How can we compare these new Coupon Eligible OTA receivers to the older Set Top Boxes?

Specifically: I have a Samsung SIR-T150 and 2 unused CECB coupons. The Samsung manual does not list signal sensitivity, nor do the CECB units.

This Samsung has relatively poor reception compared to the on-board digital receiver in another TV. Will these new OTA receivers improve on signal reception from STBs a few years old?

How can we compare these new Coupon Eligible OTA receivers to the older Set Top Boxes?

Specifically: I have a Samsung SIR-T150 and 2 unused CECB coupons. The Samsung manual does not list signal sensitivity, nor do the CECB units.

This Samsung has relatively poor reception compared to the on-board digital receiver in another TV. Will these new OTA receivers improve on signal reception from STBs a few years old?

I have the Insignia converter and it beats the three other tuners I have, including a Samsung 260. The general consensus is that the newer decoders are much better at multipath rejection, which in some cases is more important than signal sensitivity itself--though it seems that the Insignia/LG/Zenith is also good in that department. No figures, though.

jrelmore,
Why would you want to replace a STB that ouputs HD resolutions in analog video, analog component or digital format from OTA digital broadcasts with a CECB one that downscales all signals received to SD 480i video format?

Wasn't aware of the downscale (thanks), but signal reception is the priority on these other TVs.

All of the CECB boxes have much better reception quality than the SIR-T150, I can assure you.

The LG's are excellent in every other way (I just bought a March '08 one and I don't hear any audio problems at all) but if you want RF pass-thru, a full EPG, and a VCR Timer I'd wait for the Echostar TR-40.

I would rate my Zenith converter as pretty much the same as my older tuners including the Samsung 260F, in terms of sensitivity. But the Zenith is an order of magnitude better in handling multipath. I have to aim my antennas within about 5 degrees on some channels with the older tuners but with the Zenith I can be anywhere within maybe 60 degrees on those channels. The less critical ones I don't have to aim the antenna at all.

The Zenith is pretty comparable to my DTB-H260F (can't really say if it's actually "better" in my case), but it's noticably better than any of my other, 4th gen. receivers (the H260F is 5th gen.) - slightly with sensitivity, but especially with multipath. The SIR-T150 is, I think, a 1st generation, and anything under the 4th is not going to be even close to the new CECB boxes. The new ones are all 5th or 6th gen. chipped tuners.

Like I said, any of the new boxes will be a big improvement over his SIR-T151, but I can vouch that the RQ of the Zenith is excellent, and I doubt if you'll find much better in any other CECB box (or current HD box, for that matter).

There seems to be people that feel the SamSung SM-DTBH260F doesn't perform as well, and others that feel it performs about equal to current CECB's . The SamSung is 5th-Generation, and all current CECB's are too (to the best of my knowledge).

Why is this so?

I ask because I have a chance to get one cheap..

Additional, can someone confirm the SamSung does analog reception too?
Edit: Finally found it on site
"The DTB-H260F receives Digital/HDTV broadcasts only."
http://support-us.samsung.com/cyber/popup/iframe/pop_troubleshooting_fr.jsp?idx=23869&modelname=DTB-H260F&modelcode=&session_id=LbJX8GnllcsKGs9mYcNH4LkR971yLz1rQYKlfM6zdhRP4fnyp lgv!-131215842!1761676348!7501!-1!1723788263!1761676444!7501!-1!1209780695138

Product Links
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/accessories/supportAccessoriesSearch.do?group=mp3audiovideo&type=digitalsettopbox&subtype=hdtvtuners&model_nm=DTB-H260F&dType=D&mType=UM&vType=R&prd_ia_cd=03050100&acc_ia_fl=&disp_nm=DTB-H260F

Service Manual
http://www.samsungparts.com/part_detail.asp?catalog%5Fname=Parts+and+Accessories&product%5Fid=SM-DTBH260F&search%5Fmodel=DTBH260F

Owners Manual
http://www.samsungparts.com/part_detail.asp?catalog%5Fname=Parts+and+Accessories&product%5Fid=OM-DTBH260F&search%5Fmodel=DTBH260F

Remote Control
http://www.samsungparts.com/part_detail.asp?catalog%5Fname=Parts+and+Accessories&product%5Fid=MF59-00291B&search%5Fmodel=DTBH260F

Replacement Tuner Unit
http://www.samsungparts.com/part_detail.asp?catalog%5Fname=Parts+and+Accessories&product%5Fid=MF40-00189A&search%5Fmodel=DTBH260F

My experiance on the 2 CECBs, 2 TV's, 1 computer HDTV tuner, and a Samsung in my environment shows that they are all about equal in most all respects. Heavy woods at 23-39 miles from stations.

TY Scooper,

Any chance your near an airport and have changing multipath probs too by chance?

I do agree the woods is indeed a reasonable challenge,
but trees don't wander around much like the planes here
next to Houston, TX

And if I may, which PC card & CECB brand/model's ??

No airport traffic - it goes over my house at at least 2000 feet - (probably more like 5000 feet).

My main multipath "challenges" are wind blowing the trees.

PC card - Hauppauge HVR1600
CECB 1 - Philco TB100HH9
CECB 2 - Digital Stream DTX9900 (returned)
CECB 3 - Zenith DTT900 will probably "return" to use my coupon, unless the Echostar unit becomes available very shortly

However, you don't want to know my antenna setup... I will say that none of it is above the trees

Yes Scooper,
You are correct. I didn't ask about reception hardware. Only the devices used to sort out whatever you had to work with after the fact.

I'm not saying it is unimportant,
I did however make the mistake of assuming (by not asking) that you tried all these things on the same reception hardware.

'My Bad :rolleyes:

As I am in the woods, but mine are just plain old/huge...I forgot there are people in areas that have trees that move significantly in wind.
That makes your observations even more important.
TY

Additional, can someone confirm the SamSung does analog reception too?It does have RF pass-thru, so you can easily switch inputs and watch the analogs on your TV's NTSC tuner if it has one.

TY, that is very helpful.

cpldc,
could you tell a bit more about the Sammy's weakness for you?
Is it reception strength, or drop-outs as example?

Edit:
Wow
Retract question
A thread about this specific Sammy sporting 2,798 posts popped to the top,
that should take a week or so to read


"The 260 also does clear QAM,
able to tune and pass 480p/720p/1080i
whereas the CECBs down-convert by design and mandate to 480i"

Well that seals my buying decision ......