HD200 review by PCMAG

[tsitalon1]

Can be found here:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817...129TX1K0000530

Not a very flattering review.

[Fluffdaddy]

Ouch

[MorfiusX]

PC Mag is a joke. They only tested half of the functionality as they only tested in stand alone mode. Using a central recording server is where the real power of Sage starts.

[PLUCKYHD]

Yeah what a half @$$ review.

[pjpjpjpj]

I think I'll buy an AppleTV and then write a column b!tching about how it doesn't work with the SageTV software.

(translation for the sarcasm-impaired: the bulk of testing of a new gadget should be on the features that the gadget specializes in)

[cncb]

I'm not sure what they are talking about with the initial HDMI connection problems? I just received my HD200, hooked it up via HDMI and got a picture as soon as I turned it on??

[Brent]

I really question whether the reviewer even used the HD Theater. And if he did, he must use a VCR for day-to-day use cause he sure as heck doesn't seem to "get" the whole media player thing.

This review on PCMag is like many others I see on the traditional print tech magazines, they have successfully destroyed any confidence the mildly tech-knowledgeable person might have in their articles and reviews. And therefore pushed the conversation to more legitimate places on the web.

I feel sorry for some print media struggling these days, but reviews like that make me realize some of them just deserve to whither and go extinct.

[stuckless]

When I read articles like that I try not to get personally involved, but when you realize how bady the article was.... it's hard not to feel a little irritated.

To knock it because it won't play DRM protected itunes files??? Apple doesn't licence their DRM technology... nothing can play an itunes file except for apple products and products that circumvent DRM... so either they are knocking Sage for not being Apple, or they are knocking Sage for not circumventing the DRM... I just don't get those kinds of comments???

EDIT:
On a side note... I've convinced 2 of friends to buy the HD200... Both are not technical... they can surf the net, and that's about it. Both use and love the stand-alone device, and I've never had to help them with any configuration... Actually I told them I wouldn't help them, because I don't actually own the HD200

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Brent

This review on PCMag is like many others I see on the traditional print tech magazines, they have successfully destroyed any confidence the mildly tech-knowledgeable person might have in their articles and reviews. And therefore pushed the conversation to more legitimate places on the web.

I feel sorry for some print media struggling these days, but reviews like that make me realize some of them just deserve to whither and go extinct.

PC Magazine is not a print magazine anymore; they are online/download only. You can download the issues and "take them with you so you can read them anywhere on your laptop." After their articles went downhill so much over the past few years, I figured that was the last excuse I needed to finally cancel my subscription instead of just letting it run out.

- Andy

[aflat]

I just got a new HD200, plugged it in via HDMI and got nothing. I did the first thing any sane person would do, check the connections, then pull the power and reboot. The picture came up then. I never even put the batteries in the remote.

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by Opus4

... After their articles went downhill so much over the past few years, I figured that was the last excuse I needed to finally cancel my subscription instead of just letting it run out.

- Andy

I canceled my subscription over 15 years ago. Even back then their reviews were superficial and barely scratched the surface of the product. Many of the reviews seemed to be more like paid advertising than a consumer review and made me question their integrity.

S

[mayamaniac]

Not to side with PC Mag, I never liked them, but I didn't take as much offense to the review as most SageTV supporters here. It is true that they neglected the PVR side of the HD200, but there is a segment of the market that likes to use the extenders without the PVR stuffs. So as a standalone media streaming device, I don't think his review was that far-off. As it stands, the online features and contents are pretty half-@ssed. And the Music and Picture features are very basic and overall UI is very non-intuitive. I understand that SageTV is farmost a PVR product and that is their primary focus and strongest feature, and the media center part is on lower priority. But I hope reviews like these will push SageTV to put more efforts into the media center side of SageTV.

[Motofreak75]

I think the author wrote a great review.


not!

to meet the needs for his job and from his boss, Yes he has some valid points, but for a minute it sounds like a Dlink review and not a sagetv HD 200 review. Just go to the home page, and just count the amount of negative articles of the front page. switch to apple, get Ubuntu, and hurry now patch your windows etc....


Just reading that review and front page, wanted me to sedate myself

[lovingHDTV]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

Not to side with PC Mag, I never liked them, but I didn't take as much offense to the review as most SageTV supporters here. It is true that they neglected the PVR side of the HD200, but there is a segment of the market that likes to use the extenders without the PVR stuffs. So as a standalone media streaming device, I don't think his review was that far-off. As it stands, the online features and contents are pretty half-@ssed. And the Music and Picture features are very basic and overall UI is very non-intuitive. I understand that SageTV is farmost a PVR product and that is their primary focus and strongest feature, and the media center part is on lower priority. But I hope reviews like these will push SageTV to put more efforts into the media center side of SageTV.

