and I was alone and did not was to break anything? I would really like to speak with someone who hase got this far into the TV so I tcan attmept this if I do not get things resolved wioth Sony on the heat issue.


On a side, has anyone here had a Sony tech guy come to their house? I want to know what these guys check for so I am prepared. I dont want this guy telling me that the reason I go through so many bulbs is because my picture is set to VIVID and now I am not covered. I think that is total BS but I bet he tries it on my to see where he gets with it.

I DO NOT want this TV in my house anymore due to the high risk of a potential fire. I paid over $2K for this thing to only give me 3 years of service and I will not let that slide with Sony. They dont know who they are dealing with. I will get something out of this. Does anyone have the same heat issues as me and have pictures to post up so I can better defend myself in this case if need be? Sony is going to try to tell me that it is my fault or something and that it is not a wide spread issue with sony TVs out there.

here they are, you have to go in through the back do not remove the projection screen in the front:

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9793/disassembly3jt1.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6158/dscf1515ma4.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/3/dscf1516hn3.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7798/dscf1520da7.jpg

Wow. thanks for the pics. Do you know who the member is that those pics belong too? I have a question in regaurds to the ground wires fround in the second pic just below the number 2 and "remove plate" step. My TV only has 1 of those ground wires connected there. I checked it good and there isnt even a scratch mark on the second terminal so I do not think there has ever been one there from the factory. Could this be something that Sony forgot or could it just be that maybe Sony made some tweaks to the unit during its production run?

Again, if anyone knows who belongs to these pics then please let me know. I want to talk to them in detail on how this went down.


PS. I just noticed that that tv in the pics is a KDF-50WE610 and I have the 655. What is the differance between the two models?

Yes Mine is a 655 too although the large pieces are about the same and where everything is located, I am not sure of the difference, they come from Lou58 here where he talks a little bit about it, they are a repost, he had links to them:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7084500

you might want to download the actual pdf service manual for the 655, there are 8 files you download all eight and use winrar to piece them together, its the last one in the list for the 655

http://www.eserviceinfo.com/index.php?what=search2&searchstring=LA-3

Bottle, check your private messages

has anyone got anywhere with that class action lawsuit that was filed against Sony a few years back? The lawsuit was about the constant problems that the rear projection LCD TVs from Sony where having? I found the link in thei tread I think or one similiar and filled it out. I know it was a while ago but I just wanted to know if anyone has got anywhere with it/

I already tried for the purple and yellow splotches on mine, I even got as far as them giving me a complaint number and told me to contact the local offical sony repair guy, he told me for my model the only thing they did to extend the warranty for mine until 12/31/08 if you get some severe sony blue dot symptoms like on the sony page for the problem. He said my problem is not covered and said it is probably dust, if he were to come out and check it, it will cost me $150.00 that sony does not pay upfront and if its not the problem they extended the warranty for, sony would not pay the $150.00, so I cancelled him and started reading in forums.

heres what covers ours:

http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?news_id=206&mdl=KDF50WE655

forgot this link read it

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

After reading the warranty stuff go down in the page and look for "Self-repair" then click on changing/cleaning the optical block he has some pictures. Also at the bottom of this first page there are pictures of his optical block and he shows you how hot the bulb gets and what it does to the plastic on the tv

Ok, here is the update. I took as much of the TV apart as I could today and I did NOT fix the problem. I was able to get inside the middle of the TV and phyiscally blow off what looks like a glass half globe of some sort. Im not sure what the name of it is but it must be the part that sends the image to the large mirror above it. I cleaned it off and also cleaned off the mirror. I vacummed all the dust out that had collected in the back of the tv and I still had the same 12 or so dots on my screen when I put it back together. Needless to say, I was not too happy. But, thats the least of my problems right now. You see, I pulled the bulb out to clean it and what I found was disturbing.
It seems this TV has a major design flaw in it. The bulb has melted all of the surrounding plastic inside the housing for the bulb. The access panel was so distorted that I had a hard time getting it off. The bulb itself has a long crack down one side of the case. This happened on my last bulb but the plastic in the TV wasnt melted that bad because I didnt notice it. I know others have had this problem so I know its not a freak thing with my TV.
I called Sony and told them about my issue and that I needed to put this on file with them. I spoke with someone in the safety dept and they knew I wasnt too happy about it. Basically I told them that I have a potential fire hazzard in my house now with a Sony logo on it and that it is unexceptable for Sony to allow this to conitune without doing something about it. I bought this TV in Feb of 2005. There is no excuse for this to happen after only owning it for 3 years. I have gone through 5 bulbs in that time and now I need another one. That is ridiculous!
So, after being on the phone for a few hours and speaking with numerous people, I finally got them to pay to have a local Sony tech come to my house and do an inspection of my TV to see what the problem is with it and why its melting from excessive heat. Yes thats right, they are paying the full bill of the inspection. From there, the tech will foward his finding to Sony and they will go from there. Sony rep told me that at that time Sony will make a decision on weather or not they will repair the TV or not. They said that I will have to pay for the repairs if it is from normal wear and tear. Ya right. Im sure that severe melting of my TV is from normal wear and tear. Hopefully, the Sony tech guy will tell Sony that most of the TVs housing is warped and melted and that it will need to be replaced. I know Sony will not replace all the plastic panels that are melted. Some of them are the main plastics to the outer casing of the TV. Hopefully they will just replace the TV. We will see what happens on Friday.Make sure you don't have the back of the TV too close to the wall when the guy gets there. He'll certainly use that as an excuse for the overheating since it would interfere with the exhaust fan's air flow. Good Luck!

I've searched this thread up and down, but can't find what I'm looking for.

I'm trying to find out if there is any way to identify on screen what resolution is being fed to the tv.

Thanks,

One more thing:

After around 10 minutes of the tv being on, there is a sharp, instantaneous drop in brightness.

I have not found any posts in this thread that indicate the same behaviour.

Does this sound like the makings of bulb failure?

I have around 7500 hours since June 2005.

Thanks,

One more thing:

After around 10 minutes of the tv being on, there is a sharp, instantaneous drop in brightness.

I have not found any posts in this thread that indicate the same behaviour.

Does this sound like the makings of bulb failure?

I have around 7500 hours since June 2005.

Thanks,
Can't say for sure, but that is around the number of hours that these bulbs tend to start dying.

That's what I thought, but no one stated they experienced the same problem.

I have a tech coming tonight.

BTW: my in-laws replaced their lamp last month having almost 13,000 hours (but with less power cycles most likely)

I will try this post here, copied and pasted from a email i sent:

Here is my story, I have had my Sony Grand Wega for ~3.5 years now, I have moved it cross states, multiple times without any trouble and loved every moment of owning this TV. I did have a problem with it after my first move were the power supply had been a problem, this was fixed under warranty. Now what has happened is, I was watching TV last night and I heard a pop and then the TV screen went black, but the power light was still green. I turned off the TV and then turned it back on, at this point I heard a noise like something was moving or powering on, then off, then on, then the TV would blink red (not the lamp light). After unplugging the TV and plugging it back in then trying the power button the lamp light comes on, at this point I was quiet certain my bulb had expired its 4 year life cycle, so I went looking online for new bulb prices. I found a few sites to buy from but wanted to make sure I could open it and replace it before I ordered it. I found instructions to install the bulb and went about removing the old one, what I found when I did was shocking.

The bulb housing was melted, the tracks it slides in and out on was melted and the filament was destroyed. Here is some pictures and I will explain what I saw and my concern in each one… (these are large pictures (7mega pixel)

http://www.bravuranetworks.com/images/tv/DSC05231.JPG
This is a picture of the bulb itself (still in the housing) as you can see the filament has busted and is floating around in the bulb, not too concerned with this as I was expecting to buy a new bulb, but wait till you see what's next…

http://www.bravuranetworks.com/images/tv/DSC05230.JPG
This is a picture of the bulb housing, as you can see it has cracked from the heat, I am now planning on ordering a new bulb with housing as a replacement for this one, assuming in your opinion (after seeing these pictures) a bulb would fix the problem.

http://www.bravuranetworks.com/images/tv/DSC05228.JPG
In this picture there is a few concerns, number one is the track on the right that the bulb housing slides on has been warped and melted, I can still slide the bulb in an out though, another is the glass square in the back, the lower right hand corner does not have glass (nor the lower left) I do not know if it broke or was not supposed to have glass. Either way as you can see my the picture, the glass in the back is dirty with white burn marks from the heat and there is other obvious burn marks inside. Would a new bulb at this point be worth it? Here is some other pictures of that area:

http://www.bravuranetworks.com/images/tv/DSC05227.JPG
http://www.bravuranetworks.com/images/tv/DSC05226.JPG

If you have read through this much of the email thank you very much, I don't know who else to turn to right now as your site seemed to have the most information on these tv's I thought you could help. Any input would be great, at this point my main concern is spend ~$150 bucks for a bulb or throw it away and go for a new TV? Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

so now i seem to have a green blob of equal size to my blue blob. this one is on the right of the screen. does this mean i dont have the warrentied problem? is it dust? this is realy frustrating, the tech hasnt called back like he said he would.

now have about 3 blue dots and one green one. is this the dust problem instead of the blue blob problem?

BOTTLEDZ28,

I have pictures of my KDF-55WF655 on my Sony Optical Block Problems web site (see link in my signature). The class action lawsuit is in the process of being settled, but it only covers SXRD models.

dallan,

It may depend on your specific model of TV (you did not state which one you have), but you should be able to check the current incoming resolution by just hitting the "Display" button on your remote. The resolution and aspect ratio of the incoming signal should be displayed in the lower-right corner of the information that comes up on the screen.

tipoo,

If the blue dots are bright, pixel-like dots, they tend to appear as the blue blob issue gets progressively worse. See these pictures on the Sony support site (http://esupport.sony.com/perl/news-item.pl?news_id=206&mdl=KDF55WF655). The blue blob/dot problem should be covered by Sony.

I had a problem with the blue stars on my KF-60WE610 (originally purchaced in Nov 2003) and had the optical block replaced under the additional service coverage warranty yesterday. I reproted the problem to Sony two weeks ago and they provided phone numbers for local repair tech in my area. I called the tech and faxed over my original receipt and he sent it in to Sony to get authorization (took about a week). It took him about 30 minutes to install the new optical block.

-James

Just adding my kudos to Sony for standing behind the blue blob and stars problem. Local Sony fixits changed out the optical block on my KF-50WE610 today under the Sony extension of the warranty. Took a bit longer than previous poster, but who's counting.

ok, now there is a bigger problem than the blue dots on my screen. when i turn it on, it just turns bright white, nothing else displayed. sound still comes through. any ideas on this one?

I am considering buying a used KF-60WE610 from someone who has said the set has never had a problem. However, reading this thread has made me extremely gun shy what with all these problems with defective bulbs, optical blocks, green blobs, melting plastic, etc., etc.

The set I'm considering has a Jan 2004 or Feb 2004 (I forget which) build date.

Would buying this set be imprudent? I don't want to end of with an expensive $1000 door stop. I'm thinking maybe I'd be better off spending more and getting a new set with a better history.

Any advice.

Thanks.

... I'm thinking maybe I'd be better off spending more and getting a new set with a better history.

Any advice.

Thanks.Yes, buy a new set and be sure to get the extended warranty.

I love my TV, but I'd agree: get a new TV with a warranty and piece of mind. My TV has been trouble-free since I had my bulb replaced under warranty (October 2003 build). Still, with the advances and price reductions in plasma / LCD TVs, it doesn't make much sense to buy a used LCD projection unless you can get the 60" at 500-700. 46" LCDs at Costco are running around $1000 and I expect that to drop even more.

G/L on your purchase decision. :)

I am considering buying a used KF-60WE610 from someone who has said the set has never had a problem. However, reading this thread has made me extremely gun shy what with all these problems with defective bulbs, optical blocks, green blobs, melting plastic, etc., etc.

The set I'm considering has a Jan 2004 or Feb 2004 (I forget which) build date.

Would buying this set be imprudent? I don't want to end of with an expensive $1000 door stop. I'm thinking maybe I'd be better off spending more and getting a new set with a better history.

Any advice.

Thanks.



I own the 50 inch version of this set. I would not buy it for even 100.00.

If you want to know why or have any other questions, PM me.

