Potential Problem with Sony TV - Blu-ray Forum

nathan_393 · 09-12-2011, 09:16 PM

Alright, potential long thread here. I think there's a problem with my Sony 46" KDL-EX500. Simply described, the outer border of the screen looks like it's surrounded with a yellow-tinted border. It's hard to see when there's a lot of natural light in the room, but it's there. I'd take a picture if you could see it in the camera shot.

This border is maybe an inch or so thick on the top and bottom and 3/4" thick on the sides. It plays on all my media - video games, Blu-rays, DVDs, etc. I'm running a PS3, Xbox 360 and PS2 into the TV. I rarely use the PS2 but I can guarantee that it's on everything I put into the other two systems.

So I called up Sony, who insisted that my problem was backlight bleeding - although that doesn't sound right to me at all. The rep told me they'd get a guy to come out and take a look at things regardless. I never even got a phone call after that.

So when Sony sent me an email asking me how my service was, I railed into them. They got on it right away and the next afternoon a service rep guy was there. I showed him my Blu-ray of Sherlock Holmes because the colour tone in that film really pronounced the issue with the TV.

After the service rep (finally!) noticed the problem, he commended me on the fact that I noticed at all and agreed that "an image like that should not be there". (He kind of talked funny - not with an accent, just funny). Then he told me he'd call me after doing testing with other TVs and he'd let me know what they could do.

I got the phone call today - two weeks later - and he tells me that he obtained a copy of Sherlock Holmes and tried it on a 60" Sony TV and a non-Sony TV and saw "the same issues" present in all the chapters I showed him. He tells me that what I see on my TV is a transfer issue. He left all this in a voicemail with a number to reach him at if I had any further questions.

So my question to you guys is this: is a border like this inside my TV normal? Is it worth hassling this guy for proper service? I know Sherlock shouldn't look like this and I know that everything else looks like it on my TV too, so unless there's flaws in LCD technology that I'm unaware of, I don't see what the problem could be. Your help in this matter would be appreciated - because I really don't know what I should do at this point, or if Sony's even reliable enough to offer me any further help.

Oh, and for the record, I'm still under warranty and the TV is only four or five months old.

cawgijoe · 09-29-2011, 12:39 PM

Hard to envision without seeing a pic. Can you take your Sherlock Holmes disc over to a friend's house and check it out there?

steve1971 · 09-29-2011, 02:13 PM

Would have to see a pic of what your talking about before I tried to give and answer.

nathan_393 · 09-29-2011, 03:45 PM

It's a little subtle to appear in a photograph, but I'll see what I can do. I don't have a friend with a BD player. It's very lonely in that regard

Wingman1977 · 09-29-2011, 04:15 PM

Since you have the warranty, get it serviced. It could be a worse problem down the road.

nathan_393 · 09-29-2011, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

Since you have the warranty, get it serviced. It could be a worse problem down the road.

The thing is, I've tried. They keep telling me it's not an issue and that it appears on "every TV" they've tried. It's absurd.

Wingman1977 · 09-29-2011, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathan_393

The thing is, I've tried. They keep telling me it's not an issue and that it appears on "every TV" they've tried. It's absurd.

Go to your local BB(or local retailer that has blu-ray players connected to their tv's or take your blu-ray player) and ask them if you can try it on their sets and see what happens.

nathan_393 · 09-29-2011, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

Go to your local BB(or local retailer that has blu-ray players connected to their tv's or take your blu-ray player) and ask them if you can try it on their sets and see what happens.

That's not a terrible idea.

I also know what will happen.
This doesn't just happen with Sherlock. It happens on every Blu-ray, game, and DVD I own. I'll have to take a closer look at some other TVs to check it out and see if this defect really does "appear everywhere". If it does, I won't be buying an LCD again any time soon. It's quite the defect.

ZoetMB · 09-29-2011, 07:53 PM

I have a Sony HX929 and there is no yellow border, if I'm interpreting your post correctly.

Wingman1977 · 09-29-2011, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathan_393

That's not a terrible idea.

I also know what will happen.
This doesn't just happen with Sherlock. It happens on every Blu-ray, game, and DVD I own. I'll have to take a closer look at some other TVs to check it out and see if this defect really does "appear everywhere". If it does, I won't be buying an LCD again any time soon. It's quite the defect.

Take a few blu-ray movies with you to test.

nathan_393 · 09-29-2011, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

Take a few blu-ray movies with you to test.

Alright, will do. Thanks for the tip!

Wingman1977 · 09-29-2011, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nathan_393

Alright, will do. Thanks for the tip!

One more thing. Try to go on a weekday morning if possible (that way it'll be easier for them to let you try them out since it won't really be busy in the store). Let us know how it turns out.

crackinhedz · 10-01-2011, 12:59 AM

does your TV have an "overscan" type setting?

to me it sounds like an overscan issue...but without seeing it myself and not having the user manual to look at...hard to know...

...im gonna go see if I cant find the user manual online.

edit: possible the "display area" setting?

Nommag · 10-01-2011, 08:14 AM

I have a 40inch kdl-ex500 and it has no yellow border at all, however, every now and again the colours all blur for a second or 2 then go back to normal. Maybe happens once a fortnight. It does it with any input. Ive had the tv for about a year and the problem hasn't worsened and doesn't seem serious enough to follow up. Has anyone else experienced this with Sony tvs and has any advice?

nathan_393 · 10-01-2011, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nommag

I have a 40inch kdl-ex500 and it has no yellow border at all, however, every now and again the colours all blur for a second or 2 then go back to normal. Maybe happens once a fortnight. It does it with any input. Ive had the tv for about a year and the problem hasn't worsened and doesn't seem serious enough to follow up. Has anyone else experienced this with Sony tvs and has any advice?