+1

[HelenWeathers]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

Not to side with PC Mag, I never liked them, but I didn't take as much offense to the review as most SageTV supporters here. It is true that they neglected the PVR side of the HD200, but there is a segment of the market that likes to use the extenders without the PVR stuffs. So as a standalone media streaming device, I don't think his review was that far-off. As it stands, the online features and contents are pretty half-@ssed. And the Music and Picture features are very basic and overall UI is very non-intuitive. I understand that SageTV is farmost a PVR product and that is their primary focus and strongest feature, and the media center part is on lower priority. But I hope reviews like these will push SageTV to put more efforts into the media center side of SageTV.

I agree with everything mayamaniac has said.

I have to admit I got more than I bargained for in a Media Extender. All I wanted was an extender for SageTV. Now there's Blu-ray support (which was unexpected when I bought my first HD-200).

On the other hand, as a Media Player this unit has disappointed me - but that is getting better with every firmware release. I'm not unhappy with my purchase, after all I bought 2 more units.

Broader file type support is a must. Better UI with easier access/organization for movies/music etc would be a big plus, especially for novices.

I quit reading PC Mag 10 years ago.

[Lucas]

My take on that article is that the writer implies that people who buy media players are predominantly interested in accessing online content. It seems that we have very little use for accessing local content on our servers......

It is a typical attitude of people, dare I say at a young age without a house with multiple TVs, who mostly use a PC and access online video on the PC and may see the media players as an opportunity to watch the same stuff they used to watch on their PC on the TV instead.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

Not to side with PC Mag, I never liked them, but I didn't take as much offense to the review as most SageTV supporters here. It is true that they neglected the PVR side of the HD200, but there is a segment of the market that likes to use the extenders without the PVR stuffs. So as a standalone media streaming device, I don't think his review was that far-off. As it stands, the online features and contents are pretty half-@ssed. And the Music and Picture features are very basic and overall UI is very non-intuitive. I understand that SageTV is farmost a PVR product and that is their primary focus and strongest feature, and the media center part is on lower priority. But I hope reviews like these will push SageTV to put more efforts into the media center side of SageTV.

I agree with just about everything said by mayamaniac. The HD200 is a standalone playback device too, and Sage advertises it as such. Given that a larger number of people would be interested in that type of functionality, I think it's mostly fair to focus the review on that. It would have been nice to some discussion of its use as a Sage extender though.

Admittedly, I don't have an HD200- I just have an HD100. But, based on my experiences with the HD100, it seems like most, if not all, of the reviewers complaints are justified.

Here's the cons list from the article.

Still no Wi-Fi capability. Sparse, boring selection of online content. Plenty of hiccups in online streaming performance. Some stability issues.

Again, I just have the HD100, but I agree with these points. The one point that might be contentious is the stability issues. Overall my HD100 is significantly more stable than my PC clients ever were, but the HD100 occasionally locks up on me when playing video and audio files.

As for other complaints in the article, Sage's documentation isn't great, from what I've seen. Of course, it could be worse. At least Sage has documentation- I've bought electronics that don't come with any. I've had problems with video outputs, particularly when I moved my HD100 from an SD TV over s-video to an HDTV over component. And, I agree that the Sage UI could be improved and that the current UI requires a lot of button presses.

Sage should try to get Anandtech to review Sage and the extender together. Years back they reviewed SageTV 2.0.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by Lucas

My take on that article is that the writer implies that people who buy media players are predominantly interested in accessing online content.

That is the writer's biggest flaw. I never use that feature, and most of us agree it is the least important.

[reggie14]

Originally Posted by valnar

That is the writer's biggest flaw. I never use that feature, and most of us agree it is the least important.

I don't know about your specific situation or needs, but part of the reason people don't use the online video features is because they're really not any good in Sage. I could definitely imagine using Netflix, Hulu and even Youtube if the interface was better.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the reviewer was looking at the HD200 as a standalone device, not as an extender for SageTV Media Center. Obviously that's going to be a controversial decision on these boards, and it makes the review far less relevant for people looking for TiVo-like extender. But, I think it makes sense, given that the market for a standalone extender is probably much larger (and probably more in line with what typical PCMag's readers are looking for). Online video streaming is more important for standalone extenders.

[valnar]

Originally Posted by reggie14

I don't know about your specific situation or needs, but part of the reason people don't use the online video features is because they're really not any good in Sage. I could definitely imagine using Netflix, Hulu and even Youtube if the interface was better.

I agree that Hulu and Netflix would be far more useful, but that goes without saying. But I still think the reviewer spent too much time on the online features as it stands now. No current or potential Sage user is going to buy the HD200 because of their desire to access Youtube.