I have what I think is a different issue. This is an intermittent problem on my KF60WE610. Sometimes (1 out of 10 times) when I turn the TV off, the faint illumination which usually turns off after a few seconds stays on for good. The red light is on, and it looks like it is turned off. However, in a dark room, you can see the faint background light. When it is in this state, if I try to turn it on, the green light blinks without stopping, and there is no picture whatsoever. I can turn the TV off again, but it stays in the same state. The only solution is to unplug the unit. After a moment, I can re-plug it back in and then it will turn back on normally. After a few more cycles of watching, I will run into the same problem.

I have had the TV since November 2003 (with a 5-year warranty:)) and was one of the lucky ones -- my original bulb survived until last year when I replaced the lamp housing with a new bulb.

I think I have the slightest green blob issue emerging, but it is not noticeable except in very dark scenes.

Anyway, does anyone have an idea of what may be going on with my set?

Thanks in advance.

Nick

I had the same problem with the back light. They came out and replaced the light engine but I still had the problem. They then replaced another major part but I don't remember the name of it. It was another expensive part, I understood it to be a main computer part. (This all started happening as the warranty expired of course). Fortunately since the second part was replaced it has worked fine. I've searched all over the house for the slip they left so that I could tell you the part.... :o I will say that Magnolia Hi Fi rocks in regards to standing by their extended warranty.

Don't know if any one can help but I got tired of searching.
Just had my OB replaced under warranty and the picture looks great except...
On my black/dark screen I get a dark blue with some large patches of dark green. I only notice this on a completely dark screen but it must mess with the overall colors. I'm I nitpicking or is this something, oh yeah my warranty still has a few months.
Thanks

Bump

Don't know if any one can help but I got tired of searching.
Just had my OB replaced under warranty and the picture looks great except...
On my black/dark screen I get a dark blue with some large patches of dark green. I only notice this on a completely dark screen but it must mess with the overall colors. I'm I nitpicking or is this something, oh yeah my warranty still has a few months.
ThanksWhat you describe sounds like light scatter within the dark reached of the box. Could be dust buildup. You will probably have to demonstrate that it affects the picture to get them to do anything. Cleaning the inside is probably not covered by the warranty.

Thanks for the reply.
I did have it professionally cleaned a few months ago.
It looks like my black screen is blue and green. I'm getting some green spots now. It looks as if they replaced a blue problem OB with a green problem OB. I have to see what they say.

Thanks for the reply.
I did have it professionally cleaned a few months ago.
It looks like my black screen is blue and green. I'm getting some green spots now. It looks as if they replaced a blue problem OB with a green problem OB. I have to see what they say.The replacement OBs they use are likely refurbs of various quality. I'd get them back out there. I've seen colors on a pure white screen but not on a black screen. When my TV was new the screen had an overall redish tint (for a few seconds) when I turned it off.

After four-and-a-half years of trouble-free performance -- not even an expired bulb -- I turned on my KF50-WE610 tonight and had what can best be described as a snowy blue screen on start-up and then some sort of psychdelic effects in the picture from all sources. Best way I can describe it is that it looked like a color film negative. Anyway, I unplugged the set for a minute and when I plubbed it back in and turned on the set again everything was fine.
What was that about??

Hey guys, I myself have bought the KF-60WE610 back in April of 04 and had to replace the bulb about 6 months ago. My replacement bulb just blew out yesterday. The darn thing didnt even last 6 months. Of course my extended warranty is finished and the phillips bulb is going to run me around 200 bucks. I called sony because I heard of this new "warped lamp door fix" that they are offering so I decided to call them. I guess they have people in India answering the phones during certain times but they hardly helped me out. My lamp door is also melted, and the wires that connect to the bulb are charred. Im pretty sure Sony will cover the charges, but they refered me to my local technician. I did tell them that I have a fire hazard on my hands and that I want somoene to come to my house and look at it. There should be no reason why the area around the bulb is brown and melted. Looks like someone took a lighter and decided to burn it. Now I have to deal with some technician who is supposably an "authorized service tech". The last thing I need is for him to charge me 150 bucks just to look at the thing when I know for sure that there is a problem.

I'll keep you guys posted on what happens.

BOTTLEDZ28,

I have pictures of my KDF-55WF655 on my Sony Optical Block Problems web site (see link in my signature). The class action lawsuit is in the process of being settled, but it only covers SXRD models.

dallan,

It may depend on your specific model of TV (you did not state which one you have), but you should be able to check the current incoming resolution by just hitting the "Display" button on your remote. The resolution and aspect ratio of the incoming signal should be displayed in the lower-right corner of the information that comes up on the screen.

tipoo,

If the blue dots are bright, pixel-like dots, they tend to appear as the blue blob issue gets progressively worse. See these . The blue blob/dot problem should be covered by Sony.

Splinke, I have visited the website in your signature and have read several of your responses. Can you answer of a question of mine?

I have a Grand Wega as well. My model is KF-50WE610 and I have recently begun to experience the OB symptoms outlined here and your website.

Since my model is a 2003 and we have passed the June 30, 2008 deadline. Do I have any recourse available or am I totally out of luck?

Hey All,

Fot those in the U.S. I hope that you are enjoying your Labor Day holiday, and are safe from the perils of Gustov.

I know that I should use a search - but at this point my patience is running short. Here' the history

Set is going on 5 years old - and THANKFULLY, I got a 5 year maintenence plan with Sears. I'm not real electronically inclines to do the work myself, and have 2 left thumbs. So - the bulb has already been replaced twice, and the ballast (or engine?) once.

Saturday night starts with the dreaded buzzing, and then the red blinking lights start. $%^#. After about 4 tries (not in a row), I got the buzzing, but it came on. Cool!

Last night - I get home from work - same thing. I call Sears, thinking that it's the buld. They said that they can ship me the buld, and the service guy would be here on the 18th. I guess the way he was talking that I should be happy it was the 18th of September.

Anyway - I turn it on this morning - and it starts up - no buzzing, no problems.

If I have to wait until the 18th for Sears (obviously has more work than the Maytag Repairman :-)) I want o be sure that it's fixed, and that I have any parts that might be needed on-hand.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks all!

faceoff

We have a kdf-55wf655 for about 3 years now. Starting today, it has started to show a strange problem. After about a minute of turning it on, the tv would turn itself OFF... and then a minute later ON again ... and so on. Has anybody else experienced this?

We have a kdf-55wf655 for about 3 years now. Starting today, it has started to show a strange problem. After about a minute of turning it on, the tv would turn itself OFF... and then a minute later ON again ... and so on. Has anybody else experienced this?

Could this issue of turning itself off and on repeatedly almost every minute be because of the bulb?

The replacement OBs they use are likely refurbs of various quality. I'd get them back out there. I've seen colors on a pure white screen but not on a black screen. When my TV was new the screen had an overall redish tint (for a few seconds) when I turned it off.

I went through 4 OB before the 4th one fixed my problem. It killed me because it costed them MORE to replace the OB than to give me a new TV WTF??? but Mine is still kicking, it's on all the time (hate the bulbs though) I just hope Sony gets a 60" LCD soon cause I do NOT want to go down in size (but I'm NOT willing to pay the cost of a used car for the new 70" HA HA)

Could this issue of turning itself off and on repeatedly almost every minute be because of the bulb?

That would be my first guess.

Well, here it goes again. Tomorrow, my Sony will be getting it;s 3rd. OB in 4 yrs. It is also covered by my extended warranty (I just extended it for another 2 yrs.) The tech came out last week to replace the bulb and he said it needed a new "engine". It was getting blue and pink areas and I was willing to wait a while, oh well. I figured they (CC) would replace the TV by now but still no dice. I have to admit the tech they sent seems experienced and quite competent.

Well, here it goes again. Tomorrow, my Sony will be getting it;s 3rd. OB in 4 yrs. It is also covered by my extended warranty (I just extended it for another 2 yrs.) The tech came out last week to replace the bulb and he said it needed a new "engine". It was getting blue and pink areas and I was willing to wait a while, oh well. I figured they (CC) would replace the TV by now but still no dice. I have to admit the tech they sent seems experienced and quite competent.


I would like to know if extending the warranty on my G3 is available. I am on my second OB and am concerned about what will happen after the end of the year when the extended warranty runs out.

I did not buy mine from CC, is your option to extend only because it is CC or this available thru Sony?

Your input would be greatly appreciated

Has anyone had any luck going the Executive Review Committee route to get their TV repaired? I have a KF50WE610 TV that has 45-50 stuck blue pixels (and growing at a rate of about 25 per month) in addition to the "blue haze" problem that is covered by an extended warranty for model year 2004 TVs, but my extended warranty already ran out.

I am pulling my hair out with this one. Why is it that Sony extended the warranty of model year 2004 through Dec 31, 2008 when model year 2003 TVs extended warranty was only good through June 30, 2008 and they are having the exact same issue!?!? What's unnerving is that my TV has a manufacture date of June 2004 on it.

I went through the executive review committe with my kdf60wf655 about the blue spots. I was denied and a week later they issued the extended warranty
till the end of 2008 on the OB. They then replaced it for free

Me and several others bitched so loud they listened.

It can't hurt

I went through this with my 2003 50WE610. I had them replace the OB twice and after that they gave me a replacement offer. Offer was 25% off their web site prices. Prices came out about $100 less the Amazon, what a deal.:mad:

Good Luck

I would like to know if extending the warranty on my G3 is available. I am on my second OB and am concerned about what will happen after the end of the year when the extended warranty runs out.

I did not buy mine from CC, is your option to extend only because it is CC or this available thru Sony?

Your input would be greatly appreciatedCC sent me a card to externd the warranty and I'm glad I did. I don't know about Sony warranties but I'd give them a call. Mine was for 2 additional years, cost $350. My OB was replaced for the 3rd. time just yesterday. This one has a better picture than the set ever had. The green push is gone. The picture has a more linear gray scale and looks good, when the color temp is set the normal. I hate it that these sets have OB the problem and won't be made anymore. Frankly, as much as I have cussed the Sony RP sets, the picture is more natural and pleasing than any other technology I have seen, including the highly over-rated plasma boxes.

My WE610 has been running fine since Dec 2003, but wife complained that the TV dimmed several times yesterday. Now when you turn it on, it just blinks green for 30 seconds or so and then gives the red lamp light. I replaced the bulb with a known good one and it does the same thing.

Anything else I can try out before I junkpile it ?

My WE610 has been running fine since Dec 2003, but wife complained that the TV dimmed several times yesterday. Now when you turn it on, it just blinks green for 30 seconds or so and then gives the red lamp light. I replaced the bulb with a known good one and it does the same thing.

Anything else I can try out before I junkpile it ?
If that's what you end up doing, you can buy mine. I bought it in Feb. 2004 and it's been going strong ever since. I replaced the first lamp before it even died, because at about 7,000 hours I thought it would eventually burn out and I wanted to have a new one on hand in case. It never did burn out, but I replaced it anyway.
I'm just looking for something bigger right now.

I went through the executive review committe with my kdf60wf655 about the blue spots. I was denied and a week later they issued the extended warranty
till the end of 2008 on the OB. They then replaced it for free

Me and several others bitched so loud they listened.

It can't hurt

My KF42WE610 was about two years old when spots appeared all over the screen, purple fingerprints. Then, this summer, the blue haze starting invading the top of my screen. Sony acknowledged the problem but said the extended warranty on the OB was passed. Now, the bulb has exploded. The bulb access door and housing are warped. Sony has issued an extended warranty on the door and "related" damage. Did the excessive heat damage the bulb or the optical block?

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF42WE610&news_id=261

I am confident that a tech will identify the problem, and Sony will cover the repair, but if they only fix the door and the lower part of the frame that has been warped it still leaves me with a piece of crap of a television and will most certainly have to pay a few hundred for the bulb. I don't want this lemon fixed. I want a fair compensation towards another set.

tdma - did they issue your OB replacement on a individual basis or is there some additional information regarding an extension to the OB extended warranty?

If anyone has some advice, I am listening! I have been purchasing Sony products for 25 years and will never give them my business again if they don't do the right thing.

My KF42WE610 was about two years old when spots appeared all over the screen, purple fingerprints. Then, this summer, the blue haze starting invading the top of my screen. Sony acknowledged the problem but said the extended warranty on the OB was passed. Now, the bulb has exploded. The bulb access door and housing are warped. Sony has issued an extended warranty on the door and "related" damage. Did the excessive heat damage the bulb or the optical block?

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KF42WE610&news_id=261

I am confident that a tech will identify the problem, and Sony will cover the repair, but if they only fix the door and the lower part of the frame that has been warped it still leaves me with a piece of crap of a television and will most certainly have to pay a few hundred for the bulb. I don't want this lemon fixed. I want a fair compensation towards another set.

tdma - did they issue your OB replacement on a individual basis or is there some additional information regarding an extension to the OB extended warranty?

