Samsung SIR-TS160 Multiple Platform DirectTV Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Note: I've been using SIR-T160 for almost 4 months now. Early in 2003, new firmware was released, which has solved many critical issues with this receiver. My review reflects this firmware. Another firmware is in the works, to be released sometime later this year.
Pros:
- High Definition (HD) video outputs (component, DVI, VGA) and low resolution analog (S-video, composite) are active simultaneously
- Fast processor -- fast channel change, responsive menu system
- Has both optical and coax digital audio output
- Clean, polished, and easy to use user interface with Advanced Program Guide (AGP)
- Includes value-added features, such as Caller ID, games, and calendar
- Wide range of video outputs: DVI, VGA, component, S-video, composite video
- Excellent support policies
Cons:
- Prone to occasional crash/freeze (perhaps once or twice a month)
- Raw Dolby Digital audio stream sometimes not selected automatically (requires re-tuning into the channel... press the channel up, then down)
- Slightly inferior picture quality than Sony/Zenith receiver
- Over-The-Air (OTA) reception signal retention is average
- Problems adding OTA channels (once DirecTV is setup, cannot add an OTA channel manually)
- Always convert the native signals to one of user specified formats (1080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i)
The first thing to know is that there's no such thing as a perfect High Definition (HD) DirecTV receiver. All receivers have one problem or another. It's a matter of finding one that has the feature you must have and problems you can live with. For me, this is that receiver.
The main selling point for me was dual active output capability. That is, both high definition video output (DVI, VGA, component video) and analog low resolution output (S-video, composite video) are active at the same point. In other words, you can hookup the analog VCR or standalone PVR/DVR (e.g., TiVo) to the unit and SIR-T160 will do all the work. When you are watching the program live, turn your HDTV on and watch it in full 1080i or 720p splendor (alas, the receiver does not output "native" signal, should your HDTV support both 1080i and 720p). But when you are not home, or if you want to record the program as you watch, your VCR/PVR/DVR will get the low resolution (480i) signals, too.
With almost all other HD receivers, you must remember to manually set output to 480i and/or toggle S-video/composite video. Otherwise, your VCR/PVR/DVR will record nothing.
Aside from this feature, the Samsung SIR-T160 is about on par with all the latest and greatest receivers. It looks and sounds great (although a notch below Sony and Zenith's latest boxes) and I was able to receive all the key local channels over the indoor antenna -- ABC (720p), CBS (1080i), Fox (480p), NBC (1080i), PBS (1080i), UPN (480p), and WB (1080i). Keep in mind that Samsung does not hold onto signals as strongly as some of the other boxes, so you may have problem receiving signals on bad weather or channels with weak signal strength.
DirecTV channels look and sound good too, although on my 56" HDTV, the compression artifacts were pretty noticeable. HD DirecTV channels look and sound amazing (198 PPV-HD, 199 HDNet, 509 HBO-HD, and 543 SHO-HD -- all in 1080i), however.
So while I do have few complaints, I love this receiver.

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Samsung's SIR-TS160 is an all-in-one set-top box for people seeking the best HDTV programming and reception. Based on Samsung's award-winning SIR-T150 ATSC receiver (noted by industry experts as the most sensitive tuner available), this newer model offers unprecedented reception of over-air digital broadcasts (ATSC), analog broadcasts (NTSC), and digital satellite programming from DIRECTV.
The SIR-TS160 is the first consumer set-top box to use industry-standard DVI (digital video interface) jacks with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) implementation. Combined with a DIRECTV Advanced Program Guide, selectable output formats, and a videophile design, the SIR-TS160 is a great all-in-one choice for HDTV content reception. The SIR-TS160 uses a seven-day Advanced Program Guide that integrates both analog and digital signals for seamless switching between programs broadcast over satellite and over air. Samsung's proprietary speed-enhancement technology offers the fastest guide-surfing experience available in any HDTV satellite receiver to date. A new guide search lets you scan program listings via the names of actors, movies, and other one-step search fields. A picture-in-guide window makes it easy to watch a program while surfing the listings, or Samsung's Quick Guide will display listings, one 30-minute time-slot at a time, in an opaque overlay atop a program.
Consistent with the all-in-one theme, the SIR-TS160 offers selectable outputs, including 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i. This optimizes performance by matching the output to a digital television monitor's native resolution, whether it's a plasma-, LCD-, DLP-, or CRT-based set. Additionally, the SIR-TS160 simultaneously outputs standard 480i composite-video, allowing a dual connection with an analog TV or standard VCR. A full complement of audio-video inputs accommodates current and future devices. These include component-video (Y, Pb, Pr), RGB and HV (15-pin D-sub), two composite-video (one with S-video), and optical and coaxial digital-audio connections.