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Thread: Archive through August 18, 2006 |
    
Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 748
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 08:40 am: |
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Frank, as I said before I am happy to help. With this sudden flood of LE replacements, I hold my breath every time I turn my 50V500 on.
Unfortunately, I have discovered a stuck pixel. A little permanent red dot right-center. Of course it couldn't have happened in a corner. It is hard to see during normal viewing, but it is painfully obvious during fades to white or black. I guess that's better than a big pink cloud. |
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Relevant Product Info
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Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Saturday, February 25, 2006 - 11:50 am: |
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John S., you mean you see no trace on your set of the infamous red cloud? I thought it was nearly universal amongst us longtime 50V500 owners.
In my case a light-moderate red cloud showed up in center of screen right around the 2-year mark of ownership. I watch a lot of sports programming which has bright, fast-moving images so I don't notice it much. I see the red (actually more pinkish) mainly on dark scenes in movies.
Since I know the red cloud will only get worse with time I've been going thru the process of getting the LE replaced for nearly two months, working with Hitachi and Sears (no warranty). Things are now progressing and I hope to have everything wrapped up to my satisfaction next week. I'll report details when complered.
BTW, my Sears tech verifies what Carl and Frank said in their posts...technically all of the replacement LE's are "rebuilt." "New" shouldn't construed as the original factory part---redesigned is a better description. The original 50V500 LE's had inadequately sized ventilation ports and were nearly impossible to clean internally. This lead to overheating and the red cloud developing over time. |
New member Username: Michaelts
Columbus,
OH
Post Number: 1
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 04:07 pm: |
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Guess what I just learned on 2/25…. I’m the newest member of the “red cloud of dread club.” Whish I would of found this forum 3 days ago (read every post) before I called Hitachi for a CS rep to come to my house. This in turn made my wife mad that we wasted all day Saturday, just for them to tell me that my TV was broken. Anyway the repair man said that the LE’s are on back order and could be 2-3 weeks before I see my TV back. I guess for now I’m back with 27” 4:3 . What’s really funny to top it off is when I helped that repair man load my TV 50V500 in his box truck, there is another 50V500 that just came from their shop (repaired LE.) Last week I received a letter from CC about buying a EW before Hitachi 1 year runs out. By what I know now for this forum I would of bought the CC EW and had them give me a new model since the LE’s are on backorder, too late now! So now I’ll just have to wait and see how long it will take for my parts to show up, repair man said call in a week. I have a few questions to ask. Everyone is talking about their run hours, is there a menu that I can see that on mine? Next I bought my TV on 4/17/05, does anyone know if every 2,000 to 4,000 hours the LE is going to go out. Last one for right now, dose anyone have a true backorder timeframe?
And For John S. I live in Columbus, OH too, who did you have repair your 50v500? I had a TV Repair shop for Canal Winchester.
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Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 752
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 08:21 pm: |
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Michael, I guess I'm about the only guy in the long history of this thread who has not called a service guy for repair. Up until about 2 weeks ago I had no complaints, other than the weak blacks. That was when I saw the lone stuck pixel. Most people don't even notice it, but of course I do. I doubt seriously whether Hitachi, or any fixed-pixel manufacturer of any format, would do anything about one silly pixel.
The first page of the service menu has the total number of hours of operation on the TV. To enter the service menu, (what the service manual calls the I2C mode) you press and hold the INPUT and the POWER buttons on the TV's front panel for two seconds, then release. Do this when the TV is cold. The hours of operation can be read in the upper right corner. The remote control's EXIT button (or power off) will get you out. If you want to do any more fooling around in this strange menu, you do so at your own risk.
I certainly wish you luck and please keep us posted. |
Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 753
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 09:20 pm: |
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DZ wrote:
John S., you mean you see no trace on your set of the infamous red cloud? I thought it was nearly universal amongst us longtime 50V500 owners.
Fortune does not stand waiting at any one's door. --old proverb
And I hope the same is true for misfortune. Maybe my luck is because I just don't have that many hours on this TV. Since it is a part of a dedicated home theater system, I just don't fire up the beast unless it's for a special event. I don't watch the news or stuff like American Idol (even if it is in HD) on it. I just checked today, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that I have only 789 hours logged (since Dec. '03). So yes, maybe my time for heartache is coming.
