How noticable is the picture and brightness improvement for those who have replaced their original bulbs that date back to 2002-2003? I'm still running on my original bulb from Nov 2002, and am wondering what I might be missing by not replacing the bulb?If the lamp was replaced because it failed, that would be VERY noticeable! ;)

My lamp is only 3 years old and has gotten relatively little use. To me the picture looks gorgeous and I'm not concerned about the lamp. I would THINK and expect that if your lamp had dimmed that you would notice a lack of "pop" in bright scenes? If not, and the picture looks good to you, why fight it?

I do expect that if you play a DVD w/the THX videotests or say a Video Essentials disc, that you would have trouble getting the brightness/black level settings right, and that would be your best indication that it may be time to get a new lamp.

BTW, I replaced the bulb only and put it in the original XL-2000U bulb carrier.samjones this is a great tip! I don't recall anyone ever mentioning this before.

Here's a direct link (http://www.dlplampsource.com/e-store/prod_details.asp?pcid=0&cid=1016175235037&pid=241055343944) to the lamp for the GWII. I have bookmarked it for when my lamp dies!

I know others have kept a "spare on hand" but I would rather not have one whose warranty could expire before I use it!

Left 7920 hours,1750 starts,Still works fine, just wanted to have two working bulbs onhand.

I also just replaced my lamp for the first time. I got my GWII in November 2002. The lamp had 12,419 hours on it! I had bought the replacement lamp two years ago.

Bought ours in late 2002 and have 12,209 hrs on it, so I guess I should get a extra
lamp :)

Purchased my 50-inch GWII in October of 2002 and changed out the bulb in September of this year. I'm not sure what the hours were, except when I checked about a year ago, it was 8,000+ I changed the bulb because the TV was turning itself off and on. Thanks to this thread, I knew what was going on.

Well, it's superbowl weekend and guess what? My set is dying!!! It's shutting down every 1-2min, the standby light is blinking 34 times, then it will fire up for another 1-2min and repeat over and over. I really can't find any info on this on the net. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chad

Something very similar happened to mine last year I needed to install a new bulb and it has been working as good as new ever since.

Yup . . . definately the bulb.

How can there be so many different symptoms that point to a faulty bulb? It just doesn't make sense. I guess I can give it a try. Has anyone ordered from here:

http://www.bulbsolutions.com/product_p/xl-2000u.htm?gclid=CKDmhObNn5ECFQZTHgodbiLyuQ

Thanks,
Chad

I have the original bulb (my TV will be 5 years old in March).

I'm tempted to buy a backup bulb - my sales contract says Tweeter will sell me 1 bulb at cost within the 5-year service contract; but Internet prices are only $150 or so for the XL 2000U bulb, e.g.:

http://www.lcdanddlpsource.com/sony-xl2.html?gclid=CPSY9rrQn5ECFQNegQodLkHOJQ

I'm glad I got the extended warranty. A couple months ago they replaced the light engine, a $1200 part/job. A year or so ago I had something else replaced that was worth a few hundred dollars, and had a previous service call to line up the LCD panels. I've gotten my money's worth from the extended warranty several times over.

If something goes wrong with it outside of warranty, other than a bad bulb, I can't see repairing it; it would be better to buy a new TV w/warranty, etc., IMO.

But it's been a good TV (other than the poor black levels).

How can there be so many different symptoms that point to a faulty bulb? It just doesn't make sense. I guess I can give it a try. Has anyone ordered from here:

http://www.bulbsolutions.com/product_p/xl-2000u.htm?gclid=CKDmhObNn5ECFQZTHgodbiLyuQ

Thanks,
Chad


It's the lamp. My first two lamps that's gone bad have done EXACTLY the same thing. Eweiss's link is ONLY for the bulb for $157.

If you don't want to mess with swapping the lamp/bulb from the housing you can always get a whole new assembly from Sony. http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/ecom/accessories/web/viewItemDetail.do?operation=getItemDetail&itemID=26640&category=15&categoryName=Television

Remember if you want to watch the big game then you have to darn near overnight it.

I ordered a new bulb from bulbsolutions first thing this morning. We'll see if they come through. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the help. I really hope it's just the bulb.

Thanks,
Chad

Good luck! Let us know please.

Well, I ordered this yesterday at 6:30am and paid $20 for overnight shipping. No sign of it today. It had better be here tomorrow or I'm going to be rather upset.

-Chad

Big sigh of relief. The bulb showed up today, and all is well. Thanks for all the help guys! Oh, and how do I go about resetting the timer?

Thanks,
Chad

It's the lamp. My first two lamps that's gone bad have done EXACTLY the same thing. Eweiss's link is ONLY for the bulb for $157.

If you don't want to mess with swapping the lamp/bulb from the housing you can always get a whole new assembly from Sony. http://servicesales.sel.sony.com/ecom/accessories/web/viewItemDetail.do?operation=getItemDetail&itemID=26640&category=15&categoryName=Television

Remember if you want to watch the big game then you have to darn near overnight it.

So, is the lamp/bulb alone not sufficient? Does a person have to buy the entire lamp block?

My original kdf-60xbr800 bulb started shutting off and giving the blinking led for 30 seconds last week.. 14,363 hours on the bulb.

I picked up a replacement from electrified.com for $144 (plus $25 shipping cause i am in Canada, but i think US is free).. Full unit including the housing, 1 minute replacement job and back up and running piece of cake.

If the bulb goes.. then i will just be picking up a projector... but so far.. i am amazed at this TV :)

So, is the lamp/bulb alone not sufficient? Does a person have to buy the entire lamp block?


As far as I know just replacing the lamp is fine. It's just a bit more work taking it out of the block & putting the new one in. I've never done it.

The next time mine goes, I just might get the lamp only considering it's about $50 less than the block with lamp. I think I'll dig out one of the old blocks & see how easy it is to take apart. 180q seemed to do just fine with it.

Big sigh of relief. The bulb showed up today, and all is well. Thanks for all the help guys! Oh, and how do I go about resetting the timer?

Thanks,
Chad


This was from UMR. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=4163950&postcount=134

I have a problem with my replacement lamp I’m on my second one and they both didn’t
look right (very dark, hotspots, out of focus). I ordered a XL2000U lamp but noticed the bulb in the housing is smaller and is 120W not 100W like the OEM bulb I took out.

Does anyone know if their new bulb is different than the original (inside the housing).

The common terminology, I have seen used, is as follows:

Sony, and most other vendors, sell the lamp assembly, this is the lamp with the bulb already installed.

A few vendors sell just the bulb, to be installed in the lamp, by the customer.

The bulb is my concern, it doesn’t look like the original 100W bulb that I took out.

I have a problem with my replacement lamp I’m on my second one and they both didn’t
look right (very dark, hotspots, out of focus). I ordered a XL2000U lamp but noticed the bulb in the housing is smaller and is 120W not 100W like the OEM bulb I took out.

Does anyone know if their new bulb is different than the original (inside the housing).


I'd have to say it's not the XL200U lamp then. It sould only be 100w.

Di you get just the lamp. Or the Housing with the lamp?

The common terminology, I have seen used, is as follows:

Sony, and most other vendors, sell the lamp assembly, this is the lamp with the bulb already installed.

A few vendors sell just the bulb, to be installed in the lamp, by the customer.I've not seen any "common terminology" for this unfortunately, and in any case don't agree with yours. Couch Patato gets it right IMO: there's the lamp, and there's the Housing with the lamp. Alternatively the "lamp holder/assembly" perhaps.

BTW a Sylvania professional I met many years ago used to say in her presentations, making fun of that commonest of terms: "It's a lamp, not a bulb. Bulbs grow in Holland!"

I'd have to say it's not the XL200U lamp then. It sould only be 100w.

Di you get just the lamp. Or the Housing with the lamp?

I got the housing and lamp (XL2000U) from "laptops for less". and I agree with you
its the lamp thats wrong and I told them the two housings I got had the wrong lamp in them, they were smaller and 120W they were not the same as the one I took out.

They told me it was the right lamp and I couldn't have a refund just a replacement, so another one is on its way(3rd). I said the number on the box is right but the wrong lamp in it,
with no luck.





http://store.l-f-l.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?rrc=N&pg=prod&ref=a1601-753-a&op=XL-2000U&CMP=BAC-shopping

Good luck. I bought a generic lamp and assembly from laptops for less and it flickered. I sent it back, but the replacement also flickered. I was out $150 and ended up buying direct from Sony. No more flicker. Live and learn.

I bought my LAMP and HOUSING in one solid unit (looks exactly the same as the NIB unit) for $144+$25 shipping to Canada.. took 48 hours to get across the border.. YMMV


http://www.electrified.com/Catalog/Items/?ItemID=18068&Supplier=SONY&ItemModel=XL2000U%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20XL-2000U%20%20%20%20%20XL2000%20%20%20%20%20XL-2000

Did these "aftermarket" bulbs come in Sony boxes?? I bought one from Sony and it cleary is in a Sony cardboard box. I would only buy OEM lamp from Sony if you can. As I recall, it was only about $200 from them.

Also, bought GWII in Nov 2002, 7200+ hours, still going strong. New bulb sitting in closet for 2+ years!

I have a problem with my replacement lamp I’m on my second one and they both didn’t
look right (very dark, hotspots, out of focus). I ordered a XL2000U lamp but noticed the bulb in the housing is smaller and is 120W not 100W like the OEM bulb I took out.

