SONY SAT HD300 – SATELLITE TV RECEIVER – DIRECTV
- Dolby Digital Passthrough
- IR/RF Universal Remote
- DVI-HDTV Interface
- * Requires Contract
Product Description
Sony’s SAT-HD300 DirecTV High Definition Satellite Receiver gives you options… good ones. Versatile and stylish, this receiver features a number of video outputs, including DVI-HDTV Interface, RGB, V/Pb/Pr, Composite and S-Video. It has an Advanced Program Guide (APG) – Local ATSC and NTSC Program Data, a DVI-HDTV Interface (Cable Supplied), Dolby Digital Pass-through, up to 7 Days of Advanced Program Guide from DirecTV Service, and a 20 Event Reminder. Keep a han… More >>
Read 15 Product Reviews ->
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June 30, 2010 - 6:16 am
Review: I’ve had the unit for about 3-weeks now and find random audio drop (1-2 seconds). Contacted Sony Tech and they said it is because of a DTV. Sony also said all other Sat Receivers had the same problem. I cannot believe this. I upgraded from the SAT-HD200 (no-audio drop) because I couldn’t split the signal to two tv’s without watching both at 480. The HD300 alleviated this problem and also comes with an exented RF Remote Control. Overall for the money, very dissatified.
Rating: 1 / 5
June 30, 2010 - 6:53 am
Review: Sony tells me they have new code that fixes the audio drops but, and it does, continously, but they say DirecTV hasn’t decided to transmit it so shiping it back is the only way to get it fixed.
The Color is excellent on a HDTV station via Satallite and even better over air with my Sampo 42″ Plasma Display on the DVI input. And you can record off the S-VHS while you watch DVI, the only problem there is that Sony reinvented channel numbers so you can’t get it onto the local HDTV stations unless you can find a way to get yout TIVO or other DVI to punch in #.# (2.1,4.1,5.1,7.1,7.2,9.1) I can’t even find a remote that can do that let alone a DVR or VCR. BetaMax all over again. Oh, sure the HD300 is suppose to be able to run a VCR, except DirecTV doesn’t fill the program guide for anything but DirecTV so forget recording your local stations that way. The Documentation sez you can Edit the channel list, No, not really, you can’t delete anything short of a full reset on the unit, good luck in trying to figure that out and once you do you have to setup everything from scratch. It has alternate program guides but they don’t stick, you go back to all everytime you go there. They have a way to hide things except they don’t really hide anything to the select by channel, only to the up/down button and if you use multiple feeds, DirecTV, Cable and Antenna, you will get multiple channels with the same number and no way to dial up any but the first one and step forward to the others. No way to remap channels, especially HDTV to numbers without dot’s in them.
It’s a box with everything and no way to use it, an experiment that has gone horrably wrong. I thought after the HD200 they would have done better but no, worse. Oh yes, I couldn’t get the fibre sound to work with my JVC surround sound, so much for that. The Sony hotline is the luck of the draw, if you don’t like the help you get call back and you may get better, my experiance was 1 in 3 calls was helpful, the rest were bull and go away I can’t help you. I’ve run out of space to say more…
Rating: 1 / 5
June 30, 2010 - 7:47 am
Review: I have had my HD300 since Oct 2003. it was made in Aug 2003 and i have not had one problem with it since i bought it. The channels are crystal clear on my 51″ sony and the sound is great. even better on the HD channels. I agree that the channel guide problem is a litte anoying but i can live with it. I personally would recommend this unit. perhaps i got the only good one made..but i doubt it.
Rating: 4 / 5
June 30, 2010 - 10:26 am
Review: Had mine almost a year. Since I have yet to bring it in to have the firmware updated, I am living with the issues it gives me for now.
Issues include some picture drop outs on weaker signals. Timer recording NOT switching to the proper channels. I actually witnessed it going offline to reset itself. That is a new issue. I wonder if the update is being broadcasted and causing the reset. Since there is no auto-time setting, I have to reset the time if the power drops momentarily, or when it resets.
Those issues should be moot once I get the firmware upgraded.
Aside from that, running the s-video to a regular dvd-recorder yields the BEST recording quality imaginable – though not HD.
The picture and sound is great and I can’t imagine my Sony TV without this gem of a box. But not having the bugs worked out before hitting the market is annoying. So is the lack of firewire output. Great remote control and easy to setup.
I live in Northern NJ and use the Zenith ZHDTV1 HDTV/UHF Digital Indoor Antenna for the FREE over-the-air HD channels.
I get 2.1, 4.1, 4.2 (Weather plus), 4.4, 5.1, 5.2 (ch 9 @ 480p), 7.1, 7.2 (480p), 9.1, 9.2 (ch 5 @ 480p), 11.1, 11.2 & PBS 13.1, 13.2, 13.3. Receives some UHF channels in digital as well.
I am one of the last hold outs who refuses to pay for TV. The extra digital channels (4.2, 7.2, 13.x) are great. IT IS LIKE HAVING A MINI-CABLE SUBSCRIPTION FOR FREE.
Even if you DON’T have a HDTV, a digital box will connect to a conventional tv and give you DVD quality, or better.
Rating: 3 / 5
June 30, 2010 - 11:56 am
Review: An electronics fan from Castro Valley, CA, has written a thorough review to which I can add very little, except a couple of other negatives:
1) I,too, am experiencing audio dropouts, and
2) It is nothing short of offensive that channels I choose to hide from my custom menu (e.g., Gem Shopping Network) keep coming back. I am guessing they are commercial channels through which Sony and/or DirecTV get some form of payback.
As for the audio dropouts, I have had the unit for about 3 mos. and am only now having this problem. It is becoming more frequent, however.
As for being subjected to having my deliberately short custom channel list expand daily to include the same channels I have time and again hidden, I couldn’t be more angered that I paid over $600.00 to become a captive audience to sales channels I would never watch. I have nothing against those channels, but I have everything against not having a choice. This alone is enough to make me never by a Sony product again.
The custom list is essentially worthless since it cannot be made to be the default that shows up when you want to see a programming guide. Instead, you have to go through several button pushes to filter through to only the channels you want. Kinda defeats the purpose.
When I tried to call Sony, I got a recorded message telling me to call between the hours of 8AM and 8PM. It was during that time span for me. Apparently, they never heard of customers in other time zones. Nothing like truly customer-oriented service!
Rating: 2 / 5