Hey thank you for putting this info on your site. I have already had Best Buy to replace my KDSR50XBR1 hdtv once already and I am starting to have the same problem. Bottom right corner has Yellow stains all around the corner. I have already called Best Buy and all they are doing is sending me to the same TV repair outfit again. The first time I had no TV for four to five weeks until I went off on Best Buy and they replaced it. Know what do I do go off again and get the same tv back and have the same problem later on. Do you know where I can get more info on Lawsuit?

I bought one in june 07, the next week i returned it and bought pioneer elite. No comparission.

i just purchased a sony sxrd50…. . after reading your article about sony’s optical block issue and lawsuit, and that toshiba is pulling out of the dlp market, should i keep my set or return it. i still have two weeks to return it.
thanks,
larry

Up to you,  BTW Toshiba will be supplying parts and service on its rear projectors for years and its closeout have some outstanding low prices.

The HD Guru 

I bought the xbr50 1.5 years ago. I have always noticed the lower right has a noticeable yellow tinge when the screen is colored white. Is this the optical issue?
I’m searching the forums because today the TV won’t turn on. The green lamp blinks then goes steady green, a picture with sound appears then the TV switches off. The power lamp flashes red.
Very poor performance for a 18 month old TV costing $2,000

HEY CHUCK HERE IS THE SITE FOR MORE INFO ON SONY LAW SUIT http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/5135

Our 2 year old 60XBR1 recently experienced the same latent fault – right side yellow staining, eventual shut down w/ the red flash error code. Called problem in 10 days ago. The Optical Block (OB) will be replaced, under warranty, tomorrow. I’ll be curious to see if the new OB has the same part number. Can anyone confirm if the replacement OBs contain a redesign to correct the root cause or am I just buying time until the new OB begins to break down as well? Based on all the blogs I’ve read several folks are now on their third OB and now there are over 200K sets affected. I felt we did alot of research on this set a few years ago. First the undisclosed 1080 input limitation and now this fiasco.

My Sony KDS-R50XBR1 has a washed out image in the upper left side of the screen(almost the shape of a face). When direct sunlight is shining on the screen you can see it even when the tv is off. When the tv is on the colors appear washed out in this particular area, at night you don’t notice any defects.I feel that the light is being refracted causing this issue.It’s at a SONY dealer and they think this is normal.When I spent the big bucks they said a room with this type of sun should not effect the quality……….Ever hear of this one?

My Sony KDS-R50XBR1 has a washed out image in the upper left side of the screen(almost the shape of a face). When direct sunlight is shining on the screen you can see it even when the tv is off. When the tv is on the colors appear washed out in this particular area, at night you don’t notice any defects.I feel that the light is being refracted causing this issue.It’s at a SONY dealer and they think this is normal.When I spent the big bucks they said a room with this type of sun should not effect the quality……….Ever hear of this one?

I have a KDSR50XBR1 50″ bought 6/17/2006. I’ve getting this yellow tint,it discolor’s the flesh tones,when I bought this it was perfect I never had to adjust any thing. Calles Sony,they gave me a service center number,I called and it was over 200 miles away,they won’t travel that far.Called Sony back,gave a Sears number,I called them they want over 100.00 just to come out.I don’t think so.I do have a 5yr warranty from ABC Warehouse,guess I will use that.Sony sent me a customer survey,I told them I would never buy another Sony Product. Good luck to all that have this problem!

I purchased the first Sony SXRD 50A2000 in San Antonio, purchase date August 2006. This model in the past few weeks has developed the yellow/green staining in the bottom right corner. I have been unable to find any information as to whether Sony intends to cover this model series. If anyone has any information I would greatly appreciate it. This might be the next wave of issues. Looks like all their HD rear projection tv’s are failing.

I bought my Sony SXRD 50″ back in January 2006. I purchased the extended warrranty from Circuit City. After I started having the yellowing problem I called their repair people (1-800-firedog) & set up a date for them to come out & take a look at it. About 1/2 hr later one of their techs called me back & after telling him the trouble he said they know about this problem. I gave him the serial # of the set, they had someone out in just over a week to fix it. They said the have not had any trouble with this problem after installing the new improve part. The picture looks great. Time will tell.

Sony customer service need a new “optical” change. They seem not to worry about the customers anymore. I back the lawsuit 110% and hope Sony replaces my TV with Panasonic (yea right)

I HAVE A SONY SXRD SET PURCHASED APRIL 2006 AND THE GREEN YELLOW TINT HAS APPEARED,ACTUALLY IT APPEARED 1 MONTH AGO BUT TECH.HELP WOULD RUN ME THROUGH POWER RESETS AND HDMI RESETS AND THE PROBLEM WAS STILL THERE,NOW I AM WAITING FOR SERVICE WHICH HAS TOLD ME THEY DON’T SERVICE MY AREA,RURAL,SO SONY REP.WILL BE CONTACTING ME WITHIN 3 DAYS I WILL REPORT OUTCOME,I AM IN LAWSUIT
AND WILL BE PATIENT IF THIS ISSUE IS RESOLVED.

YOU NEED YOUR OPTICAL BLOCK REPLACED JUAN..IT IS DEFECTIVE AND SONY KNOWS IT.. THEY ARE BEING SUE IN A CLASS ACTION SUIT OVER THE GREEN TINT ISSUE..
THEY MUST REPLACE IT FREE AND THE WARRANTY EXTENDS TO OCT 2009…(FOR THAT PROBLEM) I THNK IT SHOULD BE LONGER…IF IT BREAKS DOWN TWICE THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE SET!!

I purchased my SXRD 50″ in Dec of 05. We thought
the problem was a bad lamp until we received
email fron Sony notifying of the class action
suit. Called Sony warranty and they verified that
it was optical block problem. Yellow and green
tint all across the picture. Sony gave us a local
video shop that immediately ordered the block and
will be out in just a few days. They said there would be “no charge”. It is approx. a $1000 fix
without warranty per this shop. Hope the new optical block is a long term fix. Have never had
problems with Sony products before. Pretty sad for
a high buck set like this!

I PURCHASED A SONY LCD HD TV MODEL#42-WE655 ON 2-10-05. WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY. DO NOT BUY THIS TV. THE LAMP BLOWS OUT TWICE A YEAR AND COST $200 EACH TIME TO REPLACE THE LAMP. WHEN I CALLED SONY TO SEE IF SOMETHING MIGHT BE WRONG WITH THE TV. CUSTOMER SERVICE REPLIED THAT YOU HAVE TO LIMIT THE TIME THE SET IS ON . THIS IS INSANE AND IF THIS IS SO WHY WAS’NT WE TOLD ABOUT THE TIME LIMIT AT PURCHASE? WHY WOULD ANYONE PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS NOT TO TV OR PAY AN EXTRA $400 A TO WATCH TV. SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR SOMETHING YOU CAN ENJOY NOT A SONY.

I purchased the kds 60″ in dec 2005. I have never been satisfied w/this tv. Most of the hd chanels (as few as there were at the time) were pretty good, however, the hue colors have always been off in my opinion no matter how I adusted it and believe me I spent a lot of time on it. I was trying to return it to Sears around christmas and after numerous time being put on hold. I decided to keep it thinking that it is because it is hd and eventually all others stations would be good. I have always had a green hue, no matter how it was adjusted, however it became really bad, not being able to see true black colors. I contacted sony last week who gave me a tv repair shop number. The tv was fixed free of charge and the black color has returned right. I still am not happy with all of the colors however and wished with all my heart I would have returned. One thing the people who set it up, took the box and there would have been a charge for not having it. Long story short (too late) I wished I would have returned it and bought something else. I paid $5000.00 for it.

my SXRD 50 sony is about 14 months old has total green picture people are green everything is. paid 2,999.00 at circut city optical block is out also tv was turning itself on and off by its self every 30 minutes bulb going out,called circut city have warranty with them, guy comes out after 10 days tells me what i have already read here 25 days later there going to be here tomorrow to repair using refurbished parts,circut city said that i should have read my fine print on contract when i bought tv well long story made short i told her i did and also it states that i have to be satified when service is over well i will never be with this tv not until they replace it with a lcd i will make there days a living nightmare until i die or someone at there service center does of a heart attack if every body on this page would stand up for there consumer rights and make them replace these tvs maybe sony and the rest of them would think twice about selling junk to us.Just like several retail stores are still selling these junk piles and telling me theres no problems with them ,i have been threw out of stores over this issue and do call sony everydayyyyyyyyyyyy.

