Sony Glitch not listed?

I was just wondering if anyone else had heard of an audio sync problem on some of the new sony players. I have two friends who say that they have had problems. One was with the 530 and the DVD of thw waterboy. The other was with the Game on a 330. I have checked the glitch list and they don't have this problem listed. If anyone else has had similar problems let me know.

I thought this was just my imagination. =) I just got a brand new 530 player and have had major audio sync problems. Half-way through Primal Fear the audio was off by about half a second, and then with American History X the audio got de-synced part way through, also. I had to restart the chapter to get everything synced up OK. I'm not sure if this happens with all DVD's as I've only watched one other (Radiohead: Meeting People is Easy) but due to the nature of the film, couldn't tell if there were any sync problems.

I own the 550 and have also come across this problem. It has only happened a couple times.
I found that simply pausing the movie sets it straight again.

Woohoo! I joined the forum specifically to post concerns over my Sony player, and you guys bet me here!
First of all, I actually have the DVPS-525D - it's the PAL version of the 530D. As far as I'm aware, the 525 and 530 are identical except in their voltage requirements, and the output.
I had audio sync problems with a couple of titles: The Game on DVD, and with 2 Video CD titles. Audio seemed to lag 0.5 sec behind the video. It seemed to be either a random thing (i.e. happens intermittently) or it's a cumulative effect (gets more and more out of sync as the movie goes on). If you go back to a given chapter, things seem to be allright.
I contacted Sony in my country (I'm in New Zealand), and "they are not aware of any problem". Funny that...
I sent it to the service center for a bit, but they didn't notice any problems.

I did some research on the web - DVD.Com's FIX section has the following 2 postings: http://www.dvd.com/stories/fix/headaches/story_859.asp
and http://www.dvd.com/stories/fix/headaches/story_819.asp

I got my player back, and advised Sony that I'd keep watching titles on it to see if and when it happened again i.e. gather more data about the problem.
Basically, if there's a problem with the player, I either want Sony to fix it, or I want my money back.
A friend has a cheaper Philips player, and has no problems with any titles (AND his player plays CD-Rs, but that's another issue)...

Question to people here: Has anyone been in contact with Sony to find out their official line on the problem?

Sure, it might be a problem with only certain titles, but then why do only the Sony players have the problem?
The fact that I'm in a different country and am having the same problem leads me to believe that what we are seeing is a design flaw in the Sony line of DVD players - and Sony should be accountable for this and fix the problem.

I'll be interested in seeing what others have to say...
Where do we take this problem???

Daniel Probert,
Auckland, New Zealand.

I was going to try and call Sony today and get some info. on the problem, but not sure who to call. Been getting the run around. =( I'll try again tomorrow and let you all know what I turn up. It seems like its definately a Sony related problem, and not a disk problem, as its happened on way too many disks for it to be an isolated incident. I'll letcha know what I turn up.

Just got off the phone with Sony. Man, I've always liked how the Sony reps were nice and courteous, but their phone system is a bitch to work with. Anyway, I called (800) 222-7669, which is their support services line, and after being passed through menus for ten minutes, got a hold of a support tech. I explained the problem and she said there were no reported instances of anything similar to what I described in the computer, but that if I brought it into a Sony tech center they'd look it over for free. Unfortunately, the nearest one is in Burbank, which is quite far from me. For anyone else who wants it brought in, go to http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/ss5/custserv.shtml
and they have a little locator service right on their web page. Good luck, and let me know if they find anything.

Talk about bad timing...
I wait months and months to buy my first DVD player; I scour the net for glitches with players; I make a shortlist; I save my hard earned...only to discover the day after I buy a SONY DVP-S725D that it has a glitch.
D'oh!
I watched Antz, Paths of Glory and finally Enemy of the State...and that's when I had that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that something wasn't quite right.
The lip synch problem is very apparent, it seems, with this model too.
I stopped the disc and when I resumed play, it was fine.
But, after shelling out a lot of money for what I thought was a superior product, should I have to do that every time I watch a film?
I think a return to the shop is imminent.
Yours angrily,
Cyrus,
Sydney, Australia.

Not to sound like a dumbass but I have a question on this clitch.

Is this clitch limited to the fact that you guys are using the DD decoder in the player or still using a DD decoder outside the player.

I ask this because I have a Sony 530 and plan on getting a DD/DTS receiver and wonder if I would notice the same problem you are having.

That's a good question. The way I have mine set up now, I'm only using the stereo speakers in my TV. So it's not doing any decoding at all through any external sources. I also have the option to adjust output levels during night viewing turned on. Could this be related to our setup options, or something different? Is anyone having this problem using an external decoder?

