HD EP-35 compatibility issue and work-around

brodmaster

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HD EP-35 compatibility issue and work-around.

A compatibility issue has been confirmed by the Toshiba Technical dept. between their 42WLT66 and the HD EP-35 (and HD EX1).

I was having problems with the HD EP-35 and sent back the first unit that was delivered in November, because I believe it was faulty. Straight from the box the player would display the setup screen on the TV for 3 seconds, then go black for 3 seconds, and keep cycling on/off like this continuously. I couldn’t set up the player properly as the display was not on for long enough. The same thing happened when I played a standard DVD but with an HD DVD this effect disappeared until I brought up the discs menu.

The suppliers exchanged the player for another one and I was amazed when the second player had exactly the same problem. Toshiba sent out a contracted engineer just before Christmas. He was at a loss as to what was causing the problem. I searched AV forums for any similar issues and found 2 posts by people who had the exact same player/TV with the exact same symptoms.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5932161&postcount=524

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5997355&postcount=4

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6049152&postcount=921

I called the engineer who advised me to go to Toshiba customer services. They said they would send out one of there own engineers. However, today I was phoned by Toshiba Technical, who confirmed that there was now a known compatibility issue between the 42WLT66 and the HD EP-35. He said that there had also been 2 or 3 cases come to light with this TV and the HD EX1 (in France). He assured me Toshiba Japan were aware of this and would be working to address this in a future firmware update but he couldn’t give me any indication of when this would happen. He couldn't advise me on any other action to take except to wait x-amount of time for the firmware fix.

He also gave me a workaround; switch the TV aspect display to another setting and then back to the original setting.

Does anybody know what my rights are regarding a refund if I decided to return either the player or the TV.
 
As one of the above posters regarding this issue ,I too would be interested as to the legal / consumer rights that I am entitled to.It seems to me that if it was another company`s Television that was causing the compatibility problem then I am quite sure Toshiba or any other company would be keen for them to sort out the fault.I feel that Toshiba have let themselves down in respect of the LCD TV concerned as it already had a number of quality issues,(Speaking as one of many who has had their TV set in for repair under warranty).Surely they cannot expect to maintain their reputation if they do not come out and publicly take some responsibility for this dilemma.

Or am I being nieve???
 
Hi I also have a 42wlt66 tv., 11 months old! and bought a budget Venturer shd7001 hd player from QVC ( because it is a 1080i player built by Tosh. and 'badged' Venturer ).
This had the exact problem you describe so i returned it to QVC as faulty and ordered an hd-ep30 from Play.com which arrived 3 days ago and has the same problem, picture and sound switching on and off every 2 secs.
When i phoned Tosh. Support, at first he said he did not understand what was going on and went of to talk to engineering.When he returned he said that engineering had recognised a compatability problem between wlt66 tv's and the ep30 and that all models of tv and players in their respective ranges would also be affected, and that they were working on a solution, but at that stage did not know whether the required modification would be to the tv or player!
He the told me of the 'temporary' fix of clicking on the tv's aspect ratio button and to phone back in a couple of weeks for a progress report if a solution had already been found.If its of interest I phoned Tosh. Support and the guys name is Julian.
The question is what with all this and the now questionable future of HD DVD where do we go now?
Regards Reghorse.
 
Result :smashin:

I've phoned Toshiba Customer Services the other day to sort out a solution to this issue. I told them that I had chosen Toshiba because I wanted a product that I could rely on, and now how could I recommend Toshiba to anyone else when Ive ended up with a TV which doesn’t work with their own DVD player.

I said the last thing I envisaged was having any problems with compatibility between two probucts of the same BRAND. I have collected many HD DVD Titles and have no way of playing them properly.

I told them I can not use the DVD player as it was intended to be used and the work around they gave me is in no way a satisfactory solution. (the work around needs to be implemented every time the dvds menu is accessed and every time the setup screen is accessed).

I stressed that the whole affair had been very time consuming and incured some expenses and what I proposed is that they replace the TV with a similar model that works with the DVD player.

In the end I dont think I needed to lay it on that thick because they readily gave me an uplift number to give to my retailer, HomecinemaTV.com.

The troubled 42WLT66 is being picked up on Monday and a 42Z3030D is replacing it (for an extra £50 - difference on the price). I think I could have chosen any make/model of TV but I had thought that I would only be offered the WLTs replacement so Id happily hoped for the Z.

Another Toshiba?? Maybe I need my head examining.:suicide:
 
Thanks for the info,will attempt to rectify my problem the same way and will post outcome.
 
The 42Z3030db arrived yesterday. :clap:

Thanks Toshiba. Its a great result when you think about it. There was actually no fault with the 42WLT66 - not yet anyway, although I was expecting the grey line any day, (see 42WLT66-47WLT66 thread). There was no fault with the EP35, as, naturally, I first thought, (how many perfectly good EP35s like mine have been returned unnecessarily).

Its taken 8 weeks and quite a bit of time but well worth the hassle. Its now apparent that, from the ep35 owners thread, the 32WLT66 and logically the entire WLT66 series is affected. Anyone with these sets needs to be aware of the compatibility problem before they buy a Toshiba HD DVD player. Then they can avoid the rigmarole of sending back the player etc etc.

