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Bravia X Series Patchy Backlight Bleed


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I am sorry to hear about your troubles Magictorch. I was worried about the returning of the TV, coz I dont have a car it can fit in. But JB were more than willing to send their delivery truck to swap out the TV. I was willing to pay the $25 delivery fee, but was not required.

Croops: My clouds were initially during channel changes, or really dark scenes. But it eventually turned into seeing the clouds during bright scenes, but with black parts mixed in... especially in the corners.

I tested out my new December build last nite, and I do see a small amount of cloudyness. Not nearly as bad, and as I have mentioned before, I havent had the chance to configure it properly. I think im just waiting for it to go bad, but the things I am seeing are just normal byproducts of the LCD production.

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Well, I went to David Jones to tell them about the cloudiness on my set. The junior staff seemed pretty sure that they wouldn't be able to help me as I'd had the TV for more than 4 weeks (they have some 4 week return-to-shop guarantee). A senior staff member intervened however, and said she could help me. She said she wanted a local, independent engineer to come and take a look at it. I spoke to them on the phone and gave them my details. They said they'd call back to arrange an appointment.

When they did, I asked what times outside of normal business hours they could come. They said that they only did house calls between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday which, coincidentally enough, is when I'm at work. I can't afford to take time off work to have an engineer tell me that there's something wrong with my set or, worse still, tell me I should just accept cloudiness because it's an LCD.

I'll have to go back to David Jones today and tell them that that's unacceptable to me and ask nicely if they can help me out any other way. I'm getting really concerned that I'm going to have to send the set back to the Sony Repair Centre, which will be difficult because I don't have a car, be without a TV for some unknown length of time, and I don't really feel that there's any guarantee I'll get a cloud-free set at the end of it...

UPDATE: It has occured to me that above-mentioned 'independent' engineer isn't actually indepedent at all, and is the local authorised Sony Repair Centre. I was under the impression they were both located in the same suburb so I really should have worked this out sooner.

I told DJs that I couldn't be there for the engineer between 9 and 5, and they said that they didn't really know how else they could help me. I asked if they could replace the faulty set that they sold me with a new one, and they said that they couldn't, because the warranty was Sony's and not theirs. They did suggest that I have the TV couriered to Sony, who are open on Saturday mornings (just not doing house calls). They even called up Sony and asked them how much I would need to pay for the privilege. Sony said that I would have to pay them $110 - each way.

So it looks like I'll be taking time off work then...

Would Sony's 1 year warranty cover all costs relating to the repair or transfer of your TV? I feel a bit unsure now because I bought the extra 4 year warranty with my Bravia X. Does that mean if I want to get my Bravia repaired/replaced for the backlight bleed or any other problems, I will have to pay extra for the transfer of my TV and/or the repair?

Magictorch I feel for you. Hopefully everything will be fixed.

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I am sorry to hear about your troubles Magictorch. I was worried about the returning of the TV, coz I dont have a car it can fit in. But JB were more than willing to send their delivery truck to swap out the TV. I was willing to pay the $25 delivery fee, but was not required.

Croops: My clouds were initially during channel changes, or really dark scenes. But it eventually turned into seeing the clouds during bright scenes, but with black parts mixed in... especially in the corners.

I tested out my new December build last nite, and I do see a small amount of cloudyness. Not nearly as bad, and as I have mentioned before, I havent had the chance to configure it properly. I think im just waiting for it to go bad, but the things I am seeing are just normal byproducts of the LCD production.

Templer, you say that you still have some clouds just not as bad. Is it mainly in the corners?

Would Sony's 1 year warranty cover all costs relating to the repair or transfer of your TV? I feel a bit unsure now because I bought the extra 4 year warranty with my Bravia X. Does that mean if I want to get my Bravia repaired/replaced for the backlight bleed or any other problems, I will have to pay extra for the transfer of my TV and/or the repair?

Magictorch I feel for you. Hopefully everything will be fixed.

Istress, an apprpriate name for an x series owner!! :blink:

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Would Sony's 1 year warranty cover all costs relating to the repair or transfer of your TV? I feel a bit unsure now because I bought the extra 4 year warranty with my Bravia X. Does that mean if I want to get my Bravia repaired/replaced for the backlight bleed or any other problems, I will have to pay extra for the transfer of my TV and/or the repair?