I’ve had the Sony KDS-R50XBR1 for about a year,had lamp replaced 4months ago,optical block replaced 4 weeks ago,and now the picture is noticably less sharp and washed out in high def.the tech i called said block replacement should have resolved any picture issues and i should call my local service rep. I think i’ll have to wait for law suit to resolve if they just keep putting faulty parts in and not living up to their quality standards. VERY diapointed with sony and am probably never buying sony again.Wish i hadnt bought a playstation 3 and got a xbox 360 with highdef dvd if my blue rays arent going to look high def anyway!

I’ve had the Sony KDS-R60XBR1 for two years,had lamp and optical block replaced a week ago. The colors have been corrected but the picture is no where near what it was. HD is now fuzzy and SD looks even worse. I have a second call in to double check the OB. Has anyone else had the same problem? This was a $4500 TV two years ago. What a waste. I would never have thought this of Sony.

Bought my 60″ sxrd br1 dec of 2005 ($6000 cdn) – started getting a yellow/green tinge over the whoke screen about a month ago (about 6000 hrs of use). Figured it was the bulb. Had to order bulb from the states (canadian customer – Toronto) Bulb didn’t correct the problem. Guess it’s the OB. I hope Sony Canada will abide by the US class action suit findings.

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Yep, me too. I bought my TV about 2 years ago for about 4200 dollars. It started to change to a green tent in about 8 months, it wasn’t bad just noticeable. I started to notice when it got bad blocks of the screen where getting greener and yellow. Finally the light above the lamp marker near the power button was blinking and the screen went blank. So, i called Sony and Sound Advice/Tweeter(where I bought it) and they both said i need to order a lamp. So i did for 250 dollars. Well the lamp was installed and still no screen and the light continues to flash. Sony made no mention of this extended warrantee now that i see that everyone who bought this TV has the same exact PROBLEM. From the looks of it do not waste your time fixing it. They are sending the same old part that went bad in the first place and you will be right back where you left off in another year. Demand a new TV and if you still have the in store warrantee demand a new TV there. If there is a class action for our money back I am game.

Is there any news on a class action for this case?

I’ve had the KDSR60XBR1 for about 1.5 years now and unlike most here, I have LOVED it. A really great picture with sharp lines on DirectTV HD. …. However I had to replace the lamp 2 months ago and now I’ve got (ewww) >>…

I have had my 50″ xbr for since December of 2005. About 3 months ago it started showing a green hue from the center of the screen all the way to the right side. I had the lamp changed and there was no improvement. I can’t believe that so many people are having the same problem. I’m going to make Sony aware of the problem and see what they do about it! I will post the outcome.

I have had the KDS-R60BXR1 for almost 2 years and I have had nothing but problems (not to self…invest in the extended service plan). I have lost a total of about 4 months of viewing with this TV because of service problems (2 months when I first bought it and now). First, I had to deal with the dreaded optical block problem, which took 6 weeks to fix due to backorders. Secondly; the TV’s picture started degrading which resulted in the lamp blowing out, which i was told should have happened sooner since we use the TV roughly 16 hours per week. Now, the lamp light keeps blinking four times and the TV does not turn on. The recommendation on the internet and sony (power off, unplug, wait, plug in, yada yada) only works some of the time. Sony says this is a problem unrelated to the Optical issue and I will have to get someone to service the TV again. I called several authorized service centers. Each one informed me that this too is a known issue related either a fan malfunction or some type of electrical part issue. Either one would cost roughly $800-1,200 to fix. This is nuts. Another class-action lawsuit should be filed.

[...] Original post by unknown [...]

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I have a KDS-R50XBR1 with a picture that has a green tint to it everywhere. Do you think this is a potential optical block problem. I called the repair person in my area to see if my set is covered in the extended warranty. He said it depends on the serial number. That is 9014247. He hasn’t called back yet but I would like to know your thoughts.

Thank you

Jeff,

It sounds like you are having the same problem with the optical block as many have. The green tint is a big sign. I don’t know when you purchased it, but Sony will replace without being under warranty due to the high volumn of tv’s with this problem. I suggest calling Sony as I did and telling them the problem, they gave me some Sony tv repair numbers and they checked it out and fixed it free as they should!

after 8 month they replaced the optical block on my xbr1 60 9 months later first colors washed out and tv went blank stand by bulb flashes 4 times

Does anyone know if the same company makes these Optical blocks for Sony and Hitachi since both seem to have the same yellow splotch problem?

I bought the KDS-R50XBR in January of 2006. In the past month, the color in the center started to go yellow. The service man came and took one look and said he would be back in a few days with a new part. He came yesterday and replaced the optical block and the set is back to its great picture.

Sony’s website shows the class action lawsuit has been settled and the warranty on the optical block has been extended to June 30, 2009.
Check esupport.sony.com for details.

this is the best part. i have the xbr2 this is the improved optical block that they are using to fix the xbr1’s with. and GUESS WHAT!!!!!! AFTER 18 MONTHS OF USAGE MY XBR2 HAS A GREEN AND YELLOWISH TINT ON THE SCREEN AND ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO GOT YOUR TV’S REPAIRED ARE GOING TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AGAIN BECAUSE THE XBR2 HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE XBR1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is the best part. i have the xbr2 this is the improved optical block that they are using to fix the xbr1’s with. and GUESS WHAT!!!!!! AFTER 18 MONTHS OF USAGE MY XBR2 HAS A GREEN AND YELLOWISH TINT ON THE SCREEN AND ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO GOT YOUR TV’S REPAIRED ARE GOING TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AGAIN BECAUSE THE XBR2 HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE XBR1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought my KDS-R60XBR1 back in Feb 2006. About 18months later my screen started having a green tint around the screen. Luckly they had that extended warranty on the optical block cause that’s exactly what it was. A tech came out within the week and changed it out. The picture looked great after the change out, but now my freaken TV doesn’t turn on. The green light will blink for about 100 times and then blinks red. Can someone tell me what the problem might be? Do I need to change out the lamp.

Been there done that….My OB & fans were replaced on my KDS-R50XBR1 after 24+ months running.Looks great now but WHAT IF? From what I’ve read I think I will keep my xtended warranty (ends 1/2010),even though Sony has xtended OB warranty to 06/09 and offered consumers cash reimbursement paid for any warranty plans.(If I cash in now, I’ll be going 6 months on my own!) I can’t say that there have been any product improvements on the OB to prevent failure reoccurance. (at least from what I read here)
Would appreciate any comments

I had my OB replaced about 9mo ago. The yellow had creeped to the entire screen.
Now I have a yellowish round blob in the upper left quadrant. Not too bad though.

My real issue is 1080P. I can’t seem to get 1080P from my PS3 with HDMI cable.
Is this possibly a related issue?
Or am I missing something somewhere?(I’d prefer this one as it’s quicker and easier to fix me! )

My Sony SXRD KDSX50-XBR1 was purchased in Jan 2006, I have yet to experience any of the yellow tint or other noted color issues, however, whenI turn on the TV 7 out of 10 times, the entire screen is bright green, to correct the problem and get the picture on I have to scroll thru the programmed channels (Video 1, Video 2, Aux, ect) back to the setting of my HD DVR box. Does this have anything to do with the Optical Block? Im getting curious because I see the extension on the warranty of this TV is nearing its end. If anyone can relate or knows what I am talking about Please let me know what you think. Thank You in advance for your help.

