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Anonymous | Hello, I am new to youre forums but have been using them to get advice on my new purchase of a wide screen rear projection tv. I wound up buying a Sony grand wega KDF-55WF655 for close to $3000. Well after 7 days it has quit. The set will not turn on, only flashes and clicks about 3 or 4 time then goes into an led red code flash. It flashes 10 times then pauses and continues to do so. I contacted the store and they say that Sony's policy is to fix not replace. I contacted Sony immediatly to find out the same. Even after explaining to Sony that the set is only 7 days old and I purchased a new tv not a fixed tv they said there is nothing they can do for me but to have a repair man fix my new $3000 piece of plastic. After calling the repair man, he said he can pick it up in 4 days and then he would get back to me. I have seen alot of other forums here regarding the same problems with sony just ignoring the problem with similar Sony tv's. If this is the case I believe there could be a class action lawsuit involved. If there are any other people just write me back and we can take an online poll. I am even ready to contact local news and papers if there is an overwelming amount of problems. |
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Bustnchops Unregistered guest | "Hello, I am new to youre forums but have been using them to get advice on my new purchase of a wide screen rear projection tv." Evidently, you didn't learn anything...you bought a Sony! What store? No 30 day return policy? Not aggressive enough? Grow a spine and don't take no for an answer! |
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Anonymous | Nice. What do you suppose I do drive my truck thru the store window and take it back that way? Spine or stupidity. Sony is supposed to be the best. How about real suggestions or maybe you really dont have any? If I had listened to all of the forums then I wouldnt have bought any tv because there is something to be said about all of the manufactures. How about trying to be helpfull next time and not bustnchops! |
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HD Fanatic Unregistered guest | Did you purchase online or from a brick and mortar? If you bought it online, then I can understand your dilemma. I have never heard of a retail store not offering at least an exchange within 30 days. I took 3 Sonys back to Bestbuy, and ended up getting a full refund. As for your problem with the TV, it sounds like it could be a dead bulb. It's really easy to pull the old one out and look at it. 2 hand screws on the backside of the front panel, pull the front panel off, (it's held on by magnets) and the bulb is in the center of the set. It pulls straight out. The procedure is outlined in the manual. If you don't have one already, I would recommend a good surge protector and better yet, a UPS. Best regards... |
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Bustnchops Unregistered guest | Where did you ever get the illusion that Sony is supposed to be the best. It's assembled in Mexico and has the absolute worst customer service on the planet. Yes...drive your damn truck straight up to the front door and make a scene. What the hell is wrong with you. Don't listen to anyone who says anything, but what you want to hear. REPLACE or REFUND. There's nothing stupid about standing up for yourself. Be assertive, be in someone's face, be annoying until you get satisfaction. You have been given the right advice, now do something about it! |
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Anonymous | I purchased the set from a small local appliance store. I figured I would give the sale to a small american local store concidering the price was about the same. My mistake!!! The problem with the return is solved thanks to buyers protection from visa. So this great sales person who wasn't so helpfull when there was a problem, can come get his defective tv whenever he wants. On this set there is an led for just the lamp so that is not the problem. And yes I have a good surge protector but no ups. But thanks for the suggestions. As for some of us, Maybe there suggestions should be better left unsaid? Check youre facts, big letters on the back of the set, ASSEMBLED IN THE USA. As for the customer service, it is the worst. First Sony, and my last. I still think there has to be some type of recourse. Any suggestions on a 50" to 55" lcd or dlp? |
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DLP4me! Unregistered guest | Some are assembled in the USA...most aren't! Samsung HLP5674W! You will like it! http://www.bestbuypcs.com/store/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=&rnd=&pg=store&sub_pg=pro d&ref=2093&ovchn=PGR&ovcpn=Pricegrabber&ovcrn=HLP5674&ovtac=PPC |
