Couple problems with my brand new KD-36XS955... (streaks and interference)

I just had a Sony KD-36XS955 delivered last week. Overall I am very pleased with the set. I bought it mostly for games, and they look fantastic. I've yet to mess with the SM at all.

But there's problems (I should've known I wouldn't get off so easy).

Problem 1:

When there is motion in the picture *and* the overall color scheme is light, some rather troubling imperfections can be seen -- what appear to be vertical "streaks" *inside* the glass -- as if somebody tried to clean the inside of the glass and it streaked. I don't think this actually happened, but it's the best way to describe it. I might also say the picture appears to be slightly darker in streak-shaped areas. Has anyone ever experienced this? Is it even something calibration can fix? When there's motion on the screen in a light picture, it's *very* evident. It's also noticeable if there's just a static white screen. The streaks don't ever move or change shape.

Problem 2:

There are flickering vertical lines of interference on the left third of the screen when the television's volume is turned up beyond a certain level. The louder it goes, the more intense the interference. When I turn the volume down *or* when the volume is turned way up, but no sound is being played on the TV, the interference is gone. As soon as sound returns, so too does the interference. This is sound straight from the television. I don't have it hooked up to a stereo or anything like that. I've noticed this the most on Xbox so far, in more than one game, but may be happening everywhere, I haven't looked into it enough.

I did some quick google searches, but couldn't find a word about either of these issues. Any ideas from anyone? I bought the TV through Amazon, and returning it is not an option. However, it's brand new, so it's still under manufacturer's warranty.

August 21st Update: Changed the thread title. I consider my case to be a fair test (customer not happy, technician-verifiable problem, set is brand new, etc.). If Sony fails this test, and proves untrustworthy to rectify clear problems with their products, perhaps one might want to reconsider their next television purchase.

Thanks, shoegazer guy (and yes, check out Slowdive ASAP -- gooooood stuff). But the sound volume actually may not be affecting the interference issue. I tried lowering the sound completely and I still saw it sometimes. I'm not sure, I need to do some more testing.

As for the other, much more horrifying problem, the "streaks"... THEY. ARE. KILLING. ME. They're super visible when rotating the camera in almost any videogame. So I go into this trance-like hypnotize mode where I just sit there, spinning the camera, staring at these awful things. They remind me of aurora borealis. After staring for many minutes, I now have more details as to just what they look like, and I definitely wouldn't describe them as "streaks" now. Most of them are perfect vertical bands. Some, near the middle, look like more complex shapes. It's almost exactly what you'd expect to see from a case of very light burn-in.

I'm skeptical that that's the culprit here given the difficulty of sustaining burn-in on a CRT, especially one manufactured in March '06. Not to mention this set was new, in the box (I was there when they opened it), and doesn't have a scuff on it (i.e. I'm highly doubtful it was a floor model that they re-boxed because I think there would be *some* evidence of that).

Any ideas? Does this sound familiar at all to any of you experienced fellows? I'm not sure I can live with this issue. However, as I said before, I can't return it, and I'm guessing it won't be considered a big enough problem for Sony to fix under warranty. Which leaves me with paying somebody to (hopefully) correctly diagnose the issue, and then fix it (which could run me a lot, but I'm willing if it gets fixed -- I can't live like this!).

Ugh.

Two technician guys showed up today from VTR. This is a Sony Authorized Repair Center I guess. Sony gave me the number.

One guy just sits there. The other guy does all the work (such as it is) and all the talking, but his grasp of English is shaky at best, and I'm left to try to cobble together coherent ideas from decoded words here and there. He plugs in a device that displays color bars and test patterns to ensure the issue is stemming from the TV and not the source (even though I assure him I'd verified the problem on four different consoles, and on DVDs, in both component inputs). After he verifies the issue indeed lies within the TV, he immediately starts talking about the use of magnets being required to alleviate it (cue my heart sinking). But he doesn't have any of the equipment with him, so his manager will have to call me to schedule another appointment with another technician. He says the magnets definitely won't completely fix the problem, and only a new picture tube is guaranteed to do that. I try to hint around at whether or not that's a likely or even possible outcome, but can't get a good read.

When they see my receipt from Amazon before leaving, they start trying to blame the shippers, saying that maybe the TV was dropped. (The other guy finally chimes in for the first time at this point with this bit of wisdom: "Don't buy online." Yeah, thanks for that nugget, but seeing as how this model is not sold any more in any stores in my entire state, I didn't have much of a choice.) They may have a point about that, I don't kow, but where does that leave me if that's the case? Amazon won't take any returns on this set (I took a gamble when I bought it and now I guess I'm paying the price).

All in all, not a good visit, and my future with this TV is looking grim.

Oh, yeah, and neither guy has seen this problem ever before. I asked.

By the way, this is issue #1, the dark vertical bars across the picture, I had them look at. We didn't even get into the interference issue.

And now I feel sorry for them. Let me just say they were both very polite, and the one guy did apologize for his bad English twice.

I hear you, though. However, the one guy who did all the talking said they would be sending somebody else out to do any magnet work if it required it. Hopefully that guy will be more experienced.

Yeah, I was surprised they took it seriously too. I mean, it's a major problem as far as I'm concerned, but the TV works, and you can't see the vertical bands most of the time, so I assumed they'd scoff.

Sometimes, I think I could live with the dark bands... when I'm not currently seeing them. As soon as they become visible again, I instantly know there's no way I could accept this flaw for the next four or five years or whenever until I get a new TV.

But yes, I will try to be optimistic.

So, here's the latest update for anyone who cares.

VTR ended up sending out the *same two guys again*. As you may recall, these two had already been to my house and told me they had no idea what the problem was, and that a different, supposedly more knowledgeable tech would be coming out to take a look. Needless to say, I stopped the two repeat guys on the doorstep, and told them I'd be looking to have another company fix my TV.

So, I called Sony, and they gave me a number of a new place. This guy comes out, and takes a look. He's very nice. But he also has no idea what the problem is, and gives me a couple numbers of other places that might be able to help (one of which is VTR, lol).

So... now I have to call Sony AGAIN, to set up a THIRD service visit from a third company. I'm very tired at this point, but THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I AM LIVING WITH THIS PROBLEM.

Okay, that's it. Needed to vent more than anything. And still hopeful somebody on this board will read this and recognize the problem. Could it be the anti-glare coating coming off even though I never touched the screen before I first noticed the streaks? Does the 36XS955 even have the anti-glare coating?

The second guy was able to diagnose the interference issue that's causing the squiggly lines on the left portion of the screen. Apparently, the left speaker is causing the aperture grill to vibrate when the volume is turned up beyond a certain point. Nothing can be done about this according to him, and honestly, this is the least of my worries. It's the streaks that must be stopped at all costs.

Well, luckily I have a nice SDTV in the same room that will serve me fine if I have to go without this one for awhile. So, I don't mind (terribly) if they take it for a month or two, so long as they return it FIXED. I will fight tooth and nail against taking a "reconditioned unit", although, it's probably within their rights under the warranty agreement to choose this option.

What is wrong with your set if I may ask?

Alright. Called a third place -- High Tech Electronics -- and set up an appointment for this coming Monday. I'm optimistic about this one because I asked the lady on the phone, and she said if the job did in fact require a tube replacement, they would do the work at my house given the hassles associated with dragging this behemoth of a set to their shop, and then back again. This seems so logical to me, and yet they're the first company that has even entertained the idea of doing any significant repair work without taking the TV.

So I'm crossing my fingers. Third time's the charm.

I don't know. Getting the 36XS955 in and up the stairs was a spectacle I'd just as soon never be a part of again... and I didn't even help!