ONE FOR THE WHF TEAM - Sony 40ex503 Problems !!!!!

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I have had to return my tv to an online retailer because of a small dent at the front of the cabinet, but, before I order another one, I had noticed two large areas of clouding when the set first turns on, and the Sony logo appears. It then appears whenever the screen is nearly all black. Have any of you noticed this on other 503's, and do you think it's a problem that could get worse over time ? In other words, should I hesitate in re-ordering or was it just a one-off , as I thought the backlight problems had been sorted out regarding this particular model?

Thanks

 

[Oldboy]

sapien61,

Before i bought my current tv i went for the 40ex503 and i sent back 3 of them with backlight problems, in total i had 5 40ex503 tv's and i'm afraid all of them were faulty with the other 2 sets suffering from always on pixels and one which decided to turn the screen purple with black vertical lines whenever it felt like it!

This doesn't mean this will happen to you, of course, and it may well be that you have just been unlucky but thought it best you know my experience before you decide what to do. After 5 attempts i gave up on the 40ex503 and indeed all Sony tv's and bought a Panasonic plasma which i'm really happy with but i'm of the opinion that quality control isn't all it should be at Sony because how else can you explain 5 faulty tv's in a row??

The backlight problem you are seeing is the same old problem of backlight bleed that has affected many Sony tv's for the past few years and it can get worse over time or it may not, it seems a bit of a lottery tbh. Some customers on other forums have reported that by loosening the screws that screw the screen together you can lose the clouding completely which points to some over tightening at manufacture but you run the risk of invalidating your warranty if you try this!

It's up to you if you order another one or not just be prepared for further issues if you do, that way no matter what happens you won't be disappointed. You may well get a replacement that has no issues of course so i guess it comes down to how happy you were with the tv apart from the issues?

Regards.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Oldboy.

My previous set was a Sony W Series, and I had no problems with that, and I've just sold it, so am having to use my old Panasonic 32 inch lcd, which was relegated to the conservatory, which looks amazingly as good as most of the sets out today, shame it's not bigger.

Regarding the 503, When the picture was off, and you looked at it from an angle, the screen had colours like you see when oil is wet on the road in the sun. Don't know if that was part of the problem

I may have to order another one, purely because I don't really have a second choice tv in mind. It appears that all the manufacturers seem to have problems with their backlights, and it's a lottery whether you get a good one or not.

 

[3937edwards]

go for a plasma if you are wary of backlight issues with lcd/led there are bargains to be had out there

 

[Anonymous]

Again, they seem to be having quality problems as well. Ah, the days when you'd buy a tv and it never went wrong.

 

[Oldboy]

Sapien61,

Don't be confused....it's the screens that are bit of a lottery not the backlight. From what research i done when my 503's were all faulty i found that it's the quality of screen that is the biggest lottery of all and it can vastly change the performance of a tv and go some way to explaining why some tv's suffer from problems others don't. The quality of screen can change throughout production as cheaper screens are sourced from other companies (the manufacturers don't make the screens, normally, but buy them in) and any slight change can have an effect on the tv despite the best efforts of the manufacturers. It really can be a lottery buying a tv these days for sure!

If you would take it i have some advice for you regarding getting another 40ex503. Why don't you try to get another one from a retailer that is willing to agree to you being able to take the tv back straight away should you encounter the problem again? That way you get to try out another with no risk to yourself! It's a tactic widely used on these forums and i have done it myself so i can confirm that retailers are willing to do this but of course if you buy online then it probably will be tricky to get this sort of agreement but certainly not impossible, it would at least take some of the risk away eh!

edwards is right regarding plasma, if you want no backlight issues then it's the only way to go! There are plenty of plasmas out there for the same or even cheaper than the 40ex503 and often in bigger screen sizes so why not try to see a few before you order another ex503, you may change your mind? I was put off by plasma for a while untill my issues but now i'm not sure i would ever go back to lcd/led after being treated to the superior plasma image

 

[Anonymous]

I bought the tv from amazon, and they are refunding me. I have ordered another because of the current price (£452), and, fingers crossed, it will be o.k. If not then I may think about your suggestion, though my tv has to face the window,which has blinds, so that may be a problem, although I know that panasonic have made their panels less reflective.

 

[Oldboy]

I really hope the replacement has no issues but fyi i got all 5 of my 40ex503's from Amazon so consider yourself warned lol...hopefully you get a quality tv this time and i have my fingers crossed this is the case for you! Whatever happens please post your thoughts on the replacement as i would be very interested to see how your experience compares to mine

Best wishes.

 

[cinemafan]

My 'Sony Centre' 40EX503 has been fine so far with no clouding issues (touch wood!)

 

[Anonymous]

Got the replacement today and...................it's fine. Also had my refund verified by Amazon and I'm back to being a happy bunny. I don't think if I'd bought it on the high street I'd of had it all settled within a couple of days!

Thanks for the replies.

(shame the whf team weren't bothered)

 

[Oldboy]

That's excellent news Sapien61! Good to hear that you had it all sorted out quickly and with no fuss...now down to the business of enjoying your tv. Wish you years of happy viewing! My faith in Sony is still shaky after my experience but it's good to know not all the 40ex503's are turkeys.

 

[Clare Newsome]

sapien61:
Got the replacement today and...................it's fine. Also had my refund verified by Amazon and I'm back to being a happy bunny. I don't think if I'd bought it on the high street I'd of had it all settled within a couple of days!

Thanks for the replies.

(shame the whf team weren't bothered)

I can assure you we've been reading this thread - but being as you were getting decent advice (including directly from someone who'd been through the same issue with the same retailer), we felt you were in good hands; there's nothing more we could have added.

Glad you've got your set sorted