[mnc]

What is wrong with the Sony WV600 and WV700? All I read about on this forum is how great the Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba are. What about Sony? I personally like it better than any of those. So does my Brother in law and my wife and everybody else I have been with when looking at RPTV's. Sony has excellent resolution, color, features, stretch modes, great styling, and looks great with all sources. All for a competative price. What more could you want!


If there are any Sony owners I would like to hear from you.


And I don't want to hear about the flicker problem. Sony will fix this if you get it, also every brand of RPTV has at least one problem posted.

 

[umr]

You may not want to here it, but it is what is scaring many people away from these sets on the forums. Bad news travels pretty quick in cyberspace even though Sony is trying to fix it.

 

[Addicted Help!!]

That is a good question, and I am one of those that absolutely loves Sony Tube sets, and even had a Sony XBR squared, the Japanese version, and squared is not the same as 2. It was almost 3k for a 32 inch in 94, and it is still in my Dad's house and looks better then the 34 inch HD set of today in my view.


I never got the Sony bigscreen thing though. Even the 1st XBR had no detail , was way soft and way high on price. I went and looked again when I bought my HD set at the end of last year and still same MO, poor HD picture, even higher price, but now good looking cabinet and pretty good at analog in the HD set market.


It really freaked me out how the Sony 57xbr2 was 4990 while the Hitachi and Mitsubishi were at the low 3000's and so much better. I also understand that for many people it is just long term love of Sony's tubes, but I have yet to see a single HD set in a RPTV that had a picture that was even as good as the cheap Panasonic, and at a serious price premium.


From what I can see, after the 2's not moving that well, they dropped those this year and now the most expensive one is 3999 and looks worse then the 2's which were already lagging.


If you see it, then like the rest great, but I can't see it, and where I live nobody else I know can either. I finally counted, and I have 39 friends with HD RPTV's and the brands are mixed, and some on price, and all sizes, but not 1 with a Sony.


If you consider the Hitachi's my only advice is they are great, but not in the larger size of 65. For some reason there seems to be a problem where I live with all of them, but on here some people seem to have 65's that don't have that problem.

 

[Mfusick]

Sony's from last year and this year flicker...


The CRT's go bad... and the TV's start to flicker and strobe.


The CRT's are defective and the warranty on Sony is the worst of all RPTV's


Hitachi makes it's own CRT's (which are better quality than the Sony in my opinion) and provides a TWO YEAR warranty on them.


Sony has trouble living up to it's weak one year warranty on it's CRT's and infact so many Sony's have been defective that CRT's are hard to come by and need to be back ordered.


Sony service is the worst you can get... I would defintely get an extended warranty...



Use the search feature on slow mode... and search for "SONY FLICKER" and see what you get....

 

[Agrajag]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mfusick Sony service is the worst you can get... I would defintely get an extended warranty...

Most of the components in my home theater are Sony parts:


Sony CD 300, Sony DVD, Sony Receiver DA7ES and it was a Sony TV. I do often go for Sony as they often seem to provide those nice final touches that really make a product fun to own and, once in a while, they do it with a product that just flat out rules the class. Their 36" XBR tube TV is a typical example.


But I also owned a Sony DirecTV receiver. In fact, I owned every one of them (and usually two of each) from version 1 to version 5. I then had a problem with version 5 and ran into their support for the first time. It was a HORRIBLE experience. So much so that I had to threaten to cancel DirecTV over it and DirecTV stepped in to buy me an RCA receiver!!!! THEY couldn't get Sony to do anything even though Sony acknowledged the problem, promised a fix and then did nothing and ultimately stopped listening. They thought it was enough to tell me I was in the computer and "when we fix it, you'll get this taken care of." Well, I'm still waiting now and it's been something like 5 years.


