I don't know how long this clearance sale will last but the Radio Shack 16-3499, the Accurain HST 6000, is on sale for less than $90. Picked one up about one hour ago and so far much better than the Sammy SIR-T351.

Hi Moxie,

Other than HDMI, can you please tell me all the outputs and in? The Ratshack website doesn't say or show.

Thanks

Hi Moxie,

Other than HDMI, can you please tell me all the outputs and in? The Ratshack website doesn't say or show.

Thanks

Inputs: One RF (OTA and 8VSB cable)

Video Outputs: Composite, S-video, Component, HDMI

Audio Outputs: Digital; Optical and Coaxial, and Standard Analog

Great! Looks like a good deal!

Thanks :D

That's the Humax box..

Thank you very much for posting this alert. I've been on the prowl for a OTA receiver and I drove straight to RS after reading your post (I called first to make sure they had them in stock). I bought one of the last two units in Austin, TX.

The box looks to be a clone of the Humax HFA100 with one noteworthy difference: they deleted the RBG output (bummer).

So far it works like a champ - and I'm using a $6.99 RCA antenna!

Well, I just got it and the total price was $97.00! Didn't hook it up yet but I'll let you all know the results.

dmand: Your right, no RBG. Too bad. But for the price, I think we can be forgiving. ;)

Note: Beefy component and audio cables!

Does it do QAM ?

There were some questions about this months ago.

I don't think so. I can't find the exact thread but 8VSB isn't QAM.

How sensitive is this tuner and how fast does it changes channels?

Also, can you delete sub-channels?

You can delete subchannels w/o any problem.

It is is receiving channels better than my old SIR-T351. With the 351, after I upgraded the firmware to handle the DD dropouts, I was unable to watch any HD station without video dropouts every 15-20 seconds.

It takes about 2-3 seconds for the channel to change.

I am using the Radio Shack 15-1880 antenna and am 14 miles from the antennas. Right now my antenna is on the 1st floor of the house opposite the downtown antennas. I am not receiving all of my HD channels but I haven't had an opportunity to play with antenna placement yet.

How are Radio Shack's return policies on sale items? Thinking of purchasing one of the STBs to see if it can pull HD content coming from towers 26 miles away. If the STB doesn't work well then a return would be in order.

For those who have purchased the STB, please post your review/feedback. Thanks.

I'll be testing it out this weekend at my vacation home. (Many trees in the way and using an indoor antenna. Wish me luck. :rolleyes: )

I asked the rep at the Shack and told me there's a 30 day money back. Plenty of time to tweek a bit.

Does it do QAM ?

There were some questions about this months ago.

I also checked the manual and it doesn't say anything about QAM. Just 8VSB.

I'm only interested in OTA. So, if you want QAM, this may be not good for you.

I just picked it up. Bought the 1 yr warranty for $10. A lot of trees in my area. Locks in all. PBS drops out sometimes, otherwise it is at 80% signal strength. Need to tweak my antenna direction. (a 25 yr old roof top) All channels are about 12 miles away.

Way better than the Motorola and Samsung 351 I tried in spring.

Thanks, Moxie!

I too have a 351 with firmware update. I could not pick up WBBM-DT w/o lock up every 10 minutes. I just picked one up in downtown Chicago. I'm gonna put the 351 up on Ebay.

New to this whole OTA thing so forgive me if this is a dumb question. Is 80% signal strength good or bad? Would a more expensive model such as the LG lst 4200a lock signal strength at a higher % or is the signal strength % simply a function of one's location and the strength at which signals are transmitted from towers?

I just finished playing with the HST 6000 I got from Radio Shack today. Seems pretty sensitive, as I was able to get WBBM-DT in my living room with just some rabbit ears (didn't even bring out the CM7777 :) ). My living room isn't the best place for TV reception; my bedroom in the west corner of the house is much better. My FusionII never ever locked WBBM-DT in my living room, no matter how hard I tried. I had to use a metal shelf/reflector in the west bedroom and the CM7777 to get anything off channel 3 on the FusionII.
Adding channels missed by the scan seems easy enough. Just punch in the RF number, lock the channel with some antenna fiddling, and then hit the add channel button. It'll pull the PSIP info and you should have all the subchannels in your lineup.
Thanks Moxie for the heads-up!

New to this whole OTA thing so forgive me if this is a dumb question. Is 80% signal strength good or bad? Would a more expensive model such as the LG lst 4200a lock signal strength at a higher % or is the signal strength % simply a function of one's location and the strength at which signals are transmitted from towers?

I think I read somewhere that even at 50% strength is very good. And yes, signal strength depends on location.

FYI, there are three left in Tulsa in case anyone nearby is interested. I'm going to pick one of them up right after work though so make that two. :)

I just finished playing with the HST 6000 I got from Radio Shack today. Seems pretty sensitive, as I was able to get WBBM-DT in my living room with just some rabbit ears (didn't even bring out the CM7777 :) ). My living room isn't the best place for TV reception; my bedroom in the west corner of the house is much better. My FusionII never ever locked WBBM-DT in my living room, no matter how hard I tried. I had to use a metal shelf/reflector in the west bedroom and the CM7777 to get anything off channel 3 on the FusionII.
Adding channels missed by the scan seems easy enough. Just punch in the RF number, lock the channel with some antenna fiddling, and then hit the add channel button. It'll pull the PSIP info and you should have all the subchannels in your lineup.
Thanks Moxie for the heads-up!

Rack,
Can you check and see if this box will scan for new channels/updated PSIP when turned off? The Humax has this feature,which would be great for unattended Dx.

Thanks

http://community-2.webtv.net/GregBarker/DXPHOTOS/

Thanks for the tip, Moxie1617. I was able to pick one up locally tonight.

One thing that I haven't seen on any of the other receivers I've tried is that the meter shows both signal strength and S/N ratio.

I'm pleased with the tuner, and it seems to switch channels faster in only about one second, which is faster than any of the other boxes I've had or tried.

I don't like the guide all that much. It seems to have a very limited memory, so any scrolling causes the picture and audio to freeze while it tries to pull down the data.

All in all, it's not bad, especially for the price.

Scott

I just picked up one of these thanks to this thread. I too was looking to get a Humax but I couldn't find it in stock *anywhere*. But seeing that this was half the price and is supposed to be just as good, I couldn't really pass it up.

This is my first taste of anything HDTV so i'm a bit new at this. Just 3 days ago we picked up an HDTV but since we don't have cable/sattelite we had nothing to get an HDTV signal with, until now.

The unit seems to work pretty good. However, I am missing several channels, namely NBC, WPIX, and PBS here in NYC. Everything else comes in fine. The strange part is that the tuner reports that i'm getting 49% signal on these missing channels though nothing shows up on them, even though I get perfect reception on other channels with even lower signal strength. Even more puzzling, the unit reads *exactly* 49% for these missing channels and never fluxuates up or down, like the other channels do.

Is the unit defective, or could it be my antenna? I am planning on replacing the antenna soon anyway, but I'd like to know if I should take it back. I've rescanned several times with no effect.

Even more puzzling, the unit reads *exactly* 49% for these missing channels and never fluxuates up or down, like the other channels do.

Is the unit defective, or could it be my antenna? I am planning on replacing the antenna soon anyway, but I'd like to know if I should take it back. I've rescanned several times with no effect.
It's possible there is some multipath problem, but just as likely it could be those stations are actually down for maintenance. You might want to try verifying using another source whether those channels are currently running. PBS in my area switches from 4x480i SD channels to 1080i+480i at 8pm in my area. Some HDTV tuners have problems with the switchoff. NBC in my area broadcasts on VHF range, so many UHF antennae have problems pulling it in if they aren't adjusted properly. Those are other things you could check on.

Thanks, Moxie. Bought mine last night. I was ready to pay $215 for the Humax Monday morning, but couldn't find it in stock. Good thing. This unit seems to do exactly what I need, was easy to set up, and I'm getting the full set of stations here in Albuquerque with rock-solid reception.

Thanks for the post, Moxie! I bought two of them. One was the Demo (they never turned it on though) so they gave me an extra 1 year warranty on it.

They work great. I live about thirty miles (as the crow flies) from Seattle. I have tall trees between the stations and my antenna but I still get all the stations. My neighbor with an lst4200 has problems with a couple of them. My signal strengths are in the high 60's to mid 70's. I plan to shorten and clean up a couple of my antenna runs. I am using two passive splitters (good quality, low loss) and I don't know what signal amp would be good. I had a cheap RS one but it made the signal worse. Any suggestions would be appreciated. And would an HDMI to DVI adapter result in a better picture than component? (My TV had DVI but not HDMI - The component looks pretty good!)

BTW, there are no units left on the Kitsap peninsula (across the Sound from Seattle.) I was told that there were 6 left in the greater Seattle area at noon today.
For $190 My little (analog tuner-equipped) LCD TVs are finally showing me what they are capable of. I am very happy with the ease of setup and use. And finding all though little hidden sub channels was a nice surprise. Good deal, thanks again Moxie! :)

I had to buy one of these given the price. I was not expecting much out of this STB but I am impressed.

