[kthacher]

Is the dead pixel policy at ********** old news? According to their web site, they will replace Sharp 9000 and AE100 projectors if they have one or more dead pixels. The customer has to pay shipping. Text of the policy is as follows:
Quote:

We have started Zero DEAD(or stuck) Pixel Policy about Panasonic TH-AE100 and all of Sharp projectors. We will replace instanly(within a week) your AE100 with a dead or stuck pixel with new units. In that case, shipping cost of item's round trip will be your burden. No other cost will be needed. This policy will be applied only to custmers who bought Panasonic or Sharp projectors from May 01, 2002. Instant and unconditional replacement of defective unit is valid for 30 days from item's arrival on you. It does not mean that other projectors or previous purchasers cannot deserve replacement of defective projectors. In latter case, it may need longer time and negotiations with makers and our dealers for replacement, rarely unsucessful.

Has anyone had to use this policy yet? I wonder what they do with the bad units - this could be quite expensive if they see lots of returns since I doubt there is much of a market for projectors with known dead pixels. If this policy can be maintained, then the whole Japan/North American dealer thing will intensify even further

 

[Gary McCoy]

I hope it's not like Honda and Toyota engines. The ones that come off the assembly line and just fail to meet more stringent Japanese emissions, are sold in the USA after a "suitable markup" that doubles the price!


The clue that this would be happening is that the PT-AE100 units would be offered with a lesser policy, American consumers might be asked to tolerate dead pixels. Such policies are already in place for other Japanese projector manufacturers, after all.


Gary

 

[kthacher]

Man, that would be the ultimate irony if this was true. So if you want to buy from a North American source you pay nearly twice the money AND run a higher risk of dead pixels. Imagine the uproar - I sure hope that this just ends up in the unfounded conspiracy theory pile. The Japanese Sharp's have different inputs, so I doubt they could pull this off.

 

[QQQ]

My guess is that **********s stated warranty simply reflects the manufacturers warranty in Japan. What other explanation could there be?

 

[kthacher]

Do any of the Japanese readers know what the Sharp warranty in Japan is? Will Sharp accept a return if there is a single dead pixel?

 

[Adam icebergs]

doesnt sound right.... I thought it was more like a percentage.... or a larger number like 3 - 5.... but these are just guesses, not based on any facts that I am aware of.

 

[Phat Phreddy]

The sharp is a DLP.. Until recently I had never heard of a dead DLP mirror and I had believed that these were always under 100% guarantee (unlike LCD which is a % depending on location / number / etc)... I even spoke with a dealer the other day of low end cheap business DLP's and he stated he had never had a dead mirror in all his deals and if it did come up would give 100% return on a single dead mirror...


Then I read about new high end DLP's that think that dead mirrors are acceptable... I find this a change...

 

[Namlemez]

Kwon said earlier that he managed to wrangle a no dead pixel policy out of the two dealers he buys from, not the manufacturer.


DLPs do have manufacturing defects and yield like any other electronics. TI simply tests them before selling them and will not sell one that isn't full functioning. Maybe this is why there are so many DLP chips to give away at trade shows?