Vertical bar on Sonys when viewing 1080i - Page 3

I saw it last night on my 34XBR800 before I found this thread. In fact, seeing the bar is what made me search for info on it and how I found this thread.

My STB is a Samsung SIR-T165. I have not calibrated the xbr yet and I saw it while watching Jay Leno last night using the Vivid pic mode with the Samsung on 1080i. I only saw it on one segment where he was standing next to his desk.

When I saw it, I thought it would only be visible if the picture/brightness is too high, and thus it would not be a problem after calibration. Hopefully.

Please keep us posted. If you can, get a reference number. Even though I do not have the problem with my 3100HD, I could with some future STB. So I will want to have it dealt with.

If there is some sort of communications that Sony sends to their service providers, it would be good to be able to refer to it when I call to have my (symptom-free) set modified.

Phil

any more news on this i am waiting for a service tech to come out and look at mine, i dont know what hes going to do maybe sony just wants to here it from a tech that there are line going across my screen. its funny i live 25 mile southeast of dc and all the a.s.c will not come to my home they say its to far ive got 4 less then 30 away. call sony they said they will set a call up and who ever they get will call in a couple of days.

Gashog, I am at the next stage. A tech came out and couldn't remedy the problem, especially since he had never seen such a problem before. He promised to call back after checking the Sony tech website but never did. I phoned Sony to see what would happen next and they said that their tech would have to call the tech that visited so that they could discuss the problem. When he called the tech, he was told the set was operating according to factory specs...which is wrong! I called again to tell the Sony Company tech that there was a problem and that the tech DID see it and they called my tech back again only to be told the same thing again, so again, no action. I finally had to call the electronics company that sent the tech and got a direct number and finally was able to get everyone on the same page. Now I have to wait (perhaps tomorrow) to see what is going to happen next. I'm guessing they will either have a fix for the problem or will want to send someone else out here (maybe the Sony Company tech) or they will simply agree to send a new set. I'll let you all know when I find something out.

thanks

I was thinking about returning my Toshiba 34HD82 and getting a Sony, but it seems the Sony has as many, if not more, problems than the Toshiba. At least I usually do not see the line down the center of the screen in the Toshiba or the slight discoloration on the sides of the screen. I need to make a decision this week because the 30 day return period will be up. Maybe I will just return the TV and wait a couple of years when the technology has been perfected.

You just don't want to spend $2000 on a TV in order to get a great picture and then have to deal with lines and discolorations on the screen.

I'm having a local repair tech come out this week to look at the same problem between my SAT-HD200 and KV-40XBR800 via DVI. I talked to 2nd level Sony support yesterday and they acted like they hadn't ever heard of the problem before.

Overall, I like the PQ of this TV, but the 1080i sweep is distracting enough that I don't think I'll be happy keeping it if it cannot be fixed. I watched the Sopranos last week on HBOHD and the flesh tones were literally pulsing from greenish to redish every 1.5 seconds as a result of this problem.

What concerns me is that this sounds like a problem with all of the 40xbr800 sets, and I really don't enjoy the prospect of repeatedly swapping sets until it's fixed -or- spending more on a different set.

it not just in the 40xbr800 i think its the whole xbr800 series

This thread is about vertical lines, but I was inspecting the Sony at CC today and noticed some really cool horizontal lines about four inches from the top and bottom of the screen. They look similar to the cool lines on my computer monitor.

The lines were not that noticeable, but still there. If it was just the horizontal lines, I would not have a problem, but then combined with the vertical, I am not sure this is the TV for me. I may stick with the Toshiba.

Sony tech called earlier today indicating they now had a solution to the problem. Service technician will be coming Monday to apply the "fix." Will let you know if it works.

scotty, the horizontal lines on all Sony sets are the tension wires for the aperture grill. it's on every Trinitron tube, and is an intrinsic feature of the design, not a defect.

this is good news i just walked in the door and finally a tech called to talk to me about my tv its to late ill give them a call tomorrow. i will update you guys and hopefully they know about the s.b.

FWIW, it's been my experience that the number of problems reported on HT discussion boards for a particular product is more related to the number of owners than the actual number of problems. There seems to be alot more Sony 34XBR800 owners than Tosh 43HD(X)82 owners (by quite a large margin) ... to me, it's only natural that we're seeing a lot more complaints (for the Sony).

