EX1 Firmware Updates at DVinfo.net

Robert C. Fisher · September 4th, 2008, 03:38 PM

Well I just recieved my EX1 last week and decided to take in to the repair depot in Los Angeles yesterday for the firmware updates and to check a few things. Well the firmware update is what they call a Feature Enhancement and now costs $100. Damn my camera is only a week old, but it has the 1.05 version of the firmware. It should be free seeing that it's within the 90 days warenty period but alas no amount of talking would change the gentleman's mind. I do need the update since I just ordered 2-32GB SxS cards.

Just thought I would mention it since apparently this just started.

Cheers
Robert C. Fisher

Andrew Hollister · September 4th, 2008, 03:45 PM

Not even free with a 2x32 SxS order - whats that like $3000?

Sorry to hear that.

Barry J. Anwender · September 4th, 2008, 03:56 PM

I'd return the camera to the retailer and let them explain to Sony why your new camera will not work with the 32Gig cards.

Mark David Williams · September 4th, 2008, 04:07 PM

Thats incredible since you bought the camera after the update was introduced.

Jason Bodnar · September 4th, 2008, 04:12 PM

I think this is just the start.... Most people that buy units now will proabaly be getting version 1.05 it will take a while for the 1.11 to start showing up... It's going to upset a lot of folks.

Brent Ethington · September 4th, 2008, 06:18 PM

I agree with Barry. If you ended up buying the EX1 and the 32GB cards from the same dealer, have the dealer call Sony out and have them deal with it. Seems like your request is reasonable (and Sony isn't)

what a joke...

Anthony Smith · September 4th, 2008, 06:52 PM

abit mean by Sony.
Brand new camera should have all the software updates for free with in 1 year.

Adam Reuter · September 4th, 2008, 09:28 PM

Indeed, what a load of crap Sony is dumping on their loyal userbase. You'd think they would want people to buy their new Rolls Royce memory cards without any hassle. Great product...mediocre customer service. This isn't the first company that's like that though!

Steve Shovlar · September 5th, 2008, 12:48 AM

Yes this is totally WRONG.

I go to a Sony dealer and buy a brand new EX1. I also buy 2 32Gb cards. I can't use the cards and shoot, even though I have spent thousands. I take th camera back and say its faulty.

"No its not faulty, you hto have the camera updated". Please do it then I have a job to shoot this week".

"Sure. That will be $100 thank you".

"Sorry?"

"We charge you $100 to do the update".

"Eh? You kidding right? So the camera doesn't work. I will have a full refund then please as you have sold me faulty goods."

Watch them do the update for free.

Sebastien Thomas · September 5th, 2008, 03:03 AM

Quickest solution is to do the upgrade yourself... see other thread here. It seems to be working well.
I would also make a letter to your dealer, to his boss, to Sony and say how mean they are.

Another solution is to call the prime support and say your camera suffer the back focus problem. Tell them you want the upgrade too. They should be OK (at least in France they are). You will just lose the camera for a week or two...

Steven Thomas · September 5th, 2008, 10:03 AM

Who EVER heard of such a thing...
This makes NO sense.

I would of "hands down" returned the camera and said it is NOT compatible with the 32GB cards they claimed are compatible.

Barry J. Anwender · September 5th, 2008, 11:43 AM

In Canada that will be cost you $100 courtesy of Sony Canada, if you intend on keeping your warranty valid. This is straight from Sony Broadcast Pro dealers, most of whom are not even aware that the Ex1 firmware is now at 1.11 and required to work with the new 32Gig cards and hard drive. "Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil"

Phil Bloom · September 5th, 2008, 12:07 PM

That is ludicrous.

I would definitely not stand for that.

Ian Smith · September 5th, 2008, 01:24 PM

Sony sucks period and this is just pretty par for the course from them. I just hope some of how they've dealt with the 32GB/firmware upgrade here gets a wider audience.

You may recall that the Sony Premium support expert who took my call and told me they couldn't take my camera for firmware upgrade because it was "physically damaged" (the external mic holder had snapped off when the supplied camera bag brushed against the mic that was installed in it). He assured me that the upgrade was only needed for the hard disk unit and NOT the 32GB card.