The original 50V500 LE's had inadequately sized ventilation ports and were nearly impossible to clean internally. This lead to overheating and the red cloud developing over time.
This was a hunch I had when I quizzed Michael Somers about his installation.
http://forum.ecoustics.com/cgi-bin/bbs/show.pl?tpc=2&post=492579#POST492579
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Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 754
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 09:52 pm: |
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Also I would like to thank Carl Evans for sharing his long and sad story of repair. He deserves many thousands of hours of trouble-free service. The pharmacological asides were quite amusing, however.
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New member Username: Michaelts
Columbus,
OH
Post Number: 3
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 09:55 pm: |
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Thanks for the reply, too bad I can't try it on my TV right now.
Without my TV it makes my Xbox 360 and HD Cable Box kind of lifeless. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 11:08 pm: |
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John S.,
789 hrs--I guess that's one way to avoid the red plague. Good for you.
That Michael Sommers photo is the most wicked case of the red cloud I have ever seen. In fact I sent that photo in my written letter to Hitachi. I also used a quote from a tech who posted over on the AVS Forum. It has a real good description of the ventilation problem...
"Thought I'd share my experience with these sets. Take what you want out of it. I have changed out 4 or 5 light engines in these suckers, pain in the butt, 90 minute job. The light engines were around 1350 bucks, but the last one I did was only about $350...left me scratchin my head. The pink/red cloud is because of inadequate cooling to the panels. The old style engine had a hole about the size of a half dollar on the bottom of the light engine. They get so clogged with dust and are impractical to clean. The new light engines have the cooling vent on the back side of the engine and is 3 times bigger. Much better for cooling AND maintenance. Just vacuum once in a great while, much easier than complete disassembly."
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Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 756
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 08:43 am: |
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DZ,
This is not encouraging news. Maybe the re-designed cooling vent is the only difference between original and re-built LEs?
Does this AVS quote come from a substantial thread on the subject, and if so can you provide a link? Thanks. |
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Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 10:11 am: |
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John S.,
Yes, the AVS Forum (Audio Visual Science)has "Hitachi LCD V500 Issues Thread." It's been running for several years. Here's a link to the current page of the thread...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=351829&page=43&pp=30
I find this eCoustics thread we're using a little more spontaneous, probably because non-members are allowed to post. In my experience, AVS Forum and eCoustics are by far the most informative and helpful message boards on 50V500 issues. |
New member Username: Michaelts
Columbus,
OH
Post Number: 4
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 08:20 pm: |
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Can anyone tell me where I can find a copy of the tech manual for my 50V500? Just thought I might want to have a copy around, for any future tribulations. |
New member Username: My401k
PSL,
Florida
Post Number: 6
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 07:41 am: |
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Michael S. I have a copy on adobe reader, if you want to shoot me your email I will send a copy. It's a large file (34mb) otherwise I would post here. There is also a link to download but you have to unzip and extract, to a new file. |
New member Username: Uwish
Alberta
Canada
Post Number: 1
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 11:36 pm: |
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Well, I have been on the AVS issue's thread for this unit for years now. I have owned my set (V500A) for about 2.5 years, I bought it when they first came out.
Yes, it did suffer from the red cloud issue, and unfotunately EVERY V500 will. They did NOT get the redesigned LE into general manufacturing before they stopped producing this set for the V525 series. This means, your set WILL get the red cloud issue.
Some good news, many people on AVS do not have the extended warranty (EW) but since this is a known issue with the sets many of then are getting the part (new LE part # UX22202DR) for nothing and just paying for the labour of install. I was lucky, my EW is still good for anothe two years.
It took two techs about 95 minutes to remove the old and install the new LE. Let me tell you, these guys knew there way around a V500. They told me they have replaced about 10 LE in my area in the past few months and it took 5 months to get my engine in from Hit. Since every set is suffering from this red cloud (LCD is litterally burning due to poor ventalation and air circulation) they can not keep up with the LE manufacturing. They do not re-fab old ones anymore.
