Sony HD has arrived
Written: Feb 25 '02 (Updated Feb 26 '02)
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Pros: Great Picture! Easy to connect. Remote looks cool....
Cons: Slow channel browse. On-screen guide is not easy to search.
The Bottom Line: There is a lot of negative press about HD tuners. I took a chance, and ran into no problems. This tuner has greatly exceeded my expectations.
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| littlealex666's Full Review: Sony SAT-HD100 Multi-Satellite Tuner |
I bought this tuner one month ago, and I love it. I have it connected to a Sony KP-61XBR300.
It connected quickly and easily. The picture is AWESOME in all modes, especially 1080i. The picture is not squeezed or stretched in any way.
I can hear the fan (barely) from 10 feet away when the TV is off and the room is silent. As soon as the TV is on or other noise clutter appears, the fan noise is not noticeable. (Maybe I spent too many years in Marine Corps Artillery)
There are plenty of connectors on the back of the tuner, and I have used most of them, but I have not checked the "audio bug" mentioned in an earlier review. The normal audio outputs to the TV and stereo work fine. There are separate connectors that must be used for high-definition. These connectors have the usual RGB+audio and alternatively offer an additional VGA connector which I have not used. In addition, there are two sets of connectors that only send non-HD signals (other than 1080 or 1080i). They include audio connectors plus a choice of RCA video or s-video. When displaying non-HD channels through the 1080 connection, the picture is visible, but is not full-screen. There is a black "frame" around the picture, about 6 inches thick. I cannot see any difference in quality between the smaller, non-HD image through the 1080 connector and the full-screen image through one of the other connectors. In order to avoid the smaller picture when changing from a HD channel to a non-HD, I have to change the signal on the tuner, then change the video input on the TV. These two buttons are available on the remote, but one is hidden under a "flap" (see below). This is a bit awkward, and since it takes time to accomplish, it is hard to make picture quality comparisons as the result.
For a while, I had it hooked up to my Mitsubishi 45-inch TV which is also capable of High-Definition, and it worked perfectly. I am considering buying a second tuner, but the Sony SAT-HD100 does not seem so special. I will probably buy a Mitsubishi tuner (to better match the TV) if it runs the same price as the Sony when I am able to afford one.
I would not hesitate recommending this tuner to anyone with a recent Sony or Mitsubishi TV.
The remote control looks good, but is a pain in the neck to convert between the different video formats. There is a panel of buttons that "flip up" to reveal a second set of buttons. This hidden set of buttons is where they hide the video format change button. Maybe this is an advantage if you have little kids....... When using the remote, the text that is displayed on the front of the unit is pretty small, and I find it difficult to read at just 10 feet.
I have successfully connected a Phillips TiVo to the tuner using the IR cable. The IR sensor on the tuner is in the rightmost inch of the plastic display panel. Yes, channels do change slow, but who surfs by changing channels? It is WAY faster to browse using the TiVo guide.
The guide provided by the tuner is difficult to search. It only displays about 6 channels at a time, and one of those is duplicated overlap from the previous page. The guide can be sorted by number or alphabetically, but not searched. The alphabetical sorting is just as difficult to browse through as the numerical, and even less intuitive. You can press channel numbers and go to that channel in the guide. The guide offers a thumbnail picture of the channel that is presently highlighted in the guide. Each time, you page through the guide, the backround channel changes. When the channel is selected, it takes a few seconds for the picture and sound to appear. The main button on the remote is a like a "finger mouse" on a notebook computer. It leans right,left,up and down. To select a channel from the guide (and other functions) this special button must be pressed straight down. Pressing a flexible button straight down requires some practice.
I did not have to call customer service, so I am guessing their rating as "average".
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 799
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Epinions.com ID:
littlealex666
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Location: S.F. Bay area, California
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
40-something geek (Web Developer)
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