The warranty should cover the transfer of your tv if the repair agent feels that they have to take the unit away. Some agents can repair in-house, some can't, so you have to ask before you select an agent.

Then again, I have been told that 90% of the time they usually take the unit away anyway.

Magictorch, unfortunately that's the way any service business operates in Australia. 9-5pm Mon-Fri only, no ifs no buts, who cares if you're working during those time. You may even call yourself lucky they do 9-5, my service agent only do 9-12! No other way than making up stupid excuse to my boss. I told her my bathroom is leaking :blink: . I don't think it would go down well if I told her I am waiting for my tv to be fixed.

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When I made the appointment, the service centre told me that they would charge me a fee of $148 for a house visit if they didn't feel that the problem was a manufacturing fault - so I have even more hanging on the engineer guy agreeing that the cloudiness is not acceptable and not just something you have to accept with LCD TVs.

The appointment's on Monday morning and I'll be moving my TV over the weekend from the light, bright lounge with huge windows to the little windowless box room so I can show the guy what it looks like when I want to watch in the dark.

I guess my real issue is that I've bought quite an expensive TV (actually, it's the most expensive thing I've ever bought in my life!), and it doesn't work as it should, through no fault of my own, and it's covered by a warranty - but I'm finding it a lot harder to get it fixed or replaced than it should be. By the sounds of it other stores have replaced TVs without question and without suggesting that the customer should pay any more than they already have. I really wish that David Jones would take some advice from these businesses about customer service. I'll certainly think twice about buying electronics from them again. And if I incur any expenses in getting the problem solved I will definitely look at asking either Sony or David Jones to recompense me.

Anyway, I'll stop ranting now, and report back once I've had my TV checked! :blink:

Edited by magictorch
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When I made the appointment, the service centre told me that they would charge me a fee of $148 for a house visit if they didn't feel that the problem was a manufacturing fault - so I have even more hanging on the engineer guy agreeing that the cloudiness is not acceptable and not just something you have to accept with LCD TVs.

That's outrageous. $148! I suggest you find another service centre in your area - one that doesn't charge a visiting fee if it's not a manufacturing fault.

I had an intermittent problem with my AV2 component input a while ago. When my service agent arrived the problem conveniently disappeared. The agent said rather than taking the unit away, they just 'guessed' what the problem is and ordered a replacement processing board and install it at my place when it arrives.

I don't think DJ is also at fault here - I bought my set at HN and they only have 2 weeks return-to-shop policy compared to DJ's 4 weeks.

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That's outrageous. $148! I suggest you find another service centre in your area - one that doesn't charge a visiting fee if it's not a manufacturing fault.

I had an intermittent problem with my AV2 component input a while ago. When my service agent arrived the problem conveniently disappeared. The agent said rather than taking the unit away, they just 'guessed' what the problem is and ordered a replacement processing board and install it at my place when it arrives.

I don't think DJ is also at fault here - I bought my set at HN and they only have 2 weeks return-to-shop policy compared to DJ's 4 weeks.

Just like Foxtel, they will charge a fee if there is no fault on a call out also. Lots do its but agree its disgusting...We are talking a big LCD here, not a portable DVD player!!

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When I made the appointment, the service centre told me that they would charge me a fee of $148 for a house visit if they didn't feel that the problem was a manufacturing fault - so I have even more hanging on the engineer guy agreeing that the cloudiness is not acceptable and not just something you have to accept with LCD TVs.

The appointment's on Monday morning and I'll be moving my TV over the weekend from the light, bright lounge with huge windows to the little windowless box room so I can show the guy what it looks like when I want to watch in the dark.

I guess my real issue is that I've bought quite an expensive TV (actually, it's the most expensive thing I've ever bought in my life!), and it doesn't work as it should, through no fault of my own, and it's covered by a warranty - but I'm finding it a lot harder to get it fixed or replaced than it should be. By the sounds of it other stores have replaced TVs without question and without suggesting that the customer should pay any more than they already have. I really wish that David Jones would take some advice from these businesses about customer service. I'll certainly think twice about buying electronics from them again. And if I incur any expenses in getting the problem solved I will definitely look at asking either Sony or David Jones to recompense me.