In case anyone is curious, my buld has 5968 hrs on it and still going strong. Once the new LE was installed the image was back to even better then when I brought it home the first day. |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 11
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Thursday, March 02, 2006 - 07:25 pm: |
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I am glad to see alot of folks are getting new LE's for free from Hitachi. Sorry to hear that the problem is most likely going to happen to all owners. In the two weeks since installation the picture is better than the day I bought it, the tech that replaced it was a Hitachi authorized service provider, he knew his way around the set and replaced the whole thing in just over an hour by himself, he said he has done it too many times to count, when he pulled the screen off and put it on the floor I was shocked, I kept thinking I hope this guy knows what he is doing, he was here and gone faster than Hitichi agreed to give me a new LE. Keep the heat on them this is terrible that they are not recalling the part. Best of luck to all 50v500 owners. |
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| Posted on Friday, March 03, 2006 - 08:51 pm: |
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Frank P,
Third call made today. Looks like Hitachi is going to pick up the LE, even though my set is 16 months out of warranty. Of course they should, considering we put our faith in their standing behind their new product lines. We didn't offer to pay anything, just said we wanted the LE replaced. In fact, the CSR said the LE would be replaced.. didn't even have to go through customer relations this final time. So we need to get the service tech out here, apparently the authorization has already been made on our file and he just needs to call in for confirmation. It looks like we pay labor, they are covering the parts. Assuming it all works out, I'll be satisfied, although a little disappointed that there has not been a recall... |
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| Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 11:26 am: |
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Hello again 50v500 sufferers...
Since my LE was replaced 2 months ago has anyone besides myself noticed the heat being exhausted appearing to be cooler now than when you had the origional LE installed? As for myself it appears to be quite cooler than before...just curious.
Hitachi sent me a survey as to what I thought of them handling this LE issue...I wrote my concerns and comments about the 50v500...I hope they respond as I requested them to...
Good luck 50v's....we're gonna need it.....
SRC |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 12
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 03:37 pm: |
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mbort
Glad to see you got your LE, my install cost was noted as HITACHI RATE and was $225.00 plus tax for 238.00 total, best of luck. |
Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 795
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 09:18 pm: |
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Frank, sorry but did you ever post your hour count on the TV before the LE replacement? |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 13
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 05:32 pm: |
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7950, pretty sick considering it was 20 months old, but hey, its on most everyday. Lets officially designate it the "TEST SET" LOL!! |
New member Username: Uwish
Calgary,
Alberta
Canada
Post Number: 2
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 07:17 pm: |
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Frank, was that all on the same lamp? The specs say they are about 5K hours so if you got another 3K out of one lamp that is impressive |
Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 802
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 10:11 pm: |
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Frank, some serious hours! As I recall, it was only the LE they replaced, right? Even so, with two lamps any where near 8000 hours is still good. Best.... |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 14
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 01:40 pm: |
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it was the original lamp, the service tech said and I agree the number of lamp on/off cycles is more critical to lamp failure than total hours, when they replaced the LE I had a spare new lamp knowing that some day in the middle of the Super Bowl the dang thing would fail me, so the tech stuck the new lamp in for me when he did he LE, the old lamp with nearly 8k hours on it is now my spare/emergency lamp. Nearly 8k hours is huge but the dog enjoys watching CNBC, he day trades and get angry when I shut it off on him, she can't us the remote, total lack of dexterity on these English Cocker Spaniels. ;) |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 15
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 01:48 pm: |
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Note, the tech did say that lamps have a 1/2 life of about 3k to 5k hours so my lamp had probably lost a bit of its brightness, I will probably replace this one after another 5k hours. I truely think my unit should be considered the thread test set lol. |
Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 806
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 08:26 pm: |
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Frank, if your spaniel has any hot stock tips we'd appreciate any she'd like to pass along.
 |
New member Username: Nellie54914
Post Number: 2
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 04:55 pm: |
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Well after over a year of putting up with the growing red cloud I finally called in to Hitachi last week. (I know, I should have called in sooner!) We have the 50V500a, purchased in Jan. 2004. Customer Service wouldn't do anything so I asked to talk to Customer Relations. After speaking with the CR rep for a short time he said that Hitachi would pick up the parts or labor, whichever costs more. Great news!