Jason,
Don’t hesitate to call Sony. Otherwise, it will be too late. I had the optical block replaced twice. It corrected the yellow tint across the bottom of the screen. But new ones had pink tint in the middle. I did’ny want a third optical block so Sony replaced my TV for a 52XBR5 for 1/3 the retail price. Now, I’m happy with the new XBR5. And, oh by the way, the old 50XBR1 Sony said I can keep it if I send them the model and serial number tag. So I did and after calibrating it and tweaking the old SXRD, the pink tint is barely noticeable. It now resides in the bedroom. So, Jason go for it call Sony and be persistent.

Is there a place to purchase the fan on the kds-r50xbr1 ?

ortsac, thanks for the advise. I have an appointment set up for next week for someone to come out and diagnose the TV. I was a little annoyed when the guy told me that there was a fee for the evaluation and he didnt know how much it was. Oh well, we will see what happens. Thanks again.

Just had full credit given by Best Buy for the replacement of my SXRD 60. Luckily I brought the extended warranty and Best Buy cough up the full amount that I paid for the TV towards purchase of new TV. I had the optic bloc replaced twice in 2 years of ownership and the bulb once. This TV is truly a piece of junk. What a great picture that only last a few months.

Ok, so for starters, I bought my 60xbr1 late 2006, from Best Buy in Fresno which I was sold on the idea that I get what I pay for, buy the best, most reliable and dependable, 1080P, perfect match for the new BluRay or PS3, SONY WEGA XBR!! Now, thinking that after I bought this TV, it would be a while before I could afford a PS3 or BluRay player but I had bigger plan in store and the TV was the first step. I already owned a Sony 7.1 digital receiver, DVD recorder, DVD Carousel player and VCR as my living room component system with all Sony speakers to top it off.
After a couple months of ownership, I noticed the green haze at the bottom right of my screen. I had gone into Best Buy where I bought the TV and inquired on the green haze and the tech support (geek squad, as they say) said to try maneuvering my A/V equipment and maybe that was interfering with my TV. SO, I did that and trying to run all my wiring around the TV as to try to stay as far away from any A/V cords and such. This of course didn’t have any effect. Thinking that this was somehow my doing, I lived with it until I called Sony and of course, we were just outside of our warranty for them to do anything and they said they could send someone out at my cost. Again, I called Best Buy and their response was that I should have bought the extended warranty and that they could send someone out at my cost. Also, I had a problem with the TV where it would shut off when it wanted to and that it would flash a red stand by light 4 times whenever it wanted. Some days the TV worked fine and once in a while the TV would not turn on at all. Now, after getting the bad news that Sony and Best Buy would not stand behind what they sold to me, I resorted to a local TV repairman who said, “Oh yea, I’ve worked on a few of these already, it’s gonna cost over a thousand dollars to fix it and I would recommend just replacing the TV. Oh, and by the way, the PS3 and the BluRay player will not work with this TV as it will only receive a 1080i signal”. After hearing this, I was appalled, I felt so duped into buying this $4000 piece of Sony, I just could not believe it. He also told me that the bulb for this TV will go out earlier than what Sony sold us on as well and it will cost $250 to replace so plan on it. After this, I went ahead and bought a Vizio that is built right here in the USA, in SoCal no less. I mounted this in our bedroom as a back up for when the Sony would fail. The TV getting worse day by day, the green blob popping up all over the TV. Myself and my wife also called Best Buy and Sony and pleaded our case in the first part of this year. And once again, we were told that we should have bought the extended warranty and that they were not liable for anything. SO we lived with it up ’til May of this year when we moved to Galt and after 3 weeks here, the bulb went out, (big surprise, the repairman was right). We let the TV sit in the living room, disconnected, until I got a wild hair and searched the internet to find the answer and see if anyone else had the same problem and what the fix was if I could perform it on my own (I am an RV Technician by trade, I have worked on similar systems before). Not only did I find a website with inexpensive service manuals for anything imaginable, but I found this website as well as the website for the class action lawsuit. My wife and I again called Sony and Best Buy and this time, BestBuy said to talk to Sony about the lawsuit and that they were not involved with the lawsuit, and Sony said that we would have to fix the TV, bulb and other problems before they could diagnose the Optical Block and repair that problem as that is the only item in the lawsuit. Now, my b-day was a few weeks ago and my mom, feeling pity for me and my wife and our poor investment, went ahead and bought a new bulb for us to install in the TV. After I did this, the TV was clear, no blob, no haze, but I found out, with the help of my xbox 360, there is no such thing as 1080P on this TV. And in viewing the TV in HD 1080i, there were still artifacts from not being as clear a picture as what “Full 1080P HD” really is. I have seen what it is like when viewing things on my computer or on my friend’s Samsung that is Full HD 1080P. I can’t believe, I had even bought an upconvert DVD player a few months after I had bought this TV thinking that it was going to give me a better picture because I was dissatisfied with the results. And for Sony’s website to say that the TV upconverts to the native resolution… What a load of crap. Now, a few days after I replaced the bulb, the TV started showing the green haze at the bottom right of the screen, and the TV started shutting off again, even after I had cleaned the inside of the back of the TV where the service manual said that the fan is the issue and the TV may be overheating. In talking with a few consumers online here, I have found that the optical block is the overheating issue, this is causing the problem and now the wear and tear of the TV causing it to come up with more problems that will be in effect even if Sony replaces the OB. Has anyone been here before? What was Sony willing to do? What are my rights? I am so frustrated as to not be a Best Buy customer and nor have I bought anything Sony since finding Sony ducking and covering the first call to them. I would like to have the confidence to buy Sony again, but I am not so sure at this point. The first TV I bought was a Sony Wega (first gen. flat CRT screen) 32″ almost 10 years ago. It is still going strong. How could Sony do this to so many people? Make a product that will only last through some BS maneuvers of telling consumers that “we” hooked up something wrong and buying time until the product is out of warranty so consumers will be forced into buying a new product. Not very good PR if you ask me. By the way, put a $10 fan in behind the TV and the 4 flashes of red will be seldom, but it does come back. This should be included in the lawsuit as well…

My SXRD 55″ has operated flawlessly for the last 2 years, however today the TV clicked and the screen went black. I had noticed earlier in the day it seemed a bit darker than usual. I tried on and off and then got green light flashing on console. Retried and then red flashing. I am assuming this is the lamp. I have not noticed the green tinges on the screen everyone is talking about. Am I right on my diagnosis.

bought the 60 incher in jan 2006

great until june 2008

green tint

optical block replaced 3 days ago and now the picture is soft,fuzzy on hd and worst on regulas tv.

what a piece of sony ……

another class action lawsuit ???

I have had the green/yellow blob and have had the OB replaced. Then the off/on blinking stand-by light. 100 dollars just to tell me that its over heating, couldn’t tell me that over the phone. I found this sight, and lost my cool and threw the tv off of my porch. In the morning I will pick up the pieces and pay to have them shipped to sony headquarters. I will not get any of my money back, but watching that set explode was the only joy I got out of owning it. Not recomending this to everyone, but it helped me.