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Anonymous | DLP4me, Did you purchase the sammy from this store? If you did, how did that go. Thanks, Steve |
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HD Fanatic Unregistered guest | Another TV you might be interested in is the JVC 52". Costco online is selling these for 2199, while supplies last. Personally, I like the JVC and I'm waiting for the new 61" to arrive in stores. Sony is also coming out with some new 55 and 60" sets soon. Maybe the next crop of Sony's will have fewer problems than the current batch. The three Sony's that I had, all had problems, but they were minor annoyances more than anything. Still when you fork out 3 grand or more on a TV, you should expect it to at least work as it's intended. Glad to hear that your credit card is taking care you on your defective set. Here's the link for the JVC... |
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DLP4me! Unregistered guest | No problems! |
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New member Username: IggyOrlando, FL United States Post Number: 10 Registered: May-05 | Bustnchops seems to be living up to his name. What an A$$. If it was I that had bought the Sony and had it break down, I'd be talking to the store then to Sony. I sure as hell wouldn't haul it back myself. Somebody would be coming to me to get it. As for replacing vs fixing, that's between you and Sony. When you purchased it you automatically agreed to their terms on warranty. Let them fix it. If it brakes again, then try to get them to replace it. Play by their rules for now. If start off by butting heads you'll get nowhere. Just my .02 worth. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 44 Registered: Feb-05 | I have a KDF50WE655, assembled in Mexico. I purchased it early March and love it ...No problems. You just got a lemon. It happens. Check the threads ...there are PLENTY of DLP lemons discussed...noisy fans (up to five in a set), poor customer service -especially from Samsung. And smudgy images! The Sony LCD technology produces the sharpest image (I like the 50 " because the SDE is not noticeable). My TV exists happily in the same home as my Sony Aibo Entertainment Robots, Vaio computer, Cyber-Shot camera and DVD Handycam Camcorder. All work as they should and deliver top performance. As for future technology: Chjeck out the Luxe Sony brand Qualia, which Sound and Visiojn magazine says is the BEST HD TV on the market. A bit expensive? Yes, but it is the first of a new technology that blows away all other RP TVs. |
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DLP4me! / Bustnchops Unregistered guest | Don't listen to that dumba$$ Robert. The repair shop will keep it for weeks and return it broken. What a bonehead! You are on the right track. Visa will take their money away and they will have no choice, but to recover their junk from your house. Steve has made one credible comment. His set was assembled in Mexico. When it fails, and it will, he's going to discover the worst customer service on the planet. Slow scan rates, screen door effect, dead pixels, and altered liquid crystals are what Steve has bought into. There are plenty of threads singing praises for Samsung CS. His comment about poor CS from Samsung is unsubstantiated! The HLP5674 has excellent ratings on this forum. Sound and Vision quotes are worthless. The Samsung HLR6768 DLP was voted "Best in Show" at the 2005 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. Click Photo 1. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=207d8dc2cb98fabc8528622c197ba394 &threadid=493443 Some people will bite on any sales pitch and overlook fact. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 45 Registered: Feb-05 | I won't dignify rude, disrespectful posts as above. But if you do favor DLPs, that would be the way to go. I have encountered excellent customer service and support from Sony and totally enjoy my Sony Grand Wega. I personally don't like the DLP picture. I find it strange, artifical and more than a little hard on my eyes. The Sony's LCD refresh rate is slightly slower than a DLP in interlace mode but it's luminous color can't be matched by any DLP system.Try watching SD broadcasts on a DLP TV and compare that to a Sony. Also, I don't think the action lag with gaming is a great attribute of many DLP sets. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 46 Registered: Feb-05 | Correction: The refresh rate in 720p on a Sony is fine and slightly slower than a DLP in 1080i. |
