Official Sony KDL-46HX750 & KDL-55HX750 Owners Thread - Page 9

I would definately miss the 5" but I put the new Sony in MBR (single!). Have a Sharp 60" in great room that has a better picture than this sony and costs $400 or so less.

Just wondering, my 46HX755 (german version of the 750 with DVB-S2 tuner) developed banding issues ("dirty screen effect") after the first week of using it. It can be hardly seen in normal footage with real actors (it's most visible when there's a pan over white smoke or something similar). But with animated material, it can be seen more often, nearly always when there's a pan over a uniform background (blue sky etc.).

Here's a gray image with normal settings (backlight 5, light sensor off, brightness 48), displayed by my PC via HDMI:

http://i.minus.com/ilhPARNA31uqI.jpg

There are two vertical pillars in the middle (they are less visible at the bottom) and one horizontal pillar. And apparently there are broad pillars on the left and right side, but I didn't spot these during playback at all. The main "problem" is the middle left pillar and the little bright spot right to it, these two can be pretty annoying sometimes. With everything else, I can live.

So... as far as I know, nearly every television has screen uniformity and DSE issues. So, is this still considered "normal" by Sony's standards, or is it something they'd consider a "fault" (and "repair" it)?

I'm on my second hx750 and both have had flashlighting in the corners. Is anyone else experiencing similar problems? I've read of some people claiming they have sets with no flashlighting and I'd be curious to see photos of these panels with backlight above 6 with eco light sensor turned off.

My current one is worse than the last so I'm thinking of returning it but I feel bad because I've returned three different sets to best buy already (2 Samsung's and one hx750).
Edited by 5150Joker - 9/3/12 at 10:36am

Yeah, I'm having flashlights, too. In three corners (only the upper right is unaffected). But even with video sources like Battlestar Galactica and a fully darkened room it's hardly noticable for me. Banding (see my post above) is clearly the worse problem for me.

Can you post a picture of your tv during a dark scene with eco light sensor off + backlight 6 or above? Here's what mine looks like with an hdtv cable signal:

I can do so tomorrow, but... Jesus Christ, mine comes not even close. I'm sorry man.

Thanks, I think I'm going to return this set today and switch to plasma. I just hope plasma is bright enough, I had a Kuro KRP-500M before and while I loved it, it lacked the brightness/pop of LCD TVs. Thinking about this right now: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+55%22+Class+-+Plasma+-+1080p+-+600Hz+-+Smart+-+3D+-+HDTV/4947672.p?id=1218582230738&skuId=4947672&st=TC-P55ST50&cp=1&lp=1


Edit: Ended up returning the Sony, I showed the BB guy the above photos on my phone and he instantly recognized them and said, "oh yeah those are LED bright spots, we're aware of those" and then said "go ahead and exchange as much as you want, don't feel bad" Pretty good service, don't know why people hate on Best Buy so much. They brought out the Panasonic for me and the box was too big for my car so they unboxed it and set the TV in my trunk. So far, using CNET calibrations, it completely annihilates the HX750 in picture quality and especially black levels (inky black levels and perfect uniformity). Max brightness is equal to about 6 on the HX750 which is good enough since I rarely went above 6 anyway but in exchange I went from 46" to 55" for the same price..impressive!! Weight is a killer though, 61.8 lbs vs 42 lbs for the Sony but who cares.
Edited by 5150Joker - 9/3/12 at 9:53pm

You are suffering from the same problem I am having with my set, although I was unaware of the "banding" term. Seems legit. Anyways, my replacement set arrives tomorrow but not for the banding reasons. Sony wouldn't even listen to me about those. My banding is three vertical bands in the center of the top of the unit. It's all too much to type, but feel free to read my previous posts in this thread for further info. My advice: just tell Sony your TV keeps randomly rebooting. They should tell you they will replace it with a part, then call back and say the part is on back order and they will just swap out the set.

EDIT:

My last sentence was pretty unclear, allow me to reword it below:

My advice: just tell Sony your TV keeps randomly rebooting. They should tell you they will replace it with a part, then they will most likely call you back and say the part is on back order and they will just swap out the set instead.
Edited by gatorboi352 - 9/4/12 at 11:17am

Hm, I think I'll wait for your experience with the new unit. The banding is certainly there for my unit, but only one pillar (which's annoying) and I'm somehow afraid a replacement might bring me a worse set. So that's why I'd like to evaluate how "good" or "bad" the banding on my TV really is. So far I've met another guy with an HX755 and the middle of his screen is basically one big, murky blop. He'd probably sing hosannas to get a screen which's only slightly affected, like mine.
And even if I'm lucky and I get a unit with no banding whatsoever, then maybe there's terrible flashlighting, as Joker suffered above. So... too many unknown variables.