If anyone has some advice, I am listening! I have been purchasing Sony products for 25 years and will never give them my business again if they don't do the right thing.

my ob was replaced under extended warranty at no cost to me. I have a kdf60wf655, different model than you have. It is covered till 12/31/08

My model was not covered for the ob problem till a large number of people organised to get it covered. It took a long time but patience paid off.

My second ob is still going strong, so far.

Yes, that's right. Thanks for the reply. The repair window for my model was pretty short, and the problem only became evident three weeks after the window was closed.

Now that Blu-Ray is out I have a PS3 and have been watching movies, they look fanstasic btw on my KF-50WE610. I just want to get an idea of the BEST Video Settings for Blu-Ray for my TV.

My set is just over 4 years old, and it's still looking good. I do wonder if it's possible for it to develop an overscan problem over time. Lately, I've noticed that when I play Xbox 360 (component, both at 720p and 1080i) and Wii (component at 480p) games some of the images at the bottom are too close to the edge. I do use a component switcher, but can that cause this problem? I'm thinking of going into the Service Menu to adjust the image size, but I'm also wary since adjusting those settings might render my set useless. If anyone as any insight, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

My set is just over 4 years old, and it's still looking good. I do wonder if it's possible for it to develop an overscan problem over time. Lately, I've noticed that when I play Xbox 360 (component, both at 720p and 1080i) and Wii (component at 480p) games some of the images at the bottom are too close to the edge. I do use a component switcher, but can that cause this problem? I'm thinking of going into the Service Menu to adjust the image size, but I'm also wary since adjusting those settings might render my set useless. If anyone as any insight, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Since your viewing is over a Component connection, which is analog, yes things can drift over time. I have noticed that my KF-50WE610 has that type of overscan and some rastering for the first 10 minutes after it is turned on. After it warms up it is fine. This does not affect the DVI input being fed from HDMI. I’d stay away from the Service Menu, it is kind of flaky and you can get lost in there and really mess things up.

I was looking around my files and found what I know to be a very good picture of the Sony Light Engine/Optical Block.
127871
I thought it might be interesting to some. It's kind of nice to see the enemy up close.:rolleyes: It also gives you an idea just how complex this little bugger is.

Since your viewing is over a Component connection, which is analog, yes things can drift over time. I have noticed that my KF-50WE610 has that type of overscan and some rastering for the first 10 minutes after it is turned on. After it warms up it is fine. This does not affect the DVI input being fed from HDMI. I’d stay away from the Service Menu, it is kind of flaky and you can get lost in there and really mess things up.
Thanks for the reply. Guess I'll just live with it, until the overscan gets so bad that it cuts off important parts of the game.

I should put in a disc with test patterns, just out of curiosity...

Does anyone know what this port does on my KF-50WE610? How can I take advantage of it? Has anyone here used it?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3504/3210456052_f93a1e6103.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3459/3210456010_de24a9e0ce.jpg?v=0

My set is just over 4 years old, and it's still looking good. I do wonder if it's possible for it to develop an overscan problem over time. Lately, I've noticed that when I play Xbox 360 (component, both at 720p and 1080i) and Wii (component at 480p) games some of the images at the bottom are too close to the edge. I do use a component switcher, but can that cause this problem? I'm thinking of going into the Service Menu to adjust the image size, but I'm also wary since adjusting those settings might render my set useless. If anyone as any insight, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

I have the exact same problem with my component and dvi input's. About an inch is taken off the two sides and the top. I'd like to check out the service mode to see if I can adjust it as it's driving me absolutely nuts.

Could this issue of turning itself off and on repeatedly almost every minute be because of the bulb?
My 55" just started doing this turning itself off and back on again while the standy light blinks for about a inute in between each off/on.
Was the bulb the problem? Aggu, did you get yours fixed?
thanks

I've followed this forum for a few months, now, and have finally reached the point that I need to present the problem I'm having with my KF-42WE610 and see if anyone has any idea what to do with it.

I bought this set 12/19/03 from Circuit City and made the decision carefully based on the reputation for quality of Sony products, so, among other things, I wouldn't need to buy the extended warranty. I expected to get at least 15 years out of the TV (not 5). It performed flawlessly until the lamp power supply gave out as the result of an earlier power surge during an electrical storm. The power supply and lamp were replaced by a Sony repair facility 8/8/07.

On 11/7/08 the picture suddenly went to a bright red, resulting in darker areas such as mouths, eyes and hair appearing to be bleeding or on fire. The whole screen had a red tint, but it was more pronounced in dark areas. The problem came and went; sometimes the picture was fine, sometimes it was so dark red, nothing could be discerned, other times it just had a slight reddish tint.

The local Sony repair shop made a telephonic diagnosis of a bad optical block and said it would cost $928.62 to repair. That's when I found this forum and started the process everyone else has gone through, dealing with Sony. I wound up being offered the opportunity to buy another Sony TV at a "bargain" price of more than the same set would cost from other sources on line. After that insult, I bought a 52" Samsung from Amazon, and I, too, should thank Sony for putting me in that position. The Samsung is just fabulous.

In the meantime, I can't accept the possibility that the 42WE610 is just junk. I replaced the lamp, just to make sure that wasn't the problem, but it didn't change anything. I think I'm capable of replacing the optical block, but am hesitatnt since my situation is unlike anything else I've seen described as an optical block problem.

Can anyone confirm that what I've described is a problem with the optical block? I've even noticed that when the picture is in its "red" mode and the set is turned off, the screen glows red for a few moments after turning it off.

Thanks for any information anyone can provide

I have the 42we655. I removed and cleaned the optical block as it can cause some visual issues, but yours sounds more severe. The cleaning I did worked, but I went too far and caused a misalignment of the lcd's. So now I will be replacing the optical block myself. It can be purchased from TriState Module (http://www.tristatemodule.com/) for less if you are interested in doing it yourself. There are directions for this posted elsewhere in the forum, if you post back that you are interested I will find the links. Keep in mind this is not without some risk of failure. I failed at my first attempt at disassembly and cleaning, but I now feel confident that I can replace the block myself. Hopefully I will be reporting back my success within the next week.

Thanks for the help. I've already got the link for Tri State Module and figure I'll probably use their rebuilt block once I get into this. In addition to using the instruction from Steve Linke and others, I'm probably going to buy a .pdf version of the repair manual. It can't hurt and might help.

FYI, I just finished replacing the optical block successfully. Hope it lasts for awhile and doesn't make me regret the decision not to buy a different tv for now. I don't know if it was because of the different optical block or not, but I wasn't quite happy with the color at first, had to tone down the red and overall color level. I may look into doing a calibration. By the way, I found a link for my service manual for free, but I can't seem to find where right now. If I come across it I will post again.

Ok time to add my update on the 60" version of the GW3
The purple finger prints started in 2007 and the blue haze appeared in December of 08. We bought the tv directly from Sony in 2004. The set was backordered for months and arrived in the fall.
When i called sony service they had me pay for a technician to confirm the problem.
Then they said they couldn't do anything about it because the extended warrenty was up in June.
I wrote to the Executive Review Committee and Howard Stringer (thanks splinke)
I got a call a few days later from a guy who told me things like,
parts are scarce, and no guarantee that replacing it will not cause it to fail again. I told him to just cover the cost of the optical block and I'll at least have a shot at getting the tv back to normal.
He said it was past the date and that they are not able to assist me with this repair.
I got very upset and decided to file a small claim case against them here in Los Angeles.
I went and filed yesterday and got a date of March 27th.
It cost 40 dollars, 30 for the filing fee and 10 to have their authorized agent served with papers.
Apparently they are not allowed to use a lawyer, but must send someone to represent them on the day of the case.
If they don't show up i win the case automatically.
I will be preparing myself and getting all the data I can to show the judge that consumers should expect a 3500 dollar television to last longer than 4 years. In fact most last 10+
I'll keep you updated.

agn, please keep us posted.

If anyone received any communication from Sony that they think may be pertinent, please send it to me with your name so I can present it at the case if necessary

I just put the second replacement bulb in my KDF-55WF655. The TV has 15700 hours on it and 4010 lamp start ups. It still looks great. I am distressed to read of all the problems with the optical block listed on this thread, but so far my Sony has been a perfect TV (knock on wood, loudly!).

I don't know how much longer I can go before upgrading to 1080p anyway :)

Good luck everyone with your Sony's

Bobby

With this Sony HDTV model KF-50WE610 ...if I want to use an Over the Air HDTV antenna in my attic, I need to hook that cable from the antenna up to a HDTV tuner before going into the TV, correct?

I don't think the WE610 has the digital tuner built-in. You will need a HD tuner in order to get the OTA.

I've had my GW III since Sept. 2004 (my warranty is good for another 6 months) and have had no problems until today. I turn it on and the power/standy light blinks green with no picture. I can leave it on for an hour and no change. The bulb light hasn't came on to indicate that the bulb needs replacing. Any ideas as to whats causing the T.V. not to come on?

I have the same/similar problem. TV bought around 12/2003, no problems until Sunday 4/12/2009 when the TV would not turn on. Screen black, power/standby light flashing 5 (five) times. Tried power off, and unplugging TV and retry, but no success. Bought Extended warranty from Circuit City, but it expired in Dec 2008.
Anyone have a similar experience? Does this sound like the OB (Optical Block), Lamp, or some other problem?
I paid almost $3400 for this tv (and actually had purchased and installed out two other sonys and a Samsung before settling on this one). Repair shop (via Sony Website) says max labor is $245, but $90 evaluation fee - I'm afraid to sunk a ton of change into it.
Any ideas?

sounds like the lamp needs to be replaced.

I don't know how I stumbled on this website but it just saved me a 1,100 repair.

I have had my KF-60we610 sinnce February 2004. Over the last few months I started noticing blue blotches all around the upper part of the screen. It was really noticible when a bright image was on the TV, such as a snow scene.

Well, thanks to this website I found the repair and performed the repair I found on page 100 and 101 of this thread. I took my entire opitical block apart yesterday. Yes it was kinda overwhelming but I mustered through it. Needless to say after 5 years of operation the amount of accumulated dust was increadible. all three fans were clogged beyond belief. After an extensive cleaning I powered on the TV and all my blue blotchy/fingerprints were gone.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to this website you saved me a repair charge of over $1,000.

Sincerely,

Nathan

I don't know how I stumbled on this website but it just saved me a 1,100 repair.

I have had my KF-60we610 sinnce February 2004. Over the last few months I started noticing blue blotches all around the upper part of the screen. It was really noticible when a bright image was on the TV, such as a snow scene.

Well, thanks to this website I found the repair and performed the repair I found on page 100 and 101 of this thread. I took my entire opitical block apart yesterday. Yes it was kinda overwhelming but I mustered through it. Needless to say after 5 years of operation the amount of accumulated dust was increadible. all three fans were clogged beyond belief. After an extensive cleaning I powered on the TV and all my blue blotchy/fingerprints were gone.

Thanks to everyone who contributes to this website you saved me a repair charge of over $1,000.

Sincerely,

Nathan

Nathan, I did the same thing to my Sony KDF-42WE655. I must have taken apart to many things because now I have good color but the alignment is off. Does anyone know if I can go into the service mode of the tv to realign my picture or did I screw it up good. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks, John

OK - I have the 50" version of this set, purchased new in October 2003. I've had zero issues with this set until yesterday (never even had to replace a bulb yet). Wife turned on the TV and all the light does in flash green. If I turn off the power on the remote or press the button on the front of the set the light goes to a solid red as it should, but the set doesnt turn off. At first glance it appears to be off but the screen is actually a dark gray/light black color. If I kill the power to the set it turns off. If I turn it back on it just stays dark gray/light black and the light continues to flash green....is this a bulb issue or another issue - such as an optical block? I've never even heard of the optical block issues with these sets until I started reading through all of the posts on this forum....I dont want to spend the money on the bulb if that isnt going to fix the problem. I need a confident diagnosis. thanks in advance.

-mcbride

It's the bulb, no doubt.

It doesn't sound like the lamp to me. The screen would be completely black (no light at all) if the lamp weren't operating. I formerly had a 70XBR950, and on rare occasions when I'd turn it off, the lamp would refuse to shut down. Both the lamp and the fan would continue to operate, and I would get the dark gray color that you describe. In my case unplugging the TV, letting it cool down for about 30 minutes, then plugging the TV back in would correct the issue, at least until the next time it happened.

