Sony SXRD Owners
 

Several of us on here bought the SXRDs when they first came out. Ours is an XBR1, 50", from September 2005.

I picked up a new Bravia 46 LCD 120 hz for our home gym a few months back, and it clearly showed more brightness than our SXRD has been displaying lately. I know, different technology, but I read up on the SXRD bulbs and found out that while they normally fail with a pop, and go black, they can dim over time as well. Bought a replacement today, and found that the old bulb has shadows over the reflector (likely due to heat), even though the filament is still good. Installed it, and the set is like new again. Out of interest, I went into the hidden service menu and found that the bulb had been in operation for 7112 hours. Guess it doesn't owe us anything.

If you have an SXRD, and the hours are getting up there, might want to think about some PM service on the bulb.

We got a 70" XBR2 - it had a faulty optical block which was replaced under warranty - during that we got a new bulb and there was a big difference in brightness - so definatly a good idea to replace the bulb if you have many hours on the set. Since we use our TV as a monitor for our gaming PC we go through bulbs relativly fast - one for every 2 years.

JCL,
Thanks for the heads up...our SXRD is a 60" SonyNoBaloney, Dec.'05 build, bought and installed
~ late December '05. I recall reading about bulb life, but ours "runs" only from mid Nov to mid April,
for the past 4 winter seasons, so it may be still full of life, or half life. When I get to the FL shack,
I will dig in and look at the bulb timer.

If I need to replace, I may bug you for some install tips; I am mostly thumbs these days and not
very adroit thumbs at that. I still love the TV, and it is one of things I look forward to when migrating
south, from our non-HD mtn joint here.
BR,mD

David:

Unplug set. Facing the set, look on the RH side behind the bezel. Find one Phillips screw in the bulb compartment door. Turn to loosen (that would be lefty-loosy for others reading this who may not be used to using hand tools). Pull ring labelled 'Pull'. Cartridge containing bulb pops out. Reverse sequence to install (there is a pad labelled 'Push here'). Note: Be careful of the bulb compartment door, as it has two microswitches that can be damaged if the door is handled roughly. They are safety switches to make sure you don't boot it up and look into the mercury lamp. GL.

My parents have a 60" XBR2. Hasn't been great with reliability. Two fans, one lamp driver replaced a few thousand hours in (lamp replaced under warranty too), and of course one Optical Block.

For those of you not aware, a civil suit was presented against Sony on the XBR2 also, just like the XBR1 fiasco. Only with the XBR2's, the OB's fail later than in the XBR1. They ended up extending the warranty on all of them to Jun 2010 I believe. Many have been through multiple OB's, seems they're just installing reman'd units.

mD, your XBR2 should've come with a replacement lamp.

Interesting. Haven't had any problems with my XBR1, this lamp has been the only time I have touched it in four years. The problem is a green blob, and yellow lines, and I haven't noticed anything resembling that.

MD, I suspect yours is also an XBR1.

I looked up the class action lawsuit for the XBR1, and the settlement included extended service until June 2009. And naturally, it only covers the US.

JCL: Thank you for the how to...I saved it to Docs for future DIY how to! :thumbup:

I think I recall some stuff I got from Sony on something extended, but it's
in the FL joint house file.

Vig, ours is also a 60" KDS-R60 XBR1...

No green blobs, no skating in the corners, no glitches thus far. The low light
blacks could be better, but I don't feel the urge to fiddle with the plethora
of internal settings. Best TV, for its size, I've ever viewed. I'm having late
summer/low def blues about now. :(
GL,mD

Good info you guys.....I've got a 60" on this end. It's still shinning like new. I keep the picture mode on standard about 95% of the time. I'll be sure to keep a eye on the picture quality......Phil

Well 20 days after my post..... the lamp is done. Got the dreaded red lamp light tonight. JCL, did you notice any color problems after changing the lamp? Also, did you purchase the new lamp from Sony? I see it on Sony's website for $249......what was your cost? I guess it's about time....3 to 3.6 years seems to be what's on the blogs about the lamp life. Anyone know of a better deal on the lamp, please let me know.......Phil

I never got the red lamp light, just noticed that the picture was dimmer when I got a new Bravia LCD for the gym (the comparison made it obvious, but watching the SXRD every day I hadn't really noticed). No colour problems after changing the lamp, it was perfect. Old lamp had a cloudy reflector, so I guess that was my problem with the lack of brightness. I bought it from a Sony Store, they had sold three so far that day. $299 CDN, which is about $249 US. Mine was about four years, but if you go in the secret service menu on the set you can see lamp hours. I think mine was 7200 hours or thereabouts. I figured it owed me nothing at that point.