Customer Reviews

Toshiba DST-3100 Set Top Box

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This unit is unusable in a bedroom because of an unbelievably loud cooling fan. The fan never shuts off, even when the machine is turned off; you have to unplug it to silence it! I'm of the opinion that Home Theater components should be silent, but this has a fan as loud as the fan on my desktop PC. Really poor, arrogant engineering.

The picture and features are fine, lots of connection options, easy to set up. I got it to work right out of the box. The machine is slow to acquire the programming guide, but they've done a good job with the guide itself. The remote also has channel and volume buttons that are too small and the RF doesn't work, it's basically only a line of sight IR.

Bottom line, if you use it in a media room, in a closed case (with a glass front, RF doesn't work) and you can get it for <$400, it might be a buy, but not for your bedroom.

Purchased for bedroom. I purchased this unit sight unseen from ecost as I needed an inexpensive HD unit ASAP. The only thing this unit had going for it was price $200 (refurb). It has an obnoxiously loud, non stop fan. It never stops.

It has no digital display. The physical unit doesn't show channel, time, HD mode, nothing. Just a bright yellow/green led when its on. This unit is the HD Directv equivalent to the Sports Illustrated football phone.

The box is a non standard size, so none of my other components stack well with it. It's kind of more square than rectangle. Not a problem if you're not stacking or are using a rack.

The remote is limited and not very well thought through. A lot of menu searching in lieu of buttons. The Toshiba manual provided did not have the code for my Sharp Aquos, so that was frustrating. I figured it out using my Hughes manual. It was 022. I still can't get the input button on the Toshiba to toggle through my inputs on the Aquos. This is a problem if you turn the tv on w/ the Toshiba remote, and change the channel on the tv by accident. The problem is that switches the tv to tv input from input 1. When I press the input select button on the Toshiba remote, nothing happens, and I am forced to use the Aquos remote to change the tv back to input 1 so I can watch Directv. This is not a problem w/ the Hughes HD units.

The menu systems are ok if you like them or are used to toshiba. I have been using hughes boxes and perhaps am biased toward their menus.

I'll be damned if I can get the RF to work on the remote. The ironic part is this is what sold me. Go figure.

In summary, for HD DirecTv for $200 in a guest room, play room, basement, or an environment that is a little noisier (so you don't hear fan) it is ok, but just ok. I would not recommend it, and would return it if ecost would let me....which says something about me for not paying attention to ecost's return policy.