Does anyone know if their new bulb is different than the original (inside the housing).

The next generation of GW TVs - i.e., "GW III" - increased the wattage to 120, IIRC. The GW II is 100w.

The GWIII shouldn't use the XL2000U lamp than, I think they got a bunch of XL2000U boxes with the wrong bulb in them.

Not sure if anyone's tried: installing 120w lamp in place of the original 100watt? Wondering if it works or if maybe the GWII's power supply isn't up-to starting and driving it w/o flicker. If it DOES work, what's the picture like...

P.S. bdoyledimou, is it clear from your assy from Electrified that it is not a Sony? Their website says "Mfr - Sony" but then has a note below "For factory OEM replacement click here" instead.

Not sure if anyone's tried: installing 120w lamp in place of the original 100watt? Wondering if it works or if maybe the GWII's power supply isn't up-to starting and driving it w/o flicker. If it DOES work, what's the picture like...

Yes I have, thats why I've had problems the last few weeks the 120W bulb does not work right in my GWII.

Just replaced my first lamp in GWII purchased in March 2003. 22520 hours. Bought the new bulb about 4 years ago.

Keep a close eye on the pix, I believe this is what triggers the blue LCD to fail .The very bright lamp tends to sear the well worn panel.Look for blue blotching, streaking,striping ,in the coming weeks.
I believe the Sony light engine replacement extends to aug.08.

Sorry for the cross-post, but probably should have posted this here the first time. Posted this on the "UMR Does GWII" thread, but is more applicable here.

I was having a problem with the GWII not turning on reliably, and a lamp replacement did not alleviate the problem.

Replaced the ballast (aka "lamp driver" aka "lamp power block" - Sony PN 146851015 $263) this weekend, and it was a successful fix for the above.

Research was requesting the number of blinks of the lamp LED. There was no blink code, it was just blinking repeatedly with no pattern. Repeated attempts to turn the set on would eventually turn it on and stay on, but it frequently took 3-4 times to get the set to turn on. As mentioned before, a lamp replacement didn't fix it.

So, a successful fix for the record. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and help.

Thanks,
/templeofdoom

Just replaced my first lamp in GWII purchased in March 2003. 22520 hours.That's >12hours of On time per day! I don't think so!!!!???!!! Whaddya think, Couch Patato, is this possible? :confused::p

Replaced the ballast (aka "lamp driver" aka "lamp power block" - Sony PN 146851015 $263) this weekend, and it was a successful fix for the above.Many thanks for posting your successful repair experience! :)

Though the cost is just a LITTLE bit high, isn't it!

Many thanks for posting your successful repair experience! :)

Though the cost is just a LITTLE bit high, isn't it!
Yup, I agree, price seems high. But it is direct from Sony. I found a guy on ebay but he was charging a few dollars more than Sony and wanted to add a core charge above that until return of core...

And the Sony came with a core return slip, I might even get back a portion of the $263... (not counting on it though).

My GWII has a new problem.

There is some discoloration in the blue channel. Some of the blue pixels appear lighter than others in a wide and changing pattern that looks like it could be dust on the LCD.

This pattern appears all the way across the picture but changes like a shifting sand dune. It moves around, sometimes better than other times but never goes away. I don't see it moving, just notice over weeks that it changes.

I am thinking it could be dust on the LCD. I have replaced the bulb unit twice and I noticed it soon after the second replacement. The bulb unit is a Sony part.

Has anyone else seen something like this? Any way to disassemble enough of it to clean inside?

TIA

I purchased my GWII in 2003 and replaced the lamp assembly last year. I recently noticed significant SD ghosting and found the UMR image tweak in about 30 seconds, and made the correction in about 10 minutes and now the picture looks great! Otherwise no problems whatsoever with this unit. We are still very pleased with it.

Damon

Just check my KF-50XBR800 and it has 14,771 on its original bulb. I am looking into purchasing a replacement bulb XL-2000U. Has anyone purchased and installed a bulb in the last couple of months? Where did you get it from and at what price? Bulb only or entire casing w/bulb?

Thanks!

just google 'Sony XL-2000U replacement bulb' and you'll get a handfull. Also try OneKall.com.

Anyone having a problem with a very slight greenish "tinge" on the right side of the screen?? I just started noticing this recently. The bottom right corner appears to be slightly green and it runs up the right side of the screen. Very ligth and not horrible (yet).

Obviously spending big $$ on these older units isn't something I really want to do.

MChilli - I am seeing something I think very similar to you, but in my case its in the lower center of the screen ... I'm going to try and attach a jpeg I created to simulate what I am seeing. Is it the same as what you're seeing only in a different part of the screen ?

Anyone have any suggestions ?

Only thing I might add is that I recently replaced the bulb after the set was going off on its own upon first start up for the day, some 1-3 minutes after start up, and it would do this 2-3 times before staying on. I did not notice the red light blinking pattern. I saved the old bulb and even had another spare to swap out to see what effect it had on the greenish tint. The greenish tint is there regardless of the bulb unit installed.

Take a look at the jpeg attachment. BTW I have a Sony 60XBR800 unit purchased I want to say in 2002.

Ideas ? Thanks in advance.

Ouch, that would be quite noticeable. The slight green tint or fringe is on the right side of the screen, just barely there, running from top to bottom. I also kept my old buld, I have not tried putting it back in to see if the problem somehow comes from a new bulb, I will do that at some point.

If you keep the bulb, you can just buy a new light and keep the housing, saving about $100. I found a source on Amazon selling the bulb. Didn't buy one, the first bulb lasted almost 6 years.

Not sure what to do about this, love the set, fits the room well. Hate to see it go bad, might not for years yet to come. Sorry to see Sony exit the rear projection market.

So far its not so noticeable but bothers me just knowing its there and therefore not delivering the best picture (yes I'm an engineer).

So I guess I need to decide if its worth paying someone to come out and take a look at it or try something on my own (cleaning, etc). I was hoping, of course, that someone would chime in and tell us what part it was (hopefully not the optical block - big bucks) so that I could attempt the repair myself.

Also sorry to see Sony exit the RP market but more so since they didn't provide a flat panel LCD replacement for the 60+ inch models. I am in need of another large TV but have been waiting for Sony to offer an affordable flat panel 60 or 70 inch version ... and waiting and waiting.

So far its not so noticeable but bothers me just knowing its there and therefore not delivering the best picture (yes I'm an engineer).

So I guess I need to decide if its worth paying someone to come out and take a look at it or try something on my own (cleaning, etc). I was hoping, of course, that someone would chime in and tell us what part it was (hopefully not the optical engine - big bucks) so that I could attempt the repair myself.

Also sorry to see Sony exit the RP market but more so since they didn't provide a flat panel LCD replacement for the 60+ inch models. I am in need of another large TV but have been waiting for Sony to offer an affordable flat panel 60 or 70 inch version ... and waiting and waiting.

Looks like the dreaded OB to me. Sorry guy.

Also, i looked at Sony's web site, they are taking orders for the 70 inch lcd, but it is not cheap, 16K bucks.

I was afraid you were going to say that ...

Regarding the 70" LCd, that's why I used the keyword "affordable" ... I think they're getting such high scrap rates on the larger panels and their so new ... be a while before they get affordable. But thanks for making me go look and gasp !!

The greenish tint is there regardless of the bulb unit installed.Looking at the pic, I wonder if it's possible that one of the panels or filters got overheated somehow. You don't have a lot of power failures, do you? Or (horrors) your GWII on a wall switch? Sorry, but I had to ask...wondering how this would happen. :o

Being in S Florida, we have a great deal of power issues, which is why I have whole house surge suppression installed plus local surge suppression at the unit along with an uninterruptible power supply to deal with the rapid power outages, those that are down and up again in a second or less. Unit is powered on and off with the remote only (ie no wall switch, allows the fan to keep running).

Since I posted I've found a ton of others out there, mostly with the newer model, who have had similar issues corrected with a new optical block, but that is so expensive, makes you consider scrapping and getting a new set.

...local surge suppression at the unit along with an uninterruptible power supply...Thanks for clarifying--it sounds like you're golden there. Just bad luck I guess then.

Sorry you have this problem; the only good news is that nowadays we can buy a whole lot more set for a whole lot less money than most of us paid for our GWIIs. I think mine was about $4500, then I had to buy an ATSC tuner which cost nearly $500 on top of it! :rolleyes:

Man I don't know what one DOES with a behemoth set like this! You can't just put it out on the curb... :eek:

So far its not so noticeable but bothers me just knowing its there and therefore not delivering the best picture (yes I'm an engineer).

So I guess I need to decide if its worth paying someone to come out and take a look at it or try something on my own (cleaning, etc). I was hoping, of course, that someone would chime in and tell us what part it was (hopefully not the optical block - big bucks) so that I could attempt the repair myself.

Also sorry to see Sony exit the RP market but more so since they didn't provide a flat panel LCD replacement for the 60+ inch models. I am in need of another large TV but have been waiting for Sony to offer an affordable flat panel 60 or 70 inch version ... and waiting and waiting.

i went down the cleaning road initially, don't waste your time, it doesnt help at all.

I have read that there are places you can send the OB to and they refurb them. If memory serves, i believe it was about 350 dollars and they swap with you for a refurb OB.

You have to remove it , ship and reinstall yourself. You said you are an engineer, it may be a fun project to take on.

I have a copy of removale and installation instructions with photos if you decide to give it a try.

