Customer Reviews

Toshiba DST3000 HDTV/DIRECTV Receiver

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've got all 3 DirectTV satellites, cable and a Terk HDTV antenna all connected to the box and it works great!

Two things that I really like, (much better than the RCA DTC-100 it's replacing), was the fact that it has component video out and the channel guide has all of the satellite, cable and local reception on one guide --- including descriptions etc. for the local cable and broadcast stations.

Again, unlike the RCA, I don't have to do any input switching to go from one source to another. I can select 24-1, (the local NBC HDTV broadcast station), and then select "206", satellite ESPN and jump back and forth hitting the "return" or "previous channel" button without any steps in the middle.

The picture is, of course, tremendous on HDTV, great on satellite, variable depending on what cable station, and extremely good on all local broadcast stations coming off the Terk TV-35 antenna.

I had some problems setting up the local stations initially, (that's why the "4"), but was extremely happy with the tremendous customer service Toshiba gave me.

I have read a lot reviews, and surfed a lot of feedback about this product. Most is negative, but how many people write about something that is good? First you must be technicaly inclined. Second you must understand BASIC electronics. Nothing is as advertised!

I purchased the dst300 in may of 2001; just for hdtv. GREAT! (with a good antenna) then I got greedy, and subscribed to Directv. (Just for hdtvnet. [cable [stunk] anyway]) Great also! I've had no major problems with this unit whatsoever. Maybe it has something to do with your particular set. I have a Pioneer hdtv set, but this unit may work perfect with a Toshiba; being a Toshiba. Yes, it has it's ups and downs, but as stated earlier who writes when it's good? I'm sure they've sold tens of thousands of these units, but only thousands of negative reviews! 4 stars instead of five, because of only 1080i hd reception (which is AWESOME!!!) but ABC and FOX broadcasts in different formats (grow up). CBS, NBC, PBS, HBO, SHOWTIME, HDNET, and sometimes wgn broad cast in 1080i which is the best format so far.

I purchaced a Toshiba 3000 unit six months ago. It was connected to my Sony 53HS10 HDTV. It is connected to both a channel master roof antenna and a Directv HD Dish. The unit tended to flash the TV picture when network signals burst. I returned the unit for a second and the same problem occurred. I only get the flashing on the 1080i mode. After a Sony service call and replacement of the outdoor antenna and a readjustment of the Directv dish the problem continued. The picture 98% of the time is great. After $89 monster cable and no improvement, I will live with the occassional flashing thinking that perhaps the problem is really the experimentation of the networks. My feeling is that the Toshiba and the Sony are not 100% compatable. Potential buyers please be aware!

After having my DST3000 for about 1 month Direct TV sent some update and my receiver would no longer update the channel guide. After calling Toshiba several times they finally replaced it and now it works fine. Was very disapointed with their Tech support after reading the owners manual I knew more about the product than most of their support.

I HAVE HAD TWO SONY HD RECEIVERS BOTH OF THEM WENT OUT WITHIN A MONTH. AFTER THE SECOND ONE WENT OUT ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, I TOOK IT BACK TO AND THEY GAVE ME A TOSHIBA, I WASENT SURE IF I WOULD LIKE IT BUT EVERTHING ABOUT IT IS GREAT, ON SCREEN MENU WORKS GREAT AND IT IS VERY EASY TO USE THE REMOTE FOR EVERY THING YOU HAVE. I THINK TOSHIBA SHOULD GET 5 STARS FOR THIS GOOD PRICED UNIT.

I've used this unit for over a three years. I have both component video and composite video set up to my Hitachi 36" HDTV (non-widescreen.) It was simple to setup for the 4:3 aspect ratio with either a choice of black or grey bars when viewing 16:9 programming (I prefer black and have had no burn-in problems.)

I generally run the output in standard mode (480i), except when viewing a good quality HDTV program; even in that mode the quality of the HDTV broadcast vs normal broadcast is good. The Hitachi supports 1080i mode and I can easily toggle between the two modes if needed (running in 1080i disables composite output so you can't record to a VCR in that mode.)

The one complaint I have, which is why I pulled back from five stars, is that viewing non-HD signals (e.g. local cable, non-HD DirecTV channels) in 1080i mode is not as clean as 480i mode. The output is a bit fuzzy and appears to be stretched a bit, primarily showing up in sports broadcast where any text (e.g. scores) at the fringes of the screen get cut off a bit. I assume this is an up-convert issue with this box (from 480i to 1080i) as the straight HD signals look great in this mode.

I like the fact that it has NTSC/ATSC tuners as well as the DirecTV capabilities. I was considering the soon to be released HDTV DirecTV Tivo unit but it appears to lack an NTSC tuner so I'll stick to this unit as long as I must rely on cable or over-the-air non-digital signals for some local programming.

after about 6 months my toshiba dst-300 lost the video input ,I could hear the sound but the screen was black. technical support was not much help either. I had to spend an extra $150.00 to have it fixed.my old hughes receivers are 5 years old and I never had any problems with them.

Love the sat and local integration menu. The HD signal if fantastic! However, I have to say that the standard digital signal was not as clear as my RCA Ultimate TV receiver. Therefore, I found myself only using the receiver when I want to watch HD, which is about 10% of the time. Also, after having the receiver for more than a year, my video signal went out. I am currently having it serviced outside the warranty period. So consider getting the extended warranty.

The first unit arrived and the installer couldn't get the setup menu to display. I returned the bad unit. The second unit arrived and had the same problem. At that point I just got my money refunded. I can't tell if there is a quality problem with the Toshiba, or with the handling of returned electonics.

Very nice HD picture quality. Very soft and fuzzy picture quality on all non-HD channels. I returned it when it died a week later.