Official Sony KDS-XXA3000 OWNERS THREAD! - Page 498

Hello, all! Although I'm on dial-up (living in the boonies), I believe I have managed to read nearly all of the posts in this thread over the past couple of months.

I have a general question. I have begun to see a green haze in the top center, and yellow staining around the edges.

Once you began to notice a problem with your picture discoloration, how long did it take your issue to deteriorate?

Thanks for the input!

Just wondering if I should panic NOW!

Anyone know anyone in WI, that does decent repairs? My XBR2 has about 8000 hours on it, been going strong on first bulb. I am just starting to get the green haze and Sony is replacing my set, but I was thinking of reviving this one if it is possible. I have a XBR2 60" that Sony gave me to replace my XBR1 that was really bad, and now they are replacing this one. So I know many have had "Four" letter words to say about them, I have just the opposite experience.

1.) Where is a good place to find "Good" replacement bulbs
2.) Is there any decent place in WI or Midwest that will replace a Optical Block if I pick one up from Tri-State? or have one rebuilt?

Thanks for any help and the great information!

I'm on my second Phillips bulb with about 2500 hours on it. Lately I notice a very very slight fluctuation in the brightness level. It may go up or down perhaps once every 30 minutes. It's enough that I for certain notice it. Do you think my bulb is going out or does this sound like something else?

Bought mine in Dec. '07, replaced it with a Philips brand in '09 (at the replace lamp message of 8000+ hours). Now it's time replace it again (another message) but this time I want to wait until it pops (still look great once it warms up in 1 minute of ramp-up time).

Has anyone else wait for the lamp to go before replacing it (and I mean as long as it still look good obviously)?

KDS55A3000

thanks.

The only problem with waiting is that with a very gradual decline in PQ you may not notice and be wrong in thinking that the picture still looks great. Some here have expressed surprise at the difference a new bulb made. Considering the cost of a new bulb I would recommend you replace it and keep the old one as a emergency spare.

I've ordered a new bulb, glad for the tip about the emergency spare. Thanks!

I'll know soon, I suppose, what the difference is in PQ.

Thanks. I'd be interested in knowing if you see a big difference. When I changed mine after 8,000 hours I actually saw no difference. Go figure.

I think my bulb just went out but maybe someone could verify for me. The picture disappeared and the green light blinked for 60 seconds or so and then went out to be replaced by a blinking red light. I did not hear any pop sound, the picture just went out. I imagine it was the bulb but thought I'd check with you guys before I spent the money for a new one. Thanks.

In researching lamps listed as XL5200 I've noticed something I've not seen addressed here. On the Sony site their price is $249 and it does not say what brand it is. Most sites list the Phillips at around $100 with housing. What difference is there between the Sony lamp and the Phillips, and is the Osram by Sylvania a better or equal lamp compared to the Phillips?

Sony lamps are Philips. Just look at your original one and you'll see. Philips and Osram are pretty much the same.

My original has no brand on it. So Sony is charging $249 for the exact same Phillips lamp that most are selling for $100?

Yes they are. Sony does not manufacture bulbs. They buy them from Philips, and in a few cases, Osram. They mark them up at least double and resell them. Philips was stamped on my original bulb. Maybe they started using cheaper generic bulbs by the end of the A3000's production, hence yours may lack any markings. In any case, the Philips bulbs sold as replacements are identical to the Philips bulbs originally in your TV. For further proof, search the A2000, A2020 and A3000 threads. I remember some photos showing that the original Philips and replacement Philips were identical. I saw this myself when replaced my bulb years ago (I'm on my third bulb now). I've used both Philips and Osram and find the brightness and life of both to be essentially the same except the Osram is a hair brighter and whiter. Mine go about 8000 hrs in non-power-save mode before becoming noticeable dim. I could probably push it another 4000 hrs but choose not to.

Yeah, about the same quality. Sony does not make their own rear projection bulbs, they subcontract to other manufacturers. For this series (KDS-A3000) Sony use used Philips bulbs, made in China. But for other rear projection series Sony used Osram (Sylvania, another major bulb manufacturer). Osram makes a KDS-A3000 replacement bulb, using Sony's specs.

My replacement bulb actually looks better than the original, but I did have to re-tweak the settings while looking at color bars as it is not identical to the Philips bulb. Looks better, has lasted longer -- but not identical.




