SONY SXRD 60"...WOW!!!

I use a low cherry media table that has doors with my electronics inside, so a stand like the one sold via eBay wouldn't really work unless I removed it once I watched a movie.

It could be a solution once I go real flat panel but it would be a pain to have to move the speaker away from the front of the furniture every time we finish a DVD. I use my SXRD TV speakers for regular TV.

The way I have it now, the Onix sits on top of the very rugged XBR1 on a metal shelf that I bought thru CC. Its worked like a charm for years now.

But the TV has to be very well built. The first SXRD's were built like tanks (just after the Qualia).

Not sure if the later SXRD's were as well built.

 

We use them at work for Q/C (mainly rating noise, in an effort to predict how noisy HD transfers will look on an "average" consumer set).

I still don't think color accuracy is perfect on plasma, but it's acceptable. I'd also say the current Panasonics are getting very close to matching Pioneer's best sets.

LCD is still terrible for viewing angle and black level detail. That having been said, I use them every day for computer use, and they're OK for what they are.

 

My SXRD has been acting strangely the last month or so. While watching a program, the picture goes off - and the green light is blinking (just like when the TV is first turned on). After about ten seconds the picture comes back. It is acting like it is being turned off and then immediately back on.

I doubt that it has anything to with it, but each time this has happened I have been watching DirecTV.

Just wondering if anyone has had this happen?

 

Could be one of the fans acting up. If you have a service contract, have them check it out.

 

TERRIBLE?.....Depends on what set you are looking at and how recent it is. Most good brands have GREAT black level. Most lower priced ones its just fair or sorta bad. Older ones almost consistently are not that great. As far as viewing angle, im not sure what you are seeing. Most LCDs ive watched had decent viewing angle especially at any NORMAL viewing angles you actually want to use to watch tv with. Yes they cant have the widest viewing angle such as a plasma, because of the design tradeoffs and so on, but once you see a plasma with burn in, yikes...!!....and ive never seen a plasma that TRULY could get REALLY bright as some LCDs can.

 

- I wouldn't call LCD black level great compared to current plasma, just great compared to old LCD. Backlight distribution uniformity is still an issue as well.
- Current plasma is miles beyond old plasma re: burn-in. I play videogames on my plasma and have never had burn-in.
- Per the ISF a plasma is as bright as a display device should be. If you have even a normal amount of light control (blinds, drapes) there is no issue. If you are letting direct sunlight shine into the viewing area you could seek a brighter device, but you are depriving yourself of the best viewing experience.

 

I've had something like that recently. I figured it was my cable service(I've never noticed it on a DVD or blu-ray disc). The screen goes dark but it's only about 3-4 seconds(seems like it's longer though). I haven't noticed the green light flashing but I'll look next time. It might happen once or twice in a two-three hour viewing session.

 

Last year my Sony KV-29CL11K (tube) started to do that thing often (Actually, it did that once a month or so from the beginning.)
The screen would turn off for 2 seconds and back.
As far I can remember, the green "stand-by" light was on when the screen was off too.
It wasn't very pleasant. I was a little bit frightened the Sony would blow up...
It looked to me like some protection circuit in action.
The problem went away after I set "Cut-off brightness" in the service menu to the maximum. Actually, I'm trying to remember if it ever happened since and I can't...

P.S. Why did you remember me about it?
I completely forgot...
Yeah, it wasn't pleasant at all.
When I watch a movie, I roll down the curtain, turn the lights off and sit very close. (It's a 29-inch 50Hz TV-set, I like my picture interlaced.)
You can imagine how the tube going off with the sound of some sort of electrostatic discharge would frighten me...

 

Do you know approximately how many hours you have on your lamp (there is a way to check this through the T.V.'s service menu)? Have you noticed the picture dimming at all? My SXRD did the same thing about 2 weeks ago until finally I heard a "pop" and the screen went completely black and the green LED kept blinking. Turns out all of that was the lamp going out. I had about 6500 hours on my original lamp.

Incidentally, lamp replacement is a breeze. Took me about 5 minutes.

 

Has anyone had their OB replaced on their XBR1? I'm afraid mine is quietly dying....