Try unplugging the set for a while, but six years and you are due for a new bulb, for sure. I got a Philips bulb off of eBay last year and am very pleased. Even if you didn't "need" the bulb, you'll be impressed with the brightness of the picture, that bulb has been going slowly dim without you noticing. I'm going to change my bulb every 4 years whether it needs it or not for the improved picture quality of a fresh bulb.

I unplugged it from the power for about an hour and when I fired it back up everything seemed normal again. I believe that I will go ahead and purchase a new bulb to see how much of a difference it makes. what is the phillips part number? Thanks for the input.

-mcbride

Since you now know that your TV has done this, I'd recommend being very careful to make sure the lamp actually does shut down when you turn the TV off. The normal cycle on shutdown is that the video signal goes black, then a few seconds later the lamp turns off, followed by the fan continuing to run for a minute or two. Leaving the lamp running for extended periods with the TV unattended could pose a fire risk.

Pulling the plug is hard on the lamp, because it also kills the cooling fan, but it was the only way I could find to correct the situation when the lamp refused to shut down. Without pulling the plug, I could not restore video.... No matter what else I did to try to correct it, I'd just get the black screen with the lamp on.

I was getting the problem with the lamp and fan staying on (but screen going black) after turning the unit off so often that I installed a switched pc power strip just on the tv so that I could turn it off. I would also ocassionally get the green led flashing indefinitely on startup with no subsequent picture. Both of these problems went away when I replaced the bulb, so I believe they were bulb related.

The correct bulb is the XL-2100u. There are two oem suppliers for the Sony lcd rear projectors, Philips and Osram. I ordered the Philips bulb and am very pleased, so I would recommend getting that one, but perhaps there is no difference, I haven't compared the two. You can buy the bulb bare, but you should pull the bulb cage ahead of time and make sure it is still in good shape and re-usable. I have read stories of the cage, which is plastic, being deformed due to the heat.

I have a KF-42we610 that is exhibiting the yellow etch a sketch problem. Anyone have any luck getting this fixed. Also, i tried to access the service menu via display, 5, volume +, power but I am not getting in. Am I doing something wrong? While the TV is a few years old, it doesn't get alot of use and I wanted to check the timer. A shame that a TV that was expensive new is manufactured with a defective part and doesn't last that long.
thanks

Along with the Blue fields I am now seeing a scattering of blue pixels and a black one or two. It's beginning to look like a star field. Are these dead pixels?

When my set did this, the light engine had to be replaced. BTW, it was then still under a 5 year warranty.

YMMV

OK. I'll check the bulb enclosure to see what kind of condition it is in. I went into the service menu the other day for the first time to check the hours on my bulb, it appears to have 6800 hours on it (factory bulb from original purchase in late '03). how do I find out the number of times the bulb was started when in the service menu? thanks.

I don't think you can do that...

Well, after over 5 years of reliable use my Sony GWIII has finally started showin signs of failure.

I faint blue glow has appeared along the bottom of the picture, and is currently only viewable on certain backgrounds.
This glow is about 10-15 pixels along the bottom of the screen and is viewed most prominently when a full screen test pattern of about 30-40 IRE is displayed. At 80-100 IRE you can hardly tell it's there..

Furthermore, at 30-40 IRE there is also a large, fainter blue area around the middle of the screen. This area is separate from the relatively darker blue area I just described along the bottom.

I'll try to post a picture of it once I find my camera.

Is this the "blue blob" phenomena typical of these sets and indicates a failing optical block component?

FYI - my 5 year extended warranty I purchased from my retailer when I bought it ended this past December/08.

I'm in the same boat as you, same symptoms after 5 years also, along with the pink and blue thumb print/smudge type of patterns all around the screen. I'm just hoping the blue along the bottom doesn't expand in area, I can live with the way it is right now, but if it spreads I guess I'll be TV shopping. I have a 24 year old 26" Sylvania that I still use, I wonder if these newer TV's will ever have that kind of life? Knock on wood.

Well, after over 5 years of reliable use my Sony GWIII has finally started showin signs of failure.

I faint blue glow has appeared along the bottom of the picture, and is currently only viewable on certain backgrounds.
This glow is about 10-15 pixels along the bottom of the screen and is viewed most prominently when a full screen test pattern of about 30-40 IRE is displayed. At 80-100 IRE you can hardly tell it's there..

Furthermore, at 30-40 IRE there is also a large, fainter blue area around the middle of the screen. This area is separate from the relatively darker blue area I just described along the bottom.

I'll try to post a picture of it once I find my camera.

Is this the "blue blob" phenomena typical of these sets and indicates a failing optical block component?

FYI - my 5 year extended warranty I purchased from my retailer when I bought it ended this past December/08.

My GWIII is showing a faint blue blotch in the middle of the screen (you can really see it with a black and white picture) plus there are now a few bright spots of blue on the bottom of the screen. Is this a failed OB or is it signs of a warped light door?

That is the dreaded OB for sure. It will get worse.

A picture of this would extremely useful...

Here are three pictures showing the issue.

The first is with video: it is hardly noticeable.

With a full screen 30 IRE pattern, it is most noticeable.

With a full screen 90 IRE pattern, it is less noticeable.

Any thoughts?

You may find this interesting Joe.

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

If you want to try to change the OB yourself I can send you the info,
it is somewhat delicate work, but I have done it.

You may find this interesting Joe.

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

If you want to try to change the OB yourself I can send you the info,
it is somewhat delicate work, but I have done it.


Nah...I will wait until it fails and then use the failure of it as an excuse to the wife to justify the need to buy a new flatscreen.

But, I guess what you are seeing is in fact an OB issue?

And if so, then I presume it will get worse? If so, can anyone estimate how long the progression to "unwatchable" would take? I mean, I can still watch TV on it now, but when would I expect to find it "unwatchable"?

That's my plan too, I hate to put money into an OB and have it do the same thing, seems like a waste of money. My is watchable as is too, but this blue along the bottom of the screen seemed to appear all of a sudden, so I'm wondering if it will stop there, grow worse, or start up somewhere else on the screen. I guess time will tell.

Nah...I will wait until it fails and then use the failure of it as an excuse to the wife to justify the need to buy a new flatscreen.

But, I guess what you are seeing is in fact an OB issue?

And if so, then I presume it will get worse? If so, can anyone estimate how long the progression to "unwatchable" would take? I mean, I can still watch TV on it now, but when would I expect to find it "unwatchable"?

It will get worse. How long depends on your tolerance for smurfs in bikinis.

few weeks to a month or 2 max.

I also have a 60 inch on the floor in a spare bedroom,. I'm trying to sell for 250 bucks.

A new ob costs about 350 bucks, if you replace it yourself, and seems to fail every 18 months for me.
Add a new lamp every 12 months and thats 500 or so a year to keep this POS running.

My 10 year old Mustang doesn't cost that much to operate.

My TV has been awesome for almost 6 yrs now (Im almost hoping it breaks so I can get a new TV:D). Anyway, its about due for a new lamp (noticed the picture flicker a bit last night). Where you guys getting your bulbs from now?

I used:
http://www.discount-merchant.com/Sony-XL-2100U-TV-Lamp-p/sony_xl-2100u_replacement_lamp.htm

I have a KF-50WE620, its been running since june of 2005. Would you guys recommend taking it apart and performing the dust cleanup mentioned on this thread, even if i have no major issues with the T.V currently? Apart from some faint blue and green blobs that appeared on the screen some time ago, but those arent really bothersome and dont seem to have grown in size.


P.s while I'm posting...How often do you think it would be reasonable to upgrade an HDTV? How often do you?

I have a kf50we610 purchased Nov 04. Anyway I've been lurking here getting some great info from all my fellow brothers in disgust with their Sony rear projection tv. My tv started the blue blob spread in Feb.-Mar. and the pixels seem to be dieing like flies now. It looks like the star field on screen saver and getting denser each day. I paid 2500 for it plus 475 a protection plan thru Circuit city that expired last year Nov. I am just sick to think to put anymore money into this tv to replace the optical block when it didn't even last 5 yrs.

Well, I just received a service protection plan notice in the mail from GE Appliances with my tv model listed from Circuit City. It came in a Circuit city envelope, :confused: I guess GE is looking to pick up some service contracts. A one year plan is 275 with other multi year plans available. It's a 20 percent discount offer compared to the web site plan of 425 with 25 dollar deductible. Go to GEAPPLIANCES.com and look under services/support at extended warranties on lower left. Fine print showed....p. TV image burn-in, plasma or LCD panels for minor pixel illumination issues that do not affect the overall viewing of the panel such as, but not limited to, missing pixels, intermittent pixels, or wrong color pixels; not covered. Well mine isn't minor and I am sure every one with this problem isn't either.

Has anyone else received this in the mail or used it. It's obviously a legitimate plan through GE. Just wondering if anyone else has received this in the mail or used a GE extended warranty. I am thinking the 275 is worth a try to get it fixed. Even if they deem it unrepairable they will give a monetary refund depending on age which when looking at the chart I could buy a new tv then.....I hope. Any other thoughts from the Brotherhood of Sony Disgust would be appreciated.

Also found on the contract - 6. If I change my mind, can I cancel my service contract?
We are confident that you will be completely satisfied with our service protection. But if you are not completely satisfied, you can get your money back on the remaining value of your service contract, no questions asked. This applies to Price Lock service contracts also. See The Fine Print for refund calculation.

I have a kf50we610 purchased Nov 04. Anyway I've been lurking here getting some great info from all my fellow brothers in disgust with their Sony rear projection tv. My tv started the blue blob spread in Feb.-Mar. and the pixels seem to be dieing like flies now. It looks like the star field on screen saver and getting denser each day. I paid 2500 for it plus 475 a protection plan thru Circuit city that expired last year Nov. I am just sick to think to put anymore money into this tv to replace the optical block when it didn't even last 5 yrs.

Well, I just received a service protection plan notice in the mail from GE Appliances with my tv model listed from Circuit City. It came in a Circuit city envelope, :confused: I guess GE is looking to pick up some service contracts. A one year plan is 275 with other multi year plans available. It's a 20 percent discount offer compared to the web site plan of 425 with 25 dollar deductible. Go to GEAPPLIANCES.com and look at extended warranties on lower left. Fine print showed....p. TV image burn-in, plasma or LCD panels for minor pixel illumination issues that do not affect the overall viewing of the panel such as, but not limited to, missing pixels, intermittent pixels, or wrong color pixels; not covered. Well mine isn't minor and I am sure every one with this problem isn't either.

Has anyone else received this in the mail or used it. It's obviously a legitimate plan through GE. Just wondering if anyone else has received this in the mail or used a GE extended warranty. I am thinking the 275 is worth a try to get it fixed. Even if they deem it unrepairable they will give a monetary refund depending on age which when looking at the chart I could buy a new tv then.....I hope. Any other thoughts from the Brotherhood of Sony Disgust would be appreciated.

Also found on the contract - 6. If I change my mind, can I cancel my service contract?
We are confident that you will be completely satisfied with our service protection. But if you are not completely satisfied, you can get your money back on the remaining value of your service contract, no questions asked. This applies to Price Lock service contracts also. See The Fine Print for refund calculation.

I'm Canadian, so this likely wouldn't apply to me.

The problem with your tv is the Opticle block, not the pixels on the lcd panels.

After replacing it you will have no more bad pixels as you did before the blue blob started showing up.

I have several of these tvs and have taken them apart every chance I get to clean the dust of of the lenses except they still burn the optical filter. I now have the blue blob everyone talks about. I dont think the LCD is the problem because I put it back together without the filter and the blob is gone but the color is wrong. I would like to buy the filter only. Does anyone have a way to buy only the filters? Thanks, John

I have several of these tvs and have taken them apart every chance I get to clean the dust of of the lenses except they still burn the optical filter. I now have the blue blob everyone talks about. I dont think the LCD is the problem because I put it back together without the filter and the blob is gone but the color is wrong. I would like to buy the filter only. Does anyone have a way to buy only the filters? Thanks, John

Do you mean the dust buildup burns the optical filter or do they just go bad on their own?

I have several of these tvs and have taken them apart every chance I get to clean the dust of of the lenses except they still burn the optical filter. I now have the blue blob everyone talks about. I dont think the LCD is the problem because I put it back together without the filter and the blob is gone but the color is wrong. I would like to buy the filter only. Does anyone have a way to buy only the filters? Thanks, John

This is interesting ? No one has said what was breaking down on the OB. They said Projection is still doing OK . I always thought they moved faster air to keep OB cooler was why not a problem in Projection. Any suggestions Welcome ? jjb220, Can You show Picture's ?

