QUALIA 006 Owner's Thread - Page 464

Originally Posted by C-Dub006

Hello all,

The original GE warranty offer which mpsan (Dave) researched and shared was for 5 years and in March of 2006 when I purchased it, cost $717.99. In it, it says it DOES cover anything (including bulbs) that cause it not to FUNCTION as intended. At the time of purchase, I confirmed the replacement bulb for function (ie, displaying a picture), WOULD be covered. Maybe they changed it, modified it, etc. to now not include bulbs of any type, but a contract is a contract. As I'm still on my original bulb (4800 hrs) and have the free Sony replacement, I have not had to fight (or not) with GE yet. On a unrelated note, Blu_ray and HD-DVD both look and sound awesome on my UMR calibrated Q and audio.

For what it's worth - Serial number #2001807, Build date May 2005, Purchase date Sept. 2005 from Vegas Q store (now Sony store). Knock on wood, no green.

C-Dub006

Originally Posted by divedude

They both do and much more.

Originally Posted by mpsan

DD, the reason I asked is that I have coax and optical audio inputs on my Proc...a Meridian 568. I had heard that the DVD-HD mixes this if you are not using HDMI. I wanted to be sure I would continue to have great 5.1 DTS sound.

Originally Posted by nhey

Regarding the GE contract in Section 2 in the back of the contract it states that "a covered product will be restored to normal operating condition after it has failed during normal single-family household use excluding failures due to power surges".

However, in Section 11, which is entitled "What is Not Covered" it states that consumer - replaceable items such as batteries, tapes, ribbons, bulbs, hosees, water membrances, air and water filters, fuses, belts, knobs, vacuum cleaner belts, bags, projection TV screen protectors etc. are not covered. So it does day that bulbs are not covered; of course they are probably referring to regular light bulbs not RPTV bulbs, but a lawyer would argue otherwise and say there are no bulbs they will cover.

So, it's not 100% clear if the bulbs we are talking about are or are not covered. When I ordered my contract they said that one bulb replacement WOULD be covered. I didn't get her name.

Note that you CAN cancel the GE contract, and in fact, in my situation, I could cancel it now and get a full refund of the $892.71 I paid for 4 additional years. I agree with Kaduku that it is better to get another 3-years from Sony and pay about $300+ less in my case, especially if GE will not cover a bulb replacement. I will call GE and if they say "no go" to a bulb replacement I will cancel it and get the Sony contract. I like the service firm that Sony uses; they replaced my OB promptly, with no hassles, and they know what they are doing.

Originally Posted by sofer

Hi Penton, good to hear from you, thanks for the info.

mpsan,

I have an HD-DVD player and a PS3. My Lexicon MC-8B processor does not have HDMI, and I use it for DD, DTS, SACD and DVD-Audio. You probably know this, but the lossless codecs for the HD discs cannot be passed by optical or coax. Without HDMI capabilities in the receiver/processor, you can only use 5.1 analog inputs for lossless (but the PS3 and some Blu-ray players don't have 5.1 analog outs). FWIW, I considered a Zektor switcher, but it would have taken over 20 cables to get me connected. I also considered a new receiver, but all of my stuff uses balanced connections, so I'll wait for a new Lexicon to join the party with an HDMI/balanced package other than the MC-12B.

Originally Posted by divedude

mpsan,

So if the Processor doesn't have 5.1/7.1 analog inputs or HDMI inputs, you can send it bitstream over the optical toslink. As long as your Meridian does DTS decoding you will get the 5.1 surround. If the source is DTS-HD, you will get the DTS core.

I haven't tried optical, so I can't say for sure, but that is what the manuals say. I would suggest asking on one of the AVS forums for the player you are looking at.

Originally Posted by mpsan

When I do decide on a player, it will be my first concern. I do not wish to change from my Meridian 568!

Originally Posted by nhey

I like the service firm that Sony uses; they replaced my OB promptly, with no hassles, and they know what they are doing.

Originally Posted by kaduku

I haven't read or searched on everything concerning this green tinting on this thread, and I don't think (correct me if I am wrong) that anyone has yet had to deal with GE Warranty to get this type of issue resolved. Just wondering how much a difference would be in repair timeframes, quality in service, getting the right people to do the job, etc, if GE Warranty was to handle this problem. So far the Q owners here who has had their OB replaced have been very pleased and impressed with the technicians that were sent by Sony. Think about it, if it is sooo unclear about the bulb thing now, (different peeps there saying different things) how clear will it be when you start having actual issues and needing some repairs. I am not saying to cancel your GE service, but if they give you some sh*t, it's good to know you have other options.