I haven't experienced this. These TVs seem to have odd issues - I haven't heard of anybody who doesn't have quirks with theirs - except for a couple people on the AVSForums.

Quote:

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

does your TV have an "overscan" type setting?

to me it sounds like an overscan issue...but without seeing it myself and not having the user manual to look at...hard to know...

...im gonna go see if I cant find the user manual online.

edit: possible the "display area" setting?

My display area/overscan setting is definitely correct. It's not like the border is all yellow - it's a yellow hue on top of the image that's already being displayed. So a consistently brown colour on the screen would have a rim all around it that is a slightly different hue than the actual colour itself. It's 4 perfectly straight lines; they don't curve or anything like that.

I didn't notice it until after I moved, so I'm wondering if I did something to it i the moving process.

09-12-2011, 09:16 PM	#1
nathan_393 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2010 Home Theater Gallery:8 4K collection:1 Blu-ray collection:274 DVD collection:11 Trading Score:2	Potential Problem with Sony TV Alright, potential long thread here. I think there's a problem with my Sony 46" KDL-EX500. Simply described, the outer border of the screen looks like it's surrounded with a yellow-tinted border. It's hard to see when there's a lot of natural light in the room, but it's there. I'd take a picture if you could see it in the camera shot. This border is maybe an inch or so thick on the top and bottom and 3/4" thick on the sides. It plays on all my media - video games, Blu-rays, DVDs, etc. I'm running a PS3, Xbox 360 and PS2 into the TV. I rarely use the PS2 but I can guarantee that it's on everything I put into the other two systems. So I called up Sony, who insisted that my problem was backlight bleeding - although that doesn't sound right to me at all. The rep told me they'd get a guy to come out and take a look at things regardless. I never even got a phone call after that. So when Sony sent me an email asking me how my service was, I railed into them. They got on it right away and the next afternoon a service rep guy was there. I showed him my Blu-ray of Sherlock Holmes because the colour tone in that film really pronounced the issue with the TV. After the service rep (finally!) noticed the problem, he commended me on the fact that I noticed at all and agreed that "an image like that should not be there". (He kind of talked funny - not with an accent, just funny). Then he told me he'd call me after doing testing with other TVs and he'd let me know what they could do. I got the phone call today - two weeks later - and he tells me that he obtained a copy of Sherlock Holmes and tried it on a 60" Sony TV and a non-Sony TV and saw "the same issues" present in all the chapters I showed him. He tells me that what I see on my TV is a transfer issue. He left all this in a voicemail with a number to reach him at if I had any further questions. So my question to you guys is this: is a border like this inside my TV normal? Is it worth hassling this guy for proper service? I know Sherlock shouldn't look like this and I know that everything else looks like it on my TV too, so unless there's flaws in LCD technology that I'm unaware of, I don't see what the problem could be. Your help in this matter would be appreciated - because I really don't know what I should do at this point, or if Sony's even reliable enough to offer me any further help. Oh, and for the record, I'm still under warranty and the TV is only four or five months old.

10-01-2011, 12:59 AM	#13
crackinhedz Super Moderator Member since:Feb 2007 Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:19	does your TV have an "overscan" type setting? to me it sounds like an overscan issue...but without seeing it myself and not having the user manual to look at...hard to know... ...im gonna go see if I cant find the user manual online. edit: possible the "display area" setting? Last edited by crackinhedz; 10-01-2011 at 01:07 AM.

09-29-2011, 12:39 PM	#2
cawgijoe Special Member Member since:Feb 2007 Trading Score:1	Hard to envision without seeing a pic. Can you take your Sherlock Holmes disc over to a friend's house and check it out there?

09-29-2011, 02:13 PM	#3
steve1971 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Saint Paul Minnesota. 4K collection:15 Blu-ray collection:352 Blu-ray reviews: 119 Trading Score:1	Would have to see a pic of what your talking about before I tried to give and answer.

09-29-2011, 03:45 PM	#4
nathan_393 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2010 Home Theater Gallery:8 4K collection:1 Blu-ray collection:274 DVD collection:11 Trading Score:2	It's a little subtle to appear in a photograph, but I'll see what I can do. I don't have a friend with a BD player. It's very lonely in that regard

09-29-2011, 04:15 PM	#5
Wingman1977 Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Mar 2008 Location:The empire state Trading Score:23	Since you have the warranty, get it serviced. It could be a worse problem down the road.

09-29-2011, 07:53 PM	#9
ZoetMB Blu-ray Ninja Member since:May 2009 Location:New York Blu-ray collection:172 DVD collection:27 Blu-ray reviews: 3	I have a Sony HX929 and there is no yellow border, if I'm interpreting your post correctly.

10-01-2011, 08:14 AM	#14
Nommag Special Member Member since:Jul 2011 Location:Hamilton, New Zealand. Home Theater Gallery:6 Blu-ray collection:170 Trading Score:22	I have a 40inch kdl-ex500 and it has no yellow border at all, however, every now and again the colours all blur for a second or 2 then go back to normal. Maybe happens once a fortnight. It does it with any input. Ive had the tv for about a year and the problem hasn't worsened and doesn't seem serious enough to follow up. Has anyone else experienced this with Sony tvs and has any advice?

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