Thanks to the following for posting the problems they were having with the EP35/42WLT66 in the first place.

andymc, Trev S-J, reghorse. :smashin:

Its due to their posts that I was able to tell toshiba that my case wasnt an isolated one. Remmember, Toshiba didnt know of (or would admit to) the compatibility issue. After I found and informed Toshiba of these posts (early Jan) Toshiba acknowledged the compatibility issue, and I could make an informed decision and confront Toshiba as I did. And I know that at least a couple of the above posters are in the process of receiving their replacement sets after reading this thread. AV Forums rock!! :D


42Z3030db. First impressions.
It’s a great looking set, the bezel is narrower so I think the whole set looks more streamline, and my wife was convinced it was a bigger screen. The first thing to score points is the reaction time of the remote control inputs, which was pitifully sluggish on the WLT but is almost instant on the Z. At first the picture is strikingly better, much more contrast and colour, until you realise the default setting, DYNAMIC, is active and isn't suitable for viewing everything. Adjusting the settings gives very pleasing results but it’s a pity there is only one custom user setting. I don’t think that black levels are really a major increase on the WLT but there is defiantly some improvement. I reckon for every day use - watching DTV and Sky SD & HD - the improvements over the WLT will not really be that noticeable. With the EP35 at 1080p 24f/s, however, the results are very gratifying. Now I can fully use my EP35 Ive linked up the 5.1 connections to my receiver and was hugely impressed with the sound. So for me the Z will come into its own with the EP35. Watching and listening to HD DVDs movies, will be an even greater experience.
Overall, Im very happy with my choice.:rotfl: Lets hope the set is more reliable than its forerunner.
 
The 42Z3030db arrived yesterday. :clap:

.............Its due to their posts that I was able to tell toshiba that my case wasnt an isolated one. Remmember, Toshiba didnt know of (or would admit to) the compatibility issue. After I found and informed Toshiba of these posts (early Jan) Toshiba acknowledged the compatibility issue, and I could make an informed decision and confront Toshiba as I did.............

.

Just to set the record straight, saying that I informed Toshiba of these posts could easily be misconstrued (like something the hitler youth would do). I mearly told them that I had come across people having identical problems on this forum with the same TV/HD DVD player and didnt identify their posts per se. As some of you are in negociations with Toshiba I though i would just mention that. Cheers.
 
Hi all. I took the same route as Brodmaster to resolve the issue and Monday am got my replacement tv :- a new 42z3030bd.
My ep30 now works perfectly on both HD and SD, No switching on and off of picture and sound, no judder, very stable. A very good conclusion.


Reghorse. :thumbsup:
 
As one of the above posters Brodmaster`s mentioned, I would just like to say thanks to him and also to AV Forums as otherwise I would not be receiving a 42 Z3030D as replacement for my 42WLT66 on Wednesday morning !!!(30th Jan).
This dilemma that has befallen us for buying technology that has had its problems from the start just goes to show that there is ways of getting advice (good or unintentionally bad!!)and feedback that inevitably will provoke the right outcome i.e. that the big companies will be prepared to accept that problems do occur and it is in their best interest to rectify them if we wish to keep buying their products. Thanks Toshiba for coming clean about this glitch!!
 
How fantastic Toshiba are - its great to have customer service like this.......:thumbsup: And thanks to the above members who have detailed their experiences and given suggestions

I have just finished with their Customer Service department who were fantastic and are organising a replacement of my WLT66 - though I think this was due to the fact I have one of the sets with the faulty panel (the screen has a line down the middle of it) and not as a problem solver for the switching on/off of the screen when using HD DVD.

As a replacement they have offered me the 42 X Series not the Z series that the above members have received and I am worried sick that the X series is not going to solve the problem.... do any of you have any ideas if the X offers the solution to this problem ????

I have spoken to Tosh about this and they are checking it out but as it seems that only a very few of us have had this problem I'm worried I am gonna get a new TV that solves one problem and not the other!!!!!!!!

Thanks


Andy C
 
How fantastic Toshiba are - its great to have customer service like this.......:thumbsup: And thanks to the above members who have detailed their experiences and given suggestions

I have just finished with their Customer Service department who were fantastic and are organising a replacement of my WLT66 - though I think this was due to the fact I have one of the sets with the faulty panel (the screen has a line down the middle of it) and not as a problem solver for the switching on/off of the screen when using HD DVD.

As a replacement they have offered me the 42 X Series not the Z series that the above members have received and I am worried sick that the X series is not going to solve the problem.... do any of you have any ideas if the X offers the solution to this problem ????

I have spoken to Tosh about this and they are checking it out but as it seems that only a very few of us have had this problem I'm worried I am gonna get a new TV that solves one problem and not the other!!!!!!!!