Anyway, just something to think about.

There's actually an up-side to all these Sony owners finding and reporting problems. They're also looking for solutions ... and exposing issues you might not otherwise notice.

BTW, I'm going to be purchasing one of these two sets in the next two weeks ... so I've been doing alot of comparison between the two (still haven't decided ... they both seem like great sets to me).

The Most Complete Update Yet!!! -- OK, so when I read on this thread that a fix might be in the pipeline I decided to call Sony to follow-up. Indeed some action has been taken: a fax has been sent, at least to the Sony Authorized repair center in my area (Norman's Electronics) detailing what needs to be attempted by a tech who is faced with this problem (verticle white line/wave on 1080i). First he/she is to try to fix the problem in the service mode (I asked Norman's Electronics what specifically would be attempted but the woman said she might get in trouble if she told me the codes that required changing); if the service mode changes don't alleviate the condition then the v-board(?) would have to be brought in for a number of changes (the woman said that she counted 35 things that needed to be moved/altered, fixed, etc.); on most of the XBRs, the components needed for these changes are already mounted on the board, but for some of the more recently made sets (manufactured in and after October of this year -- I bought mine in late October, but they had been in the Circuit City warehouse for at least a month), the parts would need to be ordered OR for all sets where the changes do not work or the parts are not mounted, a new board will be available at a later date, but as of right now, there is no estimate on when this new board will be available.

I will be re-visited by my tech on December 31st (and I have specifically requested that he re-read the fax before coming or better yet, bring a copy of the fax so that he won't forget how to fix it) and hopefully he will be able to fix the problem in the service mode. I will endeavour to follow his progress and see what he changes, especially if it works. In any event, I will report back after his visit.

For anyone else who has this problem, call Sony, get the number of an authorized dealer in your area and mention this fax when you call them so that they can be on the right page when they come; simply inform them, if they haven't received this fax, that it is available from their Sony Tech Rep. The best news of all is that Sony is finally aware of this problem and is taking aggressive actions to fix it!

I have had my 34HDX82 for about three weeks now, I too have the lines and they are very apparent during hockey games. Don't seem to notice them on darker backgrounds. I just have a Directv reciever via Svideo, and an OTA. No HD tuner yet. Do not notice these lines at all while playing XBOX through HD1 inputs, could this be an only interlaced problem or do you have progressive scan viewing?

OK, now that a few of you guys have done all the legwork and forced Sony to NOT ONLY admit that a problem exists BUT have (hopefully) engineered a solution AND notified their nationwide service network, it shouldn't now be necessary for AVSForum members whose sets are exhibiting the 'white line' problem to negotiate the Sony Customer Service gauntlet to get their XBR800 units repaired. Somewhere there must be a reference number for the problem and/or the fix that has been issued by Sony to their service techs in the field. Possibly the first XBR800 owner who gets their set repaired could sneek a peek at the tech bulletin and let the rest of us know what the problem/tech bulletin/fax/reference number is. Then we could simply pass that reference number on to the Sony customer service rep who answers the phone and avoid all (most, some) of the hassles?

On the other hand, I have been waiting for a 'reconditioned' 36XBR800 to become available at a good price thru a 'friend-of-a-friend' who works at Sony. Guess what - there are none available! Maybe the 'white line' problem will force an unsuspecting XBR800 owner to return their set to Sony for a replacement, making one available for me (after the fix has been applied, of course

Thanks to everyone who got the ball rolling. We all appreciate your patience and tenacity

KC

Alright guys... so considering all this BULLS#*T!!... do I really want to go purchase that new 36/34xbr?? I'm rather scared of plopping down 2k for a proven defective hdtv that I am already nervous about (due to visual artifacting and other crap). I understand that if I get it they may "fix" it... but it just sucks to buy something that's already broken... Any encouraging words or alternative sets?? At this rate I'm almost considering the 36 300.... Thanks,

Matt

I have the 34XBR800 and I'm pretty happy with it. I've only seen the vertical bar a couple times and not for long. It seems we'll get a fix sooner than later. So far, the bar hasn't bothered me at all and I've been watching 1080i HDTV on this TV for about three weeks now both over component (initially) and now over DVI.

