HDR-CX7

Well, me and family do own few Sony electronics back in the days. But the most bad experience would be my sony walkman and my dads Hi-Fi stereo.
Both walkman and hi-fi failed for pcb board issue, and replacing them is expensive.
Whats more, the Sony Hi-Fi has been repaired twice, but it still work till today (about 7yrs old now LOL)

Wow, it`s Clear.
Should not have bought the Dv cam last year

he he.. reminds me of the magic smoke article i read not to long ago..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke
as long as you don't let the smoke go.. it'll be fine.. he he..

sony's been good to me.. only sony product was a second hand ps2 that the dvd tray took a crap on.. other than that.. not to bad :D

Nice camera; and so small. Don't own any Sony producs myself, so I wouldn't know about the timer. Somehow, I don't think it's brand related though; some gadgets just have a tendency to fail right when the warranty expires @.@

Nice... I was doing some research on camcorders a couple of months ago, but I ended up not buying any...
The ones I did like were too expensive... like that very Sony Handycam there.

But I was more inclined to get a Canon Handycam. They were cheaper and more bang for the buck. Reviewers from lots of camcorder websites elected a particular Canon model the best HDD amateur camcorder... though Sony models were following pretty close.

Main reason though was that I needed an easy mic-out port... and the Canon models had those. Most Sony models don't have those... you can only connect a mic through the hot accessory shoe, and it has to be a Sony microfone (for external mics that is)... and I hate proprietary stuff.

I had a real problem trying to find out which models had a standard mic-output. Most spec sheets and reviews doesn't even care to state stuff like these anymore...

I've never heard of the Sony Timer thing...all my Sony products have lasted well through all my travels. Knock on wood. I'd really like a video camera so I can document some of my life here but that looks way too expensive for me. I'm afraid I'll have to settle for something cheaper.

Having them installing timers seems a bit farfetched to me.

Now, that they now the approximate time certain components will burn out, rust, wear off, etc. no doubt about it. Even when they are not ripping you off, putting those things to the test is part of quality assurance.

So I do believe, not Sony, but all the other brands out are very picky on what components they put into the gadgets, in relation to how long they would like them to last.

My first Toshiba CD Player was bough 20 years ago and still works like a champ. Not good business for Toshiba, if you ask me (yet, not that I thing gadgets should last 20 years, but definitely more than 1).

The only sony products i have are the playstation and the ps2.
My ps2 used to scratch disk's tough which was bad for my mental state.

Given that no such physical timer had been unearthed; therefore i conclude sony is at the pinnacle of engineering as their reliability engineers could make products that fails precisely after one year ;)

The only problem I've had with sony was my PSP which has broken three times within 18 months, Second time wasn't my fault though...

Hey Danny, I think you have posted something about the Sony timer before but I don't remember when...
Never had any bad experiences... Maybe it's because I don't own any...

Hmm, at least for me, the Sony Timer doesn't seem to hold true. My Sony Hi-Fi turns 8 this year, and my dad's Sony Vaio laptop is at least 8 years old too! I think we have a couple more Sony stuff lying around and they seem to be in good working condition! ^__^

There should be an iPod Timer though!!

Nice!
Sorry Danny but i don't get one thing. This videocamera hasn't any Hard Disk inside? Does It record on M.Stik only?

Bye

My problems with Sony products isn`t with cameras, are with consoles: the PS 2 and the PS One. If you have one, problably know I mean, the durability and resistance of the consoles is really poor, and I even have to repair my PS 2 three times, but at least, the Sony technical service is good, I never have problems with them

Just realized that I have no Sony other than the Playstation 2 (which is pretty durable since it's 3 years old and had some hard floor-crashing that dented one of its edges, but still can play most poor-quality pirated games without fail, some of those "hard" games are sometimes troublesome to play though).

Haven't had any problems with Sony actually. We've always had Sony tv's, each of them lasted 8 years, we're now at our 3rd Sony tv just recently. A nice 40inch flatscreen ^^;
We don't actually have other Sony stuff though, mostly JVC which I'm also quite satified about.