The 49% signal seems to be a default on the meter even if there is no carrier present.
I found I needed 59-60% to get a lock with this unit.

The meter with the S/N ratio that was mentioned above is also the first I have seen and
is great for tweeking.

What really blew me away was my Dish 6000 box on my CM 4228 with a rotor would have to have a perfect day to lock my NBC local "UHF 15" it never picked it up with a scan.

I pointed with a close guess and the first scan on this RS unit picked it up and locked it
and it is still holding great.

Changing channels seems pretty fast to me. The only real fault I could find was the IR remote has to be pretty well aimed.

TNX for the heads up, I think it's a great box for the $$$$$

CustM

Raddiux,

Picked one up in Bloomington IN this afternoon.

Seeing the same thing here. If I tune to a channel with nothing on it, the signal level stays at 49% with no movement. If I tune to a channel with a weak signal, the level will fluctuate between 0% and 49%, but I don't get a lock until 50%+.

Jerry

There still seem to be a few of these in the Portland, OR area (I got mine at the N. Lombard store and they still had a few). It was a bit absurd having the sales guy try to sell me a $130 HDMI cable for a unit that cost less than $90 (that was the cheapest HDMI cable they stock).

I'm running into the same 49% issue, which is a bit odd since all I am 18 miles away from every digital station and they are all within about 3 degrees of one another at that distance (all located in roughly the same place in W. PDX). I would think that if I could get one station I would be able to get them all. Guess I'll have to get on the roof and verify the direction my antenna is pointing (I haven't been up there for years).

Raddiux,

Picked one up in Bloomington IN this afternoon.

Seeing the same thing here. If I tune to a channel with nothing on it, the signal level stays at 49% with no movement. If I tune to a channel with a weak signal, the level will fluctuate between 0% and 49%, but I don't get a lock until 50%+.

Jerry

Its odd, but i'm actually able to get a stable HDTV stream at around 20-30% signal. Below 20% and it starts to stutter and break up. If I manually punch in some channel that I know doesn't exist, then I will get a low 5% signal or so, so I know that means there is nothing there. I'm still not really sure what the 49% means. According to AntenaWeb, my channel 11(WPIX) is in the same location as my channel 5(FOX) and 9(UPN), and while I get 5 and 9 perfectly, all I get is that empty 49% for 11. Strange.

Actually, I just moved into this house, so the antenna and the lines that are run are still a bit of a mystery to me. From what I can tell, there is also a dish on top of the house that is run into a "3 in - 4 out" type box. There are currently 2 dish inputs filled, and the 3rd one is for the regular antenna. Is it possible that somehow dish signals are mixing in with the antenna signal and corrupting something, even though I have no dish receiver hooked up?

Rack,
Can you check and see if this box will scan for new channels/updated PSIP when turned off? The Humax has this feature,which would be great for unattended Dx.

Thanks

http://community-2.webtv.net/GregBarker/DXPHOTOS/
The manual didn't seem to mention anything like that. I guess I could clear off the channels and let it sit for a while. Or see if it picked up any Milwaukee stations from last night. :)

Well I had to tweak my antenna to get all my local HD channels but managed to find them and get locks, except for our low VHF CBS station at 3 VHF. I can get this one if if move the antenna to the second floor but that task goes on the list. I also get Fox out of Milwaukee. My indoor antenna is the Radio Shack 15-1880 and I too get the 49% on empty channels with the amp on and gain turned all the way up. With the amp off I get 49% on assigned locals that seem to be off air, WCIU and WGBO and around 5% on empty channels. What fooled me was the local Fox station at 31 UHF was giving me a hard time. Turns out I had to turn the amp off and it is rock solid. What I found handy with the signal strength meter was the S/N ratio. I had a signal as low as 50% but the SNR was in the low 20's and the reception was rock solid. It seems that a SNR of 18 or 19 is where the reception is lost.

Fast channel changing won't be an issue since I have to tweak the antenna for a few stations. However, channel changing does seem quicker than it was when it was first set up.

I also find the remote a little weak. For normal viewing I use a Harmony with no problem but while I was tweaking and playing I used the Radio Shack remote and found it a pain. My next step is to hook into my AV receiver and see what it does with Dolby Digital.

I'm happy that you all were able to benefit from this sale. Like I said when I first saw the price on the web site, I thought it was a misprint. It seems like a great value so far.

I've seen a couple of references to the onscreen S/N display, yet I only see signal strength on mine. Different firmware, or am I looking in the wrong place? I'm looking at the menu/channel/signal strength screen.

Jerry

I've seen a couple of references to the onscreen S/N display, yet I only see signal strength on mine. Different firmware, or am I looking in the wrong place? I'm looking at the menu/channel/signal strength screen.

Jerry
Only visible when you use the 'METER" button on the remote.

Now does this support QAM or not.
From the Ratshack page
HDTV tuner enables HD-ready TVs to receive HDTV signals from cable or outside antenna.

It says CABLE?

under spec's
HDTV (ATSC) tuner

I do not think it does QAM

I did find one note at http://www.16nine.com/
RadioShack Launches Accurian HDTV STB
RadioShack has joined the HDMI set-top box fray with the RadioShack Accurian HTS 6000 (US$250) tuner that receives both cable and OTA HDTV signals.

The devices features an IPG, most likely from Gemstar-TV Guide, and an aspect ratio control that allows one to “zoom in on screen while viewing.” While the first question most will have is whether this is a “fifth-generation chip,” the only info we have is that the NIM module is a Thomson Multimedia DTF8600.

I think what they meant is that it can receive regular cable channels. Their spec sheet says ATSC but makes no mention of QAM. It would help if someone who has one of these could test out QAM reception.

I'll try it this afternoon, picking one up in a hour or so. I would expect that it only receives analog in-the-clear cable channels.

The unit indeed has the Thomson DTF8600 tuner.
In addition, if you open the hood, you may find surface jumper leads (two green wires) from the sgi chip going to resistors.
The main board has www.dstreamtech.com
Can we say very naked inside this unit, not much to it.

It does not support QAM -- only cable stations broadcasting in 8VSB.

:)
My next step is to hook into my AV receiver and see what it does with Dolby Digital.

Hooked it up to my receiver via coax. Rock solid output. No pops, sputters, dropouts. Very satisfied so far.

:)

Hooked it up to my receiver via coax. Rock solid output. No pops, sputters, dropouts. Very satisfied so far.

I too have had no troubles via the optical connection to my AV receiver.

Can anyone tell me if I would find noticeable improvement over a RCA DTC 100 DTV receiver?

Thinking about jumping on this but don't want to was $90.

Thanks

The unit indeed has the Thomson DTF8600 tuner.
In addition, if you open the hood, you may find surface jumper leads (two green wires) from the sgi chip going to resistors.
The main board has www.dstreamtech.com
Can we say very naked inside this unit, not much to it.
Just tried it also, no QAM.

Did you see a IEEE1394 connector on the board when you opened it up?

The block diagram on this page (www.dstreamtech.com/english/product/Digital_HDTV_Modules01.html) indicates IEEE1394...?

No, I did not; I will have to open it up again,
The tuner on this is vertical, not like that diagram.
I have two Samsung SIR-T165 units with the 1394 :) hence the reason I did not look very closely.

Just tried it also, no QAM.

Did you see a IEEE1394 connector on the board when you opened it up?

The block diagram on this page (www.dstreamtech.com/english/product/Digital_HDTV_Modules01.html) indicates IEEE1394...?

I"m the new owner of a panasonic 30wc15 and accurion box. Picked up both today.
Apparantly i do not understand the instructions in setting up the products.
I have cable from the wall and i also bought an indoor antenna. I am not sure where the antenna gets connected to or the cable from the wall. I have tried both connecting the cable from the wall into the accurion and the antenna to the cable connection of the hdtv. and I reversed it. Both times the accurion and tv do not recognize each other. I have used both types of cable that comes with the accurion into the tv. Your help in receiving ota with the accurion and panasonic 30 inch achieving the desired results of getting hd channels in las vegas is appreciated. Thanks in advance

What’s under the hood.
I did not find any unpopulated RGB output & 1394 headers.
I did not remove the heat sink yet to identify the video cpu.
Those with dial up may not want to check these out. they are rather large.

http://home.comcast.net/~cyber16/1.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~cyber16/2.JPG

http://home.comcast.net/~cyber16/3.JPG

Can anyone tell me if I would find noticeable improvement over a RCA DTC 100 DTV receiver?

Thinking about jumping on this but don't want to was $90.

