Sony SVR 3000 - DVR - TiVo - 80 hour(s)
See it at Amazon.com for $70.00Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Sony unit a delight to operate and look at & very QUIET !!
Sleek and attractive it sits there. Complete with controls on the front panel in case you can't find the remote at the moment.
The fan is internal so it's very quiet. There is room inside for 2 drives unlike some other Series 2 units. The usual Sony quality is apparent. From the manual to the "better than other Tivo's" remote control - it just feels good. It also works great. It does cost a bit more. The difference is worth it.
(3 out of 5)Had to send the unit for repairs
Tivo is a great service when it works, as is this DVR.
Unfortunately, the service stopped receiving program information after 10 days and now I am having to send the machine back to Sony for repair. Actually, Tivo says it is a Sony hardware problem. Sony says it is a server problem or some other Tivo service problem. But Sony will still let me send the unit to them to check. Now I am wishing I had a Tivo unit so they would not be able to pass the buck.
UPDATE: Sony Customer Service said it would take 6 days to get it back from repair. It actually took 4 weeks. (Tivo give me a one month credit for their service). I had to pay to send it to the only Sony Service Center in the country that repairs it.
But the good news, it does work now. So, I am happy and keeping my fingers crossed that it will keep working. The Sony Service Center said they made an "electrical adjustment".
(3 out of 5)The problem is with the TIVO service
I previously reviewed this at 5 stars, but there is a huge problem due to the fact that this is a sony unit and tivo software.
Whenever you have a problem with the TIVo in anyway, you must first decide who to call. If it is a hardware problem you call SONY to get it fixed. If it is a software problem you call TIVO to get it fixed. This is only a slight problem. Yes it would be better if you call the same number everytime, but it really isn't a big deal. The big problem lies whenever you have a SOFTWARE problem. TIVO will ALWAYS try and pass the buck off to SONY. Their customer support is awful, and sony customer support is much better. However just because Sony has better support doesn't mean they have the know how to take care of software problems that occur with the TIVO service.
I would much prefer for someone else (like SONY) to provide the software and service to this unit. It doesn't look like this is ever going to happen so you are stuck with the TIVO service.
My advice to anyone having problems is this:
It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out if it is hardware or software. If it doesn't even turn on (for example) it is a hardware problem. If it is a software problem call TIVO. The number isn't available anywhere at www.tivo.com because they want you to call sony first. Sony is aware of this, so it is easier to get the number from www.sony.com or the number listed for sony at www.tivo.com. Once you get tivo's number, it will be difficult getting a live operator because they want you to get your questions answered in the FAQ section. Once you get to talk to someone at tivo (wait is only about 5 minutes) they will put you on hold and come back on the line and say something like "I just talked to my supervisor and he/she told me it was a hardware problem and you need to call sony". Insist that it is a software problem, you will then be placed on hold for a tivo technical assistant (this is who you want). Generally you will be on hold for 45 to 60 minutes. Once you get to talk to them, they will be able to help you. The only difficulty is getting them on the phone because they do not have a direct number and anyone else will refer you to sony.
SONY SVR-3000 = 5 stars
TIVO SERVICE = 1 stars
overall = 3 stars
(5 out of 5)The absolute best Tivo available.
I just wanted to mention one other reason why this is the best. This is the only 80 hr Series 2 Tivo that is designed to work with two hard-drives. This one therefore is easily upgradeable. Other Series 2 Tivos lack the appropriate power supply and brackets to support an additional hard drive.
(5 out of 5)Great little unit
I am currently getting digital cable and when I got this unit back in January 2003 my ONLY option was to use the infrared sensor. The infrared sensor is similar to a remote control as it transmits a signal to the cable box to change channels, etc. It is taped to the cable box so the tivo unit can change the channels on the cable box. The infrared sensor had SERIOUS problems with my cable. I missed about 25% of my shows due to the faulty infrared sensor set up. It mostly recorded the wrong channels. For example if I want to record channel 536, it might record, 53, 56, or 36, etc. (simply missing one of the digits).
The other option is the serial cable connection where it connects to the back of the cable box (if you have a serial port) and is able to change channels directly. This option only became available (for cable) in April 2003 when the new software for Home Media Option came out. Now I've switched to the serial connection and things are MUCH better. I never miss a show anymore and when I change channels using the remote control I can go through the channels MUCH faster.
If you are interested in getting this unit I would strongly urge you to use the serial connection as opposed to the infrared sensor (The difference between 5 stars and 2 stars). If you have cable or direct TV make sure you have a box with a serial port in the back of the box. For Direct TV, I've seen the serial port on some of the high end units (i.e. the HD direct TV receivers all have them). If you have to settle with the free (with rebates) direct TV receiver, it probably does not have the serial port and you might want to upgrade to one that does before you get this.
If you are using the serial connection, this unit gets 5 stars. The only drawback I see now is that the remote does not have a TV/VIDEO button. With the remote you are able to turn on the TV, turn up the volume, mute, but you can't switch VIDEO1 and VIDEO2, with the included remote. This is a big headache when I sit down after someone has just watched a DVD and I have to find another remote to change to VIDEO1.
Others commented on installing 2 hard drives to add to the memory. Understand that doing this voids the warranty and if you are a lifetime subscriber you will probably have to pay the fee ($249) again if something goes wrong with your unit. If you are still under warranty you might want to atleast wait until the initial warranty is up before installing another drive and voiding the warranty.
I would recommend this unit...