ATSC Tuners?

[noddin0ff]

I'm probably one of the rare folks who won't have HDTV an may not have cable when we switch over to digital broadcast. I seen lots of articles about ATSC tuner rebates but very little on OTA ATSC tuners themselves.

Anybody know anything? What to shop for? What they should cost? Should a person wait?

You know, the basics and stuff.

thanks!

[Mr Peabody]

You can get a $40.00 coupon from the government toward a converter box to make your existing TV work. You can also buy cheap TV's that have ATSC tuners but only 480i display. Personally, if I was going to spend the money and pick up over the air signals I'd go ahead and buy a HDTV. The over the air transmission has some of the best HD picture quality second only to Blu ray.

ATSC will allow you to pick up your locals you receive now and if available your locals may offer some additional stations. For instance, here in StL the NBC affiliate has there regular broadcast in HD on 5.1 and a 24 hour weather channel on 5.2. Our PBS station has really gotten into the deal offerin 9.1 - 9.4. One is the regular programming in HD, one is 24 hour PBS kids and I'm not sure the theme of the other two. If other locals follow this trend, free digital over the air signals is going to be a very good thing for the consumer. I assume if you use the converter you will receive all the same stuff but converted to analog 480i to play on your existing TV.

[noddin0ff]

Thanks Feanor. I'm curious as to what Tuners are out there? I'm finding it hard to do homework on the tuners themselves.

Probably in about 2 years we'll do the big TV upgrade and then be HD but, since I rarely watch cable, OTA is a real option. And, I'll still have the extra non-HD sets. Currently we use these OTA since they're largely DVD veiwers. I might need tuners to keep them viable.

[Smokey]

I'm curious as to what Tuners are out there? I'm finding it hard to do homework on the tuners themselves.

Radioshack carry three ATSC tuners on their web site for $60 each-with coupon. As Mr Peabody said, you can $40 coupon by calling 888-DTV-2009 or visit www.dtv2009.gov

http://www.radioshack.com/search/ind...Converter&sr=1

[pixelthis]

YOU can get a HDTV with an ATSC tuner three to four hundred bucks.
SO whos gonna want one of these?
The wino or crackhead with the motel sign flashing outside
the window?

[noddin0ff]

YOU can get a HDTV with an ATSC tuner three to four hundred bucks.
SO whos gonna want one of these?
The wino or crackhead with the motel sign flashing outside
the window?

Sure, if you want a tiny HDTV. To me that doesn't seem much different than sitting back from the large tube TV I already own. And, of course, one could always do the math. $59 is still less than $300-$400 last I checked. But point taken.

Silly me though. I now see why the internet was failing me. I was searching for 'tuners' rather than 'converters'

I think this might be a good resource.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...ysprune=&f=186

[pixelthis]

Sure, if you want a tiny HDTV. To me that doesn't seem much different than sitting back from the large tube TV I already own. And, of course, one could always do the math. $59 is still less than $300-$400 last I checked. But point taken.

Silly me though. I now see why the internet was failing me. I was searching for 'tuners' rather than 'converters'

I think this might be a good resource.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...ysprune=&f=186

its a HUGE difference, and I am gonna get up on the soapbox for you,
smokey, and other HD "holdouts" who might be reading this.

Mainly,
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR????

You can get a 37in lcd hdtv for 700 bucks, a 32 in for five hundred up,
a decent 26in for between four and five hundred BUCKS.
I am older, trying to save some scratch for retirement (dont like the taste of alpo) but still managed to get a 37in Vizio when they were selling for a grand.
It was a bit of a sacrifice, but today you can get the same (a litle bit better) set for 749.
That is not a whole lot of money.
This wasnt the first hdtv I have had, but its been the best, its truely the best money I have spent.
EVERYTHING is better, everything.
I READ IN THE EIGHTIES, A COMPANY was doing research,
spending millions, on a new tech to eliminate ghosting.
Who remembers what ghosting even was?
A digital set makes all of those problems go away.
You may think you're saving a buck, watching that old tube that is approaching a decade old, all you are really doing is wasting your time.
As for pic size, I went a week without a set, from the time I sold my
old one until I got my new one.
So I hooked my HD cable tuner to the dvi on my samsung 19" computer monitor (widescreen)
The resulting pic was quite good, I really enjoyed it. Remember when?
When a 19" pic was the standard? My first set was a 19" magnavox,
and was considered a good size.
So with a cable box and a computer monitor for a few hundred bucks you can get some great video and its gotten cheap.
A digital pic is the single greatest improvement you can make in your system, its like the switch from mono to stereo, from black and white to color, its that big
And its not that expensive, are you like the guy who didnt buy a color set untill 1995, because he was "waiting for the price to go down"?
Well, they aint gettin any cheaper.
So to repeat...
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Get thee to a costco, bestbuy, walmart, dollar store, biglots , etc.
WHATEVER .
Just wanted to get that off of my chest.
carry on