Thanks

As a DTV DXer (receiving distant DTV stations), I was curious to compare this unit to some of my other STBs. I just picked up the RS unit today. During the past hour I compared its tuner sensitivity and decoding/holding abilities next to the RCA DTC100, LG LST-3100A and Humax HFA100. I have each unit connected to the same outdoor antenna setup and a separate monitor for each STB so as I changed stations and/or rotated the antenna I could try to evaluate which unit found and decoded the station first and then as the signal got weaker, by rotating the antenna, which unit lost the signal/lock first and which one held the signal/lock the longest.

My personal results so far are very much like past comparison tests I've conducted here and at other locations with various STBs. They're all over the place! For one station, the DTC100 actually fared the best with the RS being the worst. For two different stations, the Humax fared the best with the RS coming in second among the four. The RF-air channels tested were 11, 14, 48 and 54. I've noticed in other similar comparison tests that some STB units seem to work better at particular channels than others (ie....VHF channels; low UHF channels; high UHF channels). The RS unit appeared to receive channels 11 and 14 better than the high UHF channels of 48 and 54.

For DXing purposes, aiming the antenna is very critical so I do really like the signal meter/SNR screen. It seems to be quite sensitive and gives a wide range of readings.

I don't know if this helps anyone or not at this point. I need more time to conduct more tests with other stations.......Of course, your reception and mileage may vary.

Steve

As a DTV DXer (receiving distant DTV stations), I was curious to compare this unit to some of my other STBs. I just picked up the RS unit today. During the past hour I compared its tuner sensitivity and decoding/holding abilities next to the RCA DTC100, LG LST-3100A and Humax HFA100. I have each unit connected to the same outdoor antenna setup and a separate monitor for each STB so as I changed stations and/or rotated the antenna I could try to evaluate which unit found and decoded the station first and then as the signal got weaker, by rotating the antenna, which unit lost the signal/lock first and which one held the signal/lock the longest.

My personal results so far are very much like past comparison tests I've conducted here and at other locations with various STBs. They're all over the place! For one station, the DTC100 actually fared the best with the RS being the worst. For two different stations, the Humax fared the best with the RS coming in second among the four. The RF-air channels tested were 11, 14, 48 and 54. I've noticed in other similar comparison tests that some STB units seem to work better at particular channels than others (ie....VHF channels; low UHF channels; high UHF channels). The RS unit appeared to receive channels 11 and 14 better than the high UHF channels of 48 and 54.

For DXing purposes, aiming the antenna is very critical so I do really like the signal meter/SNR screen. It seems to be quite sensitive and gives a wide range of readings.

I don't know if this helps anyone or not at this point. I need more time to conduct more tests with other stations.......Of course, your reception and mileage may vary.

Steve

My experience with the RS unit pretty much reflects yours. I'm fringe as well(60 mi and hilly terrain). I compared it with the Dish 942 receiver and a Mits display ATSC tuner and the Dish unit came out on top. It would lock and hold the signal quicker and for longer than the Mits, with the RS unit last. The RS unit actually scanned more channels than the Dish unit but wouldn't hold them as well as the Dish tuner.

I do like that signal meter though, it is very handy when rotating the antenna.

Getting ready to get my first STB and since my box of choice, the LG LST 4200A, can not be found wondering if folks had an opinion on whether the RS tuner would work well experience given the following:
-26 miles to signal towers per antennaweb
-Clear line of site with no obstructions
-I live on a small hill

$90 is not a lot of money but having never used a STB, I don't want a huge hassle factor trying to get HD OTA with the RS box. I don't mind spending $300 on another type of tuner if that gets me significant extra performance (I understand the RS model does not have DVI to match my DVI ready tv but I can live with that for now).

Getting ready to get my first STB and since my box of choice, the LG LST 4200A, can not be found wondering if folks had an opinion on whether the RS tuner would work well experience given the following:
-26 miles to signal towers per antennaweb
-Clear line of site with no obstructions
-I live on a small hill

$90 is not a lot of money but having never used a STB, I don't want a huge hassle factor trying to get HD OTA with the RS box. I don't mind spending $300 on another type of tuner if that gets me significant extra performance (I understand the RS model does not have DVI to match my DVI ready tv but I can live with that for now).
The RS unit should work great with those conditions. You can get a HDMI>DVI converter for about $25.

I was playing with my HTS 6000 today, and I noticed that inside, there's a little red LED next to the tuner itself. It would turn on whenever the signal wasn't decodable. Sometimes just a blip that wouldn't even register in the sound or video, and with longer and more frequent blips, the audio would drop out and the video would start to break up, and if the light was on for more than like 50% of the time, there wouldn't be enough good bits to even pretend to play anything. But you can only see it if you look through the vents of the STB, odd that they kept that kind of functionality hidden (it also blinks twice on channel changes, if you're looking for it and are cursed with great signals. :p). . It's just about the quickest way to determine if the stream itself or the signal strength is the cause for a random glitch.
I think the Sasem USB box has a similar LED on the front. PhilJSmith67 likes to call it "the idiot light". :)

Having not seen the unit yet, by any chance are the SNR and signal strength meters viewable on the box itself or is it just an on screen display? It would be nice to something slighly smaller than lugging a whole TV around when fine tuning antenna placement ;-)

I bought one of these tonight. They are going fast! There's a radio shack near me that still has one... Castleton are outside of Indianapolis. I took the second to last one. I actually called them because I thought I got a unit with no remote. Then they told me to look in the styrofoam on the side of the unit. Duh! Haha. Well, I spent all evening trying to figure out how the jack-a$$ that lived in my house before I did hooked up all this coax. There's a spaghetti of it in the garage. I got no where and eventually just attached bunny ears in the basement. I was getting signal strength of like 20 and seeing a decent signal although it would drop out from time to time. Another channel had signal strength in the 50 or so region and I had a solid image there. I need to figure out which coax in my garage connects to the basement and I think I will be very happy. The channel switching is quick enough, the menus seem to be reasonable, I was getting dolby digital, etc. Everything looked good to me.

Thanks for posting this information! I haven't made a good whim purchase in a while :) So, this was fun.

Having not seen the unit yet, by any chance are the SNR and signal strength meters viewable on the box itself or is it just an on screen display? It would be nice to something slighly smaller than lugging a whole TV around when fine tuning antenna placement ;-)

Sorry, but the signal strength meter and SNR screen is viewable only on screen with your monitor. The only readout on the front of the unit itself is the channel number, along with the subchannel, and there is a green light to indicate the unit is turned on.

BTW, I couldn't find this in the manual, but after playing around with it last evening I did discover a manual way of converting the actual RF channel number into the PSIP remapped information. There are two ways to allow the unit to automatically scan for stations, either with "Rescan" which scans all channels and deletes any previously listed channels or with "Update" which simply adds new channels found WITHOUT deleting previously found/listed channels. If you manually add a channel by simply punching in the true RF channel number, like ch. 48, then when the receiver finds the station and decodes it, the on screen display will indicate "48-1" but will not give any additional information, like call letters of the station. But I found on mine that if you then punch the "CH-ADD" button, the receiver will then convert that RF channel number into the remapped channel number (analog) and become, for example "4-1" and then will display the station's call letters and store them in memory just like the stations it finds when performing an auto scan.

Steve

All this fun was brought to you by......MOXIE! :D

Again, great find.

I bought one too and am glad I did. I actually bought my first HDTV over 4 years ago, and now have 2 of them and an HD projector, but I have not had an HD tuner. I bought a tuner 4 years ago and used it for two weeks or so and it seemed to be a complete waste. I've been working out of town and had not had time to sort it out. I came to this forum this week to see what was being recommended these days so I could try again. Thanks to this thread, I got a great tuner for $90 and rat shack sold me a decent UHF antenna for $25.

After 6 hours of crawling through the fiberglass insulation in my attic to install the antenna in the only space without a brick wall in the way of the signal, I have 80-95 signal strength on all channels and am enjoying a sharp picture. I do hjave some dropouts that annoy me but I will continue to fine tune. The drop ou ts are very frequent on program changes. Not channel changes, but when the program changes from tv show to commercial, or from one TV show to the next. I'm not sure what that is about, but I will go nosing around the forum for info.

Anyway, thanks for this tip. I may even go buy a second one if I can find one in stock.

I am thinking about getting this but I am not sure if my Adelphia cable uses QAM or 8VSB for the unscrambled HD channels.

I just got a Zenith Z42PX2D plasma with built-in HD tuner (ASTC and QAM) and it found all the non-scrambled HD channels. Are these channels QAM or 8VSB? Any help would be greatly appreciated?

For those that just purchased this and and are new to HDTV. If you have an audio setup with 5.1 speakers. Use one of the two DIGITAL AUDIO OUTPUTS.
Be sure to tune in your local ABC station tonight.
The NFL Kickoff 1-HOUR Pregame SHOW STARTS AT 8pm EASTERN
Pregame music performances by the Rolling Stones (from Detroit); Maroon 5 and Kanye West (from Los Angeles); and Green Day and Santana (from Foxborough, Mass.). Trisha Yearwood performs the national anthem. Host: Freddie Prinze Jr.
It should look fine and sound great!!!