This is interesting ? No one has said what was breaking down on the OB. They said Projection is still doing OK . I always thought they moved faster air to keep OB cooler was why not a problem in Projection. Any suggestions Welcome ? jjb220, Can You show Picture's ?
I will spend some time over the weekend dissasebling the tvs and taking pictures of the ones that are not working properly and show pictures of the ones that are after cleaning dust away from the filters. I have 4 of these sets now. 1x 60 inch. 2x 50 inch and 1x 42 inch. Bought them all used so im not hurting from the cost as much as people who bought them new. I first ran into the problem with the 42 since I used it in my bedroom and would fall asleep wasting tv life hours. Also my wife started this powder habbit near the tv. When I opened the tv I found dust on everything. It wasnt a blue blob but the blue was uneven so after the cleaning everything was back to normal. When I had it apart I cleanned everything with 99% alcohol and cloth used for fiber optics. I noticed the concetration of dust in one area on the light filter for blue. None of the other filters had burn. After it was cleaned it was letting more light pass in that area than the rest of the filter. I put the set back together and still had a good picture for about 3 months then the blue tint (blob) started on the left of the screen. I took it apart again and came to the conclusion that the blue is the first to be burned because of its frequency and it is burning the image of the micro dust particles into the blue filter. I removed the filter and reasembled the set to find a very even blue picture telling me that the filter has to be in place without burn to reflect an even blue image. I read on this forum that the heat from the lamp warps the optical block causing the blob and I have to say I completly dissagree. The heat from the lamp can warp the housing but the heat is not a factor in the image. It is the intensity of light that burns what looks to be a cheap dichoirc filter film on a piece of glass. I bought a new optical block so I had a spare to prove this when my 50 inch had a blue blob start on the top of the screen. I used the filter from the 42 and the image "blob" moved to the left of the screen like it was on the 42. So of course I had to put the 42 inch filter in the 50 and the blob was on top. At this point I have a working 50 inch but the blob started on my 60 and I am unable to find an optical block for a reasonable price so I went on a search for the filter itself. If anyone knows about where I can find parts for the 60, please let me know. Thanks for reading, John.

Do you mean the dust buildup burns the optical filter or do they just go bad on their own?
I do mean to say that it is micro dust particles that burn the optical filter. That is why there is no definition to the blob. I have yet to understand what is meant by thumb print. Can someone show a picture or explain what that is? Thanks, John

I do mean to say that it is micro dust particles that burn the optical filter. That is why there is no definition to the blob. I have yet to understand what is meant by thumb print. Can someone show a picture or explain what that is? Thanks, John

Which is what I have believed for a long time. The tv itself and or the parts are not inherently defective, but the ability for dust to get into the optical block and ruin it is in a sense a defect that it seems would be hard to prevent.

Putting the heat (light) source further away from the filters would be a good start.

I like the way your are approaching this.

I have found a few manufacturers of dichroic filters but there standars sizes don't seem to be correct. If you have one handy can you measure the dimensions. Most stock only 25mmx25mm but will cut to any size by request.

Also I am assuming these are bandpass filters in the 3 color spectrums of blue, yellow and red. Is this correct?

I will spend some time over the weekend dissasebling the tvs and taking pictures of the ones that are not working properly and show pictures of the ones that are after cleaning dust away from the filters. I have 4 of these sets now. 1x 60 inch. 2x 50 inch and 1x 42 inch. Bought them all used so im not hurting from the cost as much as people who bought them new. I first ran into the problem with the 42 since I used it in my bedroom and would fall asleep wasting tv life hours. Also my wife started this powder habbit near the tv. When I opened the tv I found dust on everything. It wasnt a blue blob but the blue was uneven so after the cleaning everything was back to normal. When I had it apart I cleanned everything with 99% alcohol and cloth used for fiber optics. I noticed the concetration of dust in one area on the light filter for blue. None of the other filters had burn. After it was cleaned it was letting more light pass in that area than the rest of the filter. I put the set back together and still had a good picture for about 3 months then the blue tint (blob) started on the left of the screen. I took it apart again and came to the conclusion that the blue is the first to be burned because of its frequency and it is burning the image of the micro dust particles into the blue filter. I removed the filter and reasembled the set to find a very even blue picture telling me that the filter has to be in place without burn to reflect an even blue image. I read on this forum that the heat from the lamp warps the optical block causing the blob and I have to say I completly dissagree. The heat from the lamp can warp the housing but the heat is not a factor in the image. It is the intensity of light that burns what looks to be a cheap dichoirc filter film on a piece of glass. I bought a new optical block so I had a spare to prove this when my 50 inch had a blue blob start on the top of the screen. I used the filter from the 42 and the image "blob" moved to the left of the screen like it was on the 42. So of course I had to put the 42 inch filter in the 50 and the blob was on top. At this point I have a working 50 inch but the blob started on my 60 and I am unable to find an optical block for a reasonable price so I went on a search for the filter itself. If anyone knows about where I can find parts for the 60, please let me know. Thanks for reading, John.

Putting the heat (light) source further away from the filters would be a good start.
Im sure it wouldnt be a bad idea to move the bulb away from the LCD's. I always wondered why Sony didnt position the lamp like a DLP lamped from the side with a fan blowing the air across the area instead of away. The lamp is no where near the electronic display components. I have yet to see a DLP DMD damaged from heat or light. I opened the optical block from my 50WE610 and found the LCD block is reversed. The red is closest to the lamp and it still developed a blue blob. The heat may be a factor on stuck pixels and the reason there is a leftover fading image. My 50WE610 has a trailing red image where my 60 inch has a blue. I hope Sony can come up with a longer lasting slimmer way to make these sets because I have not seen a better picture from a tv in these sizes and I see the rainbow effect really bad from DLP.

I like the way your are approaching this.

I have found a few manufacturers of dichroic filters but there standars sizes don't seem to be correct. If you have one handy can you measure the dimensions. Most stock only 25mmx25mm but will cut to any size by request.

Also I am assuming these are bandpass filters in the 3 color spectrums of blue, yellow and red. Is this correct?

If they can cut the yellow filter to the size of the one used on the optical block that may work. I will need to get the size. The light filters I see are blue, yellow and red. I did alot of searching and found a company that has new optical blocks for a good price so I will buy from them so I can clean up the picture on the 60". I am not going to buy one for the 50WE610 because it does not have a digital tuner so I will continue to experiment with it and the old OBs from the other sets. I will add pictures monday. Thanks, John

Im sure it wouldnt be a bad idea to move the bulb away from the LCD's. I always wondered why Sony didnt position the lamp like a DLP lamped from the side with a fan blowing the air across the area instead of away. The lamp is no where near the electronic display components. I have yet to see a DLP DMD damaged from heat or light. I opened the optical block from my 50WE610 and found the LCD block is reversed. The red is closest to the lamp and it still developed a blue blob. The heat may be a factor on stuck pixels and the reason there is a leftover fading image. My 50WE610 has a trailing red image where my 60 inch has a blue. I hope Sony can come up with a longer lasting slimmer way to make these sets because I have not seen a better picture from a tv in these sizes and I see the rainbow effect really bad from DLP.

No one makes LCD rear projections anymore. There are still some DLP's being made.

Im sure it wouldnt be a bad idea to move the bulb away from the LCD's. I always wondered why Sony didnt position the lamp like a DLP lamped from the side with a fan blowing the air across the area instead of away. The lamp is no where near the electronic display components. I have yet to see a DLP DMD damaged from heat or light. I opened the optical block from my 50WE610 and found the LCD block is reversed. The red is closest to the lamp and it still developed a blue blob. The heat may be a factor on stuck pixels and the reason there is a leftover fading image. My 50WE610 has a trailing red image where my 60 inch has a blue. I hope Sony can come up with a longer lasting slimmer way to make these sets because I have not seen a better picture from a tv in these sizes and I see the rainbow effect really bad from DLP.

Sony stopped making rptv period, no design changes to consider

If they can cut the yellow filter to the size of the one used on the optical block that may work. I will need to get the size. The light filters I see are blue, yellow and red. I did alot of searching and found a company that has new optical blocks for a good price so I will buy from them so I can clean up the picture on the 60". I am not going to buy one for the 50WE610 because it does not have a digital tuner so I will continue to experiment with it and the old OBs from the other sets. I will add pictures monday. Thanks, John

Are you speaking of tristate for the refurb OB?

They will do it for 300 or so I've heard if you send them the block.

It will fail again also, can you measure the filter please if you have one, I hate to take mine apart again just to measure the glass.

If we can get filters on the cheap, and it corrects the problem, it might make keeping this tv an option.

When this tv works it's an awesome picture.

Are you speaking of tristate for the refurb OB?

They will do it for 300 or so I've heard if you send them the block.

It will fail again also, can you measure the filter please if you have one, I hate to take mine apart again just to measure the glass.

If we can get filters on the cheap, and it corrects the problem, it might make keeping this tv an option.

When this tv works it's an awesome picture.
I have a company that sells new OB for under 200. No repair or exchange needed. Does not come with board or fans but is well worth it. I did my first repair buying from them. I did not get to take pictures because my son broke my digital camera LCD. New one on the way so I will get photos then.

I have a company that sells new OB for under 200. No repair or exchange needed. Does not come with board or fans but is well worth it. I did my first repair buying from them. I did not get to take pictures because my son broke my digital camera LCD. New one on the way so I will get photos then.

Can you tell me who that is? I have taken mine apart enough that I have no problem swapping components of the block.

Like many others I am out of work now and have been for a while.
A couple hundred bucks saved is a big deal in my house right now.

Also what do you get with the new block?

I have a Sony KF50WE610 that developed the infamous "yellow stain" in the upper right corner of the screen (extends into mid screen). I believe it to be the optical block. Here are my questions. If Sony doesn't cover part or all of the cost to repair (~$1000), is it more beneficial to buy a new tv? How long does this type of repair typically last before it happens again?

I have a Sony KF50WE610 that developed the infamous "yellow stain" in the upper right corner of the screen (extends into mid screen). I believe it to be the optical block. Here are my questions. If Sony doesn't cover part or all of the cost to repair (~$1000), is it more beneficial to buy a new tv? How long does this type of repair typically last before it happens again?

That is difficult to answer because there are many variables that seem to affect this tv.

The distance from the wall (air flow) can be a factor.
The amount of time the tv is being used per day is another.
The cleanliness of your house, smoking, dust, pet hair, and how often you clean behind your tv is a major factor.

My second block only lasted 19 months on my 60 inch. It was on about 10 hours a day, more some days.

You can bet it will happen again eventually.

If you can do the repairs yourself it becomes a possibility to keep it, if not, that 1000 + and a new lamp every year or 2 make it very difficult to justify keeping it.

Be sure to let Sony know how unhappy you are and never buy another Sony tv.

I will spend some time over the weekend dissasebling the tvs and taking pictures of the ones that are not working properly and show pictures of the ones that are after cleaning dust away from the filters. I have 4 of these sets now. 1x 60 inch. 2x 50 inch and 1x 42 inch. Bought them all used so im not hurting from the cost as much as people who bought them new. I first ran into the problem with the 42 since I used it in my bedroom and would fall asleep wasting tv life hours. Also my wife started this powder habbit near the tv. When I opened the tv I found dust on everything. It wasnt a blue blob but the blue was uneven so after the cleaning everything was back to normal. When I had it apart I cleanned everything with 99% alcohol and cloth used for fiber optics. I noticed the concetration of dust in one area on the light filter for blue. None of the other filters had burn. After it was cleaned it was letting more light pass in that area than the rest of the filter. I put the set back together and still had a good picture for about 3 months then the blue tint (blob) started on the left of the screen. I took it apart again and came to the conclusion that the blue is the first to be burned because of its frequency and it is burning the image of the micro dust particles into the blue filter. I removed the filter and reasembled the set to find a very even blue picture telling me that the filter has to be in place without burn to reflect an even blue image. I read on this forum that the heat from the lamp warps the optical block causing the blob and I have to say I completly dissagree. The heat from the lamp can warp the housing but the heat is not a factor in the image. It is the intensity of light that burns what looks to be a cheap dichoirc filter film on a piece of glass. I bought a new optical block so I had a spare to prove this when my 50 inch had a blue blob start on the top of the screen. I used the filter from the 42 and the image "blob" moved to the left of the screen like it was on the 42. So of course I had to put the 42 inch filter in the 50 and the blob was on top. At this point I have a working 50 inch but the blob started on my 60 and I am unable to find an optical block for a reasonable price so I went on a search for the filter itself. If anyone knows about where I can find parts for the 60, please let me know. Thanks for reading, John.

here is a maker of dichoric filters, we just need to determain the size of the filters to get a price.
http://www.manufacturers.com.tw/showroom_f.php?a=8604-3-4-0-0

I would think item 505 would be the filter for the blue lcd.

