Sony KDL-32L4000 Smudge on Screen

[hunter548]

I have the following smudge on the screen. The TV is about 3 years old, so of course out of warranty. I turned down the brightness, contrast and backlight to fully show the problem. Do you think it's a board problem or is the LCD screen shot?

[crtfool]

That looks like it could be pressure marks from cleaning or rubbing the LCD panel with too much pressure. Did this happen suddenly, or over time? Also, Is this TV in a dirty environment or subjected to direct sunlight on the screen?

[hunter548]

It happened over time. It was actually my mother's TV and a couple of times she commented on the "gasoline" like colors that appeared when she cleaned it leading me to believe she was pressing way too hard when she cleaned it (can't expect too much from an 84 year old).

Well, what do think? Is the screen shot or can I disassemble and fix it?

[tom66]

It's probably not due to it being cleaned actually, the crappy Chi-Mei and Chungwha LCDs that Sony use in their cheaper TVs are prone to this after time.

[crtfool]

I do believe that it is pressure marks, but the only to find out for sure is to disassemble the LCD / Light Box assembly into 2 pieces - with the LCD panel removed from the light box and power up the TV with everything still connected. The light box should have a clean lit white surface without any dark spots - if this is so, then the LCD panel is damaged. If not, then the film filter sheets in the light box have been infiltrated with dirt, or they are heat damaged. You can also shine a very bright light through the bare LCD panel itself to see if the marks are present - best to do this with an actual image on the screen.

But, be aware that it is a very involved process to disassemble the screen - and that the LCD panel is very fragile and easily broken. If you feel that you can't watch the TV in that condition, and I would not blame you, then you have nothing to lose.