[morttt]

New to this board, great info you guys got here. thanks for your help in advance..


I Just got my 40XBR700 delivered today, and the PQ is so good the wait period i had promised myself before dropping even more $ for the HD box is rapidly growing significantly shorter.


Anyone have an idea on the best place to buy the sony HD-100? I've read the pro's and cons of the box that have gone back and forth here, and my goal here is not to light a fuse on which box to buy, just wondering if anyone had an idea on where to get it.


I'd try onecall, they have been good...but they don't seem to have it listed.


Just thought I'd throw it out there, Thanks for your help, can't wait to see 1080i HDnet, I hear its rather impressive


-Mortt

 

[TWilly]

You can usually get one at CC, for about $600 if open box

 

[Benji]

morttt: I think you're making a mistake going after the SAT-100. Sony has discontinued the box and with good reason-it's far inferior to other STB's. Your best bet is the Hughes E-86 ($499 brand new). Now that Hughes has its act together the boxes are performing flawlessly and have zillions of great features. It is much easier to use than any other STB. I have the RCA DTC-100 also but much prefer the Hughes.

 

[krs7272]

Morttt,

I want to say I think that the HD100 is a perfect choice for your tv. I have had my HD100 for 6months and would not use anything else on my 61HS10. As your set is also 4x3 the "VARIABLE 3" setting is the perfect match for a 4x3 tv that compress" the raster as yours does. And the fact that there both Sony and the remotes will work on either cant hurt either. Just make sure you get a 4 patches for the HD100.


Chris

 

[awtryau89]

I agree as well. I have had the HD-100 for over 6 months now and I love it. I switched from a Dish 6000 and the Variable feature is what sold me. I now have one input for HD and SD. I watched closely the debates about these boxes and I know there must have been some problems but I have been very fortunate in that I have not had any. I have all 4 patches and have not had a lipsync problem yet. I spoke to a local affiliate technician here in Atlanta that has the Sony and he told me that the problem with the Sony all along that it was too sensitive and would not accept the variances in broadcast material right now. They had to "dumb down" there software in a sense. You should be able to find a Sony at Circuit City or if you have a Tweeter in your area. I purchase mine from Tweeter with a 2 year extended warranty NIB for $700 out the door.

 

[morttt]

Thanks for all the help guys, I relaly didn't want to get into a "which box is better" thread, as I have pretty much made up my mind to stay sony (to match my DVD, TV and UltimateTV box...plus the RF remote will be useful). I will take a look at circuit city, maybe a couple other B&M places around here also..


Do have one quesiton though, i have seen references to the 4 patches, i assume those are just software upgrades that get beamed down via DTV similar to my UTV upgrades? or do i need to find a box that already has them installed (manufacture date?) what's the deal?


thanks!

-Mortt

 

[tomwid]

HD100 has been nice and dependable for me as well. Had it for 4 months now.

 

[HiDefGuy]

Quote:

Originally posted by Benji morttt: I think you're making a mistake going after the SAT-100.

Ditto; I wouldn't re-purchase my HD100 again. Many forum users have had Soney purchase back their units.

 

[markrubin]

try Crutchfield or Harvey Electronics- I hear they are in short supply and some are paying a premium for them


The patches are obtained as automatic downloads so the manufacture date should not matter (except for possibly quieter fan)



until the new Sony stb's come out, I am keeping my HD-100's (I like the front panel display and variable setting)


Mark

 

[JorgeGVB]

Quote:

Originally posted by morttt Do have one quesiton though, i have seen references to the 4 patches, i assume those are just software upgrades that get beamed down via DTV similar to my UTV upgrades? or do i need to find a box that already has them installed (manufacture date?) what's the deal? thanks! -Mortt

I purchased mine brand new on eBay a few weeks ago and have been very pleased. Mine has a Sept '01 build date and came with 3 patches installed. About 15-20 minutes after I activated the box with DirecTV, I recevied the 4th patch.


A couple of tips I picked up around here....


1. You can find out which patches you have by entering the following on your remote:


exit exit 7 7 7 7 3 exit


2. You also can reboot your unit by pressing the following buttons on the face of the box:


Hold down "Guide" + then press "down arrow"


FYI - There are a lot of Sony bashers around, so don't let them get you down. This box is perfect for your TV. It seems some of the early ones built may have had some other flaws, most seemed to be corrected by the patches from what I have read on this forum. A few of the forum members couldn't live with the box and they got Sony to repurchase the box from them. What more can you ask for? It seems to me the majority of people who have them are pretty pleased.

 

[morttt]

thanks everyone. great info.

 

[Stanton]

I just can't help but add that you can remove the fan if you can't stand the noise (like most folks). Search for my name and look for fan posts if you want details; it's quite simple and I have some pics on my website. I've been running "fan-less" 24/7 for a year now (I never turn my HD-100 off--not that it would make it run any cooler anyway)!