Sony Vaio PCG-F190 Review: Shortcomings

[aral]

I would like to point out a few shortcoming and offer a few questions for further consideration regarding Peter Wells' review of the F-190 in the July issue of Computer Video.

First off, I believe that the conclusion reached by the review that because the F-190 did not work with a certain external SCSI drive during your tests, it will not work with any external SCSI drive ever harbours an inherent ad-hoc fallicy and cannot be justified scientifically. A phone call to an unnamed Sony tech (even if she is one of the "top technobods" there) hardly constitutes the official company word from Sony regarding this issue. It is stated in the review that this (implying the inability to work with external storage) "may explain why it is that Sony, seemingly, has pulled the 190 from sale in the USA." I do not know what facts Mr. Wells based this statement upon but a quick trip to the Sony website should confirm that not only is the 190 still on sale, but that the F-series has a whole host of new models available, ranging all the way up to the new F-290 (which also, unfortunately, comes with a standard 6.4GB hard drive but with more memory than the F-190.) To state that "the Vaio 190 is only suitable for capturing photos and small-duration edits" is a big claim to make and I believe that it is one that is just not justified by the amount of testing that was mentioned as having been performed in the article.

At the very least the F-190 should have been tested with other cardbus / external SCSI drive combinations and the reviewer should have contacted Sony and asked for a written official statement concerning this very important problem.

Another question, unprobed in the article, concerns using the firewire port instead of SCSI: Will the F-190 work with the new firewire Orb drives and/or with a firewire hard disk? (See my hypothetical setup at http://members.tripod.com/aral/dv/mobile.htm and also see http://members.tripod.com/aral/dv/mobile2.htm).

In conclusion, I'd just like to restate my original statement that I believe the review was less than thorough in it's testing and hasty in reaching a conclusion that is nothing more than an unscientific generalization that the F-190 is not suitable for serious video editing. I would like to see some follow-up on this matter to clear things up and strengthen your argument.

That said, thanks for a wonderful magazine & keep up the good work!

Best Regards,
Aral Balkan

[bcrabtree]

Aral,

Sadly, your comments show an almost complete lack of understanding of the real world or, rather, the strange world of reviewing.

In an ideal situation, we would have had the VAIO for how ever long WE deemed necessary and would have carried out our tests in a workshop lined with every conceivable item the reviewer might need. Once the tests were finally completed, we would have written the article, circulated it for peer review, then made the decision about which issue of CV in the next millennium it would appear in.

In reality, almost immediately we received the Vaio, Sony was trying to get it back, and we had to fend off increasingly irate phone calls on a regular basis explaining in detail why we'd not yet finished.

Our workshop was our office and the only way we could have done anything more than we did was to have waited for weeks whilst we scrounged up the items you're suggesting we should have used (assuming that were available and we could have got them at all) - by which time, Sony would long ago have sent in a snatch squad to retrieve its kit.

The technobod we quoted was, as best as I can make out, giving the official Sony line, having carried out, she told me (and Peter) VERY extensive tests.

Yes, I double checked (twice, actually) what she'd told Peter, because it seemed an amazing thing to say.

I think it likely that we spent more time on that review than any other magazine would have done under the same circumstances and, frankly, I'm not sure that I'd care to try to justify to my publisher and MD how that huge amount of time was justified. About all I'd be able to say is that it's my choice that we do things that way. Also, it's a way that means that I work ridiculously long hours every weekday, and for a very large part of most weekends.

And I write these words sitting at home on what my mind thinks is Friday night, but what my body knows is actually about 2am Saturday morning.

As for your belief that the 190 isn't being discontinued well, let's wait and see. But the source of that information has not been wrong in the past in my experience.

Careful use of the reporting of rumour, though, is a well proven journalistic device that has flushed out a lot of villains and, at the more mundane journalistic level at which I've worked since 1980, has worked well to provide information to readers who would be denied it if I the only thing considered fit for publication was something official provided by the company.

Your contention about our review not being scientic is, almost certainly, true. But, I would contend that the same is true of most reviews published and that, compared to all the eulogies I've seen written about the 190, ours was a paragon of scientific virtue, clear thinking and balance.