I am thinking about getting this but I am not sure if my Adelphia cable uses QAM or 8VSB for the unscrambled HD channels.

I just got a Zenith Z42PX2D plasma with built-in HD tuner (ASTC and QAM) and it found all the non-scrambled HD channels. Are these channels QAM or 8VSB? Any help would be greatly appreciated?The vast majority of cable systems use QAM not 8VSB. Very very very few are (were) passing through 8VSB for the locals. So ... I'd be willing to bet your cable system is using QAM.

The Zenith plasma would pick up 8VSB and QAM so ... you can't really tell from that.

Most TVs have a diagnostic screen that you can get into to tell if you're getting a channel via QAM or 8VSB. Not sure about the Zenith ... but I'd check that out.

You could also ask in your local forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=45

is their away using the accurion set top box to determine the image resolution of the ota display,that is 480 720 or 1080.

Since it doesn't have an RGB connector, is there anyway to convert the HDMI to HD15 with any combination of adapters? Or is it pretty much impossible? I'll do some searching in Google tonight just figured the people out here would have a quicker answer. Thanks.

a4tq-

The only 'conversions' available are actually using 'transcoder'devices. Component-to-RGB and DVI-to-RGB transcoders are available from Digital Connection as well as others. Those devices, though, are much more expensive than this HD receiver itself. If you really need an RGB output, consider going to Ebay for an LG, Zenith, or Hughes HTL-HD box instead.

is their away using the accurion set top box to determine the image resolution of the ota display,that is 480 720 or 1080.

Unlike some other STBs, like my LG, I do not see anything in the manual about this nor do I see any on screen readout of the station's resolution. On the back of the unit, you can manually switch the output between 1080i, 720p and 480p. That's all I see.

Steve

Is the problem I mentioned about drop outs during commercials common? Could it be the display device dropping the incoming stream on a screen blanking?

Thanks for posting this information! I haven't made a good whim purchase in a while :) So, this was fun.


Agreed! Many thanks to the OP for this little gem, I picked mine up last night. It was a display model and got the free 2 year warranty as well.

Help!

Does anyone have a pronto ccf (or pcf) with the codes for this receiver. I just got one at ratshack tonight - the last one was an open box, and the remote had to be ordered. I just realized that my only HDMI cable is the one I fished through the wall to the basement (with the rest of the rack) - not too convenient for operation without a remote.

TIA for any help. Can't wait to get it set up and running.

Help!

Does anyone have a pronto ccf (or pcf) with the codes for this receiver. I just got one at ratshack tonight - the last one was an open box, and the remote had to be ordered. I just realized that my only HDMI cable is the one I fished through the wall to the basement (with the rest of the rack) - not too convenient for operation without a remote.

TIA for any help. Can't wait to get it set up and running.
I was reading at the High Def Forum The manual states that if you want to use a universal remote with it, the codes for Pioneer cable boxes should work "Try a Pioneer cable box codes"

It will be awhile before I copy the codes myself into my pronto pro.

Thanks for the tip. I missed that - browsed the manual just enough to get set up. It's near the back...

I saw this deal...

Like one of the previous posters I had an HD tuner for a few weeks back a few years ago, but ebayed it for an $80 profit instead of keeping it. Not enough use for it - we don't really watch TV, just DVDs & video games.

I've been getting a hankering for one though, and this is a very good deal. I asked at the store if they had it, it was gone from the shelf. The very friendly guys there were like "heck yeah for $89 it's gone!". So they called up the other store with it, about 45 min away in Flint and it is being sent to the Midland store for me. :D

I've had this unit for a few days. The problem is that every once in a while the picture freezes and the audio starts 'stuttering.' Powering off and up cures it everytime. It doesn't appear to be a signal issue. For example, Strength 86, S/N 30. Thoughts?

I had the afternoon off today, so I drove to the only RS within reasonable driving distance that still had this unit, according to the RS Web site, and ended up with their shelf display unit. I don't think they ever had it hooked up, though. When I plugged it in, it went right into the initial automatic channel scan.

I already have two HD receivers, a US Digital unit from Walmart that feeds my DVR, and a Samsung SIR-T451 that feeds my TV directly. This is an old SDTV, which I'll probably replace with an HDTV sometime this fall.

I substituted the RS unit for the Samsung, so I was able to compare it side by side with the US Digital.

The remote isn't very responsive. I have to give the buttons a good push. Changing channels by punching in the channel number fails when I don't punch the two digits with just the right amount of force, separated by just the right interval.

The black level is pretty high. I have to turn down the brightness on my TV a lot, and crank up the contrast, in order to get a good picture. And then reverse the process when I switch to another input device.

After those adjustments, and tweaking the color saturation, the picture looks pretty good with HD signals in letterbox (widescreen) mode or SD signals in fullscreen mode; not much difference from either the US Digital or the Samsung as far as I can tell. I watched some of the football game on ABC and switched back and forth between the RS and the US Digital, and they seemed equally crisp in letterbox mode.

However, the zoom mode on the RS unit is not as good as on the US Digital. The picture isn't as quite as sharp and crisp. This is significant for me because I like to zoom in on SD material that's been upconverted to pillarboxed HD, so it fills my screen. The zoom mode also overscans a bit, compared to the US Digital. However, it's better than on the Samsung, which noticeably stretches the picture horizontally.

Reception and signal quality so far seems to be in the same ballpark as the US Digital and the Samsung. I live in overlapping fringe areas of three markets, and the RS unit picks up all the stations the other two do, after rotating the antenna to various directions and doing an "update" scan to add new channels from each city. I like the percentage and S/N displays on the signal meter, and the fact that I can get to it with a single button-press on the remote.

I was hoping to replace the Samsung and its crappy zoom mode with this unit, but I'll have to think about it a bit. Another US Digital would be nice, if I can find one, but controlling them separately with the remote would probably be awkward.

I really should just bite the bullet and get an HD DVR like the Sony, then I'd need a STB only for the TV (until I buy a new TV that is), but that's a lot of money and a new HDTV isn't going to be cheap either. Decisions, decisions...

Tonight... I watched football in 720p on my Sony HS51 with a 92" screen. Thankyou, Moxie!

I, too, would like to say THANKS!, Moxie.

I would not be enjoying HDTV in my living room if you hadn't posted this thread, but the deal was too good to resist. It's better than I imagined! :)

Newbie here, i have been mostly reading in the low end projector area. Read about this deal on Fatwallet. Stopped by Radioshack and picked up the unit. I really need your advice on my problem. First i checked the antennaweb website and found out i am within 4 miles of all my HD transmitters. Thinking I am so close, i just plugged in rabbit ears to the reciever. (I tested out the unit with the same setup at my girlfriends house first and she was about 12-15 miles away and she got channels 5,7,11). I live in NYC on the seventh floor of a multi story building. I am getting a reading of 49 from the meter and about 17db. I get no picture right now. What do i need to do to get reception. I know the meter must get to at least 75, thats what was showing at my girlfriends house. Don't know much about the db setting. I do have a terrace for setting up a multi directional antenna, but i am afraid the neighbors might complain. Are there any in apartment antennas or should i go with the terrace antenna. Thanks for all your advice. :D

I happened to be near my local Radio Shack so I stopped by even though the web site showed none in stock. Came up empty. How come I can't get one of these in Austin, but in all kinds of other test zip codes I put in around the country it comes up with units in stock?

Aaah i'll keep waiting for these to hit the $50 price point. One thing I don't see discussed too much on set top boxes is the actual HDTV picture quality. Are these commodity units that pretty much all have a "good enough" picture? Is a low-end external tuner like this going to have a better/worse/same image quality as the built-in tuner in say, a current gen Panasonic plasma?

Newbie here, i have been mostly reading in the low end projector area. Read about this deal on Fatwallet. Stopped by Radioshack and picked up the unit. I really need your advice on my problem. First i checked the antennaweb website and found out i am within 4 miles of all my HD transmitters. Thinking I am so close, i just plugged in rabbit ears to the reciever. (I tested out the unit with the same setup at my girlfriends house first and she was about 12-15 miles away and she got channels 5,7,11). I live in NYC on the seventh floor of a multi story building. I am getting a reading of 49 from the meter and about 17db. I get no picture right now. What do i need to do to get reception. I know the meter must get to at least 75, thats what was showing at my girlfriends house. Don't know much about the db setting. I do have a terrace for setting up a multi directional antenna, but i am afraid the neighbors might complain. Are there any in apartment antennas or should i go with the terrace antenna. Thanks for all your advice. :D
I think rabbit ears are for VHF frequencies. The loop that is sometimes bunddled with rabbit ears is for UHF. I think all the digital channels in NYC are UHF (don't be fooled by the #'s 5,7,11). Also, sometimes being too close is no good because you are under the transmitted signal - they don't point it down from the antenna.