Also I live in Cocoa Beach fl, I can give you a hand if you need it, I am an engineer also.

Laserfan - I just wish we could get much more for our money at the same size screen as I have - 60" ... seems like the flat panel LCD's aren't there yet, at lesat not affordable, and the Sony's dropped the high end rear projections at that size. So I'm not looking forward to having to go through that whole research and selection process again. I'd become confident with the Sony XBR's I would always be happy. Maybe by the time I really have to scrap my current Tv, the choice will be more obvious or the flat panels will have come down in price at this screen size.

Also, it's funny, we can put most anything out at our curb for pickup, but rarely will it survive until the trash is picked up - seems someone will always decide it's worth picking up themselves so items mysteriously dissappear over night, usually.

TDMA -thanks for the input on cleaning and I'd love the instructions as I wouldn't have any problem opening the thing up and tinkering or repairing it myself. Can you send them to me via PM ? Thanks very much in advance.

TDMA -thanks for the input on cleaning and I'd love the instructions as I wouldn't have any problem opening the thing up and tinkering or repairing it myself. Can you send them to me via PM ? Thanks very much in advance.If the instructions are in electronic form, by all means tdma post them here! I would also like to know about the OB refurb process if you or anyone else here knows the details.

If the instructions are in electronic form, by all means tdma post them here! I would also like to know about the OB refurb process if you or anyone else here knows the details.

It's from a different site, i hope that doesn't get me in trouble.

I converted to pdf and it is to large to attatch (1.23 mb).

Can I post a URL without getting banned from the site?

you can always do it though pm's & private emails.

There's an awful lot of information here (http://splinke.googlepages.com/) about Sony optical block problems, but I can't find specifics on the GWII, in particular the part number of the optical block. If we knew that, we could see if tristatemodule.com handled them from either a repair or replacement POV.

Does anyone here know the optical block part number for the KF60XBR800, or the KF50XBR800? Or a link to a service manual for same? It seems to me someone here had made it available at one time, though it was a monster size-wise...

I have the service manual ... best I can tell, the following appears on page 141 of the service manual which is titled "Optical Unit Section" and contains a schematic (exploded view) with part number table at the bottom:
50XBR800 A-1603-624-A Optics Unit Block Assy (IRP)
60XBR800 A-1603-611-A " " " " "

Each also uses a reference number pointing to the schematic - 201

I quickly googled the part number shown above and it looks correct from the many sites selling it.

Unfortunately it's not on the list of relatively cheap replacements. (http://www.tristatemodule.com/html/light_engines.html)

Well, I finally got the Sony technician out to my house this morning ... optical block as expected causing the green blob ... he said, in his opinion, for my unit, it's not the part that's failing on its own, but massive dust build up and overheating that results. He acknoledges that most people don't have the ability or desire to open it up and clean it periodically (every couple years) btu that's really what's required.

My unit is not amongst the units receiving special consideration by Sony so it would be like $350 in labor and $1350 for the OB so I declinded. He did recommend my calling Sony and pleading my case for this failing far earlier than should be expected in hopes of getting the repair cost dropped or a rebate on a new unit. Since I don't see a unit out there in the 60 inch size that is affordable for me now, replacing the TV outright or even with some kind of rebate isn't really affordable for me now.

He recommneded I do it myself, said it was very easy for the minimally mechanically minded and didn't require special tools. He said if I didn't feel comfortable doing it, he'd do it on the side if I got the part, for a lot cheaper in labor than Sony would have charged. That way I would now how to do it should it re-occur.

I've decided to do it myself so now the hunt begins for the replacement optical block (part number A-1603-611-A) or have it rebuilt.

Any sites recommended for buying the OB or having it rebuilt ?

thanks

I've taken the top & back off mine(50")a few times to clean the insides. The dust does build up quite a bit. It's due again really I guess.

It's not that hard to do. The hardest part is needing help lifting the screen part off the base. Then keeping track of what's pluged in where. Photos help very well. I had one plug come undone some how when the screen was pulled off. It was not hard to find were just one plug came from.

However taking the thing apart to swap the OB would be quite a bit harded without having photos of everything before pulling plugs & screws.
There are numerus plugs to unplug when you start taking peaces out. It's more or less a big 3D jigsaw puzzel.

I couldn't tell ya where to get the OB though.

On a side note my 4th lamp is about to go. It started shuting off a week & a half ago. Just once but that's all it took for me to order a new lamp. Then this last weekend it went off again. Since then it's kicked off about 4 times a random times. I'm going to squeese out all I can get though. When it starts every hour of so I'll put the new one in.

Well, I finally got the Sony technician out to my house this morning ... optical block as expected causing the green blob ... he said, in his opinion, for my unit, it's not the part that's failing on its own, but massive dust build up and overheating that results. He acknoledges that most people don't have the ability or desire to open it up and clean it periodically (every couple years) btu that's really what's required.

My unit is not amongst the units receiving special consideration by Sony so it would be like $350 in labor and $1350 for the OB so I declinded. He did recommend my calling Sony and pleading my case for this failing far earlier than should be expected in hopes of getting the repair cost dropped or a rebate on a new unit. Since I don't see a unit out there in the 60 inch size that is affordable for me now, replacing the TV outright or even with some kind of rebate isn't really affordable for me now.

He recommneded I do it myself, said it was very easy for the minimally mechanically minded and didn't require special tools. He said if I didn't feel comfortable doing it, he'd do it on the side if I got the part, for a lot cheaper in labor than Sony would have charged. That way I would now how to do it should it re-occur.

I've decided to do it myself so now the hunt begins for the replacement optical block (part number A-1603-611-A) or have it rebuilt.

Any sites recommended for buying the OB or having it rebuilt ?

thanks
I notice you are from Stuart fl. Today i noticed a kdf55wf655 for sale on craigslist space coast under electronics in melbourne I believe. The guy wants 350 dollars but will take less. He says it has green blob but that model is covered bythe ob extended warranty till the end of the year. You could buy it and have the ob changed and have a like new 55 inch for 350 bucks or less.

I notice you are from Stuart fl. Today i noticed a kdf55wf655 for sale on craigslist space coast under electronics in melbourne I believe. The guy wants 350 dollars but will take less. He says it has green blob but that model is covered bythe ob extended warranty till the end of the year. You could buy it and have the ob changed and have a like new 55 inch for 350 bucks or less.

Cool, thanks everyone for comments and advice ... since it is not so bad yet, I've decided to make several attempts with Sony, based on input from UMR, to see if they can make it "better" ... so we'll see.

thanks again.

Interesting development ... based on the comments above and others I had seen elsewhere, I contacted TSM (Tri State Module Inc, (www.tristatemodule.com) who doesn't sell my specific optical block but will repair/rebuild it ... for $299 vs the pricing I've seen on the web of $1200-$1300 for new.

I'll still give Sony a shot at helping first but if I end up doing the work myself, getting a rebuild for only $299 might be worth the risk. Of course ... sometimes, you get what you pay for so I should beware.

Ok, my attempts with Sony to see if the unit (KF60XBR800) could be covered were not successful, even after 2-3 tiers of customer service. The unit is 5 years old, and they would not even think about helping to offset the ~$1800 repair bill for the optical block (OB). I was super nice, talked about how loyal a Sony customer I was, all the right stuff but in the end they said they don't guarantee life on the unit, and that the unit was not part of any extended warranty associated with a common issue or recall.

That said, I turned my attention to taking apart the unit to assess my ability to replace the part my self, and I was pleasantly surprised ... remove the rear panel and a couple retention brackets and two sliding trays of electronics were lifted and pulled out of the unit sufficiently to provide access the optical block without having to unplug any wires. The block itself had I think 3 wires that would have to be unplugged, but that's it. Overall, I had it apart, cleaned (there was dust build up), and put back together in no time. Of course, I didn't actually remove the optical block but there was plenty of room and access to make me believe it would not be difficult.

Now I have to decide whether or not to buy the OB new from Sony ($1350) or get it repaired/rebuilt for $299 (matter of downtime, trust, and "what part in the block will go bad next" type of thinking if I just get it repaired).

Either way, I took pictures this weekend to capture what the dust looked like and when I change out the part I'll take pictures and post them here.

thanks everyone.

I think we all will appreciate your pics of the rpj's innards, thanks!
Now I have to decide whether or not to buy the OB new from Sony ($1350) or get it repaired/rebuilt for $299 (matter of downtime, trust, and "what part in the block will go bad next" type of thinking if I just get it repaired).
Hmmm, you could spend $1350 to fix this 5yr old set and hope nothing else goes wrong, or you could spend $299 to fix it and hope nothing else goes wrong!?

Yeah I know you're thinking the OB by itself but remember there's other stuff in there that could fail next.

Can replacing the optical block without getting into the service menu and doing a lot of other adjustments fix your problem? We had our light engine/optical block replaced towards the end of our 5-year extended warranty, but I don't remember if the technicians did anything other than take out the old one and put in the new one.

That said, if anything happens to this TV, it goes to the curb and we get a new one. I can't see servicing/repairing a TV this old with this poor level of blacks, other than a simple lamp replacement, which I'd do for $150 to get some more years from the TV (it's still running on its original lamp) and give it to the grandkids when we get a new one, which will likely be within the next 12 months even if the GWII is still working fine.

The Sony authorized technician who came out and diagnosed the TV says there are no required changes via the service menu, but I would of course want to re-perform UMR's tweaks or some level of calibration via service menu settings, which I'm very comfortable doing based on the wealth of info on this and other sites.

