Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony SAT T60 - DVR - TiVo - 35 hour(s) - DIRECTV

We finally ditched digital cable and got our DirecTV installed. Wow! We also ditched our VCR and got TiVo. Double Wow! And the Sony SAT-T60 integrates your DirecTV with your TiVo. Wow wow WOW!!!

Positives: the picture quality and sound quality are perfect. About 1 million times better than what we had with digital cable, especially on your local channels and others that aren't truly digital on digital cable (but are digital on DirecTV). There doesn't seem to be any picture quality degradation when watching a recorded show via TiVo versus a "live" show via DirecTV. The quality is perfect.

You can easily transfer shows from TiVo's hard drive to your VCR. TiVo has a neat "Save to VCR" feature if you want to view it on a different TV.

There are 2 satellite inputs, so you can record 2 shows simultaneously! I didn't think I would do this too much, but with all the channels that DirecTV offers, it seems like we are recording two shows at once all the time.

The Sony user interface is very easy to learn and use. It's downright fun. Live TV pause is amazing.

This model is less noisy than some other TiVo models.

The remote control is easy to use.

Negatives: I bought two of these and 1 experienced problems with the hard drive on day 4 of owning. I replaced it and now have 2 that are working great.

The system is always on, which means that there is always a small amount of noise coming from the system (the hard drive and fan). While the Sony SAT-T60 is quieter than most TiVo systems, it might bother some people who like a completely quiet room at bedtime.

This model is discontinued and hard to find.

Other: You'll definitely want to take advantage of the S-VIDEO connector in order for the on-screen displays to be crisp and clear. If you already have a DVD player that uses S-VIDEO, you may not have enough S-VIDEO inputs on your TV. You'll want an A/V receiver or a [...]A/V switcher from Sony that lets you switch between multiple S-VIDEO connections.

If you have more than 1 TV hooked up to satellite, you will likely want this system for each TV. Once you get addicted to TiVo's features, TV is quite frustrating without it!

We bought this product within days of its release and have never had a single, solitary complaint. It works perfectly, records beautifully, and I can't imagine TV-viewing without it. We have never had any kind of challenge or concern. Every product will have a few lemons from manufacturing, but that in no way indicts the product or its features. Can't speak to customer service quality since we have never had to call...

OK. I'm not overly happy with my purchase but have enjoyed the experience of Tivo. And the Directv in same box is perfect for us Tivo/Directv subscribers. However, over the last two and half years I've had the hard drive replaced twice. Sony paid for the first one (I paid for shipping). And I paid for everything the second go around. Now during the last year of owning this product I've had light static snow showing up. I did plenty of tests to ensure that it is in fact my SAT-T60 causing this static to appear. So, I'm lukewarm. I feel I paid plenty of money for it. But the longevity and quality just wasn't there. Had no modem problems luckily. Good luck!

This was one of the best purchases I've ever made. The unit is easy-to-use, acts as a DirecTV receiver, and it's just amazing. It really has revolutionized the way we view television. I think I paid $99 for it, and then $250 for the lifetime TiVo service. This was all in 2001, I believe.

The only flaw is that I did have to send it in for repairs... twice. And yes, Sony's Customer Service was truly terrible. When they shipped the unit back, they also didn't include all the cables, etc. that I had sent along with it, so I had to wait until they sent those accessories. I think I had to pay something like $85 in various shipping costs, but ultimately I've had the unit for at least 5 years and it is still in everyday use.

Nowadays the units have more features - network connectivity, a better organization of the list of recordings, etc. But I don't think I'd really use the network feature. The better organization would be nice. However, since I paid the $250 lifetime service, we're sticking with the Sony T60 for a long, long time.

I gave the unit 4 stars despite the repair woes because, when the unit has been working, it's been awesome compared to the other boxes offered at the time. Enjoy!

I had to write a review because after seeing how many stars this product received it is very misleading. This is a great product with only one glaring weakness. It does not have any way to connect to the Home Media option of Tivo.

This is an ideal system for someone who is new to Tivo and only needs the one system. It is very simple and has a easy to use interface. I have had absolutly no problems with this system. Which I think is the best complement you can pay to an electronic device.

I recently purchased another Tivo system and realized how much better the Sony menu system and entire setup in general is superior to any other.

Do not be misguided this is one of the most coveted DirecTV/Tivo combinations around. You will not be disappointed with this product unless you plan on connecting it to a network.