Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

Normally I use the Balanced power plan, or the High Performance.

I did a full restore to my system, it didn't help. It doesn't seems to be a software-related problem, as it also happens some seconds after I enter the BIOS setup. I didn't try to set the system to power-saver and then reboot, would that help, since it may not have anything to do with Windows?

And I asked about the international warranty when I bought the computer at the Sony Style store in Denver, and the guy told me it wasn't available in Brazil. Also, the Sony guys from here told me the same.

By the way, I took my computer to a local laptop store, and they are trying to fix it, they can re-write the BIOS if that's necessary. If it stays that way I don't know what I'm gonna do, since it's way noisier than my desktop computer.

 

Hey guys, I have the F115FM/B configuration from Best Buy. I just got it yesterday after doing extensive research (knowing there was a light bleed issue).

I read that everyone is trying to obtain the Premium screen that only the Euro models have. I now want that because of this horrid light bleed at the bottom of the screen. Has anyone been able to secure one? If so, please tell me.

 

Perhaps Joe Bleau could remind us of the link for the international warranty registration -- because Sony reps have been wrong before, and the site lists the countries and models covered. This way Andremaul can be sure....

 

With fear and trepidation, I offer the following bit of detailed research (which I swore I wouldn't do anymore for fear of having my head bit off yet again), but here goes, with full instructions for duplicating all Internet pathways to reduce or eliminate "confusion":

The VPCF119FJ model is listed on the Sony Japan site as having the Premuim Adobe Full HD screen. Scroll down to Standard (retail) Model and it's the first of the three:
http://translate.googleusercontent....&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhg0tlicVYy4fchB-SCQQOrQNBhICA

At this point, Sony appears to have a numbering system which seems to be consistent across the globe, so it is likely that that number is for all models with that number, with the additional tacked-on letters indicating color, cf. this chart site of detailed specs for that model number where the tacked-on BI appears to be Black and W White: http://translate.googleusercontent....&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhgb75Ea7pPTTqbOCgZdsc3BFe1Ing

Remember, for Sony Japan, the F was the FW, and the F1 is what we call the F. This also leads us to believe that the VPCF1 CTO in the States, with its VPCF1190 number, is following the practice of the earlier North American series: FW190, FW290, etc. (I'm not talking about auto-detect here which also varied for the FW series and where letters indicated operating systems and colors.)

This page of the official Sony parts site that Joe Bleau found for us has the screen listed as "VPCF119FJ A1772658A A1772658A LCD UNIT (F) (S) $668.05" at p. 3 of the results when you enter "VPCF11" at the zone "Model prefix starts with":
https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/PartsPLUSResults.aspx?sType=parts&PageNum=3#

If, as I suspect, it is an RGB LED screen, then you will have your work cut out for you since that's not a plug-n-play for your one-lamp CCFL model. If it is a dual-lamp CCFL, then roweraay's experience in adapting a two cable screen to that model will help you.

Another problem could be the bezels which sometimes differ from screen manufacturer to manufacturer. I've seen separate and parallel parts lists for the same FW model for this very reason. If you install it yourself, you will invalidate your manufacturer's warranty unless Best Buy permits self-installs. Worth checking first.

What I would do is call Sony Service Plus (cf. https://servicesplus.us.sony.biz/sony-service-contacts.aspx for 1-800-538-7550, 9 am to 7 pm, M-F) and see if you can get them to talk to you. You could also email their "Parts research" team at [email protected]. I personally wouldn't do that because leaving a trace is likely to yield less info (if Sony wants a lid on this) than if you just catch someone on the phone.

Armed with the A1772658A Sony part number, one can also search the Internet looking for an after-market screen that matches, but I wouldn't expect that to yield anything but a possibly compatible screen -- whether it would have Adobe RGB compatibility is anyone's guess if it wasn't made for Sony's direct use. Of course, we don't know the manufacturer from this part number; perhaps you could get a rep at Sony Service Plus to tell you? ;-)

Good luck. Let us know what you find out. At the very least, you now know where you can buy one and which part it likely is.