Ok, the 4 blinks come back every so often. The blasted fan has a hard time starting even if I have another fan blowing with it as well. I tap the side of the set, just to the side of the fan and it kicks on when I push the on button first. When I opened the back of the set up, the fan was clean, and the connections were good. I assume the fan is either weak or the power supply ballast is going out. The Sony repairman is going to be here Thursday and he will take care of the OB and take a look at the fan situation. I hope this fixes this TV for a while. My Vizio is top notch though, every once in a while as the set heats up, it will start to hum, but I move the set on the cantilever wall mount that I have connected to it and the humming stops until the next time it decides to do it. My buddy bought a Bravia LCD flat panel with 1080P and it sucks. Not near as quality as my Vizio Plasma that simply displays in 1080I. I just don’t understand how Sony execs are thinking. When the quality slips and you are just selling a name, sooner than later, people get the idea and start buying other brands. I am sad to say that I probably will not buy another Sony product again, just on that basis. I have become a smarter consumer, researching on the internet and reading magazine consumer reports. Thanks for reading.

Does the class action cover other models? I have a SXRD KDS-60A2000 and the thing just crapped out on me. Bought this unit on August of ‘06.

my grandmother bought the 55A2000 in February 2007. About a week ago, the screen went black. nothing at all projected.

she called the store she bought it from & they told her she has to replace the lamp. the lamp costs $300+. She got a warranty from the store for “tv Repair”– but the store owners say the warranty doesn’t cover the lamp. she would have had to purchased a separate warranty for the lamp.

this is absurd!

the lamp is IN the tv. the lamp is HOW images are projected on the tv. so, why isn’t it included in the store’s warranty?

my grandmother can’t afford to spend $300 every year! and she shouldn’t have to. she wanted this to be her last tv (her other one lasted 15+ years & she did repair it every time it needed repair. she moved from one state to her current one with that tv. i say this to illustrate that she is not wasteful and would rather repair items than throw them away. however, investing repair money in an item that you’ve had for 15 years is one thing, but being forced to spend money on an item as expensive as Sony’s tv after only having it for A LITTLE OVER ONE YEAR is a crime!) she wanted to pass on the tv & her house to her children. is the idea of not living a throw-away lifestyle becoming antiquated? in america, apparently so.

by designing a tv like this, sony has guaranteed that they will continue making money by consumers having to constantly purchase lamps and other parts so that the tv continues to work. what a scam! even in the manual it says that the lamp is only good for approximately 8000 hours. say someone wanted to run their tv for 24 hours straight (and some people do); their lamp would crap out on them in less than a year!

Here’s what they have on page 51 of the manual, “The projection lamp, like all lamps, will eventually lose brightness and functionality, which affects the overall performance of your TV. How long the lamp maintains its brightness will vary depending upon your usage and environmental conditions. To maintain the quality of your viewing experience, Sony recommends that you replace the lamp (1) after approximately 8000 hours of use; (2) when the screen becomes dark or the color looks unusual; (3) when the LAMP LED on the front of the TV blinks; or (4) when the lamp replacement message appears on the TV screen.”

what sort of environmental conditions impact the longevity of the lamp????? so it’s not just actually turning on the tv that wears out the lamp, huh? why didn’t any of the sales reps talk about this lamp when they were selling this to my grandmother? the thieves. all they cared about was taking her money. and at the time she purchased this tv, they KNEW about the problems with the lamp, etc and that there was a class action lawsuit. why not just pull such an apparently defective product from the shelves and really improve it?

WHAT POOR DESIGN!! or a devishly smart design– to create a system that will keep customers spending money every year or so on a lamp that’s guaranteed to crap out on you in a year is devilishly brilliant.

what garbage.

total garbage.

which is the state of this country. money is the only concern. NOT QUALITY. and certainly, not integrity. making money by any means necessary should be the nation’s motto.

i’m disgusted by sony. i’m disgusted by america and the rampant abuse it has allowed companies to wage over its citizens.

oh, and i did call sony’s customer service number 800 222 7669 and spoke to someone in who knows what country who did their very best to sound american but didn’t work as hard to help me with my complaint.

what a shame.

*her tv is SXRD KDS-55A2000

I bought the 50″ SXRD 2-3 yrs ago. Same yellow optical block issue. Called Sony. They got a licensed tech to come out, replaced it and it’s been fine ever since. Tech said all of them will go out and the new optical block is fine. Just get it fixed before the warranty expires. NOW my TV won’t turn on… fan runs at time… different issue. This just started a year after my optical replacement. ugh!

I purchased a SXRD KDS55A2020 1080p in June of 2007 had to replace the bulb after 10 months and now after warranty has expired optical block has now gone bad. Tv has green globs and yellowish tint. Class Action Law suit needs to be extended to all Sony RPTV’s

My Sony KDSR50XBR1 was purchased on 6/06/2006.
A little over 2 years now and it still has a picture but everything has a green tint to it. Called Sony and they gave me a number to call to a tech dept. near me. They just called today and will be coming out to replace my OB. Hope it does not happen again. I read other posts about it happening again and picture quality not being the same. I hope not.

The Sony KDSR60XBR2 and KDSR70XBR Optical Blocks are now failing at an alarming rate. http://www.avsforum.com has many reports. It appears this problem was not solved in the XBR2 models either.

Well the guy came out today and replaced the OB. Cant tell a difference as the picture looks superb now. My TV was only two years old and let me tell you I could not believe the dust that came out of the fans and inside of the TV. I feel sorry for all those people who don’t know any better to blow out the dust. I took all of my parts outside and blew them out with my air compressor. The service guy told me they don’t do that. They just replace the optical block and move on. Well now I’m good but for how long ? Seems maybe it will last another two years by what everyone is saying. Then the warranty will definitely be over.

I have a Sony 55A 2200 SRXD. It was a great tv to start with but now has green tint everywhere. I have had it less than 2 years. $2500.00 for piece of junk.

Bought my set two years ago. Had the same problem as everyone else–everything went yellow and green. Spoke with my dealer who identified the problem and contacted Sony for me. It took Sony about two weeks to respond, but when did, they got right onto it, replaced the optical block in a procedure that took about one and a half hours, and now my set is better than when I first bought it. Sony is a great company and I like their products. They screwed up big time but if they fix the problem and they did in my case, I remain a loyal patron. I do worry if what happened once will happen again with this new optical block, and I also wonder if this is just the same part as the original or if it is a fix. I am told byt my dealer that a warranty covers the new part.

I bought my Sony KDS-R60XBR1 around May 2006. About a year ago I began seeing yellow tints around the upper right edges. I ignored it thinking it was screen burn-in. After almost a year now I lived with the entire screen covered with the yellow tint. After learning what the problem was through this site, I called Sony and they sent a tech over. He replaced the optical block which looks like a professional camera. My Sony now looks like I just bought it today! What a difference. I have the TV I fell in love back again and just in time for the football season.

Sony should send recalls to everyone with these sets. There are many people that don’t realize their picture is bad when the problem starts. I delt with it for months. At first I use to blame my mother as she stays at my home on the weekends often. Some Mondays when she left I would say dam it she messed with the remote again. Then I would try to adjust the color. Did this for 3 or 4 months until I finally got fed up and said there must be some thing else wrong its just to green looking. Blaming my poor mom. LOL

6 months ago my Aug 2006 50″ XBR1 started showing green tint that looked like persistence problems when switching modes (e.g., outlines of hockey rink remaining after no longer watching hockey). Two months ago, problem really spread out and everything took on cartoonish green tint (even double-checked all settings from when it had been professionally calibrated TV).

So, went and mail-ordered a discounted new XL-5100 lamp assembly, hoping for the off-colors being due to the lamp ending lifespan. All that did was make everything a bit brighter and more noticeably bad. Doing research, found out about the Sony lawsuit settlement.

Called Sony and supplied the set info. They in turn gave me names of three local firms to deal with.

Strolled into one of the shops on Tuesday morning when shop opened. The tech knew all about the problem and was in fact talking to somebody on the phone complaining about the same problem. He said he would order the part. It had been explained to me that as long as the problem turned out to be the optical block, it would be a totally free fix. If not, it would cost me $150 for them having gone to the bother to try and fix it, find it wasn’t the problem, and then uninstall the new OB and put in the old one again! Well, I knew it was the OB, so sure, come on over.