Thanks


Andy C

Hi Andymc. When i spoke to Tosh. cust. service.I was told that the 42x was the natural replacement for the 42wlt66 or a refund,I was then given the uplift no. to give to my supplier.The 42z costs a small ammount more than i originally paid for the 42wlt66 and i negotiated an extra small payment for the 42z.I believe one or two others have done the same.
I hope this helps.( As far as i know the 42x appears to be a good tv and is 1080p.) Good luck.
Reghorse
 
Just sent back my 2nd ep-30 because I thought it was faulty ( kept blacking out on my 42wlt66) . Wish i had kept it and tried to blag a new tv. :mad:

Hope they fix it soon so I can get another hd dvd player.

p.s I bricked the 1st one.
 
My replacement arrived this morning(WED. 6.45 am ! Wife not best pleased!! I was already in Work ) They sent me what I requested,which was the 42Z 3030D.
First impressions were of the Image appearing a little grainy but, after playing around with the settings I smoothed this out quite quickly.I have a set up disc to use but will await the HD-DVD version to optimise the TV properly(on order from Play.com )I have to say the Tv looks a lot classier than the 42WLTseries but then again it is nearly eighteen months down the line (a long time in consumer electronics ! ) Very Pleased with the outcome and very satisfied with Toshiba`s customer service staff and the retailers Digital Direct,both were extremely helpful in this matter ,well done ! .

Trev S-J.
 
My original supplier has changed their business profile and no longer sells TV's so I had to go back to Toshiba....They offered the X Series. I cant complain as my set was one of the first ones...

Have checked out the X series and it appears its pretty much the same as the Z except for one less HDMI and the 100hz (which is disabled on 24fps) so no real loss for me in the way I use the TV....

I think Toshiba have been outstanding and this has renewed my loyalties to them....

We all seem to be sorted out now....
 
My original supplier has changed their business profile and no longer sells TV's so I had to go back to Toshiba....They offered the X Series. I cant complain as my set must was one of the first ones...

Have checked out the X series and it appears its pretty much the same as the Z except for one less HDMI and the 100hz (which is disabled on 24fps) so no real loss for me in the way I use the TV....

I think Toshiba have been outstanding and this has renewed my loyalties to them....

We all seem to be sorted out now....

Well done andymc, i dont think you will be disapointed with your 42x.
Sit back and enjoy!


Reghorse.
 
Well done andymc, i dont think you will be disapointed with your 42x.
Sit back and enjoy!


Reghorse.

Oh god - you spoke too soon.... I am REALLY disappointed with the new set. I don't think its a patch on the old WLT66. I have tried various settings, mucked around night after night but cannot find a happy medium. Tried all of runtimes settings and they are still way off for my set!!!

Have contacted Toshiba Customer Services regarding it and once again they have excelled themselves and offered a replacement. I read a review somewhere where the test model was dire, they replaced it and the replacement was head and shoulders better so fingers crossed as I want to get their RD-97DT - DVD Recorder to keep it all in the family so to speak...

Will keep you guys posted but once again OUTSTANDING customer service from Toshiba.


Andy Cuthbert
 
Oh god - you spoke too soon.... I am REALLY disappointed with the new set. I don't think its a patch on the old WLT66. I have tried various settings, mucked around night after night but cannot find a happy medium. Tried all of runtimes settings and they are still way off for my set!!!

Have contacted Toshiba Customer Services regarding it and once again they have excelled themselves and offered a replacement. I read a review somewhere where the test model was dire, they replaced it and the replacement was head and shoulders better so fingers crossed as I want to get their RD-97DT - DVD Recorder to keep it all in the family so to speak...

Will keep you guys posted but once again OUTSTANDING customer service from Toshiba.


Andy Cuthbert

Bad luck with the telly Andy,hope the replacement does the trick.I agree Tosh. customer service tops the bill.Regarding picture quality, on my new 42z, picture detail and colour vibrancy are excellent as was the 42wlt66, but i am still trying to obtain the correct flesh tones. Mind you i had exactly the same problems with the wlt66, then after some two months i got it right.I am beginning to wonder if in some way the tv 'settles down, although this goes against my electronic background!
Best of luck. Reghorse.
 
I have been following this thread quite closely and whilst it looks quite complicated it is explained well and I am pretty sure that I will get the kit and do the calibration to get everything okay... Its got to be worth doing.
 
I have been following this thread quite closely and whilst it looks quite complicated it is explained well and I am pretty sure that I will get the kit and do the calibration to get everything okay... Its got to be worth doing.

By kit do you mean a DVE disc?
Reghorse.
 
No - sorry - I mean the Spyder2 Coloromiter thingy.....

Saying that Toshiba are prepared to replace my TV again to see if that makes any difference so credit to them again....

Will keep you guys posted as to the outcome.


Andy
 
No - sorry - I mean the Spyder2 Coloromiter thingy.....

Saying that Toshiba are prepared to replace my TV again to see if that makes any difference so credit to them again....

Will keep you guys posted as to the outcome.


Andy

When is your tv due? It must be anytime now.
Can't say i know anything about Spider 2 but have had a quick look and it does seem a lot of dosh just to get flesh tones correct.The Brill, contrast etc are fairly easy, a lot of it is personal preferance.When you look at the LCD tv sections the figures they publish for their own calibration are all over the place!
Reghorse.
 

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