Response from Sony concerning HS95P problems

mterzich · TweakNOOB Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 6

Approximately 6 weeks ago, I purchased a Sony HS95P monitor. I noticed two problems with the monitor, the backlight would dim and brighten when and object was placed or removed from the screen and characters in a document would dim and brighten when scrolling. I exchanged the monitor for another monitor but that monitor had the same problems. I then checked the display monitors at both Circuit City and Best Buy and neither of those monitors showed either of the problems. I then talked to 6 Sony support personnel and all claimed that they never heard of either problem. Finally 5 weeks ago, I shipped the unit to the Sony Service Center to get it repaired. Today I finally got an e-mail from Sony expalining the problem. The following is Sonys response.

Problem 1: The HS95P model has a specific feature on the game and movie
picture setting. When using this setting, the backlight is adjusted
automatically based on the input signal the monitor is using. This
adjustment is a best attempt (using fluorescent tube backlighting) to
increase and decrease the monitor contrast ratio when very bright and/or
very dark images are displayed on the screen. The concept is to give
brighter whites and darker darks with fast moving images. This is why the 3D
flower screen saver creates such a dramatic shift in the backlight
intensity. In addition, the action of clicking the windows start button with
a specific amount of image intensity (i.e. specific background
color/pattern) will elicit the same response from the display backlighting
circuitry. This condition is completely normal for the display and thus is
not a defect.

Problem 2: When the user is in the PC and/or auto mode a very different
condition is set within the display but both conditions use the same
adjustment feature. For both the PC and auto mode, it is assumed that the
user wants a very accurate and stable picture. Unlike the moving video
pattern assumed with the movie and game modes, when the PC/auto mode is set,
the display will "take its time" to adjust the picture for an optimum
setting. What this translates to is a very slight amount of drag on the
screen when displaying text which can easily be mistaken for backlight
intensity adjustment. Since display accuracy is not as critical on a moving
picture BUT image speed is, this drag will not occur on the movie and game
mode setting. Again, this is completely normal with this display and thus
problem 2 is not a defect either.

In other words, the monitor is a piece of junk at a premium price.

Google · Sponsor

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

So wait.........they're saying that in "game mode", the backlight will vary in intensity wildly, in order to create an even image? Can we say "compesating for a crappy screen for $800, Bob"?

The second bit about the response time "slowing down for a more stable image" has got to be the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. Why would you do that? I'd be very skeptical of that claim. More likely, it's what we talked about before, Sony relating the response time as a single-pass gray to gray measurement, then coming up with PR lines to explain the poor performance.
_________________
Big enough to scare you

[KoG]^weaZel · Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 6:08 pm Post subject:

^^^^^yep^^^^^^

just another reason to avoid Sony
_________________
I tweaked and it tweaked back! So I Tweaked some more!

"Barney is like the Michael Jackson of PBS." - James Tybeerious

[TN] Nathan · ALMIGHTY PWNER! Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Posts: 7406

Take it back.
_________________
Owner & Administrator
www.Tweaknews.net
www.Pocketbookpinch.com

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

2old2care · Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:01 pm Post subject:

This wouldn't be a company that would produce and sell MP3 players as well as cd and dvd burners, while at the same time putting DRM software on it's music and DVD's that it sells. Would it?
With such high moral conduct they couldn't mis-represent something like a response rate or any other technical measurement for their own benefit.

Next thing you'll tell me is M$ will get in to the spyware/ virus business, or Apple would use another company's menu system. [/sarcasm]
_________________
.
Liquid-Cooled Q9450 and an EeePC
.

meobius · Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:19 pm Post subject:

well everyone knows sony's motto

F#$? pants we're sony!

or umm was that F#$? customers we're sony!

I will not purchase another sony product. I used to sell a few of them, and have learned from that experiance that sony is an awful company. Although the majority of their products are very well made, their customer service sucks, and they have a tendancy towards extreme proprietary parts. Look at memory stick... What other manufacturer uses it? almost none! why not? because it's a sony only standard. Sandisk (who is the actual manufacturer of the memory stick) wasn't allowed to sell it under their own brand for a few years after it came out. And if you have a sony pda with a non-sony memory stick, well forget about playing mp3's off it.

I would recommend returning the screen if possible, and also returning a letter to sony saying how unsatisfied you are with their products.
_________________
If time is of the essence,
than why is it that we waste,
that which holds such great importance,
spent without a trace.