Official Sony 40",46" XBR2, XBR3 - Owner's Thread - Page 63

When you put it like that, ISF calibration sounds like a good idea.

I will make one criticism, however. There are too many controls that affect brightness. Power save, backlight, and picture all interact in a fairly complicated way that I'm not sure I fully grasp. That's a pretty small nit to pick, though.

Honestly, though, I have been really happy with this set in every way OTHER than the clouds. You can get excellent PQ within an hour of opening the box, thanks to all of the custom controls that are accessible. But I'm stretched pretty far to pay for the set already. An extra $300 just isn't in the cards for me, and it doesn't have to be, really, to still have a gorgeous picture.

I just bought a new set of Noma outdoor LED christmas lights and they were not very expensive and work very well on my house. I don't see any clouding except during the day somtimes. I think I will replace the backlight in my XBR2 with these LED lights.

Thanks petmic10! Got the DVI-HDMI cable for a really really good price!

BTW, I'd like to mention that my set (XBR3 46") has some cloudiness too, but is only noticeable when viewing it in total darkness. Otherwise the screen seems fairly even. I have 1 stuck pixel in green which I only see when the screen is black. I used pixel check from my powerbook. How many dead/stuck pixels do you need to be elligible for replacement? Is there a certain number? I remember this was also an issue when the new 15" powerbook first came out. You had to have at least 8 or more dead pixels to have your lcd replaced. I know it's not a really big deal having 1 dead pixel, but paying this much makes you expect nothing but a perfect set.

OMG. I was going to wait til after I bought the PS3, but dammit! I guess I'm going straight to Target or BB to pick up an Xbox 360 and GOW.

I have a 46XBR3, and I'm DYING to play some next-gen action on it. PS3 in 9 days, GOW on 360 in 9 hours??? Dammit Sonny!

Nice one

As I reported earlier, Major Nelson said the MS acknowledged the botched 1080 update and they are working on it. I also found 2 articles for other big gaming/electronics site following this as well. You gotta love the 360 fanboy pic

360 fanboy
engadget

Don't forget, only two days until I get my XBR calibrated.

I just emailed Tom Norton and Shane Buettner from Ultimate AV to see if they know anything about the clouding issue. I'll post what they say if they reply...


FYI, Tom wrote this review, which I found to be quite intrumental in choosing to purchase the 46xbr2:

http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpan.../806sonykdl46/

Awesome kraiggers! I haven't heard anything back from S&V nor do I expect to. I hope you get a reply and can't wait to hear what they say.

Thanks, but I'm not gonna hold my breath. It would nice of them to reply, but I don't really expect them to... Much like you don't expect to hear back from S&V.

The only hope I have is that maybe Tom will take the issue a tad more personally than he might otherwise, since he actually wrote the review I referenced.

[shrug] We'll see...

Here is what I wrote:

Tom & Shane,

I read your awesome review of the 46xbr2:

http://www.ultimateavmag.com/flatpan.../806sonykdl46/

I decided to buy one, and found your review to be on the money...except for one issue -- my set (and apparently many others) are suffering from uneven backlighting. Some folks call it cloudiness, or splotchy spots. But whatever it is called, it is bright areas clearly visible in dark scenes or changing inputs on LOTS of panels, and its all over the AVS forums. Here is one thread, there are others that touch on the topic.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=707726

I know Sony is selling these sets like hotcakes, but they are *very* expensive, and as an owner who got a set that is experiencing this issue, I'm pretty frustrated that no one at Sony seems to know or care about this issue. I'm waiting for my local SonyStyle store to arrange an exchange, but I'm worried it will just as bad or worse!

I think there might be a story in here somewhere about the corners Sony has decided to cut on their vaunted XBR line by moving production to Mexico. I wouldn't accept my panel's performance from a bargain basement manufacturer, let alone a -Sony XBR-.

I love the design and performance of the 46xbr2 in every area except the non-uniform back lighting. Bright spots, fogginess and the like don't fly on a $4000 unit.

So, have you heard about this issue? Do you have any additional information? Are those of us who got bad sets just spectacularly unlucky and most of these sets Sony is selling are good? Any comments you might have would be highly appreciated.

Thanks for your time and attention,

kraiggers (used my real name).

Excellent note Kraiggers! It will be interesting to see if they have additional insight on this issue.

Just spoke to Manager [Frank] at SonyStyle in Arlington VA. They just got in my replacement panel (I *really* hope is a clean panel). He said he has not processed ANY returns/exchanges on the 46xbr2/3 until now and has never knowingly had another customer with this problem. So make of that what you will.

