Someone I know gave me this 60" Sony WEGA DLP TV that they said the picture gradually degraded over time until it got to the point it was hard to watch. The owner called Sony and was told that the optical block was bad and that every one of those sets had that problem. Rather than repair the set, Sony let him have his choice of 4 different models because they wanted to keep his business. From what I can find on the internet, optical block failures were, indeed, a major problem on these sets. I also found out that replacements are very, very expensive; but, there are a couple places that rebuild these for $200-$300. Obviously, IF I repair this set, I will go for the rebuild. And, my only motivation for repairing this set would be to sell it. I certainly don't want to keep it. I'm just worried that if I spend the money for a rebuilt optical block, I may end up getting stuck with the TV, as we all know that used TV's don't hold much value in today's world. BTW, I don't know the model number of this TV, as someone removed the model sticker.
So, what do you guys think? Is this TV really worth repairing or should I just give it to the junk man when he comes by? Oh, and the owner gave me a brand new lamp. He said he ordered it when the TV started acting up and discovered that the trouble was not with the lamp before he had a chance to install it.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_0816sony0001.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_0816sony0002.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_0816sony0004.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff341/radiotvnut/2010_0816sony0005.jpg

Do you know exactly what they do to rebuild one? I think it would be good to have an estimate of how permanent it is - how much time you'd get before it failed again.

I have done a lot of research on those Sony TVs, and when the optical block fails, it definitely is not worth repairing because they will fail again. The heat and intensity of the lamp deforms and breaks down the LCD panels, lenses and mirrors. From your pictures, it definitely is a bad optical block.

Your best option would be to part it out and sell all the good modules on eBay.

I would tare it apart and see how the color wheel/mirror thing works then trash or recycle it. I cant see anyone wanting that thing and it must not be cost effective to repair them if sony replaces the whole set.

These sets are 3 panel rear projection LCD - no color wheel or DMD chip.

BTW that is an LCD set not DLP, no color wheel, three LCD chips. I have one a generation or two after that, they seem to have fixed that problem by that time but the black levels still suck, great picture otherwise.

I really doubt you could get more than $500 for it nowadays.

crtfool you beat me to it by four minutes! :yes:

I am SURE of this--as I used to repair a LOT of them. Nowdays--it is almost all flat--panel sets I see.

The light engine is bad for sure. One of three things has gone wrong.

1_dirt contamination. Those 3 or more fans suck in a LOT of dirt and the matchbook--sized panels get dirty--and then discolored.

2--"burnt" panels. The heat from the vapor lamp actually warps the panels, and then--they have that discolored look-"become "burned".

3--Burnt "polarizer paper". In some of these engines--there are special paper sheets in the light path. Over time--the lamp burns them...and the picture becomes discolored.

For ALL of the above--a new or rebuilt LE is needed. You CANNOT really clean one yourself--and the internal parts are NOT available-AFAIK. Worth it??": It really is up to you. A good Sony WEGA LCD projo DOES have a nice picture. I DEFINITELY would want one over ANY PDP set!!

crtfool you beat me to it by four minutes! :yes:

ooops - don't want to get a moderator mad :nono:

Interesting. Thanks for the correction. How do they get the set so thin?

Ok, my radar totally missed these sets, could anybody tell me how they are configured... like do they use one LC cell for each color? what size is the typical LC? Is this failure due to discolored polarizers/discolored color filers or perhaps leakage of LC material out of the cell (seal failure?)
jr

ctc17 - It's not that thin - I have a 42" model that is about 15" deep - it looks deceiving because you don't see the back. The light engine is aimed at a mirror in the curved back cover and the image is projected onto a plastic screen in the front.

jr - Yes, 1 LCD panel for each color mounted on a cube of prisms. Each LCD is about 1" to 1.5" diagonal. Then there is a maze of lenses, mirrors and filters. The failure in Sony sets is because the optical materials get destroyed by the heat and intensity of the lamp - just poor materials were chosen by Sony, which is a crime considering what these sets cost when new!

