The problem appears so wide spread consumers have come up with numerous nicknames for the issue-- green blobs, yellow stains, and pink blotches are just a few. Whatever you call it -- thousands of Sony customers are upset.
Bob Harris is seeing red and a lot of other colors too.
"I see red, yellow, blue, orange a whole spectrum of different colors," he said.
The Walnut Creek man bought his TV in 2003 for $2,800.
"When you're watching a picture and you see a variety of different colors in the background it sort of takes away from the viewing experience," Bob said.
He isn't the only one with the problem. Owners of more than three dozen Sony rear projection television models manufactured from 2002 until 2007 say they're suffering through similar problems.
Some Sony televisions light up with a blue star, others have a yellow haze and some even have the stationary squiggly.
The problem usually takes three to seven years to surface.
There is a Facebook page called "I have a defective Sony TV" that has 1,200 followers with similar concerns.
Steven Linke of San Diego is so passionate about this, he's produced a 27-page report and devotes a website called "Sony Rear Projection TV Problems" to the issue.
"I like to fight for the little guy whenever I can. It's sort of the David vs. Goliath situation here," he said.
He says color extortion isn't the only problem. Some Sony TVs manufactured in 2003 and 2004 may be prone to overheating and may possibly be even a fire hazard.
Sony acknowledges their TVs have had some problems and has extended the warranty on select grand Wega TVs for four years.
Bob's model didn't qualify, so Sony offered him a discount on a future purchase.
"I am asking for a recall of this television and have it replaced with a television that's not both a fire hazard and has viewing issues," he said.
Steven won a small claims case against Sony and received a refund based on a pro-rated amount.
"I want Sony to know and perhaps other companies to know if they have a defective product they should step up and fix it for everybody and not always try to make their bottom line the best as possible," Steven said.
Sony says it will continue to work with Bob to find a reasonable solution and 7 On Your Side will keep you posted.
In the meantime, consumers are urged to report any overheating problems with their TVs to the Consumer Product Safety commission.
