This unit packs a lot of features, but the ...
926780
This unit packs a lot of features, but the execution is somewhat lacking.  The screen is difficult to see in daylight, the GPS is quirky to say the least, and the Settings are difficult to decipher, particularly when you factor in the non-sensical owner's manual written by someone in China with absolutely no command of the English language.  AM radio reception is really poor, buzzing on every station, and sometimes hear "bleed through" of another channel in the background.  That said, most everything works on a basic level, and the price is right.
1903990
I like this receiver - it works well enough for me.  The sound is clean and powerful.  However; it is not without its quirks.  Like one other reviewer mentioned, for digital DVD audio you do not get "optical audio in" for DVD inputs, but only coaxial.  You only get optical audio for Video 2, so you if have to connect your DVD to Video 2, what do you use DVD inputs for?  In my setup coaxial audio for DVD works well enough, but others may want optical.  The setup menu on this receiver is not user-friendly at all - does not seem to have any logic that can be memorized or to help it be used intuitively.

Sony seems to be loosing it lately:  I had a Sony DVD changer, which started freezing after 1 month of use; my 1.5 years old Sony HD CRT TV's built in MemoryStick reader can't read MemoryStick over 128MB (!!!), this receiver has a frustrating setup menu and strange connections options.  I got a great deal on this receiver from Amazon, which influenced the choice, but I am no longer a "Sony-only" customer like I used to be.
2559986
Solid built unit however, it sometimes disconnects from the Z wave network and I need to reset and re-add it which is a pain.
1038323
Love all the features of this unit. Run into a couple of issues. One is you have to push the screen harder than I think you should have to to select functions. Also I received no answer on my question on what device to use at NAVIEXTRAS for GPS updates or maps since nothing on webpage or documentation corresponds with what's on NAVIEXTRAS site.
Have not got the RDS to work either.
INSTALLATION NOTE: I had to remove part of the dash material (2003 Chevy Silverado) at the back of where the unit goes to make it fit.
UPDATE 2/1/16: THE RDS FEATURE WILL NOT WORK AND GPS DATE/TIME KEEPS RESETTING. GPS DATE/TIME IS SEPERATE FROM RADIO DATE/TIME.
4800938
It has a lot of features and is easy to use.  It would be nice if it had an equalizer.
4852628
Very nice unit. Had a little trouble figuring out some of its quirks. Seems to be accurate. The  problems I see with it are:
1) The touch screen doesn't always respond to the touch. Which seem normal for touch screens but is still a nuisance.
2) Some reviewers have commented on the (lack of) brightness of the screen. I would agree that the screen could be brighter, but if you turn it a different angles, it is readable.
3) Directions are poor. When you first turn it on at the course, you need to then wait until it finds the satellites before hitting any of the commands and this takes a while. If you do any of the commands, it sends you into never never land and you then start over.
Also, free maps are available and the unit should be registered with Garmin.
I would say for the price, it is a good deal.
490726
It has the features covered, it shows and records the data, but the interface is clunky.  It can be programmed and customized a lot, even has aux inputs and outputs and so could be used to sense say some other variables outside the OBD2 world, and the outputs can be set up to control things like cooling fans.

But, as a diagnostic tool it's a bit too fussy to do much of the features to use easily.  It reads the codes perfectly well and even tells you what they are in words, you can set up saved setting files, but even those can be clunky to get to.

There's better options out there that cost more money, but having played with one of the Kiwi units, would have been worth it.  Sure this one is cheaper, but it wasn't really worth it.  I'd likely use the Kiwi a lot more if I had one of those.
2805708
The Sony STR DA5200ES is a big, powerful and versatile receiver with a lot of features.  There are plenty of input jacks and an almost-adequate system for mapping them to the various inputs.  The on-screen user interface is pretty good and reasonably easy to use.  The automatic speaker calibration is very easy to use and seems to work well.  The sound is excellent.  The "picture-in-picture" (PIP) capability is limited, because it doesn't apply to HDMI inputs.  The remote is huge and has a bewildering array of buttons, but I was able to set it up to control most of my system with one or two keystrokes.  (If you have several components in your system, you probably should get a programmable remote, like one of the Logitech Harmony models.)

But one principle feature, which is much touted in the advertising hype, turns out to be a huge disappointment: The analog-to-HDMI video up-conversion by Faroudja.  First, it won't up-convert digital video on HDMI inputs, only analog signals.  Second, supposedly, the receiver can output a very high quality 1080P HDMI up-converted version of an analog video input, for example: the 480i signal from a standard-definition satellite receiver or DVD player.  When you try this, you will indeed get a 1080P signal on the HDMI output, but the image is DISTORTED because it is stretched horizontally to fill the 16:9 screen (instead of remaining in the original 4:3 shape).  I expected to have some ordinary choices here, like "side bars" vs. filling the screen horizontally by cutting off the top and bottom.  Instead, the distorted stretched image apparently is the only possibility.  After thoroughly searching the manual and the on-screen settings, I finally tried e-mailing and calling Sony's technical support system.  After much time-wasting, they confirmed that there are no settings other than the distorted stretched-out one.

Any 1080p TV can undoubtedly do the necessary up-conversion, probably with several different modes.  But the Sony advertising hype seems to be saying that the Faroudja chipset would do a much better job, which isn't true.  This means single-cable hookup to a TV via HDMI (another stated advantage) isn't real either.  My Oppo DVD player also has the Faroudja chipset and it does do a beautiful job of up-converting, significantly better than my Sharp LCD TV.  Meanwhile, the Sony is a JOKE.