I'm in need of purchasing a second large screen high quality TV for a dedicated game room, so I'm leaning towards repairing this unit and buying the new one for the other room rather than out right buying two new TV's (there's a wife factor here too ... no surprise) :-)

Hi all,
I've had my 60XBR800 for 5 years and still love it.

I have a Blu-Ray player hooked up via HDMI --> DVI input. On my BD player there are options for YCbCr/RGB setting through HDMI. The settings are as follows:
Auto
YCbCr (4:2:2)
YCbCr (4:4:4)
RGB (16-235)
RGB (0-255)

When I had it to Auto, the picture doesn't look quite as "good". So I tried the 2 other YCbCr settings, and they do look better.

Question is: What is the native chroma setting (if there is such a thing) for the GWII, or is there a preferred setting for the GWII that I could set this to?

Thanks in advance.

On a side note my 4th lamp is about to go. It started shuting off a week & a half ago. Just once but that's all it took for me to order a new lamp. Then this last weekend it went off again. Since then it's kicked off about 4 times at random times. I'm going to squeese out all I can get though. When it starts every hour of so I'll put the new one in.


Well it kicked the bucket yesterday after noon. In the morning it was fine but after getting back from Ft. Collins it started shutting off as soon as I turned the TV on. It wouldn't stay on more than a minute.

All is well now with a new lamp from http://www.dlplampsource.com/e-store/prod_details.asp?pcid=0&cid=1016175235037&pid=241055343944

Whoever posted DLP Lamp source thanks! $179 for the lamp & housing is a lot better than $250 from Sony.

Hooooray ... completed the optical block R&R this morning. Took about an hour and a half, benefitting somewhat from my earlier work a weekend or two ago taking the rear panel off and familiarizing myself with what would be required, awaiting the arrival of the replacement optical block.

Part of that time I also spent pulling the lamp fan. I figured while I was in there I'd do maintenance on it to improve its life (currently 6 years old) since this is somewhat of an achilles' heel of the unit ... learned this is a relatively easy task, improves noise and life, all from experiences I had building computers and with some problems I had with a TIVO directv receiver a couple years back.

There is a company that offered to repair the OB for a lot less $$ than new, but based on my review of the pros and cons, I just didn't get comfortable believing that repairing the block would be in our long term best interest and didn't get comfortable with the company reputation or complaint record.

Anyway, I have a KF-60XBR800 - there was plenty of room to work without having to remove any other components and the OB only had 5 connections, each unique and keyed to eliminate confusion. No special tools with the exception of a very long phillips head screwdriver, care, and organization taking pictures, notes and keeping track of the screws. There were two "skids" containing all the boards (guts) that, when lifted up slightly, slid forward enough that I didn't have to do anything else with these areas.

Took lots of pictures and I'll write up an R&R summary ... I'll also include the procedure to extend the life of the lamp fan as well for those interested.

I highly recommend anyone who is entertaining the idea to R&R the OB themselves, to review the other summary out there (link appears in an early post here somewhere) as well as the one I will post soon. Then take the back off of your unit, and survey what you'd be getting into on your unit to assess your own comfort level performing this R&R.

More to come ...

Can't believe this is our 7th Christmas with the GWII! We were alarmed last night when it did something I've never seen before: A message appeared at the bottom of the screen saying it would turn off in 30 seconds, and then proceeded to do so. I immediately turned the set back on, and we continued watching for a couple of hours without incident.

Was this a harbinger of a needed bulb replacement (I'm still on my original) or something worse? Or was it just interference from Santa has he homed in on our chimney? False alarm or not, Happy Holidays to all!

Hooooray ... completed the optical block R&R this morning. Took about an hour and a half, benefitting somewhat from my earlier work a weekend or two ago taking the rear panel off and familiarizing myself with what would be required, awaiting the arrival of the replacement optical block.

Part of that time I also spent pulling the lamp fan. I figured while I was in there I'd do maintenance on it to improve its life (currently 6 years old) since this is somewhat of an achilles' heel of the unit ... learned this is a relatively easy task, improves noise and life, all from experiences I had building computers and with some problems I had with a TIVO directv receiver a couple years back.

There is a company that offered to repair the OB for a lot less $$ than new, but based on my review of the pros and cons, I just didn't get comfortable believing that repairing the block would be in our long term best interest and didn't get comfortable with the company reputation or complaint record.

Anyway, I have a KF-60XBR800 - there was plenty of room to work without having to remove any other components and the OB only had 5 connections, each unique and keyed to eliminate confusion. No special tools with the exception of a very long phillips head screwdriver, care, and organization taking pictures, notes and keeping track of the screws. There were two "skids" containing all the boards (guts) that, when lifted up slightly, slid forward enough that I didn't have to do anything else with these areas.

Took lots of pictures and I'll write up an R&R summary ... I'll also include the procedure to extend the life of the lamp fan as well for those interested.

I highly recommend anyone who is entertaining the idea to R&R the OB themselves, to review the other summary out there (link appears in an early post here somewhere) as well as the one I will post soon. Then take the back off of your unit, and survey what you'd be getting into on your unit to assess your own comfort level performing this R&R.

More to come ...

Thanks! My GWII is approaching year 6 on its original bulb. The OB was replaced under the 5-year extended warranty early last year.

Thanks! My GWII is approaching year 6 on its original bulb. The OB was replaced under the 5-year extended warranty early last year.

Do you know how many hours were on it when the OB died? If your still on the original lamp you can't have a whole lot of hours on it.

My GWII has a greenish tint over the entire screen.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I first changed to the new bulb I had in reserve but everything remained greenish. I've been able to tweak the settings to get it better, but the whites are still a blue-ish tint. Contrast now is considerably less. any ideas on how to resolve this and get it back to the pristine condition it was in?

DCS4 - Late last year, I noticed a greenish area of my screen (6 year old KF60XBR800). Sony came out (for about $100) and diagnosed it as the Optical Block, probably the most expensive part to purchase but there are places that will repair/rebuild some units ... this thread has quite a bit of discussion on this. In the end my entire screen was actually overtaken with a green shading but was just more pronounced in one area.

Sony has, for some models, extended the warranty on the Optical Block, but not for my unit. I ended up buying the part direct from Sony and replacing it myself. I couldn't believe how much better the screen was after the new optical block was installed, obviously eliminating the green issue but also resulting a much brighter image with better color definition. It's like a new TV.

Read several of the recent pages of posts on this thread and across the avsforum search on "self install optical block", "optical block replacement", and "green blob" to learn more.

When I placed a white background on my screen it becomes obvious what I was seeing (see attachment).

Also you should check the diagnostic screen (similar to service menu) for any codes that may have tripped indicating a bad part (limited usefulness but you can check this your self). On my set, with it off, I press "DISPLAY-5-VolumeDown - Power" to both power the set up and bring up the diagnostic screen. Can't remember the keystroke to move between the two available screens right now (I'm at work).

I checked the codes when I was changing the tint colors and there was no faults indicated or diagnostic tripped indicaters. My picture when green was nothing like you had. It's sort of like looking at the TV through a green plastic wrap.

I'm hesistant in sinking too much money into the TV because like you said, it's 6 years old. It's such that now if I didn't tell you there was a problem, you would might not know it. But looking at the same program on another TV in the house, you can definitely see the difference in a quick comparison.

If you don't mind me asking, how much was the optical block from Sony?

Until I put the white background up there the green effect really was hard to see, i think like what you're seeing ... and I think the photo made it look worse than it was. Watching TV it was hard to really pick it out. But now that it is repaired we were in amazement how much we had over time gotten used to and how much better it is now both in brightness and color - whites are now white again.

I've seen the OB's anywhere from $300 and up for different models ... of course I had to pick the most expensive model ... new it's $1350 (that pretty much made up your mind, right ?) ... that was for the KF60xbr800 but you'd have to call and see what it is for your unit (what model do you have?).

There's a company that said they would repair it for $350 I think but when I researched them I didn't get comfortable with some of the stuff I read and the extended time some found was needed before they saw their unit returned, sometimes over a month. For me, I decided to buy new and do the work myself saving the $350 Sony was going to charge in labor. Sony had stopped offering the large screen rear projection in favor of LCD, but the large version is way too expensive. And I didn't like any of the other manufacturers 60+ inch units. Finally I am going to need another large screen TV soon for a game room we have and was able to sell the idea of repairing one and buying the second much easier than buying two new TV's ... I have several earlier posts that talk to this. I am preparing a write-up on how to do the repair it with pictures which I'll post when I have it done (holidays got in the way).

I just hated to dump the set given my original investment ... i hope I bought myself 6 more years and am now comfortable doing the repairs myself if something else should crop up down the road.

Good luck whatever you choose to do

It's a KF60xbr800. I called it a green tint, but it was more like a green film over everything. It was definitely noticeably on everything (imagine that the green grass color is on everyone's face, clothing, etc).

$1350 is more than I'd want to spend on the old TV. that would buy you a brand new TV. I've read all of this thread and others but haven't seen anyone report the problems I'm having, so that's why I asked. Someone did mention on another site about a wire that can come loose, but that entails opening up the cabinet and I haven't gotten that desperate yet. (I'm sure my wife would freak and wonder if I knew what I was doing if she came home and the thing is taken apart). I'm looking into having a Sony technician come out and give me an estimate.

thanks for your response. I'm glad everything worked for you.

