A good try...
Written: Jan 11 '03
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Pros: Dual DirecTV tuners, sleek design, intuitive interface, high quality display
Cons: M$ dissolved UltimateTV, slow response, needs 2 HU cards, small storage
The Bottom Line: This is the best PVR I've seen to date, other than the slow response time. Easy, reliable, and great picture quality are definitely pluses! Unfortunately, UltimateTV is dead.
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| dmatsumo's Full Review: Sony SAT-W60 Digital Satellite Receiver with Ultim... |
I'm not sure how valuable a review is, considering that Microsoft got rid of their UltimateTV department a lot time ago, but I'll provide you with as much information as possible.
My sister and I picked up the UltimateTV 2 years ago for my parents as a Christmas present. I was pretty psyched about it because they have had cable for many years, and always complained about the poor image quality. All of my friends have DirecTV, so I figured that we should give it a shot.
The first thing that attracted me to the SAT-W60 was that it had 2 DirecTV tuners. This would allow my dad to watch his football games while my mom taped her cooking shows, for example. In addition, when they go on vacation, now they can each tape their own shows, even if the two shows are on at the same time! It's a really great idea, and they use this feature quite often.
Since they don't have a home theater system, I've never played with the digital out connection, but setting up the rest of the unit is really simple. After you have your dish installed, insert the 2 HU cards, connect the video and audio cables to your TV, and then bring up the system setup menu. They have an option that allows you to tune the dish signal, and it's really nice because it has a signal strength indicator, as well as a strength tone. This allows you to crank up the volume on the TV so you can hear the strength meter outside as you're adjusting the dish. Pretty handy! Once the signals look good, call DirecTV and they'll activate your HU cards. You'll know that the system is working because the preview stations will appear in the channel guide. They will also take care of the UltimateTV activation for you, but I don't know if they do that anymore...
Operation is extremely simple as well! My mom can barely use a VCR, but she learned to use the SAT-W60 in one day, and now she's recording all kinds of shows! It's really great to see how quickly she was able to adopt a new piece of technology for once. This is a definitely sign of how intuitive this PVR is to use.
In addition to its very sleek, silver case, the SAT-W60 is very quiet... at least compared to my old ReplayTV unit. It also doesn't generate nearly as much heat as the ReplayTV.
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of this unit is the fact that it's an all-in-one solution. My friends that have DirecTV also have Tivo, and in order to change channels on the satellite receiver, they have to use IR emitters which are connected to the Tivo. Whenever the Tivo needs to record a show, it actually beams the command via IR to the satellite receiver to change the channel. Sometimes the command gets garbled, and the receiver doesn't get the new channel... and then you end up recording the wrong station. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does you will be very, very unhappy. Another huge benefit is that the unit records the raw data (already compressed) coming from the dish, which results in a higher quality image. Other solutions, such as DirecTV Tivo or DirecTV Replay, end up compressing the data *twice*. The digital cable / DirecTV signal is already compressed, but when the PVR attempts to compress the data again, you will notice slight video degradation, which the SAT-W60 is able to avoid.
Unfortunately, the SAT-W60 isn't without its flaws, and there are several. First of all, the user interface is ridiculously slow, and it caches keypresses. You *will* invariably hit the button on the remote, think that the unit didn't receive the command, and hit it a few more times. What really happened was that the unit was a little slow, and then it'll process the command as many times as you hit the button. This gets extremely annoying after a while.
In order to get channel guide updates, the machine also needs to be connected to a phone line, so it can dial out in the middle of the night. Weren't we in the internet age years ago? Where's the ethernet port? At least with an ethernet port we could get a wireless bridge and connect to a home wireless LAN, instead of having to string a phone cable around the room! I got around this using one of the RCA phone/power circuit converters, but this is an expensive option, and the units tend to break after about 5 years.
Perhaps my biggest gripe of all is that the SAT-W60 requires 2 HU cards, which means you have to have 2 subscriptions to take advantage of the dual tuners. Yes, it is a great feature, but you do have to pay for it! I have heard reports (unconfirmed thus far) that the new Tivo dual DirecTV PVR can record 2 channels simultaneously, but only requires one HU Card.
Oh, and the machine only records about 35 hours... it's enough for my parents, but some people may want more recording time. Many of the competitors' (though non-DirecTV integrated) models boast larger recording times.
All in all, the SAT-W60 is a great idea for resolving all kinds of conflicts between people that want to watch their shows at the same time. It's easy to use, offers high quality results, and is rock-solid. My parents have never missed a single show due to malfunction. However, remember that it does have some major downfalls, such as added expense (2 HU cards), a slow interface (annoying), and small storage space (though not when compared to a VCR tape). Plus, UltimateTV is no longer around, and I don't know how much longer the subscription service will be offered.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
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Epinions.com ID:
dmatsumo
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Location: San Jose, CA
Reviews written: 81
Trusted by: 19 members
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