Potential Sony KV-32FS12 IR issue?
https://reddit.com/link/1tw8ka2/video/9gre2x06065h1/player
Hi all, first time posting to this sub-reddit so hope I'm doing this right. I just have a few questions as I recently upgraded to a Sony KV-32FS12 Trinitron I found off the curb (woo!).
It turns on and has been working fine for the past month or so. The problem is that the input label (VIDEO 1) lingers indefinitely in the corner of the screen. Some quick google searching told me a remote was absolutely needed to toggle that display on and off, and I did check the TV's menu multiple times for any options. So, I ended up ordering a Sony RM-Y804 remote off eBay, as many seem to say that Sony remotes are mostly cross-compatible and I couldn't find this TV's exact match.
Fast-forward to yesterday and it finally comes in... nothing happens. The remote itself works, with the TV function button flashing red in response to my inputs and I used my phone camera to check that the IR light was going off, and it is. So I'm led to believe that the TV's IR sensor is broken? It doesn't flash in response to the remote, and I tried disconnecting both the remote and TV from power for a set amount of time as well.
I am willing to try grabbing a universal remote and trying one more time, but before I do that, I was wondering:
- Is there some undocumented way to remove that video label that I'm just missing?
- Is there some universal code I could try using? I've tested a bunch of generic ones like 001, 111, etc...
- Is it generally difficult/expensive to replace the IR board in the TV?
Lastly, this rabbithole got me a bit worried about the TV's health in general. It does make quite a big zapping noise as it starts but I assume that's just due to the size of the TV (see video for the noise). I also want to just double check if it's normal for the standby light to flash as the TV turns on? The number of flashes is inconsistent (between 2 to 7 I've observed). I read in a service manual that it just does that as the video display seems to be working fine. I included an image of the TV's display just for general reference as well.
Any insight or tips would be greatly appreciated, as you folks really know your stuff. Thank you in advance!
Posted Jun 4, 2026, 1:00 AM UTC