ATSC High Definition Tuner Boxes (Non-Recording)

[HWP]

This is an important distinction that buyers of set-top boxes for OTA need to understand.

Later today, I am going to my cousin's apartment and I am going to help her by trading her AccessHD box for a spare HD-capable external ATSC (digital-HD tuner) box. She bought the Access HD box because she didn't understand that boxes like the AccessHD box only convert over-the-air HD signals into analog standard definition signals. On a CRT TV, those analog signals look like cable-quality standard definition. In my cousin's case, she has an HD-ready LCD TV that did not come with a built-in ATSC tuner. She bought the wrong box. She is lucky to have a cousin like me that has a couple of extra ATSC boxes lying around.

I'm giving her a Winegard RC-1010 box. It does not happpen have HDMI-Out but it is still an HD set-top box.

The output options on the box I'm giving my cousin have:
- RCA out (standard def-only)
- Component out (HD)
- S Video (HD)
- Optical out (HD) I'm guessing it's optical out, but it's a hole I don't really know)

I have tried out the machine using S video and Component (RGB for video +RCA for sound) and it works great. I can't see a difference in picture quality when comparing to my HDTV built in tuner.

Avengine, if your old TV is HD-capable (720p or 1080p) you're going to want to spend the extra $50 or so to get the right box. Conversion happened only a month ago so right now these boxes are a bit hard to find but they'll be easier to find soon and the price for them will drop below $100.

One thing for sure is, if you use an AccessHD box on an HDTV you'll feel like you wasted your money. Save up, and locate a proper HD box. You won't regret it.

Good luck!

[avengine]

Now I know more about this hd tuner, accessHD is not my choice now. I will wait for something better to drop the price.
another thinking,
is there any small size monitor/tv that already has a build in atsc tuner, has the output option that I can link to my hd ready tv, I don't mind to buy a small tv for 100-200 as a monitor for pc most of the time and use it for a tv tuner when I want to watch a big screen movie? The samsung 40" that I have right now, only has optical out, and ton of input.
any suggestion.

[majortom]

There are plenty of smaller LCD TVs that have an ATSC tuner, and can be used for a PC Monitor. I bought one, a 22" for that purpose. However, they aren't gonna have HDMI or other Outputs to allow ya to connect to another display. Plenty with inputs, but not outputs.

Does your 40 " Samsung have a VGA input for a PC? If it did, you could consider a cheap PC based USB tuner, and connect a laptop to it. But that's a whole nuther discussion / subject...

[PolyMeR]

The Kworld HD box is less than half the price and works pretty well

[mrvanwinkles]

Avengine,

See My post #209, around pg 14 of this Thread ... and a few posts after that.

Its the:

"Electronic Master DTV-5000HD purchased for evaluation and testing and personal use.

- purchased at at Factory Direct discount electronics store in Canada (Kingston, Frontenac Mall) for around $80 bucks"


I still have it hooked up in Kingston, still working.

I tested it with an HD TV at work / Ottawa - and ya it gave a pretty good HD picture from an OTA Digital signal.

(Aside: In addition it has a Clear QAM tuner in it, for unencrypted digital cable channels)

HD Video to the HDTV via the "COMPONENT" RCA output connections, Red Green Blue RCA cable (+Red White RCA Stereo audio) - Worked well.

It receives and displays SD - Standard Def - Digital OTA signals too (example other SD digital *SUB*channels - if being transmitted)

I proved the HDMI output connector at the back worked too - but had a "connection" problem I think - on the unit I purchased. Probably a bad pin or pins. So the HDMI output connection on my unit had a problem.

No guarantees - it was purchased at a discount electronics store, found for under $100 bucks. Some post that they are leery of this manufacturer "Electronic Master" ...

But there you are - perhaps another option for you to consider.

the Electronic Master DTV-5000HD - HD/SD tuner box.

[avengine]

KWorld SA290-Q DVI Digital HD TVBox w/ Remote about $50
is that the one that you suggest, any one using it and is that good for the 720p, the spec say it support 1080i, but for my tv 720p is more than happy.
anyone know if I can find this in toronto?
thanks.

[lithOTA]

The K-world is a pretty cool solution; it can turn any old PC monitor into a bonafide HDTV. But it is a very low-demand item, and you might have to buy it mail-order from down here in the States (or have an American friend buy it for you and ship it up to you).

[james57]

would anyone be so kind to share some 1st hand experience on either the manufacturer or this specific model PHD-8VX epvision.

