kdl-52xbr4 lcd panel replacement made in china

When Veronica and I were doing our addition, I researched the heck out finding a large screen LCD TV. I have always been a fan of Sony and found that, at the time, the KDL-52XBR4 was getting rave reviews for picture quality. I searched around for the best price and I pulled the trigger. The reviews were correct, the picture quality is incredible. I wish that all was well two years and a few months later (out of warranty, of course).

Every person that I saw on the forums that were out of warranty basically got the bum’s rush. It sure is making me rethink my feelings about Sony. Those that were able to get a response from Sony usually got one that said that they would need to have a technician come to the house (at a charge) and diagnose the problem. Sony considers the UB1 and the FB1 as an integral part of the LCD panel and will not replace them (or sell them) separately.  When the technicians came and assessed the problem, the clients were told that they needed new panels to the tune of $2000 or more.

Before I start, I want to state, “IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, HIRE A PROFESSIONAL.” I did the work and I didn’t have many problems but this is a piece of electrical equipment and you can get hurt. My tutorial in no way encourages anyone to do this replacement. DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Remove the TV from the wall or stand and place it screen side down on a surface that won’t scratch the screen. I used our bed. There are screws (19) around the outer perimeter of the back side of the screen. Remove them all but remember this – some of the holes have two screws in them. One is larger than the other. Only remove the larger screws. There is no reason to remove the smaller ones. There  are also two screws on the panels that cover the inputs and two additional screws that are the same size as those around the perimeter. Make sure that you take those out. Be gentle pulling the back off and you know when you have missed a screw. Just go slow. One thing that I ran into cost me some time and that was my wall mount bracket that was secured to the TV with security screws. They take a special star tool with a hole in the center. I couldn’t find mine and had to buy one so that I could remove the bracket.

The UB1 is located under the panel that has the square black plate in the middle where the heat shield was but it can’t be removed just yet. Here is where I had trouble. I needed to remove the silver plate (UB1 secondary cover) below the heat shield and I couldn’t figure out how to do it.

They are very small Phillips head screws so you will need a small screwdriver for this. Now you can see the reason to remove the panel above the UB1. There are two connectors to the other board. They will have be be disconnected later. After the four screws are removed, gently hinge the panel up and towards the front of the TV. It is connected to the frame by a conductive tape but there is no reason to remove it. Just be careful!

This photo shows the connector on the left flipped up and the one on the right flipped down. You are looking at them upside down from the photo above this one. It was the easiest angle to get the shot. There are also two connectors on the other side of the UB1 that have to be pinched together from the outside of each connector and lifted up. There are two small screws on each side of the connector. Squeeze them together and lift up. Remove the one screw that holds the UB1 and remove the panel. Put the new panel in place and reverse the process.

I would like to warn you one more time, “IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE DOING THIS KIND OF WORK, HIRE A PROFESSIONAL.” I did it and I didn’t have many problems but this is a piece of electrical equipment and you can get hurt. My tutorial in no way encourages anyone to do this replacement. DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

Well, if it didn’t work, why did I post this? I wanted this to be easier for anyone that undertakes the replacement than it was for me. I am also not afraid to talk about things that don’t work out as I am about the ones that do.

I bought this TV set, a Sony Bravia KDL46W3000, in May 2008 and it is only less than 2 years old. Maybe 2 months ago, a left corner starts to cloud and become blurry. Sony’s authorized company technician came and evaluated the case. He simply came in and turned on the TV and said that I have to change the whole LCD panel. The whole diagnosis was less than 10 minutes long. I called Sony and they said they cannot help and it is out of manufacture warranty. I explained that there are many complaints about the same model and Sony did not hear about it. What a BS! I bought a SONY for their good service but I am not happy how they take care of their customers. Let’s have a class action lawsuit against Sony!

Same basic story as everyone else you has gotten ** by Sony. Spent $3500 on a 60" LCD Grand Wega. The bulb keeps going out, thermal fuse out, optical block out and blue haze of dots all over screen. I called Sony, wrote to Sony and to no avail. They will take no responsibility for their poor product that they knew was faulty while they were selling it. I guess they are too mighty for anyone to really get them to pay.

I bought a Sony Bravia KDL-52w3000 TV about 3 years ago. About 6 Months ago, the left side of the screen was blurry and having Double vision for 20 minutes until the TV warmed up. Sometimes the whole screen goes black. I talked to a person at Best Buy and he told me that 80% of people with this TV has the same problem. I contacted Sony and they told me that since I did not have extended warranty on it that I would have to buy a new LCD Screen. That cost more that the TV itself. Apparently, Sony is aware of this defect. I googled the model and saw all the people that had the same problem.