Schneidr80, what exactly do you mean by "proven defective"? other than this vertical line problem, which varies in frequency and severity, i'm not aware of any other wholesale problems with these sets. i'm not aware of other problems with "visual artifacting" either. check the TV out at a store and see for yourself, the picture on a properly functioning set is excellent with the right material. my 34XBR800 is coming today, HDTV tomorrow.

what are you referring to by "36 300", the 36FV300? i can tell you with certainty that the FV300 doesn't come close to an XBR or HS set in PQ and feature set. if you are going to step down a notch, try a Philips PT8320 set. i had a 32PT8320 which i returned because it was defective, but i think it may have been beat up in shipping across the country. the PQ was really fantastic though - much better than a FV300 set and as good as, maybe better than HS/XBR in some respects. i got fed up with mine because of problems i was having but if you buy from a local retailer you should have no problems.

it is defective because of this vertical line going across the screen!!! it might be worse on some sets than others but it still is broken. defective, broken, not working correctly what ever you what to call it. if your set does the same thing im sure you will be back here singing a different song. i hope you dont have this problem because your right this set is fabulous other than this line, if sony fixes this and im sure they will i would say this is the best direct view tv out there imoa. by the way most stores are not showing programing in1080i in store its most likely a dvd promo, so you would not see these lines on this tv.

i did see some HDNet programming on this set a couple times, but i don't know if it was 1080i or 720p. it was a Notre Dame football game. it looked good though, except colors were a little undersaturated, although the 34" panasonic next to it was way oversaturated. just a setting thing.

1. I'm not saying it isn't an amazing set. All I'm saying is that I have a hard time paying this much for a product with inherent problems. Any product that has a problem off the shelf is cause for concern, no matter the "frequency and severity" of that problem. The reason I'm so pissed off is that I'm totally in love with the XBR series, and I would hate to purchase one and then be disappointed. By artifacting I mean that I have viewed the 36 and 40 at Circuit City, Tweeter, ABT, and several local dealers, and all of the sets I have seen have had artifacting on HD signal and on the in-store dvd. It is not frequent or very noticeable, but around the lettering often times it is apparent. Currently I'm only searching for some reassurances on Sony quality.... etc..

2. I currently have a PS2 w/components. I am considering purchasing either A: PCI to DVI box for PS2 OR an XBOX with progressive output. Anyone have experience/opinions about these setups on HD?


Thanks,
Matt

i've seen artifacts but they seem to be more a function of signal quality than the set itself. usually when i see a bad picture on an XBR, HD or otherwise, it's on every other set in the store as well. that said, i usually don't like the PQ of Sonys that much, but i feel like the 34XBR800 is one of the better ones out there.

what's a PCI to DVI adapter? i don't know of any way at all to get a PS2 to output DVI. same for xbox, you'll have to use component out. nothing wrong with that though.

I just got a call from Sony 2 days ago and they also informed me that they have the fix! My service tech. is coming out a week from today to fix the problem. Now if only they can figure out the little Progressive glitch I've been seeing with my DVD player and XBOX. It's not a huge deal but does bother me.----- GS kid

The service technician is coming out to my house on Monday to look at this problem. I let him know that there is a Sony Service Bulletin out regarding the issue, so hopefully I'll have a good story to report soon.

I had comcast hook me up to HD cable around 6 weeks ago and so far I haven't seen this problem. Maybe it only effect some of the set and not others?

Ufanco: I'm assuming your Comcast box is a DCT-5100. If the output is set to 720p you won't see this problem. If it is set to 1080i you may see it, unless your set does not have this defect. I think you can get to the settings menu by pressing 'menu' when the power to the converter box is off.

Guess I shoulda added all that info in earler post. I am hooked up to a Scientific-Atlanta 3100hd cable box and have not seen this problem. For the members of this forum who are having this issue can you tell me if its something that happens all the time or on and off? Also did you notice the problem right away or after you have owned the tv for a while. Also would like to hear from other owners of the new xbr800 line if there having this problem or not (wondering how widespread this problem is ) Thanks in advance.