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Are all digital receivers created equally?
I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the
local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
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Are all digital receivers created equally?
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Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Jan 2, 7:58 pm, wrote:
I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? You can get digital tuners on the surplus market (ebay),. A friend has a Samsung that had HDMI, but also can drive a standard PC monitor. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Jan 2, 10:58*pm, wrote:
I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. The biggest trouble were clearance sales, where people were getting great deals on analog TVs. Seems like a ripoff now. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? The major thing I'm aware of is tuning. Let's say you got analog 2,4, and 7. The digital channels are different. In Detroit its 58, 45, and 41 respectively. After a digital channel search, you should be okay with using the old analog numbers 2, 4, and 7, although my TV will show analog 7, and I'll have to channel up to 7-1. Without the search, you have to input the digital channel-- but some tuners will know it's digital right away if I enter 41, while others will need a dot or dash button -/. , to enter the subchannel. That button is located where the # sign is on a telephone pad. Usually, the lowest subchannel is the HD and -2, -3, etc., up to 6 are the extra subchannels. But HD is actually found on 41-3 where I'm at, so depending on the tuner, I may have to enter that instead of 41-1. Sounds complicated, but the subchannels have almost doubled the amount of free programming that I can get, and most tuners learn how to simplify the process for you. 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? They may up the HD standard for the home theater geeks, but SD should be fine. If the future allows for more data compression, there'd just end up being more subchannels. 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? If they have them, why not? But I think that digital tuners have only recently come down in price, so unless you paid an extra chunk of change for the top of the line, I'm not sure if it would be equipped. That -/. button is the quickest way to check, because you know you'll need that. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Jan 2, 7:58*pm, wrote:
I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? ------------------------- If you want to buy a full HD OTA tuner, get the Samsung. If you want a 480i only converter box bought through the government coupon program, get the Zenith as it has the best chip. Christopher |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:58:16 -0800, muzician21 wrote:
1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? They pretty much all do the same thing. The ones I use are 7 year old design and they work fine for me. Newer tuners may work a little better under multipath but I don't have that problem. 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? ATSC will probably be here for at least 20 years. Consider NTSC is going on about 70 years old. 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? Not practical. They would only fit back in a same model unit. You can get PC tuners cheap. I've got 6 in my system and the last one I bought I got for $17.50 (ATSC only). cross posting removed -- Want the ultimate in free OTA SD/HDTV Recorder? http://mythtv.org My Tivo Experience http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/tivo.htm Tivo HD/S3 compared http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/mythtivo.htm AMD cpu help http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
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Are all digital receivers created equally?
1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there
different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? When you say "digital receiver", I can't help but think of an audio component. You mean a "TV set", I assume. Most sets can display any format (720p, 1080i, 1080p). However, the less-expensive sets have a native resolution of only 720p, and convert 1080 inputs to 720p. To avoid obsolescence, your set should be able handle 1080p natively, and be able to display 24fps directly, without conversion. Sony seems to have the best LCD sets, Pioneer and Panasonic the best plasma sets. Look at Consumer Reports, the on-line reviews, and various magazine reviews. One of the magazines (I forget which) had a detailed study of whether particular sets properly supported deinterlacing, upconversion, and so forth. 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? The Japanese are working on video systems with twice the horizontal and vertical resolution of the current standards. It will be many years before they come to market -- if at all. Note the relative "failure" of SACD/DVD-A and Blu-ray/HD DVD. People are generally happy with what they already have. It takes time for the public to "digest" technological advances and desire something better. The current NTSC standard has been around 60 years and -- used well -- can still produce excellent image quality. It's likely the current HD standard will be around at least 20 years, and likely longer. As for the specific flat-panel technology, there are two display technologies that might conceivably displace LCD and plasma. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have appeared in a few consumer products (cameras and cell phones), but don't seem to be making progress in TV. The surface electron-emission display (SED) was predicted to outperform plasma, but is currently tied up in patent-licensing squabbles, and appears (at the moment) never to get to market. If you buy a high-quality LCD or plasma set, it's unlikely its visible performance will be greatly exceeded in the near future. If you're really worried about obsolescence, buy one of the less-expensive Vizios. Though not of the highest quality, they're good, and cheap enough that you can toss them in a few years. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
... 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? When you say "digital receiver", I can't help but think of an audio component. You mean a "TV set", I assume. excellent reply snipped William, would you mind telling us which of the cross-posted groups you were reading when you replied? If not a.t.t.hdtv, perhaps there is another group for me to subscribe to. -- Tom in Bristol - (disregard dangling participle!) |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