It's now a week after my dealer rep returned from vacation and no response to my "I can't get my camera upgraded because Sony won't take it. Can you help?" emails.

Of course the main reason the external mic holder snapped off is because the supplied mic from the "professional broadcast dealer" was too big/heavy for it. The fact that the wretched microphone, sold as part of a custom EX1 package, showed up in the frame at wide angle settings should have alerted me to the sort of professionalism to expect from this "professional broadcast dealer". I guess it's another sign of Sony's own professionalism in selecting who they allow to sell their "professional" products.

The only light at the end of the tunnel for me is that if I take a day off work and travel to an official Sony Repair Centre (some distance from my home in central London and my place of work in Kingston) I can try and get a new external mic holder fitted for a fee (if Sony Premiere Support can be believed). Then I can take another day off work to collect it and then Sony say they WILL take it for a free firmware upgrade so long as I get it to them before the end of October. Of course I won't have my camera for quite a while at a time when I need it most because I've agreed to help video a bunch of events, but heh! this is Sony, what did I expect?

I am seriously thinking of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, putting all the Sony gear on Ebay and buying a different camera from another manufacturer AND another dealer.

Chris Hurd · September 5th, 2008, 02:17 PM

Third time around for posting this, but it's gotta be said yet again:

Just a quick forum policy note -- the firmware is Sony's own intellectual property and as such they are the only entity that can rightfully distribute it. I know that some of you have offered to share the firmware with others via email, bypassing the rightful IP holder in the process.

That's illegal, but if you want you to do that, it's happily none of my business. However... you will not use my site to advertise your willingness to violate copyright law. Therefore I will withdraw from public view any post that offers to redistribute this material outside of Sony. I've just withdrawn one such post. As the forum owner, I have no choice but to look at this as a liability issue: if you want to redistribute a major corporation's intellectual property and risk the associated legal repercussions, by all means use your *own* web site for that purpose. I'll have absolutely no part of it whatsoever.

Thread stays open for now... take care,

September 4th, 2008, 03:38 PM	#1
Robert C. Fisher Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 55	EX1 Firmware Updates Well I just recieved my EX1 last week and decided to take in to the repair depot in Los Angeles yesterday for the firmware updates and to check a few things. Well the firmware update is what they call a Feature Enhancement and now costs $100. Damn my camera is only a week old, but it has the 1.05 version of the firmware. It should be free seeing that it's within the 90 days warenty period but alas no amount of talking would change the gentleman's mind. I do need the update since I just ordered 2-32GB SxS cards. Just thought I would mention it since apparently this just started. Cheers Robert C. Fisher

September 4th, 2008, 03:45 PM	#2
Andrew Hollister Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 198	Not even free with a 2x32 SxS order - whats that like $3000? Sorry to hear that. __________________ Sony EX1 v1.11, crap loads of SxS, Macs w/ Final Cut Studio

September 5th, 2008, 03:03 AM	#10
Sebastien Thomas Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Paris, France Posts: 210	Quickest solution is to do the upgrade yourself... see other thread here. It seems to be working well. I would also make a letter to your dealer, to his boss, to Sony and say how mean they are. Another solution is to call the prime support and say your camera suffer the back focus problem. Tell them you want the upgrade too. They should be OK (at least in France they are). You will just lose the camera for a week or two... __________________ DoP, Video/Camera assistant http://www.lecentre.net/blog

September 5th, 2008, 12:07 PM	#13
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	That is ludicrous. I would definitely not stand for that. __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

September 5th, 2008, 02:17 PM	#15
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Third time around for posting this, but it's gotta be said yet again: Just a quick forum policy note -- the firmware is Sony's own intellectual property and as such they are the only entity that can rightfully distribute it. I know that some of you have offered to share the firmware with others via email, bypassing the rightful IP holder in the process. That's illegal, but if you want you to do that, it's happily none of my business. However... you will not use my site to advertise your willingness to violate copyright law. Therefore I will withdraw from public view any post that offers to redistribute this material outside of Sony. I've just withdrawn one such post. As the forum owner, I have no choice but to look at this as a liability issue: if you want to redistribute a major corporation's intellectual property and risk the associated legal repercussions, by all means use your own web site for that purpose. I'll have absolutely no part of it whatsoever. Thread stays open for now... take care, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

September 4th, 2008, 03:56 PM	#3
Barry J. Anwender Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 382	I'd return the camera to the retailer and let them explain to Sony why your new camera will not work with the 32Gig cards.

