Sony VTX-D800U update fails to fix bugs

Yesterday when I changed over to BBC4 first thing in the evening instead of
getting a clear image the same old BBC text page was overlaid over the
screen blotting out the picture. The is despite the fact that my STB is
running the new firmware update. If I had not changed to BBC4 early on then
my timer recording of The Wide Sargasso Sea would have been of a blank
screen. If The Wide Sargasso Sea had been the first programme on in the day
then there would have been nothing I could have done to preventing it
recoding a blank screen without loosing the first minute of the programme.

On top of the failure of the Sony update to fix the BBC3/BBC4 Cbeebees/CBBC
channel sharing bug (from Sandy Heath) the update also fails to fix it so
that you can manually select S-Video Out via the VCR SCART socket unless you
have an SVHS video with iLink plugged in. What is the point in claiming that
the unit offers S-Video on both SCARTs when users who have S-Video equipment
other than an SVHS VCR with iLink can't select it.

Furthermore the Sony update fails to offer the option of padding on the
timer record events which since DTT fails to offer an kind of PDC on the EPG
meant that I lost the last minute of The Wide Sargasso Sea. Fortunately it
was the titles and not the end of the programme.

Useless !

Have a root around in here.....

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=454039

"Agamemnon" wrote in message
...
Yesterday when I changed over to BBC4 first thing in the evening instead
of getting a clear image the same old BBC text page was overlaid over the
screen blotting out the picture. The is despite the fact that my STB is
running the new firmware update. If I had not changed to BBC4 early on
then my timer recording of The Wide Sargasso Sea would have been of a
blank screen. If The Wide Sargasso Sea had been the first programme on in
the day then there would have been nothing I could have done to preventing
it recoding a blank screen without loosing the first minute of the
programme.

On top of the failure of the Sony update to fix the BBC3/BBC4
Cbeebees/CBBC channel sharing bug (from Sandy Heath) the update also fails
to fix it so that you can manually select S-Video Out via the VCR SCART
socket unless you have an SVHS video with iLink plugged in. What is the
point in claiming that the unit offers S-Video on both SCARTs when users
who have S-Video equipment other than an SVHS VCR with iLink can't select
it.

Furthermore the Sony update fails to offer the option of padding on the
timer record events which since DTT fails to offer an kind of PDC on the
EPG meant that I lost the last minute of The Wide Sargasso Sea.
Fortunately it was the titles and not the end of the programme.

Useless !

This confirms my view that large manufacturers incl Sony are not interested
in customer feedback but listen only to themselves. Like some autocratic
potentate sat in an ivory tower they issue forth various decrees, consumers
can like it or lump it.

With regard to the enabling of the S-video on the scart output I too am a
disappointed user. You ask what is the point, and it may be to punish you
for having insufficient commitment to the Sony vision by not choosing and
using the latest Sony products for all your home entertainment systems. Of
course it has exactly the opposite effect -here in the UK -maybe in the USA
and Japan Sony customers are so loyal or gullable they feel the fault is
theirs and act appropriately.

Roger

Roger R wrote:
"Agamemnon" wrote in message
...
Yesterday when I changed over to BBC4 first thing in the evening instead
of getting a clear image the same old BBC text page was overlaid over the
screen blotting out the picture. The is despite the fact that my STB is
running the new firmware update. If I had not changed to BBC4 early on
then my timer recording of The Wide Sargasso Sea would have been of a
blank screen. If The Wide Sargasso Sea had been the first programme on in
the day then there would have been nothing I could have done to preventing
it recoding a blank screen without loosing the first minute of the
programme.

On top of the failure of the Sony update to fix the BBC3/BBC4
Cbeebees/CBBC channel sharing bug (from Sandy Heath) the update also fails
to fix it so that you can manually select S-Video Out via the VCR SCART
socket unless you have an SVHS video with iLink plugged in. What is the
point in claiming that the unit offers S-Video on both SCARTs when users
who have S-Video equipment other than an SVHS VCR with iLink can't select
it.

