Confuso
New member
From: "Confuso" on behalf of Sony Bravia KDF-A11 user group.
To: Sony Italia S.p.A.
Via Galileo Galilei, 40
20092 Cinisello Balsamo (MI)
I t a l y
Sony Europe Headquarter,
Kemperplatz 1, 10785 Berlin
G e r m a n y
Sony Corporation
7-35, Kitashinagawa, 6-chome, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo, 141-0001
J a p a n
Subject: Sony Bravia model KDF-A11, remarks and requests
Dear sirs,
I’m writing on behalf of a group of customers of the retroprojection TV Bravia KDF A11, 42’ and 50’ version.
This group of customers is involved in an on-line discussion, opened at the online forum of Av Magazine (http://www.avmagazine.it/); this discussion has rapidly become the busiest of the forum. The group was structured so that all information about the TV are organized in detailed documents (F.A.Q., reports, newletters, assessment cards… ) and then shared among the users; these documents are a valid tool for people who want to purchase the TV.
AVmagazine administrator, Emidio Frattaroli, brought to the attention of your press agency our discussion and our requests. The answers we received later on from your press agency are in our opinion poor and not satisfying. Therefore we resolved to send this mail, demanding your attention.
Herewith we’re pointing out that:
- Approximately 12% of customers detects occasional blocks of the TV in standby: in this occasions, the TV does not respond to any command, neither using the remote control, nor the TV keys. The only solution is unplugging the TV from the electric circuit for few seconds. A user asked for a service intervention for that. The bug was fixed the 1st of March 2006 by a Sony service agent in Rome (Video Test Service S.N.C. Di Maone Mauro E C. Piazza A. Baldini 37/A 141 Roma Tel. : 06-82000126 / 82000127 Fax : 06-86801930); the user description of the intervention follows: “the back cover of the TV was opened; the A1129435A board was extracted. The board was brought to the service shop where all data stored in its memory were transferred to a new board provided by Sony. Then the agent came back to my home, inserted the new board in the same slot, and closed the back cover. No welding was necessary. The whole intervention was fast and simple”.
We ask for a formal acknowledgment of the bug; a formal communication to all service agencies about the fixing procedure; a formal confirmation that the bug is due to the BOARD A1129435A malfunctioning. We wait for a prompt reply and consequently for an authorization to a home intervention for fixing this bug.
- Many customers saw on your official site the characteristics of the TV; it was clearly written that the TV had the following features:
• Dynamic PAP (picture & picture)
• Dynamic PAT (picture & text)
• Built-in DTT tuner ready for “Pay*View” programs.
We notified your press agency that the TV had not these features. The site was promptly modified so that the Dynamic PAP (picture & picture) and Dynamic PAT (picture & text) characteristics have been deleted; and the DTT built-in tuner became a simple “zapper”. Then, your press agency answered: ” The item is not equipped with PAT and PIP functions as you can read on the official site of Sony Italia…” This answer came with no apologies for the evident mistake on the official web site. We’re looking forward to a prompt clarification.
- We ask for an answer about an important topic: how is it possible to check the working time value. This feature, available on almost all projection TV’s, is very important in order to monitor the lamp lifetime.
- In relation to the increasing sells of this item, we think it would be good to have lamps available at normal stores, or, if not possible, at Sony Italia on-line shop (as for many other countries). The purpose for that is decreasing the purchase lead time, and allowing the customer the chance of monitoring prices and orders.
We also have to remark the differences of lamp prices between the various markets. Aligning the lamp price to other cheapest countries would be of great help for the success of this excellent TV set, that is becoming everyday more popular in Italy, also thanks to the precious task performed by our group.
- We also ask if it is possible to arrange a cooperative purchase of many lamps (the exact quantity will be communicated in case of positive answer) with a valuable discount.
- Referring to the Screen Format features we remark the lack of a “panoramic” format (available in almost all 16:9 TV sets), to show 4:3 broadcasts with no cuts of top or bottom areas, stretching the picture only in border areas. It would be good to have a new firmware version including this feature, or, if not possible, instructions on service menu parameters adjustments on actually implemented screen formats. Another important possible firmware implementation we’d suggest is about storing special settings for every different external AV connection. Without this feature, available on the US “A10” version of the TV, users must continuously adjust the picture menu according to the different sources connected.
- The experience of American customers of the US “A10” version, discussed in many American forums, shows that it is possible to fix the so called “RED PUSH” effect, with well known chromatic adjustments on service menu parameters. As the same problem is apparent also in the European model, we ask for a possible official procedure for a similar adjustment, eventually performed by Sony service agencies.
