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Philips or Sony?
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Posted by: Doug_L

Assuming that I will not be using the remote (have Philips Pronto) and I will be using with digital cable, so I already have a guide that I like, which do people prefer:

Philips HDR312 or Sony SVR-2000?

Are the interfaces the same? Do they have the same inputs and outputs? Are there any other differences I should know about?

I'm assuming that with the $100 rebate on the Sony the price points become the same at about $300.

Thanks in advance.

Posted by: LiveBlues

It's really just a matter of preference. The hardware is identical inside, and from what I understand, the interface is basically the same.

Posted by: Smoove B

I prefer the Sony remote... and I find the background less distracting on the menu screens.

Sony can also control Sony VCRs... I think that's really it.

The interface is the same, much better than digital cable. Same outputs on both.

Really can't lose either way.

Smoove out

Posted by: AndyK

Neither!

http://attbroadband.tivo.com/flash.asp?page=get_index
http://www.tivo.com/get/series2/index.asp

Posted by: jgregoryh

I was at a national chain store yesterday and they were sitting there with 9 returned SVR-2000 units. The salesman thought there is a serious quality problem with the Sony's.

Posted by: nextguard2

Well there is also the difference of how the extended warranty (without which you should not buy a Tivo IMHO) and whether or not Phjillips is getting out of the Tivo business.

Posted by: stormsweeper

quote:
Originally posted by jgregoryh
I was at a national chain store yesterday and they were sitting there with 9 returned SVR-2000 units. The salesman thought there is a serious quality problem with the Sony's.

Likely just people who picked it up and didn't get the service fee.

I got my SVR-2000 from one of those returns, works perfectly.

Plus, the Sony is silver.

Posted by: Ben Dover

As others have said the two are nearly identical, except the Sony has an additional feature (control of Sony VCRs; anything else?), and the remotes are a bit different.

Actually, there are several differences in the remote.

The Sony has a Standby (Off) button. If you use RF passthrough to your TV, that may be an issue. I believe you need to go through a menu on the Philips to go into Standby.

The Sony remote has a List button to go directly to the Now Showing/Now Playing screen. Philips users simply press the TiVo button twice.

That said, we got the Sony because my wife hated the Cyclops look of the Philips.

Posted by: stormsweeper

quote:
Originally posted by Ben Dover
As others have said the two are nearly identical, except the Sony has an additional feature (control of Sony VCRs; anything else?), and the remotes are a bit different.

The SVR-2000 will *only* control Sony VCR's.

The remote works in the usual gamut of Sony remotes, so can be switched so as not to interfere with other Sony devices, etc.

Unfortunately, Series I standalones are BIG. Mine's bigger than my TV, actually. To keep it from resting directly on the bottom of the unit instead of the little feet, I made some struts out of some spare 4x4 and 4x12 LEGO base bricks.

Posted by: hanumang

The other 'benefit' of the SVR-2000 is that the remote has a dedicated button, labeled 'List,' that brings you directly to the Now Playing List.

Posted by: weaknees

quote:
I'm assuming that with the $100 rebate on the Sony the price points become the same at about $300.

There IS a cost difference. The Sony SVR-2000 is now more expensive than Philips units...especially if you are willing to purchase a low-capacity Philips and upgrade it or purchase an already-upgraded Philips unit.

While Philips is no longer manufacturing new TiVos, they have been releasing factory serviced units...which in our recent experience have functioned very reliably. While there have been people who have reported problems with factory-serviced units received in exchanges, our recent shipments of factory-serviced units from Philips have been EXTREMELY (actually 100%) reliable. Admittedly, when we were selling Philips refurbished units a year ago, we would find an occasional bad unit during our routine pre-sale tests. Now, out of habit, we still test upgraded units for problems, but haven't found any problem units. Our guess is that Philips has streamlined and improved the factory-service process and wants to reduce the number of returns to an absolute minimum.

Anyway, the point is that the Philips factory serviced units are significantly less expensive than the Sony's.

Michael
www.weaknees.com

Posted by: scottc

Definitely Go with the Philips!! You will be unhappy with Sony's support.