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DLP4me! Unregistered guest | Steve, Thanks for dignifying my rude, disrespectful post. I appriciate your candor. You must be the only person who hasn't had the opportunity to experience Sony CS. I've seen post after post of lengthy response times, stonewalling, failure to address dead pixels until there are 4 or more in a cluster during the warranty period, and the unwillingness to replace a lemon, ever. I'm truly happy that your set is pleasing and trouble-free for you. Yours is an exception. Just for the record, Samsung DLP's don't have an interlace mode nor do most 720P displays, which is just about all of them. Any format delivered to the set is scaled to a 720P display. That's why they call it a 720P display. There is no adjustment to display any other format. I can't tell you that a 720P signal looks better than a 1080I that has been scaled to the native 720P format. I do know that standard def sat signal looks way better than standard def cable signal when scaled to the 720P display. Some sat receivers and upscaling DVD players allow the user to control the output signal format, which in my opinion, looks better when it remains digital and looks better if already scaled to the native 720P of the set. SD broadcasts are a temporary nuisance of the 720P scaled display. It's a transition period that all scaled display owners must put up with until the FCC drops the hammer on all analog NTSC transmissions sometime in 2006. I didn't buy my 720P display to watch SD anyway, but sat SD is acceptable in limited consumption until the new digital birds are launched. I truly believe that Sony has an edge when it comes to SD, especially cable SD during this transition period. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 47 Registered: Feb-05 | You're welcome! I have had fairly good dealings with Sony but I do know some people who have negative experiences which the same can be true for anyone including Samsung. Truthfully, I compared HD microdisplays for two solid months, spending hours in big box retailers as well as small "boutique" high end a/v stores. I loved the picture on the Sony KDF-50WE655 more than any DLP. I did see more SDE on larger size LCD RPs especially on Hitachi TVs. MY screen size seems very ideal for LCD technology. And it did display a sharper image compared to every DLP I viewed, especially during credit rolls. As far as dead pixels, it can be an issue as can stuck mirrors. Hey, DLP4me!, I wish you many, many hours of viewing pleasure. How we interpret what looks best is a personal thing but one thing for sure, TVs five years from now will blow away the sets we now own. |
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DLP4me! Unregistered guest | I know you're right! 3LCD, Brillian, the improved fast scan JVC D-ILA, the XHD3, and all those beautiful 1080P displays. HD-DVD's will have a wonderful playground. Makes you wish you had deep pockets! |
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Anonymous | Hey guys, I did like the picture on the sony 55" a little better than any other set I had looked at and yes maybe I did get a lemon but after speaking with sony's cust. service I think I will stay away from sony. As for the 56"samsung dlp, the 52"jvc dila, the 52"toshiba dlp, and the 55"mitsubishi dlp, I am checking all of there inputs, reviews, and cust. service reputations. Any input? Thanks for the suggestion on bestbuypcs.com. They just happen to be about 20 min. from my house and will let me pick up from there store. Good deals. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 48 Registered: Feb-05 | As I observed, the Sony Grand Wegas have excellent detail. Good luck and post what TV you finally get. |
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fantastic five Unregistered guest | I recently hooked up a Samsung HD850 High Definition upscaling dvd player with the supplied HDMI plug and I didn't see a difference in picture quality. Anyone know why? |
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fx Unregistered guest | Yes, if your TV upscaled in the first place all you have done is change which device upscales the 480i information recorded to the DVD. All HDTV's and HD monitors will upscale to their native resoulution. In fact if you have an LCD display your signal is being scaled twice. If you have a rear projection CRT display be sure you are upscaling to 1080i (the display's native resolution). xvxvxvx |
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DLP4me! Unregistered guest | At least you're staying digital by using the HDMI cable and avoiding any analog conversion artifacts. I agree with xv... that you are trading one scaler for another, but by doing that you may be reducing conversion artifacts created by over-proccessing of the signal. He's right about making sure you have gone into the menu of the upscaling player and setting it to the native resolution of your set. LCD's and DLP's are 720P native and CRT's are 1080I native. I read a post here about a guy who swears his upconverting player was producing a better image than his standard 480P player. I don't recall what equipment he was using, but it could be that the player's scaler was better that his set's scaler. I have a Samsung HD841 upconverting player with DVI hooked to my HLP5063. My player is set to output the native 720P of my set. All I can tell you is the picture is almost HD quality with no strange artifacts. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 66 Registered: Feb-05 | OK...I have a question. My Sony KDF-50WE655 is described (by Sony) in their specs as having a Hi-Scan 1080i display. But it can accept 720p, 480p, 480i, and 1080i. My cable box is set to 1080i and when I change the set top box to 720p, the picture isn't as good. Could someone explain what makes one setr have a native 720p and another a 1080i display???? What is meant bu "native"? Thanks! |
