Formac Still Around? [Archive]

GregGomer

Dec 10, 2003, 03:41 AM

That's nothing new... you think that's bad, try seeing how much harder it is to get a hold of them if you are a customer reseller and not just a customer.

Never found anyone so hard to reach, nor so quick to offer a reason errr uh, excuse...

That being said, they make great products so lets just hope they are badly understaffed as I'd hate to see them go.

Looking at there web site though, it looks updated rather recently. Seems like a few weeks ago, they weren't advertising that particular 19" monitor. So hopefully there still there, just not answering.

Phillip

Dec 10, 2003, 04:05 AM

my local apple store in australia is getting rid of there formac displays... call of the ones on displays,,,

000111one111000

Dec 10, 2003, 04:20 AM

Formac has split from it's parent German company.

So, from now on, they're "Formac Electronics, Inc."

The CEO or something of the new company said that things should be back to normal soon as they get back in the swing of things.

enoch

colinet

Dec 10, 2003, 06:39 AM

They don't deserve to be around. They make the ugliest products in the universe.

Vard

Dec 10, 2003, 07:55 AM

When I got my Mac about 2 years ago I bought a Studio DV/TV. Great item, but took forever. I like Formac's products however.

Last week I tried to order a DVD burner...everything went ok, but after no shipping tracker was ever issued I tried to contact them. I called, waited, emailed, left messages, and searched the heck out of the site, with nothing to show for it. I couldn't even cancel my order!

So yesterday I called my credit card company and told them to stop payment and they told me it hadn't been charged...so I told them to not pay if it did.

I still like Formac stuff, alot actually, so I went to B&H's site and ordered one of Formac's DVD burners they had in stock. Should be here tomorrow.

I still like Formac and will probably get more of their products, but they need to keep their customers up to date if they are undergoing changes.

Nice stuff though

Later,
Eddie

PeteyKohut

Dec 10, 2003, 08:57 AM

I purchased a Studio DV converter for my G4 and not even half a year later, they tell me the thing won't work with the latest Formac software. And no...you cannot simply flash the ROM on this device, you must send it back and pay $49.99 to have it upgraded. Like $400 wasn't enough for that damn thing. I hope Formac rots in hell with Bill Gates and Steve Balmer.

ITR 81

Dec 10, 2003, 09:22 AM

I could see Formac getting bought to build items for Apple.
If not Apple someone will buy them out. They seem prime for the picking right now.

JW Pepper

Dec 10, 2003, 10:06 AM

Originally posted by PeteyKohut
I purchased a Studio DV converter for my G4 and not even half a year later, they tell me the thing won't work with the latest Formac software. And no...you cannot simply flash the ROM on this device, you must send it back and pay $49.99 to have it upgraded. Like $400 wasn't enough for that damn thing. I hope Formac rots in hell with Bill Gates and Steve Balmer.

Well they just sent me a new rom and I fitted it myself and it has worked fine ever since.

SilentPanda

Dec 10, 2003, 10:15 AM

Originally posted by JW Pepper
Well they just sent me a new rom and I fitted it myself and it has worked fine ever since.

Open(Wound);
Insert(JW_Pepper);
While(true)
Rub();

hehehe

kettle

Dec 10, 2003, 10:20 AM

Originally posted by colinet
They don't deserve to be around. They make the ugliest products in the universe.

zero dead pixel policy. In a darkend room the screen is what we're looking at.

Powerbook G5

Dec 10, 2003, 11:08 AM

Formac products have always looked like high quality alternatives to many other brands, but I have never gotten anything from them simply because of my low funds.

Steamboatwillie

Dec 10, 2003, 11:33 AM

Yikes! I bought a 17" LCD from them, tracked my shipping with no problem and I love the monitor. I bought it when it was on sale, basically they were out of stock so the did a "Pre-Order" deal. It shipped exactly when they said it would.

