Official Sony KDL-EX640 Owners Thread - Page 6

Np NJ21 glad they are working for you

As for backlight settings for the 640, it does have the option to change backlight and I have mine set to 3. I do most of my watching in relative darkness, blackout drapes and all that. I like the lower setting as well as blacks look better imo and less bleed from the corners etc. Glad you like the settings

Can you tell me which Hulu episode you are having an issue with the episode not completing? I have been trying Hulu and have not seen this issue.

thanks

So far it has been any program that is longer than 1 hour in actual run time. It seems to happen after the second commercial break after the 1 hour mark. I am currently working with Hulu to have this issue resolved. I'll keep you guys posted as to what the remedy is. I just got an email from them on resetting my DNS server on the TV, so we'll see how that goes.

I can't speak to your HD satellite question, but I just bought this last week for use with PS3 and Blu-Ray and it looks fantastic! I'm very happy with my purchase.

Have you noticed any backlight clouding/spotlighting?

No, thank god. That was one of my worries when buying this set but I haven't had that problem.

I'm trying to decide between this and the Samsung ES6100 both 40-inch.

I'm leaning toward the Sony at the moment because I have a PS3 and It seems to me that the EX640 has better black levels than the Samsung.

Does anyone have good settings for sports?
When I turn on the "motionflow", it is worse than without.
Thanks

Has anyone run into issues w/ a terrible soap opera effect using Netflix? I currently have the TV calibrated using CNET settings. All my normal TV channels look pretty good using these settings, but any time I stream any Netflix content, it looks terrible. Currently I have the internet wired to the TV and MotionFlow off......Any suggestions?

Mine is fine with Netflix. Sorry, wish I could help. I also have Motionflow off and Cinemotion set to Auto 1.

The only thing I can think is to check cinemotion setting. There is a setting, if you log in to your netflix account online, to set the streaming quality. Check that also. Mine is set to highest quality.

Good luck!

The Netflix app uses it's own set of Motionflow settings. You have to access them with the Options button on the TV, then go to Picture mode...

I know the first time I used the Netflix on the TV, I didn't know this, and assumed it didn't have picture adjustments because I tried to get to them using the Menu button...

But yeah, just make sure CineMotion is set to off or Auto 2 and Motionflow is off if you don't want SOE in the Netflix picture settings.

Sodaboy is right. I had forgotten this. It took me a few days to catch on, after I had set my custom picture settings, as to why they were changing. It was that the changes aren't global (which can be a pain, but offers more control.) Each separate input has to be set. Then, as sodaboy said, the Netflix app allows for its own as well.

Thanks for the help! I didn't realize that there are separate picture settings for the Netflix/online apps. Picture looks much better after adjusting!

I received my KDL-40EX640 on March 4th from Amazon, fulfilled by Audio & Video Center.

I am experiencing what I feel is excessive flash-lighting and clouding effects during dark scenes.
Has anyone come up with a real solution for minimizing these effects?
I've tried most of what I read here (although an LED backlight kit sounds promising) with little success.

Today, a friend told me how he was able to reduce them on his older XBR LED set by changing the "LED Motion" setting, which is supposed to turn the backlight off(?) when the screen goes dark.
I have not been able to try this yet but will tonight.

In the meantime, I have sent an email to the vendor inquiring how I might get another one, as it seems some here have done this and wound up with better results on another identical set.

@Rdeckard2019 I think you asked the same thing on Amazon right? I made the review titled "Dissapointing TV". I tried everything I could (Including what you just mentioned) but could not get rid of the horrible flashlighting this TV exhibited. It's just a shame being that I loved the TV but I refuse to buy it again in hopes of getting a better one. All of them will have it to some degree and it's very noticeable.

Yeah that's me - the vendor got back to me quickly and told me to open a case with Sony tech support first - I guess so they have a way to make a claim for returning gear.
I'll call Sony tomorrow and see what they say. The vendor stated they are more than willing to do what they can, which is nice to hear.

