Plagued with problems on the Sony Bravia KDL- 40W4500

[professorhat]

Martin Gman:hmmm avoid that mate, sounds like a 'grey' import. Cheap for the supplier but 100% that it will have Backlight bleed.

Not at all - it's probably just a model number specific to John Lewis as the thread Messiah posted to indicates. It's completely unjustified to say it will 100% have backlight bleed when you have no evidence of that at all.

And for goodness sakes, no, I don't work for Sony, I just try to inject a modicum of common sense into these threads when some people are clearly on a hate campaign for some reason.

 

[ElectroMan]

Martin Gman:
Absolutely not! when I buy a TV I will watch it with my own settings and turning the Backlight up to max shouldn't make a difference. If it did then why do Sony put this level on??

These sets should come with a warning. If I do get my money back or they let me swap the set I shall be going down the Plasma route thankyou.

They put those levels on in case you want to watch it in bright sunshine!

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
Martin Gman:hmmm avoid that mate, sounds like a 'grey' import. Cheap for the supplier but 100% that it will have Backlight bleed.

Not at all - it's probably just a model number specific to John Lewis as the thread Messiah posted to indicates. It's completely unjustified to say it will 100% have backlight bleed when you have no evidence of that at all.

And for goodness sakes, no, I don't work for Sony, I just try to inject a modicum of common sense into these threads when some people are clearly on a hate campaign for some reason.

Please stop spamming my thread professorhat, if you don't like it then don't post.

 

[professorhat]

 

[Rorschach]

Hurm......I don't think you were right in saying that professorhat is on sony's payroll, that was pretty uncalled for. This is a forum, not a childrens playground.

 

[Anonymous]

Rorschach:
Hurm......I don't think you were right in saying that professorhat is on sony's payroll, that was pretty uncalled for. This is a forum, not a childrens playground.

True. I don't have any problem with anyone apart from Sony.

 

[Rorschach]

Oh well, children will be children, i suppose.

 

[Anonymous]

Rorschach:
Oh well, children will be children, i suppose.

Ok, so I waste my hard earned cash on a lemon of a TV with the guidance from What HIFI magazine and im called a child for complaining!!!!

 

[Rorschach]

No, not at all. I was calling you a child for a completely different reason, you silly boy. If your tv has a 5 year warranty, why not take it back?

 

[Anonymous]

To give credit too what hi fi, If the sets they reviewed had no backlight bleed then they cant be blamed for not reporting it. Its sony that should held responsible. But from what i gather they dont really give a monkeys as 75% of people that buy these tv's wouldnt even notice backlight issues so aint gonna grumble and will be very happy with there new purchase.

Disclamer: for pedants 75% is a very wild stab in the dark, but im sure a lot of people could have LCDs tv with backlight bleed and be none the wiser or even aware that such a condition exists

 

[Rorschach]

I still agree with your comment earlier. The sets sent to What HiFi must've been triple checked and quadruple checked, sony would hate to lose it's big brand reputable name, in my opinion. Some numpty in the warehouse didn't spot the backlight fault though, sods law.

 

[matthewpiano]

Trust me, Sony values its customers very highly and takes great pride in the quality of its products. Like any manufacturer they are not perfect, but the majority of W4500 sets have ended up with owners who are extremely happy with their purchase. Those who aren't should be pursuing it with the retailer that sold the set.

Every manufacturer has its issues. The number of customers I've come across who are having issues with HDMI inputs on Samsungs, or suffering from visible phosphor trails on Panasonic plasmas is quite considerable but this doesn't mean that these manufacturers are no good. With all of these manufacturers we are talking about huge levels of mass production which occasionally leads to issues with some sets.

The best advice I can give is to choose your retailer carefully when you purchase a set, with a mind to their customer support and after sales service as well as their headline sales price. Develop a good relationship with them and, if you experience issues, work with them to reach an agreeable conclusion. In these days of cheap internet prices the customer/retailer relationship is badly under-valued, but on the few occasions where things go wrong it can be hugely helpful and vitally important.

 

[Anonymous]

Their response to the backlight bleed issue is a bit rubbish though you have to admit? and its a problem that sony havnt really worked on to overcome there was a hell of a lot noise about 20w4000 set being prone to suffer the dreaded bleed, Thats 3 years to figure out a way of elimating the problem which they clearly havent done becouse imo its an issue that many consumers will never notice..

 

[Andrew Everard]

Rorschach:Oh well, children will be children, i suppose.

Care on this one: it's in danger of turning into abusing other Forum members, all of you (not just Rorschach) - which is against House Rules - Mods

 

[bladeslap]

After much research and various demonstrations I ordered a KDL40W4500/4710 (and BDPS350 Blu-ray player for £51) from John Lewis yesterday.

I was informed that the 4710 designation merely indicated the lacquered piano-black finish as opposed to the more usual midnight blue. Nothing more sinister than that!

 

[Anonymous]

bladeslap:
After much research and various demonstrations I ordered a KDL40W4500/4710 (and BDPS350 Blu-ray player for £51) from John Lewis yesterday.

I was informed that the 4710 designation merely indicated the lacquered piano-black finish as opposed to the more usual midnight blue. Nothing more sinister than that!

jeez, you are a brave man.

