Official Sony Bravia LCD Uneven Backlight/Cloudy Thread - Page 93

I just got my 46XBR2 from Ultimate Electronics in Denver and I do NOT have the cloud problem. I even turned the picture up to Vivid, backlighting to full, turned to an empty input (HDMI) and with the room lights out and dead dark, all I got was an even grayness with a very very slightly brighter area in one corner of the screen. It is NOT visible during even very dark scenes in movies. I spent a couple hours last night testing for this. My TV has a December build date.

It would appear to me that they've tightened up manufacturing tolerances or something as my neighbor saw the TV and immediately went out and bought an XBR3 version the next day to replace his aging plasma and his tv also has a December build date and is also flawless.

Here's hoping that the rest of you get a good one - this is by far the best LCD I've seen.

Your point is well taken, Mugen. I'm not criticizing your suggestion and point of view one bit, but to me this is akin to opening the glove box on a Ferrari and seeing a warning label that one should not exceed 5,000 r.p.m. Current and prospective buyers are willing to pay a costly premium for a premium product. If we were purchasing K-mart "blue light specials" that would be another situation altogether. I understand everyone's frustration, but I'm not yet willing to rationalize a purchase that puts my family budget back four figures.

Just wanted to bounce this off some of you. I discovered this thread while just doing what I see as routine research when it comes to a major investment such as this. If I hadn't found this thread, it has crossed my mind if I would, in fact, now be enjoying my new TV without even being aware of this back lighting issue. Unfortunately, I truly suffer from O.C.D. and Major Depression, so there's no way I will ever feel comfortable with this set until Sony fesses up and corrects things. Not meaning to beat the point to death, but I also suffer from General Anxiety Disorder, so I can by no means put up with the probable frustration that purchasing this set would bring.

If we could be absolutely, totally honest with each other, how many of you can truly say that you recognized this problem before reading this thread. In other words, except in the most blatant of cases, how many of us would be actually pleased with the set's overall performance?

Believe me, I'm not trying to trivialize the situation, I was just curious. So far, and I haven't checked in a few days, the majority of buyers on Cnet are a bit more pleased than we. Yes, I know, there are some 1's, 2's, and 3's there as well.

Oddly enough, power saving = low makes the clouds close to disappear, even with VIVID.

Dead pixels (black ones) are, in fact, dead, but I thought that "stuck" pixels of color could be physically massaged out or there was PC-based software that can help "unstick" them.

But then the picture is too dark.

[quote=michael3314]Service Call - 5:00PM Jan 4, 2007 (Your going to love this one) QUOTE]

Wow, not good. I have a platinum service office in my area and left a message yesterday. I plan to ask if they have encountered this same issue, and if so, what happened. I'll let you know how it goes.

(own an Oct set, looked at a Nov set - both cloudy and have another on special order from CC)

Run this program if you have a stuck pixel. Its pretty neat

http://www.jscreenfix.com/

Anybody know about this? Anyone know of a way to "unstick" a pixel? (Man, can I hear the jokes on this one! )

This might help:
http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Stuck-P...an-LCD-Monitor

Thanks for the info, so we stay OT, can anybody pm me with the name of specific software/DVD program that can unstick a pixel? I came across one on my son's 26" Samsung.

Johnal, I was just thinking about something like this! This is a wonderful idea! I was thinking of just picketing CES, but this would be even better. We could get the t-shirts from a place like customink.com for about $10 apiece. Something like "Ask me About Cloudy Defective LCDs by Sony" This would surely draw a large amount of attention from any media/magazines covering the event. Anybody else up for this idea?

Can anyone go in CES? Do you have to register or is it too late? How much does it cost?

Where is it? Order me a 42 long if it's not far from Orlando....

KDL-40XBR2
Nov. 2006 manufacture date

i just got my set yesterday, and very quickly noticed the clouding. it isn't always there, but when it is, BOY is it annoying!

i am not sure yet what i am going to do. i just upgraded to this set from Samsung-HL-R4266W 720p dlp, and this is significantly better (motion is still not as good as plasma or dlp, but no rainbows). when my source material is high quality, the picture is awesome. but when those clouds show up, it freaks me out and PISSES ME OFF.

i agree w/ the other posts re: a sony xbr should not have these problems. top of the line should be top of the line.

i am going to give it a couple more days, but returning it is still an option.

QUESTION: has anyone successfully had this issue repaired?

It is pretty easy to get into CES as long as you can demonstrate some loose affiliation to the industry.
If you search for Consumer Electronics Show ong google - you will get a link to regsiter. It was free thru Dec 29 - but now costs $200. I believe you can also get a day pass for the trade show. I did this a few years ago and I think it was $70 or so.

I'll be spending time at the Sony booth trying to find out more on the clouding issue from Sony reps.

heh. good luck with that.