I purchased Sony Bravia TV Model # KDL- 46W3000 in Jan. 2008 for $1600.00. The picture went out. After a month of much debate with Sony customer relations, they suggested to have an authorized Sony technician look at it. I did. And I had to pay for it. It will cost $1800 to replace the panel (picture tube). Sony is offering me a new TV for $925 and I have to buy it from Sony directly within 2 weeks. Why should I buy a new one when the TV is only 2 yrs. old and it’s a high end TV by Sony? I bought a good brand name TV to last and as a result, I don"t have a TV to enjoy now.

I bought this LCD about 2 years ago. The model is KDL-46XBR4. The cost is around $2500. Last month, it had problem. After going through lots of research from calling local TV repair centers and online searches, and I found out that Sony admitted there is problem with LCD panel for this model and they are willing to replace it for free. I called Sony. They scheduled a technician to be onsite and told me to remove the LCD from the wall. I took down the LCD and I also removed the back cover of LCD. I thought that would be easy and faster for the technician. But there was a problem. When their local technician came to my house, somehow the technician wasn’t happy with me or there was something about me that he didn"t like.

He refused to repair my LCD. I contacted them several times and got my ticket open with them. The ticket number is **. I spoke to someone named Alex **. He told me not to waste my time because the back cover was open. I told him there was nothing written or labeled on the back of that LCD"s panel with do not open if any seal or back panel is open. Please help. I want this LCD to be functional and working again. Two years ago, I took out a loan to buy this LCD and worked so hard to payoff this loan. Now I don"t have LCD or TV to watch. I have so much stress and am upset from this ordeal.Read full review

On 12/10/2008, I purchased a Sony LCD TV (KDL46V4100). Almost exactly 18 months later, June 2010, the bottom right corner of the LCD panel started to fade/blur the picture every time I would turn the television on. This just started happening out of nowhere. As most people stated, usually the bulbs in the panel should last at least 60,000 hours.

This TV is seldom used, maybe 1-3 hours per night only. There is no way a panel should have started to burn out so quickly. Something is definitely wrong here and I feel completely cheated by purchasing this television, taking into consideration the number of complaints here about similar issues with Sony LCD TVs. Calling Sony was no help because they advised me to call a "Sony Excellent Service Provider," whom I did call. Basically, his answer was that it costs over $20000 to replace the panel in this $1,400.00 (2008 model) television set. To be fair, Sony offered me a discount on their newest model KDL46ex700 for $900 (original price is $1,500). However, that"s still a lot of money to shell out after only 18 months. Class action lawsuit somebody, please!Read full review

I purchased a 46-inch LCD Sony Bravia KDL46W3000 on 8/17/2007. Three weeks ago, grayish vertical lines started to appear on the back of the screen and the picture color was really bad. I called Sony and they told me that I needed to reprogram the TV. They walked me through the entire process and it worked. But this only lasted 2 weeks when the TV started doing the same problem. But not only was the picture really bad, the volume started to be bad too. I called Sony and they could not help me at all.

I submitted a claim and they told me to call a repair company. The technician came last Friday and told me that the panel on the TV is bad and that I need a new one. He was so sorry about the situation that he asked me to call Sony to insist on having it replaced for free since the panel is defective. I called Sony and I have not heard anything from them yet. I want to know if there is a class action lawsuit against Sony.Read full review

46" BRAVIA KDL-46W3000 - 6 blinking lights. I bought my LCD TV KDL-46W3000 three years ago. All of sudden, one day, the TV went off and the "On" led switched from green to red and blinked six times. The blinking is continuous of set of six blinks. What a lemon! I swear I"ll never, ever buy a Sony Brand. This is it! No more Sony in my house ever. When I searched on Bing, Sony 6 blinking lights, I discovered that this is a common problem on Sony LCD. If any Lawyer is reading this, go ahead and file a class action law suit against Sony. We, the consumer, need justice.

I purchase a Sony LCD TV worth Rs. 1 Lac 65 Thousand 3 years before and now I am getting problems in the screen. There is a line in the screen. It means that my LCD is in his last stage. I don"t understand how Sony Company can make this kind of product that can’t run properly, all just because of China. Sony makes all his product made in China and everybody knows that the quality of products from China is very bad, very very bad. I think Sony Company doesn"t believe in quality. I don"t understand. This is my 1st and last purchase from Sony Company and I request the government to please take some serious actions against Sony Company. Why they are making these kind of bad products? They don"t care about their company quality status or what. LCD TV frm Sony worth Rs. 1 Lac 65 Thousand with screen damage.