Righto.
Well, I must admit that I'd prefer it if Sony fixed this problem, rather than demand my money back and get a new player.
I like the player - I like it a lot. That's why I bought it.
If they fixed the AudioSync problem, then there'd be only 2 things I'd change:
[*]Allow it to play CD-Rs (so I can make my own MPEG1 VideoCDs of taped TV shows - currently new generation Sony DVD players don't play CD-Rs (they could - the laser setup supports it) as apparently Sony doesn't want to encourage piracy - you go figure....)[*]For some reason the player forgets the setting to turn Component Video Output off (Under Display in Setup) whenever I turn the player off (it always resets to On). Not a biggy, but I'm picky....

Sony has a reputation to maintain - they are renowned for high quality components. It is unlikely that they will easily admit that there is a problem with their players.
So, we need to gather evidence - either by having a group of people who all have the problem, and all report it to Sony; or by having Sony experience the problem themselves.

So... if any of you know how to make this problem happen when you want, taking your player in to a Sony service center and demonstrating the problem would be an awesome start.
Otherwise, you might have my experience - they couldn't find anything wrong, and so aren't convinced that there is a problem.

Personally, I want to raise Sony's awareness of this problem.
I want service centers worldwide to realise that there is a problem. I believe that they don't directly talk to each other, but they do have access to each other's support databases.

I'm more than willing to demand that Sony fix this problem, but in order for that to happen, they have to know that there is a problem!
So, what I'd suggest is that all of you that have problems... contact Sony. Let them know that there is an issue - all we want to do is get them to log an entry in their customer support system that someone has a complaint - chances are that sending your unit in to a Sony service center will not do much good, as it's such a hard problem to track down.

Things I'd like answers to:
[*]Is it reproducible i.e. can you follow a series of steps and definitely have the problem occur, or does it appear to be random.[*]Does it happen with all Titles, or only certain Titles (possibly from certain distributors).[*]Does the problem occur when you're using the built-in Decoder, or only the analog outputs, and what about the Digital outputs?
For myself, I'm feeding my player to a Yamaha Dolby Prologic decoder, using the 1st of the 2 Analog RCA Audio outputs.
What about everyone else?[*]"Ask Dr Digital" at DVD.Com has said (and I quote) "Sony is aware of the issue. They are reportedly looking into resolving the audio sync problem". I've contacted him to see where this info comes from (still waiting for a response) - if there is a support case open, then I'll get the case number and forward to everyone so that if (and when) you contact your local Sony service center, they'll see that there is a precedent for this problem.

I'm willing to take on gathering all the info for this problem, because I want it FIXED!!!!!
Admittedly, I'm not in the US, but as far as I can see, this is a worldwide problem with the Sony DVD players.

If you have info about your setup/particular problem, then please e-mail me on daniel@alpha.net.nz .
I'm also going to start posting in other DVD forums, to see if I can grow the number of users with this problem.

Let me know what you think :-)

Daniel,
Auckland, New Zealand.

[This message has been edited by Daniel Probert (edited 08-03-1999).]

I don't have a fancy surround system. I just have it connected to my CD player (it provides much better sound than from my tv speakers). I hope that is the problem because I had been planning on buying a surround system, and then maybe it won't happen?!?

So far this has only happened to me on three different dvd's. It only occurred once on both Blade and Star Trek Insurrection. I have watched each several times but the audio problem only occurred on one occasion.
Where as the third one which is the Mask Of Zorro, has happened everytime I watched it. I saw it twice, I had borrowed it from someone else.

I may be wrong but if I remember right on both Blade and Star Trek I had paused it at one time to do something, then unpaused it and then the audio problems seemed to happen. Don't quote me or anything I am not completely sure if this is true, I could be wrong it has been a long time since it has happened. And I don't keep track of everything I do when I am watching my movies, it's just a guess.

Ya, I don't use any kind of external at all. Like I said before, its just plugged into my TV. Now that Chamfer mentions it, tho, it seems to occur after I had paused the movie once or twice to do something. Is this the cause of the problem? A glitch in the pausing code or something?

I had no idea this would be such a hot topic. I am a little dissapointed in sony too as I love their players. I have a 3000 and have never had any problems. In hopes of getting to the bottom of all of this I have some more information about the original problems I posted. Both of these friends were using external dolby digital decoders. Neither has DTS so I don't know about that. One was a pioneer and the other a dennon. It seems to me that it is the player's fault, and if it occurs whether or not a decoder is used, it seems like it is a problem more deeply inbedded in the player and not just a decoding issue. I hope we can figure this out. These friends were not able to repeat their findings at will, however, so that may be hard.

To me it is of the utmost importance! We have paid good money for these products.

I have another question, "Could it be possible that they are using the wrong input/output for the decoding?" Such as using the DTS output for a DD disc?

I just want to keep the ball rolling on this and find some information from Sony on this.