As I said, the effect is only noticable with animated material or sports (soccer...). Normal movies are fairly uneffected. I can live with it. It still bothers me, but I can bear it. And I'm too afraid of getting a worse set for a replacement.

I know you said you're going to wait to see what type of experience he gets his replacement set but that doesn't mean you're going to have the same experience. The set he gets could be perfect, that doesn't mean if you get a replacement set that yours will be perfect. I say if you're not happy with the set, then let Sony know and go for the replacement. If you're not happy with the replacement, then get another and another, until you are happy with it. You shouldn't "have to live with it" just because you're afraid the next TV will be worse. These big companies love customers that just "live with a product" for fear of getting something worse. As consumers we have to let them know when their products are defective. Anyway, just my two cents, if it's even worth that much. Good luck.

Agreed.


My set arrives tomorrow, I'll report back this weekend.

@aztony
Well, you're certainly right there. I'll think about it. It's just that the issue ISN't visible with normal content. And I'd think that only a very, very, very small part of all HX750 buyers are regularly watching anime. So if many of them see banding with normal content, where I don't see banding (hardly), then I'm inclined to think that I got one of the best sets available... ^^;
I may be wrong with this assumption, but still... I think I'm not prepared for the kind of stress multiple reclamations would provide me with. Moreover, I'm practically never at home when the Sony customer service may visit me... and part of it may just be plain laziness.

@gatorboi
As for the new set - the banding issues only developed on my set during the second and third week. My TV had been virtually banding free during the first week. Either that or I've been blind during this time. But I calibrated the TV with a video source where the banding practically assaults me when watching it. Still, during the first week it looked perfect to me. What I'm saying: You have to observe your new set over a period of at least two weeks.

@Joker
Sorry, I can't provide you with decent pics of my flashlights (thankfully, I guess...?). Because on all images I took (dark scene, dark room), there's no flashlighting visible. Don't misunderstand me. My TV has flashlighting. And while it's not as severe as yours, it is noticable during dark scenes and in dark rooms. But apparently it's still not visible enough to be captured by my crappy mobile phone cam (sorry, got nothing else). Since I'm practically never watching in a dark room though (would've bought a plasma right away if I'd watch in dark rooms) I don't have any problem with my flashlights. They're next best to invisible under my viewing conditions.

Sounds more and more like my experience the more you type lol... Tell you what, if you have an HD cable source, turn to HGTV and tell me if your banding is present. It wasn't the only thing I saw banding on, but it was certainly one of the most blatant banding channels/inputs I can recall. It's so bad on my cable input that I contemplated moving my 2007 40 inch Bravia back out in the living room just so I wouldn't have to see it. BluRay didn't suffer nearly as much, but was still present.

Just got the refurbished set this afternoon. Aside from a minor nick in the chrome bezel on the top left of the set which is not even visible without close inspection , the set looks flawless. I wonder if the screen itself has been replaced on this one as it too looks perfect. The picture is phenomenal and shows none of the banding issues I experienced with my original set. Menus appear quicker and my computer even recognized it as a DLNA device for once! It doesn't even have a clouding spot like my old one, and if there is corner flashlighting, I cant see it. So glad I made the exchange. I am only reassured that my original set was flawed, even if it wasn't blatent to others (and Sony)! My advice: don't settle for just ok!

As I said, you have to wait for a week or two. My set was flawless during the first week or two, too. Banding only developed later.

I hear ya, and ill keep an eye out. But also remember these are refurbished sets, not brand new. They already have viewing hours on them.

Also, as you previously stated yourself: "Either that or I've been blind during this time." You could have very easily just not been paying attention to it or looking for it. During the entire time I was experiencing my banding issues on my original set, nobody else that I showed it to ever saw it. I would even point right at it and replay panning scenes that I clearly saw it in. Perception is a funny thing!

Does the HX750 have the LED Dynamic Control setting in the adjustment menu, or is that only available on the HX850 this year?

Sooo... I finally came to a conclusion. And dialed the Sony inhome Service today. The triggering factor wasn't the banding, but the small, annoying white spot at the screen's upper boundary, in the middle of the screen (It's marked on my previous posted picture). I have no idea what this is, but I know what it isn't - it's neither DSE/banding nor flashlighting. It's a bright spot, not a grey one. And it's not visible with black screens (or at dark scenes), so it can't be a flashlight. It looks like there's a small patch of pixels where bright colour data is displayed brigther than it should be. If there's a bright blue sky in the background, it looks as if there's a small, white cloud at the troubling spot. And since it's directly besides my worst banding pillar, both effects amplify each other (on moving backgrounds the background gets darker first and then suddenly brighter).

