Feb Issue Misleading/Untrue Cover Story - Slingbox

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I must be getting a moany old git to write something like this but it has annoyed me............. Front cover of Febs Issue in relation to the Slingbox Pro says 'Takeaway TV. Watch in HD--anywhere.' So I turn with interest to the article on page 10 and what do I find. 'because of bandwidth limitations HD has to be scaled down to standard resolution' and further on it evens says it's sub standard SD. So will someone please tell me how is this watching HD anywhere???? R
 

Thaiman

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I thought at very least they would have put sweet & sour sauce with the TV take away :)

PS I know very little about what Hifinut talking about so Andy?
 
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Anonymous

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Don't worry HiFi_nut,

I was just about to do the same, hence I have logged on here to make a statement about it.

My WHF arrived through the post this morning and I couldn't wait to read the BIG TV review, only to find to be disappointed once again.

Last month's 46" TV test winner turns out to be Sony's fault with providing the wrong price to WHF, but this month, Sony has won again even though the final ratings (3 - picture, 4 - sound, 5 - features) against the Samsung (5 - picture, 5 - sound, 4 - features). Now, unless I've been taught my basic maths incorrectly in my last 38 years of my life, surely the Samsung would have won, espcially been £400 cheaper as well.

I have subscribed to this magazine in good faith that this would give me impartial and expert advice in search for my 1st flat screen, only so far been disappointed to find contradicting information. Is the review done by more than 1 person, if so, do they communicate about the results?

I will be honest with you that I have already chosen Samsung (either PS50P96 or the LE46F86) as my TV, but I was hoping a good review from the magazine would tell me not too. I am not been disgruntle about the results, but rather disappointed that information from one part of the magazine doesn't know the next.

I hope the quality/accuracy of information in the magazine will improve over the next couple of months.
 

Andy Clough

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[quote user="eden188"]Sony has won again even though the final ratings (3 - picture, 4 - sound, 5 - features) against the Samsung (5 - picture, 5 - sound, 4 - features)[/quote]

Apologies, the Sony KDL-52W3000 should have had: 5 stars - picture, 5 stars - sound, 5 stars - features, which is why it was the winner. It delivers class-leading TV and video images (only black levels could be a tad better), it sounds better in stereo than most rivals and has an excellent specification.

Unfortunately we've experienced a number of production gremlins this month, for reasons we explain here. Once again, our sincerest apologies.
 
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Anonymous

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With reference to my original post.

Production issues and accidents happen, I can accept that and i'm glad nobody was hurt. BUT a cynic might argue that a headline grabbing front page statement about being able to watch the new big thing, HD, 'anywhere' will shift more magazines to casual buyers.........even if it turns out to be incorrect. That harms the mag.

R
 
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Anonymous

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What about last months TV test correction? When will that happen? As soon as you have paid the money back to sony when they bought 1st place??? hahahaha just joking, but really it should have been in this months! unless im missing it!
 

Andrew Everard

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[quote user="MOOK"]
What about last months TV test correction? When will that happen? As soon as you have paid the money back to sony when they bought 1st place??? hahahaha just joking

[/quote]

And you expect us to give you a sensible response...?
 

matthewpiano

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There seems to be a bit of What Hi-fi AND Sony bashing going on here and I don't believe either are justified. The mistake in last months issue regarding the 46X is history and needs to be forgotten about, particularly given everything else that has been going on for the WHF team.

It seems to me that some people don't like to see Sony products garner good reviews and that they want Samsung or another manufacturer to come out on top all the time. When Sony do come out on top these people then seem to want to imply that it is the result of some unfair dealings by the magazine. This is absolute nonsense. My job is selling Sony equipment (exclusively) and I deal with strange prejudices against and for the company and its products every day. Some people like to suggest that they are faultless and that everything they make is going to be superb, whilst others seem to come in just to be contreversial and damn every product. The truth is actually somewhere in the middle - the place where most customers and consumers prefer to reside!! Like any company involved in manufacturing such a wide range of equipment Sony make some equipment which is class leading, some which is on a par with its competitors and some which, for one reason or another, doesn't quite hit the spot. To me, What Hi-Fi reflects this very well. The W3000 is an exceptional television and the February supertest reflects this. Look in the first few pages of the magazine, however, and there is a review of the BDP-S500 which makes no bones about the product's drawbacks.

I've seen the same thing happen in the past with Marantz gear. When the company had a run of superb budget CD players - CD52MkII, CD63 etc. - everyone started saying that it was because they occupied the back page advertising. NO. It was because they were genuinely great products at their price point.

I guess success breeds contempt and that WHFS&V comes infor criticism because of its vast circulation in the same way that companies like Sony and Marantz do for receiving glowing reviews of SOME of their products.
 
