The Official Sony 2007 KDS-(XX)A2020 [NO PRICE TALK] SXRD Owner's Thread - Page 110

Well, shoot. I did link those instructions from the 2006 A2000 forum, as you probably noticed. I was always told there was no difference between the A2000's and the A2020's, except for the color. My bad.

At least you found the numbers you were looking for. 2875 hours is quite low, as I suspected. What never made sense to me was why A2020 owners only got until December 31, 2010...that's only 4 months longer than A2000 owners who've had an extra year to put hours on their defective optical blocks. There's no doubt that more A2020 owners will get stuck with problems after the extended warranty period. Many simply weren't given enough time to age the panels (in particular, the blue filter) with UV light.

Well that begs the question...do I go ahead and replace the bulb with 2900 hrs to try to force it to fail before 12-31?? The way that settlement reads, it seems that Sony can now jsut offer us $200 and not replace the OB. Any thoughts out there??

I don't know if I would go that route, for two reasons:

1) The "new bulb/OB fail" correlation seems to be based more on total hours of usage than the simple fact of a new bulb. These bulbs, on average, last about 6000 hours (give or take 2000); coincidentally or not, this seems to be the average life of the OBs. Now, if your bulb is dimming, a new, full-powered bulb will make any existing OB issues more obvious...but with under 3000 hours on your bulb, I'm not sure a new bulb would do much good to either highlight existing problems or accelerate OB failure. It might help, but might not.

2) Simple math: a new bulb will run you about $200. You buy the bulb, replace the old one possibly prematurely, and if nothing goes wrong (right?) until after 12/31 the BS settlement basically gets you your money back...whereas if you don't do anything with the bulb and you pass the 12/31 point, you at least have the $200.

In the end, I think that if you really want to accelerate OB failure quickly, your best bet is to run the set continuously in torch mode with all power-saving features off. Seems a bit much, but might do the trick.

I think it's the time and amount of use on the OB that determines when it will go bad. However, I can't help note the posts of people that say (or believe) theirs didn't go bad until AFTER they changed the bulb, as if to imply the new bulb caused the problem. I would have to believe that everything was perfect and they changed the bulb between 6K to 8K hours and shortly after they got the problem.

Maybe the people with that scenario would like to comment?

Some good points here. Thanks. I've read other forums and posts and there are people out there with a lot more hours than I have and their sets are still operating fine. I've had the set for 3 yrs and 2900 hrs with no problems so maybe I'll get another 3 yrs. at my current rate of use before problems. By then technology will have evolved. Maybe rebuilt OB's will be available for a decent price. A lot of hope without the change. It's like a game of strip poker and you are down to your underwear.

For me, the problem was in fairly clear evidence before I replaced my bulb (at about 6500 hours). With the new bulb, the problem was simply accentuated due to the added brightness. It may have contributed to how much worse the problem became very quickly after the bulb replace, but I couldn't say. What I can say is that the OB was already well downhill before the bulb was changed.

I share powerknowledge's viewpoint.The failures around lamp change time are likely mostly coincidence, and, since the new lamp can be twice as bright as the old one, the problem is instantly more obvious. There might be some increased degradation due to UV and/or visible light changes in the aging vs. new lamp, but it probably has a minimal effect on the degradation rate. I could be wrong, though.

I don't think you can force a failure with a new bulb (I'm on my third bulb, and my OB is still perfect). I share Powerknowledge's and Splinke's view on this. There's also a very good chance the replacement OB will be worse.

Another update: I called Sony yesterday, explained the new problem and was informed they would get in contact with the repair shop and get back to me. In parallel, I sent Sarah a message on Facebook about what was going on to keep her in the loop. She asked me to send the info to the whole group (sonylistens@am.sony.com). I did so and attached a photo of the pink/green blotches.

This morning I got a call back thanking me for sending the photos and offering me the choice of another OB replacement or a refurb 55ex500. I took the 55ex500 option, and now I just need to mail them my 55A2020 serial/model # sticker.

Now I'm hoping for a problem-free refurb.

Update... Emailed Sarah after posting pics here and being advised to seek repair. Sarah reviewed picks and set me up with Sony's service - Worldwide Technology Services.

They are coming out tomorrow morning to replace my OB.

I am also going to have him install the new lamp I just purchased as well...

While I have this person here, is there anything else I should have him check??

He says he has plenty of experience with this repair! I guess that's both good AND bad.

Thanks for all the tips guys.

Later,
Dolf

I would have him carefully review the image after the replacement. Purple/magenta and green tint in the corners on a white screen seem to be common out-of-the-box failures. Also, you might ask him to make sure any dust is cleaned out, particularly the cooling fan blades.

Had a great guy from WTS come out and replace my OB. Seems to know these sets inside and out... His name is Andy and he is on AVS as Satguy84 or something like that... After installation he took several minutes to look at the picture as well as adjust some settings in the Service Menu. He was on time, thorough, and efficient.

My set had over 9,000 hours on it and he said my lamp probably still had a good 1,000-1,500 left on it. I decided to let him put my new lamp in (which he verified as authentic Philips) and save the old one for a backup.

It's like I have a brand new set

I will watch this set closely and keep an eye out for the greens and magentas and purples that others have experienced after their OB replacements! Thanks for all of the info and guidance.

It sounds like Satguy84 knows a lot more than the average repairmen. Did he have any thoughts/predictions on how long the replaced optical block would last? I'm just wondering if he shared any knowledge that you could pass along to the rest of us.

That brand new set feeling is nice. A lot of people here have witnessed these replacement blocks failing quickly, so keep a close eye on it. Mine is on Day 19 now. Blacks are still black and white shows no sign of green or magenta...yet. I'm betting my 50A2020 will burn thru its second optical block while still on the original bulb. We'll see.

