Official Sony Bravia LCD Uneven Backlight/Cloudy Thread - Page 17

I have a Nov build date. I have not yet returned the set, I have decided to keep it for a few more days, hoping for some resolution. I was told by CC that I have until Jan 15 to return the set (bought Nov 24)

Got a new XBR2 on Friday from BB (for below the advertised price). Got it home and noticed the clouding problem as soon as I turned it on.

Earlier today I went onto the Sony Support website and did the "online support chat". The "analyst" was beyond useless, and completely refused to acknowledge that it was a legit problem. I emailed myself a transcript of the chat session from their website, but somehow I never received it. Interesting ...

Like some others who have posted here, I'm going to wait a bit to decide what to do, but I called BB today to grease the skids and find out what the procedure is. BB told me that they're not going to be getting any more XBR2's in because they're only going to carry the XBR3 moving forward. Has anyone else heard this?

The beautiful thing about an opinion is that it is subjective, jk. If people are unhappy with their sets, that is their business, not yours.

I happen to have a set that has some clouding on it and while I can't see the clouding most of the time, it is extremely bothersome while watching certain programming. I've watched a couple of movies on it during which I could see the clouding issue creeping into people's heads. Not the experience I shelled out a fair amount of cash for.

I'm glad that you are enjoying your set and are happy with it. But that certainly doesn't give you the right to discount what other people are experiencing. While there may only be a few pictures illustrating the severity of the issue on the forum, there are others, like myself, who have the issue and have not posted pictures for lack of a digital camera.

So, please, enjoy your set and let those of us who have the issue continue investigating it.

I haven't heard that. Can you post a pic including the clouding? I'm curious too..., how much did you pay? Can you send me a private message with the details (since there is no price talk in the forum.)

Are you are neat freak too? just kidding That's fine, go right ahead and obsess about those clouds invading people's heads that you can see. Have at it, experience away my friend. I'm not, I'm going to watch some Discovery HD and have a good day.

You do that.

Above is the kind of mentality of demanding perfection on a black inputless screen. Ok, I know, I was suppose to go watch Discover HD, I'm going.

That post may seem like it goes over the top, but others are not. I personally noticed mine right out of the box without looking for it. It's a big cloudy bright spot in the upper left hand corner which is not normal for an LCD screen. I've owned plenty of LCD screens and know what is normal and what is not.

Again, it's personal preference. If you're happy with your set, I'm happy for you. I'm happy with my set most of the time. But it is distracting during some programming. I didn't pay what I paid for the set to have a defect that is visible some of the time. I paid for a set to not have any defects.

Now, go watch Discovery HD and stop posting. You're not contributing anything useful to this thread at all.

For someone who's going to get an XBR3 in March 2007, does that make me safe? o.o

Will try to post a pic tonight or tomorrow. It's not horrible, but it was the first thing I noticed when I turned it on. Also, bear in mind that I only found this website (and this thread) in the course of trying to research the issue, so the fact that other people had had the problem didn't contribute to my initial perception of it in any way.

I haven't had it long enough to decide how much the clouding impacts the actual viewing experience, but I DO agree with those who feel that a TV that costs this much shouldn't have this problem.

DeNILE is not just a river in Egypt!

I've had my 46XBR3 for about 6 weeks now this coming friday. A few weeks ago I noticed some faint clouding on top left and right corners. only visible when there is no input and when it is totally dark. Last week, those faint cloudings seem to disappear after about 45 mins of viewing. Anyone having the same issue? So I'm not sure what to vote in this poll. The backlight seems pretty even after viewing for about 45 mins. I'll try to post some pics of the visible cloudiness and also when it disappears. Not sure of the build date. It was delivered last oct 20, ordered mid sept. So it must be around Aug.

Are you taking yours back or did you miss the 30-day return window?

I did not mean to go overboard. All I meant was that, like you, I have owned and viewed many lcd screens and know what is normal. The pictures I have seen are not normal and, in my mind, are unacceptable.