We also remark two well known effects: “SDE” (Screen door effect) and “Shimmering” or “Motion Blur”. The former happens in case of white or bright background and is described by many users as “looking at images through a glass wet surface”; the latter happens in case of rapid left-to-right or right-to-left movements of the camera, and is described by many users as “looking at an image projected onto a dirty cloth”. Any suggestion to diminish or eliminate such problems are welcome.
- When connecting personal computers through a PC-DVI->HDMI-TV connection, customers using latest graphic cards and drivers detect an image overscan of about 50 pixel per border, and a bad visualization of texts and icons, that look like immersed into a sort of halo. We ask again for suggestions to fix these problems; alas your previous generic suggestion (pitch, phase adjustments) does not solve the problem.
- A final remark is about the market globalization: nowadays it is possible to discuss, benchmark, and read documents about many different items. It is therefore difficult to understand Sony’s choices about the different KDF models: the US version “A10” is technically far advanced, compared to “A11” European version. As examples, the “A10” version allows advanced adjustments on “gamma”, “iris” and “black” levels; and does not limit to 1024x768 resolution VGA connections. Every expert user looking at the global market cannot understand such choices. If this sort of “technological dumping” strategy will last, we will probably will change our future guidelines, moving our attention to those manufacturers showing a different attitude toward our market.
On request, we can supply a list of more than 120 customers waiting for your valuable, quick and complete answers. If no or incomplete answer will come within 30 days, our group will consider new strategies in order to safeguard our own rights, like forwarding our requests and remarks to the most important press agencies.
Best Regards
Link to the AVMagazine Forum discussion
http://www.avmagazine.it/forum/showthread.php?t=38961
Link to the KDF Group web map
http://www.frappr.com/sonykdf?cx=11.21&cy=43.2&z=12&t=2
Confuso
Via XXXXXX XXXXXX
CAP Città
email
---------------------------------------------
Lettere imbustate e moduli postali compilati.
Note:
La lettera "italiana" è composta da 3 fogli dattiloscritti con allegata l'immagine del sito Sony Italia.
Raccomandata con ricevuta di ritorno.
Le lettere per Sony "Germany" e Sony "Japan" sono composte, per ognuna, da 2 fogli dattiloscritti .
Raccomandata semplice.
Alle 14:00 il responso sull'effettivo invio dall'ufficio postale
To: Sony Italia S.p.A.
Via Galileo Galilei, 40
20092 Cinisello Balsamo (MI)
I t a l y
Sony Europe Headquarter,
Kemperplatz 1, 10785 Berlin
G e r m a n y
Sony Corporation
7-35, Kitashinagawa, 6-chome, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo, 141-0001
J a p a n
Subject: Sony Bravia model KDF-A11, remarks and requests
Dear sirs,
I’m writing on behalf of a group of customers of the retroprojection TV Bravia KDF A11, 42’ and 50’ version.
This group of customers is involved in an on-line discussion, opened at the online forum of Av Magazine (http://www.avmagazine.it/); this discussion has rapidly become the busiest of the forum. The group was structured so that all information about the TV are organized in detailed documents (F.A.Q., reports, newletters, assessment cards… ) and then shared among the users; these documents are a valid tool for people who want to purchase the TV.
AVmagazine administrator, Emidio Frattaroli, brought to the attention of your press agency our discussion and our requests. The answers we received later on from your press agency are in our opinion poor and not satisfying. Therefore we resolved to send this mail, demanding your attention.
Herewith we’re pointing out that:
- Approximately 12% of customers detects occasional blocks of the TV in standby: in this occasions, the TV does not respond to any command, neither using the remote control, nor the TV keys. The only solution is unplugging the TV from the electric circuit for few seconds. A user asked for a service intervention for that. The bug was fixed the 1st of March 2006 by a Sony service agent in Rome (Video Test Service S.N.C. Di Maone Mauro E C. Piazza A. Baldini 37/A 141 Roma Tel. : 06-82000126 / 82000127 Fax : 06-86801930); the user description of the intervention follows: “the back cover of the TV was opened; the A1129435A board was extracted. The board was brought to the service shop where all data stored in its memory were transferred to a new board provided by Sony. Then the agent came back to my home, inserted the new board in the same slot, and closed the back cover. No welding was necessary. The whole intervention was fast and simple”.
We ask for a formal acknowledgment of the bug; a formal communication to all service agencies about the fixing procedure; a formal confirmation that the bug is due to the BOARD A1129435A malfunctioning. We wait for a prompt reply and consequently for an authorization to a home intervention for fixing this bug.
