I've started a blog to explain my problems with Sony's customer service.

[odepaj]

I'm trying to generate a lot of traffic to my blog in hopes that someone at Sony sees it and decides they need to do the right thing for customers they have screwed

http://problemswithsony.blogspot.com/

Thanks for any help provided by spreading the link around to everyone!

[Landshark]

i have had countless Sony products in the last 25 years, and only had three fail - a CD player from 1990, a didgital camera from about 8 years ago (after years of use), and recently my PS3 (bought a month after launch).

i can't complain about a 6-year old PS3 ... and its possible to fix it, when i get the time.


after reading your blog, i don't understand how an HD LCD tv has a "much lower picture quality compared to a projection tv".

i had a rear projection big screen, and a newer LCD or LED tv will blow it away. picture washes out in a bright room, and bulbs need replaced. there is a reason you don't see them selling much anymore. 4 years ago you should have bought an LCD tv, but unfortunately, you bought the "HD-DVD of tv's". do yourself a favor and buy a decent LED tv and leave that old tech behind. you probably went for the giant screen for the price, but it was a bad choice at a transitional time for television technology/pricing.

[odepaj]

Originally Posted by Landshark

i have had countless Sony products in the last 25 years, and only had three fail - a CD player from 1990, a didgital camera from about 8 years ago (after years of use), and recently my PS3 (bought a month after launch).

i can't complain about a 6-year old PS3 ... and its possible to fix it, when i get the time.


after reading your blog, i don't understand how an HD LCD tv has a "much lower picture quality compared to a projection tv".

i had a rear projection big screen, and a newer LCD or LED tv will blow it away. picture washes out in a bright room, and bulbs need replaced. there is a reason you don't see them selling much anymore. 4 years ago you should have bought an LCD tv, but unfortunately, you bought the "HD-DVD of tv's". do yourself a favor and buy a decent LED tv and leave that old tech behind. you probably went for the giant screen for the price, but it was a bad choice at a transitional time for television technology/pricing.

The reason Sony doesn't sell their rear projection tv's anymore is because of the problems with the optical block (they don't even sell their commercial projectors to movie theaters anymore for the same reason).

While an LCD/LED tv is better than a "color wheel" type rear projection tv, the picture quality and refresh rates are MUCH higher on an LCoS (SXRD) style projection tv.

Another advantage to the technology is the advertised "high life expectancy". Sony stated that the SXRD/Grand Wega had a minimum life expectancy of 20,000 hours and a realistic life span of 60,000+ hours. Mine lasted roughly 6000 hours...

The tv's supposedly could last a life time with only bulb replacements every 6-7 years (replacement bulbs are easily found for $100). That's a much better deal than having to buy an entire new tv over the same period.

The problem with the situation isn't "omg, a 4 year old tv is ruined now!". It's that Sony has had optical block problems with all of their projection tvs since 2002-2003 and they continued to sell them, knowing there was a major flaw.

[92snowmachine]

if you look around on the net you can probably find a way to get into the service mode of the tv. usually pushing several buttons on it at once. they usually have an option to "deguass" the screen. i had this issue with a sony tv several years ago and a tv repair man showed me how to use this feature, charged me $100 and sent me on my way. i had to do it about once a week until it eventually stopped working. the tv repairman claimed it was because the case of the tv wasn't shielded from the magnetic field that the screen itself creates. don't know if he is right or even if it will work for your tv but it's worth a shot not to look at the blob. if your tv doesn't have the option you can even use a computer monitor that does by holding it directly in front of your screen.

[odepaj]

Originally Posted by 92snowmachine

if you look around on the net you can probably find a way to get into the service mode of the tv. usually pushing several buttons on it at once. they usually have an option to "deguass" the screen. i had this issue with a sony tv several years ago and a tv repair man showed me how to use this feature, charged me $100 and sent me on my way. i had to do it about once a week until it eventually stopped working. the tv repairman claimed it was because the case of the tv wasn't shielded from the magnetic field that the screen itself creates. don't know if he is right or even if it will work for your tv but it's worth a shot not to look at the blob. if your tv doesn't have the option you can even use a computer monitor that does by holding it directly in front of your screen.

Thank you for the suggestion, I was originally hoping my problem could be fixed that easily. But the problems with my tv are from the optical block letting light seep through certain filters or the filters themselves becoming damaged

[92snowmachine]

sucks man. i was just looking for a link to some nerd site that would have the info i was talking about and came up with many people having your same issue. doesn't look to be easily resolved or that sony wants to do anything about it.