Frankly, though, if you want better, the only option would be for us to find a way of totally changing the mind set of the makers of equipment we review, then quadrupling the cover price and producing the mag as a quarterly, or half-yearly publication available only by subscription.

Actually, I understate the case because, in all honesty, the only way to do it PROPERLY, would be for us to buy ever piece of kit we test. And, if we did that, the only way we'd make a profit as a magazine, would be for readers to pay a tithe to us, for life, equivalent to 15% of their net income (and, I'm assuming in this senario that each reader's net income would be well above the national average).

Oh, and if you want to see any follow up, you'be better contact Sony yourself to explain the situation - I really don't think they are going to be swayed by me.

Oh (2), and while you are at it, do please contact all the other firms involved, and liase with them about when they should deliver their kit to our office so that it will be there at the same time as the Sony, and do please get everyone to agree we can have it as long as we think we need it.

Bob C
(Walks off shaking his head and muttering)

[aral]

Jeez Bob, didn't mean to give you an ulcer. I guess it's only positive comments from now on from me.

[bcrabtree]

Aral,

To say that I nearly fell off my chair laughing, is no exaggeration.

Thanks for pricking my pomposity!

And, really, I needed a laugh (and, possibly, bringing down a peg or two).

After I'd finished work for the day (you know roughly the time - but I'm back at it again now), I sat down and watched a video of Saving Private Ryan.

It's not that I've been depressed since then, just, how shall I say, rather thoughtful.

My mum lost a brother in the RN when HMS Hood was sunk but had two others survive, one in the army who came back with medals for outstanding gallantry. My father was sunk THREE times and survived each time unscathed.

I was never able to get my father or the uncles to talk about the war and both have now been dead a good many years.

I was in Normandy a couple of years ago, staying with friends, and wanted to visit the war cemetries, but my kids and wife didn't rate it as a good day out.

I suspect that they may think differently now, having seen Private Ryan.

Oh, but it's nice to think that, perhaps, some readers of CV, will be the next generation's Spielbergs.

Bob C

[aral]

Hi Bob, it's me again, the "someone else" who "posted a rather harsh comment about July's review"!

I just got the August issue in the mail and was quite honored to be mentioned in your editorial, thanx! Now I can brag to everyone when school starts next month http://www.safety-online-internet.com/host/computervideo/ubb/smile.gif Seriously though, I was being sarcastic and it was a joke and I *was* trying to lighten the mood. (Glad I made you laugh!)

You see, I've never had to publish a magazine but I have produced and directed numerous stage shows and believe me I know how hard it is to wear the chief's feathers. You bust your butt trying to get everything as perfect as possible under the myriad of constraints you have to struggle with and just when you feel you've succeeded and your wonderful creation is born to be adored and marvelled at, you get a fiesty prick with no idea of what you've had to go through effortlessly declare something along the lines of "Gee this sucks!" Believe me I've been on the receiving end of such comments more often than not and thus I was trying my best to be as constructive as possible in my criticisms. I guess I came off too strong nevertheless.

Believe me, though, that if I didn't believe in what you're trying to do with Computer Video, I wouldn't have wasted my time in writing to you in hopes that my contributions might help to make it even better. And of course, all this is made possible in the first place because you took the initiative to set up this message board. Good call! And the same goes for the US/Canada subscription deal. I'm moving to the US in six days to start on my MFA and you can bet I'll be renewing my subscription once it runs out (wonder when that'll be exactly?..)

Thanks again for the mention in your editorial and for a wonderful mag. Now I'm off to read the rest of it.

Best Regards,
Aral

[Aquavisions]

Aral,

Do you have a Sony Vaio F190, mmm if so i am sure we can share a few story's about this wonderful product NOT.

I have made the investment only to find out about the problems with it afterwards, i had thought of changing it but for what, is there another portable product out there worth the time and effort.

Thankfully i don't need to produce video footage longer than 25 minutes but have managed to keep system usage to a minimum.

Have you ever tried to run a Jaz 2GB drive from a 1480a SCSI PCMCIA card, well forget it coz it won't work.

Cheers

Andy