I would not trust them on supporting such an absolutely critical device and one that is often prone to trouble. I bought a Sony KP-65WV700 and liked it, but the first one died after 48 hours and the second one had the worst geometry and picture I've seen in any set short of a dead one. Given that and my concern for their support, I sent them back, tried their GW II, had issues with it and really got worried about their lack of support on the dead pixel issue (I had 50 or more dead pixels with 6 stuck full on) and have now gone with a Pioneer Elite RPTV that is winning me over quickly.


It's funny. Part of me feels like a traitor. But had they supported me when I needed them, I'm typical in that I would have given them loyalty to a fault and recommended them to everyone. Now they have to work to earn my respect again. It'll take them some time for this effect to sink in but I suspect it is happening to them slowly and they will realize it and respond. Just not soon enough for many of us.

 

[psychoholica]

Personally I boycott all sony products.

i am so sick and tired of thier proprietary bs all the time...


vhs...beta - need i say more? ok...


DVD RW/+R -R /R ?!?!?! I one of these is pure sony's doing


Memory stick?!?!? WHY? there were already 2 formats when that came out.


they are far worse than microsoft will ever be.

 

[htwaits]

I've had Sony TVs for over 25 years. All but the first one have been XBRs. After the first set, they tended to die at about 5 years. I'm a slow learner, but I'm not buying a big screen TV from them. I've had several other Sony products, but probably will not be adding any new ones soon.


You are right "mnc". We are a bunch of sore heads. We are sore at Sony and our heads hurt.

 

[Gov]

Minus the flicker problem, Sony has a very good overall picture with awesome detail. After a few service mode tweaks (eliminating all the artifical enhancements) and fixing red push, the picture is absolutely stunning.

I have had both Hitachi and Sony WS RPTV's. As far as I am concerned, even with the flicker problem, Sony beats Hitachi hands down!!

BTW, Sony's service has been excellent as far as I am concerned. They really have stepped up to the plate on this flicker issue. Ask Toshiba owners if they can say that!


P.S. Hitachi owners have been reporting flickering CRTs lately....ummmm its getting interesting!


Gov

 

[mhz40]

Quote:

Originally posted by psychoholica Personally I boycott all sony products. i am so sick and tired of thier proprietary bs all the time... vhs...beta - need i say more? ok...

I'm no Sony fan either and it pains me to remind everyone, but Beta came out first and produced a better picture than VHS. It was the recording length that kept VHS out ahead in the consumer market.

 

[DRS]

Well I guess I will be the minority here and say I am thrilled with pretty much everything Sony I have ever owned. I like the styling and have never had a single problem with any of their electronics. I probably wouldn'y buy one of their receivers unless it was an ES but for video I really like their stuff. Both my father and I have Sony TV's that are nearing their 10 year anniversary. His is a RPTV and mine is a direct view and most recently a HD-RPTV. Maybe I'm the exception?


I think Sony is like Bose in _some_ ways. They have large name recognition but enthusiasts realize there are better values out there for the most part. I have owned Bose speakers in the past but I cannot stand them now. However, I would continue to purchase Sony. Both brands have worked long and hard to build their identity and you can tell most people are quite happy to say Sony or Bose when you ask them what they own. Many on this forum, including myself, occassioally take an elitist attitude toward Bose and I think the same sometimes goes for Sony. As far as Sony's warranty goes... I have yet to see Hitachi publically adress the pastel problem that many are reporting (BTW you are definitely living up to that troublemaker title Mfusick )

 

[Michael TLV]

Greetings


Of course everyone has their nightmare experiences when it comes to a certain brand and seeking warranty service.


For myself ... it was Pioneer ... but I have read just as many for Hitachi and Toshiba and Panasonic as well so no company is worse than any other when it comes to warranty issues.


Regards

 

[ConceptVBS]

They were the king in the analog days, but times are changing. With the advent of everything turning digital, companies with semiconductor know-how are taking over the thrown. In other words, a coup de tat.

 

[Dammit!]