DreaminDirector

Dec 10, 2003, 12:19 PM

I actually like my Studio TVR. Since I dont use it for iMovie (blah...), I didnt need to get a new ROM put into it. However, is there any advantage to the new ROM (aside from working with iMovie)?

And I dont think it's ugly....

TomSmithMacEd

Dec 10, 2003, 01:00 PM

I have always thought ForMac was the quality parts 3rd party provider for the mac. I guess not....

zac4mac

Dec 10, 2003, 02:49 PM

Completely off topic -

TSMacEd - fix your sig please.

Should read...
Medal of Honor for killing a man and a
Dishonorable Discharge for loving one.

not entirely true but sounds good... usually a Medal of Honor comes from extreme sacrifice while an individual saves lives of his comrades, often at the cost of his/her own life.

:cool:

Z

spencecb

Dec 10, 2003, 03:32 PM

Not sure if this question has been asked yet...but does Formac make the displays for Apple? Becuase they look remarkably similar...just wondering!!!

Makosuke

Dec 10, 2003, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by spencecb
Not sure if this question has been asked yet...but does Formac make the displays for Apple? Becuase they look remarkably similar...just wondering!!! I think it's pretty obvious Formac displays look like Apple displays, not the other way around. They do generally make an attempt to make products that fit in with Apple's look and feel, and they're one of, if not the only other company, that makes ADC monitors.

I don't own any of their products, but I've heard a fair number of good things (for example, although the cases on their LCDs are apparently a bit flimsy, they look ok and the screens are supposed to be very nice), so I hope they revive one way or another. Exceedingly poor way to do business, though.

rog

Dec 10, 2003, 07:06 PM

They are the worst company I have ever dealt with. 2 years ago when they shipped me a CD burner which blew out the sole firewire port on my iBook, they gave me the same song and dance by saying that they were in the process of improving things and would be much better very shortly. Nevertheless my fight to get my money back went on for months. I contacted the BBB and the Alameda County DA about them, along with the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. They make bad products and they refuse to provide support. They lie and steal. I'd like to see all of their US employees in prison.

colinet

Dec 10, 2003, 08:37 PM

Originally posted by ITR 81
I could see Formac getting bought to build items for Apple.
If not Apple someone will buy them out. They seem prime for the picking right now.

What's to pick up that other people don't do better? La Cie - Apple . . .

MacRAND

Dec 10, 2003, 08:42 PM

Originally posted by JW Pepper
Well they just sent me a new ROM and
I fitted it myself and it has worked fine ever since. They did what?
:eek: Details please?

I own a Formac Studio, which I use when I need it and it works well.
When they first did the ROM firmware update right after iMovie3, I paid the $49 and it worked exactly as advertised. I'm pleased they are still offering it.
:)
I was impressed when they sent me status reports by email telling me that my Formac Studio had been received, was repaired, shipped, and what the UPS tracking number AND web URL were, so I could track it.
:p
Now I'm wondering why they made such a big deal about them doing it THEMSELVES instead of Mac users fixing their own? Certainly, the $49 barely covered the shipping and labor.
:confused:
However, when I talked to them on the phone, I got the SAME EXCUSE line of being overwhelmed by the upgrade.
:rolleyes:
FORMAC is very much for Mac. That's good. I also got the impression that the American division was too closely controlled by the German parent, or too centralized in Germany, a separation or divorce would be in order.
:)

Not to CHANGE THE THREAD but be CAREFUL about buying anyone's external FireWire SuperDrive because 4x is passé since the 8x DVD SuperDrive is due in a few weeks.

Look for killer deals on existing 4x DVD burners from Formac, Iomega, or LaCie (I just got one heavily discounted at an Apple Store; love it, solid as a rock, works much better than my iBook internal SONY combo drive).

Chad Woodland

Dec 11, 2003, 10:02 AM

I am a new convert (thank you, I want to thank the academy) from MS and bought the ForMac Studio D/TV when i bought my G5. I like to record shows and sometimes burn them.