Note though that if you do decide later on to go with Sony, will they (Sony) still cover your Q even when the original warranty with them had expired.

Funny thing was when I called Qualia Service to confirm when I purchased my Q, they didn't have any options for me to extend my warranty. Thanks again to PM for the tip.

Originally Posted by C-Dub006

Kaduku,

After reading your post, (and others including nhey's who has already dealt with the OB issue) I felt the best thing would be to cancel the GE warranty(5 yrs.) get a full refund and go with the Sony 3 year plan. Even with the 2 year difference, the piece of mind is worth it for me anyway, knowing it would be Sony (or Sony authorized) fixing any problem that may or may not occur. At that point, in 2011, I can use that as an excuse to get something new anyway. "Honey the TV died, it will cost $6000 to fix, I think we should just get a ......"

Originally Posted by ManWithAPlan

I have the Pioneer 94HD BluRay....excellent player, fast load times, great history of firmware revisions as needed...it will send DTS 5.1 over optical or coax as needed. For what its worth, I am an audio snob to the nth degree, this video stuff is all very secondary to me, really...I have a Meridian G08 disc player that I could not live without, best sound for CD's I've ever heard...you will be very very impressed with a current Pioneer Elite model like the 94HD or 95HD.

I have great respect for the Meridian 568, great processor, don't ever let it go!

Enjoy!
-Brian

Originally Posted by dave-320c

Hi:
Seems to me that a couple of lamps at $250 each, and an $5000 part, and you are way ahead of the game on a five year contract; compared that is, to Sony, which though less expensive is also only for three years and no lamp replacements.
Time will tell.
Big thanks, though, to all contributors on this forum.
Love that Q picture.
Regards from Southern California (Big Love Saturday night with the wife!),
Dave

Originally Posted by Paul A

New Optical Block

Oh yea baby - I LOVE BLU!

Originally Posted by divedude

Paul,

Great news that your 006 has been cured. Enjoy

Originally Posted by sofer

I just signed up for the Sony warranty for about $540, which included sales tax. For me, it's a toss-up if I got the GE extra 2 years, even with bulbs that are more like $300, and figure on needing 2-3 more in the next 5 years. I have heavy hours of usage, over 6000, with no problems, and I have another spare bulb already. I think it's a crapshoot on timing the OB going bad. Besides, I'm with C-dub006, by the time an even newly replaced OB goes out, the Q is 6-8 years in the tooth, and I'm ready for the 80 inch LCD panel with LED and 120hz and that's only today's technology.

mspan, Meridian (and B&W) are terrific gear, especially if you still fancy 2-channel. I'll never give up my SACD and DVD-A, even if I have to go to a dedicated audio set-up to get lossless HD audio in my HT. Of course, I want it all in a single package, but know better, for now.

My best guess is that after all of the warranties run out, if you lose the OB, Sony will not pony up. And there are not enough Qualians to create a class action, exclusive as our class would be.

Originally Posted by Paul A

Does anyone know what the warranty is on a replaced optical block? This would be a determining factor if I should purchase the Sony extended warranty. If my new OB warranty is 3 years, I probably wont purchase the extended warranty. If it's a year (or less) on the new OB, and my Q warranty expires in December, then I will definitely buy the extended warranty.

Paul

Originally Posted by mpsan

Well, Frys had a Panny BD30K for $369. BB matched it and I got 5 Movies. Another 5 in the mail!

It does have lossless, but what I wonder is if the Meridian will switch to DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1 when it sees the digital audio stream!

Originally Posted by jb007

That sounds about right if your Q006 is out (or soon to be out) of warranty. However, if you're still within your 3 years, or the extended warranty period, your OB should be covered through that end date.

Originally Posted by divedude

Paul,

I was told the replacement OB is 90 days parts and labor by both Sony and my repair facility.

Originally Posted by BenDover

hey guys, just curious who else here is "familiar with my work" and what exactly my work might be ???

Originally Posted by divedude

BD,

I figured "your work" was to buy as much new AV stuff as possible