I personally couldn't find a 60" or larger Tv I liked without spending a lot more than the $1350, but you may find one you like.

Well, messing around inside is not for everyone, that's true. But I believe you're all ready to kick the Tv to the curb anyway ... then "there's no harm in looking inside", right ? Here's a picture to help (attached). The picture shows the back of the KF60xbr800 with cover removed. On the right is the Input/output block, in the foreground center is the lamp driver block, and the item in the very center, black and silver, is the optical block (OB) ... that's really all there is and there is plenty of room just to look for something obvious, if you can see past all the dust that has probably accumulated in there ... both input/output and lamp driver blocks are on "sleds" that slide out, only a couple inches with cables still attached but enough that it can help see stuff ... there are 3 ribbon connectors on the right side of the optical block that go to the input/output block and a single ribbon cable from the left side that goes to the lamp driver block, visible in the picture. I did have one of these connectors not completely seated at one point and the picture was completely screwed up. Once corrected everything returned to normal. More close ups are available of selected connector areas if you'd like and i have pictures of these sleds pulled out slightly to provide access to the OB.

Also, when I first opened up the back, there was a great deal of dust ... also behind the front panels (easily removed, one on either side of the control panel on the front, just pull them, they're not screwed on). I'm guessing my inattention to dust may have restricted airflow and created a heat issue that led to the death of my optical block, but I'll never know. Cleaning all of this is outlined in the user manual ... ooops.

Good luck and hope this helps ... I have a ton of pictures if you need ... if I could just find the time to finish my write up ...

UPDATE: Picture updated to better clarify the description above

Hey cr, have you ever taken the upper-part of the back off? Which has the mirror in it? How'd that look?

I used to have a 41" Sony RPTV (CRT-type) and would regularly take it apart to clean the mirror, which would become dusty and acquire a "film". Wondering if, for all you've said about dust, you'd cleaned your mirror and how that went.

Another thing I remember about my 41"-er, the innards had some shiny/reflective pieces inside which, went painted with a flat black spray paint, reduced stray reflections and made for more "pop" in the pic. Wondering if there's any such shiny-ness in the mirror-area of the 60xbr?

Sorry, I did not venture into removal or inspection of the upper screen, other than to peer into the opening when the optical block was removed ... it was hard to see much but I didn't see any dust (though I too wondered if it would be worthwhile to clean the surface). Plus removal is at least a two person operation, I was working alone.

So I can't offer you more in this area. Now I do recall UMR removed the upper screen unit when he was exploring the use of filters (as discussed in his Tweak guide) so maybe he would be a good one to ask that question.

Update: to help understand what I meant about dust, attached is a picture from the front with the snap-on panel removed. The lamp fan and surrounding area had a decent amount as well. There was less on the various circuit boards etc.

Well, the reason I brought it up is that it seems to me that the fabric panels on the back of the "projection housing" are for ventilation, and as dirty as your set was, I'da thought you might look in there.

Like most I'm sure, my set's a PIA to get down and work on, but even in my relatively clean environment I'm certain that the mirror has developed a film over the years. I'll take a look when I run out of fun stuff to do! :p

Those ventilation areas on the screen perplexed me as it wasn't obvious to me whether or not they could be removed from the outside ... do you know ? The covers, viewed from the outside, almost looked like they were glued on. And, they are not described in the manual as areas for regular maintenance like the front panels were, so I chose to do nothing. The front screens seemed to be the areas of greatest air flow and they certainly had the worst dust of the areas I looked at - other internals had far less.

Well, the day after X-mass I bought a new Sony 52XBR6 LCD flat pannel.

I'm still not sure what I'll be doing with the GWII yet. Maybe the bedroom if I can find another stand for it.

You wouldn't believe the diff. in picture quality & brightness. It was almost like going from SD to HD when I got the GWII. But going to 1080p it makes sence. Whites are white again! Insted of a slight yellowish/green tint. Also way way sharper.

Now I know my GWII really needs a good cleaning or the LCD is really old & there is nothing that can be done without replacing the OB.

Sometime soon I hope I'll be tearing the GWII apart to clean everything I can. I won't make any promises when I'll get around to it though. It's been 3 weeks & is still sitting here in the livingroom up against the loveseat.:O

I'll post up the before & after stuff on what exactly can be cleaned & the results.

Those ventilation areas on the screen perplexed me as it wasn't obvious to me whether or not they could be removed from the outside ... do you know ? The covers, viewed from the outside, almost looked like they were glued on. And, they are not described in the manual as areas for regular maintenance like the front panels were, so I chose to do nothing. The front screens seemed to be the areas of greatest air flow and they certainly had the worst dust of the areas I looked at - other internals had far less.I can't put my finger on the data right now, and my memory may be faulty about this, but it seems to me these two areas are indeed for ventilation, though clearly at the same time they are not meant to be removed.

I suppose a piece of tissue, or a candle, would tell the truth about whether there is any significant airflow occurring thru these.

But I don't think the mirror chamber is sealed or anything, so it's likely the mirror is film-y if not dusty/dirty.

Agree completely - I just wonder how much affect it has ... the dramatic improvement we saw changing out the 6 year old OB leaves me wondering how much better it could get cleaning the mirror but I guess you just don't know what you don't know ...

But you got me thinking, thanks a lot :) ... so I placed a bright white panel (from Avia) on the screen, at night, and looked up close for variations across the screen where there might be variations in dust build up showing up across the screen. The image is as true to white as I can remember it ever being, and that's with the brightness turned down only a handful of clicks over minimum (from my calibration) and I see no variations across the screen. On the color bar screens, colors are bright and look accurate. So, for now I'm thinking there's not much to be gained cleaning that part ... either that or I simply don't have the energy to investigate further after the OB replacement ! :D

take care

The image is as true to white as I can remember it ever being... I see no variations across the screen.Absolutely, if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!!! ;) In fact, I recall when I used to clean my mirror on my old Sony CRT RPTV, that if I didn't make sure to get all the streaks out I could see them on-screen!

Way-back-when, late 80s iirc, I saw a deal on the RPTV I was in love with, and upon getting it home noticed some irregularities in the images. My new TV! That I could ill-afford to begin with! But being the geek that I am, instead of asking the store to deal with it I took it apart. :eek:

Turned-out, there was some manufacturing dust in-between the screen "sandwich" layers (assembled in Mexico, tho I don't mean to disparage anyone, it IS dusty down there!), the fresnel and the lenticular. Cleaned that up and all was perfect!

At 5 years now my Sony 60XBR looks a little soft to me, as if a thin layer of dust might have accumulated on the mirror in that time, but very honestly it's more likely the softness is due to my eye getting re-trained, first by a 1080p front projector (firing wonderfully crisp images onto a 10-ft screen) and next by a new 40" 1080p LCD in our sitting room. Man that thing is sharp and clear and bright compared to the Sony. But I still love it! (http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/laserfan/Home%20Theater/)

Congrats on your success w/the new OB (you are a brave soul indeed) and I hope it lasts a very long time for you! :)

Original lamp finally died today, 6 years and 3 months of almost daily use. New lamp looks much better. If the second lamp lasts that long there won't be a need for a third.

I have been through on bulb but its time for me to say bye to the set as I moved into a new house and need to get a bigger set for the living room... my 50" GWII is making space for a Mitsu 73" unit.

Original lamp finally died today, 6 years and 3 months of almost daily use. New lamp looks much better. If the second lamp lasts that long there won't be a need for a third.

Wow.
Do you know how many hours on your TV when the lamp died?
My 50" GWII is almost exactly 6 years old. I just purchased a new bulb.
Should I proceed with replacing it or wait for something to happen?
Thanks

marcos-I didn't go into the service menu to get the hours as I didn't want to turn off the set after changing the bulb. If you have a new bulb and you're at 6 years I would go ahead and change it. Let the new one burn in for at least several hours before shutting in off again.

Well, I'm confused. Anyone know what this is? Doesn't seem to match the dreaded OB defect. It looks like a blue donut on all inputs...no magnets nearby...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007330&id=1431055059&l=721e5c618c

Boy I don't know about that one. I finally moved my GWII into my bedroom. I pulled the screen off & check the lens & it was spotless. I dusted & cleaned what I could without pulling the OB. After firing it back up, about 2/3rds of the screen is kind of yellowed in a large circular pattern kind of what your photos look like but solid. You can really tell looking at what is suposed to be white. It really looks like someting like it could be smke film on the lens. & yes I am a smoker! I just don't no were to look exactly. The last/top lens & the one under it were clean. However the bottom ones( closest to the OB) I did not pull out. I guess that's my next step sometime. If the is a clear flat piece of glass over the LCD chip it could have a film on it.

original bulb, 21,000 + hours later.....I finally decided
to swap it out!

The old bulb wasnt dead, but images were looking pretty faint,
and i wasnt sure if that was because of the bulb or not??? anyhow,
i decided to put in the new bulb i already had on hand,

opened up the case and did a little careful vacuuming to clean up some
major dust

fired it up with the new bulb and to me it looks very noticably brighter....

i love this darn TV- it's been a workhorse.

if you look back on this thread, i posted my hours back in 04/2007,
we were at like 12,000 hours on my original bulb, after about 4 years of usage.

2 years later we made it to 21,000 hours ,almost double in half the time
(guess we've been playing a lot of guitar hero!!)

i survived avoiding the plasma upgrade/itch, but that 63" samsung sure looks tempting.

either way i'm happy with this TV, maybe i can squeeze a few more years out of it.

