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Hdtv Receivers (1 Viewer)

Art W

Auditioning
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Jul 31, 2002
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I recently bought a MITSUBISHI 55 inch widescreen tv. I am interested in buying a hdtv receiver/tuner for it. Does anybody have any suggestions. Which brands have you had a good experience with - MITSUBISHI - TOSHIBA - SONY - SAMSUNG etc. Also has anybody had any experience with the TERK 55 HDTV antenna? THANKS:)
 

SteveA

Supporting Actor
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May 25, 2000
Messages
700
I just ordered one of the new Samsung SIRT-151 receivers for $395 from abtelectronics.com. The Samsung tuners are about the lowest priced receivers out there and are also the most forgiving of weak signals, from what I've read. I'm supposed to receive the tuner on Wednesday.

As far as the Terk antenna is concerned, I've heard they are pretty much worthless for HDTV - not to mention overpriced. The best indoor antenna is supposed to be the Radio Shack "double bowtie" model, which was recently discontinued! I found one on clearance last month for $10 and plan to try it out with my new tuner this week.

The best antennas for HDTV are directional antennas, because digital broadcasts are very susceptible to reflections, or multipath as some people call it.
 

Michael Mathius

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2000
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2,211
Welcome Art.
A directional antenna from Radio Shack is your best bet. Check out Best Buy for the Toshiba and Hughes stb's. Most of the manufactures have recently release news on new boxes so you should be seeing them in the stores soon.
Checkout Avsforum for more HDTV info. I found lots of useful info over there when I was first starting out.
Good Luck.
 

Javon_W

Agent
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
39
Hello,

I was planning on buying the samsung T151 but I do not see any pictures of it anywhere does anyone have a photo of it? Also do I have to have a indoor antenna? I only have analog cable so do I plug that into the HDTV tuner and receive HDTV signal from Fox, ABC and other local channels?
 

Dave E H

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
829
As far as the Terk antenna is concerned, I've heard they are pretty much worthless for HDTV - not to mention overpriced.
I gues YMMV, as my Terk TV-50 is ok for all the local channel stuff I need. It works fine, but then again, I'm line of site from the HDTV transmitters. I won't watch any analog OTA, so if you don't need that, I'd say that the TERK TV-50 is fine, but expensive.

I've also got the Mitsubishi HDTV DirecTV box. Had it for a long while (2 years almost?) and it's been great. I wish it had a faster processor for the menus, but it's good at combining my analog locals (don't watch), HDTV channels, and my locals off the DirecTV feed into one nice little guide. I'll probably keep it until the day they come out with a DirecTivo that does HDTV.
 

Scott Merryfield

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Also do I have to have a indoor antenna? I only have analog cable so do I plug that into the HDTV tuner and receive HDTV signal from Fox, ABC and other local channels?
Very, very few cable companies are transmitting HDTV over their networks. You can check with your cable company, but chances are they are not offering this. The customer service rep probably will not even know what HDTV is -- he/she will probably think you are referring to their "digital cable" product, which is something completely different.

If the CATV discussion comes up short, you will need some sort of UHF antenna to receive broadcast network HDTV signals. Whether you can use an indoor antenna or will require an outdoor antenna will depend on your location.
 

Scott Merryfield

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On another note, my Samsung SIR-T150 just died on me after a year of service. The unit will not power on. I am not sure how long it has been dead, since I did not even attempt to use it for the past six weeks. I attempted to turn it on Saturday as part of a demo for a friend, and discovered the dead component. :angry:
 

Javon_W

Agent
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
39
Hey Scott,
Thanks for the info :emoji_thumbsup: , I'm new to this whole HDTV stuff and wasn't quite sure what I needed to get basic channels in HDTV, I only watch basic television seeing as how it has the best stuff on tv :D . Also, that sucks about what happend to your SIR-T150 I would be really upset, are you going to buy the new SIR-151? What antenna do you recommend should I buy? :b
 

Scott Merryfield

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Scott Merryfield
Javon,
The best antenna really depends on your location. I believe the website www.titantv.com has a tool to help with antenna selection. I am currently using a Radio Shack double bowtie UHF indoor antenna, which costs less than $20, along with an amplifier.
I am not sure what I will do to replace the dead SIR-T150. The unit is only a few weeks out of warranty, so first I will see if Samsung will still honor the warranty. If not, I will be researching my options, but may be a little leary of Samsung after this incident. Since I do not watch a lot of HD, though, I am not in a hurry to replace the tuner.
 

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