Sony 40W 4500 Not Happy at all with WHAT HIFI Magazine!

[Mickgw]

I can understand people frustrations with this TV as mine is not perfect, but to be fair to WHF, i knew by the information found in the magazine and on this forum that the KDL40W4500 set was reported to have problems by some users.

Mine has got better, i've had it 4 weeks now, the backlight is set to off though, but i think this makes the picture better IMO, my set is strange when i first turn the TV on when i get in from work for example everything is perfect for about an hour, then when its been on a while you start to see the clouding in the corners (Only noticeable in very dark scenes though), i'm used to it now and i'm convinced that in a few weeks it will hardly be noticeable.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for their comments & of course I expected to get shot down so a few points.

I'm a grown man & of course except my responsibilities as the decision was mine & again sorry WHF for ranting as I did but IT DID GET A RESPONSE! I only found this website after I bought the Sony & I did look at many on line reviews for the product before I bought it but I never once saw anything in ANY review mentioning coudiness or backlight issues.

It's really sad as in a lot pof cases in general viewing its a great set but lets be honest most of us buy these sets for its home cinema experience & that's when the issues are at their most prominent.

I contacted The On line retailer & they said log it with Sony so I can get a ref number, Sony were great in their customer service & got an authosied crt to pick up the unit to look at it. Sony say that they don't take any notice of forums (perhaps they should as this is where the real buying power comes from I am begiining to learn). If the Ctr can't find any fault ie its within Sony's tolerences then I will go back to Sony again as I think the etailer has a 30 day swap out guarantee. but one way or another I will try to get it sorted.

To coment on some feedback the power of WHF magazine is immence for someone who didn't stumble on issues (learned my lesson now) beforehand on forums so I think you could look at the issues mentioned in threads before you review products & take this in to account.

Thanks again to all for your comments ALL have been taken on board & if nothing else is a learning experience

.I have had plenty of experience with reviewing IT in the past & I know that manufacturers go out of their way to "tweak" products & make sure that any flaws are not present in the review units. & the sponsorship helps pay for the editorial in the 1st place or we wouldn't have any magazines.

Speak soon & update soon.

...... & just Call me Mr chips!

 

[Anonymous]

Mickgw:
I can understand people frustrations with this TV as mine is not perfect, but to be fair to WHF, i knew by the information found in the magazine and on this forum that the KDL40W4500 set was reported to have problems by some users.

Mine has got better, i've had it 4 weeks now, the backlight is set to off though, but i think this makes the picture better IMO, my set is strange when i first turn the TV on when i get in from work for example everything is perfect for about an hour, then when its been on a while you start to see the clouding in the corners (Only noticeable in very dark scenes though), i'm used to it now and i'm convinced that in a few weeks it will hardly be noticeable.

This is my experience also, My set is now aproaching 3 months old , initially bleed was quite bad. now it takes at least an hour to fade in (sometimes 2). I have accepted that I will have to live with this slight defect which I might add has annoyed me intensly. the whole attitude of the industry that this is an LCD thing and is accepeable is in my opinion very poor, If SONY/Dealers (COMET !!! in my case) did the right thing and swapped out the defective sets, with out constantly trying to shrug the issue off then long threads like this would not drag on and on and on. SONY DO THE RIGHT THING and this will all go away.

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:Well there's a whathifi.com URL on every page of the magazine, plus an additional flash on every buyer's guide page that says "read the full reviews at whathifi.com", and those reviews up here clearly flag the potential clouding problem (and have done for some months now) some people have had.
All very true, but you may be overestimating the computer literacy of a significant segment of your readership. I have held free IT clinics in my local library and you would be amazed at how intimidated a lot of people are by anything to do with computers. Those that do find the forums are the self-selecting majority who by definition have a certain dexterity with computers.

Clare Newsome:But i'll talk to our Buyer's Guide editor, too, about whether we can make it even clearer in April issue.

Thank you Clare. If it can be done I'm sure that some readers will find it useful.

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Consumers are protected by consumer legislation as to fair trading; fit for purpose; collusion etc - you can't expect a magazine to underwrite your purchases as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Can WHF please please pretty pretty please with a cherry on top put the settings they use for this TV online for us to use?? I want my 40W4500 to look good as the 5* award it recieved. Thanks

 

[Clare Newsome]

call me mr chips:

.I have had plenty of experience with reviewing IT in the past & I know that manufacturers go out of their way to "tweak" products & make sure that any flaws are not present in the review units.ÿ

ÿ

Nice theory, but it doesn't account for the flawless W4500 Sony sets that have been bought off the shelf by our friends and family (including my Dad, who bought from Amazon) and indeed by the numerous people who've had similarly good experience who've commented on this Forum - even earlier on this thread.

Also, Sony sent the same defective review set to several other testers - proving they hadn't tested it themselves before sending it out (and with getting hold of almost any Sony test kit such an almighty pain, this doesn't surprise me).ÿ

I'm sorry that you've had one of the defective sets, but sounds like you're getting sorted.ÿÿ