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Anonymous

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Hi MatthewPiano,

With all due respect, I don't think anyone is having a bash at the Sony brand (including myself). If you read the thread in detail, it is a coincident that Sony won both tests and there were mistakes made in the both publications. Andy Clough has always come out and own up to the mistake, and we accept that.

What some of us are trying to do is to seek clarification for the information published in a magazine, which suppose to assists with our purchase decision. If we cannot rely on information provided by professional reviewers, what is the difference from picking up a leaflet from local electrical shops or browsing through forum pages?

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I am not disgruntled about the result, I was confused and disappointed with the inaccuracy of the information, and I believe HiFi_Nut was the same (on another topic).

I am a subscriber to the WHFAV magazine because I think it brings all the latest news and reviews of AV equipment. Any criticisms made here should be taken as constructive comments to improve the magazine for better read.

Lastly, if any WHFAV team members felt that I was having a bash, please accept my sincere apologise. Honestly, I didn't mean to!
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="eden188"]
Hi MatthewPiano,

With all due respect, I don't think anyone is having a bash at the Sony brand (including myself). If you read the thread in detail, it is a coincident that Sony won both tests and there were mistakes made in the both publications. Andy Clough has always come out and own up to the mistake, and we accept that.

What some of us are trying to do is to seek clarification for the information published in a magazine, which suppose to assists with our purchase decision. If we cannot rely on information provided by professional reviewers, what is the difference from picking up a leaflet from local electrical shops or browsing through forum pages?

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I am not disgruntled about the result, I was confused and disappointed with the inaccuracy of the information, and I believe HiFi_Nut was the same (on another topic).

I am a subscriber to the WHFAV magazine because I think it brings all the latest news and reviews of AV equipment. Any criticisms made here should be taken as constructive comments to improve the magazine for better read.

Lastly, if any WHFAV team members felt that I was having a bash, please accept my sincere apologise. Honestly, I didn't mean to!

[/quote]

I totally agree with you eden!

Hello Andrew, I have a couple of points I would like to make.

I asked this question on the TV AND PROJECTERS page a couple of days ago and got no response. And when I saw that it was being debated on this page (on reflection probably a better page to make the point on) i added my thoughts. I also added what was clearly a tounge and cheek joke (I hoped the "hahahaha just joking" would give it away but maybe i have to spell it out) I want to make it clear i don't think that WHF takes bungs of any form ,many people seem to think you do, but i certainly do not! I have been reading the magazine religiously for over 5 years and am now a subscriber. I also look at this website every day and am surpised at your response as i know you like a bit of banter. But on reflection im sorry it has caused offence.

The original fault was not yours or WHF's and that has been cleared up,,, to the website, . Im not out to get Sony either as some may think, im actally quite a fan of Sony, and probably more pro Sony than Samsung.

So if you are going to take my comment totally out of context and feel my question doesn't deserve to be answerd, thats your choice. But i feel every other subscriber that does not use the WHF website does deserve to know that in one of the most important articles in the magazine, "the supertest" There has been a change of winner, due to circumstances completely out of your control. Maybe you disagree? I don't think this topic should be forgotton about, because if nothing is said in the magazine then i feel that it definately damages the integrity of What Hi FI, and i feel is quite disrespectful of your readers.

Again i accept you (whf) have been busy with a lot of difficult circumstances lately, but a small correction article wouldn't take that long to do, I can't understand why it's not there, unless the issue had already gone to the printers? but if it was as simple as that why was my original question not answered?

Im not looking for conflict, this is the only forum I take part on, i enjoy it in here, but it is only because i like the magazine so much, i ask questions like these.

Cheers!
 

Clare Newsome

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Sorry MOOK that you didn't get a response to your earlier message re the Sony clarification - as you can tell from the News pages, i've been slightly busy in Vegas!

We changed the price of the Sony in the Buyer's Guide for the Feb issue to reflect the correct level, so the Samsung clearly looks the better buy, but the correction set for the News pages got accidentally bumped off. Apologies for that.

Re the Slingbox coverline - again, apologies if thought misleading. It is the best-quality TV streaming solution, able to accept HD feeds, and we wanted to flag up this class-leading product - while still being clear in the review inside on its exact capabilities.
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks Claire! Yeah all that gambling is hard work,,,, well why else would you go to Vegas?? In all seriousness, thanks for clearing that up! Bet it would be amazing to see all that new kit, iv'e been glued to my PC looking at each and ever update from the conference jaw to the floor.
 

Clare Newsome

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Honestly, I didn't gamble a cent!

More CES news to come - iRiver, Philips, Audioengine, Sonos and more....As soon as I get some sleep (and my luggage with all my notes in...).
 

Andrew Everard

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[quote user="MOOK"]I also added what was clearly a tounge and cheek joke (I hoped the "hahahaha just joking" would give it away but maybe i have to spell it out) I want to make it clear i don't think that WHF takes bungs of any form ,many people seem to think you do, but i certainly do not!

