I bought a Sony 50" rear projection LCD TV just under 4 years ago. I chose that system over standard LCD or plasma due to the simplicity of the system (less things to go wrong or so I thought), and the likely longevity of the TV aside from replacing the bulb every 3 years or so. How wrong I was.

My TV has recently started displaying a visual anomaly that I now know to be commonly referred to as 'Blue Haze.' This haze is visible at the bottom of my screen currently. Having said that, I've also noticed an increasing excess yellow tinge to the centre of the screen in recent weeks which has added to my annoyance. (See attached pics.)

https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/blog4bfaeecf26479b6b3e3376750cf2ce8b.jpg
https://cdn.geekzone.co.nz/imagessubs/blog3bc03fd9212bd5ccdbcd46030b9d7bcd.jpg

Internet searches trace the fault to the Optical Block which is the unit where white light is changed to the 3 primary colours before outputting it to the screen. It seems this is a common worldwide fault and Sony allegedly knew about this problem at the time they were selling these TV's. However it seems they never let  on publicly that they knew, they just stopped making the TV's!

Of coruse, the fault generally appears after the 12 month warranty has expired. While I know there may be possible compensation available via Comsumers Guarantees, Sony have so far been less than helpful with me.

Due to eh size of the problem, a class action lawsuit has been initiated against Sony in America due to Sony's reluctance to accept responsibility. I'm not sure what effect if any, that will have on kiwi recipients of this TV. See link: http://sites.google.com/site/sonylcdrptvproblems/#TOC-Grand-WEGA-blue-blobs-blue-haze-ban for a detailed description.

I'd be interested to know if any other forum users have had this problem and what if any support, did they receive from Sony NZ.

I'm about to pay my $95 fee up front to a local company contracted to Sony just so they can confirm my suspicions. However I'm not holding my breath at Sony being overly helpful....someone please prove me wrong.