The Official Sony 2006 KDS-(XX)A2000 [NO PRICE TALK] SXRD Owner's Thread - Page 344

Thanks for the help. I was looking last night and will take another look today. I wasn't sure if dust built-up could actually affect the fan. I need to pick up a mini-vacuum I'm guessing to help keep the vents open.

The 55A20L1 at Sams is the same as the 55A2000 (silver). The reason for the number change is that the TV at Sam's comes bundled with a matching stand.

But when you unbox the TV and look at the back, you'll see that it is actually the 55A2000 and the owners manual is the A2000 manual also.

Costco has the 55AL120 which is the packaged 55A2020 with stand. It comes in black.

Both warehouse prices were the same last time I checked.

I'm not sure where to post this, so please move this if necessary.
I dropped my center speaker thru the two screens of my 50A2000 (don't ask). It appears that no other damage was done, since the set works fine as long as you don't mind a 6 inch hole thru the middle of the screen.
Sony will sell me the replacement screens (about $270 plus tax and $50 shipping).
Anyone know if installation is as simple as removing the dozen Phillips screws behind the bezel and replacing the screens?

I think so. Do a search you should be able to find a link to the service manual which will give you specifics. The most import part is to make sure you keep everything clean because you don't want any particles ending up on the optics or on the inside of the screen.

The only link to a service manual that I found does not work.
Anyone have a working link or a pdf of the service manual?

I know you said don't ask, but don't you mean threw instead of dropped? I can't imagine the logistics of dropping a speaker into the front of a large TV in such a way to create a 6" hole.

I have an actual .pdf file of the full service manual. I'm at work at the moment, but if you can sit tight til about 7pm Pacific time tonight (when I get home), I'll be more than happy to post it for anyone to peruse. Of course, should anyone beat me to it, then by all means go for it.

Agree ... it would indeed be interesting to know just what happened

... for that matter, a picture of the display (while turned on and watching a channel) would be interesting to see.

BasicBlak: Thank you. I'll check this site late tonight Eastern time. Once I read thru the instructions in the manual (assuming it addresses this problem), I'll know if I can fix it myself.
Since everyone is asking, SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and I were moving the set, and forgot that the weight of the set was holding up an antique fireplace surround (no fireplace, just the surround against the wall)that was behind it (SWMBO's design, not mine). On top of the surround was my speaker. It fell, and the corner of it went thru the screens. Luckily, the unbroken part of the screens prevented the speaker from damaging the electonics, all of which are at the rear of the set.

Ouch! Man, my heart's broken for ya. I know that had to be painful. (BTW, I think I'm gonna have to plagarize "SWMBO"...too funny!)

Well, I tried to attach the service manual for you, Rick. But the file size appears to be over the AVS limit. PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you. Apologies for the delay. I know this was supposed to be handled earlier in the evening, but my teenage kid needed help with his Biology homework. What can I say--priorities. Anyhoo, once you receive it, hope it helps in getting you up and running again soon.

OK folks...let's not be so quick to judge. I'm sure we've all had a logic-defying freak accident or two occur in our lifetime. I know I have.

I've had some firsthand experience with screens. My set had a smug between screens from factory that was causing a dark discoloration on screen. After about 4 service visits the servicer took screens apart and cleaned. There are 2 screens that have a black type tape holding the 2 screens together and to keep out contamination I presume. The servicer fixed the smug but I ended up with tiny black specks between screens afterwards and I believe this was debris from him having to cut the black tape that goes around screen edges. I presently have Sony ordering me a new screen and I'm hoping it comes as one unit with sealed tape. If you get 2 separate screens make sure you have them as clean as possible and not allow any kind of debris between.

Each of the two screens has its own part number and price. They can be ordered separately.
So, my guess is that they are not shipped as one unit held together by tape.
I wonder what kind of tape I should use (or whether I really need to use any tape). Maybe the service manual will guide me.

Rick I would be very interested in what the Sony service manual says too. Keep us posted.

Neither the Service Manual nor the Service Training Manual for the A2000 have any specific instructions on replacing the screens (other than where the screws are and such). That's the sort of thing that service techs are expected to know how to do.

... it's also the sort of thing that I would LET a service tech do ==> the potential risks of additional damage to the TV don't seem worth the savings for a "do it yourself" repair.

rickstone => Just for grins; did you get a price from a service center for doing this?? Just wondering how much you'll save by doing it yourself.

I have a labor price of $250 to install the new screens. This quote is from an independent tv repair shop. I will call the "authorized Sony" repair shop tomorrow.

