This is the news we all have been waiting for. I just received a call from the lead technician at the Wetwood, MA Sony repair facility concerning the repair of my HD100 (which I sent to them on May 22)and here is what I was told:
1. There is(will be) a download patch via DirecTV for the video/audio dropout problem. Sony has worked on this patch for the past few months and it should correct this particular problem.
2. To check if your box has received the patch do the following:
a. Press EXIT, 2 times; Press #7, 4 times; Press #3, 1 time; Press EXIT, 1 time...you should then see “Patch # 953†on the screen. If you see this number then your box has received the patch. Then Press EXIT and you should go back to the regular screens (if not , power down the unit and restart).
3. The fan(loud noise problem)...Sony is working on a replacement fan which “will†be available to all users of the HD100. How they will accomplish the replacement was not told to me. They did replace my fan, but apparently not with this new unit. My advice would be to make sure that you have sent in your warranty card so that they have you as a registered user.
4. Lip sync problems(5.1 sound)...they seem to need more information on this, such as channels, times, etc. I told them that my older A50 still experiences these problems from time to time. It seems to be a problem from one OTA channel to the next and at DirecTV with their signal output. They are working on this. My advice is to call Sony and report this lip sync problem in great detail and make sure you get an “event†number.
5. Complete freeze of your box(power button won’t work, etc.)...this seems to be a problem from †a non standard HD signal being broadcast from a stationâ€. They could not duplicate this problem on my box.
6. What they did to my unit which I do not have yet(they are shipping it “next day airâ€, so I should have it Saturday): they had my unit running constantly for the past 1 1/2 weeks and tested it as thoroughly as possible; they replaced the fan, which obviously IS a hardware problem; ran all sorts of tests(about 1% of these boxes have been returned for repair); the box is now “up to specs†and the software download was scheduled to begin May 30--there are some posts here that indicate that the dropout problem is gone--please let us all know by seeing if you got the 953 patch.
7. The technician that called me was very helpful and very professional and asked me to call him back as soon as I have tested my box. I will be writing a letter to Sony complimenting him for his wonderful attitude and help. He told me that they do read this forum and I asked him to continually monitor our forum in the next few weeks as this patch goes out.
**Sorry this post is so long, but I had promised to report back to you on my repair experience. I’ll let you know the actual results as soon as I get my box back and can test it.
1. There is(will be) a download patch via DirecTV for the video/audio dropout problem. Sony has worked on this patch for the past few months and it should correct this particular problem.
2. To check if your box has received the patch do the following:
a. Press EXIT, 2 times; Press #7, 4 times; Press #3, 1 time; Press EXIT, 1 time...you should then see “Patch # 953†on the screen. If you see this number then your box has received the patch. Then Press EXIT and you should go back to the regular screens (if not , power down the unit and restart).
3. The fan(loud noise problem)...Sony is working on a replacement fan which “will†be available to all users of the HD100. How they will accomplish the replacement was not told to me. They did replace my fan, but apparently not with this new unit. My advice would be to make sure that you have sent in your warranty card so that they have you as a registered user.
4. Lip sync problems(5.1 sound)...they seem to need more information on this, such as channels, times, etc. I told them that my older A50 still experiences these problems from time to time. It seems to be a problem from one OTA channel to the next and at DirecTV with their signal output. They are working on this. My advice is to call Sony and report this lip sync problem in great detail and make sure you get an “event†number.
5. Complete freeze of your box(power button won’t work, etc.)...this seems to be a problem from †a non standard HD signal being broadcast from a stationâ€. They could not duplicate this problem on my box.
6. What they did to my unit which I do not have yet(they are shipping it “next day airâ€, so I should have it Saturday): they had my unit running constantly for the past 1 1/2 weeks and tested it as thoroughly as possible; they replaced the fan, which obviously IS a hardware problem; ran all sorts of tests(about 1% of these boxes have been returned for repair); the box is now “up to specs†and the software download was scheduled to begin May 30--there are some posts here that indicate that the dropout problem is gone--please let us all know by seeing if you got the 953 patch.
7. The technician that called me was very helpful and very professional and asked me to call him back as soon as I have tested my box. I will be writing a letter to Sony complimenting him for his wonderful attitude and help. He told me that they do read this forum and I asked him to continually monitor our forum in the next few weeks as this patch goes out.
**Sorry this post is so long, but I had promised to report back to you on my repair experience. I’ll let you know the actual results as soon as I get my box back and can test it.
