Sony has always been a fucking bitch to deal with for faulty shit. They basically told me to go fuck myself when a DVD player I got from them broke twice in 6 months.
I dunno. Something about this doesn't add up. Unless those generic brand component cables are filled with peanut butter, there's no reason whatsoever that they should cause your system to crash.
I'll bet there's something this dude isn't letting on. Like he tried to use it in the bathtub or something.
I try not to buy sony shit whenever I have the chance. When their shit fails they are complete assholes about making sure they can weasle out of their warantees.