 

Joe, I haven't been able to find the guide on the DIY optical bay HDD, maybe you haven't had the chance to do it yet. If that's the case, could you let us know all the items we need to buy to make it work (included what you used to use the bd-rom externally). Thanks

Just to point out that there are also plenty of people (myself included) with dual boot and no fan problems. I can't really see any correlation between the two facts.

 

Yes there is a recognized problem with 1.00 firmware burning some discs. Get the 1.01 update here.. http://www.sony.co.in/support/download/374453/product/vgn-fw53gf/sectionfirst?subpage=detail

(EDIT) That's for the UJ240A, as in my first F11 and most FWs, that does not work for the crappy UJ240as.

 

Hey guys!

Since reading through all of the post (which unfortunately aren't that much - even after using forum search) would certainly take longer than doing what I'm actually looking for I may ask you!

The Vaio F has a combined headphone jack/optical out right?

But how the hell am I connecting this to a conventional optical connector on my home theatre system?? Just plug the optical cable into it or what?

 

Well here’s a resolution to my silly situation. To recap: the 1st F-11 I received and the 2nd both slowed down, after about an hour, when attached to an external monitor. I tried everything because I was convinced it had to be software related. Finally I went to Best Buy and talked to the fellow with the Geek Squad. I explained what was happening and he immediately said he knew what the problem was….guaranteed. He said that the graphics chip is over heating because of poor placement in relation to the heat sink. Said he’d seen it before, that it’s a manufacturers defect, and that if I kept the lid open, the laptop should run fine.

I took this with a grain of salt because, after all, nobody on the forums has companied about this problem that I know of, this is the second F-11 laptop this happened on, and this has never happened with any other laptop I’ve owned.

Well, I got home, hooked up the external monitor with the lid open, and it runs just the way it’s supposed to. Close the lid and it starts to slow down again. Has anyone else had this issue with an F-11? Would anyone mind checking? Is there an unobtrusive fan I could use to cool the laptop with the lid closed. Kind of limits my option to have to have the lid open al of the time to use my beautiful external monitor.

Thanks.

 

Here is what you need. I bought this exact one and it works great. There is also a 12 foot one for a little more...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VJ84RK/ref=oss_product

Gary

 

Go to your Sony_support page for your model, left navigation pane: Product Registration. For example on the US site: https://productregistration.sel.sony.com/app/home.htm

After I received the email confirmation, I double checked by calling the US Sony_support & the rep checked my warranty with my serial # & confirmed that it now had the international warranty.

From this US support page: "...International customers should visit the Sony_Global Web site for information about obtaining support and replacement parts in other countries".

About VAIO_International Repair Service Program: "...The VAIO IRSP will only be valid after your VAIO notebook has been registered.

You are therefore advised to complete it as soon as possible by going to the website: http://biz.sel.sony.com/secure/IRSP/. Click on “Register now”, enter the VAIO serial number, purchase date, purchased country and follow the procedure. We strongly advise to register your VAIO notebook before you travel abroad to avoid unnecessary delays."

US Sony_support site: VAIO_International Repair Service Program (IRSP) - Terms and Conditions

VAIO_International Repair Service it includes registration for Australia, India, Singapore, etc.

 

Sony_web pages mentioning the "...100% Adobe RGB coverage" thing:

http://presscentre.sony.eu/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=5460&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=1

http://www.sony.co.in/product/vpcf117hg

http://www.sony.com.au/product/vpcf117hg

http://corp.sony.com.my/vaio/vaio_f.html

https://www.sonystyle.com.hk/ss/product/vaio/vpcf117hg_e.jsp

Note the RGB 3-chip LED LCD as seen in this screen capture from this Sony_page (click on_VAIO):



*****

From the updated Vaio_F_Series Monitor Profiles Roundup & US glossy vs. EU Premium Displays post:

To learn more about color spaces:

- Color space: "...A color model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colors can be represented as tuples of numbers, typically as three or four values or color components (e.g. RGB and CMYK are color models)... This "footprint" is known as a gamut, and, in combination with the color model, defines a new color space. For example, Adobe RGB and sRGB are two different absolute color spaces, both based on the RGB model."