[markw]

YOU can get a HDTV with an ATSC tuner three to four hundred bucks.
SO whos gonna want one of these?
The wino or crackhead with the motel sign flashing outside
the window?

It's posts like this that make people think you're a d!ckhead and, frankly, I can't dispuite it.

Not everyone is as fortunate as others. It might serve you well to realize that. Didn't I hear somewhere you used to be a policeman? It's a pity that apparantly compassion isn't one of the requirements.

I've got an elderly aunt on fixed income who has trouble making ends meet. She still watches OTA on her trusty old 27" CRT console (it's furniture to her) TV and will be screwed come next February without those little converters. For her, that $40 coupon can go a long way towards giving her some pleasure in life.

Likewise, I've met quite a few elderly people in my Mom's final years who are in a similar situation and who could care less about HDTV or even cable TV. And I'm doing all I can do to assure they get their coupons.

[pixelthis]

It's posts like this that make people think you're a d!ckhead and, frankly, I can't dispuite it.

Not everyone is as fortunate as others. It might serve you well to realize that. Didn't I hear somewhere you used to be a policeman? It's a pity that apparantly compassion isn't one of the requirements.

I've got an elderly aunt on fixed income who has trouble making ends meet. She still watches OTA on her trusty old 27" CRT console (it's furniture to her) TV and will be screwed come next February without those little converters. For her, that $40 coupon can go a long way towards giving her some pleasure in life.

Likewise, I've met quite a few elderly people in my Mom's final years who are in a similar situation and who could care less about HDTV or even cable TV. And I'm doing all I can do to assure they get their coupons.

Good for them.
my parents are elderly also, even tho still working I CAN SEE HAVING TO TAKE CARE OF THEM.
And most of the elderly dont give a rats patootie about HD, and that is fine.
All I am saying is that a 32in HD set can be had for 500-550 bucks.
So what is the holdup for someone who likes this stuff?
I REMEMBER from another post that your set is nine years old,
and you are thinking about repairs, when repairs would cost about as much as a new set.
Sorry but I just dont see the logic.
And why are you taking this so personally?
Point is that if your means are limited thats even more reason to get one of the new sets, its cheap entertainment.
I get the locals, three public channels , and a few cable channels
over the QAM tuner on my set, dont even need a cable box.
And with an antenna you dont need cable at all.
When your set is nine years old (or older) and it breaks its really a no-brainer as to what to do.
A few years ago they stopped reviewing SD TV in all of the magazines,
because HD is the new standard.
EVEN WITH MARKET PENETRATION at 50% plus, that means that
all enthusiasts should be on the bandwagon by now.
There is simply no greater improvement in your system that can be made, for such a modest price.
If your set breaks and its a choice of a 200$ SD TV vs A 400$
hdtv , where is the logic in buying SD?
I am probably the poorest person on this forum, and it was difficult but I managed to get a HDTV.
THE PRODUCT IS THERE, THE SOFTWARE IS THERE,
and neither is very expensive .
And 2009 is coming up, soon there wont be any SD sets left.
Anybody who is interested in a "converter " that will turn a pristine image into the same 480i crap we've had to live with for sixty years
isnt really an enthusiast, is all I am saying.
AS FOR "being a dickhead" that sir is you're department.
You know damn good and well I am not aiming this post at
elderly people on social security, its just a chance to take a low blow at somebody, which is why I usually make it a point to ignore you,
you viciousness is matched only by your self centeredness
and ignorance.
Then you jump in and pat yourself on the back for "helping" poor old people when you're the personality type that likes to pull the wings
off flies, and wouldnt walk across the street to piss on somebody if they were on fire.
And why I WILL CONTINUE TO IGNORE YOU IN THE FUTURE

[noddin0ff]

I think we've just invented the digital fortune cookie.

