 I will never buy another Sony Product |
| Review Date: March 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Unhappy Camper, Oklahoma |
We literally bought four (4) of these pieces of junk starting Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010 through Feb. 28, 2010. Each one had issues within 2-5 days. We took all four (4) back based upon the advice of Sony Technicians, and I tried to call Sony to seek help. I spent a total of 4 1/2 hours over 5 days on the phone, mostly on hold, waiting to talk to a person. I finally was told "that is beyond our control, you need to talk to someone in Customer Relations." FYI, if you try to call Customer Relations at 1-239-768-7547, which by the way is the number that is listed on Sony's web-site, the first thing you will notice is it is a "long distance call." The second thing you will notice is you will be on hold for a minimum of 30 minutes waiting to talk to someone. The third thing you will find is that you aren't calling Sony Customer Relations at all.
You are calling Product Support, who will ask you dozens of the same question, until you have wasted more of your day and money on the long distance call. Only after you get so angry you are ready to spit nails do they say "you need to talk to someone in Sony Customer Relations." Then the fun really begins as Sony Customer Relations is only open on Monday through Friday. On top of that they are never available, and you will be on hold for another 30 or more minutes. Someone may finally get on the line, but each time in my case it was the person I just talked to and they suggested I call back the next day. When I refused they said the Customer Relations Staff was very busy, and could not get to my call. Geez, I wonder why? Could it be because their products are junk?
See the pattern here? And, after your blood pressure is sky high, then you will have a person come on the phone and tell you that "Sony does not compensation Customers for time and inconvenience." Anyone else see the problem here? The sad part is we were willing to try the new Sony KDL40 EX400, but we asked Sony to send us a $40.00 set of the Sony HDMI cables for our tv at no charge, as they are unavailable at the stores in our areas. Sony was only willing to allow us to "buy the cables from them." Apparently they do not care about their Customers. I told them that I no longer buy Sony, and I will make sure no one else makes the same mistake. They kept apologizing, but not one person was willing to step up and do something to fix the problems "they" caused.
This company isn't the Sony you and I grew up with. They are a joke, their products are junk and their Customer Service is the worst I have ever experienced. |
cracking static sounds on TV speakers
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| Review Date: February 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Siu, san francisco, CA |
| I love this TV. The pictures are beautiful!! The sound is great too, except that I, and others could hear loud static sounds from the speakers when the volume is turned up to about 30ish. You don't hear this in all movies or programs. I believe it may be base related. But it totally just ruins the mood whenever you are watching action movies... please read up reviews on the 32" Sony Bravia, this item also has very poor sound reviewS. I know so because I was considering a 32" Sony as well. Hey, maybe I just got a lemon. Good luck! |
Great by for the money
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| Review Date: January 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Herb fm Kingston, KINGSTON, TN, US |
I bought this TV as a Christmas present for myself. I got it at a great price through Amazon. It was $100 lower than the nearest local source. Free shipping too! I have satellite TV and the picture looks great. The sound is a little disappointing at low levels. I plan to install a stereo amplifier and larger speakers which will solve that problem. The initial setup was a bit tricky but I was able to complete it without extra help. Generally, I am a happy camper with this purchase.
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Not bad but I can't recommend it...
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| Review Date: January 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Rebel_w_Cause, FL |
I've had this Sony Tv now for a month and feel I can give an adequate review. This series of Sony HDTV is the "S" series which is Sony's lower end model (they have a "V" and "W" also). For the price-point (under six fifty) the pic quality is not bad. The sound using HDMI is also fine as far as volume goes. Granted, the tone quality (richness) is not very good but none of the speakers on these HDTV's are. Contrary to other reviews, I found the speakers to be above average.
However, I really can't recommend this tv because the update (fix) did not fix anything for me. The color shifting remains after the update and I have tried 2 of these tvs now. Sony support has been fairly good but in the end they haven't fixed anything yet. If you are considering this tv, please read online for complaints for the S and V series. People mention the color shift and noise poping even after the updates so while the update may work for some people, clearly it is is not for others. I really have spent much too much time on this. I really wish I had just purchased a different TV even if it meant doing so at a higher cost. If you do decide to get this tv, make sure you get a really good price on it!!
Finally, the picture on this tv is pretty good and I don't doubt that the software fix work for some people. If it had worked for me I would have given this tv 4 stars. The fact that I've had this problem with 2 Sony's now just makes me question this model (also, I didn't mention that I have tried different hdmi cable as well as swapped out my cable box thinking these might be the cause).
All I am saying is do your research and "buyer be informed."
One last thing I will mention, because I haven't seen it mentioned in any of the other reviews is about the Sony recommended memory cards for the update. Even if you don't have a card on their list try the one you have BUT MAKE SURE you format it first as suggested in their instructions (FAT32). I only had a 128mb card (not on their list) and it didn't work. I noticed the Fat32 instructions and tried that and the update ran perfectly.
I hope this has been helpful.
*********UPDATE**********
I agreed to let Sony send me a 3rd tv. I had doubts that a 3rd would be much diff. than the first 2 but I didn't have many options. A new tv was sent to me by Sony in a decent time with all the return info I needed so I could send the bad unit back (at no charge to me). Sony's return service and support has been good. However, that is all I can say that is good.
The 3rd unit has most of the same issues plus some sound issues. I have spent so much time dealing with this Tv. I really regret it. FORTUNATELY, I bought it from a place with a 90-day return policy. I took it back after just over 60 days. Good rid-dens. I STRONGLY recommend against this model in the "S" series (Sony's low end).