If you were thinking of buying this receiver for the Faroudja up-conversion of standard-definition video, you will be disappointed and should probably buy something else.
3067050
Good unit, however would like an explanation on how unit works.
3994157
Unit has a lot of features, but the one I use most is the quiet button. The unit is too sensitive no matter what setting or filter is applied (unless you turn it off)!  That said I have not gotten a ticket with it, but do drive s lot slower due to the constant alarms.
2180795
This unit has a lot of good features going for it it plays DVDs perfect, the radio works well, the GPS works well as well however I'm not quite sure how to upgrade the GPS software. You have to plug in extra line into the back for your iPod or iPhone to plug-in and route the wire under the dashboard so that it's reachable, the users manual is a little light on how to use some of the features like finding the fade control for the front to the rear speakers is a little tricky you have to look for the very light control symbols on the screen. The install manual well honestly the only one that I found was stuck to the top of the unit but if you follow it it's not difficult to install this unit. The one very bad thing that I have found and I haven't been able to find a solution online for it yet and they have yet to respond to any emails I have sent anyway the bad thing is when you turn the vehicle off and you turn it back on your sound level defaults to the middle volume level which is quite loud but honestly that's the only true negative I have with this unit.

Now that I've had the unit for quite some time I think it's time that I go ahead and update this review. Honestly, it's because someone asked me a question about another review that brought my attention back to this, this unit like all the other units that I had purchased with the build in GPS the GPS stop working, which in turn caused me to start having problems with the DVD player, I sent several emails to the support center with no results so as a result, I ended up having to purchase another unit because I do not believe it would be proper to list the manufacturer of the other unit in this review, I shall leave that out if you wish to know you can ask and I will answer. What I thought was a good unit turned out to be another one. The one that I purchased from the very beginning has been great and great technical support. I'm happy that I did get although the cost was a lot more than this unit.
3623569
Overall a nice unit for the price.  It has a lot of features to setup through the software, but it would be a lot better if it supported a mouse and keyboard, because using the remote to navigate the user interface is cumbersome at best.
Unfortunately, You can not register this on Samsung's web site. They don't make it or support it. The IR LEDs it uses for night vision have gotten so dim, that the night vision feature can only see a few feet now. I'm currently trying to find replacement IR Illuminator boards for the cameras. If you buy this, expect to have to replace these regularly.
4405609
Unit works well right out of the box.  The included documentation is nearly non-existent.  Fortunately, there are several blogs that are quite good at explaining the various features of the unit.  The unit will sometimes direct you off main drags through residential side streets.
3686497
Performs well but has poorly designed UI (user interface).
4440224
Great machine yet not all features are enabled which is a bummer. Its like buying something from motorola. It contains all the hardware for the features but requires a license key to activate Ethernet etc.. Otherwise its a good all around power supply.
4179384
This should be a five start product, but has some annoying flaws.

Motivation:

I live in an old condominium building with no simple means of installing hardwire ports or cable TV. The only access is via wireless. While this works well for most purposes, it doesn't not work well with VOIP Phone service. We have two Grandstream GXP1405s connected by a wireless extender. When the wireless gets crowded the VOIP connections sound terrible. I wanted a hardwire solution for the phones.

Enter the TP-LINK AV1200. Gigabit speed hardwire connections through the power system.

Pros.

The device is simple to setup and provides promised performance. I plugged one unit in the router/cable closet and one in my office. I connected on device to my router and the other to a hub with two phones. The connection came up immediately and phones started working.

The AV1200 is rugged. It is made of sturdy hard plastic. The device plugs into a power outlet where it receives power and the wiring for the network.

The AV1200 comes with two power line network devices that are already paired. This makes the system plug and play. There is a pairing button on each unit for adding more power line devices. This means that I can extend the network to other rooms and the basement.

The devices don't seem to generate a lot of spectrum noise. If I stand next to the device with a spectrum analyzer, I see some noise across some bands. The noise drops off rapidly as I move away from the device. In the living room and bedrooms there is little residual noise. This means that operating my ham equipment in the office would be difficult, but not in the adjacent rooms.

Cons:

The form factor for these devices truly suck. They were designed for the European (or any other 220V simplex outlet) markets. The device is too big and the male power plug is inconveniently placed as to take up both outlets in a standard 110V duplex outlet. It is clear that TP-Link took a device designed for 220V recessed simplex outlets and replaced the 220V hardware with 110V inserts. The instructions show the device being installed in 220V outlets where it fits perfectly. I had to arrange my entire power setup, as I placed a 6 outlet cover on my duplex outlet and this had to be removed in order to attach the device. This meant purchasing a power strip to replace the 6 outlet cover and plugging the strip into the outlet hogging AV1200.

While this may seem a trivial complaint, I highly value Human Factors design in a device. Retro fitting a device designed for one specific market to address a different market doesn't bode well for this company. What else is retrofitted on the device insides that will come to bite me in the butt later on?

While the device spectrum noise trails off quickly with distance, it is still a nuisance for a ham operator like me. I can use my 50, 144, 220, and 440 hand radios in the office, the noise is significant. It is clear that TP-LINK did not pay particular attention to noise filtering when designing the device.

Overall

I would recommend this device to anyone in a similar situation as me. Power line networking has is issues when it comes to large scale deployments for utility companies, but for short distances, these devices are an elegant solution to problem that is difficult and expensive to solve.
2748044
has multiple features that will attract you, but is cumbersome in switching between the features.  The buttons are a little too low-profile, making it hard to select the different pre-sets without having to look (not good while driving).  I should not have to click the "SRC" button 4 times just to turn off this stereo.  In actuality, I would say they just put "too many" bells & whistles on it.