Advice needed...bright spots on new st50

Return it ASAP. Def. not normal. I have the ST50 as well, never had that issue or any other issues thus far. No sense trying to decipher, pick apart, or do an 'electronic forensic analysis' as to why... just get a new one.

One of the reasons I did my deal with a local authorized dealer... I didnt want to deal with the hassle of taking apart the set, re-packaging, deal with shipping labels, etc. Amazon is basically the standard price all dealers look at these days when closing a sale. Most will match or break amazon's price by a few percent (usually 10% the difference) in order to close the deal. What's also good about my local dealer is that in the exchange period (usually 15 days on average - some longer but rare) if there's any legit reason for a return THEY come to the house, help package it up, return it, and then deliver the new model. I should say it's a mom and pop shop. Yes, some still give the rare service that large brick n mortars or online services dont. In fact, they said if there's any service issues required within the first yr warranty they would physically pick up the set, service it, and return the tv. Of course being an authorize panny service contractor as well, helps... Point being one should check around their local dealers and they may be surprised some still offer personal service that makes that extra plus grade over large retailers and online outfits where you're just a number.

I recommend to you what I did - when the delivery guys deliver the new set, have them wait and and you should plug in the new TV standing in the box (don't have to put it on the stand yet) and test the display quickly using the internal media player with a SD card or USB flash drive with the gray slides, looking for any uniformity issues. Only takes a minute.