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No Problem with Autodimmer - December 2009 Product
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| Review Date: January 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: T. Caire, Portland, OR United States |
| I purchased this TV only a week ago. It was manufactured recently, having been delivered to the local store I bought it from in December 2009 (per the box it arrived in). I haven't had any issue with the Autodimmer feature. Perhaps the newer units have the necessary software, as another reviewer mentioned. Having paid only $599 for it, I am very pleased with the picture. I also liked the intuitive setup features and the simple remote control. I should mention that I'm not a TV-geek ... other reviewers are far more knowledgeable about details of HD TVs than I am. |
Is easier to work with than one of its competitors
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| Review Date: December 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Router user, |
I am comparing the sony to a JVC that was about the same price. I am by no means an expert when it comes to flat panel TV's.
I did not buy from this site. One of the national clubs has a better return policy. I purchased this TV and a 42 inch JVC. I am returning the JVC. The Sony controls and remote (although not multifunction)are superior in most aspects. I purchased both the JVC and Sony at the same time.
Most of what I have to say are based on using QAM on Comcast (no cable box). With the switch to all digital I found that Comcast in my area (northern suburb of Chicago) has put the digital starter stations on QAM. This means if you have a QAM digital tuner on the TV you can get these stations. Almost all large screen TV's have QAM.
The Sony found the stations (about 100 of them) and put them in a fairly logical order. I had to go through each QAM station and label them through "managing stations". I will have to make a cheat sheet showing which station is which. I have not seen any reviews that address the time it takes to change stations. The Sony changes stations much faster than the JVC.
It appears to be viewable in a brightly lit room. At night it is very bright. I have not modified any of the settings - yet.
I have not yet noticed the problems with the dimmer function that a lot of people have complained about, perhaps I have the update.
It does not in my opinion manage the switching between wide screen and 4:3 very well. It seems like I am always changing the settings depending on what I am watching. The JVC did a better job.
The JVC had an Ipod dock. My teenage sons really like this they were disappointed when I told them I was returning it.
If I was only using the tv through a cable box I don't know that wouldn't be more favorable toward the JVC. It is a larger screen for the same amount of money.
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does not work with Tivo3!
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| Review Date: December 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: englishpaulm, Arlington, MA USA |
This Bravia works fine with my Sony Blueray player, but I get HDMI permission errors when I try to use my Tivo3.
I have tried all HDMI ports, and also have swapped cables. I even returned by Tivo3 for a new one, thinking the Tivo3 must be the problem.
I then upgraded the firmware on my Bravia, which was a bit of a pain. (For example, the Bravia firmware downloaded from the Sony site was a Windows executable, and I only have Macs, so I had to have a friend run this to unzip the files.)
I then returned the Bravia for a new one, but this didn't work either.
If you Google "bravia tivo" you will see lots of other people complaining about the same problem.
It seems that HDMI in general can have syncing problems between devices.
This Bravia definitely has serious problems displaying a Tivo3. Damn.
[...] |
Great experience!!
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| Review Date: December 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Noble, streetsboro, oh United States |
| I have got a fairly small TV, the 26" since it's in my bedroom and beside my bed. I am one of the last converts to HD. I, having an emotional attachment to an old RCA 13" that is 25 yrs old and still works, have an older 2001 Sony in my living room. The picture on that is the best I've ever seen. Therefore, this purchase was a Sony and I'm amazed at the picture quality. I hooked it up myself initially and no problems at all with the operation. Simple to operate, no problems with any dimming. I would highly recommend this TV. I only hope it lasts half as long as the old RCA but I doubt they make them like that anymore. I will purchase another Sony Bravia at this point for my living room. Trying to determine the size. |
Perfect after updating
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| Review Date: December 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Bennett, |
I was quite unsatisfied after about 2 weeks of having this TV. At first I was blown away by the picture quality, and the sound was much crisper when using the HDMI output from my satellite receiver and using the optical output from the TV into my surround sound, than it was running the optical output directly from the satellite receiver to the surround sound.
But then I noticed problems with the notorious "Auto Dimming" feature. Sony, this is your worst idea yet! In addition there was frequent audio loss through the HDMI connection, and wouldn't correct itself until rewinding either on the DVR or DVD.
Sony fixed all this with the firmware update. The link for the update is here (remove spaces): [....]
After running the update, the audio was fixed, but I was still having problems with the auto dim feature. I read a little more, and found this article: [....]
I really wanted to give this TV 5 stars, especially since I found it at Best Buy for $599. The only thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars is the problems with the TV prior to the update. If the TV would have never had these problems, it would be an easy 5 stars. |
Sony TV 40s5100
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| Review Date: December 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Manu Sheikerz, USA |
Purchased Sony TV , shipped immediatly and received in 3 days , very good
1, after 2 days noticed vertical purple line on screen , called sony trouble shouting and they worked with me on the phone but no result . I was very angry and suggested sony has to come in my home and correct or take it back .sony gave me a link and I scheduled at home service .
2, At same time I contacted amazon and requested to return the TV , Amazone responded positivly and scheduled for return the TV and refund my money.
3, Sony technician called and arranged appointment , arrived on time with one box brand new Flat panel . after 3 hours work he replaced the panel with new one and the line was gone . Also he reset TV for me . I was very happy .
4, I called and canceled the Amazon return shipping .
Overall I am very saticfy from Sony's respnse and their Technician
Also very happy of Amazon response , speed of response .
I will buy from amazone again .
Hope this TV will work fine in future too .
Manu |
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