For those of you who have bought Sony SXRD TVs, watch out for these issues, and for those of you considering purchasing one, be warned.
Almost a year ago, I purchased the KDS-R60XBR1 because the picture was great and had great reviews. I was happy, except it wasn't long before I found that occasionally I would turn on the TV and within a couple of minutes the screen would go black, then come back on with the input and info displaying again, like it was reinitializing. It would persist until I would turn off the TV for at least 15 minutes and then turn it back on. That was kind of annoying, but it took me a few months to finally call on it, since it happened only occasionally.
Well, the local repair tech didn't know what could be causing the problem, but Sony suggested replacing the lamp. That didn't seem right to me, but I let them replace my lamp, since who doesn't want a free lamp? Well, it still did it after the new lamp, but I had plenty of warranty left, so I didn't get too concerned.
Then the right side of the screen developed a strong yellow discoloration. That was enough motivation to call for service again, and I reiterated how the blacking out was still occurring. The tech talked to Sony, and they told him to replace the light engine, which is apparently a $1600 part. Thankfully I'm not paying for the repairs yet. The tech mentioned someone else having the discoloration, too. That didn't sound very promising. If the light engine was just going to crap out like that within the first year, how many times would I have to get it replaced in the life of the TV? I didn't get an extended warranty, so yeah. The TV came back, and yes, the yellow discoloration was gone, but now there was a pink discoloration. It wasn't severe, and in fact you could only really notice it on a really white image, but it was there, and there's no way I paid $4000+tax for a TV that wasn't operating at 100%, so I decided to contact Sony directly and see about a replacement.
I spent a lot of time on the phone with a guy who was supposedly filing a report that he would send up the chain, and I'd hear back in 3 business days. Well, I didn't hear back, so I called again, and the woman I got told me the guy filed it completely wrong, so that's why I never heard back. Argh. She told me that the local repair place would have to come out and re-evaluate the issues, and then they could decide if a replacement was on the table or not. Of course, scheduling is an issue around the holidays, but he was finally able to come out again and verify the behavior of the TV, but it seems like repair, not replacement, was being discussed again. I gave up my TV again, and the tech said he'd have it back to me as soon as possible.
So yesterday, after over two weeks of not hearing from them, I called to see what the status was. The tech said that he could bring it back, but that Sony's engineering department didn't have a fix for the problem yet, and they didn't know when they would. They had him replace the light engine and lamp a second time, but he said that there was still a pinkish discoloration. So he said he'd just bring it back, and I should call Sony's Customer Service on Monday to make sure I'm on a list to be notified when a fix is available.
He was right. There was still a pink discoloration, but now there's a greenish blob, too, near the center of the screen, and when I was watching a movie, the light level in the letterboxing kept changing, alternating between solid black and a lighter, green-tinted black. I'm sure it was happening on the whole screen, but that's where it was most obvious.
Screw being put on a list. On Monday I'm calling Sony and telling them that I need a new TV or my money back. My warranty runs out on the 30th, and there's no way I'm going to be stuck with this lemon.
The question is, do I get them to replace my TV with the newer XBR2 (and a new warranty to go with it), go for another technology (probably at a smaller size), or try like heck to get my money back and buy another brand?
It's the most money I've spent on any single piece of electronics, so it really freaks me out that it's been issue after issue. I suppose that's the problem with getting cutting-edge technology.
Anyway, wish me luck for Monday, and I hope I haven't caused any of you to worry TOO much. This all just has me very perturbed.
