[dan4805]

hi all, this is my first post on this forum. I shall hopefully be a camcorder user in about 1 months time and have looked at all review sites forums etc, to seek advice on my 1st Camcoder purchase.

After scanning the pros and cons,I narrowed down my choice betweem the
Panasonic 150 / 250 or my preference the Sony HC 90.

Now the reason for this thread, I was on a Review site last night and as always went to the users review section, there 1 individual made claim that Sony Camcoders have a bad reputation for failing CCD Chips, apparently this is a well known problem called ' Sony Black Screen of Death' and was well documented.

1) Is this a true statement?

2) Do all Cams have the same problem

3) Or is this a one of Reviewers problem?

Your knowledge and experience in this would be appreciated before i part with my hard earned cash.

[gingaman]

Hi Dan

You could also have titled this 'JVC Black Screen of Death' !

I got a new JVC GR-DF470 for Christmas and it only lasted 5 days before the black screen of death, the camera displays 'LENS CAP' even though it is off.

The problem I believe is the CDD, which is actually a Sony CCD, hence both JVC and Sony cams can be affected by this dodgy CCD, not sure about any other manufacturers. If you search on Google for 'JVC Lens Cap Error' you'll find other people talking about this problem. On the JVC website they have acknowledged the problem and will repair any affected cams free of charge even if out of warranty (just need a recipt). The affected cameras they list does not actually include mine which was a 2005 model, most of those listed are older models, hence I thought I was going to be safe getting the DF470, but that was not the case

Thankfully I'm exchanging mine for a new Canon model now, didn't fancy a repair or a direct replacement as I would just worry about it happening again.

At the end of the day it's probably only a few % affected which is why JVC are probably still selling cams with this CCD - the notice on their site indicates a willingness to repair cams up until October 2007 so it looks like they know there's loads out there waiting to break down!

Good luck shopping

[Peter Brereton]

Sony CCDs are usually highly reliable. The problem only seems to apply to a limited period of CCD production. I would be very surprised if the CCD in your JVC GR-DF470 was in fact faulty...there are many more components that could give black screen symptoms other than the CCD! I have serviced camcorders for many years now (anyone remember the Sony BMC100P betamax camcorder?) and in my opinion Sony products are the most reliable you can buy. If they do go wrong---they are a dream to work on, and spare parts and technical data are readily available! In my opinion Sony are the only company that have consistently maintained high standards of build quality, durability, and after sales care. I would recommend them every time.

Peter Brereton.

[gingaman]

Hi Peter

Faulty CCD or not, the net result is a Black Screen of Death after 5 days of use which is bad. It seemed a fair assumption that it was down to the infamous CCD issue.

I emailed JVC with an enquiry about my DF470 a few days ago and they haven't even bothered to reply. I questioned if it could possibly be the same CCD problem that has afflicted other older models or could it be a new problem but with the same symptom. I thought they would have at least denied they were still using the same CCDs in newer models.

It's put me off buying JVC again whether it's down to the CCD or not.

Cheers

[MarkE19]

The 'black screen of death' origionally came to light on this forum with the Canon camcorders and This Very Long Thread logs the early problems before anybody was admitting there was a known issue, and still gets added to on a regular basis as new members search for the problem and find this forum. The problem was found to be with a large batch Of CCD's made by Sony that ended up in several camcorders and digital stills cameras. It does appear that the fault has been acknowledged by all the companies and free repairs are now being offered. It also seems that the bad batch of CCD's is a thing of the past and new models should therefore not be affected by this issue.
I've only ever owned Sony camcorders and my current TRV-900e is around 6 years old and still going strong. I would recommend anybody looking for a camcorder have a close look at the Sony models.

Mark.

[dan4805]

Thanks to all that responded to my post, i think it has alayed my fears on Sony Cams. I really fancy the HC90, and unless any other deteterent comes to light, It will be the Cam i puchase next.

Thanks again

Dan

[MarkE19]

If it definately the HC90 you want then getting one sooner rather than later might be a good idea as I believe this model is about to be replaced. However if you can get one after the new models have been released you should get it for an even better price

Mark.

[dan4805]

Thanks Mark for your advise, i should be able to purchace the Cam beginning of February, hopefully that should coincide with the new Sony range coming online, and even more hopefully drop the price

cheers again

Dan

Hi Dan, Having just purcased DCR-HC90E after much research I can thoroughly reccommend it. However the purpose of this reply is to tell you of my experience of CCD failier.
It seems that any CCD camera can suffer such a failier (I'm not shure about CMOS cameras). I had a CCD failier last year on a Sony DCR-PC120E which appeared as multi coloured stripes down the LCD and vie finder and also on the tape, it was not the black screen of death as you describe.
I sent the camera off for repair to an internet site for which I paid £130 to have the CCD replaced after which it worked fine. I am now on my fouth Sony camcorder and have had only one such failier.

[dan4805]

Thanks Hao,
I think the person who posted the 'scare' about Sony must have had a bad experience with his Cam. Unfortunate but it can happen to anyone, which is an acceptable gamble ( unless it was a known problem like the Canon600 ). So like all electonic goods there is a degree of risk, but thanks to you and others who responded to this post, you have alayed my fears about it being solely a generic Sony problem.

i look forward to buying my Sony next month ( if they are still available )

Thanks again to all you guys who took the time to respond to my concern

Dan