* I think its the best looking of its kind (DVR) out there. I had Eye TV but took it back.

* Its still very twitchy and freezes up all the tiime. I also have digital cable and it will not change the channels itself so I have to have my cable box on to what I want to record and then it works...mostly.

* the preferences reset themselves sometimes.

* I recorded Angels in America through ForMac in iMovie and it seemed to work brilliantly. Except there was no sound.

So my opinion is its about as reliable as something for a PC which is sad since this is Apple.
:o

willmg

Dec 11, 2003, 01:10 PM

Hey all just got an email from formac. I placed an order on Nov 15th and hadnt heard anything form them since till today. They basically repeated the we are now seperate spiel already up here and stated that my order would ship withn two weeks now that they are back up and running.

Kurt Cobain

May 26, 2004, 02:05 PM

I read about the specs plus lots of reviews about it, and despite the fact it seemed to have flimsier structure than the apple ones, it still had by far much superior contrast ratio and pixel flipping speed.

I wanted to see this monitor in action, so I called ALL formac's resellers, but NONE have them in stock. In fact many of them werent even planning on back ordering these monitors unless a customer requested one. So I kept on trying, but unlike others this one place told me they never had and never will have a formac monitors cause many consumers complained about them going up in flames, just out of the blue. I googled it, but found nothing about it...

Then I ran into this thread and I figured there is a big risk if I decide to get their monitors, even if they have an impressive warrenty time of 3 years...

bonk

May 28, 2004, 08:54 AM

when I got my G5 and a 23" display last fall, I bought a formac 17" to replace the (aging) 17"CRT on my (aging) G4. now, maybe comparing their 17 to apple's 23 isnt fair - dont know if the screen quality on the low end formacs differs from their high end - but for sheer image quality, the apple screen is far far far superior. the apple has much better brightness and contrast, and the formac has major trails. again, I may be comparing apples to oranges, but I have to say I was quite disappointed with the formac (and yes, the case does feel flimsy). I had no issues with my order, however (this was around september) - shipped on time - and I have not had occaision to call them, so I cant speak to their customer service (which I've heard unanimously is horrible).

gopher

May 28, 2004, 09:53 AM

tannyboy

Jun 2, 2004, 09:27 AM

Well im pretty happy with the quality of My 17 inch Formac screen which i got with my G5 about 3 months ago, my only gripe was actually waiting on the order. A note on the screen being a tad flimsy, well it is a lil bit - but i dont exactly move the screen so aint much problem.
Another than the shipping screw up couldnt be happier with the product.
Ooh if i had the money i would have probably got the 19incher or even the 20 :D

Cheers

evil_santa

Jun 2, 2004, 09:45 AM

My Formac DV works reasonably well. Though I'm up against another problem because the captured video from my VHS is a different resolution than what I can export to MPEG2. In fact the MPEG2 resolution is larger than what Formac imported, and I want to keep it the same to reduce my exported video size. Only the MPEG2 standard resolution can't be changed in the export function in either Quicktime or DVD Studio Pro's Compressor program.
I eventually want to fit more than 2 hours of video on a DVD, but until I can figure out how to do the compression, preferably up to 6 hours on a single DVD (and I don't mean a dual sided DVD), I'm sort of stuck here. Anyone have any clues, please send me a private message.

2 hours is the max you can fit onto a 4gb DVD. You could try Video CD format using toast. the mpegs it creates are about the same quality as VHS. you can get aprox 74min onto a CD.

I dont know if this will work as i have never tried it, i thinkt you could burn aprox 7 hours of VCD onto a DVD disk in VCD format, but a normal DVD player probably won't read the disk, would be ok if you are playing the disk on you mac using VLAN.

I know this works the other way round, ie burning 20min onto CD in DVD format, but it will only play in my computer.

