Vertical shadow-like streaks on the inside of 36XS955 tube - Part II: Replaced tube!

Hello all.

I started a previous thread on this issue before (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=708443), but here's a new one for the latest update. I'm at my wit's end, and I really need some feedback.

I bought a 36XS955 TV through Amazon a few months ago, and promptly discovered what I would describe as vertical shadow-like "streaks" on the inside of the screen, only visible in bright scenes or on screens of mostly one color. I use the TV mostly for gaming, and pretty much any time you rotate the camera around, these "streaks" are horrendously evident. They're also quite visible during certain panning shots in DVDs.

Anyway, after much hassle with various service companies (Amazon wouldn't take it back, it's in the fine print), I finally got Sony to more or less force one to come out and replace the tube at my house (previously they'd said they'd only do if I brought the TV in myself -- an impossibility for me).

So they replaced the tube. Today in fact. Took them over three hours. I watched the whole thing. It was quite the spectacle (the set is on the second floor). And unless these guys were Sigfried and Roy in disguise, they definitely put in a new tube. And guess what?

The "streaks" are still there. WTF.

The main guy, who was very nice, said all the 36XS955s probably have this problem, and nobody notices because they aren't as picky as me. Please. *Everybody* sees these marks the second I point them out. There's no way this would fly on every single one of these sets. So, my question:

Could something else be causing the issue? A circuit board or something? The service guy swears no, but I wonder. The yolk maybe? (I have no idea what this is.) Or is it possible my luck is so awful that I've gotten yet another bad tube that happens to have the exact same problem? Is it caused by uneven phosphor distribution on the inside of the tube? (I've heard this theory once before on here.)

And what are my options now? I don't want Sony to bully this company into coming out yet again to replace yet another tube when that might not even be the problem. This TV has been such a headache since I bought it, I really wish I'd went another way. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

One thing I'm concerned about is that now I'm outside the three months labor warranty. (Even though it's the same problem that has yet to be fixed -- in spite of replacing the tube -- that I called about when I was still well within the warranty.)

Okay.

Called Sony today. The lady was very nice. I told her I didn't want to deal with the last company who replaced the tube, so she said I should call some more places to try to get this resolved (I still had some numbers of Sony-authorized centers I've yet to call). And the labor is still under warranty because the original problem was logged within three months and it's been less than one month since the "fix". I've called two more places and booked them for the same day -- a week from today -- one in the morning, one in the afternoon.

This will be the sixth and seventh service call from the fourth and fifth company respectively.

Oh yeah, also, the geometry and convergence on the new tube is awful. My last tube was shockingly close to perfect in these regards out of the box... and yet I traded it for one that still has the streaks, but now has a warped middle and blurry left and right sides. Ugh. Hopefully this gets worked out before I go insane.

Wow. Thanks, guys. I was beginning to think I was the only one in the world with this problem.

hakujin, I agree Wind Waker is excellent test material. I still need to finish that game before TP, and I can't bear to because the horrible streaks are so distracting any time I rotate the camera.

Kona1, that is discouraging that you think this indeed might be all of these sets. This is what a couple techs have told me, but I scoffed. I find it hard to believe anyone even slightly concerned with image quality would find this acceptable. Yes, it's more visible in videogames, or during anime which is usually more replete with screens of mostly one color, but it's also noticeable at times in normal DVD viewing. During Lost, for example, pretty much any time it shows the ocean, and the camera moves, the streaks are visible.

If this was present in all of these sets, wouldn't there be *some* people complaining about the problem in forums like these *somewhere* on the internet? Because I've done all kinds of searches and this is the FIRST time I've read anything from anyone else verifying the same problem.

[Edit]: Kona1, I also have a 36" SD Trinitron (the 36XBR250), and it also doesn't have the "streaks". Could this just be an HD thing?

I almost want to start a poll for the users of the SFP tube to try a test to determine if everyone has these streaks. But not everybody has videogame consoles, and I can't come up with a suitable test that everyone will be able to try.

The more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to believe this CAN'T be a universal issue on all of these sets. I don't watch sports, but millions of people do. Like you said, you see the streaks clearly during hockey. I'd guess they're nearly as clear when watching baseball or football, with all the predominantly green screens displayed for this material. With all the picky people out there (far pickier than me), and on this site in particular, how come virtually nodoby has complained about this? In the official KD-36XS955 thread, I couldn't find a single mention of it. Even when I brought it up... crickets.

Unless I just suck at searching. Let me know if you guys have any better luck.

Everyone that came to my house was incompetent. I eventually gave up after the seventh visit. I couldn't keep taking time off from work. I have no way of knowing for sure if it's all the SFP tubes, but it doesn't really matter at this point for me as my warranty is long expired. I'm going to try to sell the set at a loss. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm honest, though, so I'll be upfront about the problem with prospective buyers. As such, I'm not sure how much I can even expect to get (or if anybody will want the TV once they see the streaks). I was playing Wind Waker tonight and had to stop, the goddamn streaks were so bothersome.

This all really sucks, though. I've always been a big fan of CRT and Sony's TVs in general. Not sure where to go from here. The 34" 970s are too small for me since the majority of my playing is still 4:3 (although, I checked out a 970 at BB the other day, and it definitely did not have the streaks). Maybe I'll hang in there for SED.

It would be difficult if not impossible to photograph the effect. Just put up some light colored material and move it left and right. You'll see it immediately if your set suffers from the affliction.

soloist3, I agree. After much scrutinization, I've also come to the conclusion that the problem is indeed related to the phosphor distribution on the inside of the tube glass (or whatever they do to the glass before sealing it up in the tube). The effect is indentical to if the inside of the tube was simply dirty. I can't believe something like this would have made it into so many sets. But I will be even more surprised to hear it's ALL of the SFPs, as this would have resulted in massive amounts of internet message board posts. I've been watching Hi-Def KOCE the last couple days (public television channel), and the problem is noticeable in half of their shows (education stuff is rife with panning geography and sky shots).

What kind of TV is that? RPTV? I have a feeling the problem we're experiencing with the SFPs is CRT-specific.

Like mine did? Indeed. I wouldn't recommend changing the tube either. I'm now much worse off than I was initially, and Sony is still giving me the run-around.

Anyway, yes, light colored scenes, scrolling horizontally, show the problem at its worst. But I don't think it's anything to do with the aperture grill being damaged in any way. There are specific shapes on the inside of the glass that never change. For instance, among many other shapes, I have what looks like a giant letter "M" (if you're looking for a pattern), smudged into the coating on the inside of the tube. I can get up super-close to the screen and see the "pixels" right where they're supposed to be, all lined up normally. I take this to mean the aperture grill is fine, undamaged, and in its proper place.

I've studied the marks for hours now (as stated before, I'll regularly go into a trance while playing a game, manually scrolling the screen back and forth, staring at the streaks... it's quite horrible, lol), and I don't see how it can realistically be anything but the simplest explanation of all: the inside of the glass is streaked. And it's 100% unacceptable. It looks absolutely AWFUL under certain conditions and cannot be ignored.

Well, Sony customer service plain sucks. One thing I've learned from all this is that, although they assure you they will, in fact they will *not* get back to you -- ever. *You* have to keep calling them, over and over, sitting through the introductory robot guy each and every time. I can't do it anymore.

I'll be selling the TV and likely going with an SXRD. It's now mostly a matter of my laziness as far as when I'll actually do it, having to put up a listing on craigslist or something. I really don't see how anyone who plays games or watches anime can ignore these streaks. I'll have to make sure the buyer doesn't want it for these things.