Borosilicate

http://rocoes.com.tw/2008e/optical/dichroic.htm

The wavelenth for blue is 450nm, making this a blue bandpass filter.

TDMA,
any progress? I have a KF60WE610 with blue pixels. It needs a new light engine. If there is a cheaper fix (swapping the lenses) that would be great. Sure beats spending all that money on a LE.

JJB220,
can you share the company who sells the LE (minus electronics) for $200. That would be great if that information is posted!!

I have a Sony KDF-50WE655. When I turn it on it works for Less than a minute then its like it automaticly restarts. I have picture for a few seconds then no picture for about 45 seconds and its like a cylce over and over......not sure what to do? Can anyone help??????

I have a Sony KDF-50WE655. When I turn it on it works for Less than a minute then its like it automaticly restarts. I have picture for a few seconds then no picture for about 45 seconds and its like a cylce over and over......not sure what to do? Can anyone help??????I remember having this problem a few years ago. Best I remember, I just shut everything down (unplug the TV), wait awhile, and try again. If I remember correctly, the problem disappeared after a couple of restarts.

Of course, I came back to this forum because I have a problem. I have a Sony KF50WE610 with 6 to 10 (it varies) stuck blue pixels in the center of the screen in a constellation formation. Am I about to be toast?

I have a Sony KDF-50WE655. When I turn it on it works for Less than a minute then its like it automaticly restarts. I have picture for a few seconds then no picture for about 45 seconds and its like a cylce over and over......not sure what to do? Can anyone help??????

I would give it a 95% chance you just need a new lamp.

Arniemc,

sounds like the optical block failure we are all experiencing.

Sorry to hear it but some reading reading will inform you and probably piss you off like the rest of us.

The blue dots will get worse.

I've tried unplugging the tv to reset it, didn't help. I was thinking that maybe it was the bulb also. But the one thats in it is only 12 days old. I have the optical block out now, trying to clear away all the dust to see if it helps with cooling the bulb. If the bulb still fails I guess I will return it and try to get a new one. Thanks for the input..........

I've tried unplugging the tv to reset it, didn't help. I was thinking that maybe it was the bulb also. But the one thats in it is only 12 days old. I have the optical block out now, trying to clear away all the dust to see if it helps with cooling the bulb. If the bulb still fails I guess I will return it and try to get a new one. Thanks for the input..........

I don't know where you bought the lamp, but I personally don't mess around with anything other than original Sony replacement lamps.

I have heard some bad stories about those cheap Chineese knockoffs.

IMO spend a few bucks more and get the real lamp, they have been improved from the original ones that shipped in the sets and last much longer than they used to.

I have had the same issue and a new lamp has alwas stopped the problem for about 18 months or so.

I've got a Sony KDF-42WE655 that's experiencing the blue blob in the left corner of the screen. Sony is unwilling to do anything and the repair by a local tech is around $1,000 to replace the optical block. Is there any other option short of just junking it?

Go back a page or two. I posted about extended warranties from Ge appliances. Go to geappliances.com and look under services and support then extended warranties. I wasn't going to pay $1000 to fix my $2500 tv that I paid all most $500 for a 4 year warranty for circuit city that expired just before the tv crapped out. I got the offer for $275 from GE for an extended warranty in the mail. That made it worth it to try and fix it and squeeze a few more years out of it. The repair guy is coming Thursday to install the optical block. $275 parts and labor is a good deal for me. Plug in your tv info for the estimate for the warranty it might be worth it. It will be more than my mail offer, but should be worth it to squeeze some more life out of your tv.

Go back a page or two. I posted about extended warranties from Ge appliances. Go to geappliances.com and look under services and support then extended warranties. I wasn't going to pay $1000 to fix my $2500 tv that I paid all most $500 for a 4 year warranty for circuit city that expired just before the tv crapped out. I got the offer for $275 from GE for an extended warranty in the mail. That made it worth it to try and fix it and squeeze a few more years out of it. The repair guy is coming Thursday to install the optical block. $275 parts and labor is a good deal for me. Plug in your tv info for the estimate for the warranty it might be worth it. It will be more than my mail offer, but should be worth it to squeeze some more life out of your tv.

Please let us know how this goes.

Can you ask if the warranty covers the lamp?

Is the guy a authorised Sony repair guy?

This may be another option, thanks

Well the repair guy just left and it took him an hour to replace the light block and a comp. module that came with it. It looks simply "marvelous". It looks like GE contracts with different tv repair services that are available in your area. Mine is New England television service. Web site-newenglandtelevisionservice.com. Look at the site and they cover a large area in Pa and and all of Ct. They also serve as the repair guys for Best Buy, Sears, Walmart, Sams Club and a couple others. The warranty covers the lamp to. I am very very satisified with the service and the warranty. I lucked out getting the warranty flier in the mail for $275 just when my tv crapped out. For me GEappliances.com with their extended warranties was a god send. Keep in mind that my warranty found me in the mail through circuit city after they pooped out. So if you go for the warranty directly from the GE site it will be more. If you spent the kind of money like I did for the tv when it was new then an extended warranty for $500 or less that includes parts and labor may well be worth it to squeeze some more life out of the tv.

The problem with my KF50WE620 (canadian version 2004) is different than what most people describe. I have blue blobs, lines, and blurs but none are permanent. It behaves much more like a temporary burn-in problem.
For example, if I tune to a financial channel with lots of lines and bars, then switch to a different channel the lines and bars will persist for 20 minutes to an hour.
If I turn the TV off and it cools all blue goes away.

Any chance I can clean something in the optical block to make it all go away?

What you are seeing is the early stages of the problem everyone is having.

The blobs and dots will become more and permanent as time goes on.

I have not found a cleaning method that works.

replacement of the ob seems the only fix.

Thanks for the feedback.
Certainly it's the OB problem. I've had this problem since May and it is getting worse. I also have 2 blue pixels that are permanent, but these are much less noticeable.

I am getting a new LCD at a significantly reduced price from Sony as a result of this problem, but now I have this 50" paperweight that I'm trying to figure out what to do with.

If I can even fix it a little bit I can give it to a relative who can use it for gaming or as a kid's TV, otherwise I have to haul it to the dump.

I have a KDF-E50A10 purchased in January of 2006. Blue haze issue popped up about 2 weeks ago, and was diagnosed today with the now infamous OB defect. Sony as we know is not extending the warranty for these models. Best I could get from them is about a $500 discount on the 52" Bravia S LCD's. But, at still just over a grand for one of the lower series 09 models, I may be inclined to move to the Panny plasmas. Just hard to justify giving Sony additional business at this point.

My kdf-42we655 has developed a horizontal, very straight blue line near the bottom letterbox area about 1/2 inch wide. It doesn't appear until the set is warmed up. Its on its original optical block (5yrs) so of course I am suspecting that. But the set seems to be a lot quieter regarding fan noise. There is a slight draft from the rear still but still seems quieter than I remember.

Are there fans on the OB on this set that may have failed? Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanx, john

I have been maintaining a relatively comprehensive informational web site on Sony LCD RPTV optical block problems (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/) for the past few years. I recently made a significant update of the content, so I wanted to remind people to visit, if you are interested.

Yes I have been to your site. Thanks for doing that for everyone.

Last night I noticed some light blue blobs starting to appear and recede so I think I am victim to the OB problem.

Had the set since Dec2004, checked the hours on the bulb (still on the original bulb) and shocked to find over 11000 hours on it. So I don't know if I am one of the lucky ones whose OB lasted that long.

Now looking to see where I should source a new OB, I plan to install it myself.

Question is should I have it rebuilt for about $300 or go with a new Sony part for $700? If I can get another 11K hours out of my rebuilt one I'd be happy.

-john

Has anyone been able to find the rebuild parts for these TVs? Filters and such? I am trying to avoid having to buy a new digital board when I dont need it and should be able to buy the LCD assembly for much less.

I know there has been some discussion here about obtaining separate parts rather than the whole optical block. It certainly seems like it should be possible, since companies like TriState Module presumably replace the damaged parts as part of their rebuilding process (for which they seem to charge ~$300 for parts and labor). However, I don't think that anybody who has figured out exactly which parts are needed (and where to get them) has made that information public.

It is also still a bit unclear to me whether it is a filter, the LCD panel itself, or whether the specific types of visual anomalies arise due to degradation of different parts. For example, the blue haze (diffuse light blue color) is certainly not pixel-based, and you can see temporary burned-in images that diffuse over time. In contrast, the blue star pattern (dots) seem to be pixel-based. In addition, the blue blobs may be distinct from the blue haze, as they are seemingly much brighter and more concentrated.

Beyond these observations, some people have said that swapping out filters gets rid of the problems, while others have taken pictures of their LCD panels with visible damage to them. Perhaps the haze, and maybe the blobs, arise from damaged filters, and perhaps the star patterns arise from damaged LCD panels?

I read your write up and agree with everything except for the heat on the LCD panels. I have a KDF 50WE610 and a KDF 42WE610 and both have the blue lcd furthest from the lamp. The closest LCD is the red, reversed from the way my KDF60WE955 is and both 610 models have blue dots and haze. I belive it is the ultra violet light that causes the problem and sony could have found a fix. My $.02.

Thanks for your comment. I recently read a post by you (or somebody else with a similar model) making the comment about the blue LCD being furthest from the projection lamp, and I also read the judge's Opinion and Order on the SXRD lawsuit in which he cited the UV light as a problem. That led me to change my web site to include the possibilities of heat, certain wavelengths of light, or both being involved.

What seems very clear is that there is some latent defect or defects in Grand WEGA TVs that become evident after a certain number of hours of usage (~6,000-9,000). The specific mechanism of degradation of the optical block components that occurs as a result of these defects would be interesting to know from a technological standpoint, but probably only Sony knows the answer right now, and they are not sharing that information. It will probably take a lawsuit with subpoenas for engineering documents to illuminate things.

look here for filter info

http://www.manufacturers.com.tw/showroom_f.php?a=8604-3-4-0-0

I would guess B505 for the blue.
Borosilicate

I was not able to find a US supplier, that is from China.

I was looking into this awhile ago but got distracted.

Another link to the site direct.
http://rocoes.com.tw/2008e/optical/dichroic.htm

For those of you who have dismantled your optical blocks, I was wondering whether you can describe the parts inside. I have been looking through some of Sony's patents, and there are figures that describe optical blocks. However, I am not sure whether any of them reflect the ones that were put into actual TVs. Below are links to four Sony patents that I assembled from the US Patent and Trademark web site:
Sony US Patent 5,757,443 (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock/SonyUSPatent5%2C757%2C443.pdf?attredirects=0)
Sony US Patent 6,057,894 (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock/SonyUSPatent6%2C057%2C894.pdf?attredirects=0)
Sony US Patent 7,123,334 (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock/SonyUSPatent7%2C123%2C334.pdf?attredirects=0)
Sony US Patent 7,535,543 (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonyrearprojectionlcdtv-opticalblock/SonyUSPatent7%2C535%2C543.pdf?attredirects=0)

Interestingly, these patents go into great detail about how deterioration of the parts due to heat and dust in the light path are the major issues that afflict projection optical parts. The patents include techniques like heat-dissipating glass plates, metal radiation absorbers, and heat sinks (tubes and Peltier devices), as well as contiguous connections between parts in the light path with heat-conducting glass to both reduce the effects of dust and improve cooling.

Either Sony did not implement the technologies in their own patents, or the technologies in these patents were woefully inadequate to prevent the problems they were designed to address. In either case, Sony clearly did not do sufficient testing prior to subjecting its customers to these defective behemoths.

I welcome any opinions about the above patents or the following schematics as they relate to the parts and construction (which parts are directly connected/sealed to each other) on actual optical blocks.