Looks like a nice videocamera, a bit expensive though.

I haven't had any problems at all with sony products, they work like wonders.

I've have one bad experience with my Sony Cybershot DSC-F717. Basically the camera wouldnt pick up anything, there was nothing on the screen either except this pixelated red dotting.

It wasn't all too bad of an experience though, Sony had a recall which wasn't too slow and got it fixed. However, the camera still experiences some problems...

Like to stick with other brands, myself.

stereo/home entertainment - JVC
mp3 player - Cowon
gaming console - Sega :(
camera - Fujifilm (kinda crap)
laptop - HP (cuz i'm cheap)

For the record, though, friend's got a MD player from '96 which still works perfectly today(!).

I kinda like Sony stuff. my phone's a Sony and i got my eye on the Sony alpha 200 digital SLR.

about the sony timer, I've been using 2 Sony Vaio, a TX and a TZ, a bravia LCD TV and a Sony LCD screen for me desktop. most of which seem to have outlived their warranty.
am a sony fanboi myself. ^^;
About the DMX-HD1000 just wanted let you know I got myself one as well, thanks to your review. ^^
http://www.marvinryan.com/blog/2008/04/01/sanyo-xacti-hd1000/
I wonder though how does the Sony HDR-CX7 fair while shooting lowlight?

I had a PS2 crap out on me, and then my second one was literally stabbed to death by my older brother who was not only trying to mod it without my permission, but trying to do so in a way that involved shoving a steak knife into the disc drive and moving it around vigorously until the insides were thoroughly skewered.

:(

At least now though I've pulled the BIOS off my skewered PS2 and use PCSX2 (www.pcsx2.net) to play my PS2 games on my laptop.

:P

oh sweet, i was actually looking for a recorder for my cousin. this is a good start.

Sony don't really seem to fail me....sony seem to last longer than other brand though.....for photography rather use cannon...

my Sony TV works well after all these years.

My phat PSP lasted 3 years before i traded in for a new slim PSP...

no timer there

My Sony TV is still working... it's fairly old too. But I gotta say... it's a scary thought. I have dead pixels in my PSP, and my PS2 started having a hard time reading discs a little after the PS3 came out.

Well, the timer thing may be a new development, cause my parents had an old sony t.v. that lasted well over 15 years! (haha, nah, i dont believe the timer thing, but it is a bit sceptical when stuff seems to break just after the warranty has expired) But my psp slim which i bought in October last year packed up in January. Luckily the store just decided to replace mine, so i got a new one, no problems yet (only 3 months old @_@). My brother's PS2 is 3 years old, and he plays it night and day! I think my original playstation has only been in once, to have the power supply replaced, other than that, it still works (i cant be bothered to play it any more tho, ps1 is ancient). I dont think i have any other Sony products. Id love a VAIO laptop, but thats only if work decides they're not gonna use MS anymore, otherwise i'll finally get a macbook, yatta!

I've been quite satisfied with my Sony products so far, my PS2, KLV-L23M1 LCD-TV, NW-E407 mp3 walkman (lasts over 30 hours on battery) and SDMX72B 17" TFT monitor all work fine.
I only replaced my SDMX72B 17" TFT as main computer monitor to use a bigger one, after nearly 5 years of daily use that Sony's colors still look as vivid as the first day.

Not that happy with my Cybershot DSC-P71 anymore, it doesn't seem to be able to make good pictures, it all looks like cheap vga camera shots. But it's a refurbished one I got for 40Euro years ago so not a big deal.

I got a Sony mini disc few years ago, i realy dont used it to much (2-3 times per month), but when the MD have around 2 years magicaly get broken and begin to fail.
The Md doesnt connect to the pc, some music get corrupted and no playable... etc.

I always try to avoid sony products (except psp or other machines), panasonic products give me more security.

I'm a person still on my first 360, with a perfectly working NES, and a perfect system from all the recent generations.