Furthermore the Sony update fails to offer the option of padding on the
timer record events which since DTT fails to offer an kind of PDC on the
EPG meant that I lost the last minute of The Wide Sargasso Sea.
Fortunately it was the titles and not the end of the programme.

Useless !

This confirms my view that large manufacturers incl Sony are not interested
in customer feedback but listen only to themselves. Like some autocratic
potentate sat in an ivory tower they issue forth various decrees, consumers
can like it or lump it.

With regard to the enabling of the S-video on the scart output I too am a
disappointed user. You ask what is the point, and it may be to punish you
for having insufficient commitment to the Sony vision by not choosing and
using the latest Sony products for all your home entertainment systems. Of
course it has exactly the opposite effect -here in the UK -maybe in the USA
and Japan Sony customers are so loyal or gullable they feel the fault is
theirs and act appropriately.

Roger


I think that brand loyalty does play a part, but in many cases it's down
to 'the devil you know', a la Micro$oft. It does seem as if Sony's
'quality' has slipped quite a lot of late. I can recall that buying Sony
gear was considered 'one up' on the likes of Panasonic, JVC et al a
while back. However, nowadays, cutting costs and introducing planned
obselescence, rather than building something that Joe Consumer can keep
for a number of years, safe in the knowledge that his money has been
well spent, seems to be the name of the game.

To a degree, I can certainly understand this from a manufacturing
viewpoint, but if once you've parted with your hard-earned you then find
that you've got something that needs a fix that's not forthcoming, just
what do you do? If you're lucky enough, you might be able to return the
offending item for a refund/replacement if you have warranty cover, but
if not, then what? I suspect that that's the category where many Sony
customers, myself included, fit.

I doubt very much that I'll be buying Sony gear again when I need to
replace something - it just doesn't have the edge anymore. In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a little
more design and engineering effort, could have been a great product.
Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no replacement, what
does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other than Sony is trying to
force you to buy it's higher-priced items I think. Hmmmm.


Clem

In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a little
more design and engineering effort, could have been a great product.
Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no replacement, what
does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other than Sony is trying to
force you to buy it's higher-priced items I think. Hmmmm.


Clem

How many company's would have issued a software update for a product
which has been discontinued?

In my view this is the most stable digital TV receiver (and I include
Sky Sky+ and Telewest) that I have ever owned. In the best part of three
years it has never crashed!

The box works to its specification, anyone wants functionality different
to a products specification why buy it in the first place?

"no_Spam" wrote in message
. uk...
In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a little
more design and engineering effort, could have been a great product.
Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no replacement, what
does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other than Sony is trying to
force you to buy it's higher-priced items I think. Hmmmm.


Clem

How many company's would have issued a software update for a product which
has been discontinued?

In my view this is the most stable digital TV receiver (and I include Sky
Sky+ and Telewest) that I have ever owned. In the best part of three years
it has never crashed!

The box works to its specification, anyone wants functionality different
to a products specification why buy it in the first place?

How about providing functionality to the products specification to begin
with, which the Sony does not provide since when you turn to BBC4 or BBC3
first thing in the evening you get a text screen telling you too change
channels and back again to get rid of it instead of a picture.

no_Spam wrote:
In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a
little more design and engineering effort, could have been a great
product. Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no
replacement, what does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other than
Sony is trying to force you to buy it's higher-priced items I think.
Hmmmm.


Clem

How many company's would have issued a software update for a product
which has been discontinued?

In my view this is the most stable digital TV receiver (and I include
Sky Sky+ and Telewest) that I have ever owned. In the best part of three
years it has never crashed!

The box works to its specification, anyone wants functionality different
to a products specification why buy it in the first place?

I fully agree, and that was my point. It is a pretty good piece of kit.
The niggles that other posters have reported don't trouble me because of
the way that I use the box. However, the fact remains that Sony has
discontinued the receiver, which is a real shame. I think that Sony
issued an update to fix some bugs at around the last of the stock was
sold. I would be surprised if there were any further updates now though.