As luck would have it, the next day he called with the part and sent over another tech an hour later. The tech came in with a big box worth (as he said) $1500 under his arms.

Start to finish, since I had TV all set to go and away from wall – 30 minutes to take apart back of TV, remove the OB, reinstall the new OB and patch TV back together. Luckily I had removed the new lamp I had purchased that hadn’t fixed the problem, and put in the old one (from what I can tell, the optical assembly he installed included a new one). He turned on the TV proclaimed all fixed and sure enough, flesh tones looked correct.

Colors looked fine, but it sure didn’t look very crisp on the normal SD DirecTV (like it needed focusing). I mentioned it to him and he explained it away as the satellite signal SD compression. Heck, I wasn’t talking about blockiness, but just not very clear. Since I don’t watch ANY TV ever, I decided not to mention fuzziness to my wife and son (who live for the TV). Sure enough, after loving how not green/yellow anymore, both stated it looked fuzzy.

So, will first research this problem a bit more to decide if I should call Sony again or go directly back to shop. Seems logical to go back to shop, but will see. Almost “glad” to hear a few others encountered fuzziness after OB was replaced.

Derek F. That is a funny story. My wife invited my ex-wife over for a Canadian Thanksgiving a few weeks ago and my ex complained that she couldn’t watch the TV because it was too green. I knew something was wrong before that. I had tried to fix it but to no avail. I bought my 60″ SXRD BR1 in November of 05 and started noticing the green/yellow haze a few months ago. Called SONY CANADA and found the OB is under extened warranty until June of 2009 in Canada. I am waiting for the tech guy to repair it. Derek F. please tell us who replaced the OB? It would seem that some sets are fuzzy after replacement so I am wondering if it is the repair people doing something wrong. I too bought a bulb – two years ago – in case it blew during the Super Bowl! I replaced the bulb last week and it didn’t change anything. So I will replace the newer bulb with the older one.

All those who have the XBR2…listen UP..there is a warranty for you too. I will post below, but before I do that here is something that is very strange. It is said that the faulty XBR1 OBs that will be replaced or have been replaced will be done with the XBR2. However, there is a recall for that one too!!!! here it is:
2006 Model Year SXRD Television Extended Warranty Information – Optical Block
2006 Model Year SXRD Televisions:

Models: KDS-50A2000, KDS-55A2000, KDS-60A2000, KDS-R60XBR2, KDS-R70XBR2

As part of the Sony commitment to quality, Sony is announcing that it is extending the limited warranty (parts and labour) in Canada on the optical block of 2006 model SXRD televisions (models listed above) until June 30, 2010 , regardless of purchase date. This extended warranty does not apply to replaceable projection lamp and other parts that may be used in the televisions.

Sony is also announcing that for any owner of these model SXRD televisions who paid out-of-pocket expenses on or before November 30, 2008 for an estimate or repair service to replace the optical block, Sony will reimburse the customer by mail for the cost of the optical block and the labour expense to replace it, subject to certain conditions. To receive reimbursement, please follow completely the directions on the claim form for reimbursement attached HERE; all claims must be postmarked by January 31, 2009. See the claim form for complete terms and conditions.

In addition, for any customer who later experiences this issue on one of the affected models, Sony will cover the cost of the optical block repair (parts and labour) at no charge through June 30, 2010. All other terms of the Sony limited warranty continue to apply. For diagnosis or warranty service please contact Sony at 1-877-899-7669

So does that mean the XBR1 OB that is replaced with the XBR2 will be under another warranty.

I’ll have to call Sony and find out. BTW there was no lawsuit in Canada/ Sony decided to repl;ace the faulty part without going to court.

I bought my 50XBR1 in June of 06 in Houston, but have since moved to Mexico. Having the same OB problems but Sony refuses to help because the set is now in Mexico and the lawsuit only applies to the US. They won’t even send the part to a US address so that I can get it installed here in Mexico at my own expense. They want me to take the set to the US (a 900 mile round trip)to get it evaluated, then will replace the OB. Was referred to the Sony Executive Review Committee and they also refused to help.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

The green tinting started after 2 and a half years of excellent picture quality. I thought it might be the lamp, but after looking online, I saw info about the lawsuit and called Sony directly. They sent a repair technician within a week. Looking at some of your repair nightmare stories, I guess I got lucky on this one.

The green tinting started after 2 and a half years of excellent picture quality. I thought it might be the lamp, but after looking online, I saw info about the lawsuit and called Sony directly. They sent a repair technician within a week. Looking at some of your repair nightmare stories, I guess I got lucky on this one.

my kds-r50xbr1 has had more than one problem, first the fans stopped working (there are 4 ?). the circuit board for the fans and all the fans were replaced. then the optic block problem. now as of 4:30 today I have no picture and red flashing light (3 times). I think this is the fans again. over heats and shuts down. I thought I got a deal for 3200.00 (list was 3999.99) what a mistake buying this TV!!!!!!!!

My wife bought me the KDS-R60XBR1 for my birthday in April of 2006. I had the OB engine replaced in 2007 and now it needs to be replaced again. She purchased the set @ Best Buy with the 4 year extended warranty. Now the yellow/green haze has reared its ugly head again. I called Best Buy to have the OB engine replaced again. They contracted out the repair to the same company that replaced the first OB engine. When the technician called me to schedule the repair, he told me that he was instructed to notify Sony that this was the second time he was called to replace the OB engine on my set and how did they want to handle it. Sony told him that they wanted to replace the TV and they would handle my request from there on. Sony also contacted Best Buy and told them that they were handling the situation and that it is now out of Best Buy’s hands. Now Best Buy tells me that they have no more obligation to my contract, that it has to be handled by Sony, and the best they can do is give me a prorated refund for my extended warranty. Sony asked that I send my receipt to verify the model number and they would negotiate a “fair” replacement for my TV, which I can tell already that this is going to be a battle. Before they even got our receipt, they were telling me that I would need to settle for a smaller TV because the TVs that they produce now are far superior to the TV that I currently have. Well, yeah, just about any TV on the market is better than the one I have. Tell me something I didn’t know. I’m supposed to contact them next week to figure out where we go from here. I’ll update next week to let everyone know how it goes

Just had my optical block on my 50 in XBR replaced on 1-5-09.
It now has the same great picture I remember when I bought the set. I was lucky to get a 4 year warranty when I purchased in 2006 so I guess I have the advantage of knowing I am safe for a couple years or possibly getting a good deal from Sony if they fess up to the issue or the court tells them to.

Just replaced my lamp for my sony wega lcd tv. Still with no picture. I am told it is probably the Ballast. I am being quoted anywhere between 400-500 to have it fixed. I consider my self handy but am not a EE. How difficult is it to change the ballast in this type of TV?

I’m not sure if I’m experiencing the optical block problem or not. Definitely don’t want to pay big bucks, but want it fixed.

We recently replaced our bulb with a new one from the Sony online store, but then started to see strange colors… mainly with flesh tones being very yellow or orange sometimes. Then noticed many scenes were yellower than should be. Must’ve come on gradually as I really didn’t believe it was that far off til we saw my parents newer Sony LCD and the picture was sooo much more realistic color-wise.

Decided to reset settings to standard and minimize color. Instead of getting a pure black, gray and white image, we got a black, yellowy, and white picture.

Does this sound like it may be the optical block?

We were about to call Sony thinking it was a problem with the new bulb, but now I’m not sure.

Addendum to above…

My whites still look white though. I find that strange. It’s only the other colors that seem yellowy.