I called the repair place to find out what the cost would be to come look at the TV, and the labor cost to repair if in fact it is the LE. It will be $100 just for them to come look at the TV, and around $300 for them to fix it if that's what it is. So $400 is what we'd end up paying. I'm glad Hitachi is going to pick up the parts cost, but that's still a lot to pay to have a TV fixed that's only 2 yrs old and paid $3500 for new!!
The first repair guy I talked to said he had done one of those for Hitachi before, they have a contracted amount if Hitachi is paying and it's only about $150. But if it's not Hitachi paying for labor their rates are higher. I called Hitachi again today to see if they would pick up the labor costs since what they would pay is way less than what I would have to pay. The CS rep said no. I asked to talk to CR, and right away the rep that came on had an attitude so I knew that was going nowhere. He said it was their policy that they don't cover anything outside of warranty, but that they were already making an exception to that policy by agreeing to pay for the parts. After arguing my points with him for a while I asked to talk to a manager.
His supervisor came on and he had the same tone, this was going nowhere. The entire conversation he was abrupt and not very apologetic of the situation. I explained my disappointment in the Hitachi product and that I expected a company like Hitachi to support their products. I said that for a known issues in these models they should back up their product, but he said there is no known issue. I told him I have seen this issue on multiple boards on the internet, and a lot of people have had this problem. He said you can find anything on the internet, doesn't make it true. I asked why their policy is not to cover anything outside of warranty even if it's a common issue, and he said they have no such policy. He said their policy was to help the customer depending on the situation and how many issues they have had in the past. I told him that the CR rep just told me that was their policy, he didn't say much to that. So apparently once you have multiple issues they will help you out more.
Again, I am glad they will pick up the LE cost if that's what it is, but have been very disappointed with Hitachi and their attitude towards this issue. They have the leeway to be able to help us more, but choose not to. Keeping $150 is more important to them than keeping a happy, life-long customer. Apparently this is the price we pay for trusting their brand and adopting the new technology early in its release. We will not buy Hitachi products again. |
New member Username: Igiking
Usa
Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 - 09:44 pm: |
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I want to thank every one for doing this post , I have know noticed the red cloud. Actually my 14 year old son noticed it months ago and asked what it was. It is only noticeable during dark scenes and when changing chanels or if you put the set on an input that has no signal and the screen should be black but it has a red glow. I actually thought it was a reflection of light from the room . Now I know. I bought the set at CC 17 months ago, and I thankfully have an extended warrenty on the set. The warrenty covers parts and labor. A $400.00 investment ,I think is gonna finnaly pay off. I will keep you posted. By the way the Hitachi has got one of the best pictures I have seen on any set. My brother and brother in law both own mitsubishi DLP sets and they just drool when they come over and watch a live game in HD n mine. Yup I am the younger brother with a leg up!!! |
New member Username: Wendypoo
Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Friday, March 17, 2006 - 10:37 pm: |
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We have the Hitachi 50V500, which we have been very happy with until recently, when it developed a blue blob which began in the upper right and has now encroached down the side and is growing bigger every day. The center of the screen is washed out, more whitish pink than the red cloud everyone is talking about, but just as obnoxious. Do you think I have the same problem - light engine? What should I do?? Thanks to anyone who can be of help. I don't have time to read back through all these posts to find advice. |
New member Username: Mbort
Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 11:09 pm: |
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Just an update to my prior posts .. finally got my TV back from the TV shop on Wednesday. Now I remember why I bought this TV. It looks as good and even better than I remember. Total cost, including "diagnosis", tax, install, etc. was $300 even (I dropped the set off at the shop to avoid the $100 or more service call). The service guy told me he is always replacing light engines, but not just on Hitachi .. apparently its a pretty common problem across the board with these large screen sets. But all in all, I'm satisfied that Hitachi paid for the parts, esp. considering that my set is 16 months out of warranty. Good luck for all those with the red cloud. It may take a few calls, but Hitachi will foot the >$1k bill for a new light engine. |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 16