Good luck!

Just started noticing a green haze to a portion of the screen. I'm due for a bulb change soon (6000+ hours), but it sounds like that won't fix it. If it's an OB problem, is it worth changing the bulb at all, or trying to get an OB repair first?

Green haze is the most common optical block failure on SXRD models. You should have your optical block replaced under Sony's warranty extension that runs through December. If you have another failure (the replacement part is often bad out-of-the-box or within a few weeks to months), you should insist on a free replacement TV.

What is the best way to contact Sony for this problem? I checked out the link in your sig (good stuff), but it seemed that the referenced Facebook page was just a lot of people bitching with no indication that people were being contacted by Sony as indicated earlier in this thread. Is there a direct line to "OB support"?

Since your TV is still under warranty, you should call the standard Sony Customer Support number in the front of your Operating Instructions manual. Even though Sony reps (again) have stopped posting directly on the Facebook page, they are still contacting customers who post their issues there--typically within an hour or so.

Better than posting to the Sony FB page, send a FB message directly to one of the reps: you're far less likely to wait and/or get lost in the deluge of wall posts. Sarah Kepler is great. Search for her; she's the one with the Sony logo for a profile pic. Good luck.

Thanks...I worked my way through Sarah to Sonylistens. I now have an "event ID" and have been in contact with the local authorized service company. Just waiting to sked the visit.

If the repair goes bad, does anyone have any recent info on what Sony is offering as a replacement? Is it still the xxEX500?

I just received a refurb'd 55EX500 for my 55A2020. It has issues with the screen that I don't even know how to report to Sony. In the bottom left and bottom right of the screen in dark scenes there are white plumes. They are not visible when there is plenty on the screen.

This has been one big **** up from Sony - never again.

-Mark

agree......

I see blue in my blacks again, but I have not contacted Sony yet for the 4th service call. It's faint, but I have had a lot of practice diagnosing this issue, too much, in fact.

If you are interested in getting a direct-view LCD flat panel, perhaps it is time to invoke the "lemon" argument and demand a free "reasonably equivalent" replacement TV. If that requires more service calls, then probably the sooner the better so that you reach the "lemon" stage prior to the December expiration of the extended warranty?

You can certainly try to get another replacement. Some have reported that, after receiving a free defective refurb, Sony sends a free new model for the trouble.

They are what is commonly known as "flashlights" and are common problem with LCD TVs, and not just Sony. Go over to the LCD TV forum and do a search for flashlight.

My KDS60A2020 is under warranty from Best Buy until Oct 2011. I called BB to inform them that my blacks are all tinted blue. BB sent out a tech last week and he noticed the blues right away. I didn't even have to show him where it was really bad. He changed the menu colour to gray and it still looked blueish. He told me that BB will not even bother replacing the OB due to the failure rate. He also mentiend that in my area (GTA) that FS and BB over the last year have not repaired any units due to the high estimated sent back by the tech (nearly $2000 parts and labour). I am guessing I will be offered a EX panel by BB. Any suggestions for my acceptance or argument with BB.

I tend to agree with this.


I'm not sure how you are going to "force it to fail", I don't think any one has a real conclusion as to how it happens, nor does there need to be any amount of hours on it before it goes bad (some have had their OBs go bad quite quickly, others have gone thousands of hours).

You should try to make sure though, that you don't have the problem already. In the early stages it may be difficult to notice. The bluish/uneven blacks are one hint, other uniformity issues are another. You may have to try some different patterns and settings and then you might see it (if you have the problem I mean). For some people overdriving the set (like with the factory default settings of the "Vivid" mode), for others the opposite (using a low ire test pattern and turning the picture down on the set) has shown the problem.

After I replaced my bulb approx 2 months ago I watched my blacks degrade showing more and more blue. In my case, the bulb did force a failure as I had no issues of blue-blacks prior to the bulb replacement. I received a call from Best Buy lastnight with an authorization number to have my tv replaced with a unit of the same size, same features and most likely with a better product according to BB customer service. I will be heading to BB tomorrow night to see my options.

You don't however have any evidence that proves this beyond coincidence. If you changed a headlight bulb in your car and your car's water pump failed a month later, would you blame it on the bulb change? LOL.

In any event, it's good that you are getting a replacement

I agree...however I am making an assumption at this point. My blacks were fine prior to and the PQ looked great after the new bulb, but as a few weeks went by I could see the blue creeping up on me. One could elude to the fact the bulb caused the failure and the next person could argue that it was just fate for my OB. From my personal experience, I would lean towards the bulb causing the issues (not going to bet much on it though).

I am considering either the KDL60EX500, KDL60EX700 (probably with a top of $$) or a Samsung LN60C630. I will have to wait and see what BB will do for me. Any thoughts on the three units?

Well some people have attributed the defect to UV rays harming the panels. So I guess a new bulb probably has stronger UV output than an old one. If the TV was slowly on it's way out (which I think all SXRDs are anyway) then maybe the new bulb just accelerated it and brought the problem up more quickly.


You might be into an EX710 at this point as EX700s are clearing out (710 doesn't really offer much except being thinner than the 700). There is some debate as to whether the 500 series is actually better than the 700 series. But there are some things you can't deny about the EX700--it has lower power consumption (something around half I think, which is a bigger deal on a 60" set), has a better Bravia Engine (3 instead of 2), and has BIV/DLNA features. I don't think the BIV/DLNA features are worth the premium though because for that money you could make an HTPC which is much more capable than those built-in features anyway.

The Samsung I don't know much about, but it is nice that with the extended warranty you have more options.