Many problems Sony 46W4500

[Anonymous]

Villain2100:

Just an update to say I took my 46w4500 back to the Sony centre (Wolverhampton branch) yesterday for exchange and the other unit had exactly the same problems with backlight bleed/clouding, and without hesitation they offered me a full refund, so I couldn't ask for much better service from the shop actually.

The guy who dealt with me throughout mentioned he'd seen the Sony rep since I emailed him with pics of the problem and the Sony rep said he couldn't see a problem, but fair play to the guy at the shop who backed me up and said it was a problem and wasn't good enough, he went on to say they had this sort of problem with the w2000 series a few years ago and eventually that got sorted out but until the w4500 they hadn't had any of these problems.

It's a shame really because on a whole the TV was fantastic but these issues were a deal breaker for me and I don't think I could have lived with it in the long term.

Thats where i got my 52"w4500 from sony centre wolverhampton,and your right the guy in the store was very helpful with me as well couldnt have asked for any better service,i also went to get the w4500 exchanged but that had the same problems,so i decided to look at the 52"w4000 which he let me check in his warehouse and that one was ok so i had that tv instead and i am delighted with it

 

[Anonymous]

Just to update everybody on the pillaring problem on my 40W4710.

I asked for a replacement set to check if the original one was faulty but unfortunately, although otherwise fault free, the second set had a worse pillar problem, which even my family could see and would not accept. I agree with rdsoftware in that it appears to be a design limitation or flaw of some big screen LCDs. I never observed this effect in any shop or department store and heaven knows I viewed enough sets. Perhaps it's the lighting or maybe the content they show but I never saw it.

I think that for most of us life is about compromise, whether we like it or not. If it was just myself I would keep looking, try another set from a different on-line retailer and failing that go for plasma. There are lucky people who have sets without this problem, as mentioned earlier on this thread, but now my search ends.

My compromise is to accept the original set and my wife's is allowing her beloved furniture and lounge to be rearranged to minimise the problem, happy family again. There is just a hint of pillar effect occasionally visible but by sitting almost directly head on, adjusting settings and lighting, it no longer distracts me. Sky HD has also solved the viewing difficulty with SD as it up-scales agreeably to this set.

My thanks for forum input, I hope you can find and enjoy, as I now do, the TV you desire.

 

[Anonymous]

This is somewhat of a bummer for me now.. I've been researching LCD's for a short while now getting ready for my first large screen tv, and was happy that WHF had awarded the sony 5 stars... My mind was made up, that was going to be the tv for me, but since all this has come to light, im not sure if i want to take the plunge with the sony now... I had my eyes on the philips ambilights before but cant seem to find many reviews on them, although i think they look amazing. I need something around the 46-47" mark but could go bigger if i had to and the budget allowed.. I dont know what to do now, i feel like i'm back at square one and will have to start researching from scratch again!!!

 

[Anonymous]

It might be worth giving plasma a look

 

[Anonymous]

garethwd:It might be worth giving plasma a look

I'm starting to think that way to be honest as they are supposed to be better as far as handling SD which i watch quite a lot of, but i have a few qualms with plasma's... Firstly the cost of running, i hear it's considerably more than an lcd, secondly, the screen burn problem, altho i wont leave it unattended for long periods so thats not so much of a problem, and also, i hear that lcd has a sharper, brighter and more real picture (which is more important to me) than plasma's which tend to have a warmer feel to the image.

I'm just a little unsure, whichever i pick i'm always going to worry i've made the wrong choice!!

 

[Anonymous]

RyanJH:

garethwd:It might be worth giving plasma a look

I'm starting to think that way to be honest as they are supposed to be better as far as handling SD which i watch quite a lot of, but i have a few qualms with plasma's... Firstly the cost of running, i hear it's considerably more than an lcd, secondly, the screen burn problem, altho i wont leave it unattended for long periods so thats not so much of a problem, and also, i hear that lcd has a sharper, brighter and more real picture (which is more important to me) than plasma's which tend to have a warmer feel to the image.

I'm just a little unsure, whichever i pick i'm always going to worry i've made the wrong choice!!