Let me give you some advice to save yourself some heartache with this issue. DO not accept the delivery and cancel if possible and wait a few months. The hassle/trouble is not worth it man and in the end the only one that loses is you. The frustration, the anger of having your intelligence insulted by BB or Sony reps telling you.."what problem we haven't heard of it" or "it's normal..since you're probably not running an HD signal thru it".

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful tv as long as it's not at night or displaying dark/black scenes but why set yourself up for a $3000+ disappointment?

Try to look into plasma since you won't have the issue and plasmas are killer. Compared to the Sony XBR2 my Samsung 50" plasma is just as beautiful but with deep darks and no clouds. You also get 50" as opposed to 46" and also cheaper.

Just don't get the Sony and avoid the problems. I can't bs you and tell you, "yes, man sure it's great get one", knowing these sets are duds. Don't forget misery loves company and some people will go out of their way to bs you just so they don't have to be the only ones feeling stupid for paying that much and accepting mediocre quality. I got a refund the very next day for mine but had this thread been out before I bought mine..I would've never even concidered this tv. Good luck man.

I've got the 46" xbr3 from bestbuy. I decided to just return the unit and not bother with the replacement after reading this thread. For sure I will end up having the same problem even with the new replacement. I'll just probably wait until Sony fixes the problem or go for the newer models that might come out next year. Here are some of the pictures I took with the clouding problem:

Thanks for the excellent pics showing what a problem this can be.

I somehow managed to miss this thread entirely when reading AVSF for calibration suggestions for the 40XBR3. I've had one on loan from Sony for review for a couple of weeks and had fallen in love with it to the point that I decided to take the plunge and buy a 40XBR2 (didn't "need" the piano black finish) last night at CC. Got it home, hooked up my PS3 via HDMI, and was greeted by the clouds of despair. Build date on the set is October 2006. Build date on the XBR3 sitting next to me as I type this is August 2006.

I attached a couple of photos of my clouds, just in case anyone wants to use them for reference / evidence. (Bear in mind I'm not an ace photog.) The set was on sale for $2499 at BB, but CC price matched plus 10% -- they were pretty shocked by the BB price, in fact. Think maybe the $600 drop is intended to rid their inventory of these "bad eggs?"

I'm returning the XBR2 to CC tonight for a refund. Shame, since it's such a lovely set apart from this problem -- but I have plenty of dark games and movies where it's really a problem. This is my first CC purchase (and first TV from them) in years; should I expect any headaches?

what seemed to Help my v2500 a little was i wiped the screen , then layed it face down for a few hours. might try it again overnight and see what happens. i dont want to get a refund cause idk when the next time the price is going to be under 2k. ALso have been thinking of a sharp 42" but they have 6000:1 and mine has 7000:1 contrast. i like the brighter lighting, and the sony performs great other then clouding. not sure if i should get it though.

YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!

My replacement XBR3 has NOOOOOOOOO, None, Nada, Zilch cloudiness. Perfect black screen. No pixel issues.

I literally just ran a victory lap around my house.

The bad news. It's an August 2006 set - so I'm not giving those w/problems or potential purchasers a whole lot of hope - other than:

1) There are still August sets floating around
2) These sets can be perfect

Mine came from Best Buy Danvers MA. Last Friday when I called to ask for an exchange, they had two XBR3s in stock and I can pretty much guarantee that the other (likely an August 2006) is gone.

Lumpy

I am interseted if anyone has talked to someone at Sony....and have they ADMITTED there is a problem? Or do they keep saying they never heard of the problem before? I think that is what bothers me more. They should fess up, and let everyone know that eventually the problem will be figured out and taken care of for every customer that purchased a defective set! That's very simple.

Slowly I am convincing myself that your logic is correct. It is hard because right now I have SD and I've been waiting SO LONG to upgrade to HDTV and I finally pulled the trigger. After making that decision, it is hard to go back and wait.

That said, it just doesn't seem like it makes much sense to buy this TV right now with the cloudy issue PLUS the fact that HDMI 1.3 is about to come out. The fact that Bluray/Playstation 3 are HDMI 1.3, it seems that 1.3 will be the standard for a while to come.