It took a few weeks to get the part shipped to my house because the part was on back order from Sony. Which I thought was kind of weird that they would have a part be back ordered and not have a TV in recall. After everything that has happened, the repair person came back out to my house and it turns out to be the LCD Panel that is the problem. I already know Sony isn"t going to do anything about this issue and I believe this is a manufactures defect.

I bought a 32-inch Sony 18 months ago for approximately $500. The LCD panel is bad. The cost to repair is almost $700. I feel I bought a lemon, and requested Sony reimburse me. I have contacted Sony in Ft. Myers, and a report from a technician has been sent to them (Sony did pay for the service call). I tried to call Adam today, and he is out of the office. I hope Sony will do right, but after reading comments on the internet, I"m not sure. Other consumers have posted comments on the internet that their LCD display panels have been bad. Consumers need to be protected by big companies that feel they can do anything (make bad products). I am writing this complaint so others can be warned about the bad TVs Sony makes.

I purchased TV in December 2007 and recently, on June 2010, the LCD panel went out. Risley"s estimate to repair was $865.00 to repair. The TV cost was only $700.00. This is our bedroom TV so it is not used that much, couple hours 3 or 4 times a week.

Thankfully, I have many records of phone calls, emails to tech support and one appointment for service that was cancelled since the problem hadn"t occurred for several days and I feared the $125 service fee would be wasted. In June of 2010, I took it to a service center for evaluation and an estimate. I did not expect it to be for the entire LCD panel. Having a trail of conversations with Sony going back to within days of the warranty expiration, I hoped Sony would respond. They seemed encouraging and I followed their instructions to take it to another repair service that was authorized for this model. The result was the same. When I took it in, I gave the technician my case number with Sony.

When he called back with the estimate, he was livid about Sony tech support. He knew that I was going through the motions to make a case for warranty replacement, but the person at Sony that he contacted noted that it was already determined that Sony would not fix it. Thus, why had both of us wasted our time? In a followup phone call to Sony, they admitted (upon questioning from me) that documented contacts with Sony support describing intermittent problems did not constitute a claim under warranty. All that mattered was the date of the technician"s estimate. By the way, the intermittent problem is now permanent.

LCD television specifications are for 60,000 hours of life. This one didn"t last 6,000 hours. The complaints on this model, all 46 inch LCDs from Sony and other sizes are very numerous and I can only conclude the life expectancy is similar in many of the complaints on this site. In warranty or not, Sony is profiting from general LCD specs by selling units that only last 10% of the presumed life. Furthermore, Sony misled me (and probably several others) by encouraging me to pay for diagnosis more than once when they had no intention of considering my claim in the first place.

As many others have noted, they offer replacements at discounted prices. A search of the model number on the internet reveals that I can buy it outright from many sources about 15% more than the discounted price they offered. Sony is "double dipping". Not only have they refused to support the old product, they are offering to sell you a new unit at approximately the price they are offered to resellers. What a deal for Sony. I will buy another unit soon. However, you can bet your bottom dollar it won"t be a Sony.Read full review

My father-in-law bought a Sony LCD TV model # KDL-32L4000 less than 2 years ago. Now the bottom 2/3rd of the screen has vertical lines that get progressively worse. When it was taken to Sharper Video & Audio, they said it would cost $1,000 to fix. You can buy a new one for that price. Sony has a one year warranty on these TVs. It looks to me that Sony should be doing a recall, because from what I"ve been reading, my father-in-law obviously isn"t the only one with this problem.

I purchased Sony LCD TV KDL32XBR4 on November 23rd 2007 and the LCD panel is bad after just two and a half years (July 5th 2010). Sony offered alternate model if I pay $425 of the $699 retail price and I have one week to accept their offer. The original TV cost $1100.

I am asking for a review of the above file #. I purchased the Sony Bravia 32" TV for $688 on August 16, 2008, for my husband who has since died from cancer. I purchased the Sony because we have other Sony products and have always been very satisfied. I realized that it is no long under warranty. On June 23, 2010, when I turned on the TV there were many vertical lines throughout the entire screen. I called Comcast and the technician came and determined that it was the TV. I then called Sony and spoke to a representative who walked me through all of the same steps that Comcast had and too determined it was the TV. The Sony technician gave me the name of RAM TV & Electronics. I took the TV to them and the problem is the LCD Panel; a repair that they do not see often. The cost to repair this TV is $1134.65 parts and labor. Perhaps the LCD panel was defective.