Ed

I, too, would like to say THANKS!, Moxie.

I would not be enjoying HDTV in my living room if you hadn't posted this thread, but the deal was too good to resist. It's better than I imagined! :)

Yes, a BIG THANKS, Moxie, for your original post. I then posted the info to the website of the TV/DTV DXing group I belong to, and as of this morning I believe close to 20 members have bought this unit from RS stores across the country. Several of these receivers have already been compared to other STBs in side-by-side tests, and the early reviews are quite positive about the RS Accurian.

I just finished testing the one I purchased this week next to the LG LST-3100A and the new Humax HFA100, using some weak out-of-town stations from Cincinnati, OH @ 100-101 miles, thanks to some nice area tropospheric enhancement this morning. I connected the RS variable attenuator to the main cable line which was feeding all three units simultaneously. As I began reducing the signal level into the 3 STBs, the first unit to drop out was the LG, then the Accurian and finally the Humax. As for holding (decoding) and not pixellizing much on a very weak signal, I've never seen anything like this Humax in my recent tests over the past few weeks since I bought it. However, it cost twice the amount the Accurian did. The LGs have been some of the best around, but according to the early tests, along with some from my fellow DXers around the country, we are quite encouraged by the results from the clearance-priced Accurian. If you are still thinking or looking for an inexpensive, but yet good DTV/HDTV OTA receiver, I would highly recommend this receiver, if you can still find one! They are going very fast.

Thanks again, Moxie. I hope you own stock in the Tandy Corp. !!

Steve

Your welcome. Don't own stock in Tandy but happy I was able to contribute to the forum.

Even happier that I am able to enjoy HDTV for less than $100.

Since there was no news about 5th gen STB's coming out soon, I was getting ready to pull the trigger on one of the current models, especially with the news that the LG 4200's had disappeared from the market. In the past few months the price on this box was lowered from $249 to $199. I just checked to see if the price came down again since it, as well as the Humax had the HDMI output vs the WalMart US Digital Box. I didn't believe what I saw. It was a no brainer esp since it had the regular 30 day return. It's a great receiver for me. I did relocate the antenna to 2nd floor and now get all my locals that broadcast HD. I couldn't be happier.

Thanks Moxie - I too have been contemplating purchasing a STB as my cable HD feeds only consist of ABC and NBC (No CBS, Fox, UPN or WB) and at this price I couldn't pass it up. I hooked it up yesterday, and with a Phillips Amplified Indoor Antanna, I'm getting the ABC, CBS, and Fox feeds in HD! I think the UPN might be off-air (Hurricane Katrina) so I'm happy for now. I can probably even improve my reception with a better antenna :)

Thanks for the heads-up Moxie!

I got one of the last ones in North Houston. Sales rep said they were selling like hotcakes and that he had his eyes on the last one.

Works like a charm. I'm pulling in channels from 40 miles away with some cheap rabbits ears antenna that I had stored in the garage.

Paul

Wow, the U.S. Open looked fantasic today. I know I'll get used to HD eventually but right now I am still amazed at the quality of the image.
A few neighbors are going off to check RS but I warned them that I emptied the local stock (2).

I've had this unit for a few days. The problem is that every once in a while the picture freezes and the audio starts 'stuttering.' Powering off and up cures it everytime. It doesn't appear to be a signal issue. For example, Strength 86, S/N 30. Thoughts?

The unit I picked up exhibits similar behavior. Actually, the audio is fine, but every 5-10 minutes, the picture suffers a split-second breakup. So far, the disruptions have been benign (though annoying), and I haven't had to cycle power. This happens on quite a few ATSC channels, so I'm wondering if my rooftop antenna isn't up to the task, or maybe that antenna-line amplifier is overloading the RF/tuner. The US Digital (Hisense) box works better in my setup.

I have a question about the closed-caption support. When I watch using the S-video connection (VCR), I don't see any closed-captions. The RCA DTC-100 (with latest firmware) and US Digital both re-encode the ATSC closed-captions into NTSC format (for proper decoding with the TV's CC decoder.)

Is there a way to turn on the NTSC closed-captions, without actually burning them into the screen (like DVD subtitles)?

Most likely, I will be returning this unit (due to the intermittent picture disruptions) and holding on to the US Digital box.

Has anyone had success using a universal remote and Pioneer cable box codes? My One-For-All 8811 lists two codes for Pioneer cable boxes, neither seem to work. I also went through the code search and came up empty.

Jerry

no luck here either. pre-programmed codes have only gotten me as far as maybe a power on. I had to learn each button one at at time to a URC-200 but even then the reliability is very shody. Learning was very painful requiring multiple attempts for each button and response has been terrible oftentimes requiring 2 or 3 button pushes to get a response from the tuner.

the stock remote seems to be slow to respond to but at least it responds after 1 button push. I've tested 2 units and found both to have consistent poor IR performance/response. Other than the remote I am fairly happy with the PQ, channel changing speed, GUi, etc

In the meantime I've also done hours of testing and tweaking trying to get a replaytv 5000 series to IR blast the accurian tuner but again the only thing i've been able to get to work is the power on during setup.

As far as I know the only HD tuner that will work with the replaytv IRblaster are the Samsung units. Anyone know of any other OTA STB that will listen to replaytv?
The main reason I've stayed away from the Samsung are the gray horizontal bars, but I might just need to just accept it one of these days.

I just ran down to the local Rat Shack and picked one up. I was out the door for $150 with the box, Terk HDTVa antenna, and 50ft of coax. I've got the antenna out on the porch right now and I am pulling in all the local stations and a few from Boston which are about 60 miles away. I'm very excited to watch Agassi-Federer in HD!

Thanks for the heads-up on this great deal!

Just purchased the stb and a new optical cable. The optical cable seems real loose in the baxk of the stb and comes unplugged if I move other connected components too much.

Any one else noticing a loose optical cable connection?

I created a JP1 remote device upgrade that works on my OFA 8811. If you have a JP1 remote and cable along with Remote Master and IR, you can use the upgrade file to program your remote. Send me an email if you'd like the file: jerry[at]fath.us

Jerry

"is their away using the accurion set top box to determine the image resolution of the ota display,that is 480 720 or 1080. "

Yes, if you hit "SEL" on the remote it says HDTV if the station is being broadcasted in 720p or 1080i. On page 43 of the book, and you pick which one you want(720p or 1080i) based on what you have the switch on the back set to. Also, this tuner seems to be on the sensitive side, NBC24 which is out of toledo ohio, on my antenna would not come in, or would with lots of dropouts. But when i rotated the antenna about 5 degrees I had it perfectly with a 10-15 percent increase in signal.

Has anyone had success using a universal remote and Pioneer cable box codes? My One-For-All 8811 lists two codes for Pioneer cable boxes, neither seem to work. I also went through the code search and came up empty.

Jerry

I have a channel master rotor remote and the codes for the numbers are the same as the RS remote. The channel up/down are the same as the up/down on the RS. In fact if I hit CH3 for instance on the ChannelMaster rotor the rotor turns and the RS channel changes. The strange thing is it The RS doesnt change the rotor.

Just purchased the stb and a new optical cable. The optical cable seems real loose in the baxk of the stb and comes unplugged if I move other connected components too much.

Any one else noticing a loose optical cable connection?


suilly11 -
I have had the same problem. When I first set up the unit I did not get any audio. After jamming the optical connector in, audio came up. When I moved the unit, the plug got loose in the jack again. It is very sensitive.

By the way, watched Dolphins/Broncos game, the tennis in HD. Nice picture.

Chuck

I found an extra long 12 foot GE optical cable at Target for $15. That's cheaper than most 3 and 6 foot cables. I don't have to worry about it slipping out when I move it.

Thanks, moxie, for the info. This STB is so much better than the Samsung SIR-T351 I had just gotten off eBay a couple weeks ago. I just sold it for what I paid for the Accurian.

I watched all the NFL games and the US Open, and they looked and sounded great.

I've had this unit for a few days. The problem is that every once in a while the picture freezes and the audio starts 'stuttering.' Powering off and up cures it everytime. It doesn't appear to be a signal issue. For example, Strength 86, S/N 30. Thoughts?

Just bought one for my dad and his unit has the same problem with two channels. Every single time I change to those two channels, the unit will lock up and the audio "stutters". The only way to stop this is to power down and change the channel quickly, before it locks into the signal.

This happens all the time with these two Fox channels. Could it be a bad unit? I believe that the one we got was a returned unit, since the bag holding the hardware was a ziplock bag and it was all wrinkled. If it was a new unit, the bag shouldn't be that way! I will adjust the outside antenna and see if this solves the problem. Else, it is going back for an exchange.

Also, I can not get the component connection working with the TV. I know that the Toshiba Rear Projection supports 480p and that I moved the switch on the back to 480p, but there is no picture on the TV? On the DVD player, I connected the 480p component video out and it works, so the TV can handle this signal. It is just that the STB, with 480p settings gives no picture. At this moment, I have it connected via composite and this works.

