Official Sony KDS-XXA3000 OWNERS THREAD! - Page 491

I wholeheartedly concur with this, David. The facts pertaining to the sustainability of this set have pretty much been laid out. The A3000's run was aborted very early on, and we all know why. So, at this juncture in the game, there's no reason for any objective person to re-hash, second-guess or reconsider those facts.

It could very well be argued that those actually taking the time and effort to have a deteriorating OB replaced (no small task, as anyone with a replacement can attest to the havoc it wreaks on an entertainment space) might be among a relatively small group and, therefore, could be considered an "exception" to some degree (at least as far as this thread is concerned). But the actual deterioration itself and its manifestation is, for all intents and purposes, very much the rule. It's not a matter or "if" but "when". That one actually reports a replaced OB or not (or a Sony-granted LCD exchange) is beside the point.

That being said, my OB replacement is already beginning its decline. It too is tolerable for the moment, but the deterioration is occurring much more rapidly than with the original. Needless to say, I do not envision the July 2011 warranty deadline passing without it either being replaced again or exchanged for what Sony views as an equivalent.

I also believe these sets have inherent problems and there are too few a3000's out there to say anything one way or the other. Both sides of the fence really have no ground imo, we just don't know. I do believe I lucked out though, as I'm well over 15000 hrs and it looks the same as the day I bought it. I feel like I may be an exception but honestly nobody knows except sony.

On the contrary, there is indeed plenty of evidence (empirical and otherwise) from which one can draw an objective conclusion. None of it takes anything away from this set's well-deserved accolades back in the day, however. But, to each his own perspective. If your set is indeed in the condition you claim after 15K hours, then hats off to you...that's certainly good to hear.

DavidHir, Have you come up with anything on the plasma lag research. I am too also interested in replacing my A3000 with the Samsung 7000 series and the 2011 line looks very promising with black levels reaching 8th Gen Kuro at 0.004

Time span of deterioration can vary based on usage patterns, environment, TV settings, etc. For example, running in powersave mode and with fan on high in a very well ventilated area that is kept cool all year long would probably net a longer OB life then someone with the thing in a Florida hot and humid home, in a home theater cabinet with poor clearance and ventilation and running in vibrant mode with fan on minimum settings.

Can you describe the environment the set is in, does it have good ventilation space at the back of the unit, do you run in powersave mode and with fan on high, is your home kept cool all year round, etc?

Also do you view for extended period and then shut set off or is there lots of on and off viewing during the day in which the TV is powered off and on many times.

Hey guys,

The lamp finally went out on my KDS-50A3000 a few weeks ago after about 3-4 years in service and I ordered a new one. The replacement worked fine for about 3 weeks, but now when I turn the set I just get two buzzing noises (similar sounding noises a few seconds apart, like it's trying to fire up the lamp or something), and the two buzzes repeat themselves every 5-10 seconds or so. No picture or anything. Any thoughts on what has happened? Is this a bad lamp?

I found this video and am getting the same flicker at the same location: (will post in next post due to n00b posting rules)

I found out that he replaced the lamp but his first one had lasted a few years so it was due. Has anyone heard of a bulb burning up in 3 weeks?

video of where the flicker and buzzing sound is coming from: http://www.youtube.com/user/LinkNuc#p/a/u/1/ci31n7kex6E

Those sounds are what you suggested, it's the ballast trying to fire the lamp. It will try a few times and then give up and it should be turning on the bad lamp light. Where did you get the new lamp and what manufacturer's label is on it?

I got the lamp at River Valley Electronics, I think it was a Philips brand. I've begun the return process and they said they will check the lamp when they receive it, but they doubted the lamp had gone bad so early.

I think it almost has to be the lamp since it was working ok for those 3 weeks?

Symptoms point to the lamp. The only other thing I would check is just to make sure that the lamp connectors were mating by making sure the lamp connector in the lamp housing is firmly in its place, and its mate in the tv has not broken away. That point takes a lot of heat and the plastics there get brittle, as well as the wires just behind the connector in the tv.

