Spongeworthy Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Well, my first HDTV just bit it this past weekend prematurely after a vey short 3 years. I bought my 220 lb boat anchor when HDTVs came down in price where regular guys could afford them. Paid just under $1,800. Sony KV-34HS510 won't power up and the diagnostic light blinks 7 times. I did some research on agoraquest.com which is a non-official Sony site. Alot of great helpful people there actually. I went to the Television>Troubleshooting forum and was floored by the number of people with broken Sony Wega HDTVs. The thread I posted to had a few guys absolutely convinced that Sony knowingly shipped TVs with QC issues. It is always the 'D Board' whatever that means. I found out that the fix will cost between $325 and $400. A new one is now $1K. There is the dilemma - do I sink four bills into a thousand dollar TV or buy a new one? Here is the real beauty. Sony is completely out of stock on the D Board for this TV. If I want it fixed, I need to have the repair company charge me $90 to pick up the TV and diagnose the problem, which I did in an hour last night. Then, they quote me to fix it (probably $350 to $400) and keep the $90 if I choose not to repair. If I do choose to have it fixed, the repair company will send the bunk part to Sony to fix and apply the $90 to the repair. Basically a month to get my TV operable. I have no problem with the repair company - they need to make money obviously. Sweet, huh? The irony of the situation is when I shopped the TVs 3 years ago, I decided to get the Sony over Philips, Panny, and others because I thought the Wega was a higher quality product. I am seriously considering ordering an afermarker repair kit and trying to do it myself for 80 bucks. http://www.fixyourowntv.com/orderpage.php Thanks for listening to me whine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenzip Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Sorry 'bout your TV. If you're positive that the problem is the D board, why not tell the repair guys to just replace it? If they don't troubleshoot, they can't charge you for the time. That way you don't have to try to do it yourself. Of course, then you run the risk of it still not working if the problem is something else, and they may have a minimum charge, but swapping out a board probably wouldn't take more than 10-30 minutes, depending on teardown. And you still run that risk if you DIY. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Sony have been in a downward spiral for the last few years. What gave them their name of build quality has long since vanished. My next door neighbour has a Sony SXRD 60" that cost $5000 CAD plus tax etc broke after 4 months. How can they offer a measly one year warranty on a unit costing that much? Because they know its garbage that won't last. My local audio shop where I buy my Klipsch stuff stopped carrying Sony because they are so bad...how bad is that? Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 Chris, that is just unreal. I'm really disappointed but I since bought a Panny projector for my attic so I still have my HD fix. The kids aren't too happy with no Spongebob but we'll get them fixed up soon. The warrany on some of the high end Sony's is, get this, 90 days Parts/Labor and 1 year parts only. This on a product with a minimum 10 year product cycle, One guy had his break after 102 days and Sony refused to warranty the work. I have decided that I am going to buy the $80 repair kit. If it doesn't work - it's trashed. I'm not putting $350 into a thousand dollar tv with issues. Can't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I'm seeing a lot of sony's out curb side for trash pickup. I was mistakenly under the assumption that these folks just wanted plasma screens....but apparently.....there's more to the story. I bought a toshiba HDTV about 4 years ago when HD first came out. I picked toshiba only because the toshiba I had prior, lasted me 13 yrs before I gave it away, and that person is still using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arky Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I have a Toshiba rptv that is I think 17 yrs old. I kept waiting for it to die but it wouldn't. Actually I gave it to my neighbor last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 I had the same Sony 34HS510 as you but I paid 2300 for it. Had it for 3 years then gave it to my uncle who is happy with it. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jopez Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Don't buy Sony Tv's, they are merely re branded Samsung's with extra gloss; save a couple dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 I had the same Sony 34HS510 as you but I paid 2300 for it. Had it for 3 years then gave it to my uncle who is happy with it. JJK Don't get me wrong, it's a killer set when working. I hope your uncle has good luck with it. I just ordered the repair kit for 77 bucks. Let's see if I can do this. Smells like trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Why would you spend money on a tv that you think is crap? Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 If you read my posts, I said it was a great tv when working. I said the board is crap and that alot of people have had issues with it. If I repair it, it may last another ten years, maybe not. It's worth a $77 gamble but not a $400 gamble. Can you let a brother vent a little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 If you read my posts, I said it was a great tv when working. I said the board is crap and that alot of people have had issues with it. If I repair it, it may last another ten years, maybe not. It's worth a $77 gamble but not a $400 gamble. Can you let a brother vent a little? Just wondering. You said Sony sucks and is crap, hence my question. I've got working Sony TV's that are 16 years old, 13 years old, and just got rid of a 12+ year old Sony XBR RP that finally gave problems. I've been happy with them, but past performance does not ensure future results. I hope your gamble pays off for you. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetJockey Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Your old Sony's work great...that was my point.... "Sony have been in a downward spiral for the last few years. What gave them their name of build quality has long since vanished" Its the newer stuff that is not up to scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdied17 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roc Rinaldi Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Boy oh Boy. I have a 40" Sony HD that I bought new in November. No problems yet but I don't like what I have been reading in this thread. I thought I bought the top brand but maybe not. I also read where the TV mfgs. are going to reduce the quality of their materials in order to allow more and more price discounts to the public. This is a general trend that is not good either. It's like anything else. Look at what happened to DVD players. Started out in the hundreds of dollars and now they are sometimes given away if you buy selected DVDs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 You can save yourself a few bucks and buy a korean Soony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 If you read my posts, I said it was a great tv when working. I said the board is crap and that alot of people have had issues with it. If I repair it, it may last another ten years, maybe not. It's worth a $77 gamble but not a $400 gamble. Can you let a brother vent a little? Just wondering. You said Sony sucks and is crap, hence my question. I've got working Sony TV's that are 16 years old, 13 years old, and just got rid of a 12+ year old Sony XBR RP that finally gave problems. I've been happy with them, but past performance does not ensure future results. I hope your gamble pays off for you. Keith Thanks Keith - I hope so too. I hope everyone else with Sony TVs has better luck. My disappointment with an expensive, broken TV turned to being a real red a$$ when I found that mine is *far* from an isolated incident. Hopefully, I can install the kit. After I ordered it, I looked at another page on the site that described this DIY repair as "not for the faint of heart". Uh-oh. Buying a new TV will cost me many rounds of golf this spring and put a serious dent in my fun money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenzip Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 After I ordered it, I looked at another page on the site that described this DIY repair as "not for the faint of heart". Uh-oh. Does this site have a forum for asking questions? Take a look at any info they might have there. Take it slow, read all the information on the DIY site over again, and don't get frustrated. It'll work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spongeworthy Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 Tenzip, Thanks for the encouragement - I need it!! I emailed the guy at the site and they do offer tech support and the parts come with step by step instructions and everything required to do the repair. I'll keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay481985 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Don't buy Sony Tv's, they are merely re branded Samsung's with extra gloss; save a couple dollars. well there are only two lcd companies out there ssamsung and I think sharp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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