- Many customers saw on your official site the characteristics of the TV; it was clearly written that the TV had the following features:
• Dynamic PAP (picture & picture)
• Dynamic PAT (picture & text)
• Built-in DTT tuner ready for “Pay*View” programs.
We notified your press agency that the TV had not these features. The site was promptly modified so that the Dynamic PAP (picture & picture) and Dynamic PAT (picture & text) characteristics have been deleted; and the DTT built-in tuner became a simple “zapper”. Then, your press agency answered: ” The item is not equipped with PAT and PIP functions as you can read on the official site of Sony Italia…” This answer came with no apologies for the evident mistake on the official web site. We’re looking forward to a prompt clarification.
- We ask for an answer about an important topic: how is it possible to check the working time value. This feature, available on almost all projection TV’s, is very important in order to monitor the lamp lifetime.
- In relation to the increasing sells of this item, we think it would be good to have lamps available at normal stores, or, if not possible, at Sony Italia on-line shop (as for many other countries). The purpose for that is decreasing the purchase lead time, and allowing the customer the chance of monitoring prices and orders.
We also have to remark the differences of lamp prices between the various markets. Aligning the lamp price to other cheapest countries would be of great help for the success of this excellent TV set, that is becoming everyday more popular in Italy, also thanks to the precious task performed by our group.
- We also ask if it is possible to arrange a cooperative purchase of many lamps (the exact quantity will be communicated in case of positive answer) with a valuable discount.
- Referring to the Screen Format features we remark the lack of a “panoramic” format (available in almost all 16:9 TV sets), to show 4:3 broadcasts with no cuts of top or bottom areas, stretching the picture only in border areas. It would be good to have a new firmware version including this feature, or, if not possible, instructions on service menu parameters adjustments on actually implemented screen formats. Another important possible firmware implementation we’d suggest is about storing special settings for every different external AV connection. Without this feature, available on the US “A10” version of the TV, users must continuously adjust the picture menu according to the different sources connected.
- The experience of American customers of the US “A10” version, discussed in many American forums, shows that it is possible to fix the so called “RED PUSH” effect, with well known chromatic adjustments on service menu parameters. As the same problem is apparent also in the European model, we ask for a possible official procedure for a similar adjustment, eventually performed by Sony service agencies.
We also remark two well known effects: “SDE” (Screen door effect) and “Shimmering” or “Motion Blur”. The former happens in case of white or bright background and is described by many users as “looking at images through a glass wet surface”; the latter happens in case of rapid left-to-right or right-to-left movements of the camera, and is described by many users as “looking at an image projected onto a dirty cloth”. Any suggestion to diminish or eliminate such problems are welcome.
- When connecting personal computers through a PC-DVI->HDMI-TV connection, customers using latest graphic cards and drivers detect an image overscan of about 50 pixel per border, and a bad visualization of texts and icons, that look like immersed into a sort of halo. We ask again for suggestions to fix these problems; alas your previous generic suggestion (pitch, phase adjustments) does not solve the problem.
- A final remark is about the market globalization: nowadays it is possible to discuss, benchmark, and read documents about many different items. It is therefore difficult to understand Sony’s choices about the different KDF models: the US version “A10” is technically far advanced, compared to “A11” European version. As examples, the “A10” version allows advanced adjustments on “gamma”, “iris” and “black” levels; and does not limit to 1024x768 resolution VGA connections. Every expert user looking at the global market cannot understand such choices. If this sort of “technological dumping” strategy will last, we will probably will change our future guidelines, moving our attention to those manufacturers showing a different attitude toward our market.
On request, we can supply a list of more than 120 customers waiting for your valuable, quick and complete answers. If no or incomplete answer will come within 30 days, our group will consider new strategies in order to safeguard our own rights, like forwarding our requests and remarks to the most important press agencies.
Best Regards
Link to the AVMagazine Forum discussion
http://www.avmagazine.it/forum/showthread.php?t=38961
Link to the KDF Group web map
http://www.frappr.com/sonykdf?cx=11.21&cy=43.2&z=12&t=2
Confuso
Via XXXXXX XXXXXX
CAP Città
---------------------------------------------
Lettere imbustate e moduli postali compilati.
Note:
La lettera "italiana" è composta da 3 fogli dattiloscritti con allegata l'immagine del sito Sony Italia.
Raccomandata con ricevuta di ritorno.
Le lettere per Sony "Germany" e Sony "Japan" sono composte, per ognuna, da 2 fogli dattiloscritti .
Raccomandata semplice.
Alle 14:00 il responso sull'effettivo invio dall'ufficio postale