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 08:36 pm: |
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WENDY,
There is a very good chance your problem is the LE, my red bloob added a purple/blue blob on the opposite side of the screen just prior to my repair that was only visible when there was a close up shot, the tech said its all related to the LE which is responsible for focusing the correct colors in the correct locations. I suggest you have a Hitachi Authorized tech look at it, I received a new LE from Hitachi through the Hiachti authorized tech, the official Hitachi repair book called for a 225$ install cost. Best of luck!!! |
Bronze Member Username: Frank_p
MOUNTAIN TOP,
PA
USA
Post Number: 17
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 08:38 pm: |
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John,
The dang thing buys and sells so fast I can't keep up with her, she says long term in dog yrs is about 30 to 100 minutes. LOL |
New member Username: Michaelts
Columbus,
OH
Post Number: 5
Registered: Feb-06
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 03:52 pm: |
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Finally I received my TV back from the repair shop, after 3 weeks. Anyway I thought that fixing my LE would be the end to all my problems. No red cloud that’s a start, but now there’s a ghost image on my TV. Just like with the old “tube” project TV it out of line somehow (double images). I started to really notice when I logged on to my Xbox 360 and was reading some. I changed some settings on my Xbox still with now luck. Than I thought maybe it’s the connection not that either, so I tried cable as well and there it is the same problem. Guess there’s going to be another call to the repair shop for me.
Just wanted to see if anyone ales has had this problem as well?
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Silver Member Username: John_s
Columbus,
Ohio
US
Post Number: 824
Registered: Feb-04
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 05:40 pm: |
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Michael, one of the guys that used to be on this thread had your problem. There is some kind of convergence control in the service menu called "ghost-r." Read bryan's post here:
http://forum.ecoustics.com/cgi-bin/bbs/show.pl?tpc=2&post=82315#POST82315 |
New member Username: Zepp36
Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 05:13 pm: |
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My nearly three month episode dealing with Hitachi CS on replacing the LE due to the red cloud
is finally over. The TV was actually fixed three weeks ago, but more time was required for paperwork
processing.
All things considered I'm happy. The 50V500 is a great set which I have always believed in
since buying in Sep.'03. I'm back to wowing house visitors again with this TV's terrific
picture and sound.
My LE replacement worked thru Sears Home Repair, which was OK with Hitachi as long as I paid
the labor. I originally bought the TV at Sears and their techs have always seemed knowledgable
with the 50V500 model. Sears and Circuit City sold thousands of these sets early on.
Sears charged me $387 for the LE (Part #UX22201DR), then Hitachi reimbursed me for the same amount.
Labor cost out of my pocket was $238, not bad considering I never had an EW on the set.
Anyone can use Sears service outside of warranty whether the product was purchased at their
stores or not.
A tech first came to my house to verify the red cloud problem (which took about 10 sec.) and
order the replacement part. In less than a week the LE arrived at my door via UPS, and Sears
was here the next day to install it. It took the tech about two hours to do the job. I'm pretty handy with
electronics but how any consumer could attempt to replace an LE on their own is beyond me.
The best news of all is that my picture is now as bright and brilliant as ever. And that's with the original
lamp with 4400 hrs on it. Others too have reported a better-than-ever picture with their LE replacements
which is encouraging.
I have no reason to believe the redesigned LE's with improved ventilation won't perform well
over time. Don't forget these Hitachi 50V500s were widely acclaimed as having the best picture
of the bunch when the new technology LCD RPTV sets hit the market in 2003. I'll still take one of these
sets over a DLP display any day.
Looking back on this whole 50V500 red cloud saga, Hitachi sure could have saved their own CS
reps and set owners a lot of grief and phone calls. When the problem became apparent in the
latter half of 2005, they should have issued a service bulletin to authorized dealers and
registered owners describing what Hitachi will offer to resolve the problem and how owners
should proceed to get the fix.
It's disappointing to still see a few posts on the message boards where 50V500 owners with the
onset of the red cloud are being told "there's no known problem" when contacting Hitachi.