- RGB color model: "...is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue."



- RGB color space



- Adobe RGB color space "... encompasses roughly 50% of the visible colors specified by the Lab color space ...It was designed to encompass most of the colors achievable on CMYK color printers".

- sRGB color space: "...is a standard RGB color space created cooperatively by HP and Microsoft in 1996 for use on monitors, printers, and the Internet".

- sRGB vs. Adobe RGB by Ken Rockwell, photographer: "The same old-wives-tale about Adobe RGB having a broader range of colors has been circulating on the internet since the 1990s...".

In the North American market, the consumer is driving the glossy finish & the low price point is a very important criteria. Go to any big box store in USA with laptops on display & try to find a non-glossy screen for notebooks in the same price range as the F and with a similar sized LCD. My take on why the F 1080p is semi-glossy in North America.

I would say that my US 1080p display is semi-glossy compared to some high-gloss laptop displays I've seen. While it does not cover 100% of the Adobe RGB color space, the coverage is wide enough for me to do critical photo editing & once the monitor is calibrated, the color representation is brilliant with accurate true colors, proven with X-Rite Colorchecker charts both electronic on the desktop vs. a physical one hand held next to the F's display like this photo from the interesting (especially if you use Photoshop) Introduction to Color Management article:



"A monitor profile's accuracy is checked against a physical sample".

Very few people could say which monitor covers 100% or not of that Adobe color space in a side-by-side comparison. I would prefer the EU Premium display but I love the US price point.

*****

HDD in ODD Bay:

Sorry, posts like this color space reference or the how-to remove the LCD took me a ton of time (which nobody give me rep for BTW ). So I did not have any spare time life to do it. This morning I worked on it (Intel Matrix screen grabs, etc) & should post it later tonight. I will PM you when posted.

 

The air intake is in fact through the grill above the keyboard, thus close the lid and the air intake is blocked. So of course it overheats and both the CPU and GPU clock down to reduce power. The same happens with desktops when they run into heat problems.

Notebooks have always been designed to run with the lid open. IBMs traditionally actually had heat radiators in the bezel of the lid, connected with tight heat-conducting hinges. Many laptops do have the air intake at the bottom, but that can be blocked when the system is sitting on cloth, the F11 is intelligently-designed in this respect. Alienwares have both the exhaust and air intakes at the side, but the whole unit, especially at the back, has to be thicker to accomodate this airflow.

So more power is taken when an external monitor is connected, in the same way the GPU runs hotter when running a game, and the system clocks down to protect itself when the airflow is blocked.

I've ALWAYS known you must never close the lid on an actively-processing notebook, it's too bad you didn't say you were doing that, I could have given you the anwer ages ago. The reason that you haven't heard about the slowdown problem is that other users are NOT both connecting an external monitor and closing the lid.

Most persistent problems in technology - and life - are due to NOT having all the information at hand.

 

very diappointing that display hasn't yet come state-side.

I really need a higher quality screen. It biggest reason I bought (and now miss) my aw 290J was because of the AdobeRGB screen, which was markedly superior in color reproduction to my step mothers AW190, which had the standard "Full HD" screen. Now that the laptop has been returned, I've been at a loss trying to find a replacement. Everything I come across either looks physically homely or doesn't have a screen in the same class.

Now I see Sony *does* in fact make laptops with these higher quality screens, but none are offered in the US. It's like being on the other side of a window separating me from what I want. so my search must go on.

 

I find your comments regarding laptops interesting as I have owned 7 laptops and each has run perfectly with the lid closed while hooked up to an external monitor. Right now I'm using an SR-390 hooked up to an external monitor. How would I know that would be an issue based on my experience. Most persistent problems caused by lack of information are solved by asking the right questions.

I do apppreciate your help. You give a lot to this thread but I have the distinct feeling you think I'm a moron. If you delved into my world where I'm acknowleged to to be an expert you might not be so facile.

 

Thank you so much, Joe Bleau, for the definitive references, especially the image from that advertisement. So far I was only able to find that one German site in defense of my own research on this matter, so your comble de richesses with those links and the image resolves this issue.