PRØBE

Jun 4, 2004, 01:45 PM

my local apple store in australia is getting rid of there formac displays... call of the ones on displays,,,

Anyone know what this cryptic message means?
"Call of the ones on displays"????
Hmm.

redpurses

Jul 3, 2004, 03:43 PM

madamimadam

Jul 3, 2004, 07:05 PM

Even so, it will cost me both postage and a 20% restocking fee to return the unit.

20% RESTOCK on a product that doesn't work.... DAMN

Apple of my eye

Jul 3, 2004, 07:23 PM

I loved my formac 1740 lcd. It has a better picture than the apple and a larger display. The case and stand are cheap though

gopher

Jul 3, 2004, 07:55 PM

Just bought a Gallery 2010 monitor. The delivery was fast (3 days from my order to my front door). Unfortunately I can't get the thing to work with my PowerBook G4. Having sent several emails to Formac and having received only auto-replies back, I have concluded they have no Technical Support.

I need a return authorization to return the monitor but can't contact anyone. Even so, it will cost me both postage and a 20% restocking fee to return the unit. They are a frustrating company to work with.

RedPurses

Call the place you ordered it from and speak to the manager. If you can't get a real person there, write a snail letter to the company HQs.

idkew

Jul 3, 2004, 08:34 PM

Just bought a Gallery 2010 monitor...

You pay with a credit card? If so- CANCEL PAYMENT. Return it. You don't need to pay for faulty merchandise.

lapiera

Jul 4, 2004, 12:15 AM

I have lurked on this web site since last December w/o ever posting. However; a recent post regarding Formac, Inc. has convinced me to finally speak up. I have owned a Studio analog to digital converter for several years now. The first one did not work and when it finally did I had to send it in for an upgrad costing $49. Meanwhile these people NEVER return emails or phone calls. I have not experienced such lack of concern for customers and it will thrill me greatly if some day this company gets what it deserves.

Euthyphro

Jul 4, 2004, 12:57 PM

earthling

Jul 4, 2004, 08:45 PM

Personally I had my company buy one of each 2010 and 1740 Gallery monitors when we bought our first Mac (dual G4) in 2002. We've been so happy with them we bought another identical pair when we bought our second mac (dual G5) in 2003. I use these everyday and love them, they arrived faster than the macs, the G4 was delayed because we asked for the upgraded graphics card, and the G5 only arrived three months after our order. I've been thinking about buying a 2010 for myself, but now that Apple has released new monitors I'll check those out first.

Cheers,
damien

neonart

Jul 4, 2004, 11:04 PM

I love my 2010!

Back when there was a Platinum and Oxygen line, I bought the Platinum because of the 2 max dead pixel guaranty, and the Oxygen was not yet available. I've had mine since about Nov or Dec of 2002 and it's been amazing! No dead pixels at all!
It's just now that Apple's brand new displays stepped up to 16ms pixel refresh rates (from 25ms). Formac has been selling the 2010 with 15ms refresh for years! I do think the new Apple displays will give them a run for their money, but we'll see what Formac can do...

(The 17 and 19 have different specs and comparing an $2000 Apple 23" to a $650 Formac 17" is not really a fair comparison.)

JGowan

Jul 5, 2004, 01:29 PM

I hope Formac rots in hell with Bill Gates and Steve Balmer.While I don't hope quite the ultimate punishment upon them (spending eternity with the likes of Bill Gates and his monkey boy), I hate it when I get stuck with a restocking fee that is so high. I sent back one of their digitizers (I can't remember which one) and had to pay a 10% restocking fee! It was a $499 unit! They got $50 on me and it wasn't even my fault! The unit wasn't working my satisfaction!

Bogus.

neut

Jul 8, 2004, 01:43 AM

Just bought a Gallery 2010 monitor. The delivery was fast (3 days from my order to my front door). Unfortunately I can't get the thing to work with my PowerBook G4. Having sent several emails to Formac and having received only auto-replies back, I have concluded they have no Technical Support.