Update: After Sony reviewed my receipt of purchase for my set, they asked me to go to their website and pick out a few models that I may be interested in replacing my set with. I found a couple of models (although really bummed about the fact that the closest thing size-wise is only 52″). I then went to a couple of local retailers to see these models in real life. I only found one, the KDL-52XBR7 that I felt was a great picture. I called Sony and told them I only had one in mind that I would consider a reasonable replacement for my TV. The rep. asked me to wait while he checked to see if this could be a replacement and if they had any in stock. A few minutes later he comes back on the phone and says, “good news, we have that model in stock and it will only be $1,400, how would you like to pay that?” I was blown away! I couldn’t believe that after paying over $4,000 for my set, $400.00 for an extended warranty, and not to mention all of the hassle that I’ve gone through with this TV, they thought I would pay them for another TV from Sony. So, I told them forget about the replacement, just get a technician out here to fix my TV, and that I would be calling them again in a few months to replace it again, since that was about how long the last OB engine lasted. I also called Best Buy back and told them what had happened, and they confirmed that when June rolls around and Sony is no longer liable for repairing/replacing my TV, that my extended warranty will kick back in, and if this happens again at that point they will refund the FULL amount that I paid for the TV in the first place.

WE have a Sony KDS-R50XBR1…the TV shuts off by itself several times a day…how can this problem be fixed…we purchased this TV in 2005 thru BEst Buy………HELP

Phil,
Please reference the information below from their website (http://esupport.sony.com/sxrdsettlement):

Q5. What benefits does the Settlement provide?
A5. The Settlement provides for Sony to offer the following benefits, with proper documentation:

* An extension of the limited warranty to provide in-home service or replacement of the optical block in your Television until June 30, 2009, and special benefits in fulfilling this warranty extension.
* The refund of expenses incurred to replace the optical block in your Television.
* The refund of money paid after July 15, 2006 for an extended service plan for your Television from Sony or its extended service plan provider, Service Net Solutions, and cancellation of that extended service plan, if you so choose.
* The refund of money paid to Sony for the exchange of your Television for an XBR2, A2000, or A2020 SXRD model television, if you required more than one repair of the optical block in your Television.

Please read the Notice for more information about these benefits and what you need to do to receive them.

I Own The Sony KDS50A2020. Yellow At Top Of Screen Started To Appear. I Called Sony And Complained. They Said That They Would Send A Repairman Out To Replace The Optical Block. They Said The Lawsuit Did Not Cover The KDS50A2020 And That They Would Only Pay For The Optical Block And I Would Have To Pay The Labor Cost. The People Who Filed The Class Action Lawsuit Should Not Have Put Specific Models In Their Suit. They Should Have Included All SXRDs. I Told Sony That I Would Not Buy Any More Sony Products.Goodby Sony.

Follow Up To The Above Post.Set Was Purchased April oF 2007. If Sony Offers You Any SXRD Television As A Replacement, Do Not Take The Offer, All SXRDs Have The Same Problem.

What to do, what to do? Have sxrd 50 inch purchased in January 06. Have the geen tint, no other noticable issues. When should I expect the tv to go dead? Should I just call, complain about the tint and get it fixed? Give some ideas guys and gals, too much money spent on this one to just let it die.

I bought the Sony KDS-60xbr2 for over 3,000 dollars in January 2007.Two years later my TV developed a Green Tint over the entire screen. It was diagnosed as the Optical Block. Will never buy another Sony TV again.

I had green tint in my tv KDS 60Xbr1. I called and got someone out within 2 weeks. They fixed the optical block which has been redesigned. The colors are terrible. The skin on people is way to red and the blues are way to blue. Adjusting the settings doesn’t help. The picture is so unnatural now. I paid 5k and now have a tv with a cheap picture.

Just received a survey in the mail from Sony about the quality of service I’ve received for my TV. This should be fun!

I purchased my SXRD in Feb. 2006 for 4,100.00. I was never really impressed with the picture from day one. A year and a half later the optical block went out. Sony did pay the 1,800.00 to repair it. In December 2008, the optical block went out again. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION SUIT ON THIS ISSUE.After the tv broke the second time, I emailed Sont and explained to them that basically this is BS…to put it nicely…4,100.00 for a piece of junk??? Sony did contact me back and were so KIND and GENEROUS …in their opinion…to offer me a 1,300.00 trade-in allowance on another TV, or to replace my TV with a refurbished one.I still did not know about the class action suit. Finally, after talking to Sony 3 different times, and SONY NEVER INFORMED ME OF THE SUIT….I happened to just be surfing the net and came across it…and I am pissed! They actually had the nerve to insult my intelligence to offer me 1,300.00 towards a trade-in, when I paid 4,100.00 for the TV. Not only that, when I called them after I found out about the suit, they treated me like I was a piece of trash…I am flabbergasted at the nerve of these people…if I could have reached thru the phone and choked this woman…..

Please can someone help me out here…i emailed the attorney who handled the suit and he never responded. Please someone correct me if Im wrong, but in the settlement it reads that, anyone who paid to have their TV exchanged for a different model….XBR2 or 2020, etc. would be re-imbursed by Sony…if their OB went out the 2nd time…which tells me that they got the trade for free, correct?? Therefore, I feel that since mine has now gone out for the 2nd time, they should give me a comparable model for free, correct? Sony is telling me no, that’s not correct. They want to give me 1,300.00 towards a trade-in, or give me a re-furbished SXRD….so what, it can break again? Then after June 2009, then what? We are screwed again! I just don’t see the fairness here…1300.00 trade in on a 4100.00 TV???

OMG!

i am horrified reading all these comments! my room mate just told me today that our sony sxrd is showing a weird yellow hue. i hop online to google it, and this is the first site i find. i am truly concerned and not looking forward to jumping through hoops.

Another Sony victim. My Sony 60′ tv started giving green and yellow. I called best buy and they told me they are aware of this problem. I am waiting for OB. Thanks for sharing your comments. But seems to me it is never ending problems with this model TV.

I have had numerous problems with the 50 sxrd. The first one I bought in 06 went yellow after a month and I was ale to exchange it at Best Buy. Then in Nov. 08 the new one had yellow spots and I had Sony replace the ob. Now 3 months after a new ob, my screen clicked and went completely black. I don’t know if this is ob or my bulb. I am tired of my tv breaking and I hope it is ob so I don’t have to pay. If anyone knows if this is ob or bulb or something else please let me know.

Our Sony sxrd has a yellow or green color tint over the whole area. We bought this back in Feb ‘06. I am not sure if this is the OB problem. How do I find out ? Any help ?

Purchased a KDS-R60XBR1 on 4/30/06 and have had nothing but problems with this set. 2 WEGA light engines, 2 cooling fans, and 3 bulbs in 3 years, is not what i thought i was getting into when i paid $3900 for this TV/Warranty. 2,3,4 red lights blinking, high altitude warnings where the tv shuts off and crooked bottom lines while watching sports are just a few of the problems i’ve experienced. I’m on my last month of a Sears 3 yr extended warranty and they’re trying to fleece me for almost $400 a year to keep it covered. I thought seeing others with similar problems would calm me down but it seems to only have enraged me more. I guess thats what i get for wanting new technology (1080p) before its been perfected.

Purhased a KDS-R50XBR1 back in March of 07 and have had numerous problems. Fan repair numerous bulbs going out as well as the OB having to be switched this past Saturday. The gentleman that changed the OB said that it was changed before. I was outraged. I bought the unit from Circuit City and they said nothing of this. Has anyone ever spoken to Sony about this OB and are they giving credits back? thanks.

We purchased the KDS-R60XBR1 back in 2006 and has been a wonderful television. We just replaced the lamp in February of this year. Now it seems the OB may be going as well. So a call to Best Buy is in order.