For more info on this subject, just search for "SONY OPTICAL BLOCK LAWSUIT" - there is a lot of info about this because Sony refused to repair these sets properly.

Thanks for setting me straight on the fact that this is an LCD projection set, not DLP.

About 15 years ago, the same guy gave me his '76 Zenith CCII console just because it was outdated and wasn't quite as perky as it once was. That Zenith lasted 15 years and he's gone through many newer TV's since he gave me that Zenith. I even rub it in from time to time about how long that Zenith lasted and he always smiles and says, "Yeah, that Zenith was a good set that I just couldn't kill".

As far as this Sony goes, I'd feel better about repairing it if I knew the replacement light engine was more reliable than the original and would last longer. Maybe, in a year or two, some of these discount electronics parts suppliers will be selling light engines for dirt cheap.

This design problem just shows how down hill Sony has gotten...

https://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/optical-block-defects

AFAIK Sony did fix this problem with their 5th generation LCD WEGA's.

Mine is probably 6 years old with 10k hours on it and not a single problem, not even a bulb.

It's a second set now but it still gets used a couple hours every evening.

Now that I've jinxed it with praise it'll probably fail in the next week or two. :scratch2:

ooops - don't want to get a moderator mad :nono:

It's OK, I won't have you flogged. :D

I had the fun of playing with one of these sets-a friend of mine got it for free. It was easy enough to get the covers off, but god help you if you need to get to any of the boards!

Once we determined the optical block was bad, we decided to pitch it. There are a lot of great optics in that block that are fun to play with, but they were just too trashed. It was such a shame-if Sony had added a UV filter to the bulb, that probably would have greatly helped with the set's longevity.

I had never seen the insides of one of these... This link has some pretty good pictures:

http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonykdf-55wf655opticalblockreplacement

GOOD GRIEF!
jr

You may be interested in seeing how many hours are on your TV - this is the procedure to enter the service mode and read the counters. This should work for all these Sony LCD rear projection sets

KDF-E42A10/E50A10
RM-YD003

Reading Lamp and Panel time
Use the following to determine the lamp and panel time of a set.

Screen Display Method
In standby mode, press the buttons on the Remote Commander sequentially, in rapid succession, as shown below:
1. Press Display , Channel 5 , Sound Volume + , Power ON

2. To enter BE-micro service menu, press JUMP 2 times.
CONFIGRATION 00 SERVICE
CP18_COLOR_SYS 00 00A0 BE Micro

3. To display the lamp time, press Channel-4.
GW_SPECIAL 34 SERVICE
LAMP_TIME 02 00000014 BE Micro

The screen displays:
“ Total lamp time is 14 hours”

4. To display the panel time, press Channel-4.
GW_SPECIAL 34 SERVICE
PANEL_TIME 01 00000014 BE Micro

The screen displays:
“ Total panel time is 14 hours”

5. To display the lamp time clear, press Channel-5 7 times and Channel-1.
OPTION_E 20 SERVICE
LAMP 01 0000 BE Micro

To reset the lamp time press Channel-3 > MUTING > ENT.
WRITE (Character color is red) is momentarily displayed and the lamp time is reset to “0”.

Exiting Service Mode
After completing the changes exit service mode by turning off the set using the Remote Commander or the power switch.

I had never seen the insides of one of these... This link has some pretty good pictures:

http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/sonykdf-55wf655opticalblockreplacement

GOOD GRIEF!
jr

You said it!!

My TV was a curb find that had a dead lamp, missing both lamp doors, cut power cord, missing most of the back cover screws and no remote - but otherwise completely intact.

I had no clue if the optical block was good or bad, but since the lamp was blown, I had a gut feeling that it was good - why would the lamp be blown if the picture was unwatchable?, who would watch it that way until the lamp died? I took a chance and purchased a used lamp from eBay to test it, and it worked perfectly!

I am sure that the optics could use a good cleaning, but I am NOT going through the hell required to clean it until I have to do any serious repairs to the set.