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by odepaj

While an LCD/LED tv is better than a "color wheel" type rear projection tv, the picture quality and refresh rates are MUCH higher on an LCoS (SXRD) style projection tv.

the refresh rate for a Sony kds a3000 (from your blog, yourr model?) is 120Hz. most LCD/LED are 120hz, or 240Hz now.

i just don't think an LCoS (SXRD) style projection tv is going to have a better picture than some of the LED tv's with contrast ratios at 1,000,000,000:1 or more.

[Bobb]

Hi everyone, Not to change the subject, but sony is recalling 1.6 million flat panel TV sets going back to those made in 2007. A defective component can cause the sets to catch fire! After everything I had ever purchased that was sony died, I quit buying anything from sony. By the way, other mfg. using the DLP system are also having problems. As far as the best picture on a HD set I would go with a Panasonic Plasma set. Take care, BOBB

[odepaj]

Originally Posted by Landshark

the refresh rate for a Sony kds a3000 (from your blog, yourr model?) is 120Hz. most LCD/LED are 120hz, or 240Hz now.

i just don't think an LCoS (SXRD) style projection tv is going to have a better picture than some of the LED tv's with contrast ratios at 1,000,000,000:1 or more.

My model is the A2020, I guess I should probably add that to the blog!

Sorry, my understanding of LCD tvs is pretty limited

I'm not sure what it is then, but I guarantee the picture quality of my SXRD is much higher than the replacement Sony LCDs that were offered to me.

[1986nate]

I bought a Panasonic Plasma.... I would never pay for Sony's overpriced crap. 10 +years ago, no problem, but now everyone just buys into the brand and they could care less about their quality.

[odepaj]

Originally Posted by 1986nate

I bought a Panasonic Plasma.... I would never pay for Sony's overpriced crap. 10 +years ago, no problem, but now everyone just buys into the brand and they could care less about their quality.

Sony really had something going with their SXRD televisions, it's to bad they couldn't get the optical block problems fixed

But I agree, at this point I'll probably be taking one of their offers and then selling both the LCD and SXRD and picking up some other brand.

[1986nate]

Originally Posted by odepaj

Sony really had something going with their SXRD televisions, it's to bad they couldn't get the optical block problems fixed

But I agree, at this point I'll probably be taking one of their offers and then selling both the LCD and SXRD and picking up some other brand.

I had a Panasonic Plasma (viera series) 4 years ago, full HD and was great quality but was forced to sell it financially. Excellent picture and paid $1200 then for a 42"

This past Christmas season, I bought another Panasonic 42" Viera series Plasma, Full HD, 2,000,000:1 contrast, blah blah, great quality still for just $530 shipped off newegg.

What I later found out, is that a couple years ago, Panasonic actually bought out all of Pioneer's Plasma technology and patents and that had been their only true competition.

If you don't mind the weight (and they're way less heavy now) and the power consumption of a Plasma, they have the best picture and that is why prices fall in comparison to LCD's. Most places will scare you away because of tube life and burn in and any other myths that are still around from the first plasmas. My original one weighed in around 95 lbs and had 4 large fans to keep it cool and just heat blasted everything while the new one is just 45 lbs and has no built in fans. The old one I accidentally fell asleep with a video game paused for 10 hours. You could notice some residual picture(I was clearly looking for it as I was worried but wasn't noticable by anyone else at the time), but after a day or 2 it completely went away from normal use.

/hijack done

Still sucks to hear. I contemplated getting a Sony LCD and seeing things like this makes me stay away from them.

[Bobb]

Hi everyone, Consumer Reports says all the current sets use about the same amount of energy. So, as I always say, you pay your money and you get your thrills! Take care, BOBB

P/S Toshiba showed a 3D set in Berlin,Germany at the European electronics show that does not use glasses. Might get here in Spring 2012. "B"

[Lookin4SVX]

I have a Pentium3 866mhz Sony VAIO Desktop PC from 2000 that is still running.

I have a Sony Ericsson w810i cell phone, it is from 2006, still works perfect, still on original battery, still goes a week between charges.

My ps1 (both of them) still work.
My ps2 (slimline) still works.

My 36" Sony trinitron tv lived only 4 years.. that was the last sony tv I bought.
I'll never buy another sony tv...

I think my Samsung 46" 7 series LCD is friggin lovely!