The best piece of advise I would give anybody is to register your product as soon as you get it home. Knowing nothing of the OB problem with these tv’s, I was surprised when I received an email in December of 08 explaining the extended warranty coverage on the OB. I did nothing to request this information. They just sent it. Always register your products. Especially the expensive one like our tvs’

This all sounds familiar.I bought a KDS-R50XBR1 in may 06. 1 year ago it started.Almost everything has a green or yellow tint to it.Blue water looks grey or black.someone is coming from 90 miles away to evaluate.I got the # from sony.Ihope they replace the optical block and it lasts.Either way this is the last sony product i will buy.I got suckered in for 3200$ and ifeel like a fool.Same model with 1080p (mine is 1080i)sold for 1,699$ 1 1/2years later.

Here is a link to a class action investigation regarding some Sony HDTVs: Sony HDTV Class Action

Dave,
Your post is reflects my situation to a tee, only I bought my TV six months prior in December ‘05.
I guess I need to call Sony to have somebody come out and fix it. I’ll be darned if I’m paying a penny and I don’t think I’ll ever buy another Sony if they don’t take care of this the way they should!

And does the class action lawsuit not cover the KDS-R50XBR1???

yes, you will be able to get a free repair on the 50 inch

I called Sony’s customer service last night and they’re going to send out a technician on Thursday. They said if it is the optical block it will be covered.

Jim E.,
They told me the same thing.If it is optical block they will cover it.But if not i pay 135$ for visit.I’ll find out wednsday.

A service tech. came out this morning and replaced the optical block.It looks like abrand new set and didnt cost me anything.At least sony took care of the problem.I wish they had notified me of the defective part instead of me having to search around but things worked out ok.However i stil wont buy anymore sony products.

Thank god i found this info, thanks guys. just saved me alot of money.

Dave,
The tech rescheduled and is due to come to my house tomorrow to replace the optical block. Does anybody know if the new Optical Blocks have been redesigned or is the same thing going to happen again in 2-3 years? If it happens again, will Sony fix it again free of charge???

I have the same problem. green lines at the bottom of the TV and the person head size of green spot in the middle top of the TV. i called 2days ago and they said someone will come to my house and check the TV. They called today and rescheduled. Hopefully my TV will fix soon. any updates??

I purchased the Sony SXRD 60 inch 3 years ago for $4K. Sony quality hs gone down the tubes. Where does Sony get off putting this product out! Especially for that much money! TVs should last more than three years without needing repairs. My other less cheaper model TVs are 5-10 years plus and still operating at optimimum levels. The picture quality is great when it’s working but this is not a reliable product. In the last 8 months: Green tint – had this fixed, then no pictur – had this fixed. Now the lamp: the TV shuts off no picture and supposedly goes on standby after 6 minutes of turning it on. When you turn it on again it shuts off after less than a minute. After reading the majority of these reviews, they should replace it with quality TV that will last longer after spending all that money. I don’t think I’ll buy Sony again.

My KDS-R60XBR1 developed the yellow line/green tint problem about a month ago. Luckily, I found out about the class action and extended warranty, so am scheduled to have the Optical Block replaced under warranty. We will see what happens. I, too, will probably not buy a Sony again.

However, I feel the complaints about the set lacking 1080P input and requiring bulb replacement are unjustified. Both statements are true, but this was well known at the time of purchase. My retailed, Circuit City (RIP,) told me about the bulb replacement issue. I simply accepted it as a fact of life. Also, at the time this TV was introduced, the ONLY TV with a 1080P input was made by HP. NOBODY ElSE made a TV with 1080P input. The 50 and 60XBR1 both have 1080i(60)inputs and upscale to 1080P. Since 1080P movies are 1080P-24, there is no data lost. My PS-3, set to 1080i output, worths flawlessly with this TV.

I bought the KDS-R50XBR1 about 3 years ago and it has had excellent picture quality. I think I had the optical block replaced about 18 months ago when I called about the yellow tint problem. It worked fine after that with no picture problems. However, about 3 months ago, the picture started switching sporadically to shades of green and purple only when I changed the channel to a non-HD channel. This picture problem affects the entire screen when it happens. It’s not just on the edges of the picture. The whole screen turns to only shades of green and purple.

I don’t know if it matters to the resolution of this problem or not but I have HD & digital cable from Cox Communications.

It’s strange because if I stay on the same channel (even a non-HD channel), it won’t switch to this green and purple tint. However, it will happen if I change from an HD channel to a non-HD channel after the TV has been on for a little while. It will also happen if I switch from one non-HD channel to another. It doesn’t happen every time, but when it happens, it is always on a non-HD channel.

Once it happens, I know of two workarounds to get it corrected without having to turn the TV off.

1. I can simply switch to an HD channel and the picture will be perfect again, since this picture problem on occurs on non-HD channels.

2. The other workaround I can use to fix the problem is to press the TV/VIDEO input selector button on my SONY TV remote to rotate through the inputs until I get back to cable. When it come back to the cable input I was using when the problem occurred, it will return back to a perfect picture every time. It will remain fixed until I change to another non-HD channel (again, the problem doesn’t happen every time but when it does, it is always on a non-HD channel).

Does anyone know if this is a sign that I just need a new bulb or is it another problem?

it is NOT a bulb problem. Bulbs will NEVER give you colors, or brightness issues.

what input are you using?

edit: not OR brightness issues, ONLY brightness issues

I’m not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the cable input?

It turns out that my HDTV wasn’t the problem after all. My cable box was going out. I swapped out my HD cable receiver/DVR with a new one and everything works perfectly now.

ya my tv was bought in sept 2006 $2500.00 best buy skipped warranty replaced original bulb from online store for $180.00 worked fine.

but Iam color blind and never noticed the yellow green tingh that started on the left sode of the screen.

checking to see if its under warranty thru sony everyone else see’s it and my wife did a search and found out about the optical block problem.

monday all talk to a tech and if they replace it I’ll tell you how it goes.

wish me luck my wife wont let me get another tv right now.

also 1st year 1080p sxrd tv dont recieve a 1080p signal from ps3 or bluray players, only 2nd year sets do and beyond.

seams stupid the would make a 1080p set that doesnt recieve the signal!

(Update to my May 21st post above…)
They did replace my TV’s optical block several weeks ago and it fixed my color problem 100%. NOW, the bulb is AGAIN giving me a problem because once in a while when I go to turn the TV on, the power buttom blinks red and the TV doesn’t come on. I just pulled the bulb and found that the filament wire coming out of the bulb is acuatually broken, but it touches the wire that runs from the perimeter of the glass casing. That just doesn’t look like it did when I replaced it one year ago… Can somebody please confirm that it should be one single wire or is it actually supposed to be two?
I am just about at the end of the line with this TV.
If Sony doesn’t replace it with a TV that works, it will be my last Sony, period.

I have a sony bravia 60 sxrd rear projection lcd and it has lines that almost look like dust is on it but it is inside the screen and it almost looks like a candle or something dripped down the right side of the screen. i can only see them good when the colors are light

I have the 50 sxrd, we’ve replaced the bulb & still no picture. It blinks 11 times green & then goes to the 3 red blinks. Any ideas of what is wrong? I’ve taken the bulb out & put back in a dozen times, reattaching the door each time, still no dice.

I had replaced the fan, the bulb, vacuumed etc. and still would get the dreaded 3 red blinks. The ONLY thing that works, and it works EVERY time, is to buy a can of the compressed air you use to blow electronics with and spray it inside the vent holes of both fans in the back before turning TV on. We do it regularly every couple of days and we NEVER get the blinks come on again. It works!! There is a heat related fault in this TV that you cannot fix but you can manipulate to come on every time. Don’t spend any more money chasing an intrinsic problem. Just deal with this ritual.

