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I have had a Sony Ultimate TV for over 6 years and it started to fail on me about a month ago. Pixalation in the beginning, then unit would restart wtihout notice and loose everything on the hard drive. I figured that it was time to buy a new unit as my Sony was 6 years old. Since one can't buy a new Ultimate TV I figured I would have to go to a new service, I ordered DirecTVs' newest DVR and within a day of receipt I was on the phone to Sony to see if I could get my UltimateTV repaired !! I have friends with TIVO units and knew that I didn't want a TIVO but I could never have imagined how bad the user interface is on the other DVR alternatives. Sony repaired my SATW60 unit for the very reasonable price of $84.00. It seems to be working like new and I am so pleased to have it back. If you own an Ultimate TV hang on to it at all costs. After 6 years of using this unit I became so spoiled with the functionality. None of the alternatives offer anything comparable. I haven't used a ReplayTV but the TIVO and DirectTV DVRS really suck in comparison. I researched the DVR choices extensively when I bought the Sony UTV back when and I now know that the research paid off!! HANG ON TO YOUR UTV!!! :) :) :)

It is true. So much time has passed since the introduction of Ultimate TV, and I've tried so many other PVRs since then - and none even come close to UTV. It is kind of sad that my present day PVR experience is a pathetic mess compared to my PVR experience from 6 years ago.

lovemyutv2007,

Could you outline your Sony UTV repair experience?

CCS Corp has offered dual tuner repair on all UTVs (RCA and Sony) for $130 for quite some time. While Sony has/does offer to repair for $84.00... I'm curious what kind of turn around and if they replace just the failing chip or both "tuners" just to be safe... Not only that but if your MY SHOWS, etc. are left intact or if they "restore" or even "swap" your Sony UTV for another unit.

I went with CCS when my Sony UTV failed because I wanted a quick turn around, 6 month warranty, and wasn't sure that Sony would provide the same "services" as CCS.

We don't get details on UTV repairs often here so if anyone has Sony (or RCA) UTV Repair stories (with Sony and/or CCS) please post them here so others can make an informed choice.

I wonder if Sony would offer to repair RCA UTVs for $84? The basic layout is identical... Repairs might be just as similar. Probably no Sony Warranty however...

lovemyutv2007,

Could you outline your Sony UTV repair experience?

CCS Corp has offered dual tuner repair on all UTVs (RCA and Sony) for $130 for quite some time. While Sony has/does offer to repair for $84.00... I'm curious what kind of turn around and if they replace just the failing chip or both "tuners" just to be safe... Not only that but if your MY SHOWS, etc. are left intact or if they "restore" or even "swap" your Sony UTV for another unit.

I went with CCS when my Sony UTV failed because I wanted a quick turn around, 6 month warranty, and wasn't sure that Sony would provide the same "services" as CCS.

We don't get details on UTV repairs often here so if anyone has Sony (or RCA) UTV Repair stories (with Sony and/or CCS) please post them here so others can make an informed choice.

I wonder if Sony would offer to repair RCA UTVs for $84? The basic layout is identical... Repairs might be just as similar. Probably no Sony Warranty however...

From a previous post:

I have seen references to CCS scattered over this forum. I just wanted to add my vote.

A tuner in one of my Sony UTVs finally gave up the ghost. I sent the unit to CCS on Tuesday and it came back today, one week later. I suspect it would have come back two days earlier if it hadn't been for an intervening Sunday and a postal holiday.

I sent it with a request to replace the tuners and upgrade to a 120gig hard drive. They sent with a 160gig hard drive at no extra cost. I plugged it in and it worked perfectly out of the box. Didn't even have to deal with DirecTV to activate it.

I'm a very happy camper. As our "obsolete" UTVs age, it becomes more and more important to know that there are some good guys out there for repair. I just thought it should be noted.

http://www.ccscorporation.net/index.htm

Burt

I just cannot get over what passes for UI on DVR's now. I have to say i love my TIVOs intuitivity.

?? InJustice, are you saying the Tivo's UI is better then current DTV's DVR UI?

I've got a DTV Tivo HDDVR2 that I find passable but not as nice as my UTVs... Not sure how DTV has "improved" or "devolved" from that model's UI but I can't see how it could get worse. (No offense to Tivo users. It really all comes down to what you learn first, it tends to grow on you.)