As for the VCPF117HG, that model is not on that Sony Service Plus Website, so its having an RGB LED is good (and further confirmation) news but doesn't give us an identifiable source for purchasing the screen. My finding that the VPCV119FJ whose screen _is_ on that ordering site is also one of these superb RGB LED screens makes it possible to begin to track down more info on that screen (manufacturer and manufacturer part number, etc.) for those who are seeking an after-market solution.

Merci encore une fois pour tant de travail a notre service!

 

Sony Vaio Care>Recovery & Restore> Create Recovery disc.

It will not recognize my Bluray read/write drive so therefore I can't create the recovery discs. Drivers are up to date, and the drive reads and burns in all other situations.
Aside from doing a full system restore, is there any other way I can access the partition and burn my recovery discs? (I read somewhere that all Vaio Care does it access the hidden recovery partition to burn the discs, so I was thinking maybe create disc images from that partition with another software, like MagicISO and burning them myself)

 

I know what you mean. The FW190's dual-lamp HiColor was always said to be in the same class as an RGB LED and once you see this quality screen, it is difficult to live without it.

Out of curiosity, why did you return the AW290 Premium?

 

WHERE is the LED screen mentioned?! This whole thing about LED screens is somewhat hyped anyway, the best, fullest white still comes from the latest cold cathode flourescent phosphors, premium scanners all use fourescents rather than LEDs because of their greater colour range, especially at the violet end. The LED screen in my Asus has considerably weaker colour than the F11, with no true reds. Also RGB is a misnomer, ALL displays are RGB, though Adobe RGB probably not. Displays are usually at best sRGB. Anyway SHOW me an LED screen on an F-series, and I'll eat my hat.

Interstingly the best WLED TN display on the market was developed by Sony, and is the one used for the WLED RGB display in Dells. it is capable of local dimming thus making for greater contrast than other technologies. THAT is the one Sony should offer as their deluxe premium screen!

 

Cf. Joe Bleau's post above: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=6129161&postcount=2861 and my post which I think has been skipped over because of its length: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=6128648&postcount=2854.

All the documentation of the RGB LED specifications is in those two posts above.

I agree. That's why I actually prefer the FW190's dual-lamp HiColor that the German sites, according to Moderator Phil, consistently rated as equalling (some of us say, exceeding) RGB LED. Its maximum contrast is 1:400 and its illumination is 357.50 cd/m2. To put it mildly, the North American F can't hold a candle to that (cf. http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/inspection/sony-vaio-vgn-fw11zu-619).

The premium F's RGB LED has 1:550 contrast (a difference not easily discernible to the naked eye) but the illumination is 238.80 cd/m2 ( http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/inspection/notebook-review-sony-vaio-vpc-f11z1e-nkst-1103). That difference in illumination is _very_ discernible to the naked eye.

(cf. the links reproduced above and the notebookcheck review of the F11 -- however, airplane tickets to Europe or Japan are not included)

Chapeau a Joe Bleau!

 

"... they can re-write the BIOS if that's necessary" - Best of luck, if badly done it can brick your F.

"...I use the... High Performance" - That mode makes the fan work harder.

"...it also happens some seconds after I enter the BIOS setup." - That normal when you are rebooting in BIOS as an other user & I reported earlier.

"I did a full restore to my system, it didn't help" - Sorry to hear that.

From the US Sony_support site: VAIO_International Repair Service Program (IRSP) - Terms and Conditions:

Sorry, I don't see Brazil in the list.

*****

I was just pointing out the coincidence. Many Vaio_F owners have no problems but yet some do.

My stab in the dark after trying the other trouble shooting steps suggested for the fan stuck @ 100%, including To No End's F not powering on - fan stuck @ 100% Fix: I would flash the BIOS which according to my system info are: BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. R0250Y6, 12/07/2009.

Thermal management is done by the ACPI Tables in the BIOS and the OS. Check this post about how to read them and links to forums that might help with BIOS questions.

 

WHAT won't recognize the drive? If it shows in Device Manager then Vaio care will write to it. If the drive is defective then use an external USB burner.

