|
Set Top Box (STB) Digital Tuner Reviews
Avoid cable ripoff!
Get a HDMI M / M Cable 1.3a, 6 FT for $6.99 with free shipping!
Just a good as those $60 cables for 99.99% of us.
You'll also help support this site.
Thanks!
Here's a overview list of the pros/cons of STB Digital Tuners vs. PC Digital Tuners.
PROS
- More stable than PC's in general
- Easy to setup
- Smaller footprint that a PC in general
- Cheaper than a fully configured PC
- Quiter than a PC in general
CONS- No DVR functions such as recording or pause
- Limited Electronic Program Guide (EPG)
- Cannot be enhanced as technology changes
- More expensive than some HDTV PC tuners
COMMENTS:- A over the air (OTA) digital Set Top Box (STB) is the perfect answer for the non-PC person or someone not interested in recording TV. Most larger HDTV are now coming with build-in digital tuners, but the smaller models and many older HDTV's still need a digital tuner to receive digtal/HDTV.
A STB will be required for all old analog TV's in February, 2009 in the U.S for all OTA broadcasts. At that point all analog OTA broadcasts will cease.
COST Around $90-$400+
Here are some of the more reasonably priced Digital tuners available.
For analog TV's try the one of the new converter boxes. Get more information on them
here.
For HDTV's without a tuner try the Samsung DTB-H260F (review
here
) or for a basic over-the-air digital tuner try the ZAT-600 (review
here
) or finally the older out of production LG 3510-A (review
here
)
NOTE:- All of these tuners require an antenna for over the air digital reception or a cable coax connection for QAM (digital cable). The ZAT-600 does not tune QAM.
- These are ONLY digital tuners they will NOT tune analog over the air or cable stations.
|
