08.12.2008 — I was surprised to receive a firmware update in the mail from Toshiba for my HD-A2 HD DVD player last week.

As we all know, the HD DVD format died a quick death over the winter. For Toshiba to support a dead format when many manufacturers probably wouldn't shows the company has some integrity.

But customer support isn't the exclusive domain of large corporations. For Bryston, a small, high-performance audio manufacturer, its 20-year warranty is more than a sentence in its marketing materials.

I am in the midst of sending back one of the modular channels from my 9B-ST amplifier bacause it's no longer working.

To get the process started, I simply shot the company's service staff an email. They responded by sending me a pdf file explaining how to remove the channel and how to pack it to ensure it arrives back to them intact.

Today, it's almost too easy to take shots at corporate America for its collective lack of service and support. I want to emphasize that this support was given to me as Joe Six-Pack and not some media guy, which means this level of service is available to anyone.

Thankfully the electronics industry isn't as callous as, say, the airline industry.

Anyone that's had fly over the past couple years knows what a terrible experience airline travel has become. Making it even worse is the industry reports increased revenues while also crying poverty because of rising fuel prices.

Kudos Toshiba and Bryston.