 

My OB on my original XBR1 from Oct 05 was replaced after 2 years (the green blob). Now I have a pinkish hue but thats ok.

TV is still going strong 4 years later. I'll hate to replace this TV.

 

UPDATE: Had my OB replaced mid-May and the set looks better than ever...for as long as it lasts.

 

yep, it took about a week for my new OB (replaced 2 years ago) to burn in but my picture has been superb since that time.

My warranty ends in 10/10 so you know what will happen......by 11/10 the set will go on the blink and the warranty will be over.

In the meantime we're still enjoying the last of the great SXRD's.

 

Everytime I go out looking at televisions, nothing quite campares to the look of this beauty!

 

Yes it's very easy. It makes sense to me to always keep a spare bulb around. It's only a matter of time, and the hope is that the bulb is the weakest link.

We already know the fan is problematic. It's not expensive, but a fairly complicated procedure just to get the back cover off to do the replacement. I have a spare fan as well.

Hopefully the rest of the set will stay viable for many years to come but who knows. Old CRT TV's could easily last 15 or 20 year though surely all don't.

 

yeah, I bought a spare bulb thru Sony and of course PC Richards will replace my bulb for free as long as the warranty lasts.

My newer OB has been very stable so the main fly in the ointment could be the fans which did act up in the past and at least one was replaced.

 

What was the cost for replacing the OB? I unwisely didn't get any extended warranty so I need to replace mine after owning the set for 2-3/4 years. From what I have been reading it is not IF the OB needs be replaced, but is WHEN it needs to be replaced.

 

If you don't have an extended warranty thru the store you bought the TV, try contacting Sony. The XBR's were given an extended warranty for free by Sony when it became known that the original OB's were defective.

 

Hey guys, last night my 55" SXRD went black. It had been getting dimmer for a while, but still plenty bright when sitting directly in front of the TV.

TV was purchased in March 2008, and it's probably on a total of about 12 hours a day, so if my usage estimates and math are in the ballpark, it lasted about 6,000 hours over about 500 days. It just clicked off without any warning, the screen went black, sound stopped, and the green light started flashing.

Does this mean my OB needs to be replaced, or does it sound like something different?

 

This means your lamp has gone out. I had to replace mine a year ago. If you go on-line you should be able to find a replacement lamp for under $200.

 

Hi Marty, thanks for the reply. When I did my research on this TV set (especially from reports on this Thread), I figured I would need a bulb replacement in a year, so I bought a 3-year Mack (bulb) Warranty, good for up to two bulbs through March of 2011.

At this rate, it looks like I'll use them both.

I called Mack Warranty, they sent me an email with a Form to fill out and email back to them with copies (Adobe PDF) of my Mack Warranty Card, Confirmation of Warranty Registration and a copy of the Warranty Purchase Receipt.

If I understood correctly, they will ship a replacement bulb out to me, and I am supposed to install it myself (I've never worked on TV's before...), and then send the dead bulb back to Mack.

So far, no hassles from Mack, we'll see how the rest of the process goes...

 

I took advantage of the Sony's free OB replacement in May 2009...deal was up the end of June. 90 day warranty came with the replacement. My Best Buy EW was up the end of October 2009, and I decided to renew it for another 3 years...given the history of these optical blocks. And there are the fans, etc. that could go out also. It might be money wasted, but it gives me piece of mind for the next 3 years. By then, I'll be ready to move on to something new.

 

I was able to take advantage of the free OB replacement last month, October 2009. Sony has extended the warranty on the OB until June 2010. I can't believe there is not as much publicity about this. I had never gotten an EW so I thought I would be "screwed" when it came to replacing the OB.

 

Thats great news....I didn't know that. My current warranty ends next year, so far so good with my SXRD. It has had 1 OB replacement so far (got rid of the green blob) and I'm on my second bulb.

 

My replacement bulb process went smoothly via the Mack extended warranty, and the TV is working fine for now. I didn't know about the free replacements from Sony, or about that offer being extended to June of 2010.

Does everyone qualify for the bulb replacement from Sony, or only people who purchased between certain specified dates, or only people who purchased directly from Sony, etc.?