Yours has no brand and it's original?

My original was branded as Philips, made in China. Besides the urban legend that Philips was magically better than others for some reason, there was also the urban legend that Philips was made in the USA. I don't know why people make that stuff up. My original Philips bulb blew with only 1/3 the expected life hours. My replacement bulb looks better and has lasted longer. If you like Philips, go with Philips. But they are not the only company that knows how to make a bulb to Sony specs. I actually got a bulb from Electrified, liked it and ordered another for backup. Made to Sony specs. It actually may be made by Osram, but it has no logo on the bulb, so I don't know.

Yeah, Sony overcharges for a lot of stuff. They are losing money in other areas of their company (PS3, movies) and need to make it up somewhere.

I am on my original bulb and I think I have fallen to being one who hasnt noticed the lamp dimming as I still think my picture looks damn good.

Is the consensus that everyone is pretty much changing the lamps when a certain hour mark is reached?

I am ordering a new bulb from electrified but they list several, can anyone please direct me to which one is the best.

Here are the options on Electrified:

Name Price Category
DNGO XL-5200 E-Series Replacement Lamp $69.95 Projection TV Lamps and Bulbs

Electrified XL-5200 E-Series Replacement Lamp $69.95 Projection TV Lamps and Bulbs

Electrified XL-5200 O-Series Replacement Lamp $119.00 Projection TV Lamps and Bulbs

Sony XL-5200 E-Series Replacement Lamp $69.95 Projection TV Lamps and Bulbs

Sony XL-5200 O-Series Replacement Lamp $119.00 Projection TV Lamps and Bulbs

Hello,
Indeed Phillips is the OEM for the XL-5200. However, many of the $100 links are for just the Lamp sans Housing. Using the preexisting Housing is quite easy as amazingly Best Buy sent me out a 2nd Replacement Lamp last December at the same time I had the Optical Block Replaced.

Why I say amazingly is that you are only supposed to get 1 replacement Lamp. However, all I received was the Lamp itself on the 2nd one. As I had managed to get 2 free XL-5200's from Sony and one Philips Lamp/Housing from BB, I had several Housings to choose from. Even sweeter that I ended up getting a KDL-55EX500 a Month after replacing the OB and Lamp. So now my A3000 sits in my Guest Bedroom with maybe 50 Hours on it since it being restored.
Cheers,
AD

I had ~7000 hours on my set. I've had a new bulb waiting to go for the last 10 months. Last week, I had a day off and decided to pull it out, clean the mirror, and change the bulb. I could see quite a bit of haze on my mirror, but the inside was remarkably clean of dust. They must have a good filter on the air intake. Anyhow, I have to say, cleaning the mirror and changing the bulb did not improve the picture quality as I thought it would. In fact, it might have made some of the flaws more obvious. The brighter bulb has made the fact that my blacks are turning blue more obvious.

Hello,
I still love my 55A3000. Again, it was originally going to be a $3300 HDTV until Sony decided to abandon the Market. I am so curious what happened to the Preproduction KDL-Z70XBR5 and Z60XBR's. Those were some beautiful TV's and I bet they are sitting in a Warehouse somewhere. Oh well...

Are these the primary options that you guys would recommend? And which route is likely to be the best for a 60A3000?

$90 - Osram "New Factory Original" - Bulb Only - River Valley
$110 - Osram "New Factory Original" - Full Housing - River Valley

$70 - "OEM Equivalent Bulb" - Full Housing - Electrified
$120 - "Factory Original Bulb" - Full Housing - Electrified

$120 - "Brand new OEM Philips" - Full Housing - Max Lumens

I'd go for the Osram "bulb only" to save money. It's as good as Philips and proven to work well. I've bought a couple of Osram's from River Valley over the years and have always been very happy. I wouldn't go for any generic bulb unless the vendor can prove it's actually osram or philips.

If you're not handy with a screwdriver and want a risk-free, plug-and-play solution, spring for the full housing. I like to have at least one spare on hand already in a housing anyway, so you may want to buy at least one with a housing for quick replacements down the road.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

I maintain the informational web site on Sony optical block and related problems with their 2002-2007 rear projection liquid crystal TVs. Sony had been running an "optical block program" for about 1-1/2 years in which owners of these failed TVs received discounts off newer direct-view LCD TVs in exchange for a legal release. This program was abruptly terminated today, and the "I Have A Defective Sony TV" Facebook page, with tens of thousands of customer posts, was turned off.

