Sony SXRD 70' Replacement - Plasma or LCD ?

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gedc

350 posts

Ultimate Geek

#42184 30-Sep-2009 14:30

Guys

Had the above Rear Projection HD LCD TV for last 2 years and its been fabulous. Its developed an awful yellow tinge to everything and after googling, suspected the optical block has started to die - as with thousands of the USA sets and Sony is currently fending off several lawsuits in the states around the technology - hence they don't make em anymore either.

Service company confirmed it was indeed the optical block that was shot.

Its under a 5 year warranty and the insurer option is to repair or replace with the "closest available model".

Given the service company indicated getting the part from the states was near impossible and also cost approx $4500 I am guessing the insurer (through the policy) will wish to replace. Might be wrong..However..

Its upto a maximum of approx $7600 - (original price I paid) but by my guessing they will want to offer as little as possible in terms of a cost to their business so not sure if they will offer close to that. Time for a fight no doubt.

Can anyone reccomend the equivalent or closest set to the 70" that falls under or around the above price. I will be gutted as undoubtedly need to downsize to a small screen but dont think I have to stick to sony. Its the main family tv and we watch SKY HD - Sports and normal viewing, DVD's, Bluray and PS3 gaming on it.

The original set had around a 2ms response time on the panels so was fast. Do you think a plasma is the better option given a lot of lcd's appear to be around the 6 to 8ms speed?

Thoughts and opinions very much appreciated.

Thanks

Ged

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#259757 30-Sep-2009 15:39

"closest available model" does not mention price.

I would be insisting that you get the features that are the most important to you. 70" and 2ms response. If they can't meet those requirements you will find something else that you are happy. They are silly enough to do replace with new policies.

It is the only reason I buy specific products, like a HP DV7 laptop with two hard drives, or 7.1 speaker system that is THX certified, or Sony W series LCD with 10 bit panel. If I have to claim insurance I normally get the better end of the deal.

A white wall and projector will cover the 70" aspect.

cheers
db

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gedc

350 posts

Ultimate Geek

#259771 30-Sep-2009 15:59

Hi browned.. Thanks for your post. There is a wee clause that states the maximum they will pay for an equivalent model is based on original purchase price - which for me is $6900 + GST..

Unfortunately I don't think it will cover the stand which cost an additional $1000...Thats approx $400 per year to sit my TV on something !!!!

Gotta love Sony NZ..

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#259780 30-Sep-2009 16:22

bugger, time to change insurance companies. I got myself the Sony 40" W series to replace a Philip's 37" and it cost $200 more. The DV7 ($3400) replaced a two year old dv9000 with dual HDD that cost me $3000 new, and a 20GB Creative mp3 was replace with a 80GB Ipod classic cause no other mp3 players had more than 16GB at the time.

Any "replace with new" policy should not be restricted by price, even though tech prices should reduce over time.

Unfortunately from my quick search, There only seem to be 58-63" options and all are above $10k. A lot of 50-58" are $8k to $10k and some 40-50" are $6k to $7k which would fit into the $7k incl GST category.

The other option is to take the $7k and pay some extra yourself to get what you want. Still nothing near 70" for less than about $11k. Haggling on those big sets would be a good idea though.

cheers
db

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#259783 30-Sep-2009 16:24

Oh and see if you can take the insurance money to any shop, not just the one the insurance company want to use.

yumcimil

162 posts

Master Geek

#262233 7-Oct-2009 20:26

I just replaced my 60" RPTV with a 50" Panasonic plasma - the TH-P50V10Z. The picture quality is vastly, vastly better, but, the size differential is... considerable. You'd have to go to a 65" to get something comparable, and the current 65" model is $12k.

I'm happy with it, but buying a new TV to get a smaller screen is taking some adjustment. Being able to see *black* in a movie again is quite a novelty.

lchiu7

6176 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#262367 8-Oct-2009 11:45

..

The other option is to take the $7k and pay some extra yourself to get what you want. Still nothing near 70" for less than about $11k. Haggling on those big sets would be a good idea though.

cheers
db

HN quoted me $9800 ish for the Panasonic Viera 70" set. I am tempted but it's going to require some negotiation at home

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gedc

350 posts

Ultimate Geek

#262397 8-Oct-2009 13:39

Update to the above. Insurance company called me today. They can get the optical block part and repair within approx 3 to 4 weeks. Alternatively they have offered me a replacement TV - KDL55x4500. Being honest I was surprised at this offer as I had suspected a $2.5K TV to be tentatively suggested...This appears to be at the upper end of the price band and the best Sony LCD out.

They can't offer cash and can't offer another manufacturer's product. It has to be from Sony and thats the model thats closest in features / capability apparently.

Keen to hear of any users of this or if you believe it compares (apart from size) . I had a look at one in Powerstore at lunchtime and motion, sport etc looked good on it. Panels are still way slower than the SXRD panels but the software seems to be handling it very well. I didn't notice any lag on the sport etc but it was all HD feeds from a hard drive so not sure about SD feed etc.

The other option is I get the repair done, then see if it fails again in less than 2.5 years - which would mean a replacement at that time of no doubt a bigger / better Sony LCD? The insurance would still hold until it expires -approx 2.5 yeards. Although I am taking the chance it would go kaput within that time period.

keen to hear your thoughts on the model etc. Thanks again for any advice.

On another note the one I looked at in Powerstore had it priced at $9,999..The guy looked shocked when I told him Sony website had it RRP at $6,999...Then he went and checked and said he could do it for less than $6K... Unreal...Some poor sod will pay close to $10K for that!!!!

Cheers

Ged

ilovemusic

1425 posts

Uber Geek

#262461 8-Oct-2009 17:00

Get the KDL55X4500 !

It's the best TV Sony have ever made.

Smaller screen size but much better than the SXRD and when properly calibrated, comparable to the Pioneer Kuro's in PQ.

Just checked the Sony pricing.

The X4500's have taken a huge price cut, when first released they had a RRP of ~$13k !

Might be time to trade up...

Marmion

59 posts

Master Geek

#263428 12-Oct-2009 10:01

I have the 40" X4500 (no LED RGB backlight) but the SD picture is perfectly acceptable (I assume you would use Freeview/HD Sky?)
HD picture is stunning.

gedc

350 posts

Ultimate Geek

#263510 12-Oct-2009 15:44

Thanks guys..Agreed on the replacement today -KDL55X4500 . Approx 10 days to get one delivered from Sony so looking forwards to it. Saw one in action at local store and was very impressed with the picture / fluidity across movement. Even the good lady got over the size difference and agreed its still a big telly. I will be feeding it through SKY HD.

Insurance company will pick-up the monster in approx 2 weeks. Lady on the phone thought I was kidding when I said they would need two men ( possibly three) and a van to collect. I've no idea what they will do with it once collected? Return to Sony ??

All in all a very pleasant outcome and service from the insurers when I expected a fight to the death...

Thanks again for your help.

Ged

Handle9

9630 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#263523 12-Oct-2009 16:33

Out of interest who was the insurer? It's always nice to hear about companies who do what they should as well as the crappy ones.

DS248

1661 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#263525 12-Oct-2009 16:47

You made the right decision. X series is very good.

gedc

350 posts

Ultimate Geek

#264302 16-Oct-2009 16:01

Sorry for the delay...It was setup through Powerstore and all the documentation I worked from had their / smiths city branding on it..

When I called the number on the info it went through to Consumer Insurance Services which is a part of Fisher & Paykel Finance by the looks of things.