So I replaced my bulb yesterday. Bulb had 13721 hours on it. This continues to be a very good TV.
Does anyone know if the bulb hour counter can be reset to zero?
Thanks.

I've had my KF60XBR800 for over 6 years with no problems (other than lamp replacement and a ghosting problem that was fixed with the service menu a couple years ago). Today I turned the tv on and there's a wide black bar that runs across the middle of the screen, with a blurry image above and below the bar. Is the tv shot? Any suggestions?

Sinister04L - Sorry to hear about your issue. I have the same model - got it in late 2002. Last year I noticed a region of the screen with a greenish tint that led to my DIY-ing a replacement of the optical block, which was the most expensive part that could have been bad, $1300 I think, and that fixed my problem. While researching my issue on the web, googling everything I could think of, I do not recall hearing about something like what you're describing. What I ended up doing was paying the Sony guy to some out ($75 I think) to confirm what I had come to believe was the problem - the optical block. It then became a question for me whether I wanted to spend that kind of money on fixing it or simply go spend a lot more for what I wanted in a new TV which was again the top of the line Sony XBR and oh by the way there wasn't a 60" anymore, the 70" was way too expensive so i'd have to go to the 55". Since i had a need to get an all new set for a game room and didn't want to now outright buy two TV's, I took the risk, spent the $1300 on the part and then replaced it myself. My first inclination was to never open up the TV, must be too hard, etc. But there was so much help on line I decided to dig in ...

On this model, there is a ton of space to work in there and there simply are not that many parts. So here's a recommendation, depending on your comfort level with this kind of stuff:
1) Remove front grills and bulb-cover and thoroughly vacuum/compressed air the cavities to remove any dust (I think not doing this contributed to my issue)
2) Remove the back and do the same (not that many screws, etc)
3) Look at every cable and make sure they're securely seated (board to board, etc). Make sure the fan comes on, etc, all the normal things you can think of.
4) While you're in there, contemplate whether or not you'd feel comfortable, given your skill level, in replacing the various components you see in there.
5) Button it up, and see if the issue is still there. I'm betting it will be.

Ok, now think about whether you're ready to kick the thing to the curb or would you be willing to invest more money, given the money you already spent, and the possibility you could have to pay as much as $1300 for the optical block.

Consider having the Sony service folks come out and diagnose it ... at that point you would have to pay the $75 to learn this, and worst case you tell the guy to go away and you're out the $75. But you will have learned whether its a $100-$400 part needed or its the optical block at $1300 for a new one (some I believe have sent them off for repair, I wasn't interested since there are so many other life limited parts in the OB that I wanted a complete new one) and you'll know what part should you decide to order it direct from Sony and install yourself. Takes the guess work out, albeit for $75.

You will also learn what they want to do the repair - for me I think they wanted upwards of $300 to do the R&R which I ended up saving.

Since what you're seeing doesn't sound like what I've seen talked about on this forum you may have something wrong with one of the other much less expensive boards, not the OB.

Ok, last important point ... I documented the entire process with pictures but couldn't post it here because the file is too big - it covers everything from removal of the back to OB R&R, etc, even talks about something to do to the fan to extend its life and make sure its running optimally after all these years. PM me and we'll have to figure out a way to get it to you.

Some on this forum have disagreed with my choice, thinking it was too much money, given the age of the box, for the risk of additional parts going bad and compared with what you could spend to get a new one. I just didn't want the outlay of 2 new TVs and for me I am happy with what i did. And oh by the way, the picture with the new OB, maybe not too surprisingly, was just like new when I got done !

Good luck in whatever your decision is ...

crsanders,

Thanks for the post. I am starting down this road. I have a GWII (Nov 2002) manf. date and I replaced the lamp about a 8 months back. About a month ago, I got what I would consider to be a green blotch about 12" in diameter. The blotch is in the middle of the screen and depending on the content is either really visible or not. I also have the ghosting issue which I have not tried to address.

I am sitting here trying to decide if I should change TVs or if I should try and fix it. I checked the internet and found a number of posts regarding this issue and it appears that later models have law suits around them etc.

I have a friend that has the same issue but a model one year later. The strange thing is that the site I was looking at seemed to focus on 2003 or later models. Since I am seeing what is on the site I am curious if there was a big change from 2002 to 2003 that would explain why mine does not seem to be included in the mix.

The other comment on that site was that you should see this happening in year 1 to 5. Well I am obviously over that and it just recently popped up.

To Summarize. I have had the wet for between 7 and 8 years. I have had a green ghosting issue and now this blotch. To me TVs should last longer and what I read if try about optical block issues just makes my skin crawl.

I personally think I will be going the replacement route.

Try doing a search for the forum that is titled: "UMR Does GWII" Everything you need should be somewhere in that thread.

weejavadude - your green blotch was what I had as well

Sounds like the process of doing the repair yourself is not at all attractive, and I'm sure, like me, the cost of the optical block is not attractive to you either so you may be better off buying new. I think, sad as it might be, the days of 10+ year tv life may be gone, or maybe better said, these tv's were still relatively new for their time, maybe they'll get better but it seems like they keep re-inventing the core technology lately so who knows (tube architecture had a lot more years to mature/establish reliability in the ol' days)

Don't know anything about the recalls or lawsuits other than I found our unit was not covered in any of those

Good luck in whatever you choose, and if that is to perform the repair, let me know and we'll figure out somehow to get you my repair doc (over 10 Meg) because I guarantee it will help.

I too had the blotch. I mean have. 1.5-2 years ago I posted here about it, but I just looked back and couldn't find my posts. There was another thread about the GWII--maybe that's where it was.
My blob was (is) violet colored. Started along the top 10% of the screen, slowly moved to the center of the left side, and now is barely noticeable on the lower left corner.
I seem to remember that the blotch changed quite a bit for the better when I finally changed to a new bulb. I'm on my 3rd bulb, and will be putting in a 4th before SB Sunday.

I've learned to live with my blotch. Blob. Whatever. It's like an old friend. What I mean is, the set is paid for. I ain't spendin' no more.

If you have an old bulb that still works, pop it into the set and see if the shape changes.

My set still looks damn good, especially OTA. CBS has the best color and best audio, IMHO.

Good Luck!

I've not re-read your posts, but I recall crsanders that you had a bad optical block & replaced it, and in doing so I think you said your innards were (surprisingly) clean. But I wonder if you could opine: do you think there is *any chance* that the other two posters might have a dust blob or two? My response to them was gonna be: it can't hurt to take the back off and look for dust bunnies.

My GWII is 6 years old (almost to this day!) and I've not yet replaced the lamp on it, but it doesn't get more than a couple hours a week on it at most. I have a 1080p projector too, and by comparison the GWII does look "soft", almost blurry, but apart from the 720p vs 1080p disadvantage I've thought I should take mine apart and clean the mirror and lenses/whatnot to make certain a thin layer of dust is not further softening the image (I live in the country with lotsa dust & dirt). But no glitches onscreen that I can see (whew).

My setup (http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p12/laserfan/Home%20Theater/)

Laser, 2-3 years ago I took off the back panel to do a little vacuuming and found there was so much caked-on dust that it seemed hopeless (my house is extremely dusty). So it's possible dust is causing the blob but I don't think that's what's happening. I was not willing to take ckt boards out to do real cleaning so I did what I could and quit.
I believe I recall that the page in the service menu where you reset the hours to zero when changing to a new bulb also displays the temp in degrees C. There is a temp (I think it was 45 deg. C) above which the set is considered to be running hot. I think it's more likely that the overheated environment is somehow involved. In any event, last time I looked, I think my temp was 51 or 52, due I'm sure to all my caked on gunk.

If you're prone to replacing the unit anyway, go ahead and pull the 1st and 2nd layer of ckt boards out and get after the cleaning. It can only make the set run cooler. I bet all the plugs are idiot-proof. Let everybody here know how it plays out.

I dunno the light path from lamp-to-screen but it seems to me that if a blob of dust is on-or-near the LCDs anywhere that it would be focussed onto the screen for sure. Maybe tho the "optical block" seals all this up (I wish we had some pics).

In any case your post inclines me toward checking my GWII for internal dirt. I will of course report back here any results.

The effects of the green blob are distortions in the filters located in the optical block - could be heat driven, not sure, I've never seen anyone explain the true root cause, but we know replacement of the block corrects it (I'm proof of that) and there was even someone who took on replacing the filters alone (can't recall how they got them because they are not for sale alone, you have buy the whole block - I assume they located a defective block with good filters). For my issue changing the lamp did not improve it, and instead it got worse over time regardless of the lamp time on it. I did have quite a bit of dust covering everything and had never done basic maintenance (vacuum behind front removable panels, and vacuum the lamp box) ... the issue is time usage on the box, which drives, I think, cumulative heat over time which degrades the color filters in the OB - you don't use the TV much & you buy time, you don't dust & you lose time, and then all the permutations of these drives when you will see the issue rear its ugly head.

Anyway, I previously posted pictures of what I was seeing (I displayed a white background to show the green shaded area) and posted a primitive diy description of how to change the block. which you might be able to use to get comfortable (or not) that this is the same thing I saw. If in doubt, spend the $75 to get Sony out to diagnose before committing to the OB cost and self-repair (very high) or get them to do it (board is $1300-ish, install I want to say $350-ish). I have a more detailed diy file loaded with pics but its too large to attach here. no boards have to come out, the boards sit on a sled that can be moved to the side - some wires with quick disconnects have to be unplugged, etc and then the block comes out after removing two screws (needs a 15 inch phillips if I recall correctly to get to it). Others have posted similar diy's of similar models which I used to do it for the first time and their's worked perfectly for my model.