A Panasonic plasma of this size would cost at most 1.5 pence per hour more to run than the Sony, so not exactly considerable.

Also, to 'burn the screen' on a modern good quality plasma, you would practically have to set out to acheive this. It just isn't something that happens in normal use these days.

As regards the picture quality you refer to, it is true that with bluray the Sony has an incredibly sharp and vivid picture, however when watching broadcast tv in both sd and hd, the inevitable 'noise' in the picture (especially on fast movement) is also incredibly sharp and noticeable. As for brightness of picture, after correctly calibrating the tv the brightness on both will be very similar.

One last thing to bear in mind, particularly on the new Sony's, is the very narrow viewing angle, which for a lot of setups with more than one viewing position probably has the biggest effect on picture quality than any of the above.

In summary, both technologies have their pros and cons, you simply have to get a good demo of both and decide which you prefer. The only time you might worry 'you've made a wrong choice' is if you end up with a faulty tv, highly unlikely from either Sony or Panasonic. What matters then is your choice of retailer and their level of customer service, as I'm sure a lot of posters on this thread will already have experienced.

 

[Anonymous]

Just a quick question

My Sony still has the small amount of clouding in the corner. Called my retailer who have given the standard sony response saying the TV is not faulty. (would love to know if any sony staff/exe's have this TV and returned it due to clouding.)

If my retailer won't exchange it I take it there is no other route to go down other than I'm stuck with my set?

An obvious one, but how do they see it ''not as a problem'' when some TV's have the issue and others don't? Where's consistencey gone?

On a bit more of a technical side. What is it exactly that causes the clouding??? and is there......in theory a way of repairing it. Say new panel or backlight? i know its probably not good sense money wise, just for my knowledge.

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Anonymous]

RyanJH:

garethwd:It might be worth giving plasma a look

I'm starting to think that way to be honest as they are supposed to be better as far as handling SD which i watch quite a lot of, but i have a few qualms with plasma's... Firstly the cost of running, i hear it's considerably more than an lcd, secondly, the screen burn problem, altho i wont leave it unattended for long periods so thats not so much of a problem, and also, i hear that lcd has a sharper, brighter and more real picture (which is more important to me) than plasma's which tend to have a warmer feel to the image.

I'm just a little unsure, whichever i pick i'm always going to worry i've made the wrong choice!!

Thats why i prefer LCD's

 

[Anonymous]

michael_walkden:

Just a quick question

My Sony still has the small amount of clouding in the corner. Called my retailer who have given the standard sony response saying the TV is not faulty. (would love to know if any sony staff/exe's have this TV and returned it due to clouding.)

If my retailer won't exchange it I take it there is no other route to go down other than I'm stuck with my set?

An obvious one, but how do they see it ''not as a problem'' when some TV's have the issue and others don't? Where's consistencey gone?

On a bit more of a technical side. What is it exactly that causes the clouding??? and is there......in theory a way of repairing it. Say new panel or backlight? i know its probably not good sense money wise, just for my knowledge.

Thanks for any replies.

Just out of curiosity, who is the retailer?

Ultimately if the manufacturer says the tv is not faulty, you're going to struggle unless the problem is so bad it's unwatchable. I suppose you could ask yourself if the average person would find it a problem BEFORE it was pointed out to them? If not, I think you might be stuck.

A new panel would be in the region of £500 with the cost of fitting on top of that.

Some people have been known to have 'accidents' in the home and have had to claim on their home insurance for a replacement.

 

[Anonymous]

Was with electro saver in Bradford.

I have absolutely no issue with them. I mean if sony say it isn't a problem most shops will back themselves up with that.

If some sony stores have replaced tv's i guessing thats just down to the kindness of the manager.

I take it by you saying a replacement panel, that is where the problem lies? what happens to the screen in the area of clouding to make the screen appear lighter???

 

[Anonymous]

michael_walkden:

Was with electro saver in Bradford.

I have absolutely no issue with them. I mean if sony say it isn't a problem most shops will back themselves up with that.