I suspect he think I'm being paranoid, or somehow the issue isn't real. But, he IS processing my exchange with due speed, courtesy, and professionalism. Thanks, Frank! Of course, I DID buy an additional TV AND a receiver after he agreed to make the exchange...

And then I went into the bad area of DC and sold my kidney to pay for it all. (You don't REALLY know if I'm kidding or not, do you...?)

I will, of course, post my results with the new panel ASAP.

I got this email response from Sony when I contacted "Support" through their main web page,

[i]Thank you for contacting Sony Online Support.

We're sorry for the difficulty you're experiencing with the display of your television. The Sony KDL-46XBR2 Television is not known to be defective in any way and this seems to be a rare issue. Sony cannot make any representations or make any comments on information published on any third-party site or any non-Sony magazines. Customer feedback is invaluable in our continuing product design and development process.

If you wish to replace or exchange your product, such requests are subject to the original retailer's individual store policies. Please contact your place of purchase for assistance. Sony does not offer a trade-in, exchange or buy-back program. Our manufacturer's warranty is for repair only.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.
Your Sony Email Response Team[i]

HAHAHA, go go go!! you will not be disappointed, brother! i'm with you on the waiting for the PS3, but i was lucky enough to already HAVE some next-gen goodness when i picked up my XBR. you are going to love it and if you have any questions about settings, lemme know. FWIW, i have my 360 setup using modified Vivid settings...it seems you really ought to pump up the color with the 360's visuals. Either way, good luck and enjoy...I will try not to lure anyone else into spending insane amounts of money...



UNTIL NEXT WEEK WHEN I START POSTING PS3 SHOTS, HAHAHA!

Cool, Petmic! I look forward to hearing about your results

I guess the moral of the story from Sony's perspective is, if you're out of the 30 return/exchange period you're SOL.

I wonder how willing they would be to replace the backlight and/or panel under warranty-service? Anyone out there have this service performed?

I had my Sony TV fixed by authorized technician several years ago, it took several trips to fix the problem but they'll come to your house untill they fix it.

I just called Best Buy. They said no problem bringing it back for a replacement. Do you think they'd be willing to open up a new set so I can inspect it in the store? Otherwise, I will bring it back again if necessary. However, the store environment (bright lights), may not allow for a good test.

I don't know if they will let you open it up, but I don't think you will be able to tell for certain one way or another. Unless they turn off the lights for you.

My feeling is, evaluate the TV in the viewing environment where it will live.

Yeah, you're probably right, Kraiggers. Better to get a good look at it in a darkened family room in my house. At least they're not THAT heavy to move around, like those old CRT's!

Yeah, I still have my 200 lb 34hs510 sitting in my living room next to the 46xbr2. I can't find anyone that wants to buy it - even for REALLY cheap. CRTs are so dead. *sigh* Too bad, really, its a GREAT monitor.

I might end up donating it to Goodwill. Can you believe that?! I'm not quite to that point yet, but I can see it in the distance...

I think your family room is the best place to evaluate the new set. Plus, the packaging will help you get it home in good condition. Never can be too careful!

OK, Here's another question. I drove the TV home with the box face down (not sure if the screen itself was facing up or down. When I pick up the new set, should I arrange to keep the box on edge? Could transporting it flat contribute to the problem? How do we know how BB handles or stores them, anyway.

I just exchanged a set because of the clouding, and the new one has it too. I think the problem is widespread.

Just bit the dust and bought the 46 inch xbr2 from CC. Short story, it is amazing! Out of the box used the cnet settings and man this thing is amazing. I want to thank Sonny for posting the Xbox live pics, cod 3 is amazing on this tv! I am so stoked right now! No blurring, no clouding, no dead pixels! It looks like a dream so far!

budd99: Call Sony and open a trouble ticket concerning the issue. See if you can get escalated to a higher level of support. We need to let Sony know about the problem. Hopefully if enough people let them know they'll take an official stance on the issue.

Your welcome, CHAMP! Glad to hear you picked up the set and hope you will continue to love it. I have COD3 preordered for the PS3 that ill be getting next week, and cant wait to check it out on the XBR2. In the meantime (and probably for quite some time after), it's Gears for me!

Quick note, standard def TV looks soooo much better on this HDTV over my 42 inch 720 p samsung plasma.

I'm afraid to exchange my TV this weekend.

Odd, this is usually not the case. I don't think Samsung plasmas have very good processing (as opposed to their LCDs).