People shouldn't have to fight their way thru this issue.
Dave (formerly DZ)
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Bronze Member Username: Boston
Post Number: 15
Registered: Mar-05
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 28, 2006 - 11:13 pm: |
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Thanks!. |
New member Username: Silver14
Austin,
TX
USA
Post Number: 1
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Thursday, March 30, 2006 - 02:39 pm: |
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I have the same problems with my 50V500 set that others have posted here. I got the set in January 05 and over time the 'Red Plume' in the center of the screen appeared. As it got worse I thought it was the lamp that was the issue so I replaced it only to discover that the red was still there.
I just put up with it as it was only really visible on dark images and didn't seem all that annoying. A few weeks later near the center of the screen a blue streak appeared and has only gotten brighter and larger. I swapped my lamps around again thinking it was the lamp but the blue was still visible. I was confused for awhile believing that the lamp was the only thing that could be invovled. I searched on google with only the reference "50V500 Blue" and pulled up many results includeing this board.
I had to call hitatchi twice for them to agree to pay for parts and labor. Both times they acted as if they never heard of this issue before. On the second call the rep said word for word "He said you can find anything on the internet, doesn't make it true." just as someone else had listed in an earlier post. They are so full of it to deny, deny, deny up front. But at least they caved and agreed to pay for parts and labor.
I had a repair man out today to look at the set for only a few min but agreed it was the light engine from what he saw and they will get the part on order. He had all the information from Hitatchi.
I used to work in a technical call center for a number of years with a large company. Seems standard policy for companies everywhere to deny known issues for as long as possible. My advice to anyone with problems with this set is to just keep calling Hitatchi, most techs are stressed out and arn't paid enough to fight with you especially when the honest ones know the truth and hate that they have to deny it per policy.
Hopefully in a few weeks my set will be good as new again. I'll post a follow up. |
New member Username: Oachalon
Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-06
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| Posted on Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 09:51 pm: |
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UECWEB is selling the 50v500a on their website for $899 and it is a refurb what are the chances that the tv has the new light engine in it. I dont know if I should take the risk with this tv. Especially since uec only has a 30 day warranty and their extended warranty is outrageous in price. Im considering buying an extended warranty from repairamasters. I dont know what to do. |
New member Username: Jayhorn5
Atlanta,
GA
USA
Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-06
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| Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 09:57 am: |
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I've had my 50V500 since November 2003. I had the red hue issue 3 TIMES, but only had to pay for the labor to get it fixed once (did it through Sears since that's where I bought it). I also replaced the bulb about a month ago.
Now I am having the same red cloud issue that everyone else is having. Thanks for all of the info, I'm going to send the Customer Service people to this site when they try to deny it exists! I'll post my progress in the next few days. |
New member Username: Mustangdanimal
Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 11:07 am: |
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I've had my 60v600 since 2/2/04. Have had the red blob problem for about 6 months. Started out as the size of a softball, and now has grown to 1/3 the screen. I called Hitachi and the CSR would not do a thing other than schedule service. He gave me the same "anything on the internet" statement. I said OK, I'd like to talk with customer relations. The CR rep, Tracy, listened to my concerns, put me on hold for 2 minuntes while she checked what she could do, then came back and offered to pay for all parts. Since I have 6000 hours of use on the TV, I think it is fair to pay for labor, especially since the TV is over a year out of warranty. Hitachi will step up. You just need to be nice, but firm. |
New member Username: Jayhorn5
Atlanta,
GA
USA
Post Number: 2
Registered: Apr-06
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| Posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 08:53 am: |
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I talked to Hitachi, they said initially that I would have to get Sears to come look at it, but when I talked to CR, they gave me the number for an authorized Hitachi repair place in my area. I'm going to schedule an appointment for them to tell me what I already know, and I'm sure I'll have to pay for it. |
Bronze Member Username: Jedimaster
Los Angeles
Post Number: 48
Registered: Jun-04
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| Posted on Friday, April 07, 2006 - 02:59 pm: |
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It's been a while since I followed this forum. I am amazed to see how many problems this TV has.
Besides the pink hue problem I had last year, mine is still kickin'.