Since it's a rear projection, I'm not sure what the potential risks are. If the screens come out from the front, I shouldn't be anywhere near the lens, electronics, etc., since they are all at the rear.

Ideas?

There aren't a lot of risks, if you are handy - generally it is pretty simple (for tape, go to an art supply store and get black masking tape).

I agree $250 sounds high ==> assuming it's just a matter of removing the screws, etc.

I would do a simple test before deciding for sure ==> remove your current screen; and then replace it

... it's not as if you could damage it

I have a 50a2000 and I am unhappy with the SD picture quality. I've recently switched from Dish network to a local IPTV service that sends the picture in MPEG 4 format and have notice a slight improvement in picture quality. However, I'm still not satisfied. I've been reading on the DVDO iscan vp30 upscaler and wondering if anyone has tried this with the a2000 series televisions.

I am not sure if this is the appropriate thread to post this but I was wondering if there is any way to check the amount of hours of bulb usage on the A2000 series set? I notice the picture brightness has degraded a bit (I've had the telly for about 9 months and it's been used a lot) Could this be becasue the bulb is about to go or does the bulb hold a uniform brightness over its lifetime. And lastly, does anyone have any suggestions as to where I could get a replacement bulb at a reasonable price. I've found some on Ebay but apparently you have to use the current bulb's housing or something to that effect. Thanks.

Enter the Service Menu (Power-off, Display, 5, Vol+, Power-On)

Go into the PANEL section of the Service Menu (Press Jump until PANEL displays)

Item 21 TIMER / 0 LMP_TMP will tell you the # hours on your bulb

(index thru menus by pressing 2)


I've also seen the "bulb-only" replacement bulbs -- they require you to disassemble/re-assemble the housing. Probably fine ... but I'd prefer a full replacement lamp assembly => such as http://www.alltvlamps.com/xl5200.htm
... or, direct from Sony: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...5&tab=Features

Actually, everything except for the mirror is in the base... I think your greatest pain in the neck will be keeping the screens dust-free during the installation process. The outer screen has anti-static properties, but you may still want to set up an anti-static work surface, if not a full-blown negative-pressure containment area (like a tent). Good luck...

Say, while you're at it, why not black out the interior (search in this and/or the tweaks thread) and lower your black level?

It is a very simple and fast job. A good tech could do it in 20 minutes max. When the untrained goon came to my house to replace my Optical Block he took the front sceen off since he didn't know what he was doing. The screen does not need to be removed to service the set. But I did observe that it is easily removed and replaced. Just make sure you have an extra set of hands since it is awkward for one person to handle.

The bulbs used in these sets do lose some brightness as they age. The biggest drop comes early in the bulbs life, then they slowly dim after that. Your bulb probably has a lot of life left in it. Sony has had a pretty good track record with lamp longevity compared to some other brands. I think I would stick to a proper replacement lamp, and not risk some damage to the set.

I took a lot of fiddling with the settings to get standard def to an acceptable level, but I did manage to do it. Try turning off all the extra processing, playing with the DRC grid, and then only turning on processing that actually helps.

I haven't tried it because I can't justify spending that much on just an upscaler. I am looking at the Onkyo receivers that have a Reon built in, which should be the next best thing to something like the vp30 and gives me a really nice receiver.

There are a few posts by folks who are using the VP30 ... they seem very happy with the results Personally I've been very happy with the built-in scaler (my set's an A2020, but the A2000 should be identical) ... but that could be a function of both (a) the quality of the source and (b) the quality of my aging eyes

You might want to read some of the posts starting around
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=1980

Well, bought my A2000 60" back in April. Out of the 5 stores I look at TVs 4 of them had the green bars down the sides. I knew this was going to happen to mine and guess what. Last night I was watching a movie and I noticed a 1" green line down the left hand side of the screen. I thought maybe I would be a lucky one and not have this little beast creep up on me. I bought the 4 year extended warrantly specifically because of this issue. Haven't called anyone yet. That is tomorrows job.

Bubbles, please keep us informed of what Sony is doing to resolve this issue. I am having the same problems with the green haze. After calling Sony, the person I spoke to suggested that perhaps I wasn't seeing what I know I am seeing. She actually insisted that perhaps it was outside sunlight that was causing it (she wasn't very happy when I said it also happened during the night time hours) Sony has given me two companies to call and so far, neither has shown up for their schedule appointments and have yet to return my call (one week since) I know there are a couple of class action law suits against Sony for this issue but I wuld be very happy to just have the set back to how it was showing. When the haze isn't on, the picture is brilliant.

Set your fan speed to the high altitude setting..it will help melt them away faster...been going down the burn in road myself