I've simply had horrible luck with every Sony product I've ever owned. From simple headphones to Playstations and computer monitors. The computer monitor is waht turned me off to them for good though. I bought a 19 inch Trinitron monitor back when they cost over $600 (discounted). Stunning picture but it developed a strange flickering problem 3 months before the warranty expired. I felt safe buying it because it had a three year manufacturer warranty but when I called them about it they gave me some extreme BS about my warranty being void because I bought it from an internet vendor. It came in a sealed sony box, registration forms included. They had my warranty registration information for it on record but still refused to service the monitor. I spent a total of about three hours over the course of a week arguing with them about it but they wouldn't budge. I even asked the moron if they had a problem with someone fencing their products behind the factory as the reason for not honoring warranties for online purchases and he actually said yes! Unbelievable.


By the way, their web site and all documentation with the monitor never make mention of the warranty being void unless bought from an authorized dealer (internet or otherwise). I could have nailed them to the wall on it legally but for a monitor it's just not worth it. Instead I voice my dissatisfaction by spreading the word of their disrespect for their customers and by simply not purchasing their products. I'm sure I would have seriously considered a Sony for my HD RPTV purchase if it weren't for this incident being the final straw.


For anyone that does choose to buy a Sony, the only advice I could give would be to make certain you buy an excellent third party extended warranty. Don't count on Sony to honor theirs.


/rant

 

[mnc]

It seems to me that brand names blind people to the actual picture quality. People that have had a good experience with a particular brand tend to love them. If they had a bad experience with them they hate them. People should be able to do a blind viewing where they only see the picture without knowing the brand of the set. That would be an interesting way to see what set people prefer.


Anyway, I have only owned one tv, my current 8 year old 32XBR and I have had no problem with it and am satisfied with the picture still. I have nothing against Hitachi as a brand or any other brand. It's just that IMO, the Sony has the best picture. BTW they have a 2 year warranty on the tubes not 1.

 

[Addicted Help!!]

follow up on many hating Sony all together, and not just the TV's. I use and like many Sony products, including my DVD player, my walkman, my larger CD transport ES changer 90, and a Sony tube tv, and I like all of them, but I only hate the RPTV's by Sony because they have one of the worst HD pictures on the market, and yes I can see the flicker as well, even at the store. I wanted to clarify because my hatred of just their RPTV"s is just based on the opinion that they are really bad, and priced as if they are really good.

 

[spidey07]

flicker


don't buy a sony RPTV no matter what model or manufacturer date. Three friends with sony TVs, three friends with flicker. And I didn't even tell them about it!!! Just "hey come look at my tv, its acting funny".


I also own a sony 36xbr450 hdtv...worst purchase evar!


But really, the big thing hurting sony is flicker.


I hope this helps as I am a sony owner of many products, but avoid their RPTVs at all costs.

 

[Pocatello]

Given the foregoing, what would some of you recommend for a 51" or smaller RPTV?


I was looking at the Sony KP46WT500 until I found this thread.


Thanks.

 

[mnc]

Why is it that everyone is banding together to ban Sony because of the flicker yet everyone still loves Hitachi even with the pastel/ solarized problem! And don't say the Hitachi problem doesn't exist or is a very small % problem. I have seen it on at least 5-6 different Hitachis.


Also, I don't see how you can say the Sony has one of the worst pictures.

 

[strike]

mnc,


Same people posting the same negative info sony. mfusick goes out of the way to find a sony thread and bash the product. Many have positive experience's with sony but as with most things, folks take time to report problems more than praise.

 

[Mfusick]

Quote:

Originally posted by strike mnc, Same people posting the same negative info sony. mfusick goes out of the way to find a sony thread and bash the product. Many have positive experience's with sony but as with most things, folks take time to report problems more than praise.

I own a Sony RPTV and have nothing against them. Just there are somtimes better choices.


You read to far into some things


I do not go out of my way to bash Sony products..