Still, the ob is expensive and you really should feel good about your ability to do the steps described above.

Good luck

my second lamp died after only 11 months. crap. one more and i think i'll need an upgrade. the set still looked fine up until the new lamp popped in the midddle of a movie.

I finally relegated mine to bedroom duty. Still on the original lamp and still looking pretty good. The wife loves having a real TV in the bedroom now since we used to have a 19" CRT with coax input only :D.

As for the green blob I had a small one on delivery that was only noticeable if I really really looked for it. It's still the same, no worse. I am thinking that I need to buy a replacement lamp soon though.

I have to say with the economy the way it is, I haven't bought anything expensive with discretionary funds since late 2008. So my GWIII is still on primary duty. It's on it's third bulb (my wife has it on almost all day every day).

I may finally hook up a Blu-Ray DVD player though. Any issues with Blu-Ray and this TV?

'Course, now the rage is the upcoming 3D Blu-Ray. Would a new Blu-Ray be obsolete in 6 months? Sigh.

I have to say with the economy the way it is, I haven't bought anything expensive with discretionary funds since late 2008. So my GWIII is still on primary duty. It's on it's third bulb (my wife has it on almost all day every day).

I may finally hook up a Blu-Ray DVD player though. Any issues with Blu-Ray and this TV?

'Course, now the rage is the upcoming 3D Blu-Ray. Would a new Blu-Ray be obsolete in 6 months? Sigh.

I use my GWIII to watch Blu-Ray movies (on PS3) all the time. No issues.
I also use the PS3 to play one or two games. This TV has been a reliable work-horse.

I have to say with the economy the way it is, I haven't bought anything expensive with discretionary funds since late 2008. So my GWIII is still on primary duty. It's on it's third bulb (my wife has it on almost all day every day).

I may finally hook up a Blu-Ray DVD player though. Any issues with Blu-Ray and this TV?

'Course, now the rage is the upcoming 3D Blu-Ray. Would a new Blu-Ray be obsolete in 6 months? Sigh.

By a PS3. The same cost as a good BR player and sony is releasing a 3d firmware update soon. Sony has been pretty good about supporting the PS3 so I just keep hoping they continue that trend in the future.

Well, I finally had to replace the lamp driver in my KF60XBR800, which was purchased in Jan 2003. The new driver block works very well and my picture seems brighter than it has for a couple of years. The lamp clock indicated some 14440 hours. Does anyone know how to repair an old lamp driver (P/N 146851015)?

In the past month mine has turned itself off. It wasn't on all that long, an hour, two at the most, when it happened.

Other than that it is working fine.

Well, I guess it was inevitable that parts would begin to die ... today the G board died (standby light blinks 6 times), so I've got the part coming in later this week and will attempt the repair myself (KF-60XBR800).

Well, I guess it was inevitable that parts would begin to die ... today the G board died (standby light blinks 6 times), so I've got the part coming in later this week and will attempt the repair myself (KF-60XBR800).I seem to recall you replaced the OB yourself--has your set burned alot of hours or are you just unlucky? Where'd you buy the replacement part?

Good luck and let us know how it goes. My 6 yr-old set is still going strong (knock on wood) but I think the run hours are still only a couple/three thousand or some such...

Good memory laserfan ... Well, I've had the Tv since 2002, set pretty much runs several hours a day - I haven't done a very good job of keeping track of the hours and have reset the count every time I've changed the lamp (3 times maybe, not sure).

In 2005 we moved to a newly constructed home and immediately had serious electrical issues in the house, frequent outages, devices stopped working etc, and eventually they ran all new electrical to that part of the house. One of the devices that stopped working was the Tv, requiring the lamp driver board to be replaced - coincidence, infant mortality, or tied to the electrical issues, not sure - and if the electrical issues was the cause, what else was harmed but didn't fail until much later? again not sure. Zoom ahead to 2008, no issues since 2005, and we have the arrival of the green blob and yes, I purchased and changed out the wonderfully expensive OB - risky but I took the chance to extend the life rather than replace with a comparably capable $3000-4000 new set. So now, I am intermittently getting the 6 blinking standby lights which indicates a bad "G" board, which I've ordered and it will arrive tomorrow so I'll swap it out over the next day or two - this one's a very easy R&R. Take the back off, disconnect a couple connectors slide the tray out, and pull the old board out, drop in the new - it's like a PC in this respect, changing out a graphics card or something like that. The OB was much more of an ordeal but still not rocket science.

Oh, the "G" board was bought directly from Sony parts and accessories, i located the part number from the service manual I got a couple years ago, cost around $120 I think.

When the new XBRLX900 comes down in price I plan to get it and move my ol' semi-faithful to the upstairs if its still firing by then :-)

Good memory laserfan ... Actually no, but yours has been the only good "action" in this thread over the last many months.
move my ol' semi-faithful to the upstairs if its still firingWe don't even have another room that's big enough to hold the thing! Can't imagine how I'm gonna recycle it when it dies!

Yours sounds "used & abused" compared to mine which doesn't even get turned-on once a week. Then too it's been on a AVR/UPS (along w/a TiVo S3 et al)--hopefully it will crank for many more years. I do want to pull the back off'n it one of these weeks to see if there's any dust accumulation...with my previous (Sony CRT-based) RPTV the mirrors got dusty and caused the images to "fuzz-out" over time.

Let us know if you are able to restore yours to its "original lustre". :)

More I think of it, the Tv probably gets 4+ hours every morning, a similar amount every evening.

Well, success ! at least so far. The "G" board arrived today, was bigger than I remembered, and had many more connectors than I remembered, around 15 I think. Anyway, the biggest trouble was just getting the TV disconnected, pulled back to get access, etc. After the back was removed, there's a tray with several boards on it, and the "G" board was conveniently on the end, right hand side, making it even easier to R&R. I drew a sketch of what went where and connector orientation, etc. 3 screws held it in place, vertically standing in the tray, and it was out. The new board had a new connector that I had no wire for so I just ignored it. Put it all back together, went into the service menu and cleared the diagnostic code (that always get generated when you get a fault that makes the standby lights blink) so that I could go back in there later to see if any codes were tripped and not be confused by this one that is now repaired. Started it up and all is ok, so far.

Only concern you have with these things is wondering if something else drove this board to die and now that there's a new board in there, it will repeat, or was Sony's diagnostic good enough to tell me this board alone was at fault so I'm fine now? Time will tell.

Some pic's attached showing the board in place on the tray so you can see the connectors, most aligned along the edge a couple elsewhere, and then the old and new board next to each other, new on the right, essentially identical.

Pics didn't show up for some reason, trying again ...

...many more connectors than I remembered, around 15 I think....The new board had a new connector that I had no wire for so I just ignored it.I can't read the board rev # but presumably it is different, huh. Is there anything about the old board that suggests where the failure was (sometimes you get lucky and something's burned or a cap has ballooned)?

You're a brave man, we wish you success with your repair! And thanks for the photos! :)

I looked and looked and could find nothing that looked like a rev number, and every number I did see was identical on both boards. Also could not locate any obvious signs of any blown board components on the old one.

Worked ok all day to day so that's better than the last several days - a good sign I'm got it licked.

When the new XBRLX900 comes down in price I plan to get it and move my ol' semi-faithful to the upstairs if its still firing by then :-)

Mine finally got moved upstairs to the bedroom. Replaced with a Mitsu 737. The wife LOVES having the Sony for the bedroom. Probably need to get around to replacing the bulb though....

Not sure if anyone still follows these old beast, but just checked my hours the other day, just under 13,500 and on the second bulb. The set is slowing dying....green / yellow tint around the entire screen. Talked with Sony and am getting in on that replacement deal they have. Not as great a deal as others, but still ok I suppose.

Sucks to see a $4200 TV bite the dust. What to do with it?? Also have a KDF-50A10 and with about 8300 hours, no problems.....yet.

What sort of replacement deal are they offering?

Not sure if anyone still follows these old beast, but just checked my hours the other day, just under 13,500 and on the second bulb. The set is slowing dying....green / yellow tint around the entire screen. Talked with Sony and am getting in on that replacement deal they have. Not as great a deal as others, but still ok I suppose.

Sucks to see a $4200 TV bite the dust. What to do with it?? Also have a KDF-50A10 and with about 8300 hours, no problems.....yet.
I am also trying to get some "consideration" as I have the "blue blob" optical block problem but so far Sony says it's my problem. Who have you contacted and what sort of offer do you have from them?

Talking with them about a 60EX500 LCD. Deal isn't done yet, but you can contact

National Service Support

Customer Service Specialist

800 554-6908, option 2

I don't think they have our sets in there system yet, that's why I am stilling waiting. Since these are older, they might need to make a special exception for them.

Search some of the forums here, there is lots of talk about the program and some of the deals people are getting. I've seen some very good deals on new LCD sets. I demoed the new XBR LCD with 3D and its got a great picture....but $4000+ is a bit much at this point.

