Topic: Sony Dash

I have a Sony Dash. Three weeks ago when accessing Pandora I got a network error message. Since the Sony Dash uses the Chumby OS has Chumby stopped providing access to Pandora on the Sony Dash?

Re: Sony Dash

If you have a Sony dash, your device is now supported entirely by Sony. We are unable to assist you with any issues related to that product or any of its apps.
From the Chumby homepage

Re: Sony Dash

Well Sony has remained silent on the issue for about three weeks now. That's why I thought I would try to get an answer here.

Re: Sony Dash

unfortunately, Sony chose to clone the chumby service, in effect, and 'secure' it so that they had complete control of all of the dash appliances.

unless sony comes to an agreement with Blue Octy and turns over the keys to the dashes, there's nothing that we can do.

Cleaning up any loose bits and bytes.

Re: Sony Dash

The Pandora client on the dash is totally different than the one on the chumby-branded devices, and has always been completely out of our control.

Sorry we can't help you, much as we'd like to.

Re: Sony Dash

I actually was considering buying a Dash to check it out but since there is no clear understanding of its future, I decided I didn't need another electronic brick or at least a potential brick. Several gadgets have gone this route. MSN controlled devices just quit after they dropped their items. Lacrosse Weather Direct seems to be just letting their items fade in the sunset. Ambient weather and other devices are not being supported to the point that as towers malfunction they are not reviving them.
Hopefully Sony will turn over the keys to Blue Octy and our Dash cousins will rejoin the family. It would make a lot of Dash fans very happy. From reading some of the posts from Dashers on the Sony site, they are very frustrated at least and very UnSony at this point. Sony could save some bad blood to give the device a new life in the Chumby world. Don't expect Sony thinks it can gain any more money from this item so giving it a nice new home would benefit everyone.

Owner of 3 Sony Dash, 2 Info 8.

Re: Sony Dash

My feeling is that if dash customers want Blue Octy to support these devices, they should let Sony know that.

I'd gladly welcome those users to our community, but I can't do it without Sony's explicit support, since the devices are locked down.

As it is, I still get support emails from dash customers pleading for help, and as this thread shows, some people are (understandably) under the impression that the dash's problems are due to something Chumby/BlueOcty is responsible for.

Actually, I *do* support a small amount of the dash functionality, but not intentionally.  For instance, some of the widgets use our content servers, despite the fact that they weren't supposed to do that.

8 (edited by demarks51 2015-04-02 16:03:16)

Re: Sony Dash

It seems Sony does not intend on doing anything with the Dash and basically is tolerating them since it quit selling these units. If they would just release all rights to Blue Octy to take over it could be a good move to show these customers that they actually care about these customers and are willing to hand off to some entity that will satisfy their needs. I can't see how they can get any more money out of this endeavor. It is a liability to them at this point and could be a plus if they just pass them off to Duane.
I still would like to obtain one these units and try it out but afraid it will just be shortlived. I sorta don't expect Sony to do the *right thing* and donate to Blue Octy. It's not like Duane will make a fortune *acquiring* the Dash community.
If there any Dashers out there...bug Sony to pass along the keys to Duane.

Owner of 3 Sony Dash, 2 Info 8.

Re: Sony Dash

I tried submitting a request to Sony to pass the Dashes back to Chumby. I got a form letter response that basically said to call support. I don't think they're reading their own Dash forum anymore. I think this might require getting someone who knows someone involved.

Re: Sony Dash

Well, it can't hurt to start a thread over there anyway.

One important issue that is that I can't support everything a dash does, only try to offer what a chumby can do.  For instance, I can't possibly offer Netflix, Slacker, etc that are currently part of that product, because I don't have the necessary licenses and don't have the resources to enter into such.  Some of these would contractually *require* that the device stay locked down, which is a pretty fundamental conflict with chumbian philosophy.

So, unlike what happened with us, where the devices effectively hibernated for a year, then all of the old services restored as they were, if *they* switch to use our systems, they'll immediately be losing features they had before the switch.

Since the system was restored, we have nearly 50 new widgets, with another 40 or so old ones restored to functionality, on top of the ones that have been working all along - so they're down nearly 100 working widgets from what we have, probably more.  Our content and  music subsystems are working, the ability to upload new and updated widgets is working, and I provide at least some level of customer support.

I wonder - is that enough to offer a dash user?

Re: Sony Dash

Duane,

You are kidding, right? Sony offers NO customer support. We get requests here pretty regularly from people who tried to get help from Sony but either recieved nothing or a form letter making pretty obvious their request wasn't even read. They come here because they have no where else to go. At some point Sony will stop Dash service (can't really blame them, they can't support old hardware forever) and leave Dash users with nothing. If by some miracle Sony agreed to unlock their hardware and allow you to provide some level of service to the existing Dash users at least they would have a functioning device. I am sure some Dash users would complain about losing features but most should understand that some features are better than owning a brick. As you said, new widgets are being created. Dash users would have access to new content for the first time in years.

BTW, "some level of customer support"? Really? When you can't take care of something quickly you go out of your way to appologize. I wish I got your level of support from my car dealer.

/end rant

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

Re: Sony Dash

I'm actually pretty sure that there are Sony people monitoring their support forum, however, I think they may be wed to the idea that there's nothing they can do, so it's better not to say anything.

If a bunch of customers starting proposing a solution that they'd be comfortable with, there's a possibility that that might percolate up through the system.  It can't hurt.

Sony is well aware of what we're doing - what they don't know is how dash customers might feel about it.  Right now it's just a bunch of complaints (valid ones, to be sure), but even customer support folks eventually start tuning that out when they feel helpless.

Re: Sony Dash

Well, my Sony Dash "brick" does have a pretty neat digital clock that displays hour/minute/seconds. SMH

Re: Sony Dash

Great news Dash owners! The Sony Dash is now functional. I can now play Pandora on my Dash. Other members at the Sony website have also said all the other functions like Netflix, Hulu, etc are also working.

Re: Sony Dash

hi. when you updated the gawker app, did it somehow make the Dash version freeze? Two maybe three weeks ago the gawker app freezes both my Dashs. Every time they get to gawker they freeze. So I removed gawker and back to normal.  It was so frustrating that I bought a C8 last week and am now (also) a monthly subscriber. I am happy to pay three bucks -it is well worth it. 

(off topic) is there any way to make my C8 look like the Dash screen? I would like the apps running on one side and the clock on the other. Is that not a reality with Chumby?

_Donny
Dash 2010
Chumby 2015

Re: Sony Dash

Any updates or additions we make to the apps on this site have no effect on anything related to the dash.

When I update an app, it's generally because something changed on the site the app uses - since none of the apps are being updated on the dash site, they're still probably using whatever method that's broken, which could indeed result in a hang, depending upon the particular failure mode.  I don't recall the specifics with Gawker.

I'd have to check, but it might be possible to do the "widget in just part of the screen" thing that the dash does in some alternative Control Panel. I'll look into it.

Re: Sony Dash

Duane wrote:

I'd have to check, but it might be possible to do the "widget in just part of the screen" thing that the dash does in some alternative Control Panel. I'll look into it.

This would be pretty nice for the devices with larger screens.
I just bought a Dash the other week and I do like this aspect of it.
The rest of it is a bit of a pain. Nothing works as well as on a proper Chumby. Changing channels is difficult because it is very reluctant to load the channels, despite being only two metres away from the wireless router. Adding widgets to channels on the computer is more difficult than it ought to be because the page doesn't refresh as often as it ought, so you can't tell if a widget is added or not. Then when you refresh the page, it turns out that you've got five or six instances of the widget in your channel.