I'm on PS2 number 5.

i try to stay away from Sony if i can, they're usually more expensive than the rest of the brandname electronics and i really don't like their business ethics ever since it was found out they installed spyware on their vaios notebooks. also, the people in sony's marketing department are all such cocky bastards that are over confident about their product. that being sad, i still have a lot of sony stuff...ps3, psp, tv...etc, they haven't given me any trouble yet probably because the warranty is still in effect.

Not a fan of Sony at all. I'll aviod them at all cost. =P

Only Sony product I own is my Vaio and I have yet to have a real problem with it.

Urban legend means it's more about fake rumors than true ones... Is that what you really mean?
Well, I (or my parents) haven't owned much Sony stuff overall.
It all began with the short-lived Beta-Max, then a Trinitron TV (which I am fond of and still works -used for gaming when I'm home for vacations-), a second-hand PS I bought from a former friend of mine (On an interesting and unrelated note, the guy basically became a NEET and refused my help => ultimately cut ties with him) and I bought myself a silver slim PSP, which works well as of now.

i have had no problems with Sony's product. I still have a ps2 bought in 2002 that still works fine. that's one hell of a product longevity compared to my friends Xbox360 that has RROD'ed 3 times in one year.

Sony's lower-end products are trash, and have only sold because of exploiting the brand. Brand loyalty tends to be a thing of the past, these days.

(1988) 27" Trinitron TV: broke down within a year for a few on-air channels. TV died 18 years later, but otherwise performed fine.

(1993) Cassette-tape Walkman: auto-reverse function unreliable, but otherwise still works to this day (unused now).

(1996) Cheapest possible Sony speakers: absolute trash (trashed).

(1998) Cheapest possible Sony reference headphones of average quality: lasted 5 years before wire insulation petrified and resoldering required; pleather earphone lining finally disintegrated in 2004 (trashed).

(2003) MP3 CD player: still works after several drops to concrete (retired, too bulky for exercise use).

I wouldn't bother with Sony. The Playstation was the best machine they made and maybe like one of their walkmans. I have a Canon video cam so I don't need another one but if I did, I wouldn't get a Sony cam.

Sony... yes, yes, yes and yes.

Well except for PS2 we have in the house.. never a problem with that.

Pumpkin, pumpkin.

Hmmm...I'm also used to be somewhat of a Sony fanboy until recently, when I chose a Panasonic camera. :P My old Sony one was actually really really durable - I dropped it countless times and it just kept going. What I keep having trouble with are actually the earbuds - I haven't had a Sony pair last longer than 5 months yet.

Currently, aside from my PS2, I have a Sony 5.1 AV Receiver, 5-disc carousel CD changer, MiniDV video camera (DCR-TRV22), and an MD Walkman player/recorder.

The stereo equipment (receiver and CD changer) is probably 10 years old now, they've survived several moves and still work without issue. The miniDV camera is almost 5 years old and still works fine, too. I had one PS2 fail after I forced it to play a badly scratched up copy of "God of War" (it took one for the team). The MD player has some problems with recording but is otherwise fine. My parents had a Sony TV for over 10 years too.

So, we've had very good luck with Sony products.

long time lurker first time commenter.

Here's my list of Sony products over the years:

Sony PS1 (old style, bought soon after release in US): wouldn't play games unless I turned it upside down after 1 year of use. Eventually died completely 1 year later
Sony DVP-S560 (DVD Player): Great player, but fell victim to the Sony timer. Failed at 12 1/2 months. (1 yr warranty)
Sony PS2 (old style): Never gave me a problem
At that point I stopped buying Sony products.

Parents own a 32 Sony TV, just dropped the power board, and my aunt's 38" Wega threw its mainboard as well. Those two sets were well past warranty though.

That told, Sony makes some great stuff. I really like their video cameras, and I really want a Rolly.

On my February trip to Japan, I bought the Sony HDR-UX7 camcorder, and I *did* use Kakaku.com to find the cheapest price. Had to walk through a remote part of Tokyo to find the really small shop that sold it, but I got it for about 55000yen as opposed to a price of 120000yen plus at the big stores like Yodobashi.

