Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps more bad news than good news
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:
Summary: Perhaps more bad news than good news
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: 
Summary: still can't get it right
Review: big disappointment! i have been living with the noisey, limited hd100 for 3 years waiting for a well designed box to come along, and hoped the hd300 would be it. not to be. first, the sensitivity has not improved at all, i am still unable to lock on to some local digital channels. (terk 55 ant no more than 20mi from station). 2nd, this box will not allow you to use the DVI outputs and VGA outputs simultaneously, you must disconnect one or the other. you can use DVI or VGA and component outputs but you must first flip a switch on the rear of the unit. this prevents you from using this unit with two tv's without getting up and physically selecting one or the other, no remote control operation possible. 3rd, inability to delete channels and guide problems. i can't believe sony couldn't build a better box. i returned unit.
Rating:
Summary: Buggy, buggy, buggy
Review: Don't buy this thing!
I've been wrestling with one all day and will return it. Here's a sampling of the problems:
It has, for no obvious reason, frozen and restarted numerous times today.
The channel guide always defaults to showing all channels in the guide every time you press "guide." You cannot delete any channels from the guide although you can hide them. Non-hidden channels are placed in a "custom" list. Unfortunately, the custom list is accessed by pressing guide (showing all channels) then scrolling down a list to select custom - each and every time you press guide on the remote! What genius thought of this? You can't delete any channel and guide always selects all channels so your kids can get to everything. There is a lock option to password protect channels but you can't lock a hidden channel! Very bad design. There's plenty more but you get the idea. Don't buy this thing. It isn't ready for prime time.
Rating:
Summary: Buggy, buggy, buggy
Review: Don't buy this thing! I've been wrestling with one all weekend and will return it. I expect more from Sony.
Here is what I've found so far: It has frozen and restarted at least six times today. Setup for the channel guide requires a complete scan of all broadcast (over the air) and cable channels - even if you don't have an antenna attached. This isn't so bad but then it insists on putting everything it suspects is a station in the channel guide! No problem, you say - just delete the channels you don't want to view. ONLY YOU CAN'T! Unbelievable. The channel guide is all cluttered up with things you don't care about or worse, things you don't want your kids to see and you can't delete any of it. You can create a custom list by hiding channels. Only the guide ALWAYS shows ALL channels each time you push the butto. You are forced to scroll down a list of options to select "custom" each and every time you push guide. By default it always comes up set to "all" channels. This is simply unacceptable design. But wait, it gets worse. You can use the lock feature to password protect certain channels - but not the channels that you have selected to hide! ... While I was on hold this evening for Sony technical support after being transferred to level 2 I was greeted by a phone message telling me that Sony support was now closed and to call back tomorrow! You bet I will .... Don't buy this thing.
Rating: 
Summary: The best choice if you own other Sony gear
Review: I don't disagree with some of the other complaints, but the problems are, in my opinion, overshadowed by the advantages if you own a Sony TV and receiver. The remote works perfectly with my HDTV monitor and receiver. I have used HD DirecTV receivers from Samsung and Hughes and found them lacking.
Rating:
Summary: What a turkey- even at today's prices
Review: I got my SAT-HD300 back when it was brand new, and paid $800 for the unit- after the Sony employee discount!
It functions well enough as an ATSC and DirecTV reciever- but a glaring omission is 1394 FireWire outputs- making the unit useless if you're considering a DVHS deck. http://169time.com/ will mod the unit to output firewire, but at a huge additional cost.
Rating: 
Summary: Very happy with my HD300
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:
Summary: Very happy with my HD300
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:
Summary: new version/same problems
Review: I have the previous model, the HD-200 - the absolute worst AV purchase I've ever made. After being perpetually ignored by Sony's customer service reps, I'm not surprised to see that the same problems occur in the 300 model. I am really sick and tired of having to wade through 500+ channels to reset the custom program list (the only way to navigate so many signals), only to find it gone the next day. And the remote control doesn't work unless you are directly in front of, and close to, the unit. I have mostly Sony equipment, and have always considered it a good investment, until I got this $800 turkey. Sony should be ashamed for branding this (which, I understand, is actually made by Zenith). Buyer beware - it's a lot of money to regret spending.
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