If you have a pending settlement with Sony for a failed optical block, you should probably try to resolve it quickly, as it is unknown whether Sony will be offering any future program. There is an alternative Facebook page called "I Still Have a Defective Sony TV" that can be used for general discussion/complaints.

Hello,
That is quite a Website you have setup. I knew Sony was losing vast sums of money on their Gaming Division (especially in the beginning), but had no idea the TV Division was losing that much money.

I cannot be more grateful that I ended up getting a KDL-55EX500 for free from Sony. I still cannot believe a simple Email to Sony Listens got accomplished what literally dozens of Phone Calls could not when I had 2 OB's fail in 10 Months.

I still love my A3000, but have stopped using it as my primary Display. It has maybe 50 Hours on it since the OB was replaced along with the Lamp.
Good luck to all those who have not gotten a Settlement should there be issues with OB Failure. The whole thing really is depressing as Sony really used to represent something special.
AD

Yes, when I opened my up and cleaned mine, I was surprised at how dust free it was.

While my OB has no major defects such as significant blobs, etc. the blacks and contrast ratio have severely deteriorated from the time I purchased the display. Last year, my MLL measured at .021 and it's probably even worse today.

I recently purchased a Samsung 64" D8000 plasma which is a significant upgrade in terms of PQ, however, it has issues of its own (namely fluctuating brightness) which means I may have to return it unless Samsung issues a firmware update in the next 26 days.

I just sold my 60" - moving on to an Elite. I didn't have OB problems and it's been a pretty good set. Mine did lose quite a bit of black level and contrast over time and that is one reason I'm upgrading.

Good luck to all of you.

Question... how much were you able to get? How did you sell it... Craigslist, eBay, local?

Thanks

11/3/2011 UPDATE

Sony had been running an "optical block program" for about 1-3/4 years in which owners of their defective LCD rear projection TVs received discounts off newer direct-view LCD TVs in exchange for a legal release. This program was abruptly terminated on October 27, 2011. It is likely that this was linked to a major restructuring of Sony's TV business, which is on pace to lose $2.2 billion this year (it's eighth straight year of losses), dragging the overall business down to a $1.1 billion loss.

A new discount program emerged on November 1, 2011, along with the old I Have A Defective Sony TV Facebook page. However, the magnitude of the offers is apparently significantly less than the terminated program, and it has received a great deal of criticism from customers with newly failed TVs.

Sony often artificially inflates the perceived magnitude of the discount by comparing their discounted prices to their original "suggested retail prices". However, the relevant comparison is to "street prices" at legitimate retailers. For example, conduct an Internet search for the model number and compare sale prices at Sony-authorized Internet retailers. Also consider comparable TVs from competitors. It is up to the individual consumer to decide whether Sony's offers are fair.

About $400 via CL. Probably could have gotten a little more if I were more patient.

Wow... that sounds like a pretty good deal; to me at this point... I should really try to sell mine. I have an impulse to go 3D I'm afraid.

Well, the TV was brighter, as long as the bulb lasted.

And now, the replacement issue for the green/yellow stain...I'm doubly scr*wed!!! I should have jumped as soon as I noticed the stain.

Rats.

Edited: May not be the bulb...we put the old one in, same 11 green blinks then 1 red blink.

OK, so I took the plunge. I posted to Facebook, and emailed sonylistens.

How will I survive without TV?

Seriously, I copied my mom on the email I sent to SonyListens. A few minutes after posting, my phone rang...I thought it would be a bad news phone call about a friend in the hospital, but it was my mom. She had tons of ideas about how to publicize my problem. I told her this forum was the place for helpful advice and info!

I'll keep you posted on the new program as I progress.

OK...so I got a response from SonyListens, and was offered the KDL 46 or 55 EX500. Seems those who accepted this offer are pretty satisfied with their new TV.

The 46" is too small for our custom-built cabinet, so I think the 55" is the better choice for me.

My only concern is the width of the 55"...it's nearly 3 inches wider than my current 55". I will have DH measure tomorrow. I may have to ask for a different TV...maybe the 55HX729, as it's only 3/8" wider than our A3000.