I need a return authorization to return the monitor but can't contact anyone. Even so, it will cost me both postage and a 20% restocking fee to return the unit. They are a frustrating company to work with.

RedPurses

i too had trouble getting a formac display to work with my PB G4... and finally, after i followed their instructions (found on their website), i was able to make it work (after a few weeks of frustration and despair). i thought i had performed the procedure exactly as they said the first time i did it, but apparently i had not. it has worked flawlessly ever since.

nice display; feet are a little large.

peace.

RubberChicken

Jul 11, 2004, 07:36 PM

AndyDiamond

Jul 12, 2004, 06:11 PM

Hold on a second - sounds like you guys know absolutely NOTHING about the Formac displays!

I had to replace my Apple ADC Studio 17" CRT display on one of my G4 machines - it died and I was told is was unfixable.

To replace it I looked at the flat LCD option - the Apple 20" LCD - as the prices were now pretty good and as this was an audio machine I wanted room on screen for lots of faders.

I got two monitors on-loan to try out.
One was the 20.5" Formac Gallery Platinum 2010 LCD and the other was the Apple 20" LCD.

When I installed the Formac I was blown away.
The clarity, speed, sharpness and colour matching were top-notch.
15ms response time, no dead pixels, 1600 x 1200 pixels - heaven.
They actually look much better in the flesh too.

I was hooked - there was no way I was going back to a CRT after this.

I used this screen for a couple of weeks before I hooked up the Apple 20".
I really like the look of the Apple monitor but that is where it ended.
Compared to the Formac, the Apple's pixel response was painfully slow, colour matching not as good, not as bright and the pixel size was about twice as big which made it look clunky.
Oh and some dead pixels.....

The Formac was so nice I ended up buying two of them - one ADC and one DVI version so I could run both of one machine at the same time if I wanted.

These were a little bit more $$ each than the Apple 20" LCD but so much worth it.

I had to get a new video card for one of my G4s to handle the resolution of the Formac but that was cheap.

These monitors are seriously good - for colour sensitive graphics work and any app that requires lots of screen real estate.

The new Apple monitors look good for the price but they are only just catching up to the Formac Platinum 2010s....

I am awaiting a new 2.5 G5 and the Formac will match that perfectly as it is a lovely silver colour.

Like some one said - you look at the screnn - not the surround.

Formac may be a crap company for support but they make the best, most useful LCDs out there IMO.

neonart

Jul 12, 2004, 07:30 PM

My boss got a 19" Formac display to replace his aging Apple Studio Display. The designers all got 23" cinema screens. Compared to the cinemas, the Formac is crap. The colour is wishy washy, the viewing angle very narrow and the finish is cheap plastic. I would go so far as to say my iBook screen from 2 years ago looks better, or at least no worse.

Thats like saying the Apple 17" LCD sucks compared to the Formac 2010 Platinum...

Every review of Formac LCD's has shown them to be superior to Apple LCD's, if you compare the comperable model.

Here is ZDnet on the 1740:
"The Gallery 1740 is better than Apple's displays in a number of ways. For starters, at 17.4 inches (diagonal), it's bigger than Apple's 17-inch Studio Display. The Gallery 1740 has the same 1,280x1,024 native resolution as the Apple Studio Display, but it surpasses the Studio Display in brightness, contrast ratio, and pixel-response time (a faster pixel-response time makes video look smoother). The Gallery 1740 is also more friendly to legacy and cross-platform hardware. Apple's current displays can be used only with newer Macs that have an ADC connector. The Gallery 1740 has an ADC connector, but it also offers a DVI version (which we tested) with an ADC-to-DVI converter for only $50 more--about one-fourth of what you'd pay elsewhere--so you can use the display with any DVI-connected PC or older Mac. With all these additional benefits, it's still less expensive than a Studio Display--$949 with the DVI converter, $899 for ADC only." Full Article (http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Formac_Gallery_1740__DVI_/4505-3174_16-8749847-3.html?tag=top)