Thks

[laurienicol]

Laurie in Ladner BC with a CM4228 on a rotator

I thought to give SWMBO back her cablevision and switch to the antenna through an external tuner and the HDMI port, so I got a Channel Master 7001 tuner.
Laurie in Ladner BC with a CM4228 on a rotator

I thought to give SWMBO back her cablevision and switch to the antenna through an external tuner and the HDMI port, so I got a Channel Master 7001 tuner.
With the 6 year old Panasonic Plasma I can get, reliably, (and I checked at the same time as I tried the CM7001) a lot of channels but I was unable to get more that a few through the new tuner, and half of them were the shopping channel

Call Sign; Channel; Panasonic; CM7001
CBUT DT; 43; 2.1; No Signal
KOMO; 38; 4.1; No Signal
THIS; 38; 4.2; No Signal
KING DT; 48; 5.1; No Signal
KING SD; 48; 5.2; No Signal
CHEK; 49; 6.1; No Signal
CHAN DT; 22; 8.1; No Signal
CKVU DT 33; 10.1; No Signal
KVOS; 35; 12.1; OK
COOLTV; 35; 12.2; OK
KONG HD; 31; 16.1; No Signal
KONG SD; 31; 16.2; No Signal
CIVI; 17; 17.1; OK
KBCB; 19; 24.1; OK
Estrella; 19; 24.2; OK
KBCB; 19; 24.3; OK
CBUFT; 26; 26.1; No Signal
KBTC; 24; 28.1; No Signal
CIVT DT; 32; 32.1; No Signal
CHMN DT; 20; 42.1; No Signal
CHNU; 47; 66.1; No Signal

It's curious that the one Canadian channel (17) from Mt. Seymour (20 miles) that tuned in on the CM7001, was the only one that I have to tune in manually on the Panasonic TV.

Neither tuner gets channel 25. I had hoped that after losing it last July that it was a tuner problem that would be fixed with a "better" tuner.

laurie

[balm]

laurie,

Generally, tuners and converters really only make a difference on the difficult, edge channels, for the rest they are basically all the same in terms of reception. So I am a bit surprised you have several channels not received, maybe your TV's tuner is better than you think or you bought a defective CM7001.

You should post your TVFool results somewhere and someone qualified could maybe help you.

That said, I was NOT impressed with the CM7001 either, it performed the same or worse than my LG and was among the worst of all the tuners and converters I've tried (and I've tried many) on my difficult 2nd edge channels.

So far, in terms of external tuners, the most sensitive I have tried is the digital to analog converter, Zinwell ZAT 720.

I tried the CM7001 based on many recommendations regarding their converter model CM7000. Within 1 month of purchasing the CM7001 I sold it. Not to mention it is WAY overpriced right now.


EDIT:

Note: the way I tested an external tuner against my TV, is using an A/B switch, however this comparison is not perfectly instantaneous since it takes a certain amount of time to select the appropriate input mode on the TV depending which tuner you are switching to. This assumes you have only 1 TV (the one you are testing) + 1 external tuner on hand.

[flavoie]

You should also try to remove any splits you have done, and keep the same cable you used for testing your TV, and use that same cable for testing your cm7001. Hopefully the problem just lies in that new or different cabling. A badly crimped cable coax connection can make a big difference in reception. I prefer compression type connectors and that's what pros use as well.

[laurienicol]

Laurie in Ladner BC with a CM4228 on a rotator

It's the CM7001 that is questionable.
I disconnected the cable which runs from the antenna to the TV and put it on the antenna in jack on the CM7001 and fed the signal to the TV with the HDMI cable.
I did the auto setup and then manually added the missing channels while rotating the antenna to the best spot.
I re-attached the antenna to the TV and re-checked the TV for the channels to make sure they were there.
If I put a cap on the "antenna out" on the CM tuner, do you think it will make a difference?
laurie

[balm]

Not sure where you bought it, but I would ask them for another unit to compare.

You could also try it in analog mode, remove the HDMI cable, just feed the TV with coaxial from the RF OUT on the CM7001 to the TV's RF IN. On your TV, select the appropriate input, set it to channel 03 and your CM7001 to 480i - let us know what happens...

Too bad we can't get your TVFool, the Canadian channels are removed right now.

[HWP]

Balm,

I didn't get it either (why laurienicol bought it), but I figured it out.

Laurienico lives with someone who is a SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) --- perhaps a wife or mother. They also have analog cable. So in order to do the OTA and analog cable in a practical way (no A/B switch and having to alter settings all the time), get an external ATSC tuner so the TV can be set to cable and the OTA can be accessed using the HDMI port.

Pretty clever idea.

Thank you to Google for bringing me up-to-speed on the new English (SWMBO).

[flavoie]

How's that cable connector looking, the one you moved from TV to cm7001 then back to TV ? Does it wiggle, does the cable or connector bend a bit when attached to either end ? do you get different results when you move and twist the cable slightly, especially the end connector ? If not, sure you can blame the tuner...