Take some printed pictures if you like, so they can't deny it (although I bet they won't have heard anything about it). Here's what mine looked like before I returned it:

Here's my info-
Purchased a 40V2500 about 3 weeks ago. Build date November 2006. I loved this set for the first weekend. Then noticed brightness from a couple of the dark corners while in 4:3 mode. At first I thought I was just being picky, until I came across this thread. Thanks everyone for all the info. I've now been reading this thread for days. I did the dark room test and see the clouds. Now I see the clouds all the time. They even bleed through onto dark scenes while I am watching TV. It is driving me nuts! I've tried all the possible picture adjustments, still see clouds. I contacted Sony support and all they did was refer me to a website on how to adjust the tv.

I bought mine at CC. I plan to return it prior to the 1/25 expiration date. I'm going to cry when I put my old 27" crt back on the stand, but my plan is to wait and see what happens. If Sony does correct this problem, I plan to buy another. But next time I'm getting a 46". Either the V or XBR. After having the Sony, any other set is a let down, but I can't live with this defect.

Hi everyone,
I really want to get the KDL-V40XBR2 but I have been scared off by the risk of getting a "cloudy" set. I am just wondering if anyone knows if the Sony KDL-V32XBR1 set also has these problems with "mura" and "clouding". I might get that temporarily and wait for Aquos D92U's to come out to see if the "banding" issues have been resolved.

Hello everyone a newbie here. I've had my 46xbr2 for about 3 weeks now and yes clouds exist when switching channels or no input but with a signal pq is just amazing. No clouds even on dark scenes. I think i can live with the clouds on a blank screen so ive decided to keep it. Btw it's a december build date.

Don't quote the prices or the mods will close the thread down! PLEASE go back in to your original post and edit this information out. Thanks!!!

Returned my 46" tonight. Was a Nov. build with clouds. Got the new Dec build home and guess what - more clouds. In fact, new set is worse than the old one. Think I am going to give up and get a rear projection. This is ridiculous.

Onie, please don't take this the wrong way because it isn't intended as an attack against you, but this type of statement. . . this type of sentiment is exactly what Sony is counting on. IF somebody at Sony is reading this thread, this type of argument must be pointed out in Sony's HQ. I can just hear it now.

Sony "What's the news on that. . . that. . . forum?"

Sony Lurker "Yeah, they're all griping about it, but people keep saying its the best PQ out there on the market. Most people with the "normal" sets indicate that they are going to keep them, despite the normal cloudy picture."

Sony "Gooooood! Excellent! Let's pee on their legs and tell them it's raining next! Muuuuhaaah haaaaah haaaaaaaaaah (evil laugh)"

(Screen fades to black. . . with clouds of course, 'cuz that's normal )

Grumpy,
Sorry to hear about your experience. I've been through that route before. How many sets did you go through? Two?

Oh. . .wait. . . just got an email from Sony Customer Care. They want to know why you are taking the TV back when it clearly has the best PQ out there? Don't you like their steaming piles of meadow muffins??? You're not allowed to return this set just because it is normal, ya know!

Sorry, I didn't know we couldn't post pricing info. I removed from my entry... Thanks.

Hi guys. I said this in another froum but you guys have really helped so much.

I felt lost until I ran into this site.

Myy wife is a huge SOny fan. I like them, but I am not married to them.

This mura issue really made me nervous. A 46 inch with surround sound is a nice chunk of change and learning about the technology was paramount.

My story. Was going to buy the XBR3 mid Dec then the mura effects. I waited and researched. Neighbour got his for Christmas and has already returned. My CC was oblivious until I put them on this site. They tested theirs and lo and behold we had the same issue. Unreal.

My wife still wanted to get it even after skimming through this site. Bunch of geeks she said.

Not anymore as she has read every post now.

Her thoughts. To big of an expense to risk this type of issue. Sony shouldn't be let of the hook for it and I tend to agree.
Well, between my neighbor and you guys her mind is changed.

We just got the Mitsu LT 46232 and we have piece of mind. There is a so called line issue that's not noticeable and the quality is excellent. Maybe not completely up to the Sony standard but very, very close, and in my house with no side by side it blows us away.

I guess it's all what people want. We wanted it to just work, with few hitches and no major concerns for that price. While Sony was the initial clear choice, research and personal satisfaction an dpiece of mind was more important to us.

It's such a shame. i hope this get's fixed because we will be in the market for another 40 incher in 4 or 5 months. I wouldn't mind having both, but for now, no can do.

Thanks for all the help.

Hey Great!! Would you post the first 5 digits of the serial #. This way we can avoid buying and returning 46XBR2's with lower serial #'s.

Thanks!

Hi - Would you please post the first 5 digits of your 40XBR2, because it helps others when buying to know when the cloudy sets are being made. (Can't check manufacture date unless opening the box, but we can look at the serial # on the box before purchasing) Thanks!

That's what I thought would be the case, hence not trying it for weeks. But actually, you pump up other stuff and it's definitely still very bright. VIVID is still eye-breakingly bright, for example.