Vertical coloured bars on Sony KDL-42W706B

SqueezeMyLemon

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Hi there,

Recently I had an issue with vertical coloured bars suddenly appearing on the screen of my Sony KDL-42W706B. After a bit of reading it seemed possible it was the TCON board, so I replaced it. However that did nothing. So then I tried replacing the LVDS cable (between the main board and the TCON board) which sorted the issue - result!

Skip forward a month and the same issue has appeared again :/ - vertical coloured bars on the screen (see attached photos - one with no input, and one with a TV channel selected).

Does anyone know what may be the cause? Has something caused the LVDS cables to malfunction? Or is it coincidence and replacing the LVDS cable again is the way to go? Or was replacing the LVDS cable a red herring that didn't really fix the issue (even though the TV was working perfectly for 4 to 6 weeks)?

I know it's probably difficult to suggest the issue / fix without more information and/or inspecting the TV, but was just wondering if anyone had any clues before I spend more money on it (or buy a replacement TV in frustration!).

Thanks in advance!
 

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Did you solve this? I had a similar issue and cleaning the ribbon cables from the Tcon board to the panel help me temporarily but the problem returned. I replaced the one that seemed dodgy and it seems all good now. I got it from spares2repair for £6. Hope this helps though you may have got new cables with the board you bought. I'm quite stunned by the picture actually and it must have been dodgy for a while.
 
Hi, a month ago I replaced my 42W706B with a 43XG8396 because of a similar problem. Some thin horizontal lines appeared in the upper part of the screen, barely noticeable, accompanied by an intermittent flicker of the entire panel. This was noticeable even on the TV menu. It always happened when you turned it on, and sometimes they disappeared to return while the TV was on. I find it curious to read more similar defects with the same model now.
 
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Hi,
Yeah after I cleaned the cables with isopropanol my tv guide was still slightly off colour but all the distortion/lines had gone and after research thought it may be the Tcon board. Luckily I decided to eliminate the cable first and replaced that. I was pretty reluctant to open it up but it was very easy. If u still have it i'd have a look if i were you, even just to clean the connection and reseat the cables (if u do, remove the sensor at front too as it helps for access to the panel side of the connectors). I'm curious about your new tv though as I was all set to upgrade but as a bedroom/gaming TV it's still top notch.
 
@FlipStar

Hi, thanx for your advise, dude!

The 42W706 I gave it to some friends, but I will tell them to check the cables beforehand in case they are lucky! Although I was watching a few days, and just in the blinking it was seen as a thin matrix underneath.

Regarding the new, the 43XG8396 is the best option I've seen in 43" and with 4K and HDR. The TV has a 100-hz, 10-bit IPS panel. The colors look very natural and have a good contrast. In addition the uniformity of the screen is excellent (without backlight bleed in the corners or DSE).

The only thing I can blame is that IPS Glow is perceived when you are not looking at it from the front, but from an oblique perspective (lying on a couch, for example), and especially in videos or movies with "bars". Still, it is not very noticeable if you leave the 'Adv. contrast enhancer' in low. It is practically the same TV as the 43XF8596 last year. Although this is somewhat brighter once compared and with more vivid colors. Otherwise, you may find the latter at a better price. Out of the box came with Android 7 Nougat, but I was able to update it without any problems to Android 8 Oreo via USB.

I tested it with a PS4 1216B and it looks really good. The re-scaling in 4K of the television channels does it quite well when the source is Full HD. And I have a Panasonic bluray player from a few years ago and it's a pleasure to see how it rescals some titles in 4K, without being UHD. Regarding the sound is good and crystal clear but weak, as expected in this type of television. I can not add much more, since I have it connected to a sound base (Sony HT-XT1).

Greetings!
 
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Hi,
No problem and I hope it helps the new owners. I think it must have been degrading for some time and I was so impressed with the difference I spent ages re-calibrating it and now I can't actually believe I was so blind! I watched Thor: Ragnarok again and I was floored at the colour and detail lol. I can only imagine what its like on your set!

I really appreciate the feedback on your new Sony as trying to get anything decent under 50 inches is proving quite difficult. Viewing distance is about 8 ft so I'm not sure I can justify a larger screen but i want to move to 4k/HDR at some point,, particularly as I plan to get a PS4 pro or PS5. I would really like a Sony if I'm being honest, though I'm sorely temped by an Ambilight Philips. I'm going to do some research and start budgeting.

Thanks again for getting back to me,

p.s.
I actually just spotted your excellent review 4th down on google!
 
Thanks for your kind words, mate, I had not seen the position of my review on Google :clap:

The truth is that movies like Aquaman are a real show at home. In particular, I like to look at the skies or background scenarios and the gradation of colors is perfect, without a hint of DSE or artifacts. And I admit that I would not have changed equipment if my W706 did not fail. Add that the viewing distance between TV and the couch will not reach 7 ft, so I think you would see it better than me. The slight tilt of the top angle of the panel backwards makes me think that Sony engineers have thought of a vertical vision above the television and not below, as is my case when I'm sitting.

