Spongeworthy, et al:
I've had a Sony 50" Sony SXRD for 11 months and 1 week (I know this because the warranty ends in 3 weeks). About 3 weeks ago, I noticed the right side of the screen was turning yellow. I googled "SXRD" and "Yellow" and up came many sites, blogs, etc. about how common this problem is; that the optical block is a consistent problem; that Sony denies its a widespread problem; and that it costs about $1,000 to fix (the TV can usually be bought at BB fnew or about $1,800 now).
Like many of you, I have been a long time, loyal Sony customer. The SXRD picture is terrific. But the build quality and the customer service will make it difficult to buy another one.
I also have 3 older tube-type sony's that are still working great. I mention all this to confirm my Sony experience is consistent with others on this site--but also to offer some advice: Look around on the web to see if there is a class action lawsuit against Sony regarding your particular model and part failure. This obviously won't help with your immediate problem, but if there is a class action, it will confirm your problem is widespread, and at some point, there likely will be a settlement of some, if modest, value.