 

Sony VAIO Care software, as stated in the FIRST line of my post

and yes it shows up as a MASHIA BD-MLT UJ240AS in my device manager page.


.

On a separate note, is it normal that there is a very faint crackling coming from my AC adapter? It isn't audible unless it's near me and the room is quiet or if I have my ear against it. It does not get abnormally hot. Just warm, comparable to my dell adapter. The crackling sounds like if something is shorting or arcing in there. Any of you hear something similar from your AC adapters?

 

I added a blue arrow on the screen capture for your benefit.

 

Ok, good, then that means it is in fact the Dell screen, which WOULD be worthwhile. But since it's a $400 option on Dell Studio XPS's I can imagine Sony might not consider it marketable for their "price point" US models. Also, as it is, demand seems to exceed supply.

But we still need a European to apply a screwdriver to their premium F11. Only Canadians, Americans, and Costa Ricans seem to have the guts to do so...

 

If you mean "No installed optical drive found" yes, I just now got the same message when I tried it - until I put in a blank DVDr....

(edit) Put in the blank DVD BEFORE clicking "create recovery disc.."

 

No I don't think you're a moron, but not many notebooks DO have the air intake on the keyboard plinth, so since you habitually "always" keep the lid closed I can see how you might not mention it, because you didn't think it would be relevant.

(edit) much has been written about how the straight to the point nature of information forums can mask the personality and nature of the fellows doing the posting and create unexpected friction.. I'm a nice guy, honestly...

 

Mine doesn't crackle, it makes tick tick noises and the LED flickers (in fact, my lights flicker too) when the battery is full or no battery.

The tick tick is like hitting a piece of glass with a pin or something.

Anyway, I dunno about yours, but when I talked to Sony reps on multiple occasions they said it was NOT normal

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ipnqyZbJuDoZjFczUk3JBXIN5eoRkpoF6pnmoMG3xu4?feat=directlink

BTW Sorry Joe, I use quick replies lol.

 

Hmmm. WLED? Are you sure? Not 3-chip RGB LED?

Because, indeed, the ads for the European F's tout their screen's special dimming capability.

 

I haven't seen a single Dell laptop that used a 16.4" LCD out there. The XPS 16 uses a 15.6" screen, and it's available as an RGB LED screen. One that I recall some people here being quite vocal about not being a very good LCD (as far as reliability is concerned).

 

Do you use a vertical stand for the notebook?

I am planning on making one out of wood for my F, with the exhaust grid facing up to help natural convection cooling:



With a gadget like that, you can hide the F behind the display.

 

There's no such thing as a 3-chip LED display. the technology doesn't exist. Can you imagine the number of LEDS that would be needed? 6220800. And LEDS dont have a smooth brightness range, they just flicker from level to level. And what about the current consumptipn..?

(edit) AH, my apologies, apparently some displays use red, green, and blue LEDs, (combined through the diffuser) tuned to the colour of the crystal matrices, thus they are optimized for current consumption and colour accuracy. The best displays on the market seem to be only WLED. Indeed Sony may be offering a whole new technology with three-colour LEDs, another reason why it was not yet ready for the North American market. (due to the numbers produced)

The LCD in a CCFL or LED screen is exactly the same - no difference, the difference is in how the backlighting is, erm, lit. Between 15 and 40 LEDS sre used.

WLED means White LED. LEDS started as Red only then gradually the technology evolved to produce other colours. Full-spectrum white is quite a recent development. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13554_3-9748301-33.html

(edit) sorry for the disjointed post.

 

Web search: sony_3-chip LED display.

 

yeah, I suppose tick tick is another way of describing it. My LED flickers as well.

but I found the noise to stop after awhile. (Like after 30 minutes of use, so maybe it stops once everything is warmed up? Would that even make sense?)

 

Before you posted this I posted an addition. See above. I meant there is no such thing as individual LEDS for EACH pixel. It's still just a total of some 40 LEDs.

 

EDIT: Never mind - the inconsistencies have been cleared up. But still:

I'm a bit confused as to what 3-chip RGB LEDs are. I understand that a WLED display uses a "normal" LCD panel with the use of LED backlighting. It's main advantage is a low power draw and eco-friendliness compared to CCFL lamps.

