mike65 Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Well after 6 months of battling the J35, I have finally asked for a refund and received it (grudgingly) from HN. In this time I have experienced the following Toshiba/Castel QA at work: - serial cable for first firmware update did not work - serial cable re-sent twice, first re-send "lost" - 3 or is it 4 self install firmware updates that did not fix any of the issues, although always assured that "this version of the firmware will fix the problem" - Told that my aerial was at fault and I needed a surge protector, bought the AV Surge Protector board ($170 down the drain as it did not fix the problem) - first machine replacement (3 weeks turnaround), still kept freezing - second machine replacement (3 weeks turnaround), still kept freezing - third machine worked for 4 weeks perfectly until it went into INIT mode and never exited In total, in the six months I have owned this piece of under-engineered, overpriced gadgetary, I have been without a working PVR for just under half the time. Shame Toshiba, shame for subjecting the consumer to a product that clearly had not been tested in the target market and then failing to recall it. If you too have experienced a non working J35, please respond so that others can keep away from this product. My 2c worth Mike P.S. After I got my refund I had a look in the DVD Recorder section of HN. Sales guy comes up and asks if he can help, sure I say, I would like an HD HDD PVR. He says, the Toshiba has one and it is a great product and will do everything that I want. I laughed and left, however, some other poor shmuck like me will probably buy one and go thru 6 months of crap, hence this post.
DavidR Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Sounds like these PVRs really are rubbish (other posts on the HD STB forum) and a case of "lets put a proper brand name on it and people willl pay a ridiculous premium for it". Having owned a Strong 5290 for 2.5 years, I'm beginning to think that it's really not so bad after all. It basically does everything I want - which is to occasionally watch live TV (a rare occurence, thanks for DSL and BitTorrent) and I probably only power-cycle it once a month. I was one of those who very nearly pre-ordered the J35 because it seemed to be the killer PVR - and it had the backing of Toshiba. Boy am I glad I didn't get it. Glad to hear you got a refund, Mike. Even though it's your statutory right, retailers and distributors don't see it that way! The problem with retailers like HN etc. is that they exist on such fine margins that providing proper customer care (like refunding for faulty/unmerchantable products) eats into their profit. A good retailer should stand by their product. I got a replacement for my 3yr-old Arcam DVD player, even though it was out of warranty, due to ongoing glitches. I stick to earlier opinion that a twin-tuner HD PVR is worth no more than $1000 and should work perfectly. Although our DTV standards are slightly different to the rest of the world, they are not THAT much different, and all the changes are handled in software/firmware. But with so many things, it's the localized changes that have ruined the product. I work in IT and I see this all time time - great applications (eg. payroll, accounting) from US/UK etc. that are localized by half-wit programmers. I used to look after a payroll application in which the income tax tables could only be uploaded on a PC running Windows 95 and Office 95 - and this was in 2003!
Guest Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 I thought by the title of this thread that Toshiba HAD pulled the unit out of shops. Bugger!
regis169 Posted January 14, 2006 Posted January 14, 2006 I'm sure most of us are waiting for Topfield HD PVR. Good thing it's coming very soon.
BigBobOz Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 I'm sure most of us are waiting for Topfield HD PVR. Good thing it's coming very soon. Define very soon? It's been coming for about 2 years!
CliffofOz1503559525 Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 Sounds like these PVRs really are rubbish (other posts on the HD STB forum) and a case of "lets put a proper brand name on it and people willl pay a ridiculous premium for it". Having owned a Strong 5290 for 2.5 years, I'm beginning to think that it's really not so bad after all. Interesting how peoples experiences can vary. I battled every day with my Strong 5290...I'd hate to count the number of reboots I had to go through. The Topfield was a huge step up from that, but I'm afraid even it has gone into semi retirement since I got my J35. Got it in April 2005 - so coming on up on it's first year anniversary. There were a few quirks initially but they were overcome (for me) with the first firmware update...something that Topfield users had to go through too in it's initial release. For picture quality, I couldn't be happier...that's why the Topfield gets so little use...just too 'soft' in comparison. Like so many others I was hanging on for the HD Toppy. I'm so happy I didn't bother...the constant delays have gone beyond the joke. Promised for two years (or is it three?) and still counting! It's a mystery why Mike (and others) have had so many problems, but don't let those experiences put you off. Give it a whirl and do as Mike did if it turns out to be a dud. Cheers, Cliff PS I finally got rid of that 5290 - gave it to the inlaws, but I must confess I did feel a bit guilty on dumping such a hunk of junk on them. If nothing else, the games function gets a bit of use:)
Donald Posted January 15, 2006 Posted January 15, 2006 PS I finally got rid of that 5290 You might want to update your signature, then. On the topic, it is amazing how different people have such varying experiences with the same model - and I'm not just talking about the Toshie or the Strong - there's the full range of opinions about the Toppie. Like Cliff says, give it a try and hold on to your receipt.
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