Mike L

I live in Canada and bought the SXRD model KDS R60XBR1 in early 2006 for almost $6000 canadian. The whole screen has been green/yellowish for over a year now and I was told the bulbs are gone in it and that they were expensive to replace so I have lived with this colour issue since then. When it first started to turn yellow I went to the Sony store to see what the problem was and they said that I must have damaged the TV and its the first time they have heard of this problem. (ya OK) I decided to look up the TV bulbs online and found this website. I will call Sony Canada tomorrow and see what happens. Does anyone know if they want your orginal receipt as I think I have misplaced it? Any advise for calling them?

I bought my SXRD 2.5 years ago. My HD picture doesnt seem crisp anymore. I’ve had a tech come out but he just insisted it was the Direct TV box. I’ve had the box replaced and it still looks inferior. Could this be the optical block issue? I have the direct tv tech coming out today to check the wiring. He asked if there were staples in the wires running on the wall. I told him yes and he seems to think that may have someting to do with it. Any thoughts?

I have a sony kds50a2020 that 2years and 20days old and the picture has turned green. Sony won’t do anything about this please post on your site tell people don’t but sony tv. Is there anything I can do with this tv. I just spent 150dollars on a new bulb. This is the second sony that’s failed in under 3years. Sony sucks sprend the word

My Sony KDS-50A2020, 2 years and 9 weeks old also suffered an optical bock failure — less than 2 months after the optical block warranty expired! Sony reports on their website that the KDS-50A2000 gets an extended optical block warranty, but the beancounters at Sony have not agreed to extend the warranty on the 50A2020 The date of Sony’s post is 10/08 and says that it applies to 2006 models (the 50A2000). Maybe this means that the 50A2020 (a 2007 model) will get the same reprieve if enough problems are reported. If you have a 50A2020 with optical block problems, make sure you call Sony to complain and ask when they will treat their 2007 customers the same way they treated their 2006 customers.

I really appreciate the information everyone has posted. I own the 50 inch model and purchased it in November of 2005. It had a Great picture and worked well until about 3 weeks ago. Everything now has a yellow / greenish tint. At first I thought it might be an issue with the Satellite Receiver and DirecTV replaced the receiver. When the picture didn’t improve, I figured it had to be the TV and searched online and found this. I called Sony and they are willing to replace the optical block – or – provide a “substantial” discount on a new TV. They quoted several models with prices, all of which are LCD. The discount isn’t “substantial” but on the XBR it looks to be a little more than $1000.00 off. In reading some of the other comments, even if they do replace the optical block there is no guarantee something else won’t be a problem later. Any suggestions?

Our Sony just popped up a text box telling us that the unit is overheating and the temperature is being monitored. Clean blockages. Your tv may go off at any time…

Last time this happened we had a serviceman replace the bulb and it’s been fine for – what – 4 months or so. My husband watches a lot of TV, but even at 8 hours a day, that would be under 1000 hours since the bulb was changed.

Has anyone else had this same problem? If so, what did you do?

I would like to thank everyone at this site for all their stories and helpful hints. I too recently found this block and need a new OB. Sony too offered me a free repair on all parts and the whole deal or about 60% or so off on a new LCD tv only. I than turned to best buy where i bought the TV with the 4 year warranty and they offered a full repair too with it all being paid for and if that couldnt fix it a new TV worth the value of when i bought the TV, $1399.99 US(50 inch XBR1). The best buy repair guy is coming tuesday(im ready for a fight) and i know he is just going ot want to repair the part and be done with it. Im getting ready with the proof of this law suit vs. Sony, this site’s comments, and other data just to show the SOB that this TV blows and I want full retail value and to just buy a new TV that i found at Best Buy. Il keep ya all updated on how it goes but I figure if that doesnt work il keep callin em back about every 4 months until they get my message:)

No one has brought it up, but the final generation, KDS-XXa3000 models have the ‘green haze’ problem, too.

I bought my KDS-50a3000 12/31/07. Since January 2009, my optical block has been replaced 8 times, and now my picture is turning green, again. It’s quite obvious when I’m watching something in B&W, or there happens to be alot of grey on the screen. African Americans look purple, on my TV.

I have took my Sony KDS-R50XBR1 overseas. I have purchased it in New York. We have a BIG Sony dealership and service center (Tel-Aviv Israel).

Would the optical block replacement warentee be claimed from this part of the world?

I purchased a 60XBR1 Dec2005. with a extended warranty which expires this dec of 09. MY set has worked great since my purchase, no lamp changouts nothing until one month ago today.. Lamp went. Replaced it… 6 days later, the GREEN/Yellow tint. Warranty company has replaced free 2 optical blocks/engines each caused a different picture color issue. The 3rd block/engine will be replaced today.. If that doesn’t work the warranty company notes the will replace my set… Ya right we shall see….

My KDS-R50XBR1 is 3 years old and didn’t get a lot of use except for kids playing occasional video games. Noticed green tint last night. Sony is now offering discounts on a new tv. I spoke to an “XBR Program Agent” They offer a KDL-52XBR9 for $1325 plus tax or a 52 inch VS5100 for $800 or a 42 inch for $400. The agent said that the new optical blocks didn’t solve the problem and that is why they are doing this. Should I really give more money to Sony or just cut my losses?

Hi i live in the UK and own KDS55A2000 this has the same problems with yellow screen and no blue visible.
I’ve seen the statement from Sony USA but am wanting know if there is anybody else apart from me who has bought this model in the UK?
I think i may be the only mad fool has bought this set as it was nowhere to be found when i went back to the shop after a couple of weeks.
Would really apprecite some help with this guys!

I have a KDS50A2020 that is beginning to experience the green/yellow tint. Contacted Sony and alas, that model is not covered under the warranty, even though it is the same optical block and same design.

Thanks Sony, you will now be losing a 20 year customer. I hope I can get used to the XBox controller..

does anybody know how to change the optical engine fan on the wega 60 inch i have gone through 3 bulbs and an ob this is the biggest piece of crap i have ever bought i bought a hitachi 50 inch 12 years ago and it has never needed service , and is still working

3 blinks is generally a lamp switch error. they have little switches which detect when the lamp is on and they can break when inserting the lamp, or even become intermittent.

This weekend I replaced the Optical Block in my KDS-R50XBR1. The picture has not improved, it may even be worse. Everything now has a red tint that I cannot adjust out using the television’s controls. Does anyone know if there is another way to adjust color other than the usual controls? Or is it possible that I received a defective OB. (the one I received is the new model OB and was in a factory sealed carton). I am ver frustrated……… Bob

did you get the right optical block. the xbr1s are serial sensative.

I have a kds55 2000 purchased in november of 2006. After 1 1/2 years I had to
fix the fans, by the way it has 3 fans. Cost $450. Then bulb after 2 years and now
optical block at 3 years. I’m getting it fixed for free by Sony but will not buy Sony
in the future.

theres no way all three fans went at once, and no way it should have cost 450 dollars. you were taken for that repair.

Purchased my SXRD 50 in Feb 2006, screen turned green this past month. After reading all of these posts and the difficulty everyone seems to be having with repairs/replacements, I have decided to abandon Sony for good. I also have a Panasonic LCD and Vizio 42″, both provide excellent pictures. Will stay with these from now on. What a waste of $3000.

there really shouldnt be any difficulty. you call sony or your local asc and the repair is done.

I purchased a KDS-R50XBR1 on 12/04/05 from Circuit City for $3549.00.This set isn’t used that much,I’ve never had to replace the bulb in it yet.However now the whole picture has turned greenish.Does anyone know if Sony will still replace the optical block under their mandated warranty or am I going to be told tough luck?Also what telephone number should I call to care for this issue? THANKS IN ADVANCE.

afain, the xbr1 warranties are out, however, they have still helped some. I would call sonys 1800 customer support number.

Does anyone know how much the optical block for the Sony KDS-R50XBR1 cost for the part alone and is this something that a person with good mechanical and electrical skills can do ? Thanks.

typically LEs cost anywhere from 600-1100 for sonys. You COULD do it alone, but I wouldnt recommend it.