Regarding 4K HDR, I have been able to see some content on Netflix and it really shows the difference compared to the videos available only in UHD. The brightness of the panel is not bad, about 500 nits (by references of the 43XF8596).

If you like the Ambilight, you should look at the Philips PUS 7303 (from last year) or the current PUS 7304 with Ambilight three-sided and Micro Dimming Pro.
 
Hi,
you're right, I often see reviewers use Guardians of the Galaxy when looking a blacks & colours but as with Thor they're often on alien worlds etc. I should be checking for more realistic colours as well so I'll re-watch Aquaman (As in your review!).

I think I see what you're getting at about your Sony. I view from a recliner, so my viewing angle is about 30 degrees up to the TV. I noticed yours was on a stand so if I understand you correctly, if it was elevated or even wall mounted it would be more pronounced? I'll make sure I check it out in person if I do decide anything.

Regarding the Philips, I really quite fancy the Ambilight and you can even hook it up to Hue. Its supposed to be spectacular and some people can't sing it's praises enough. The 7303 seems great and actually would be perfect as the stand is similar to the Sony's and would fit on the unit I sit the TV on. I did read about the 7304 "The One" coming out a while ago so will be interesting to see reviews. That actually ticks every box for me including 10+ and Dolby Atmos. Audio is something else I've been blind (deaf!) to since I got a dac and what I think are very good set of headphones (Philips Fidelio X2). Anyway, i'm getting side tracked but thank you very much for your advice and for going out your way to offer it. Seems like a very good community I joined.


Cheers and happy viewing
 
Hi, the truth is that the black level of a panel also determines the quality of a good panel. In this Sony has not done it all wrong, but reserved the panel VA for larger inches, as is the case of the 49XF9005 that I have in another house, and looks scandalous! The XG83 without having local dimming does a good job with the advanced contrast. I was just watching a chapter of Stranger Things and blacks are really black without losing too much detail in the outlines. Maybe the problem that I have seen is in the subject that I commented to you, the angle of vision. It is not so good from the side and being in a lower position compared to the TV. In my case, it rests on a sound base and the table is somewhat high by today's standards.

If you put it on a wall, of course, you will not have that small degree of backward inclination due to the legs. The panel is semi glossy too and can make it a little uncomfortable to watch in dark scenes if you light a lamp, for example. For the rest and if you see it in a dimly lit room or completely in the dark you will not have that "washed colors" feeling whenever you look at it frontally.

Returning to the Philips, what is not clear to me is whether it has VA or IPS panel. I seem to have read that it is a lottery, although the IPS panels that Philips assembles may not be as good as those of Sony and have problems of bleeding or blurring. Still I have read that they do an extraordinary job in the rescaling of digital television channels. Well, and regarding the subject of lighting, I myself thought of catching a pair of Philips lamps to create a back lighting, hehe. The sound of some flat screens gave me a lot of headaches until I got the Sony HT-XT1, now discontinued. I wanted to have a natural and clear sound in the voices, especially watching blurays, and without having to wire the whole room by adding a separate subwoofer. And I think I got it.

I'm glad I helped you. I got to know this community when I bought my W706B TVs (I still have the 32" one in the bedroom). And since then I like to enter to read opinions or solve doubts!

Cheers, I await your review of your new television, whether it's the Sony or the Philips!
 
Hi there,

Thanks for the replies, interesting that others have had a similar issue to me. I think Sony is not quite the brand they used to be in terms of quality of parts (especially in the cheaper models). Given it wasn't guaranteed that replacing the LVDS (again) or replacing the TCON cables would fix the issue I decided to cut my losses and buy a new TV. Ended up going with a 42" Samsung which came with a 7 year guarantee and I'm really happy with it. Plus I flogged the dodgy Sony for 40 quid :)

@John Loz - I also had the same issue with the thin horizontal lines on the upper left part of the screen, so clearly something not right with this particular model TV. I actually noticed it less than 12 months of owning the TV - was barely noticeable but when you did notice, the horizontal lines were all you could see! Resetting the TV got rid of those lines, but they came back a few months later (obviously once the TV was out of guarantee) and never went. In fact they ended up getting worse over time and pretty much were over the whole screen. As they were still pretty feint, I could ignore them to be honest, but the vertical coloured bars were the final nail.

Cheers, and hope your new TVs are doing the job for you!
 
@SqueezeMyLemon

The truth is that I loved the W706. The VA panel has incredible blacks and deep colors. I still have the 32" model that has been used much less in a bedroom. It's a pity that Sony leaves these panels for large screens. Even so, I am lucky to have a 49XF9005.

Enjoy your new Samsung, man, greetings!
 

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