Dilemma - Sony HD200 or Samsung TS160

[ReesR]

This is a technical question wrapped up in a crystal ball opinion question.

The Sony HD200 Directv STB will not output both high def component and standard def composite video at the same time.  The Samsung TS-160 will but wont allow output of high def through both component and DVI outputs at the same time.

Anybody here have any opinions on which would be more useful?

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Rees Roberts
Racine, WI
reesr@wi.net

HDTV Receiver:  Sony KD-34XBR2
Bi-directional Yagi Antenna at 30 feet

[borghe]

The point here isn't simultaneous outputs, it is about recording. With output through both HD and SD simultaneously, you can record a timer to VCR and not worry about what output the box is set to. DVI and compnent simultaneously is much less usefull being that you can't record to either of them. Go with the one that allows you to record without switching (Sony)

[This message has been edited by borghe (edited 09-17-2002).]

[ReesR]

Well, your right on point.  Recording is the issue.  Right now I could use the simultaneous outputs of the high def and standard def because there simply is no high def plug and play recorders around yet.  And I could then record standard def versions of hdtv programming with the Samsung TS160.  Or to continue to record standard def programming off of Directv, which, of course, there is still a bunch of.

But now a sudden realization occurred.  Does this mean that once a high def recorder is available that I would have to junk the TS160?  You see, the TS160 will not output component and DVI at the same time.  You must throw a switch on the back of the unit to select the output path.  DVI to the recorder or component to the tv.  This was confirmed to me yesterday after I called Samsung support.  So, it really isn't about watching and recording a program at the same time, it's about deciding which box (the tv or the recorder) will get the feed.

The Sony HD200 does allow both the DVI and the component feed to output at the same time so you wouldn't have to be constantly switching between the two.  But right now I don't have a high def recorder to take advantage of that.

Am I missing anything?

[ReesR]

I just talked with a product specialist from Sony who has spent the last month getting to know the HD200. Here are some points he shared:

• The component output will be 480i if composite output is 480i.
• If 1080i is selected for component output then composite video output is blank
• The method of changing from 1080i to 480i is a switch on the front of the unit. Not available via remote control.
• There will be no caller ID feature in the HD200.
• Menus have been modified and improved with green instead of blue background.
• The remote control is not controllable via RF - - just IR (infrared)

After hearing all this I have concluded that I am no longer interested in the Sony HD200.

Cheers

[KmiT]

2 weeks ago I bought a HD100, it was a demo unit. Sunday night it broke down, the fan would turn on and nothing else would.I took it back yesterday and exchanged it for the HD200   The first thing that I noticed is that the HD100 was made in Mexico, and the HD200 was made in Korea. The HD200 doesn't have a noisy fan like the HD100. The menu system for the HD200 is far superior, when you go into the menu it does cut out from what your viewing like the HD100 does. Its easier to navigate through "it kind of works like the Windows start menu" scroll up or down, left and right. Much faster! The menu color is Blue. You can't change it either. You can choose the following formats 1080i,720p,480p variable1,2,3 with the remote or on the box. It has something called "wide mode" depending on witch format you have it set to it allows you to change viewing screen to normal, wide, panorama, zoom 1, zoom 2. Which the HD100 didn't have. You can also choose between gray and black for the matte color. It also has a DVI output and it comes with a DVI cord. I only have 1 complaint about the HD200. The antenna signal meter is a bar graph that goes "bad, normal, good" whereas the HD100 was a percentage based meter. The only good thing is that you can check the signal strength while watching TV. If anybody reading this has a HD100 I recommend trying to sell it and buying a HD200.