Clem

Agamemnon wrote:

"no_Spam" wrote in message
. uk...
In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a
little more design and engineering effort, could have been a great
product. Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no
replacement, what does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other than
Sony is trying to force you to buy it's higher-priced items I think.
Hmmmm.


Clem

How many company's would have issued a software update for a product
which has been discontinued?

In my view this is the most stable digital TV receiver (and I include
Sky Sky+ and Telewest) that I have ever owned. In the best part of
three years it has never crashed!

The box works to its specification, anyone wants functionality
different to a products specification why buy it in the first place?

How about providing functionality to the products specification to begin
with, which the Sony does not provide since when you turn to BBC4 or
BBC3 first thing in the evening you get a text screen telling you too
change channels and back again to get rid of it instead of a picture.

Well, I suspect that your box may be 'atypical' somehow. I certainly
don't see the behaviour that you describe on my box (assuming that I've
understood you correctly in the first place). All I see is the screen
listing the BBC channels. Is that what you mean, because if it is I
don't see how that's a fault.


Clem

"Clem Dye" wrote in message
...
Agamemnon wrote:

"no_Spam" wrote in message
. uk...
In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a little
more design and engineering effort, could have been a great product.
Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no replacement, what
does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other than Sony is trying to
force you to buy it's higher-priced items I think. Hmmmm.


Clem

How many company's would have issued a software update for a product
which has been discontinued?

In my view this is the most stable digital TV receiver (and I include
Sky Sky+ and Telewest) that I have ever owned. In the best part of three
years it has never crashed!

The box works to its specification, anyone wants functionality different
to a products specification why buy it in the first place?

How about providing functionality to the products specification to begin
with, which the Sony does not provide since when you turn to BBC4 or BBC3
first thing in the evening you get a text screen telling you too change
channels and back again to get rid of it instead of a picture.

Well, I suspect that your box may be 'atypical' somehow. I certainly don't
see the behaviour that you describe on my box (assuming that I've
understood you correctly in the first place). All I see is the screen
listing the BBC channels. Is that what you mean, because if it is I don't
see how that's a fault.

You're not supposed to get a screen like than when the channel starts
broadcasting but on the Sony box you do, ontop of the programme, unless you
are taping it via the time in which case the screen is black and only the
sound is recorded.





Clem

Agamemnon wrote:

"Clem Dye" wrote in message
...
Agamemnon wrote:

"no_Spam" wrote in message
. uk...
In the case
of the Sony 800, it's a good product that for the sake of just a
little more design and engineering effort, could have been a great
product. Still, as Sony has now discontinued it and offers no
replacement, what does that tell anyone? Blowed if I know, other
than Sony is trying to force you to buy it's higher-priced items I
think. Hmmmm.


Clem

How many company's would have issued a software update for a product
which has been discontinued?

In my view this is the most stable digital TV receiver (and I
include Sky Sky+ and Telewest) that I have ever owned. In the best
part of three years it has never crashed!

The box works to its specification, anyone wants functionality
different to a products specification why buy it in the first place?

How about providing functionality to the products specification to
begin with, which the Sony does not provide since when you turn to
BBC4 or BBC3 first thing in the evening you get a text screen telling
you too change channels and back again to get rid of it instead of a
picture.

Well, I suspect that your box may be 'atypical' somehow. I certainly
don't see the behaviour that you describe on my box (assuming that
I've understood you correctly in the first place). All I see is the
screen listing the BBC channels. Is that what you mean, because if it
is I don't see how that's a fault.

You're not supposed to get a screen like than when the channel starts
broadcasting but on the Sony box you do, ontop of the programme, unless
you are taping it via the time in which case the screen is black and
only the sound is recorded.





Clem

Ah, I see. In that case I don't recall seeing this problem. I will
however check, just to make sure. This does sound a little reminiscent
of the problem with the OnDigital 9850T boxes - if you recorded/watched
a channel that started at say 18:00 you'd get nothing for the first 10
minutes or so.

If what you say does exist, then certainly Sony should have fixed that.
Very poor in that case.


Clem