Anyway... so I dialed the (thankfully) gratis hotline. Had to wait for about 10-15 minutes, though. I didn't tell them anything which is not true (no lies about rebooting), so I simply described my problems - bright spot below the upper frame and dark pillars during pans. The service member then simply asked me what's connected to my TV and If I tried with different playback equipment. I affirmed and then he told me he wants to send a service technician to my home (At which point I was perfectly happy, because I thought it may be harder to convince Sony of my TV's fault). Then he connected me to the service technician in question and he told me that the first available date to check by would be October first. "Why so late?" I asked. "Because the service guy already ordered a new panel which has to be delivered first...". And at that point I was practically bouncing with joy. They even skipped the "have to check the tv for faults ourselves" part and advanced to "change panel".

Given the horror stories I heard about Sony's support in general and its acceptance of the DSE/banding fault in particular, I was surprised. Positively surprised.

so you run the ST on max brightness? how does it to with image retention? you find it bright enough in day lit rooms? thx

Got the 46HX750 yesterday as an upgrade to the EX640. Picture seems great with no bleeding or flashlighting that causes me concern.

One odd thing though, for me is the DLNA. I swear a lot of content, like 720p/1080p HD movies that were remuxed to .mpg are not showing up, as well as avis. The 640 was displaying and playing these no problem - pretty much everything except mkvs. The only thing displaying on the HX750 is mp4s.

Anyone have any experience with this? I find it odd that the EX640 would have more file compatibility than the HX750! I'm using mediatomb, but may try minidlna to see if it makes a difference. I can always default back to using my ps3, but I appreciated with the EX640 that I could have one less device running!

Other question is 3d glasses. Do I have to purchase active lenses, or can I bring home some of the ones they give you in the movie theatre? If I need active, can I get something comparable to the sony's to save some money, or are they really better?

Thanks guys...

edit: Well I read the manual's and specs again, and I'm not crazy about the avis. The 640 supports them and the 750 doesn't. Still no clue of why my HD mpgs were working on the 640 and not on the 750 though, as they show compatibility on both in the manuals... would still love any input
Edited by lucidream - 9/24/12 at 6:33am

Congrats Lucidream on getting your HX750.....mine should be arriving at my house tomorrow. What I was told at Best Buy on Saturday is that only Sony 3D Glasses will work with Sony tv's. If thats true that sucks because that means I will have to shell out $100 for 2 pairs of Sony 3D glasses! I think Sony should have included two pairs with the purchase of the tv but oh well what can I do? That being said I hope my tv dont have any bleeding or flashlighting, this is my first LED/3D tv and I want the experience to be a good one. I have always had good luck with Sony tv's and I hope that luck continues.

Blackleeding/Flashlighting really isn't a problem on my set. If you got it from BB, they have a great return policy, so IMHO don't settle and return until you get a set you're happy with. In my experience Sony is decent if there is an obvious issue, but if its undesirable but not defective, you can have a lot of challenge. Deciding within your return period is best.

I'm going to shop around and try to find some clearance Ps3 3d glasses. Apparently they aren't as comfortable as the 250's, but have a filter built in so you can move your head around more without distorting the image.

Still trying to figure out how to dlna 720/1080 mpgs! I've given up on avis.

The new firmware is out:

PKG1.502AAA

Does anybody know the changes?

Thanx.

I do not, but every firmware released prior has been simply to update the Internet Apps and their content. Wouldn't be surprised if that's what this is as well.

I got my 46HX750 yesterday afternoon and set it up last night to give it a try. Here's my thoughts on it. First 2 words: Simply beautiful. The PQ right out of the box blew me away. I tweaked it a little using Cnet's settings and I love it. Setup was a breeze. My fiance and I watched it with the lights off last night to see if there was any clouding or flashlighting and there was ZERO! Screen uniformity was straight across the board. This tv is a HUGE improvement over my old Sony 46V5100 which in no way could compare to this tv. Now all I need is the 3D glasses to go with it and I will be set for a very long time because this tv will carry me into the future. I guess LED is everything they say it is. In my book Sony did an excellent job when they made this tv.

Keep us updated on how your internet connectivity works. I'm on my second unit, and am still having issues staying connected to the internet. Half the time my Internet Apps won't even load up. Every other device in my house, Sony products included, do not suffer from any internet connectivity issues whatsoever. My mom has the 2011 820 model and it is seamless with its internet functions.

I will keep you up to date on that gator. I was just checking out apps and so fourth this morning and everything runs smoothly. I know I had Internet issues all the time with my Sony BDP S570.....apps not working ect....and someone told me it was because of my internet service provider which is Comcast. Well I have my doubts on that because I dont seem to have any other issues with my laptop and neither does my step mother. But that being said the internet on my tv is having no issues so far.

Just noticed something on my new tv.......It dont have the Vudu streaming app!!!! Whats the deal on that? Their new Blu ray players have but not a new 2012 model like the HX750? Come on Sony include it for gods sake! lol