Hmm. The pausing thing could be promising - I think I paused somewhere in all of the movies that I noticed this audio sync problem in.
I'll re-watch "The Game", pause it at various places, and see what happens.
Seems to be that people are having this problem regardless if they're using the analog audio output, or the digital audio output.
Anyone have an problems whilst using the built-in decoder?
Didn't get a response from "Ask Dr Digital" at DVD.COM.
One of his later postings addresses the audio-sync problem in general - check out http://www.dvd.com/stories/fix/headaches/story_859.asp
for more info.
In the meantime, I'm going to try and make this problem happen, so I can reproduce it.
Or at least, have more info on it to give to Sony.

Daniel.

There is a solution!!
WOOHOO!
Check out the following link - it contains info directly from Sony's Market Manager: http://members.xoom.com/_XOOM/samcleve/sony/sony.htm

I hadn't realised just how many people have this problem - the site above gives you all the info you need, talks about the fix (apparently a new chip and a firmware upgrade, although Sony aren't 100% happy with the fix), and gives a 1-800 number to call to have yourself added to a database of people to be contacted when Sony has a fix with which are 100% happy.

Now, seeing as I'm not in America, this isn't that helpful, but now I have soemthing to take to Sony.

Feeling SOOOOO much better about this now...

Daniel.

Did anyone try the 1-800 number yet? What happens? Is it automated or is it an acutal person talking? Just wondering if I should call.

I called this morning and got to a tech and asked him about the glitch and he had a tone and said, "Yes we know about it." I told him I personally hadn't experienced the problem but wanted to be on the list so if there is an fix or repair required.

Im not certain but he made it sound as though I would exprerince it without an external decoder AND without using the DD inside the player. Left me feeling uncertain to the point that they are going to put all their effort into this.

For me, I sure hope they do because I am planning on getting the 835 receiver and I may reconsider if this doesn't get resolved.

Just wanted to spout my experience and keep this up to date. :

Great news!
I called Sony Service Support (800-222-SONY, then 1, 4, then 3) and talked to Claudia. She was extremely courteous as I explained my problem to her. She said she had heard of such a thing before and Sony had set up a special database just for those having problems. She took my name, number, address, etc. and explained that when a fix is worked out, Sony would repair my player. I asked her if I would have to send it in, take it somewhere, etc, and she said that to the best of her knowledge, Sony was going to pick it up from my house FedEx! She was unaware of any ETA on the fix, or how long it would take or what it would entail, but it seems they've gotten enough complaints and are taking this problem seriously.

I've also got a SONY DVP-S725D but have had no such problems. I've checked out The Game and Enemy of the State again after reading this post and there was no apparent lip sync problems. I guess it just adds to the confusion that maybe it doesn't happen with all players.
Cyrus, perhaps you could describe the problem in more detail like does it happen at a specific spot/chapter etc.

[Sir Edmund]

ozxplorer,

That's the same model I was going to buy until I found out about this problem. Could you do me a big favor? Could you try those discs again, and do some pause/play, rewinding and fastforwarding and such, and maybe switch audio tracks a few times? I'd be very grateful.

Seems to happen to me after I pause. A few minutes later, the audio is desynced. I never switch chapters and I still experience the problem, so I think it's pause-specific.

[Sir Edmund]

Does it happen every time you pause? Is it the same on every disc? If so, it should be easy to reproduce.

Hi guys!
This topic been around on other forums for months,so let me tell you what I learned.
Apperntally,many players are affected,but not most,the problem is random,so it's hard to duplicate,most people report that if you pause it or hit any other transport key then it will go away,it is irrelevant which connection you use,Sony thinks that the problem is in the firmware section which has been updated gradually since introduction of these models,the current version is:2.1.
There are still problems with the new versions so it is not a complete fix.
I would recomend that you guys exchange your players if it's still possible the newer versions are less troublesome.
Hope I cleared some things for you!

------------------
"If it just us it would be
an awfull lot of waste of space"


[This message has been edited by Biglew (edited 08-22-1999).]

I wanted to keep this up top and give an update.

I called the Sony # again and told them I have experienced the problem now and was wondering what was going on. The lady on the phone was rude and stated that they know of the problem and DO NOT have a fix for it yet and if you have a sony file # you will be notified when the fix happens.

This really pisses me off knowing I have a DVD player that isnt working properly all the time and Sony want's to keep it hush, hush.

We need to get more updates on this subject.

Right now, I'm really pi**ed off.
Sony here in New Zealand contacted Japan, and as far as Japan is concerned, there is nothing wrong with the players.
As far as Sony America and the database of people wanting the fix, it was the technical maanager's opinion that Sony America had just done that because the problem is created by people ringing up and saying that there is a problem. It is Sony NZ's position that the fault is with the discs, not the players.
So he will not fix my player, nor acknowledge that there is anything wrong with it.

I'm starting to see red. A lot of red....

Daniel Probert.

I just got the Sony 550D Player and am curious how do I find out what version firmware it has in it.

To access the service menu: with the player turned off, press "Title", then "Clear", then "Power On". To leave service mode, just turn the player off.

However, whatever you learn will not mean much, because none of the reported firmware versions has fixed the problem.

Fred