Macworld on the 2010:
"The arrival of Apple's gorgeous Cinema Display was probably accompanied by the painful realization that it was financially out of your reach. A couple of years later, it still costs more than $2,000, despite its aging original specifications. Formac's new screen, the Gallery 2010, outperforms the original Cinema Display, looks the part, and comes close to the specs of the 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display -- at a fraction of the Cinema Display's price." Full Article (http://www.macworld.com/2003/02/reviews/formacmonitor/)

For the most part, the Formac LCD's are high quality, great alternatives for Apple displays, but the new displays look to be real sweet and may be the very vest you can get for a Mac. Also Apple's tech support and customer service of course are going to blow Formac away.

RubberChicken

Jul 12, 2004, 08:40 PM

Thats like saying the Apple 17" LCD sucks compared to the Formac 2010 Platinum...

Every review of Formac LCD's has shown them to be superior to Apple LCD's, if you compare the comperable model.

Keep your pants on. I'm not a reviewer, I don't have access to a dozen Apple and Formac products to make the fairest of comparisons. My post is MY OPINION of the situation I described. It's still true for me, and others in my office agree. Deal with it. If you love Formac displays, great. Please accept that not everyone may share your opinion.

neonart

Jul 12, 2004, 08:56 PM

Keep your pants on. I'm not a reviewer, I don't have access to a dozen Apple and Formac products to make the fairest of comparisons. My post is MY OPINION of the situation I described. It's still true for me, and others in my office agree. Deal with it. If you love Formac displays, great. Please accept that not everyone may share your opinion.

I was just saying that comparing an 1900 Oxygen to an Apple 23" is an unfair comparison.
It's like saying "At work we got an eMac and some G5s, and man that eMac sucks compared to the G5s!"

...But you are entitled to voice your opinion and I respect that.

RubberChicken

Jul 13, 2004, 06:48 AM

I was just saying that comparing an 1900 Oxygen to an Apple 23" is an unfair comparison.
It's like saying "At work we got an eMac and some G5s, and man that eMac sucks compared to the G5s!"

...But you are entitled to voice your opinion and I respect that.

Yes, I agree the comparison is uneven for image quality, but the build quality/finish is the same across all of Apple's models - which was my other critcism. I also think Apple's smaller models have better quality images than the formac (that we have). I think our formac is comparible in viewing angle and contrast to my old iBook - which is pretty poor. I have not seen Formac's other models, but obviously they must be better. Still, Ken it bought because it was cheaper than the Apple model, and that is what he got. Maybe we even got a dud.. who knows. I confess I have no idea what you mean by oxygen or platinum... I'll try to confirm which model we have.

laurawallace799

Jul 19, 2004, 12:44 AM

They don't deserve to be around. They make the ugliest products in the universe.

yeah the Studio TVR looks like a toilet seat (even more than the 1st iBook did).

jrg_i

Jul 19, 2004, 05:29 PM

I dont know if this will work as i have never tried it, i thinkt you could burn aprox 7 hours of VCD onto a DVD disk in VCD format, but a normal DVD player probably won't read the disk, would be ok if you are playing the disk on you mac using VLAN

Yes, you can put VCD-format video onto a DVD and take certain steps so that you will be able to play it on most commercial DVD players.

Once you've got a VCD-format MPEG-1 flle, split it (bbdemux will do the job) and re-encode the audio at 48kHz (using ffmpegX, or your preferred audio encoding tool). Then you can use Sizzle to put all your prepared audio and video files into a DVD format image and burn that to a DVD-R.

(Caveat: I do this with PAL 25fps video without any difficulty, but if your original MPEG source is NTSC and actually 23.976fps with a 3:2 pulldown to make it 29.97fps then you will have audio sync problems.)