a handle

Here’s the problem. I have a5 year old Sony 32” XBR flat screen. Cost $2000 back then. This is the clearest TV I have ever seen. It some time s doesn’t stare up and some times it does and shuts off after minutes or hours. Obviously an unacceptable condition. Being rural without a lot / any neighbors to help I call the only TV repair place that picks up. They diagnose a bad board that they say costs $350 plus $300 to install. I get my TV back still broken and I am out $100 for diagnosis and pickup. Find a local repair guy really nice fellow who takes a crack at it. After three weeks and I’m sure dozens of hours he gives up then ghost. He thinks its two boards in concert some how that causes the problem. Now he doesn’t even charge me for his time. He had contacted Sony and thinks it is a problem they have heard of before, generic, and they weren’t much help. Design defect of some kind maybe that they do not want to admit. Anyone else have this problem? Also I am open to suggestions. The TV weighs 170 lbs so some options are limited. I really don’t want to trash this TV but I don’t see a lot of choices here.
I hope this is the right forum.

Phil L.

You might have better luck getting answers to a question like that over at www.avsforum.com
Look in the Single Tube Direct View Forum
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=64

Considering your set is 5 years old this may be a good time to upgrade to a Sony 34" widescreen HD set (if you like tube sets)
The XBR 960 will cost you around $2,000 but for $500 less a better bet is the 34SX955 WEGA set. It's widescreen and HD and has the same tube and PQ of the XBR.


Edit: The above reply was posted when this was still in TV Forum

a handle

thanks for the advice. just left the repair shop, needs two $250 boards plus installation. As much as I hat to do it Its going to the dump. Mr fix it was really down on Sony products.. I have had them for 25 years but seems things change, WhenI I get to Oregon later this year I will go big screen hunting. Live in Connecticut and don't want to drag a bigscreem 3000 miles. Any other thoughts are welcome. I am definitly going for max extended warrenties in the future.

RevKarl

Sorry about your XBR loss (been there, done that with a 27" set,) but the other advantage of waiting until you get to Oregon to buy a replacement: No sales tax!

Pony99CA

I probably have a similar problem. I bought a Sony KV-32XBR400 in September 2000 for about $2000. In 2003, I started having similar problems to what you have. I would press the power button, hear the TV respond, but wouldn't hear the "static" noise as the TV picture tube powered up, then the TV would power down.

If I unplugged the TV for a while, the TV could be turned on, but eventually the problem would recur. Finally, the TV wouldn't power up at all and I had to take it in for service (at a cost of $400 to replace the "D board").

Less than 1.5 years later, I started having the same problems again. I took the TV back to the repair place and they said the D board needed to be replaced at a cost of $427.

While I can accept one failure, two in less than five years is unacceptable. I called Sony customer service today about the issue and they said they couldn't make any accommodation (like providing the parts for free) because the warranty had expired (well, duh!).

I think that stinks. One reason many of us buy Sony, especially the XBR series (which cost about $400 more than the non-XBR version), is our belief in the high quality. Sony doesn't seem concerned about this.

I bought a 31" Mitsubishi TV in the late 90s (sometime after 1995) and haven't had any problems with it. I bought a 27" Toshiba in the early 90s that just started having the top of the picture go bad. So what's up with the problems with Sony?

Steve

K&AJones

We have a 1998 XBR 36" that we got as a floor model. New the set was $2k but we got it for like $1400. Anyway we didn't have it for more than a year and the set started to have on & off problems. It would turn itself off just random. We took it in and they found some transistors had some shorts in the tube and the only way was for either a new set or new tube. Even though it was a floor model Sony honored the warranty (XBR's had a two year vs the others with one) and we got a new tube. We still have it in the living room and use a Mits 48" for HT in another.

I remember something on the new design models from 99/00 that reported tube issues. This is when the went with the flat screen for the first time and the new silver cabinet. I'd do a Google search like 2000 XBR tube problems and see. Sorry I can't be of more help.


Kenny J.