wrote: I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? Can I sub "digital tuner" for "digital receiver" above? If so... I'm not well-versed in typical digital tuner design, but I would venture a guess that, since the digital channels are carried by traditional UHF channels, that the first thing an antenna signal encounters after it enters a digital tuner is an RF amplifier stage (an analog amplifier.) If I'm right, then I would further guess that some 1st stage RF amp designs will be better than others in terms of gain, noise, etc. I haven't investigated to see if manufacturers quote numbers like these in their specs, but that'd be the first thing I'd want to compare if I were choosing between different tuners. All this assumes you'd be using an antenna for your source, as opposed to cable/satellite/fiber/whatever. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Jan 3, 9:52*am, "Tom Duwe" wrote:
William, would you mind telling us which of the cross-posted groups you were reading when you replied? *If not a.t.t.hdtv, perhaps there is another group for me to subscribe to. Tom in Bristol - (disregard dangling participle!) A lot of these questions are being asked on rec.arts.tv |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
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Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Jan 3, 10:38*am, "Mr. Land" wrote:
wrote: I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? 2. Is there any "next big thing" on the horizon that will make them obsolete and useless or is the current digital broadcast standard going to be in place until the sun burns out? 3. Assuming many of the VCR/DVD combos are cheap POS units, is it possible/practical to cannibalize the digital tuner from them? Can I sub "digital tuner" for "digital receiver" above? *If so... I'm not well-versed in typical digital tuner design, but I would venture a guess that, since the digital channels are carried by traditional UHF channels, that the first thing an antenna signal encounters after it enters a digital tuner is an RF amplifier stage (an analog amplifier.) If I'm right, then I would further guess that some 1st stage RF amp designs will be better than others in terms of gain, noise, etc. I haven't investigated to see if manufacturers quote numbers like these in their specs, but that'd be the first thing I'd want to compare if I were choosing between different tuners. All this assumes you'd be using an antenna for your source, as opposed to cable/satellite/fiber/whatever. Agreed...I too am very interested in the sensitivity spec for receivers...which I have not seen published. TMT |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
"Tom Duwe" wrote in message ... "William Sommerwerck" wrote in message ... 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? When you say "digital receiver", I can't help but think of an audio component. You mean a "TV set", I assume. excellent reply snipped William, would you mind telling us which of the cross-posted groups you were reading when you replied? If not a.t.t.hdtv, perhaps there is another group for me to subscribe to. -- Tom in Bristol - (disregard dangling participle!) I'd guess sci.electronics.repair since I see him around here regularly. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
On Jan 3, 7:02*am, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote: 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? When you say "digital receiver", I can't help but think of an audio component. You mean a "TV set", I assume. A unit that receives and processes a broadcast digital signal, whether standalone or integrated with a tv or VCR/DVD player. I don't know if it would be more common to refer to it as a "tuner" since I've also seen radio units referred to as "tuners". |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
"Mr. Land" wrote in message ... snip I'm not well-versed in typical digital tuner design, but I would venture a guess that, since the digital channels are carried by traditional UHF channels, that the first thing an antenna signal encounters after it enters a digital tuner is an RF amplifier stage (an analog amplifier.) If I'm right, then I would further guess that some 1st stage RF amp designs will be better than others in terms of gain, noise, etc. I haven't investigated to see if manufacturers quote numbers like these in their specs, but that'd be the first thing I'd want to compare if I were choosing between different tuners. All this assumes you'd be using an antenna for your source, as opposed to cable/satellite/fiber/whatever. The relevant tuner spec is "noise figure" or NF. It is expressed in decibels, the lower the better. In the receivers, I haven't seen the spec much myself, but the mast-mounted preamplifiers practically always quote it. If you have strong local signals, a poor NF isn't going to hurt you much. If you use a low-noise preamp it will establish the system NF adn overcome a poor receiver noise figure. Warning: some low-noise preamps can be overloaded by strong local signals. Sorry ... there is no one, perfect situation. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there
different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? When you say "digital receiver", I can't help but think of an audio component. You mean a "TV set", I assume. My understanding of the term is that a "digital receiver" is a digital TV *tuner*. It doesn't (or at least might not) include a monitor. It takes a video signal (ATSC, cable, or satellite, or some combination of them) and converts it into something a TV set or DVR can accept (S-Video, component video, DVI, HDMI, etc.) It might be able to downconvert (so an old analog TV set can display HD signals, although with less resolution) or upconvert. I would not expect an audio digital receiver to include speakers. |
Are all digital receivers created equally?
wrote in message ... I see you can get low-res TV's, Hi-Def TV's, and VCR/DVD combos at the local Big Box Marts with digital receivers built in. In fact, they no longer sell analog only TV's. 1. Do the digital receivers all function the same way or are there different features/functions to be aware of? Any receiver brands that are clearly better than others? snip I can't answer the question but I'll be looking to acknowledged experts like Doug Lung (samples at http://www.tvtechnology.com/pages/s.0001/t.p0001.html) for some hints. Locally to this NG, Kirk Bayne is hot stuff in the info-gathering field. Is a free plug OK? http://www.geocities.com/lislislislis/avdtv.htm My interest is in the so-called fifth-generation chipset from LG, tested a few years ago and adjudged to be a significant improvement. I heard LG was only going to put it in their own products, then I heard they would license it. Heck, I don't know! "Sal" |
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