I tried turning LED Motion on tonight. It did lessen the effect but only slightly. More importantly, it made the picture too dim for my tastes, so aside from an LED backlight kit, I'm out of ideas.

I have also seen posts about loosening screws, among other mechanical ideas, but then found this:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1335205/flashlighting-will-it-get-better/30#post_20483347

I'm wondering if this is due to heat causing things to swell/contract with use, basically doing the same thing as loosening screws, reducing pressure, etc.
If this will eventually go away over time, maybe there is hope? BTW, my TV doesn't look quite as bad as the first pic in that post, but it is as distracting/disruptive to me.

I have to say, this is extremely frustrating. This is a bedroom TV, so it's not too critical, otherwise I'd be even more pissed about it.
I know the technology is different and there was no 1080p years ago, but I don't ever remember having problems this severe with picture uniformity and overall quality.
Especially from Sony! Don't get me started on my SXRD with it's 3rd optical block...

Are there any LED LCD sets out there that do not suffer from these problems? If I don't find a resolution, I will be returning this set for a completely different 40" set.
Recommendations would be appreciated.

I will be receiving another set this week to compare and will post my results here.

Hi all,
Just brought home my second 40ex645 after returning the first....
Picture's great; looks great, but when I start it up it's really slow to grab a signal.
Turn it on, sony splash screen is up in a couple of seconds, but then it's another 25-30 secs before I get my channel image up.

Software is up to date: 1.557-1.245
Did a factory reset
Changed power outlets
Changed cable

Never had this problem with an old viewsonic. Buddy of mine has a bigger version of the EX640 and doesn't seem to have this issue. We're both on Bell FibreOp so it's digital front to back.

Thought maybe it had trouble scanning past tv to get to hdmi1, so plugged the coax as well to get a signal to that available input, but no love.

Anyone have a similar problem with a similar setup and a workaround/fix?something else i should try?
Not sure if 3 times will be the charm in swapping sets, but it's a real pia hauling these things back and forth.

Thanks in advance

I'm not familiar with Bell FibreOp - are you using a set-top box?
I am in NY with IO digital cable (Cablevision) and they provide Scientific Atlanta or Samsung boxes, both which are very flaky (not to mention the service itself at times) and can cause problems as you are describing.
Do you have some other source you could try like a Blu-ray player?

No Blu-ray, but I suppose I could hook up the laptop or DVD with an HDMI cable. My old ViewSonic didn't have this problem with the cable box, so I wasn't inclined to look to the box as the issue. I'd try a reset on the box from the cable company, but the missus has a bunch of Ellen PVR'ed, and losing that on her would cause more discomfort than any half-minute wait. =)

I'll poke around with it some more I guess and see if anything improves. I've got another 30 days where I can return it direct to the vendor before having to go through Sony's warranty services. Their online support hasn't been very helpful so far

Another unrelated (?) weirdness is the USB video listings... I navigate just fine to the movie folder on the stick and all the little filmstrip icons appear, and then promptly disappear. Files are still there and accessible, but the icons go blank so you're clicking through them blindly to find the file you wish to play. Same behaviour was on the previous Sony TV, so perhaps there's a naming rule I've broken or perhaps just a software glitch that'll be patched in the next update...

cheers,
c.

Sony Online's response:
****************************
The picture and sound take a long time to appear when the TV is turned on.
Solution

It is normal to experience a delay of up to 30 seconds to see a picture or hear sound when first turned on. The time to display a picture can slightly vary depending on the device connected and the input connection type used. For example, a cable box or satellite receiver connected using a HDMI® connection may take longer than a DVD Player that is connected using a composite connection.

NOTE: Select model televisions also may display the Info Banner for a few seconds prior to the video appearing.

However, if the television is experiencing delays of several minutes before the picture is displayed, then service will be required.


Region

Canada
Latin America
United States
Products

CRT Television
LCD Television
Plasma Television
Projection Television
Hardware

Power and Batteries
Last Modified Date:05-25-2011ID:C78180
**********************************************************

In the tech's words, "This is not an issue with the TV."

