From: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: rec.video.satellite
Subject: Re: toshiba 2200 and montery: how good? (compared to sierra 11)
Date: 21 Aug 92 19:25:13 GMT
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.commodore.com (Randell Jesup)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

dlb@dazixco.ingr.com writes:
>That trade price for the Monterey is a ripoff.  I paid $1599 for the
>monterey 90.  Toshiba 2200 was $1299 at the same dealer, DBS satellite
>(mail order).  Be aware that most dealers get significant discounts
>on one or two lines of equipment and other lines they must pay a 
>premium for.

	Seconded.  BTW, $1599 is pretty good for an M90.  I paid close to
that for an M50 from Skyvision (unfortunately the only catalog/phone# I
had at the time...)

>On the Monterey, everything is completely configurable on a per-channel
>basis.  You can set 100 favorites into 13 groups, all of which are
>*completely* configurable.  You can define any favorite regardless of
>what you're currently watching or listening to.

	Yes, very nice, easy to use.

>The Monterey is slightly easier to configure new satellites.  It also
>gives MANY more options for satellites/channels (e.g. video bandwith &
>strength, sync signal insertion, and many others).

	Those options (like ti filters/bandwidth/etc) come in handy when
trying to pick up things like M1 and M2 from here (well out of their
footprint).

>|> 5. how easy is it to use the remote control? is the remote uhf and if so,
>|> does it really work from any room in the house?
>
>IMHO, the Monterey remote sucks.  It is the most poorly designed human
>interface device known to man (but how do you really feel, dave?).
>I only hope I get accustomed to it in time.

	You said it!  I have gotten more used to it, but it's still a stupid
design.  Put the volume and channel as far away from the natural holding
position as possible, and make the easiest to use controls run the video
switching and PIP, which one would not expect to be used all the time (and
even less in an M50).  PIP is only useful if (a) you also have cable, (b)
you like to monitor satellite while also watching a movie, or a few other
special circumstances.  Surround wasn't that much use - when I get it I'll
get an A/V surround with pro-logic (they're cheap nowadays).  DNR would be
nice, but it's not normally needed (except maybe for very weak signals),
and it's not worth $300 to me.

>|> 7. does the unit have two video/audio outputs as well as a s-video output
>|> (my dealer thinks so) and can they be used simultaneously (in vcr's using
>|> the s-video cuts off the video).
>
>The Monterey's vary by model number from 1 to 4 outputs, but no S-video.
>The Toshiba had 2 outputs plus the S-video.

	I think that's 0-3 additional inputs, not outputs. (M30 has 0,
M50 has 1, M90 has 3).  All have video out, RF out, and record out.

>IMHO, this is the only area where the Toshiba excels.  I saw the 
>difference in video quality between the RCA jacks and the S-video
>on a 5 foot big screen.  The S-video was significantly better.
>However, on a 35" big-tube, there was NO perceptable difference.
>
>Others in this group have attributed the difference in video quality
>between S-video and RCA jacks essentially to the S-video conversion
>mechanism (layman's terms).  If your monitor has a better S-video
>conversion than the IRD, then the S-video output will appear to look
>better.  Those more technically in-tuned can give a better explanation.

	The picture quality is basically determined by the filter that
separates color information from luminance information.  Good filters are
usually "comb" filters.  S-Video devices that take video in (such as
VCR's and the Toshiba) tend to have good-quality comb filters.  However,
if the input is in NTSC video (as it is from satellite, off-the-air, and
cable), then S-Video itself makes no difference.  It may allow the better
comb filters in your toshiba or SVHS deck to be used instead of the ones
in your TV.  If your TV has good comb filters, it will likely make no
difference.

	Recording on SVHS preserves more information than VHS, so SVHS is
a win without an SVHS connection to the monitor.  The horizontal resolution
of the different formats (under perfect conditions) is roughly:

	NTSC (air, cable, sat, OR laserdisk): 330 "lines"
	SVHS pre-recorded SVHS tape (rare) or from-camera tape: 400 "lines"
	SVHS taped off-the-air/sat/cable: 330 "lines"
	VHS tape (VHS or SVHS deck, any source): 240 "lines"

	Note that the SVHS connection doesn't come into the picture. 

>|> 10. does it include videopal and is that important?
>
>Included in price of Toshiba.  Add $50 for Monterey.  I got it but
>haven't used it yet.  I'm still overwhelmed by the free programming.

	This can be a bargaining point BTW.

>|> 11. does it have automatic fine tuning?
>
>Toshiba yes; Monterey no.

	How much does this help, anyways?

-- 
"Rev on the redline, you're on your own; seems like a lifetime, but soon it's
 gone..."  Foreigner
-
Randell Jesup, Jack-of-quite-a-few-trades, Commodore Engineering.
{uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!jesup, jesup@cbmvax.cbm.commodore.com  BIX: rjesup  
Disclaimer: Nothing I say is anything other than my personal opinion.
From: michael@hpopd.pwd.hp.com (Michael Beardmore)
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 16:16:23 GMT
Subject: Re: DIY D2-MAC ?  DIY IF Splitter Circuit ?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard ISG-SBU-PWD, UK.