By the way, I still have the tech manual for this TV, if anyone wants it. |
New member Username: Nellie54914
Post Number: 3
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - 10:37 pm: |
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Well our LE was replaced on Friday and everything looked great again, but now tonight we noticed a yellow band on the bottom 4-5" of the screen. Only noticeable on white/light scenes when that area is on the bottom. Anybody else have this problem? |
New member Username: 1sad1
Dallastown,
PA
Post Number: 1
Registered: Apr-06
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| Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 10:11 am: |
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New to the Board but thanks for the posts. I Got my Hitachi 50V500 from C----- City and, thanks to some good advice, got the extended warranty. Red blob appeared a few months ago. Called, made a warranty claim & told them it was the light engine after looking at your posts. Finally got a rep assigned to look at it a week later and rep said, yep, LE is bad. 5 weeks pass w/o any contact & I finally call. I was handed off to "Level 2" customer service at C----- City who assigned me a case manager. Nothing from the case mgr for a week so, I called my case manager (Kim) twice and left detailed messages with no call back. Called again & indicated Kim and I were not working out. Finally got handed off to "Level 3" at HQ in Richmond, VA. There I was told "Oh, we just processed an exchange for you, it costs too much to replace the light engine." Replacement TV is the current 50" Hitachi. Nice box but it looks like the monolith from 2001 A Space Odyssey. Additionally it is @ $700 cheaper than what I spent, not including the extra warranty. Of course my $400 TV stand matches the old silver tv. I am in further discussions to resolve the issue. Lessons learned:
1) Expensive warranty customer service at C---- City leaves a lot to be desired.
2) Looking at all the posts, given the number of failures, looks like a class action law suit might be in order.
My best guess is to be on the look out for some sort of discount cupon gambit from Hitachi on the purchase of a new TV.
Thanks for all the posts. |
New member Username: Shriramosu
Beaverton,
Oregon
Post Number: 2
Registered: Apr-06
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| Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 08:22 pm: |
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OK I am joining the problems crowd, suggestions welcome
Hi All
Unfortunately I just read this thread after I bought my used Hitachi 50V500 locally. Seller says he bought it about 6 months ago at either best buy or circuit city, and I should be getting the receipt in a couple of days
My problem is I have the dreaded red cloud issue (right now don't have HD tuner), will be mainly using it for DVD's and OTA HD. Also would like to try this set as my computer monitor but not sure thats possible as have read that LCD's and this one esp, cant be hooked up to the computer
When I switch channels in the middle of the screen there is a red cloud in the middle. My plan of action is
1. Get the receipt (assume warranty is transferable) and then call Hitachi and ask them for help/to fix the issue.
2. If that doesn't work, I can try reading service menu and this thread fully to see if I can fix it myself.
3. If not, I guess I can live with the red cloud, as it appears only on channel swithces (I don't want to, but not sure what else to do).
4. What else should I be checking up on, given I will have service come out to my house, is there more I should be checking and seeing if its wrong?
All suggestions welcome. I guess in retrospect, I could have bought a CRT RPTV for cheaper (couple of hundred $$ less) without problems, but in my naivete thought this TV was good.
Thanks a lot
Shriram |
New member Username: Igiking
Usa
Post Number: 2
Registered: Mar-06
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| Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2006 - 09:33 pm: |
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Shriram, Welcome to our world. You are not alone, obviously, I just had my set serviced yesterday, and what a differance. Thankfully I had purchased the EW from CC. It has paid off its wait in gold.
The Tech came Yesterday and we replaced the light engine. He was great , he actually let me help, as I am a tech myself. It took about 3 hours and that was because he talked a lot. Believe me when I tell you that the job is very intense as the top of the tv comes off. We removed the back cover and screen together, as a set. I was amazed at how simple the insides are. There is a mirror on the back cover, that reflects the image onto the screen from the light engine, which looks like a projector. The light engine is just that, a projector. It will cost you about 400.00 to 800.00 bucks depending on who you get it from. The job is a two person job however, dont do it your self. I also have the manual, and low and behold the last section in the maual describes step by step, how to repla | |