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FYI Unregistered guest | The native display format is just the way the set is made. It will accept most any format, but display only it's native format. Before HD formats and RP LCD, LCOS, and DLP displays, we all watched interlaced CRT televisions. Somebody figured out a way to show all the lines of resolution at the same time (progressive) instead of odd lines every half frame and even lines in the other half flashing fast enough to interlace and fool our eyes. Interlace scan is still the preferred method of CRT's and so, 1080I became the HD standard for all HD CRT's. The other HD standard is 720P and was adopted for use in LCD, LCOS, and DLP displays. All HD sets will accept almost any format from the old standard NTSC to the 480I and 480P formats of DVD players to the two new HD standards, but depending on the set it will scale the input format to the native display format in which the set was designed to operate. You said the picture wasn't as good on your native 1080I set when you fed it a 720P signal. What's going on is the broadcast may well have been 1080I from the source provider, then was converted or scaled to 720P by your set top box only to be scaled the third time back to the 1080I native display of your CRT tv. This much processing can degrade and add unwanted artifacts to the signal. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 67 Registered: Feb-05 | Well, I sort of understand but when I set the set top converter to 720p, the Sony displays the reception as 720p in the pop-up window as the TV turns on. So, it isn't reconvertiung it to 1080i. Anotherwords my TVs specs say that the display is Hi-Scan 1080i but the new Sonys out this summer will say 720p. I am all full of questions. Why would the 2004-05 model year have a native diaplay of 1080i for LCD RP??? Thanks for the help.. |
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FYI Unregistered guest | Once again, if the set is made to display 1080I that's all it will display. It will report the input source, but it's scaling that source to it's native 1080I format. Same with a 720P set. It will report whatever the input source is, but it will scale that source signal to it's native 720P display. Samsung will be delivering native 1080P display televisions to retailers in late June. They will have model numbers such as HL-R xx68, 78, and 88. They will accept any signal format, but they will scale the source signal to the set's native 1080P display format. So far, ESPN is the only network that has said it will provide a few actual 1080P format sporting events. Otherwise, most broadcasters are still hung up in NTSC old 4:3 equipment. The major networks have already invested heavy in 720P and 1080I broadcasting gear. I doubt they will be quick to invest in 1080P transmission equipment any time soon. Set manufacturers can produce displays in any native format they wish, with the flexability to scale any input format. Set manufacturers don't have only broadcasters and their adopted formats to consider. They have to build displays for HD DVD and Blu Ray DVD players coming down the pipe at the end of this year. Most likely, these will be 1080P capable. Content is still another unresolved can of worms. Will Sony, MGM, and other movie makers produce their films and DVD's in 1080P? Only time will tell. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 68 Registered: Feb-05 | I understand. The new Sony LCD RPs will have 720p native which will enable quicker response times for rapid movement (that is what I heard). The slower LCD refresh rate is my only gripe for my TV. Having a 50" Grand Wega, SDE is not an issue. I rarely am aware of it. What I see is a great picture with breathtaking color. But the ocassional blur is noticeable. Watching a 480p DVD, I don't notice the occassional blur. Are you saying that the 480p is being displayed as 1080i??? If that is the case, then why bother watching a DVD in 480p? |