Other than these two problems and the remote being real weak, the picture is great (even with composite video!).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[QUOTE=
Also, I can not get the component connection working with the TV. I know that the Toshiba Rear Projection supports 480p and that I moved the switch on the back to 480p, but there is no picture on the TV? On the DVD player, I connected the 480p component video out and it works, so the TV can handle this signal. It is just that the STB, with 480p settings gives no picture. At this moment, I have it connected via composite and this works.
[/QUOTE]

I also have a Toshibe Rear Projector 61" and NO STB works in the 480p they have to be set to 1080I resoulation. or no picture.

I also have a Toshibe Rear Projector 61" and NO STB works in the 480p they have to be set to 1080I resoulation. or no picture.

Thanks Klyde but I think I moved the switch to all three positions and there was still no picture. Do I need to power down the STB before moving the switch?

Thanks!

When I move the switch on mine, I can instantly see my projector re-sync to the new resolution... both are powered up obviously.

reap

Just bought one for my dad and his unit has the same problem with two channels. Every single time I change to those two channels, the unit will lock up and the audio "stutters". The only way to stop this is to power down and change the channel quickly, before it locks into the signal.

This happens all the time with these two Fox channels. Could it be a bad unit? I believe that the one we got was a returned unit, since the bag holding the hardware was a ziplock bag and it was all wrinkled. If it was a new unit, the bag shouldn't be that way! I will adjust the outside antenna and see if this solves the problem. Else, it is going back for an exchange.

Also, I can not get the component connection working with the TV. I know that the Toshiba Rear Projection supports 480p and that I moved the switch on the back to 480p, but there is no picture on the TV? On the DVD player, I connected the 480p component video out and it works, so the TV can handle this signal. It is just that the STB, with 480p settings gives no picture. At this moment, I have it connected via composite and this works.

Other than these two problems and the remote being real weak, the picture is great (even with composite video!).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I don't know where you live, but here in South Florida with Fox on 29 it happens exactly as you described. I have found that very careful antenna orientation will solve the problem. Just like you I show plenty of signal strength and after I reoriented the antenna I did not show any more signal strenth but the picture and audio were solid. Just my .02.

Chuck

I don't know where you live, but here in South Florida with Fox on 29 it happens exactly as you described. I have found that very careful antenna orientation will solve the problem. Just like you I show plenty of signal strength and after I reoriented the antenna I did not show any more signal strenth but the picture and audio were solid. Just my .02.

Chuck

I live in West Boca, so I am fairly close to where you are. So the antenna orientation seems to be the key to keep if from locking up!

Now if I can figuire out why the component connections aren't working, that would solve both problems!

Ed

Thanks Klyde but I think I moved the switch to all three positions and there was still no picture. Do I need to power down the STB before moving the switch?

Thanks!

What Toshiba model do you have? I have a TN61X81. Its native resolution on the componet inputs is 1080I.
Make sure that you have the cables in the correct order, make sure that you have selected the proper Video Input. There are 3 video inputs and 2 conponet inputs. If the cable order is incorrect you wont get a picture, if you have the wrong input selected, same problem. Have you ever seen a HD picture on this set with another HD source? Sorry for the basic questions, but we need a place to start.

Just wondering: Does this STB tune in analog cable channels as well? I understand that it doesn't seem to decode QAM, but I'm trying to decide on either a commercial or consumer Panny PDP, and this may help the decision...

I've had it for a week and it works fine except FOX. For some reason, I don't get audio. The meter shows that I'm getting between 75-80 and 23-28db of audio. I would appreciate if somebody can help me out.

Just wondering: Does this STB tune in analog cable channels as well?
Nope, only ATSC/8VSB, no analog cable, no digital cable, no NTSC OTA analog.

I've had it for a week and it works fine except FOX. For some reason, I don't get audio. The meter shows that I'm getting between 75-80 and 23-28db of audio. I would appreciate if somebody can help me out.

I had the same problem with my fox channel (toledo WUPW 36) on saturday and all of sudden it works now.

Can this receiver from Radio Shack (Accurian™
Model: HTS 6000
be used on a standad TV until I can afford a HD Monitor?

Thanks!
Bill

Can this receiver from Radio Shack (Accurian™ Model: HTS 6000 be used on a standad TV until I can afford a HD Monitor?

Certainly. :) Post #3 says it has composite and S-video outputs, which only pass SD.

This is assuming your TV has A/V inputs, otherwise you'd need an RF modulator. :D

Yes it outputs 480i through composite and s-video ports making it compatible with analog TV's.

Boy fast response! Thanks! Now all I have to do is find a store that has one!

Thanks ! Again!
Bill

I had the same problem with my fox channel (toledo WUPW 36) on saturday and all of sudden it works now.

I also have a problem with Fox in Chicago. When I first hooked the unit up I had the antenna gain on my RS 15-1880 all the way up and it would not receive Fox. When I turned the gain off, Fox was not a problem.

Since then, I moved the antenna up to the 2nd floor on the side of the house facing the antennas. The gain is set at max and twice I experienced the problem of excellent video and no audio on Fox. I can't remember the first occurence but the second happened while watching the Green Bay game Sunday. I had just watched the Bears lose on Fox in HD with audio and at the end of the game I went to CBS to watch the end of that game. When I went back to Fox there was no audio, video was great. I wasn't able to the check the analog audio outputs, but there was no audio on either the digital coax or HDMI. All other stations were fine.

I am wondering if when Fox is overpowered it screws up the PSIP data to the receiver and results in the Accurian having a brain cramp. It could be that Fox has something in their data stream that the Accurian can't handle well.

When I returned to Fox later that evening, approx 4hrs, everything was fine.
I am going to play with the antenna direction and gain settings and see if that helps. It's hard to figure this out because I only observed it twice. Next time I'll unplug the unit for a few minutes to see if that clears up the problem. I'm also going to see if I can get an in-line attenuator I can plug in near the unit to see if that helps.

Even with this problem, the Accurian experience with HD is much better than the one I had with Samsung.

Boy fast response! Thanks! Now all I have to do is find a store that has one! Bill

The Radio Shack web site says there are no stores in my area that has any, however I called one store and they have 6 in stock, another had 4. So I would call the stores and ask.

It could be that Fox has something in their data stream that the Accurian can't handle well.

Even with this problem, the Accurian experience with HD is much better than the one I had with Samsung.

I watched Fox all day Sunday on the Accurian and didn't have any problems. It must be an overloaded signal on your end. I agree; the Accurian is much better than the Samsung I had before.

Picked mine up in NoVA at lunchtime. It was the last one around for miles. One of the store managers laughed when I told him the model I was looking for, as he had gotten several calls looking for it. This is my first STB, so I don't really have anything to compare it to. I have been looking for a reason to dump COMCAST cable. Wasn't really worth the extra cash. I will fire it up tonight and if all goes well, return the cable box tomorrow. Thanks for pointing out this great deal!

I watched Fox all day Sunday on the Accurian and didn't have any problems. It must be an overloaded signal on your end. I agree; the Accurian is much better than the Samsung I had before.

I have trouble with one station it usually reads 39 on the meter and doesnt change. I get just a black screen.
It is the closest station to me, 13 miles PBS. If I turn the antenna 180 degrees I finally get it to lock in. All other stations are 55 miles and further away. I have no trouble with them.

I picked one of these up at my local RS last night. I got it hooked up in time to watch the second half of MNF.

My only problem seems to be with the poor range of the remote. I was unable to get the remote to work at distances greater than about 8 feet. Earlier in this thread I saw some people complained about the poor remote response. Have others experienced this as well?

If I can work out the remote issue I think I'll keep the box since the price was so great.

I picked one of these up at my local RS last night. I got it hooked up in time to watch the second half of MNF.

My only problem seems to be with the poor range of the remote. I was unable to get the remote to work at distances greater than about 8 feet. Earlier in this thread I saw some people complained about the poor remote response. Have others experienced this as well?

If I can work out the remote issue I think I'll keep the box since the price was so great.

Its the remote. My Channel Master Rotor remote works it just fine. It myst be the IR led they use in it. It seems to be very critical where its pointed at the receiver. If you have a learning remote copy its codes to another remote. You can get one at walmart for $10 Also sometimes it gets hung up especially when its searching for a station lock and the remote doesnt work at all untill it settles down.

I believe that the problem I have with FOX is on HD material only, SD programming is fine.

I believe that the problem I have with FOX is on HD material only, SD programming is fine.

You know what that could be the problem. Cause when I checked FOX later it was running late night programming and it was not in HD. It very well could be the 8VSB compression fox is using that is causing this box to screw up.

You know what that could be the problem. Cause when I checked FOX later it was running late night programming and it was not in HD. It very well could be the 8VSB compression fox is using that is causing this box to screw up.