September 4th, 2008, 04:07 PM	#4
Mark David Williams Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hertfordshire UK Posts: 414	Thats incredible since you bought the camera after the update was introduced.

September 4th, 2008, 04:12 PM	#5
Jason Bodnar Major Player Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 376	I think this is just the start.... Most people that buy units now will proabaly be getting version 1.05 it will take a while for the 1.11 to start showing up... It's going to upset a lot of folks.

September 4th, 2008, 06:18 PM	#6
Brent Ethington Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: WA Posts: 180	I agree with Barry. If you ended up buying the EX1 and the 32GB cards from the same dealer, have the dealer call Sony out and have them deal with it. Seems like your request is reasonable (and Sony isn't) what a joke...

September 4th, 2008, 06:52 PM	#7
Anthony Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 65	abit mean by Sony. Brand new camera should have all the software updates for free with in 1 year.

September 4th, 2008, 09:28 PM	#8
Adam Reuter Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 234	Indeed, what a load of crap Sony is dumping on their loyal userbase. You'd think they would want people to buy their new Rolls Royce memory cards without any hassle. Great product...mediocre customer service. This isn't the first company that's like that though!

September 5th, 2008, 12:48 AM	#9
Steve Shovlar Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dorset UK Posts: 697	Yes this is totally WRONG. I go to a Sony dealer and buy a brand new EX1. I also buy 2 32Gb cards. I can't use the cards and shoot, even though I have spent thousands. I take th camera back and say its faulty. "No its not faulty, you hto have the camera updated". Please do it then I have a job to shoot this week". "Sure. That will be $100 thank you". "Sorry?" "We charge you $100 to do the update". "Eh? You kidding right? So the camera doesn't work. I will have a full refund then please as you have sold me faulty goods." Watch them do the update for free.

September 5th, 2008, 10:03 AM	#11
Steven Thomas Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 1,896	Who EVER heard of such a thing... This makes NO sense. I would of "hands down" returned the camera and said it is NOT compatible with the 32GB cards they claimed are compatible.

September 5th, 2008, 11:43 AM	#12
Barry J. Anwender Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 382	In Canada that will be cost you $100 courtesy of Sony Canada, if you intend on keeping your warranty valid. This is straight from Sony Broadcast Pro dealers, most of whom are not even aware that the Ex1 firmware is now at 1.11 and required to work with the new 32Gig cards and hard drive. "Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil"

September 5th, 2008, 01:24 PM	#14
Ian Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: London, UK Posts: 84	Sony sucks period and this is just pretty par for the course from them. I just hope some of how they've dealt with the 32GB/firmware upgrade here gets a wider audience. You may recall that the Sony Premium support expert who took my call and told me they couldn't take my camera for firmware upgrade because it was "physically damaged" (the external mic holder had snapped off when the supplied camera bag brushed against the mic that was installed in it). He assured me that the upgrade was only needed for the hard disk unit and NOT the 32GB card. It's now a week after my dealer rep returned from vacation and no response to my "I can't get my camera upgraded because Sony won't take it. Can you help?" emails. Of course the main reason the external mic holder snapped off is because the supplied mic from the "professional broadcast dealer" was too big/heavy for it. The fact that the wretched microphone, sold as part of a custom EX1 package, showed up in the frame at wide angle settings should have alerted me to the sort of professionalism to expect from this "professional broadcast dealer". I guess it's another sign of Sony's own professionalism in selecting who they allow to sell their "professional" products. The only light at the end of the tunnel for me is that if I take a day off work and travel to an official Sony Repair Centre (some distance from my home in central London and my place of work in Kingston) I can try and get a new external mic holder fitted for a fee (if Sony Premiere Support can be believed). Then I can take another day off work to collect it and then Sony say they WILL take it for a free firmware upgrade so long as I get it to them before the end of October. Of course I won't have my camera for quite a while at a time when I need it most because I've agreed to help video a bunch of events, but heh! this is Sony, what did I expect? I am seriously thinking of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, putting all the Sony gear on Ebay and buying a different camera from another manufacturer AND another dealer.