Thread: false advertising?

Originally Posted by crappiepappy

I did not know that, but weren't "those" (Gen 1 ??) units nothing more than color sonar (2d) and chartplotters (GPS mapping) ... and no Down Image capabilities ??

... cp

CP, the Gen 1 Hds units were the first down and side imaging capable units from Lowrance, the LSS-1 came out at the same time. The HDS Gen 2 units have a faster processor and a couple bells and whistles that the Gen 1 units didn't have, other than that they are the same. The Gen 1s are great units.

I dont wish to slam on maker over another, I will say this,
Right not I have 2 units on my boat, both brand new, both cost 1600 ish, both claim to have down image capabilities, both put fantastic pictures of what they WILL do on their advertising, both have me running them, one is virtually impossible to get a minimal DI on, the other is super easy to get great DI images, one is misleading buyers in my opinion.

Originally Posted by justinp61

CP, the Gen 1 Hds units were the first down and side imaging capable units from Lowrance, the LSS-1 came out at the same time. The HDS Gen 2 units have a faster processor and a couple bells and whistles that the Gen 1 units didn't have, other than that they are the same. The Gen 1s are great units.

I'll take your word for it, Justin ... but, the 2008 ads for the HDS units, that I saw, only show a color 2d sonar screen & chart capabilities. No mention of DI or SI involved. There's even a Youtube video from Nov 2008, about the HDS series ( Lowrance HDS High Definition System (Americas) - YouTube ) and it does not show any DI or SI capabilities. If they were possible/available with that year's models, they would have been the focal point of the ads ... would they not ?? I was trying to compare standalone unit to standalone unit ... minus the LSS add-on & modular systems of the HDS series.

I tried to find a timeline for the development of Lowrance units, in order of their presentation into the market, but failed. All this HDS, HDI, DSI, SI, DI, LSS-1, XYZ stuff is confusing to my old worn out brain

I stand corrected on the statement I made, about E5DSI coming out before "HDS", and thank you for clearing that up. But, in my defense, I was not aware of the 2008 HDS series ... only the more recent HDS systems.

And with that said ... I still contend that the images I see on my unit, and those of the screenshots that I've taken (& posted) are better than the pictures/images shown on the box that the unit came in. They're also better than the images shown on the screens of the units in the pictures shown on online ads that I've seen. And, while I may have purchased my unit before even seeing any of those ads or image representations ... I would still contend that "those" images were not "false advertisement", as they do not show the unit's absolute best image capability.

... cp

To each his own, I'm glad you like it .

yea, me too, I'm glad your images are working really well,
mine will eventually I guarantee you that, as my search continues

Though im not happy with mine I'm not going to give up on it and will try more of the suggestions from the folks that are well versed with it.

Just FYI, guys .... I did not pay full retail for my unit. I bought it from a member that bought one new & ended up sending it back for repair of a minor problem. He received a NIB unit in return, but his finance officer (wife) had replaced (or given him permission to replace) it with a bigger unit. I paid $477 for the unit, two power/tdx cables, transom mounting bracket, and a TM mounting sleeve. The extra power/tdx cable & TM mounting sleeve were thrown in because Lowrance had sent him a "complete" unit, in return for just the head unit he'd sent in for repair ... and the TM sleeve was of no use to him, without the unit.

I bought the unit before really knowing all that much about DI, GPS, etc .... having always had 2d units since back in the early 1970's ... so going from b/w 2d "blob" images that I had to interpret, to a unit that could render color images that needed little to no interpretive skills, had map/chart capabilities, GPS, water temp, and all the other little bells & whistles that come with this unit ... and you can see why I like my unit. I had no preconceived notions of what it could/should do, but I was pretty sure it would outperform any current or previous units I had owned.

That's why I started the thread on the E5DSI unit ... to not only show me how to get the best out of the unit, but to help others do the same. It also served to help members accept or reject getting the unit, solely on it's pros/cons merits, and not due to comparisons with other units or brands. And it certainly wasn't due to any advertisement claims or images, since I did not "see" any prior to purchasing the unit. And, I will admit ... I would never have paid more than I did, for that unit, even if I had seen/heard any over hyped ads about it.

... cp

If you want to sell product you put the best pictures out there. Example, McDonalds has pictures of Big Macs that look phenominal! They don't advertise your typical Big Mac you buy at the restaurant! i think with knowledge and experience you can get some nice images!!