If some sony stores have replaced tv's i guessing thats just down to the kindness of the manager.

I take it by you saying a replacement panel, that is where the problem lies? what happens to the screen in the area of clouding to make the screen appear lighter???

It is the panel causing the problem.

Google: lcd mura

 

[Anonymous]

The thought of a new panel to fix it sounds interesting, especially if someone else was paying.

£500 to replace it. If only the 5 year warranty could come in to play to replace it.

 

[Anonymous]

The warranty will only cover the repair of faults and unfortunately what you have described is generally accepted to be a characteristic of lcd.

You have a right to reject the tv and receive a refund if it is not 'fit for purpose' which some of the sets described on this thread are clearly not, but aside from that, if the clouding is 'relatively mild' you're pretty much stuck with it.

By the way, Sony has been down this road before with previous models, so I guess their insistence that there is not a wider problem will pretty much be their final word officially.

 

[Anonymous]

I am not sure I can reject the TV now after 2 weeks. :-(

I am thinking over time the pain will subside and i will live to accept sony's shoddy workmanship.

Looking at some alternatives. Reading about trying to place a low wattage strip light behind the screen to imporve the overall black.

does appear when i sit lower ( more square on to the screen) it seems to get better. maybe a higher stand or wall mount???

 

[Anonymous]

How does the strip light suggestion work?

 

[Anonymous]

I may well and probably am wrong on this! But isnst backlight bleed caused by an uneven layer of light difussing paint on the back of the panel??? Thats what i heard somewhere anyhoo!!! Can any confirm this??

 

[Anonymous]

New photo's of the clouding:

I am still trying to exchange the W4500, without succes.

I hope this will give more clarity about the problem.

 

[Anonymous]

I hear the strip light idea works in the same way the phillips ambilight TV's.

Not sure on the technicallities but i hear it can deepen blacks and maybe reduce the lightness of the clouding.

i dunno. I am maybe clutching at straws to find something to help.

Wonder if there is any repair that could be done for a small charge (i.e not a £500 new panel)

 

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone!

I am very new to this thread and indeed the forum but have viewed this thread with interest. I am considering purchase of the Sony

46Z4500 I was informed by Electro Saver yesterday that this model does not have clouding issues but they accepted that the W4500 does. Anybody any input with this relatively new 200htz screen?

 

[Anonymous]

no.. but i wish i had paid more and had gone for the Z4500 from electro saver.

 

[Anonymous]

If you're ordering this tv online, make sure you use your 7 day cooling off period to rigourously check for any issues. Bear in mind if you do decide to return the tv, some retailers will expect you to pay the return shipping cost which won't be cheap on a large tv.

 

[Anonymous]

this may be stupid, but i didn;t know/wasn't informed of any cooling off period to swap refund

I'd have swapped it earlier for a Z series or panny plasma. I called up the retailer just over a week after purchase and asked about an exchange but all I got was the sony line.

Hmmmmm, a little annoyed.

 

[Anonymous]

Any news from Sony yet?

 

[Anonymous]

michael_walkden:

this may be stupid, but i didn;t know/wasn't informed of any cooling off period to swap refund

I'd have swapped it earlier for a Z series or panny plasma. I called up the retailer just over a week after purchase and asked about an exchange but all I got was the sony line.

Hmmmmm, a little annoyed.

I appreciate it's a bit late for you now, but for future reference, you have 7 working days to reject a tv ordered online for any reason, even if you have just changed your mind. The 7 working days begins the day after the delivery day. You will receive a refund of both the cost of the tv and the cost of delivery to you. Depending on the company, you may have to pay for the return shipping costs.

 

[Anonymous]

I ordered mine over the phone ( not sure if that makes much difference?)

I have emailed to see if there is anything they can do.(last ditch plea I know)

I'd happily spend the extra to go to the Z4500 as I hear that panel does not suffer, plus I plan to get a Blu ray from the same retailer.

Guess this won't be any use to them as they can't return my TV.

See Sony what you've done. Your turning us in to desperate people. All you have to do is admit the TV are wrong. People still want your products, they just want them to be perfect as they should be.