Is Fox the only station using it? Do all Fox HD stations use it?

I had the exact same experience as moxie on Sunday. After watching Bears on Fox WFLD-32. Lost audio on the following GB game.
I would say something is definately up with Fox's signal, i hope this gets resolved otherwise it's a great little box. Moxie keep us posted on your tweaks.

Well I finally found one after calling several RS! Works great with a Yagi uhf Antenna! All the channels are 50 to 65 miles from me but unit locks on fine.
Thanks for info!
Bill

I called the store where I bought mine and spoke to the manager and told him that I was missing the manuals and he said that the guy on duty Sunday sold me the demo that was supposed to go back. So he's sending a new one to a storecloser. Im supposed to get it tomorrow. I also saw some on Ebay but you will have to pay about $20 more + shipping.

I have a question was I suppose to get a HDMI to DVI cable with this converter or do I have to purchase one? If I need to purchase one where is the best place?

Thanks!
Bill

This may not be an issue with just this Accurian, but with one of my channels I cannot get sound out of the analog outputs. The information guide shows that it is outputting Dolby Digital only, not stereo. This is the only channel that does this, all others transmit a stereo signal. Can the accurian box decode a DD signal? My guess is no. Do any of the other OTA receivers decode DD in the box, so the analog jacks can be used?

Every channel uses DD, even if it's just stereo or mono. It's required by the FCC as part of the ATSC standard. Therefore, all receivers decode DD into analog sound, including the Accurian. It sounds as if there's a problem with your local station. From what I've seen, the info guide doesn't mean anything on some stations. My locals often say "HD" or "Multicast", even when they're not.

Thanks for that info ChrisPC. I just tested that channel with s/pdif and there was still no sound. So it's the station that is having a problem, not the receiver.

I have a question was I suppose to get a HDMI to DVI cable with this converter or do I have to purchase one? If I need to purchase one where is the best place?

Thanks!
Bill

I just bought an HDMI to DVI adapter at monoprice. Seems reasonably priced as opposed to buying a Monster Cable at RS for who knows how much $$.

Chuck

can anyone tell me what cables are included? I assume an HDMI cable comes with...? Thanks

can anyone tell me what cables are included? I assume an HDMI cable comes with...? Thanks
6' or so cheaper but usable component cable and a 6' two channel audio cable.
No hdmi cable included

can anyone tell me what cables are included? I assume an HDMI cable comes with...? Thanks
No HDMI cable in my box. I think it came with cheap component cable.

I just got a new one and it didnt have one either, just componet cables.

I am happy with this purchase for the price. The picture quality is very good. I like the meter button for signal strenth, and also the information available when you press the "select" button when viewing a program. The remote layout is ok, but you have to be close and pointed precisely at the detector to use it. The EPG is nearly worthless because it is so slow, but perhaps that is same with all STBs. Menu selection and channel changes are quick enough.

I purchased two Accurian's from RS last week. I like the signal strength meter but also echo other comments regarding the poor range of the remote - it's not strong enough to go thru a glass door the box sits behind. In a comparison I tried tonight, I believe it is a little more sensitive as it was picking up my weakest signal without any dropouts while my Dish 811 had some dropouts of the signal. I also noticed the lack of sound on the two Fox stations I receive, similar to what other posters have experienced but it was OK tonight. Overall, I think this is a very good receiver, especially when price is considered.

I sure am glad I saw this as I've been looking for something reasonably priced that might work better than my old SIR-T151 in my fringe area. And the RS website shows that these are in stock in my smallish city.

However, I have a question... How are most of you hooking this up to your TV? I've always used the RGB outputs on my Sammy, and didn't I read earlier in the thread that this box doesn't have RGB?

Edit... Well, since I first posted this, I went and picked it up and if I am reading the box correctly, it does have all the outputs I need (I'm not even sure if my set has HDMI, but I don't think so).

Now if only reception will be improved over my old Samsung. Moxie, if you see this, are you still finding it better than your T-351? Unfortunately, a couple of stations in my pondunk town are not going to go full power until they absolutely have to.

For those that need the HDMI cable.
Call your local RS.
They just added a long list of more clearance stuff.
15-1085 6ft HDMI - HDMI M/M cable....was 99.99 now 12.49
15-1063 12ft DVI-I Dual Link Cable... was 109.99 now 12.49 .link
15-1064 12ft DVI-D Single Link Cable... was 129.99 now 12.49

These are the RS Gold series

Here is a breakdown link of the new clearance stuff recently added.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/t135941.html?

Now if only reception will be improved over my old Samsung. Moxie, if you see this, are you still finding it better than your T-351? Unfortunately, a couple of stations in my pondunk town are not going to go full power until they absolutely have to.

The box is definitely pulling in signals better than the T-351.

I actually had to de-tune, don't know if that's a word, my antenna because my local Fox is blasting this box out of the water. I get all of my local HD stations, including the notorious CBS at VHF 3, with an indoor antenna at 14.5 miles from the antennas.

I am very happy so far, I will see if the problem I had with Fox recurs this weekend. If it still does, I'll go out and get an attenuator and when I tune to Fox I'll increase the attenuation.

I also had a T-351, and this box blows it away! I get more channels, better reception, and no DD dropouts like the Samsung. The day I bought the Accurian, I put my Samsung up on eBay and sold it within an hour!

I looking to buy an HDTV for the first time... found an HDTV Monitor that seems like a good deal, so am also shopping for a tuner. I found this RS Tuner for $89.95 that seems like a great deal, but am trying to figure out if this will also provide my SD channels as well? or do I need 2 tuners; one for HD and one for SD broadcasts? The descriptions I read on some other tuners specifically said that they also provide SD reception, but I don't know if that's common on all HD tuners or not?

Obviously it would make life much more difficult if I have to deal with 2 tuners while channel surfing. I'm a little naive on how it works or how to hook everything up, so any help would be appreciated.

As it is, it looks like in order to watch TV, I'll be turning on and controlling the TV, Tuner, and Home Theater System seperately, kind of a hassle, not to mention watching a DVD or VHS movie. Are there simpler ways to do this?

I appreciate the advice and education.

Harry

I looking to buy an HDTV for the first time... found an HDTV Monitor that seems like a good deal, so am also shopping for a tuner. I found this RS Tuner for $89.95 that seems like a great deal, but am trying to figure out if this will also provide my SD channels as well? or do I need 2 tuners; one for HD and one for SD broadcasts? The descriptions I read on some other tuners specifically said that they also provide SD reception, but I don't know if that's common on all HD tuners or not?

Obviously it would make life much more difficult if I have to deal with 2 tuners while channel surfing. I'm a little naive on how it works or how to hook everything up, so any help would be appreciated.

As it is, it looks like in order to watch TV, I'll be turning on and controlling the TV, Tuner, and Home Theater System seperately, kind of a hassle, not to mention watching a DVD or VHS movie. Are there simpler ways to do this?

I appreciate the advice and education.

Harry
Yes, the RS box will also provide any and all digital SD channels with the local HD channels. It is best to check with http://www.titantv.com and or the master AVS thread here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=422073
In many large markets you will have duplicate digital channels for most analog.
This would do away with the need for an analog tuner.
Again, SD is the Digital equal counterpart of the analog signal with superior image and sound qualities. All HD tuners that can also do ota can receive both SD & HD, some tuners can also handle QAM digital cable, analog cable, and standard analog tv.

Since you are getting a new OTA receiver, this is a good deal for the famed Silver Sensor clone: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006FXR9/ref%3Dnosim/bestcardcom-20/103-8168876-1484648
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006FXR9.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg for $20 (free shipping if add another item to go over $25).

You will also notice that other vendors also sell this same ant via Amazon, look to the right of the Amazon product page.
Now print it out and go to your local Sears or other and ask for a price match.
Many times they will do it on the spot, sometimes even give an extra % off and you now are rewarded by having it now without the shipping wait. ;)

Does anyone know if the composite outputs still work if the component (or HDMI) outputs are used? I want to be able to record simultaneously.

am trying to figure out if this will also provide my SD channels as well? or do I need 2 tuners; one for HD and one for SD broadcasts

The Accurian/RS tuner picks up SD digital broadcasts as well as HD. Widescreen HD monitors usually provide a few different ways to view such broadcasts, either in the broadcast aspect ratio with bars on the sides, or stretched to fill the screen which of course distorts the picture.

Most digital stations that broadcast both SD and HD material "upconvert" the SD material into a HD signal with bars on both sides of the picture, so as far as your monitor is concerned, they're HD broadcasts. Many of those stations also broadcast a SD signal with the same material, on a subchannel. With the stations around here, the upconverted version always looks better than the "straight SD" version because the stations don't give much bandwidth to the SD subchannels. [/quote]

As it is, it looks like in order to watch TV, I'll be turning on and controlling the TV, Tuner, and Home Theater System seperately, kind of a hassle,

Welcome to the club. :( I have a SD TV set (soon to be replaced with a HDTV, hopefully), a SD DVR, and two digital receivers (one for the TV and one for the DVR). The DVR feeds its audio into my stereo system.