Anyway, I'll stop ranting now, and report back once I've had my TV checked! :blink:

If the tv isn't right and doesn't meet your expectations then there is a manufacturing fault. Particularly when there are people out there getting perfect sets. When I look over the latest Sony Pulse magazine it would seem it is a big call from Sony to say it is not a manufacturing fault. I can't see that cloudy patches when watching dark images goes hand in hand with "realism accross the colour spectrum", "enhanced blacks", and "Sony has developed an improved backlight system"....

The first engineer that saw mine said it was just part of being an lcd. After weeks of checking them out in the stores and seeing that the majority don't have the problem I called Sony again and this time they took it in to have a look. The guys at the repair place could see it and apparently when the Sony engineer saw it he agreed it was a problem and now the lcd panel is being replaced.

I am sure it will work out, but I certainly wouldn't accept being told it is not a manufacturing fault. That was my first mistake.

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Guest ferret2

Have followed this thread since purchasing a 46X at the end of last December.

My set initially had mild cloudiness in the top left hand corner and somewhat more severe cloudiness in the bottom left hand. Over time, the bottom left hand corner cloudiness seemed to fade away leaving just the top left corner unchanged from the way it was on day one.

Even though I have some cloudiness I have to say I have never been able to notice it showing while a picture is on the screen though it must detract from the contrast ratio that Sony claim the X series can achieve. Compared to the pictures and experiences of others I would say I am reasonably lucky.

Anyway, I am a bit surprised no one else has noticed that Sony USA has acknowledged an issue with both the 40X and 46X - "under certain dark viewing conditions, especially blank screens with no video source, may cause the screens on some of these televisions to exhibit slightly uneven uniformity."

Important Information About Your Sony® BRAVIA™ Television!

Sony USA have stopped short of conceding a fault with these sets, at least for the moment, but those of you who need to argue the toss with the salesman at HN, Sony Central or wherever may like to draw this to their attention.

Sony USA suggest altering some settings. Personally I think this is BS as these setting only serve to mask the problem at the expense of picture brightness and contrast, go against their own factory settings as well as condradict their statement in their news alert that the X series "deliver the brightest picture possible, as well as exceptional picture clarity even in the darkest image sources. "

They also speak of a yet to be released firmware fix. I guess we can only wait to see what this turns out to be but I am skeptical that this could fix the problem.

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Have followed this thread since purchasing a 46X at the end of last December.

My set initially had mild cloudiness in the top left hand corner and somewhat more severe cloudiness in the bottom left hand. Over time, the bottom left hand corner cloudiness seemed to fade away leaving just the top left corner unchanged from the way it was on day one.

Even though I have some cloudiness I have to say I have never been able to notice it showing while a picture is on the screen though it must detract from the contrast ratio that Sony claim the X series can achieve. Compared to the pictures and experiences of others I would say I am reasonably lucky.

Anyway, I am a bit surprised no one else has noticed that Sony USA has acknowledged an issue with both the 40X and 46X - "under certain dark viewing conditions, especially blank screens with no video source, may cause the screens on some of these televisions to exhibit slightly uneven uniformity."

Important Information About Your Sony® BRAVIA™ Television!

Sony USA have stopped short of conceding a fault with these sets, at least for the moment, but those of you who need to argue the toss with the salesman at HN, Sony Central or wherever may like to draw this to their attention.

Sony USA suggest altering some settings. Personally I think this is BS as these setting only serve to mask the problem at the expense of picture brightness and contrast, go against their own factory settings as well as condradict their statement in their news alert that the X series "deliver the brightest picture possible, as well as exceptional picture clarity even in the darkest image sources. "

They also speak of a yet to be released firmware fix. I guess we can only wait to see what this turns out to be but I am skeptical that this could fix the problem.

Thanks for that Ferret2. Interesting to hear of their so called acknowledgment of the problem and regarding the firmware fix i will believe it when i see it.

I have not followed this as closley in the US but as a fellow 46" owner i must say its a fantastic panel if only they can get this issue under control....