Kakaku.com is a winner every time if you're willing to put in the footwork. ^_^

As for Sony products, I'm an addict. Own(ed) over the years (and never a problem): CD walkman, PS1, PS2, PSX, PS3, PSP, VHS/Hi8 VCR combo, Trinitron TV, stereo, HD camcorder, and Bravia LCD.

The only one of those that died before its time was the PS1 (a japanese one), when my stepdaughter plugged it into a powerpoint directly... Australia = 250V, japanese PS1 = 100V => BOOM... <sigh>

Other than that, I believe the timer's a myth. People will see patterns where they want to.

me and my family owned some old Sony products but we haven't purchased any of the new and current ones 'coz they are expensive and there are much better and cheaper alternatives anyway ^^

Nice!!! Sony Timer huh......I'll test if it's true of not.....
The HDR CX7 seems too expensive for my taste. Anyone can reccommend a good but affordable one......please do tell...

Only one thing in my house that is from Sony is a 29"TV. I think I have used it for more than 5 years but it's still fine, never have had any technical problem. May be it is because I open it only a few hours a day? Anyway, I always avoid using Sony products.

I seriously need a camera.

I've quitre a few Sony gadgets still working after few years usage. I've Sony digital camera V1, Clie TG50, PS2 & PS1. So far only PS1 sent to fix the CD-ROM lens once, the rest never break before

i think Sony have been the best and long lasting electronic hardware I own so far. But only the laptop i will not prefer to get. it's hard to get the parts and lcd repairs.

I dont know if other countries having similar problem. But all i know i will not get Sony laptop products.

I've got this one, and I love it. Take a look

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=177&modelid=15617

i had a sony minidv that was really good but there was a factory defect with the ccd chip.. bullshit. but i really like sony cams. a lot of good features and quality.. just somewhat pricey

My dad is a Sony fanboy so I have been raised a bit the same way. And I must tell every time I hold a Sony device, it feels good quality.

Never had any problem with Sony products...

I have a love hate relationship with sony products, they are affordable yet as you pointed out, they break very easily. I dont believe in them using a timer, on the other hand I do believe in them using cheap materials.

I had a pair of Sony headphones that lasted me 8 years. I bought another pair (mdr-v150) last year and they're going strong as well.

I also have a Sony 256mb USB thumbdrive that I still use. I've had that for about 4 or 5 years now.

Though I've had some Sony headphones crap out on me quite early as well.

There is no "Sony timer" in a physical sense. The statistics people at Sony are just really good at modeling hardware failure rates. None of my Sony stuff has failed, but I don't use them very much.

Yeah, my first Playstation way back in 1995 would regularly overheat, skip, hang, you name it. I had a Cybershot (lamest name for a camera next to perhaps "Coolpix" if you ask me) back in 2001 until this week when I replaced it with a Casio Exilim EX-S10, 1.3 MP to 10 MP, and I kept the internal battery charged and such (Sony made the battery) and it still lost its charge rather quickly. I'm sure there's at least one more example that I'm forgetting, too. I LIKE Sony, don't get me wrong, but when their stuff fails, it fails hardcore. I really do believe the rumor about the "Sony Timer". And upon looking up that that was the proper thing to call it, the link in Wikipedia about "some sites take this urban legend seriously", it links back to your post on it, Danny. =P

Of all the Sony products I have owned, I have regretted getting every one of them. Sony's products are almost universally overpriced when you can get better products from other companies for cheaper. I learned my lesson and don't buy Sony products any more. Although I never had any problems with them having a timed breakdown.

sweet i got the sony hd sr7 its pretty much the same but more expensive, then like 4 months later it was discontinued... love it though just wish there were more software that let you edit AVCHD files without having to pay $500usd. Still mpeg editing is easy, uploading is easy, great sound, love it... so far

i was considering buying one but so far all the models seem disappointing

the only one fitting my hand is a Xacti

let's wait and see whwat comes in the future now that full HD has become a standard

I used to use a Sony DCR-HC30 handycam and I used it for at least 4 or 5 years and it never broke. There was a little problem with the screen but that was all. I got a Sony HDR-SR11 handycam for Christmas and it's great.

Camera from Sony sucks, Cannon ALL the way.

i have never had a bad experience with sony