At this point, I have not come up with anything in particular, nor have I been reading of any issues from other users. Yes, the 2011 Samsungs sound very promising indeed.

I looked at the Samsung and liked the Panasonic plasma's better. I have a VT30 on order. I would like at both sets from last year and see if you have a preference.

8130 hours and nearly 4 years and still rocking strong. I love this set!!!

I do have some issues with the firmware. I don't know why it doesn't show the Program Guide data available OTA via the PSIP stream. But that's only a small annoyance.

Just ordered the Osram. Can't wait to get it.

As of today, my set has 8130 on the first bulb (word to the wise: The RM-YD017R remote won't bring up the diagnostic screen). The firmware has be warning me for a week or so that the current bulb has nearly reached end of life. I've noticed that the screen has been noticibly darker for a couple of months.

I just ordered 2 Osram assemblies from the link above. GREAT PRICE!! Can't wait to have the set to return to a "like new" condition.

78f all year long I'm on the end of my third bulb the first 2k hrs of each bulb are power save the rest I turn it off. Fan is kept standard. TV comes on in the morning and is usually on for 14-17 hrs straight.

Hello again everyone. I know its been a few years since I last posted anything but thats because I have had no problems with this set, lol, well until now that is. Last week while watching a episode of LOST my screen just went dark, still had all the sounds but the screen just went black. I still had the info bar displaying letting me know I was on HDMI 1 port, so I know it was not the bulb. Plus, I turned the TV to the component video and played some streaming content just fine. The TV last night decided to go dark again and I have the HDMI 1 displayed up top but no video from my Blue ray player so I turned it off and used the components. Tonight, I went back to the HDMI ports and still the same thing on all three ports, no video from my blu ray player but the component works just fine. If I unplug the HDMI cable and plug it back in nothing changes, still no video. If I turn off and back on the blue ray player, still no change, just a black screen with the info bar displaying HDMI 1.

Is it possible for the HDMI ports to just up and die? Is there something I can do to fix this myself? Any help/advice would be appreciated. Thanks

SkOrPn

Hello,
These TV's are almost 4 years old now and it does indeed seem like there are less OB Failures than the prior Models. And as I said before, this is the only SXRD Thread where almost the entire Thread is about Replacement Offers.

Rather, there have been very few people who have gotten replacement LCD's from Sony. I realize some think this is because it is not old enough, but almost 4 years is a fairly long time. In addition, just looking at the size of this Thread, a decent number of A3000's were indeed sold.

When my OB failed, it was not like the entire corner of the Screen was turning green. Rather, there was a thin green line close to the middle of the Screen that went from the top of the Screen to the bottom that was only noticeable on White Screens.

So while I had 2 OB Replacements, I still think the problems on the A300 are less catastrophic than on the earlier Models. Just my opinion I suppose and not a popular one.

I'm very lucky the set is 4 years old and looks as good as the day I plugged it in. I only had to replace the light which made the set look even better. How do you think the SOny SXRD holds up with the current crop of sets. I think it is probably better that 90% of the sets being sold today.

I had similar wierd hdmi problems with a different type of set after a power surge of some kind. Like you, my component inputs worked fine. After turning the set off, I unplugged the set for 30 seconds or so to allow the set to reset itself when plugged back in again and all was well...it's worth a try. Good luck.

By the way, knock on wood, my 50A3000 is still humming along fine with only a bulb replacement!

Hello,
HDMI Board Failure does indeed happen with all HDMI Components. It has not been a common problem on these TV's however. Unfortunately, it is not covered under the Extended Warranty that Sony offers which covers the Optical Block only.