I don't think anyone at Sony has made an official statement regarding the issue. I've been in contact with tier 2 tech support via phone and e-mail. They've been great to work with. Gathering what I can it seems like they're still in the discovery phase on their end. That is, they're getting problematic TV's and trying to figure out what the problem is. It could still be awhile, if ever, that we get an official statement from Sony. At this point an official statement is all I really want. Does Sony consider this issue to be a defect and if so what will they do about it? Pretty simple.

Can we see some pics with various camera exposures like those of "twelly".

Congrats!

how about some pics

Kronius, I wasn't implying that you went overboard. Someone else did that.

I am keeping my set until the problems are fixed at which point I will make the return. I bought the extended warranty at BB and also have the 18 months from Sony so I am assuming that at some point in that timeframe, the newer models will be cloud free. Until then, I am going to enjoy my set most of the time.

It would sure go a long way to make affected customers feel ebtter if they would just admit to the problem and let them know one way or another it will be taken care of. They can even ask for patience. But they should say something instead of letting people fester and worry. It is great you have had good experience with tier 2 tech suuport...but by now, they must know there's a problem with some sets. I wonder what happens with all the returned sets? I am sure these big retailers have let Sony know about a probelm because the retailers surely won't 'eat it'.

I have an extensive background in Broadcast Video Production and used to using incredibley expensive equipment. Granted I am also a "Quality" fanatic and that can also be a curse. I purchased a 26" XBR1 LCD about a year ago for my bedroom and absolutely love it. I've even used it in my business because the sharpness is fantastic. I have been watching in stores the XBR2 and XBR3 since they were released and everywhere they are displayed they blow away the competition. (Samsung looks very close, manufactured in same place). When this set (46XBR3) came down in price a few weeks ago I purchased it and readied my wall for their delivery. As soon as I turned it on (at night time) I was floored because I immediately saw the clouds. We watched a movie and it looked like someone was shining a flashlight on the screen during the dark scenes. The picture detail actually looked cloudy in those areas. I called the store owner and his reaction was that I don't have it set up correctly. It actually doesn't make much difference how you set it up. The clouds are always there but just to varying degrees, depending on the black level. My store owner is a sole proprieter and a pretty good guy. I've literally purchased 10s of thousands of dollars worth of gear from him over the years and he treats me pretty well. Hes given me multiple options but I have to keep coming back to the real point. Sony has consistently impressed upon us that they produce the BEST televisions with the highest quality and thats why they command the most dollars.

Some posts seem to think that many of us are making a "mountain out of a mole hill"...... I disagree. This is a very expensive TV. Its Best in Class and my expectation is that when you purchase the best in class at a high price that it should be right. I understand very well that an LCD will most likely never have a "perfect" true black. I can accept that because the brightness, sharpness and phenominal clarity of this set far outweighs the limits of the technology. However, clouds and gross non uniformity of the entire screen is not a normal property of an LCD display. If this set was only $1700 then I could probably live with it and get over it........ but for more than double that price its a little too much to swallow.

If I paid "Sticker price" for a new Lexus and it was delivered with a transmission that jolted every time it changed gears.........I wouldn't be happy with that either. It still runs .........but its not right.

I wish I could be more optimistic about this issue being resolved.

I've become somewhat obsessed with cloudy screenshots and peer at them like A/V porn (when I'm not watching them on my TV).

Has anyone yet posted a pic of a set in a dark room at default settings on a blank input that's evenly black?

It seems like almost 75% of Sony 1080p sets are affect to some degree or another.

Clearly, this is a manufacturing problem and they won't be able to fix them all.

Maybe we should get pointers from the people who started that laptop battery suit...

I have the 46" XBR2 on order from my local Best Buy since they were out of stock (holiday sale price), but after further perusing this thread, I'm tempted to halt the order and get a refund as a pre-emptive strike against the clouds. Is it worth the risk? Should I just hook it up at the BB right on the spot? I know these sets can and do work -- I've seen non-cloudy 46" XBR2s at events.