Sony Grand WEGA KDF-50WE655 50-Inch LCD Projection TV with Integrated HDTV Tuner

I have owned this tv for 4 years, and I have NEVER had to replace bulbs and never had any problems with this tv! Great picture even without HD channels! LOVE IT

I purchased this exact TV only a 60 inch in 2004 and that was the beginning of my troubles. Let me tell you why simply it is not cost effective to purchase this tv even if it is FREE: Dont do it. This is why.

1. These are multiple class action law suits against Sony because all the LCDs they put out between 2003 to 2008 have bad parts, namely a big problem called the OPTICAL BLOCK. They new it and shipped them out anyway. It cost 1000 to 1500 to replace, but the kicker is all SONYs optical blocks for these TV are refurbished and subject to the same problems as the originals.

2. Blue or Green or Yellow Dots or lines begin to appear on your TV until you cant see your picture anymore. THis is what happens when the OPTICAL Block goes on these TVs. After being sued so many times, sony stopped making these rear projection TVs. Go to Google or Yahoo and search this phrase, "Blue dots on my sony lcd tv". There is more information than you want to read and all of it make me mad I purchase my tv in 2004 for 3500 bucks.

3. THey also dont tell you that every 1.5 years the picture lamp burns out and you have to replace it for a whooping 300 bucks a lamp. What a joke. I have have had to replace my 3 times. Sony says, well you watch the TV to much. The lamp is only designed to accomdate 10,000 hrs of viewing or whatever they said. But 300 bucks every 1.5 years is BS.

4. The picture sucks if you are not watching a HD Station or a movie. It is unreal how grainy and what this TV looks like when you get it home. Night and day.

DONT BUY THIS TV. DONT DO IT EVEN FOR FREE. CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF ON WEB AND SONY KNEW ALL ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS BUT COVERED THEM UP. These Tvs have so many problems the people selling their used TVs are the ones that SONY wheeled and dealed with. THey told me because they recongize their problem they would give me 50 percent off another Sony TV. NOT!!!!!

I would not sell this TV to anyone without telling them what they are getting into. Buying any sony rear projection TVs from they year 2003 to 2008 is bad news. Check out this link. Cut and paste it into your browser.

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I got this TV in November 2004, and now 5 years later, started seeing blue dots all over the screen. I was not aware that there was an optical block issue on this model until now... Disappointing to be sure. My extended warranty has expired last year, and I didn't purchase a new one.

Just called Sony, and they would not offer any discount for a repair. I inquired about the price of the optical block (just the part, not the labor), and they quoted $562.
They did offer 4 TVs at what appears to be a good discount, so now I have 14 days to decide. Not sure what to do. Here are the TVs in case anyone is interested:
KDL-40VE5 $500
KDL-52VE5 $875
KDL-52XBR9 $1150
KDL-46W5100 $700

The Sony WEGA LCD projection TV's have a well known optical block issue that doesn't present itself immediately and in most instances not until the warranty has expired. Sony is aware of the problem and will not provide a recall. The cost to replace the optical block is approximately $1,200.00. Since Sony won't provide an honorable repair for the TV, please don't spend your hard earned money on a TV that will be unusable within 24 months like we did.

After about 4 years now I have replaced the most expensive bulb in the world twice now. Not what I expected. Now this TV has an Optical Block probelm which means that I see a Blue Splat on the bottom right hand corner and also many tiny blue dots all over the screen. Sony acknowledges this defect and has offered to fix it or have me pick from a select list of TV's for a large discount. So be sure to call them if you have this problem.