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fx Unregistered guest | Steve, All DVD's are manufactured in 480i not 480p. Most DVD players today (even the very cheap ones) upscale to a 480p signal if you make the selection in it's internal menu to do so. When you do this you are scaling the video twice, firts from 480i to 480p then to 1080i within your display. So you are correct there is generally no need to do so. Great explanations above by FYI and DLP4Me. xvxvxvx |
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Unregistered guest | help!! sony just screwed us on our 42" wega, 2nd bulb and there saying it might be more than just a bulb, it's out of warranty! |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 69 Registered: Feb-05 | Yikes..I am still confused! My Grand Wega TV has a 1080i native resolution but needs component video inputs for HD. Running my DVD player on progressive mode (480p) requires component video cables. Are you saying that if I ran my DVD player on regular 480i mode, I would use the component cables or use S-Video which I know is inferior to component cables? I was under the (wrong?) impression that the DVD progressive mode should be used on all digital TVs. The new Sonys will have a 720p native display. Wonder why all the prior Sony LCD RPs including the KDF series which are still current have a 1080i native display??? |
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FYI Unregistered guest | Component cables or a DVI/HDMI cable is the preferred connection method for the DVD player regardless of the output format you choose. (480I vs. 480P) I reccommend that you stick with the 480I output so that you only scale once when the set scales it to 1080I. It's Sony's choice as to what type of display format they build into their sets. Is one better than the other? For some people, not all, 1080I doesn't handle fast motion scenes as well. It's more lines, but the interlace process slows the picture build time. For those people, the process doesn't fool their eyes adequately. Maybe Sony realizes this and is making the adjustment to progressive scan in their new models. |
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Bronze Member Username: PugcharlieN, E, PA USA Post Number: 70 Registered: Feb-05 | Thanks FYI. I think I understand. Maybe I'm wrong but to me, the Grand Wega seems to handle motion scenes better from my DVD player on 480p (even though it is being re-converted to 1080i) than HD broadcasts. Maybe it's my imagination. I haven't set up the DVD player for 480i but will soon just to see. All in all, even with some motion blur and some black level issues, the Sony LCD RP picture is incredibly beautiful. But at least now I am starting to understand what 720p native and 1080i native means. |
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HD Fanatic Unregistered guest | Hey FYI: You stated from a few posts above "Somebody figured out a way to show all the lines of resolution at the same time (progressive) instead of odd lines every half frame and even lines in the other half flashing fast enough to interlace and fool our eyes." Actually, progressive doesn't show all of the lines at the same time. What it does is it scans the lines of the screen, starting from the top left of the screen, scans to the right, and when it reaches the far right end, it drops straight down to the row below and scans from right to left. When it reaches the far left of the screen, it drops straight down to the next line and scans all the way to the right. And so on and so forth... You were right in that interlace scans all odd # lines, and when it reaches the bottom of the screen, it starts back at the top and scans all even # lines. Another thing about interlace is that every line is scanned from left to right. That means that when the scanning reaches the far right of the screen, the scanning will not resume until it goes back to the far left of the screen again. This a very inefficient process. This is why progessive appears smoother. It's basically operating at twice the frequency, doubling its efficiency. Maybe that's what you meant, and I am not trying to step on your toes here. I have read many of your posts, and I know that you are pretty knowledgeable, albeit somewhat opinionated at times, but I guess everbody is to a certain extent, ;) I know this may seem a bit off course for this thread, but I wanted to make sure everybody understood the difference. Best regards... |
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FYI Unregistered guest | Cool! I follow. Yea, I was trying to simplify the difference in the effect of each without getting into the confusing 60 fields and 30 frames per second stuff. I'm in tune with the process of "progressively" scanning the image onto a screen every 60th of a second rather than "interlacing" alternate lines every 30th of a second. I guess I over-simplified it. I didn't know about the scanning direction differential, though. I learn something new every day. Thanks for the compliment! You're pretty damn good on this forum yourself! Cheers... |