....

So if you are going to take my comment totally out of context and feel
my question doesn't deserve to be answerd, thats your choice.
[/quote]

Hardly taking your comment out of context, but thanks for your clarification. And I apologise if you feel I reacted inappropriately - I'm just so bored with the endless backhander/Sony fan-boy comments here and elsewhere, especially when you realise the non-stop struggle the WHFSV guys have month on month to actually get any products out of that company for review.
 
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Anonymous

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I have been following these forums for some time now and I have also bought the last 2 issues of the WHF magazine. I do not want to sound arrogant but we are talking about 2 very serious mistakes on 2 consecutive issues of a specialist mainstream magazine showing problems with editorial standards. Especially after January's issue everything should have been checked again and again to prevent similar errors. In my opinion the solution to come out clean would be a 1/2 page if not a whole page on the next issue dedicated for the correction of both errors.
 
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Anonymous

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well,

almost 24 hours past and strangely enough no single comment from anybody at WHF about my suggestion to come out clean and once for all......

is anybody out there?
 

mjs

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There are more errors.Page 85 recommends Chord speaker cable with a picture of an HDMI lead.All this and I STILL cannot get my headphones for subscribing.Methinks everybody has been to Vegas-working? Well not on my money next year.So its goodbye from me.Does anybody care about the readers,we pay your salaries.
 

Clare Newsome

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The Chord issue has already been discussed here - as you'll see, we'll hold our hands up when we've made mistakes. I know plenty of other Forums where that and this thread would have been deleted rather than an honest answer being given.

We work tirelessly to bring you the very best tests, news and advice in the magazine and online, and sometimes when we're under particular pressure (see thread linked to above), small errors can creep in. Apologies for a) being human and b) not having a staff of thousands.

I would reiterate that the errors made were purely of a production nature - the wrong picture dropped in for the cable, a verdict table not properly formatted etc. None of our core testing, news or advice was inaccurate - that does and always will come first.

Right, i'm back to writing up more CES News - the second-week running i'll have worked my weekend to bring you lot news that could help you make a better home entertainment purchase. Apologies if there's the odd comma out of place....
 

Alec

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hifi_nut - i still remember your original post, and agree. its a bit like things being described as wireless lol! I know people who still think ownership of an HD ready TV means they're sorted for HD. And it is the industry's fault that they bellieve that, not theirs. And now "full HD" will confuse even more people. I wouldnt blame what hifi tho, and if people cant see how hard they have been working, especially with all the new news on the home page of this site, im staggered.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Clare Newsome"]Sorry MOOK that you didn't get a response to your earlier message re the Sony clarification - as you can tell from the News pages, i've been slightly busy in Vegas!

We changed the price of the Sony in the Buyer's Guide for the Feb issue to reflect the correct level, so the Samsung clearly looks the better buy, but the correction set for the News pages got accidentally bumped off. Apologies for that.

Re the Slingbox coverline - again, apologies if thought misleading. It is the best-quality TV streaming solution, able to accept HD feeds, and we wanted to flag up this class-leading product - while still being clear in the review inside on its exact capabilities.[/quote]

Still cant find the correction this month,,, maybe its my eyes that need tested, maybe im flogging the bones of a dead horse, but if its not there, then in my oppinion, WHF looses credibility.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
[quote user="MOOK"][quote user="Clare Newsome"]Sorry MOOK that you didn't get a response to your earlier message re the Sony clarification - as you can tell from the News pages, i've been slightly busy in Vegas!

We changed the price of the Sony in the Buyer's Guide for the Feb issue to reflect the correct level, so the Samsung clearly looks the better buy, but the correction set for the News pages got accidentally bumped off. Apologies for that.
Re the Slingbox coverline - again, apologies if thought misleading. It is the best-quality TV streaming solution, able to accept HD feeds, and we wanted to flag up this class-leading product - while still being clear in the review inside on its exact capabilities.[/quote] Still cant find the correction this month,,, maybe its my eyes that need tested, maybe im flogging the bones of a dead horse, but if its not there, then in my oppinion, WHF looses credibility.
[/quote]

And looses a little more for ignoring the above post.
 

Clare Newsome

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[quote user="MOOK"]

And looses a little more for ignoring the above post.[/quote]

I took the lack of response from any other of the near-10,000 Forum members to mean everyone else - like us - considers this matter long since dealt with.

You may also have noticed that I have referred to the Samsung as a Supertest winning set many times since in this Forum when advising people which 46in set to buy.

Because that's what we've been concentrating on - going forward offering advice to as many people as possible, via the magazine and this website. Going over old ground that's been clearly addressed here and in the Buyer's Guide of the magazine is merely preventing us from providing positive feedback to others.
 

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