[Mr Peabody]

I think we've just invented the digital fortune cookie.

L

LOL, that was worth a chicklet but I must have given you one recently.

[Mr Peabody]

Thanks Smokey for providing the voucher info.

[Hyfi]

I'm probably one of the rare folks who won't have HDTV an may not have cable when we switch over to digital broadcast. I seen lots of articles about ATSC tuner rebates but very little on OTA ATSC tuners themselves.

Anybody know anything? What to shop for? What they should cost? Should a person wait?

You know, the basics and stuff.

thanks!

I do not have cable and plan to keep it that way for as long as I can. I do have 2 HDTVs with ATSC tuners, a roof antenna and a rotor. What you get with OTA Tuners, provided there is a decimal point button on the remote, is lots of sub-channels that you never had.

Examples:

My local stations are 3,6,10,12,17,23,29.....
For every analog station, there is a corresponding digital station as in 3(analog) and 3.1(digital-HD). Some stations have up to 5 sub-channels. Several have all day weather channels.

The main problem I see is weather. Similar to satellite dishes, if it's cloudy and windy, the digital and HD stations break up and go in and out. I am in the process of running all new cabling and a new rotor to see if slight movement clears this up or if on stormy days I will be watching DVDs.

[pixelthis]

I do not have cable and plan to keep it that way for as long as I can. I do have 2 HDTVs with ATSC tuners, a roof antenna and a rotor. What you get with OTA Tuners, provided there is a decimal point button on the remote, is lots of sub-channels that you never had.

Examples:

My local stations are 3,6,10,12,17,23,29.....
For every analog station, there is a corresponding digital station as in 3(analog) and 3.1(digital-HD). Some stations have up to 5 sub-channels. Several have all day weather channels.

The main problem I see is weather. Similar to satellite dishes, if it's cloudy and windy, the digital and HD stations break up and go in and out. I am in the process of running all new cabling and a new rotor to see if slight movement clears this up or if on stormy days I will be watching DVDs.

I get those sub channels too, over my QAM tuner hooked straight to my cable.
I could get by without a box, but enjoy the dvr and all of the diversity.
When I first got started with HD I had to put a 30ft mast on the roof,
it was the only HD available.
I breathed a sigh of relief when my cable finally went HD.

And I dont know your situation but most of my "extra" channels
are crap, mostly, weather and advertising

[Mr Peabody]

Hyfi, HD OTA is broadcast in the UHF range I don't see why weather would make any difference on reception. Unless the signal received is just marginal strength and the atmospheric changes during storms is enough to cause it to be weaker. I wonder if they make any of those signal boosters for HD?

[markw]

I wonder if they make any of those signal boosters for HD?

That's like wondering if a consumer band FM (88 - 108 mhz) signal booster will work for FM stereo. If a signal booster works for UHF channels, then it will work for HD, which is broadcast on UHF.

[Rich-n-Texas]

Great comeback Mark.

[Rich-n-Texas]

"The Battle of Evermore" - Led Zeppelin

[markw]

"The Battle of Evermore" - Led Zeppelin

I know, it's like pulling the wings off of flies, but I just can't resist.

The more clever he tries to be, the more he shows what a bufoon he is.

BTW. do you know what you get when you pull the wings off of a fly?

...a walk!

Ba da Boom!

[pixelthis]

I know, it's like pulling the wings off of flies, but I just can't resist.

The more clever he tries to be, the more he shows what a bufoon he is.

BTW. do you know what you get when you pull the wings off of a fly?

...a walk!

Ba da Boom!

YOU CANT EVEN PRETEND TO BE CLEVER, where did you hear that joke, read it off a cave wall somewhere?
And you enjoy pulling wings off of flies, funny how the vicious types
just cant help reveling their true natures.
BACK TO IGNORING YOU PUNK, you can head back to the Bus
station bathroom now.

[markw]

BACK TO IGNORING YOU PUNK

Yeah, right. you've been saying that all throughout this entire thread.

At least remove your head when speaking.