After four years, my pride & joy has suddenly developed... an issue. A yellow-tinted band is now appearing across the top of the picture, across all video inputs. Unsure if this was just the first sign that the lamp was finally starting to go, or if (as some AVS Forum posters had stated) it was an issue with the optical block, I called Sony Support.
And had, shockingly, a mostly positive conversation with the heavily-accented CSR. He told me that it sounded like it was indeed an optical block issue, and as my TV is long out of warranty, he could direct me to some local authorized repair places (for which I would foot the bill). Or, he then continued, as a reward for being a loyal customer, Sony could sell me one of a selection of TVs at a remarkable discount. Like, a $1200 set for $250.
I KNOW.
The one thing I couldn't quite understand was if these were refurb units or not. So now I'm waiting to get the follow-up e-mail to see what the details are, but for now it looks like I can choose between these two:
the KDL-52NX800 for $875or
the KDL-46EX700 for $250Yeah. Two fiddy. Even if it's a refurb, can I really not pull the trigger on that deal?