Here is a sample schematic of an optical block that I annotated:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152799&stc=1&d=1253158477

Here is a sample schematic of just the LCD panels plus the dichroic prism (combines the three colors into the final image) parts of the optical block. This version adds heat-dissipating glass plates and sealed, heat-conducting surfaces between the LCD panels and the dichroic prism:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152800&stc=1&d=1253158482

And here is a sample schematic representing a closer view of an LCD panel:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152801&stc=1&d=1253158482

I will try to remove my ob again.

I beleive an important issue could be the material that the dichroic filters are made of.

As you can see in the link I posted in post number 3675 there are 3 different substrate materials that the filters can be made from. Glass, tempered glass
and borosilicate. They have different temperature ratings and I am sure different costs.

Does anyone out there have a method of determaining what material these filters are made of ?

tdma

...As you can see in the link I posted in post number 3675 there are 3 different substrate materials that the filters can be made from. Glass, tempered glass and borosilicate. They have different temperature ratings and I am sure different costs.

Does anyone out there have a method of determaining what material these filters are made of ?...

I don't think any of the patents I posted from Sony specifically state the type of glass to be used other than heat-dissipating. However, at least one patent from another company that is cited in the Sony patents states that "borosilicate" should be used rather than conventional "soda-lime" glass due to its thermal properties. Also, the temperatures of the parts can apparently reach hundreds of degrees Celsius, and the use of glass with fans and heat sinks can decrease this substantially. Therefore, I would guess that you would have to use the borosilicate parts.

Unfortunately, I have no idea how to tell the difference between regular and borosilicate glass in the parts, but I would assume that, if Sony included glass in the optical blocks, it must be borosilicate. My question is how much glass did they use to help cool the parts (other than "not enough").

So here is a twist from everything else I have posted on the Sonys...
Wow! That is probably a lot of useful information. I am going to take some time to try to digest it. Looking at Sony's patent schematics that I annotated, do you think you can identify all of the parts that are present and determine which ones are bonded directly to each other in the various optical blocks? Also, can you identify the specific procedure done on the specific part that fixed the various problems (e.g., blue blob vs. blue haze vs. dot pattern, etc.)?

...I am now slightly confused because with all of the things I have done to the other sets I have, I have not been able to get rid of the blue except for one that had powder in it...
Where was the powder on this model?

...I completly blamed the optical filter...
Where are the optical filter(s) located relative to the other parts?

...Picture was bright again but still blue discoloring so I took it apart again and soaked the block in windex thinking what can I loose, it doesnt work as is. I used qtips to wipe the inside and outside of the panels and put it all back together thinking what a waste of time. Well ill just turn it on to see if there is any improvment and Wham, A PERFECT picture...
I assume it was the wiping of the LCD panels with the Q-tips that cleaned up the picture? Was anything visible on them? Are you saying that cleaning the surface of the LCD panels (on those that you were able to clean) fixed the problem on all of the TVs? What was the nature of the problem on these TVs (blue blobs, blue haze, both, etc.)?

...Ok now onto the KDF50WE655. Different optical block. (LCD panel part 1-788-154-11). Sony changed design just slightly so I cant clean the LCD panel without some very small item and now there are 4 surfaces to clean per panel...
On the newer model LCD panels, what do you mean when you say there were more "surfaces" to clean (sounds like there were 4 surfaces rather than 2)? What is the structure of the LCD panels that make it necessary to have a very small item to clean them?

I have a KDE42A10 and a KDE50A10 with worse discoloring that I have ever seen in a GWIII.
What color and shape are the discolorations on these A10 models?

Similar optical blocks but smaller LCD panels. Not sure why they went smaller because a larger panel will allow for more pixels and density in the picture?
There is some evidence that smaller LCD panels (with the same number of pixels as larger ones) could have smaller "spaces" between the pixels. Thus, when enlarged/projected onto a screen, they would have less "screen door" effect. I think the downside, though, is that you might have even higher heat levels on a smaller surface.

Are there any patent numbers printed directly on the optical block or associated parts? By the way, nice job on fixing the stuck pixels. It will be interesting to see whether it stays fixed.

I removed my post because it has been suggested to me that I am inviting people to start tearing into the TV sets and possibly resulting in personal injury or damage to property such as fire. Thanks, JJB

I removed my post because it has been suggested to me that I am inviting people to start tearing into the TV sets and possibly resulting in personal injury or damage to property such as fire. Thanks, JJB
Could you send a personal message to me instead?

By the way, if anybody chooses to try to clean parts inside their optical block, it would probably be best to use high-quality lens paper and lens cleaning solution designed for high-end optics. Harsher household cleaning items may or may not help in the short-term, but there is a good possibility they will cause additional damage that could manifest itself long-term. In addition, the temperatures can apparently get extremely high inside the optical block (some parts may reach hundreds of degrees Celsius), so it could be dangerous to make any alterations, whether purposeful or accidental.

So has anybody been sucessful getting Sony to replace the OB as a result of a warped lamp door?

There are some models that have extended warranty specificly for warped
lamp housings. Check the Sony web site about your specific model #.

Here is a link to check.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item.pl?mdl=KDF42WE655&news_id=261

By the way, if anybody chooses to try to clean parts inside their optical block, it would probably be best to use high-quality lens paper and lens cleaning solution designed for high-end optics. Harsher household cleaning items may or may not help in the short-term, but there is a good possibility they will cause additional damage that could manifest itself long-term. In addition, the temperatures can apparently get extremely high inside the optical block (some parts may reach hundreds of degrees Celsius), so it could be dangerous to make any alterations, whether purposeful or accidental. I have fixed every tv I had with discoloring from cleaning them. Models 1x KDF-50WE655, 2x KDF-42WE610 1x KDF-42WE655. The only one that is still bad is the KDF-60WF955 only because of a few bad blue pixels. The color is good now.
The other models are built differently. Models KDE-42A10, KDE-46A10, KDE-50A10 actualy burned a hole thru the blue color correcting light filter on each tv. These TVs are much harder to dissasemble and the damage from the lamp is extreme. If Sony was trying to make improvments as these TVs progressed the realy did a bad job. The best design is the first model made. They did improve the lamp door problem but made the light transport much worse on the KDE-xxA10. I just got a SXRD 60A2020. I realy want to use this as my main TV so I pray they made an improvement on light filter design so I can get it working good again but I doubt it. I will post what I find.
As for the sets with the burned filter, I need to find replacement light filters and they are a different color from the KDFxxWE610/655 models. There are less reflectors and less light bending in the KDE so it requires a different color. I would hate to junk these just because of this small part that is simple to replace if it can be found.
JJB

There is some evidence that smaller LCD panels (with the same number of pixels as larger ones) could have smaller "spaces" between the pixels. Thus, when enlarged/projected onto a screen, they would have less "screen door" effect. I think the downside, though, is that you might have even higher heat levels on a smaller surface.

This explains the burn holes in the light filters

My GWIII KF-50WE610 is 5 years old this month...

The bulb that was in was over 3 years old, so as a b'day present I changed it this morning with a 'spare' bulb I bought, 3 years ago..

WOW, what a difference. I had noticed the PQ was diminishing over the last few months, the brightness especially had decreased quite a bit lately. This new bulb fixed all of that..

Anyway looking to increase the brightness without changing the bulb yesterday at 1st I played around in the Service Menu ( UMR tweaks) but for some reason when I was in the Service Menu I couldn't get into Video 7 ( the HDMI) menu... No matter, with this new bulb the picture looks almost new again..

Even though I have an extended service contract I am glad I bought this bulb as a spare years ago. It's made a big difference.

My GWIII KF-50WE610 is 5 years old this month...

The bulb that was in was over 3 years old, so as a b'day present I changed it this morning with a 'spare' bulb I bought, 3 years ago..

WOW, what a difference. I had noticed the PQ was diminishing over the last few months, the brightness especially had decreased quite a bit lately. This new bulb fixed all of that..

Anyway looking to increase the brightness without changing the bulb yesterday at 1st I played around in the Service Menu ( UMR tweaks) but for some reason when I was in the Service Menu I couldn't get into Video 7 ( the HDMI) menu... No matter, with this new bulb the picture looks almost new again..

Even though I have an extended service contract I am glad I bought this bulb as a spare years ago. It's made a big difference.

Congrats on your set's birthday! My 50WE610 will be 5 in November.

Did you mean the DVI input on Video 7? These sets don't have HDMI.

Are you using the DVI input?

Hi, I just opened the optical block unit in my KDFE42A10. The inner of the block look like patent 7,535,543.

My TV was experiencing a yellow stain in the middle of the screen.

The problem is a small optical filter and so far I'm unable to find a replacement part because I don't know the specification of the filter.

See attached picture. In one picture you can clearly see that the filter is burned or darker.

Hi, I just opened the optical block unit in my KDFE42A10. The inner of the block look like patent 7,535,543.

My TV was experiencing a yellow stain in the middle of the screen.

The problem is a small optical filter and so far I'm unable to find a replacement part because I don't know the specification of the filter.

See attached picture. In one picture you can clearly see that the filter is burned or darker.

I have the same model and also a 50 inch with the same problem. I have been on the search for light filters/parts but no luck. It is not the same as the WE610 or WE655 models. If you find it please post your result.

Congrats on your set's birthday! My 50WE610 will be 5 in November.

Did you mean the DVI input on Video 7? These sets don't have HDMI.

Are you using the DVI input?

After 5 years I learned something new.. Yeah, DVI, I always thought it was a HDMI input. :)

My issue is a little different: Pinkish/purpleish stripe, about 1.5 inches high, all the way across the top of the set....is this an optical engine problem?

There is 95% chance. The optical block contain everything, the LCDs, mirror, color filter.

FredT

Hey guys wondering if anyone can help me. I'm trying to clean the fans for my tv (70XBR), so as to keep it from overheating. From what I understand there is 3 of them. Is there any pictures or a manual telling me where they are or how to do it. If i'm opening it up I just want to be sure that I clean everything that needs it.
Thanks in advance.
Bill

My issue is a little different: Pinkish/purpleish stripe, about 1.5 inches high, all the way across the top of the set....is this an optical engine problem?it sounds like a bad board.
is it an KF-EXXA10?

Hey guys wondering if anyone can help me. I'm trying to clean the fans for my tv (70XBR), so as to keep it from overheating. From what I understand there is 3 of them. Is there any pictures or a manual telling me where they are or how to do it. If i'm opening it up I just want to be sure that I clean everything that needs it.
Thanks in advance.
BillTry this site for a general idea of how to remove the optical block assembly. http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/ The XBR is slightly different and a little harder to do. Make sure everything goes back in the way it came out. There is a set of plugs that can be crossed and you will ruin the board if you get it wrong. They are thin blue wires with red or black tape on them. The black one goes in the left side. I just did one of these yesterday. There are 3 fans. One is right as you open the set and easy to reach. The other two come out with the optical block assembly. You will have to have a 10" #2 phillips screwdriver to remove the assembly. One fan is on the top of the assembly and one is on the bottom. remove the fans and use compressed air to be sure you remove all dust clumps or some of it will end up on the lcd panels and discolor the picture.removing the fans for cleaning is good to keep the dust away from the lcd panels. Good luck.

it sounds like a bad board.
is it an KF-EXXA10?

Nope, the KDF-E42A10

Nope, the KDF-E42A10

My bad, I think its the KDF-42E2000...not at home right now!

My bad, I think its the KDF-42E2000...not at home right now!

talked to Sony, optical block problem....gonna take the replacement option...

Hey guys wondering if anyone can help me. I'm trying to clean the fans for my tv (70XBR), so as to keep it from overheating. From what I understand there is 3 of them. Is there any pictures or a manual telling me where they are or how to do it. If i'm opening it up I just want to be sure that I clean everything that needs it.
Thanks in advance.
Bill
I have a service manual for the KDF-60/70XBR950. If you are interested in it, you can send me a private message. Also, you can check out my web site on Sony optical block problems:
http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/

I am looking for these sets to repair. If anyone is getting rid of their Grand Wega, XBR or SXRD, please consider offering it to me before you dump it. I have had tons of luck rebuilding optical blocks, repairing them and really enjoy working on them. I am in Connecticut and can travel for pickup. Thanks, John

I own a 70" SONY (KDF70XBR950) and have notice lots of blue dots (stuck pixels) and blue haze on the right and bottom of my set.
The set is almost hard to watch now.
If this is the "optical Block" defect, shouldn't SONY pay for the repairs?
I am almost certain that I am out of warranty
How is it my fault that I was unaware of a defect?

What can I do - short of trashing the set?

...What can I do - short of trashing the set?...

Check out my web site (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/).