Unless you have an Extended Warranty, I am afraid you are looking at a fairly steep Repair Bill. I would Email Sony Listens however. Also, you could simply state that you are not getting a Picture on your TV and that your Lamp is working. There is a chance you might get a Replacement LCD. Again, Emailing Sony Listens or the Facebook Page is far more useful than calling Sony's Overseas Call Center.
Cheers,
AD

UPDATE: While waiting for the return process to play out with River Valley Electronics I ordered another bulb from Electrified.com and it works. The Electrified.com bulb came in a generic box and the picture on screen seems a bit darker than the one from River Valley and the OEM one was, though I could be mistaken since I used a 24" LCD for a few weeks while waiting for parts. As soon as a replacement River Valley bulb gets here I will test them back to back to compare brightness level.

I have this set for full two years now. Downloaded the upgrade. I am seeing two fingers of yellow stain extended into the picture from lower right, particularly in lightly colored scenes. I am concerned it could be OB problem, but am also thinking that since I smoked two packs a day in the presence of this beautiful TV until 21 days ago (yay for quitting), possibly nicotine is coating the mirror/lens. I will try BB's instructions for cleaning the mirror/interior. I hope the yellow issue I have is just tobacco stain.

How do you do an update. Never heard of that.

Hello,
Sony sends a USB Thumbdrive or at least they did last time I did a FW Upgrade for the A3000.
Cheers,
AD

Seems like a perpetual state of deja-vu best describes this discussion, AD. Once again, it's not a question of your opinion being popular or unpopular; you're entitled to it either way. The point many of us have tried to make is that said opinion simply doesn't gel with certain established facts.

For starters, this model is NOT 4 years old per se. Sure, many of us may have had our individual sets for 4 years, but that's not the same as this model being manufactured for the entire length of those same 4 years, which your statement seems to imply. It was discontinued less than 18 months after streeting and went into closeout immediately thereafter. (Reasonable arguments can be made as to why that was.) Therefore, it's reasonable to deduce that fewer A3000s were actually sold in comparison to prior RP SXRDs. So, OF COURSE it stands to reason that the number of OB "failures" (which, to me, doesn't necessarily only mean actual OB replacement; visible--even if tolerable--deterioration also qualifies) would be less. However, the actual deterioration ratio is anyone's guess, especially when at least one certified technician has indicated to me that Sony's implementation of LCoS has an inherent design flaw. (Doesn't mean there aren't a good number of well-functioning sets still out there--on the contrary.)

Secondly, I think it's safe to say "...this is the only SXRD Thread where almost the entire Thread is about Replacement Offers" is a gross overstatement. (It's a big thread--you might want to recap the first half at the very least.) Moreover, I'm not sure of the relevance of whether people are or are not getting LCD replacements. Such replacements are a relatively recent development. Up until recently, Sony has avoided dipping into their LCD stash by simply swapping out the OBs, remember?

And lastly, this thread does NOT represent in any way, shape or form the majority of A3000 owners in the US. Sites such as AVSF represent a relatively small number of enthusiasts. Opinions are fine, AD, but it helps to temper them with a certain level of objectivity...along with perhaps a tad less hyperbole. Just sayin'....

I don't know which year model it was but I caught a peek of my neighbors sony sxrd and his set is a shade of green I would describe as "algae-ish" with a hint of "snot". It's horrible and he just sits and watches it everyday like nothings wrong lol. Makes me appreciate mine not having any color issues but it does seem like my 60a3000 is losing contrast... or my eyes are getting adjusted to window shopping plasmas all the time. Pffft, either way I'm getting a new panny or used pio pretty soon

I remember seeing the 60a3000 when it first came out and gaping at how good it looked, my set doesn't seem to "pop" like that one I saw those few years ago

It's not your eyes; it's a fact SXRD technology loses contrast; mine has too and I'm probably only 4000 hours (I haven't checked in a while). My black levels have gotten worse and are not as deep as when I bought the set.

I wonder if the loss of contrast could be attributed to a haze buildup on the optical components that come after the SXRD chips. That would certainly do it, since light would scatter to where it shouldn't be. I have seen a haze on bulbs I replace, but I don't know exactly where it comes from.