 

[Anonymous]

Well back to the thread, Finally had enough of my 40w4500's antics and am now persuig a replacement from comet. The difficult aspect of this is the first hours viewing from cold shows no sign of the problem and its only from 2 hours + that it starts to really irritate the hell out of me. engineer comming on monday, lets hope hes sympathetic to the issue as so far I have found comet to be totally un helpfull on this and point blank refuse to replace the set with out the engineer visit grrrrrrrr.

 

[mikey2008]

Is there any way of setting up some sort of simple poll on this forum, along the lines of 'Are you happy with your xW4500/4710? Yes/No'. This should give some clear guidance to others as to the actual proportion of people who satisfied/disatisfied. Just a thought.

 

[Anonymous]

I have set up six 40W4500's now. My own and the rest for family and friends. All were bought after people seeing my set. All were amazed at the fantastic picture. AND NOT ONE OF THESE SET, HAD OR HAS ISSUES AFTER BEING CORRECTLY CALIBRATED. imo the people who are most vocal at slagging this model off are the screen burn brigade, i wonder why?

 

[bladeslap]

As usual, a dissatisfied minority are the most vocal.

Others, as is the nature of these forums, jump on the bandwagon because it's just in their psyche.

Then the pack instinct takes over and...

hysteria sets in...

You've got to remember that this TV has sold in huge numbers, there were bound to be some duff sets. In the very unlikely event my 40W4500/4710 has problems I will report back. And using John Lewis I am satisfied I'll have a good replacement service!

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with what Clare said on the longer thread - if you are worried be careful with your shop/supplier - even if it costs a little more - I finally plumped for the 40w4500 just before Xmas. I had worries right to the end wavering to going for a Panny plasma but I discussed the technical issues with the shop and they were more than happy for me to return and swop if I was disappointed. They had had no returns for this issue. I have been more than happy with the results - SD is better than I thought it would be and the HD pictures are simply amazing. John Lewis should also be good for a return if necessary.

 

[rob_981]

Martin Gman:professorhat:

Martin Gman:hmmm avoid that mate, sounds like a 'grey' import. Cheap for the supplier but 100% that it will have Backlight bleed.

Not at all - it's probably just a model number specific to John Lewis as the thread Messiah posted to indicates. It's completely unjustified to say it will 100% have backlight bleed when you have no evidence of that at all.

And for goodness sakes, no, I don't work for Sony, I just try to inject a modicum of common sense into these threads when some people are clearly on a hate campaign for some reason.

Please stop spamming my thread professorhat, if you don't like it then don't post.

Martin Gman, professorhat was just defending John Lewis against an accusation you levelled against them with absolutely no evidence. You can't have a go at someone just because they don't agree with you.

Also, you're venting your frustration about your TV at the wrong people. How can What Hifi report on something which doesn't exist on their review samples? Are they supposed to make up problems? They did host a thread, contact Sony and include a link to the thread in their online review about this very problem. They did everything they could as soon as they became aware of the problem.

One thing I would suggest though, is give your tv a little time to bed in - some people have reported that their backlight bleed diminshes after a couple of weeks of normal use. And try changing the settings, including backlight, to see if that helps. If you can't return it, surely the best thing is to try anything you can to reduce the effects. Anyway, good luck, and sorry you got a bad tv. They're not all as bad as that - honest. It sounds like you were just unlucky.

 

[Anonymous]

rob_981:Martin Gman:professorhat:

Martin Gman:hmmm avoid that mate, sounds like a 'grey' import. Cheap for the supplier but 100% that it will have Backlight bleed.

Not at all - it's probably just a model number specific to John Lewis as the thread Messiah posted to indicates. It's completely unjustified to say it will 100% have backlight bleed when you have no evidence of that at all.

And for goodness sakes, no, I don't work for Sony, I just try to inject a modicum of common sense into these threads when some people are clearly on a hate campaign for some reason.

Please stop spamming my thread professorhat, if you don't like it then don't post.

Martin Gman, professorhat was just defending John Lewis against an accusation you levelled against them with absolutely no evidence. You can't have a go at someone just because they don't agree with you.

Also, you're venting your frustration about your TV at the wrong people. How can What Hifi report on something which doesn't exist on their review samples? Are they supposed to make up problems? They did host a thread, contact Sony and include a link to the thread in their online review about this very problem. They did everything they could as soon as they became aware of the problem.

One thing I would suggest though, is give your tv a little time to bed in - some people have reported that their backlight bleed diminshes after a couple of weeks of normal use. And try changing the settings, including backlight, to see if that helps. If you can't return it, surely the best thing is to try anything you can to reduce the effects. Anyway, good luck, and sorry you got a bad tv. They're not all as bad as that - honest. It sounds like you were just unlucky.

Well Cheapelectricals.co.uk have 'finally' answered my cries and gave me the Sony customer services number (that was nice of em!!) I phoned them and an Engineer is coming next Thursday. I just hope he/she is competent enough to get something done i.e a refund so I can buy a plasma. They will probably exchange it for another 4500 though.

rob 981 I have had my TV for a while mate, it gets worse the longer I leave it on.

 

[rob_981]

Ah, ok, fair enough. Good luck with the engineer. And you know, there could be worse things than getting a new 4500! If you get a good one, I'm sure you'll love it. It is a great tv.

 

[Anonymous]

Martin Gman I can agree with this , when my set is cold there is no issue. after 2 1/2 hours its doing my head in . Comet engineer coming Monday, im not feeling very hopefull though going by the responce from there support desk. Why do they have to make getting an exchange sooooo hard.