I own a 70" SONY (KDF70XBR950) and have notice lots of blue dots (stuck pixels) and blue haze on the right and bottom of my set.
The set is almost hard to watch now.
If this is the "optical Block" defect, shouldn't SONY pay for the repairs?
I am almost certain that I am out of warranty
How is it my fault that I was unaware of a defect?

What can I do - short of trashing the set? Dont trash a 70". Bigger is better

Check out my web site (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/).

I did and I see that I am not alone.
I will attempt to contact SONY and take my chances.

Hey Splinke
Can you tell me where I can order a service manual for my Sony 70" set (KDF70XBR950).
I was able to locate an optical block from discount-merchant.com for $179.99.
They are out of stock right now.
I am thinking of replacing the device myself.
I am a EE and very handy - thus I think I can do this (fingers crossed)
My other option is to have a qualified tech do this for me if it does not cost me an arm and a leg (he he he)

Here a re my symptoms
large blue haze on the right-side and center bottom of the set
star patterns (2 of them) on the right and center.
ghosting image in the middle of the set.

After tuning to CNN, if I change channel, the CNN logo is etched on the screen for whille
the star patterns appeared about 2 months ago with 1 or 2 stuck blue pixels.
2 weeks later, I had about 20 to 30, a month later it grew to about 40 to 60.
now I have about 100 or more stuck blue pixels on the screen

PS
So far I don't think the fan door housing is damaged or warped - it looks fine.

Other options
JBJ220 - can you fix mine?
How much $ - am located in central New Jersey

ench,

Send me your email address, and I can hook you up with your service manual. You can do it by Private Message here, or by sending me an email to the address listed at the top of my web site (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/).

The service manuals provide some information about taking apart your TV, but there are not really step-by-step instructions. You can get further guidance from my Optical Block Replacement/Cleaning page (http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonykdf-55wf655opticalblockreplacement). If you are a handy EE, you should not have much problem. Just make sure you have a long-shafted Philips screwdriver and some patience--and make sure to document everything as you do it, so you can reverse the process later.

I doubt that Discount-Merchant will ever have your optical block in stock, as they are not a reputable firm based on current Better Business Bureau ratings. TriState Module is another option, but they typically just refurbish optical blocks that are sent in by customers. You could try calling them to find out. jjb220 may also be able to help you out, but I am not sure about the "star pattern" issue.

Splinke
I sent you an email as instructed, and thanks for the expedicious reply.

I already looked at the posted instruction, and believe I can replace my optical block.
I saw the step by step replacement/instrunction and that motivated me ;)

Next step is to wait for discount-merchant.com to have the part in stock.
Wish me luck (I may need it :) )

Splinke
I sent you an email as instructed, and thanks for the expedicious reply.

I already looked at the posted instruction, and believe I can replace my optical block.
I saw the step by step replacement/instrunction and that motivated me ;)

Next step is to wait for discount-merchant.com to have the part in stock.
Wish me luck (I may need it :) )I see now what you stated in the price of 179.00 was from Discount Merchant. They have been out of stock for over 2 years. I gave up on them in about March and started rebuilding them myself.
I am sure I can rebuild it but I would need the set. I dont have a test rig for the XBR yet and would have to do a rebuild by using your sets electronics for testing.

jjb20:
I managed to hook up a URL for the picture.

http://brochild.homeip.net:8081/images/KDF70XBR90.jpg

For the OB to be repaired, does it require me to bring my set to you?
Its kind of heavy and bulky.
Or are you implying I remove the OB and send it to you?

I see now what you stated in the price of 179.00 was from Discount Merchant...

Yes, I didn't even notice that ench referred to Discount Merchant for the optical block. I thought he was referring to TriState Module. Be cautious about dealing with Discount Merchant, as they have an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/san-diego/business-reviews/business-consultants/m-i-technologies-inc-in-san-diego-ca-23002203/) (on a scale of "F" to "A+"). They prowl forums like this trying to sell their projection lamps by setting up multiple accounts, pretending to be other TV owners, and then recommending themselves. I find this unethical, and I have observed this behavior in multiple forums over several years. Perhaps they just added fake links to optical blocks in order to draw rear-projection customers to their web site to buy other products like the lamps. Who knows?

jjb20:
I managed to hook up a URL for the picture.

http://brochild.homeip.net:8081/images/KDF70XBR90.jpg

For the OB to be repaired, does it require me to bring my set to you?
Its kind of heavy and bulky.
Or are you implying I remove the OB and send it to you? Can you open the back of the set and get the part # from the optical block? This will tell me if I need the set or if you can only ship the OB

splinke
Thanks for the heads up.
I thought the price was too low.
I was on their web site and the OB was not listed, and the rep said they were out of stock
I was chatting on-line with one of their rep who quoted me $179.99 but absolutely refused to give me a parts number.
A google search on the part number revealed several vendors (all out of stock) with prices ranging from 349 to over 1500 bucks

On another note, after I looked at the manual that you sent me, I am positive I can replace the OB myself.
Thanks

Can you open the back of the set and get the part # from the optical block? This will tell me if I need the set or if you can only ship the OB

Here's the part number A-1606-039-A

Here's the part number A-1606-039-A I am working on a test rig for this optical block. Ill get back to you as soon as I can so I can offer you a rebuild. Otherwise I need the tv to do the testing.

By the way, SONY has the OB on their site for about $518.39
https://servicesales.sel.sony.com/ecom/accessories/web/productSearch.do

I hate to make them profit those f#$%)@ bastards

Anyway, I just bought a can of compressed air from Home Depot.
The plan is to open up the unit and look inside, remove the OB and try to blow some compressed air through to remove dust etc.
This is a practice run to see if I can remove the OB, and put it back before shelling out 518 bucks.

OK
Here we go!
Back on the unit is open - wires, connectors, parts all over the place
I took pictures as I remove parts, etc.
Finally, some 3 hours later, the OB is out.
I fell like my TV just gave birth or I just delivered my first OB.
I followed the cleaning instructions from this link (as much as possibe) http://repairs.sunnyoasis.com/sonylcdtv/

But it seemed my unit was clean or looked very clean (to me)
- except for one fan that was real dirty, so I clean it.
I tried to clean as much as possible.
But the bottom line I think I need to replace the OB :(

Now comes the fun part
I will attempt to re-assemble it all back
wish me luck

OK
Here we go!
Back on the unit is open - wires, connectors, parts all over the place
I took pictures as I remove parts, etc.
Finally, some 3 hours later, the OB is out.
I fell like my TV just gave birth or I just delivered my first OB.
I followed the cleaning instructions from this link (as much as possibe) http://repairs.sunnyoasis.com/sonylcdtv/

But it seemed my unit was clean or looked very clean (to me)
- except for one fan that was real dirty, so I clean it.
I tried to clean as much as possible.
But the bottom line I think I need to replace the OB :(

Now comes the fun part
I will attempt to re-assemble it all back
wish me luck
Let me know how it goes with getting it back together. Im going to work on the test rig for the XBR950 and will get back to the forum to let you know if it worked.

I put it back together ok but
still have the same problem with the blue haze and the stuck blue pixels displaying as a star pattern (oh yuk)

But at least I know I can get it back together :)

JJB220:
How long will it take you to hook up your rig?
Should I wait for your or get a new one from SONY?
I am leaning towards putting up the big bucks and get one from SONY
Are theirs new ones or refurbished old ones?

I took the plunge and ordered my OB from SONY this morning.
This is a brand new unit (with same defects as the design probably have not changed)

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.

I wish I saw this original post ( post #3464) from SONY.
They are admitting the flaw in their design.
So how is it my fault that my set exibited signs of optical block failures after June 30 2008.

I wish I saw this original post ( post #3464) from SONY.
They are admitting the flaw in their design.
So how is it my fault that my set exibited signs of optical block failures after June 30 2008.

I assumed you knew about this. Every rear-projection LCD TV model ever made by Sony (2002-2007) has had similar problems. Almost all of them have had (or still have) optical block warranty extensions. Many are also the subject of class-action lawsuits. See my Sony optical block web site at the link in my signature below for more details.

Splinke:
I was not aware all SONY rear projections (2202-2007) have some sort of issue.
But my unit is out of warranty.

I read through your web site and did not see anything relevant to my case.
I thought the extended warranty period ended 12/2008.
Maybe I should read it again, this time more carefully.

But I already purchase a new OB from them at $518 :( this morning.

Hey guys two questions,

1. Has anyone used this TV with the Monoprice 1X2 PRO Series Powered HDMI Splitter? I'm trying to use it with a Mitsubishi projector, and can get the projector to work, but not the Sony.

2. I have what I thought to be a bunch of dead pixels more in the middle, but it looks more like the pictures from the class action suit. Although the blue haze part isn't nearly as visible, would this be covered under this lawsuit?

Thanks in advance!

Do you mean HDMI switch?
Not sure what an HDMI splitter is.

Or perhaps you mean DVI to HDMI cable.
In my case I use DVI to DVI and DVI to HDMI and both work for me.

Do you mean HDMI switch?
Not sure what an HDMI splitter is.

Or perhaps you mean DVI to HDMI cable.
In my case I use DVI to DVI and DVI to HDMI and both work for me.

Sorry about that... this - http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10113&cs_id=1011301&p_id=4921&seq=1&format=2

And both the Sony and the Mitsu both have DVI inputs so I'm using 2 DVI to HDMI's. The "input" device is a Pioneer Elite 92thx

I wish I saw this original post ( post #3464) from SONY.
They are admitting the flaw in their design.
So how is it my fault that my set exibited signs of optical block failures after June 30 2008.I finished my test rig for the XBR950 60 and 70 inch. If your still interested pm me.

...2. I have what I thought to be a bunch of dead pixels more in the middle, but it looks more like the pictures from the class action suit. Although the blue haze part isn't nearly as visible, would this be covered under this lawsuit?...

If you have "stuck" blue pixels accumulating on your screen, it is the optical block. There was an extended warranty for this problem, but it has expired. Please see my web site (link in my signature below) for details.

...I read through your web site and did not see anything relevant to my case...

I provide a list of options on the web site, starting with going through Sony's unadvertised appeals process, as well as legal action. Depending on how far you take things, Sony typically offers a discount off repair, a discount off a new TV, or a free repair.

I provide a list of options on the web site, starting with going through Sony's unadvertised appeals process, as well as legal action. Depending on how far you take things, Sony typically offers a discount off repair, a discount off a new TV, or a free repair.

I wish I had seen this sooner... It was my father in laws TV before and he just had it sent out for repair(had bought it CC still had retail stores and bought the warranty on it) and they said they didn't want to fix it and that it would be $300 or so to fix it, so they just gave him his money back for the TV.

I finished my test rig for the XBR950 60 and 70 inch. If your still interested pm me.
JJB220
So sorry, I already ordered a new one from "fu@%!#$ SONY
The unit should arrive tomorrow.
I plan on installing it on Friday

JJB220
So sorry, I already ordered a new one from "fu@%!#$ SONY
The unit should arrive tomorrow.
I plan on installing it on FridaySorry I got setup a little late. I could have saved you a couple hunderd easy. I Did my first 70XBR950 today and the rig works good. Well atleast you will have a "new" optical block that should get you to 2013.

Sorry I got setup a little late. I could have saved you a couple hunderd easy. I Did my first 70XBR950 today and the rig works good. Well atleast you will have a "new" optical block that should get you to 2013.

JJB20
Its all good my brother.
My new OB is due to arrive this afternoon at 4:30 from FedEx

Needless to say I will be leaving work early today to install it ;)

PS
Don't tell the boss and wish me good luck

The operation was a complete success.
My KDF70XBR950 looks brand new again.
It took me a little bit over an hour 1/2 from 1st to last screw.

question:
SONY sent me what looks like a questionaire asking what was wrong with the original OB etc.
On top of it, they are almost implying that they want my original core back.
Some nerve of them!

The operation was a complete success.
My KDF70XBR950 looks brand new again.
It took me a little bit over an hour 1/2 from 1st to last screw.

question:
SONY sent me what looks like a questionaire asking what was wrong with the original OB etc.
On top of it, they are almost implying that they want my original core back.
Some nerve of them!Good news and bad news. The bad, I wont go there and I hope you dont have to either for a very long time with the new optical block. The good: you have a nice good working 70" inch Sony LCD. Not too many people can say that. I looked at the 73 Mits and PQ does not compare to the Sony. Its nice but Sony looks better and who is to say how long these newer DLPs will last. Im repairing 2-3 a week of the 2004 2005 Mitsubishi DLPs. Repair area is full of them right now.