Then, from what I understand, RGB LED screen technology uses red, green and blue LEDs to achieve a "pure" white backlight - as indicated on the Sony advertisement shown above ( WLED technology uses a blue LED with some phosphor to get a white-ish color) and NOT 3 LEDs for each pixel on the screen (lol yes, as MelodyMaster said, that would be ridiculous).

Just want to make sure we're all on the same page in terms of terminology.

 

I tried with two brands of blank 4.7GB DVDs. (Memorex and Verbatim)
In all cases, it either says no optical drive detected, or media type not supported. :S

 

But there is no such thing as a white WLED:

"Technically the phosphor based white LEDs encapsulate InGaN blue LEDs inside of a phosphor coated epoxy."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode

I suggest that the Wikipedia article will help to dispel common misperceptions about the trade-offs involved in the whole LED "thing"....

Besides, what we REALLY want is Sony's developing OLED screen!

 

For me it gave the "media type not supported" with a verbatim DVD+r, but was ready to go with a Taiyo-Yuden DVD-r. Also maybe it's waiting for a dual-layer..?

Also there needs to be a hard drive with 20 gigs free. This all SHOULD work..

 

X-black LCD with RGB 3chip LED technology in this Sony_VGN-AW41XH/Q product page: http://www.sony.co.uk/product/vn-aw-series/vgn-aw41xh-q

 

Am I really dense??? I went to your Sony Asia page and found the 3 chip LED display page, but when I clicked on the "learn more" area, it took me to the FW series. When I finally navigated to the F series, their top display was a "premium 1920X1080 TFT full adobe RGB display.

On another note, is Sony now putting Intel 6200 wireless cards in the F? The one I purchased had a different card. I am looking at purchasing 3 more this week. Two will be identical to the first (i7 720QM, 8GB, BluRay, base screen w/ 310M, aftermarket SSD (probably new Sandforce 1500 type)). The other will be mine...i7 820QM, 8GB, BluRay, premium screen and 330M, and either the OCZ Vertex LE or the OWC Mercury Extreme SSD.

For anyone interested, the Crucial M225 128GB SSDs that I put in the first F1190X and a Dell Studio XPS 9000 desktop are incredibly fast!

Bill

 

Right - so the 3 chip RGB LED technology uses 3 LEDs (Red, green, and blue) to get a white color from the combined color of all 3. This would (ostensibly) allow for a much broader range of color temperatures compared to WLED or CCFL backlights. IIRC, however, the age of LEDs affects their color, so if one LED ages faster than another, then the color temperature can shift dramatically over time.

 

Thanks for this info, I've always used Dell's in a Dock and so had no clue. I will start keeping my lid open from now on!

 

Yes, thank you for reminding me. After taking the RGB LED premium option out of the AW series for the AW3 refresh, Sony brought it back in the AW4.

But seriously, did you see the Sony demos from that tech expo concerning the flexible OLEDs for laptops?

Time can't fly by fast enough...can't wait! ;-).

 

"...so if one LED ages faster than another, then the color temperature can shift dramatically over time." - Hence the 3 chips.

 

So if the EU Premium screen has a LED backlight, then i guess there is no chance of retro fitting it to a NA F11. Am i wrong?

 

We just don't know yet.

 

Can someone with a Premium 1080p simply call or write to their Sony_support and ask the brand & model # of their LCD, please.

That's not stopping some people.

 

All this talk and not 1 lousy EU member comes forth to talk about it. Sheesh what a waste.

 

Thats cos we're all too busy admiring our beautiful screens!

 

As far As I can figure there are actually more EU-spec models out there than NA (though not necessarily with the Adobe GB screen of course.) South America uses a third set of specs with glossy screens and GT210s.....

I find it beyond incredible that not one single ruddy individual anywhere from Australia to Singapore via Germany has the courage and decency to physically check their screen, or at least just CALL tbeir Sony rep to find out this critical information about the RGB screen.

See that's just what we're talking about, and it's said that Americans (and Canucks) are supposed to be the ones with Attitude.