I just installed the Sony HD/100 to run with my Sony 57 inch wide screen. I had already been running 4 satellite receivers(1 Sony B-50, 1 Sony T-60 intergrated Tivo unit, and 2 RCA 480's. I used these to do pic in pic and to transmit throughout the house and garage.
First of all I find after running all these units side by side for over one year, that the RCA's are far better in several respects. The menus are easier to go thru and you can stay on a station while looking at other programming. Sony also limits you to 32 favorites which is a pain in the butt. Their are far over 32 movie channels alone not to mention Discovery, TLC, CNBC, local channel etc etc.
The Sony RF remote force you to pre-select either RF or IR. This means if you wish multi-room operation you must be on RF. But if you also wish to use a universal remote(I use the all in one home producer 880 and love it)you cannot as they are usually IR. The RCA's will RF and IR both at the same time. It goes on and on with just a couple of points in Sony's favor.
The Sony TIVO unit is great and its menu handling is somewhat better, but for some stupid reason the remote is IR only and the remote though very good does not have pic in pic support or aspect ratio control for my TV which forces me back and forth to the TV's remote for these functions. Now for the Sony High Def receiver.
1. The first thing I found is that using its remote also triggered my Sony Tivo. I was forced to set the HD remote to RF so as not to affect Tivo and point it toward my chest when using as the Tivo remote would also affect the HD receiver. Finally after talking to 3 techs at Sony who said that I was screwed, I found one who told me how to change the Tivo's remote IR code. This problem is now fixed. Would have been nice if this instruction would have been part of the manual but I guess no one at Sony thought that someone would own 2 of their products for the same TV.
2. The touch and feel of the Tivo remote is excellent. The tactile feel of the HD-100 Remote is the worst I have ever seen. Often you must push the buttons slowly and very firmly and watch that the numbers are posted on your screen to make sure the took. Their TV remote is also poor in this regard. Again the Tivo's is excellent in this respect as are the RCA's
3. The worst thing about the unit is switching from 480 to 1080 and NTSC modes. You must push the control button very slowly, wait, see what is posted on the screen and if not what you want, do it again until you get the proper mode. And if you are in another room(like the master bedroom) and you are sending the output via VHF out to a ntsc tv and you had forgotten and left the receiver in HD mode and even if you have the remote in hand and in RF mode, you must go to where the receiver is located, turn on the television in that room and find your way back to ntsc mode so that you can watch tv in the bedroom. This is why I will be keeping my RCA receivers for running TV's in my garage or other rooms.
4. The menu on the 100 is if anything poorer then the B-50. The contrasts are poor, it is very slow and dealing with the lack of tactile feel of the remotes's buttons is a general nuisance. I have now decided to keep 3 receivers at my main television. The Tivo, the RCA for general browsing and pic in pic and will leave the HD100 on only for High Def viewing on Video 5. Incidently Sony in their infinite wisdom only has 1 progressive component input on their high priced spread widescreen High monitor, so forget using your progressive scan DVD and HD receiver at the same time unless you buy and install a pre-amp with multiple component switching. Also you cannot remover the clear plastic screen from the unit so totally forget viewing in the day time in a brightly lit room. In fact they told me that if I removed by tearing the TV apart, I would void my warranty. When you ask them why it is there, they tell you it is for protection. When asked from what they tell you the kids. I guess if you do not have kids then they expect you to buy a competitive product. Their PIC in PIC support however is by far the best on the market and the Tivo remote is great except for the pic in pic and aspect ratio issues discussed above. It also would be nice if it could control the second sat receiver as often those who buy Tivo will buy a HD receiver too and this could help eliminate the multiple remote issue. Perhaps these same engineers could go to work on the screen problem and the various remote and menu issues that I have discovered.
I could go on for another hour especially discussing how I have worked to run 5 receivers from one oval dish and some other minor annoyances that I have experienced. I suggest to Sony and many other vendors for that matter that they come out of the caves once in awhile and see what us chickens are eating out here before springing their new inventions on the world. After all none of this is Rocket science and all of these problems have been solved many times before by various vendors. Something always work, some never do and it is beyond me why engineers always have to fool around and try to come up with a new solution to a problem that has been resolved perfectly often in the past and usually end of with a compromised product.
Please do not edit my grammar or spelling. I do not go back to proofread. Like the Ferrari driver in the movie "The Gumball RallY" as he threw out his rearview mirror and his co-driver remarked "you just threw out your mirror" and the driver said something to the effect that he was Italian, driving a Ferrari and he was concerned what was in front of him and not was behind him.
rschaaf@home.com