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Magictorch vs Sony Update

The engineer guy came round to see the TV.

He said that the cloudiness was "not severe, but still noticeable", and that backlight bleedthrough was to be expected - the bleeding in my set was "in the upper range of normal".

He phoned his boss to ask what to do about it and they decided to take the set back to the workshop to assess whether the bleeding falls within Sony's acceptable standards or not. I asked whether he thought it was likely to pass or fail and he said it was "borderline".

I'm hoping that the guy was just being cagey about admitting that the set is faulty and once they get it back to the workshop they'll decide that it needs to be repaired or replaced.

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Guest Wongstar

I got a 40x with a December 06 build date. No dead pixels or inconsistant backlight bleeding. Fine tuned my set with some settings a forum member posted and its even better! Guess i was one of the lucky ones.

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Magictorch vs Sony Update

The engineer guy came round to see the TV.

He said that the cloudiness was "not severe, but still noticeable", and that backlight bleedthrough was to be expected - the bleeding in my set was "in the upper range of normal".

He phoned his boss to ask what to do about it and they decided to take the set back to the workshop to assess whether the bleeding falls within Sony's acceptable standards or not. I asked whether he thought it was likely to pass or fail and he said it was "borderline".

I'm hoping that the guy was just being cagey about admitting that the set is faulty and once they get it back to the workshop they'll decide that it needs to be repaired or replaced.

:blink: That stinks MagicTorch. I'd be firm with them and tell them it's just not good enough. This aint a Chinese TV from K-Mart! Hope it works out for you. Let us know how you go.

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Magictorch vs Sony Update

The engineer guy came round to see the TV.

He said that the cloudiness was "not severe, but still noticeable", and that backlight bleedthrough was to be expected - the bleeding in my set was "in the upper range of normal".

He phoned his boss to ask what to do about it and they decided to take the set back to the workshop to assess whether the bleeding falls within Sony's acceptable standards or not. I asked whether he thought it was likely to pass or fail and he said it was "borderline".

I'm hoping that the guy was just being cagey about admitting that the set is faulty and once they get it back to the workshop they'll decide that it needs to be repaired or replaced.

I would love to know what they classify as "acceptable standards". i did not know there was a scale. Its either patchy or not. Simple you would think.

be tough with them. They will try anything to avoid replacing or fixing the panel.

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Mine is an august build and the patchyness is only visible between inputs and very mild. Actually as time goes by it is reducing. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

Ditto here

When I first got my set and was following this thread - I didn't notice any initially...

then I did notice some - but more in between inputs or when there was no feed. I did 'think' I saw it with a couple of DVDs (top right quadrant)... but haven't really seen it since... occasionally I look for it... but it hasn't bothered me. When watching one particular DVD it was more noticeable in the top right "black band" of a 14:9 film.

Here is hoping I never have to re-read all the fine print of this thread and my extended warranty.

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Time for a quick update - called HNs who gave me the Sony number to call, took their 'advice' to leave the TV on for 40 hours (gave it 3 days!) to fix the 'mura effect' issue which they called it - their explanation was that its a problem that occurs during the production process when the panels are stored in a high humidity environment... alrighty then, I though...

So after the 3 days the problem was still there, so called Sony again who logged a call for me with an authorised repair centre - the dude came out last week to take a look, showed him some photos of the problem and he's like yep, its a problem alright, we'll organise a replacement for you :blink: - now his explanation was the bleed occurs when the diffusion plate (used to evenly distribute the light across the panel) has any ever-so-slight kinks or or defects - the light then cannot be evenly diffused and forms 'puddles' - ie our friend the backlight bleed...

Hopefully get replacement soon, will keep this thread up to date with progress.

Hope the above info can help some of you with your own situation :D

Cheers

Ross

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I found this today, via a link in AVForum:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/news-item...mp;news_id=168#

hmmmm... roughly translated: Turn down all the settings so that it looks like one of those Chinese TVs you can buy at Kmart. If you can still see the problem we'll send you a firmware update that will allow those settings to go even lower than they can now... therefore reducing the brightness of your picture to unimaginably low levels of gloom. But the Sony logo will still be shiny and lit like magic in the glass, so that's alright. :blink:

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