Sony VS. RCA
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Just like many things in life, it's personal preference. I have 2 UTVs, both RCAs, and absolutely love them. They haven't locked up one single time, and I've had both for several months now. Some people prefer the RCA remote, while others say Sony's remote is better. Remember, the Sony comes standard with a keyboard.
Some people prefer Sony because of the name, or because all of their other A/V equipment may be Sony. I personally like the look of the RCA UTV receiver better.
That being said, they're both identical inside. Both come standard with the "up to 35 hours" record time (which, in real life, averages anywhere from 18-28 hours).
You can't go wrong with either one. The UTVs are extremely stable, and the latest software release (version 3.5) is excellent.
Some people prefer Sony because of the name, or because all of their other A/V equipment may be Sony. I personally like the look of the RCA UTV receiver better.
That being said, they're both identical inside. Both come standard with the "up to 35 hours" record time (which, in real life, averages anywhere from 18-28 hours).
You can't go wrong with either one. The UTVs are extremely stable, and the latest software release (version 3.5) is excellent.
I was looking at the RCA UTV units last weekend, and noticed one thing which I suspect is a minor difference from the Sony. The output jack for digital audio (Dolby Digital) on the RCA is a non-standard connector. I couldn't get a clear answer from the salesdroid on whether a cable/adapter was included, but he pointed me to a $20 special RCA cable. This seems to be almost a habit that Thomson/RCA has practiced lately; I know that some of their HDTV sets have used non-standard connectors, and it's annoying. I haven't seen the Sony unit so can't compare.
(EDIT: It appears that I made a mistake in looking at the back panel, as subsequent posts have confirmed that the RCA does have the standard digital audio outputs.)
(EDIT: It appears that I made a mistake in looking at the back panel, as subsequent posts have confirmed that the RCA does have the standard digital audio outputs.)
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Are you possibly thinking about a COAX digital out? Looks like an RCA connector but Black or Orange usually? Both COAX and TOSLink are standard digital audio connectors. Coax is at times more convenient due to the cheaper cable cost, but with the recent price drop of TOSLink cables they are more or less identical (though some people might argue this.) The Sony UTV, RCA UTV and all DTivo's have this type of connector.
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| Originally posted by pheroy I was looking at the RCA UTV units last weekend, and noticed one thing which I suspect is a minor difference from the Sony. The output jack for digital audio (Dolby Digital) on the RCA is a non-standard connector. I couldn't get a clear answer from the salesdroid on whether a cable/adapter was included, but he pointed me to a $20 special RCA cable. This seems to be almost a habit that Thomson/RCA has practiced lately; I know that some of their HDTV sets have used non-standard connectors, and it's annoying. I haven't seen the Sony unit so can't compare. |
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I baught an optical cable to connect my UTV to my Sony Stereo optical audio input. The optical cables have square connecters. They are rather expensive. I got an 8ft one from RadioShack. It is just barely long enough. Should have got the 12 ft length but it was quite a bit more expensive.
A Question. I ammume that the the optical cables are better than the coax cables for dolby digital sound, right? If not then why support optical cables?
A Question. I ammume that the the optical cables are better than the coax cables for dolby digital sound, right? If not then why support optical cables?
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Ok, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that one is better off with the RCA. Yes, the Sony keyboard is nice but it's only necessary if you use WebTV. Noone does, so that settles that. The units use exactly the same hardware. Neither Sony nor RCA builds the mainboard or the HDD. The only differenct with the unit is the front facia.
Why is the RCA better? The remote... not that the Sony remote is bad it's that the sony remote requires 2 extra buttons for scrolling. The RCA uses channel up/down for scrolling in the guide. If you use a programmable remote, try finding 2 buttons that you don't need for anything else but for scrolling. Unless you have a top $ lcd remote, it aint gonna happen.
I wish so much that I had the RCA. My friend does, but he won't trade with me.
Why is the RCA better? The remote... not that the Sony remote is bad it's that the sony remote requires 2 extra buttons for scrolling. The RCA uses channel up/down for scrolling in the guide. If you use a programmable remote, try finding 2 buttons that you don't need for anything else but for scrolling. Unless you have a top $ lcd remote, it aint gonna happen.
I wish so much that I had the RCA. My friend does, but he won't trade with me.
I have a sony, but wish I had the rca just because of the color. I have no doubt that the guts of the units are identical but the rca is black and matches most people’s components. The remote for the sony really sucks, like most sony remotes. I use an mx-500 (which I would recommend to anyone with a home theater) remote so I did not care what remote came with the utv. The sony for $235+20 shipping with a $200 rebate was just hard to pass up. I will just live with the silly grey color.
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To me, the big advantage with the RCA UTV's is that they support 2 sets of remote control commands so you can have 2 UTV's in the same room and control them independantly. AFAIK, the Sony UTV boxes don't have this feature, so I went with RCA (2 in the home theater room, 1 in the master bedroom, and 1 in another bedroom).
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Nope, I know very well what coax & optical outs look like. The RCA output looks more like an RJ45 type connector.
Can someone who actually owns one comment? Does it come with a special cable or adapter? Did you have to buy anything? I suspect it comes with something but it'd be nice to have that confirmed.
| Originally posted by edrock200 Are you possibly thinking about a COAX digital out? |
Can someone who actually owns one comment? Does it come with a special cable or adapter? Did you have to buy anything? I suspect it comes with something but it'd be nice to have that confirmed.
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I own both an RCA and a Sony and can assure you that they both come with a standard Toslink connector. I am not sure what you think you saw but it could have been the "blank plug" that they use to cover up the jack when not in use. There is definitely no cable adapter or special cable needed.
Jay
| Originally posted by pheroy Nope, I know very well what coax & optical outs look like. The RCA output looks more like an RJ45 type connector. |
Jay
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both the sony and the rca use a standard tos/link connector. There is no difference. Both also have a "low speed data port" which looks like a RJ-45 jack, maybe that's what you were looking at.
Thanks, Jay and Jim, for clearing that up. I'll have to take another look at it to figure out what I mistook for the digital out, but the data port is probably it. (It wasn't the Toslink filler plug either... I've got quite a few of those laying around. 
) Sorry to stir up any confusion over this. Of course the problem was exacerbated by looking at this in Best Buy and asking the "help" for info!
) Sorry to stir up any confusion over this. Of course the problem was exacerbated by looking at this in Best Buy and asking the "help" for info! Quote:
No one is superior to the other. The sound is digital, as as long as the 1's and 0's are getting to your receiver the sound is identical. I read somewhere that optical was cheaper to implement...don't know if that's true and it seems like it would be the other way around but I dunno...
I found some cheap optical cables at Best Buy of all places...they usually mark everything up at least 100%.
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=...t=783&scat=803
They also had a 6 foot for under $10 I believe...it might not be the cheapest but if you need one from a reatail store it's the cheapest I've seen.
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| Originally posted by stevepvr A Question. I ammume that the the optical cables are better than the coax cables for dolby digital sound, right? If not then why support optical cables? |
I found some cheap optical cables at Best Buy of all places...they usually mark everything up at least 100%.
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=...t=783&scat=803
They also had a 6 foot for under $10 I believe...it might not be the cheapest but if you need one from a reatail store it's the cheapest I've seen.
-Ed
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