HVX Warranty Repairs

Niceguy

Niceguy

Member
I have developed two issues with my HVX (the firewire port is intermitten, and the rca video out has to have pressure on it to transmit signal.)
I am wondering if anyone has had experience dealing with Panasonic and warranty repairs. I am curious about your experiences. I am mainly concerned with how long you were without you camera.

If it is a lengthy proccess it may be worth it just to pay someone to do the repairs.

Any words of advice?
 
Niceguy: I have the same problem with my firewire port. I called Panasonic and if your camera is still under warranty, you may ship it to one of their their authorized repair shops:

Nive Electronics,140 58th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220 Call them at 718.765.0123 and they'll guide you through the process.

Too bad the firewire and rca ports are so fragile. The important thing is to never connect/disconnect the firewire cable unless both camera and other device are both powered off.

Good luck--Craig
 
I have the *same* problem with my firewire port -- so far, the Panasonic warranty/repair experience has been a challenge. First, I was directed to the wrong provider of service. Now I'm waiting on a call back from a service center in Elgin, Illinois, to which I was directed by the folks who couldn't do the repair. It's somewhat alarming to not be able to reach a live human being and at least begin the process, but I had no option except to leave a message.
 
kevinsonofken said:
I have the *same* problem with my firewire port -- so far, the Panasonic warranty/repair experience has been a challenge. First, I was directed to the wrong provider of service. Now I'm waiting on a call back from a service center in Elgin, Illinois, to which I was directed by the folks who couldn't do the repair. It's somewhat alarming to not be able to reach a live human being and at least begin the process, but I had no option except to leave a message.
Click to expand...

Kevin,

Here's our number: 1-800-359-1858. I'm a human the last I checked. :) I think we have the 1394 jacks in stock. Let me know if I can help out.

Best regards,

Andrew Hoffman
Senior Operations Manager
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858
301-790-0103
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com

Please visit our new online store at ( http://www.spec-comm.com/store ). New products being added daily!
 
Thanks for the tip, Andrew! I sent my HVX200 to you on Wednesday, it was delivered yesterday, and today Emily told me it was on the bench getting straightened out. How about that?

My warranty repair experience with Panasonic was completely unhelpful. When I received a call back from someone in Illinois, she told me that I had been directed yet *again* to the wrong place, and she gave me another number to call. That being the third strike -- the third time I'd been redirected -- so it was nice to have an alternative.

My only other Panasonic support experiences have been pretty bad too. After buying my HVX, I signed up to receive the HVX200 book free -- and never received it. I was also unable to get any responses about the free P2 card offer which began shortly after I purchased -- I was hoping to talk to someone about being grandfathered in -- but that never happened either. At least I love the camera -- that's the most important thing!
 
If you purchased the cam within the specified dates, you are eligible for the p2 card. It really is that simple.

I believe it was Oct 1 to March 31st.
 
I needed a replacement for my firewire port when the cable was yanked.

I brought it right to a Panasonic base in Jersey where the warranty covered it 100% and it was done in about 3 days.
 
blown firewire port

blown firewire port

Hi,
finally I find a forum where this problem is addressed. I have a brand new HVX200 and use it with the FS-100. I had a two day shoot and everything worked fine the first day. The second day, the FS-100 would not record when I pressed the rec button on the camera. I also used P2 cards, so I tried downloading them to a laptop directly from the camera. It wouldn't work either. I tried with a friend's HVX200 and the FS-100 worked fine and I could dowload the P2 cards to the laptop. Therefore, I assume it's a blown firewire port on my camera. Is this a regular problem with the HVX 200? Can the FS-100 blow the firewire port? Also, I have the camera in Venezuela, and would need to fly it back to the USA for repairs/warranty at Panasonic. Do you recommend this, or would it be faster/cheaper to change the firewire port locally? Sending it to the USA means I need to buy a plane ticket, then wait for the repairs, etc. Any help/suggestions will be much appreciated. I am new to this.
Thanks,
Tuki
 
It's kinda of doubtful that a FS 100 would blow a port, because it is bus powered.

Can't help you with the overseas issues. Might want to first call Panasonic.
 
thanks. then, if it's not the fs-100, could the laptop have blown the firewire port? or is there some other explanation for my problem?
 
kevinsonofken said:
Thanks for the tip, Andrew! I sent my HVX200 to you on Wednesday, it was delivered yesterday, and today Emily told me it was on the bench getting straightened out. How about that?
Click to expand...

Looks like I will call Spec Comm next time I need service! Nice to know there is an alternative to contacting Panasonic.
 
J P said:
Looks like I will call Spec Comm next time I need service! Nice to know there is an alternative to contacting Panasonic.
Click to expand...

Thanks JP!

We will make sure that you're taken care of. :)

Best regards,

Andrew Hoffman
Senior Operations Manager
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858
301-790-0103
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com

Please visit our new online store at ( http://www.spec-comm.com/store ). New products being added daily!
 
hi andrew,
from the description i gave earlier, do you think i have a blown firewire port? is there a way to doublecheck before sending it in for repairs? could this have been caused by plugging or unplugging the firewire while the camera was on?
any help is welcome. as i don't live in the us, sending the camera in for repairs or warranty means i will be without a camera for at least several weeks, not to mention the costs involved (buying a plane ticket, etc.).
thanks.
 
Quick update: I spoke live with Andrew and was very happy to hear that the FireWire port was replaced, and that the camera was shortly coming back to me via UPS. I can certainly recommend the service at Specialized Communications.

Having seen a few posts about blown FireWire ports, I imagine it's a fairly common problem with the HVX200.

Thanks, David, for the information about the free P2 card eligibility!

I'm waiting on UPS...
 
At least in my view, it is a "fairly common problem" due to Panasonic's use of a flimsy 4-pin FW port.

Not criticizing the company or anybody else . . . . though

:)
 
Tuki Jencquel said:
hi andrew,
from the description i gave earlier, do you think i have a blown firewire port? is there a way to doublecheck before sending it in for repairs? could this have been caused by plugging or unplugging the firewire while the camera was on?
any help is welcome. as i don't live in the us, sending the camera in for repairs or warranty means i will be without a camera for at least several weeks, not to mention the costs involved (buying a plane ticket, etc.).
thanks.
Click to expand...

Hello Tuki,

It tough to say without looking at the camera. It most likely isn't a bad jack. It could be a bad fuse in one of the data lines, or worst case, a new chip/board needs replaced. The fuse(s) are most likely the culprit though. Before going through all of that trouble, double check ALL of your firewire settings. There are so many to get everything to work just right. I would also try your firewire cable. Then if all else fails, you will need to have you camera checked out. Let me know if there is anything else that I can help you with.

Best regards,

Andrew Hoffman
Senior Operations Manager
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858
301-790-0103
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com

Please visit our new online store at ( http://www.spec-comm.com/store ). New products being added daily!
 
Hi Andrew,
thanks for your feedback. I finally sent the camera to Panasonic and it was repaired. It was something with the firewire circuit. Apparently this happens when the firewire cable is connected while the camera is on, and this can create a short circuit. So the camera always needs to be turned off before connecting or disconnecting the firewire cable. I guess the same goes for the laptop and/or the FS-100. The camera was still under warranty, so it was repaired free of charge, although I was told since the damage was caused by human error, I will be charged if it happens again. What I don't understand is why there is no warning about this problem, neither in the HVX-200 nor the FS-100 user manuals. Anyways, let this be a warning to anyone using the Firewire port for the first time. TURN OFF YOUR CAMERA FIRST.
Best regards and thanks for your support.
Tuki
 
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