Um.... Okay...

Sounds like it could be an HDCP negotiation thing, which does take time. Can be longer with movie channels as opposed to stations that do not require HDCP.

You are going straight to the TV in this case and not through a AV receiver, right?

May not have anything to do with it, but are you using a decent quality HDMI cable or a really inexpensive one like what service providers give out nowadays with their set-top boxes?

Was your old Viewsonic display connected to your set-top box via HDMI as well?

I have a 60" SXRD with a Cablevision/Scientific Atlanta DVR cable box hooked up to it via HDMI. I can tell you that even after waiting for the TV to warm up (10-15 seconds if I remember correctly), I may have no picture at all or just the channel banner (from the box) on the bottom for a few more seconds until a get a picture. The DVR box does take longer than a non-DVR box to start up though because of the HDD.

With the 40EX640 I haven't noticed any unusually long periods before seeing a picture. Cable box and Blu-ray come up very quickly, although the cable box on this set is non-DVR.

No clue on the USB stick/artwork. I haven't tried this myself, but it sounds like a firmware bug. As for naming conventions, I'm not sure what OS is running in the background, but some don't like non-standard or unicode characters. Try removing spaces or any characters like &$#@, etc. if present on one folder/file and see if it sticks.

An unrelated question for you: Do you notice any flash-lighting or cloudiness when viewing your 40EX645 in a dark room? My 2nd KDL-40EX640 will be here Friday. The one I have now has horrible flash-lighting issues. Hopefully the 2nd one will be better.

Thanks. I'll do some more playing around. It's a stock HDMI cable and it is a DVD cable box, but like I mentioned, the old viewsonic was connected the same way with no issues.

I've had no cloudiness or flashlighting that I've noticed. I used one of the image set-ups posted here a couple of pages ago and am really happy with the image quality. If I had a screen problem, plus the delay, I'd have probably ****-canned the whole thing and gone with a different brand altogether.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

I've lurked this thread in the past. I bought recently a 40EX640 about 2 months ago and its always making a popping noise in the back of the TV. I thought it might be the plastic expanding but shouldn't that problem be taken care of after a month? It makes the noise when its turned on and will sometime happen as I watch something. It also does it when I turn it off. Could it just be the plastic expanding or something else entirely? This is my second unit after returning the first one for severe light bleeding.

I bought the 46-EX640 at the beginning of December and I have not had any popping noises. I'd make an warranty inquiry if I were you because that popping noise could indicate a problem with the power supply. While I know that many have noticed a light bleeding issue, I haven't, or at least I haven't noticed it. I've been extremely happy with my Sony so far.

I just purchased a KDL-40EX640 on clearance (looks like inventory is being cleared out for the new 2013 models). I'm very happy with the the purchase as it has (almost) exactly the features I want in the size I need. For 2013 line, it looks like Sony has relegated the 40" & 42" sizes to the low-end R series. I suppose 40/42 is not selling in the US well. So I'm glad I was able to pick this up.

Anyway, my only only niggle so far is a lack of TV program guide. Does anyone know a way to get a program guide for local broadcast programming? (I could switch to my Media Center PC, but finding we are spending more time in the native TV since it has Netflix and Amazon built-in).

Thanks for any ideas!

sapper6

My setup:
KDL-40EX640
HT-CT150
Media Center PC (used for broadcast TV, BluRay, etc)

As discussed in the 60" EX645 thread that model seems to be using Sharp panels, with a pretty obvious "Sharp" viewable in the service menu.

One post, for a 55EX645, refers to the panel designation SLCDP255.
The poster wondered what panel that was, but there were no replies.
In fact, a Google search gives that post as the only hit.

Since mine also shows that designation, I'm curious as well.
Does anyone have any further info?

Just ordered a 55EX645. Is there a cheap monoprice wall mount that is compatible with it?

Thanks!

I'm guessing that they are pretty all compatible, with fixed holes at the hole and a slot at the bottom.