On July 2, 2010, I spoke to two Sony representatives and I was not satisfied with what they feel is fair. I feel that Sony is not standing behind this product that has not been abused or over used. In researching the internet, I have found information (attached) stating that the LCD panel on average lasts for 60,000 hours or approx. 25+ years if based 6 hours of viewing per day. With that in mind, I calculate that my TV has been used approximately 3,200 hours based on the average of 6 hours per day; most days for the last year have been 3 hours or less per day. I believe that the LCD panel on my TV is defective when factoring in the above information.

In the end, Sony agreed to pay half of the $1,400 repair to replace the panel. The service tech, a Sony gold standard place, says the set is defective.

Sony has gone LCD in a big way. The company dropped its rear-projection sets last fall, and it’s been years since a plasma display sported a Sony badge. At its 2008 line show in February, the company announced 17 new sets. When they’re all in stores this fall, the Sony LCD model count will be 50-strong.

The BRAVIA KDL-52XBR4 is currently one step down from the top of Sony’s pecking order in sets 40 inches or larger, topped only by the XBR5 designs, which appear to be technically identical, and a

falling into a price range that gives most of us sticker shock. Is it worth it? As we’ll see, some competing sets can outscore it in one or two areas, but Sony’s current, near-flagship model can hold its own in an increasingly dog-eat-dog, flat-panel market.

The KDL-52XBR4’s frame is unusually wide, surrounded by transparent glass, creating an illusion that the screen is floating in air. The speakers for the adequate but unremarkable onboard audio system fire through perforations in the frame. The wide frame does, however, make for a large set in a market that is rapidly moving toward designs that take up less space.

More and more LCD HDTVs are designed to operate at 120 hertz. When done correctly, 120-Hz operation can minimize motion blur, an ongoing issue with LCD (but, in my opinion, not a deal breaker on most recent designs).

The KDL-52XBR4 also includes Sony’s Digital Media Extender, or DMex, Sony’s proprietary digital port. This may be used with the company’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link, which can stream Internet video content for viewing on the set without the need for a computer. The DMex can also perform as a service port (XBR sets have no RS-232, Ethernet, or USB connections). Sony has announced other Link modules, including the HDMI Wireless Link, HDMI Extender Link, and DVD Link.

If one thing instantly defines the KDL-52XBR4’s picture, it’s detail. Images from HD sources on this Sony are as sharp—and at the same time natural looking—as those from any flat-panel display I’ve seen to date. But use restraint with the sharpness control. Most settings between 10 and 40 will work fine with 1080i/p, but settings below 20 were best with other resolutions. If you don’t like to fiddle, just set it to 15 or so for everything unless you feel a need to change it on some sources—and it’s unlikely that you will.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (HD DVD) may not be a great film (its prequel, Elizabeth, was far better) or even a great transfer overall. It’s plagued by uneven and often elevated black levels and some overblown whites. But it’s loaded with exceptional detail. I seriously doubt that the real historical characters dressed this well—or lived in such ornate surroundings, but after you watch this disc on the KDL-52XBR4, you’re sure to be humming from the scenery and costumes as you watch the end credits—even if you find the historically suspect plot strictly thrift-shop.

The Sony also provided good viewing over a wide seating area. While it looked best at seating positions near the center, it was watchable up to about 45 degrees off axis. It can’t equal the consistency of a plasma set at different viewing angles, but it’s far better in this respect than most LCDs.

The Achilles heel of nearly all LCD displays is black level. Deep, rich blacks form the foundation of every image, light or dark, giving it depth and a compelling sense of looking-out-the-window realism. Apart from LCDs with LED backlighting and local dimming—currently a very rare breed but sure to multiply before the year is out—no LCD flat panel I’ve yet seen can do this as well as the best plasma displays and video projectors.

That limitation applies to the KDL-52XBR4 as well. I spent a lot of time tweaking the various picture adjustments that affect blacks and shadow detail—Brightness, Picture (contrast), Backlight, Black Corrector, Advanced C.E., and Gamma—to get a picture with a reasonably believable balance on both dark and bright scenes. In the end, the Sony’s blacks were satisfactory on all but the very darkest scenes, though little more, and its shadow detail was never better than middle of the road. If these qualities are at the top of your priority list, you’ll have to look elsewhere and, for now at least, bring more money.

Despite a few weaknesses it shares with most sets on the market, the KDL-52XBR4 has plenty of pop to recommend it. You won’t find a set with better subjective color and detail, at least on high-definition sources. Its video processing has some limitations (see the measurements), but they rarely distracted me on real program material—and not at all if I used a good outboard upconverting source, as needed, to feed the set 1080p over HDMI. The KDL-52XBR4 also has more than a few controls to fiddle with that are definitely useful in getting the best out of the set.