Samsung 900NF QC?

[Salvador]

Hi,

I'm having a heck of a time with the QC on Sony products. I've gotten 3 bad monitors ranging in problems from brown areas in the corners to fuzzy text and geometry problems.

I'm about to give up on Sony and go to a Samsung 900NF. Could I possibly run into the same problems with the Samsung considering that the monitor is based off of a AG?

I really like the Sony G420, but if I can't get a good one, I'm going to have to do something else and I have to look at my options. Would the Samsung 900NF be a good substitute?

Thanks,

Sal

 

[TunaBoo]

I bet 99% that you get these in the mail. It is UPS killing them. Pick up a 900NF from a retail store, we get them on a truck on a pallet. The trucks are air ride equipped, and 99.99% of ANY type of monitor we get are perfect right off the pallet.

 

[LukFilm]

Haha, I am in exactly OPPOSITE situation. This is my second 900NF and I am thinking of switching to Sony G400 Still fuzzy, picture not stable etc. I REALLY think it's UPS/Fedex's fault, not the manufacturer's.

 

[Lore]

It could be a bad batch, too. I've had problems with monitors that disappeared as soon as I got one that was manufactured a month later (or earlier). Have you checked the manufacturing dates of the Sonys you've received to see whether they were all made in the same time period?

Consider the KDS AV-195TF, as well. It's a Sony FD Trinitron tube in a KDS box. Great product.

 

[Salvador]

I'm thinking it might be a bad batch because all the serial numbers are within 5 digits of each other.

Here's the serial numbers:

1st: 8002617

2nd: 8002616

3rd: 8002621

I called Sony finally. What a mistake. I got a guy that knows far less about the monitors than the average person here at Anandtech. I kept getting, "Oh.. I've never heard of that before" responses. He said that he does not personally have a Sony because he's a poor college student and said that Sony doesn't furnish them with monitors either. Nice going Sony. I say if they are that far removed from the consumer, I'm just going to keep plugging away at this and keep making refurbed G420s. Hey.. As long as Dell is willing to ship 'em, I'll keep taking them.

Sal

 

[Ramius]

I must have lucked out with a responsible UPS man. I've had the 900NF for about 4 months and I am in love with it, well, as much as a man could love a monitor I guess.
Not one problem ranging from distortion, text, angles, etc..
Maybe a BM store might be safer, and more $$.

 

[LXi]

Sal,

I dont think its time to make fun of the poor support guy. You're definitely not the first guy who has went through three Sonys. Take a shot at either the Dell P991 or Samsung 900NF.

 

[Salvador]

I'm not making fun of the poor support guy. I'm poking more at Sony for not providing their support people with, well.. More support.

I'm not giving up on the Sony now that I hear that others are having similar problems with the Samsung. It must be either a shipping thing or bad batch of these monitors.

Like I said, I'll keep plugging away until I get one that I like. I know that I got a great deal, but $421 is still a lot to spend on a monitor like this IMO.

Now.. If the Dell rep that I'm working with says he's going to stop delivering Sony G420's, perhaps I'll try a Samsung or a Dell P991. As a matter of fact, I'm going to be visiting a friend tomorrow to borrow a camera lens from him and he happens to have the P991. I'm going to be taking a very close look at it.

Sal

 

[buck]

I got the 900nf from ups also and when i got a bad spot a few months later, I called samsung. They had some guy (not ups or anything) come out and switch it with another one. Samsung got him to my place in 3 business days. Great support.
Matt

 

[Lore]

Yeah, I went through 3 Sony G500s, too, before switching to a KDS AV-21TF. Except mine were hand picked-up from the local store!

 

[kgraeme]

I can say I'm happy with both my Samsung monitors. One was UPS, one was from Best Buy. As I mentioned to you with the DVD drives, buying from B&M may cost a little more but it can be much easier for returns. (Actually my Samsung was on sale at Best Buy so it was cheap.)

 

[Midnight Rambler]

The most significant problem with the Sonys are their totally crap packaging design. I went through 5 with problems, my 6th was finally OK. Onvia even quit selling them for a while due to high return rates.

The geometry and fuzzy text problems you describe will likely not be solved by going to another make of monitor, for example one based on the DiamondTron tube (like the 900NF, various Iiyama models, NEC/Mitsubishi, etc.). All aperture grille monitors exhibit at least some of these problems/characteristics you describe, and the DiamondTron tubes are a little bit worse in this regard, as compared to monitors using the Sony Trinitron tubes. IMHO the focus control on Sonys is a tad better.

See if you can get your next unit shipped FedEx, they definitely take better care of packages.

 

[Salvador]

The first monitor was UPS and the replacements were FedEx. So.. I don't know what could be the problem.

Out of curiousity, I called CDW today and see if they would match the price of the Sony deal on the Samsung 900NF. They are local and I can pick up monitors at will-call. Anyway.. The sales guy said that there is no way that they can sell it to me for what Dell is selling it for. He said cost was $375. I find that hard to believe too though because retail is $399.

If I can't get this particular monitor worked out with Dell, I'll just hold onto the Samsung 753DF that I just bought until I can find a deal locally or just save my pennies for a 17" LCD. I'm in love with those 17" LCD's. I saw one in the store today and it's just gorgeous! They are just out of my price range right now unfortunately. :

Sal