September 5th, 2005

Filed under:
Technology
9 Comments »

My Sony Monitor Crapped Out

About a year and a half ago, I bought a SDM-HS73 Sony flat-screen monitor from FutureShop. It wasn’t cheap, but it had a very bright, clear screen and came highly recommended.

Over the weekend, it went colour-blind. It stopped displaying red. It’s also much dimmer, presumably because the monitor mixes colours (including red) to produce white. Oddly, when I turn the display on when it’s unconnected to a computer, the ‘text pattern’ displays red correctly. This leads me to believe something’s wrong with the video-in connection.

Regardless, it’s jacked. Though I was very happy with display’s quality, I’m disappointed by its short shelf life. I use it a lot, but 18 months is fairly bogus. I’m not looking forward to the long drive (for me, at least) out to to 65 North Bend Road to the local Sony Service Centre. It’s under warranty, so hopefully they’ll give me a ‘courtesy’ monitor in the meantime.

UPDATE: Though I had to drive the thing out to frickin’ Coquitlam, the Sony people treated me well and my monitor’s back to full speed ahead.

Comments: 9 Responses so far

clamb
September 5th, 2005
11:20 pm

So, how how do you know that its the monitor and not your computer?

[Reply]

Darren
September 5th, 2005
11:27 pm

I plugged it into my laptop, and got the same results. Plus, I tried another monitor cable, so that’s eliminated as well.

[Reply]

clamb
September 6th, 2005
8:42 am

Yeaup. That would about eliminate it! Er, no way that a pin got bent in it eh? Other than that - i’ve gotta say it totally sounds like a poor flaked monitor. Which is highly annoying. :(

[Reply]

Todd
September 6th, 2005
9:11 am

Yet another tale of a Sony product with an insanely short life. I gave up on the Sony brand a couple years ago, Playstation notwithstanding. Their stuff just doesn’t last.

[Reply]

Jen
September 6th, 2005
9:45 am

I usually find it prudent to purchase the extended warranty on most products from Future Shop/Best Buy. For the $20 or $40 it costs me, something invariably goes wrong, and I can bring the product into the store and swap it for another unit, no questions asked, no trips or packages sent to the manufacturer.

It’s unfortunate that an external warranty provider has to pick up where the manufacturers have left off… but it *is* a handy option to have.

[Reply]

NetChick
September 6th, 2005
10:21 am

I worked for Sony for 10 years. Some of their equipment is amazing, some you should run screaming from (like ALL of their audio equipment and speakers).

I’m actually quite surprised that the monitor would give you this problem after such a short life span. My suggestion would be to call and talk to the person in charge of the ‘consumer computer’ division. (604) 945-8088 — They may do something for you.

[Reply]

NetChick
September 6th, 2005
10:22 am

oh ps: You needent go out to Coquitlam — Bring it back to Futureshop, and they’ll send it to the closest authorized service centre.

[Reply]

Mark Boardman
September 7th, 2005
5:02 am

I am not sure about the law in your country but In England very few people realise you have an automatic warranty of 6 years on almost all products, in Scotland it is 5 years.
The courts decided that 6 years constituted “reasonable use”,
people try and rip you off with extended warrantys because very few consumers are aware of their statutary rights however it is sad that most electical appliances these days pack up and die far too soon

[Reply]

Lynsey
September 7th, 2005
5:33 pm

Never buy anything SONY and Never buy from the Future Shop. That’ll solve the problem.

[Reply]