Search some of the forums here, there is lots of talk about the program and some of the deals people are getting. I've seen some very good deals on new LCD sets. I demoed the new XBR LCD with 3D and its got a great picture....but $4000+ is a bit much at this point.
Thanks for your update. After two phone calls I made prior to my previous posting I have sent an e-mail to Sarah at sonylistens and have yet to get a reply. Please keep us posted on how your case turns out. I also dropped over 4K on my GWII and if Sony doesn't offer any help it may bring the end to future purchases with them which in the past has been extensive over the previous 40 years. With big price drops in plasmas I am thinking at least 60 inch or bigger sets and getting two of them having one on top of the other and I doubt if I will be out much more than the cost of the GWII.

Got the 60EX500 for $1075 + tax from Sony. Hopefully its a decent set and will last a long time. Maybe these sets today aren't ment to last more than a few years. We are a disposable society after all......

Other people with newer sets seem to get better deals. I have a friend who owns a 60" A3000 SXRD unit. Great set with a great picture. I told him about the situation and if his dies he might be able to get in on the deal. I was considering replacing the GW with one of these, but in time they to shall fail.....

Got the 60EX500 for $1075 + tax from Sony. Hopefully its a decent set and will last a long time. Maybe these sets today aren't ment to last more than a few years. We are a disposable society after all......
Thanks again for your update. After two unrewarding phone calls to their 800 number in early December and receiving no reply to a 12/14/2010 e-mail to Sarah at sonylistens@am.sony.com I sent another e-mail to that address today. Hope I get a relpy! How long did it take you from your 1st complaint to finally resolving your case?

Sony did get back to me yesterday and offered me a KDL52nx800 for $1199.00 plus tax. I was considering a 60 inch model but they would not offer me one. Considering the age of my TV and its close in size to the NX800, I am content with Sony's offer and will accept their offer for the new set.

Anyone get their optical block repaired on these?? I might try and fix this beast up for use down the road.....

Amazing how much better the new sets are compared to these. I really got used to the "soft" image of this set. They are better than the new 1080p sets with SD material, not upconverting crappy signals to 1080p.

My original 9 YO GWII still seems to be going strong. I'm on my 3rd bulb and 2nd remote but no blobs, streaks, lines or dead pixels yet. I'm looking for an excuse to upgrade to a 60 inch LED-LCD but the beast won't die.

My original 9 YO GWII still seems to be going strong. I'm on my 3rd bulb and 2nd remote but no blobs, streaks, lines or dead pixels yet. I'm looking for an excuse to upgrade to a 60 inch LED-LCD but the beast won't die.

Same here. I've had mine since March 2003, with heavy use.
It's been a very good TV so far.

My KF60XBR800 has developed blue blobs and being that it's 8 years old I decided to retire it in favor of a new 60" Panasonic plasma. I am satified with getting 8 years out of it but I am somewhat disappointed with the history of problems with the optical blocks in the Sony products. That's why I didn't bother looking at Sony LCD or plasma TV's . . it's just my way of protesting, I guess.

I wonder MJ (and any others here) how your "retired" your GWII. Yours was busted so maybe you "traded it in"?

A few posts earlier someone called this set a "beast" and it is these days isn't it. I'm thinking that when I decide to get rid of mine (about 8 yrs old but less use than most and still looks pristine) that I would try to find a place to donate it e.g. an assisted living/nursing/old folks place or church or community center perhaps.

I bought my new plasma from Best Buy and they took away the GW II for free. They will transport it to a recycling company.

I am trying to make this TV as light as possible to lift and remove it. I have the Service Manual, but before I consider disassembling it, I was wondering:

What order I should follow? (starting with the heaviest parts)

About how light could I make the TV (50" GWII)?

It also says the panel can be disconnected from the pedestal, but I couldn't do that until I got the TV off of the credenza.

So now, I am intermittently getting the 6 blinking standby lights which indicates a bad "G" board, which I've ordered and it will arrive tomorrow so I'll swap it out over the next day or two - this one's a very easy R&R. Take the back off, disconnect a couple connectors slide the tray out, and pull the old board out, drop in the new - it's like a PC in this respect, changing out a graphics card or something like that. The OB was much more of an ordeal but still not rocket science.

Oh, the "G" board was bought directly from Sony parts and accessories, i located the part number from the service manual I got a couple years ago, cost around $120 I think. ...

Do you have the the part number for the "G" board? My 60XBRB800 now has the 6 blinking standby light problem and the "Sony Listens" email team responded that this TV isn't covered by any replacement program.

Also, is it easy enough to change the "G" board without having a service manual handy to reference?

I found the xbr800 service manual from google search and see that the G board power supply part number is 1-686-109-11.

If anyone is scrapping one of these sets and would be willing to pull the blue polarizing filter for me, I'd negotiate a price to take it off your hands!

Thanks;
Chillspine

purchased my GWII, 01/09/2003.....sadly took it's last breath 08/18/2011
8 years, 7 months, 9 days- Not sure what went wrong? Wife and kids were watching her all day on the 18th, stepped out to the store, came home, and poof no power, no juice, no flashing red, nothing! Weather was good (no power surges), i had replaced the lamp about 2 years ago....she just decided to let go i guess??? i paid $4699.20....works out to be approx $1.49/day. I thought of maybe having a tech come out, see if we could revive her, but nah, she paid her dues and is now out in the garage- (not sure what to do with her??)
(i was trying to upload an image to my receipt, but could not get it to work)

i just wanted to say thanks to these forums,
UMR and all the tweaks and everyone's contribution to the GWII, (UMR does GWII...was the Gospel thread for this set)
i have been a lurker for the past 9 years or so, this forum is awesome appreciate all that contribute.....

I will be receiving my new Samsung, PN64D7000 (64") this friday...ordered from Modia, got a pretty darn good deal if i dont say,
so i am anxiously awaiting the new baby....
(wife said she wouldnt settle for anything smaller than a 60", guess i have her spoiled)

Sorry to hear! We got ours in December 2002 and a little over a year ago moved it into our bedroom. Wife went from a 19" to a 50". We just replaced the bulb for the first time maybe 6 months ago. This has been a solid set for sure.

Kudos also to the UMR did in creating the tweak guide. I still have a copy printed out!

Congrats on the new TV!

purchased my GWII, 01/09/2003.....sadly took it's last breath 08/18/2011
8 years, 7 months, 9 days- Not sure what went wrong? Wife and kids were watching her all day on the 18th, stepped out to the store, came home, and poof no power, no juice, no flashing red, nothing! Weather was good (no power surges), i had replaced the lamp about 2 years ago....she just decided to let go i guess??? i paid $4699.20....works out to be approx $1.49/day. I thought of maybe having a tech come out, see if we could revive her, but nah, she paid her dues and is now out in the garage- (not sure what to do with her??)
(i was trying to upload an image to my receipt, but could not get it to work)

i just wanted to say thanks to these forums,
UMR and all the tweaks and everyone's contribution to the GWII, (UMR does GWII...was the Gospel thread for this set)
i have been a lurker for the past 9 years or so, this forum is awesome appreciate all that contribute.....

I will be receiving my new Samsung, PN64D7000 (64") this friday...ordered from Modia, got a pretty darn good deal if i dont say,
so i am anxiously awaiting the new baby....
(wife said she wouldnt settle for anything smaller than a 60", guess i have her spoiled)

I just re-bulbed my 50" GWII (www.planetbulb.com). One more cycle and I'll give it up. Hey, it's paid for!
The overall picture has a rosey tint. I looked through the old "tweaks" but didn't recognize anything that would affect that.
I briefly corresponded with UMR and he suggested I should adjust the default color temperature. Can anybody point me in the right direction as to an article, procedure, book, or even a parameter in the service manual that I can adjust to change the default color temperature?
Thanks in advance.

P.S. - UMR's sites are accucalhd.com and homecinemaguru.com

Well I finally retired my GWII. It was nearing the end of its third bulb (it was beginning to turn itself off randomly occasionally). It served us very well since 2003 but over the last few years it developed the fuzzy blue haze in a few spots - that moved around occasionally. Also the colors were a bit muted and very warm, almost yellow, which could not be adjusted out.

The replacement was an LG 55LW5600.

Over the years this has been a very useful thread. Thanks everyone, and thanks AVS.

I finally retired my GWII.
I'm still on my first lamp (yes, since 2004!) but don't expect this thing to live forever.

I'm interested though in what you and others who "retire" your monsters (or if they fail) do with them--put them on the curb? Electronics recycler?

I'm still on my first lamp (yes, since 2004!) but don't expect this thing to live forever.

I'm interested though in what you and others who "retire" your monsters (or if they fail) do with them--put them on the curb? Electronics recycler?

Since the TV works OK, I am donating it to charity (St. Vincents de Paul). They will come pick it up. At least I'll get a small tax credit. If you get a new TV delivered by BB they will remove the old one and send it to a recycler.

I have discovered that the newer LED TVs, up to 47 inches anyway, are thin and light enough one person can handle them. So we didn't have it delivered.

I still have my last tube TV I need to get rid of. But its in an entertainment center we use for storage and we've been too lazy to clean it out!

Since the TV works OK, I am donating it to charity...If you get a new TV delivered by BB they will remove the old one and send it to a recycler.
Thanks for telling. I will probably ride this old horse until it breaks-down, at which time a retailer that "hauls away" sounds like a good way to go.

I'd ordered my GWII 60" from Crutchfield, and their "white glove" delivery was something to behold. It was not at all easy to get it up & around our open staircase to the 2nd story but the two guys who did it did a really good job. Getting it down again won't be much easier! :eek:

Hmmm I wonder if Crutchfield has a haul-away/recycle service...