So if I just want to watch TV, and am content to use the TV's speakers, I need to use two remotes. If I want to use the DVR, I have to juggle four remotes! And then there's the control for the antenna rotator. :eek:

Does anyone know if the composite outputs still work if the component (or HDMI) outputs are used? I want to be able to record simultaneously.

Yes, they do. I watched an HD broadcast on our local PBS HD (sub channel - HD material is all they usually run) and recorded the program on our Cyberhome 1600ZU recorder. I used the composite output and the recording came out nicely. (Not close to the HD PQ-wise but a lot better than I used to get using our SD OTA signal. One of the nice things about Digital is the lack of ghostings. )

I was using the Component outputs into the TV (32" LCD - Proview) for a 1080i signal.

First my "gift" for those looking for more info (so I don't feel guilty about asking a Q)!

http://support.radioshack.com/manuals/ome16-3499.pdf

Now my Q.

I bought one of these last evening and hooked it up. Not bad but I'm hoping the few annoyances I've observed are my creation and not an inherent flaw.

1) Is there no "quick scan/favorites" menu that can be programmed? Maybe my DTV w/ATSC in the big room has spoiled me but it's really cumbersome/annoying to have to use the EPG to go between 3 or 4 stations, ... which leads me to,

2) Does the EPG REALLY only hold data for one screen's worth of guide info. Every time I try to scroll beyond the currently displayed screen, my picture/sound stops and I get this "looking for data" thing for what seems to be an eternity.

2) Does the EPG REALLY only hold data for one screen's worth of guide info. Every time I try to scroll beyond the currently displayed screen, my picture/sound stops and I get this "looking for data" thing for what seems to be an eternity.

It doesn't hold much data, but once it has received it you can scroll it off and back onto the grid. TV stations don't include data for moer than a few hour ahead of the current time.

One annoyance I have with their EPG is that it isn't smart enough to pull out the PSIP data at once for all sub-channels but pauses for each one as you try to scroll down.

Another thing you have to watch for is that it is easy for the unit to lose track of the time and be outside the window for any station's PSIP data.

1) Is there no "quick scan/favorites" menu that can be programmed?

Go into the setup menu and "edit channels" here you can check your favorites. Then you use the FAV-CH button on the remote.

WOW, you're telling me I really do have to suffer these downloading data lapses! No wonder they're on close out.

Also, what about a favorite channel/quick quide feature. NONE????

1 new Q: The remote does not seem compatible with my RCA Infrared/RF retransmitter. Is it's frequency a "wierd" IR one? I had this once before with another product about 4 or 5 years ago.

Diode1 thanks for the heads up on the other RS clearance items. Went to one yesterday and picked up two of the 6ft HDMI cables for only $12.49 each. Sweet! Now if I only had a HDMI switching receiver... ;)

Also, what about a favorite channel/quick quide feature. NONE????


It does have a favorite channel list. Once you set it, you just use the "FAV CH" button to go between them. I have mine set to the main networks, and it changes pretty fast.

You can also push the "SEL" button on any channel, and it will tell you what program is on. However, it only works if the station is transmitting guide information.

I think that's what's slowing the guide down; the stations that have guide data come right up on the EPG, but the ones without slow it down a lot.

>Is it's frequency a "wierd" IR one?

Nope, 38.1 khz NEC1 protocol.

Jerry

1 new Q: The remote does not seem compatible with my RCA Infrared/RF retransmitter. Is it's frequency a "wierd" IR one? I had this once before with another product about 4 or 5 years ago.
The remote is really weak, that may be your problem.

I tried getting right up to the RCA repeater and still no luck. Now that I have info the frequency is correct, maybe I'll try to "teach" one of my good remotes a couple codes and see what happens.

Thanks!

Yes, the RS box will also provide any and all digital SD channels with the local HD channels. In many large markets you will have duplicate digital channels for most analog.
This would do away with the need for an analog tuner.
Again, SD is the Digital equal counterpart of the analog signal with superior image and sound qualities. All HD tuners that can also do ota can receive both SD & HD, some tuners can also handle QAM digital cable, analog cable, and standard analog tv.

Thanks for the info, but I'm hoping to somehow hook up two sources... I currently have basic cable from Time Warner / which gets me analog signals for local stations + CNN & a couple of other cable channels. I'd like to use a splitter and this tuner to continue to get the analog signal from cable for non-local channels, and a signal from an antenna for the local HDTV broadcasts. Will this work?

Your post implies that the tuner will receive a seperate digital signal for SD stations, but will it also decode an analog signal?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Harry

Harry, I don't think this RS unit can tune analog cable channels at all (and is very limited at tuning digital cable). One way to do what you want is to use a VCR (connected to the TV with S-video or composite) to act as your tuner for the analog cable TV you watch. Then you can connect a tuner like this Radio Shack one (using component or HDMI cable) for watching HD programs from your antenna. However, depending on your VCR's tuner the analog picture quality may not be so good.

After reading the thread, this unit seemed like a good deal. I checked, and no stores very near me had it in stock. One that's a reasonable distance had it according to the on-line system, but did not have it when I called. The person there asked if I want it sent with "Direct To You" when they come in. It seemed reasonable, but made no sense for a clearance item. I verified that her computer told her that I could order it that way, and she said yes.

Since I still had more stores to call, I called the closest one to me in case they had any that did not show up on-line. They said no, but also told me that if I come in, they can order it DTY and it will be shipped free.

I went in, and the system would not take my order, so the manager called the place the orders go to. The person there told him that it can't be ordered now since it's back ordered, and I must wait until October 15th, which is when the computer shows they will be available. I then asked if I can get a rain check so I can still get the sale price, and he told me that this is the new price and it will stay that way.

I went back and reread the RS website, and it says "out of stock," not discontinued. It lists 89.99, but does not say "Sale" or even show the former $250 price.

My question is what legitimate source is there that says that this is discontinued? Everybody at Radio Shack seems to think that more are coming in, and apparently that's what their computer shows them.

Don't get me wrong. It seems like a great price either way. But I don't want to drive for over an hour just to find out in a few weeks that everybody at RS was right, and the clearance part is wrong. OTOH, I don't want to miss it if it's really disappearing.

The market release was late last year "2004" at $250
Some of the first news came from Mike at www.16nine.com
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=73064

Since last week, it seems like Mike's site has been hijacked, or a last minute change of venue

Here was a screen save from a small article from his site.

Is it worth the drive? Only you can answer that. This is a basic tuner with ok sensitivity. Will ota tuners become cheaper in cost, you bet! This is not the only game it town, there are plenty of other ota tuners in both the new and used markets that fair just as well in price.
Wait awhile when Direct TV starts the HD mpeg4, i assure the used market will be saturated with satellite/ota tuners ;)
I was told that these would not be back in inventory once the warehouse is empty, at least not with this model.

I bought the zenith antenna today and the signal got better, in some cases I get 90's. The only problem with it is that the base isn't heavy enough and it can easily tilt. It's very sensible any change in position and the same position doesn't work for every channel.

I currently have basic cable from Time Warner / which gets me analog signals for local stations + CNN & a couple of other cable channels. I'd like to use a splitter and this tuner to continue to get the analog signal from cable for non-local channels, and a signal from an antenna for the local HDTV broadcasts.

You wrote in an earlier post that you're planning to buy a HDTV monitor. If it's "(analog) cable-ready", you should be able to plug your cable into it and get your cable channels that way. A digital tuner such as the RS/Accurian would be connected to the composite or component or HDMI input on the monitor.

If the monitor isn't "cable-ready" but does have an analog (NTSC) tuner for OTA broadcasts, you'll probably need to get a converter box from your cable company, which would then feed into the antenna input on the monitor.

If the monitor doesn't even have an analog tuner (that is, it's purely a monitor), then you'll have to use some other connection from a cable box to the monitor. But the monitor should have at least two inputs, although perhaps of different types. Check the specifications for the monitor to see what it has.

I was skeptical about hts-6000 but bought it anyway because the LST-4200A is out of stock everywhere. I connected this tuner last night and was impressed. It started scanning as soon as I powered it on and I got more channels than the units I returned before, LG LST-3510 (dvd&atsc tuner) & US Digital. In my environment, the US Digital only was able to lock on to only 4 stations. The LST-3510 was able to get 7 but have drop out problems with a couple of stations (especially MNF!).

The HTS-6000 got me 11 stations and as of last night does not drop any of them. Over this weekend I should have a better feel for its performance. On the minus side, the remote is much to be desired & it froze on me once. However, for $90 this is pretty good deal to me. And to think I was ready to take out my attic antenna outside and shell $300 for a tuner.

Lastly if its any matter, it was winter when I was testing the LG & US Digital units. So, I am expecting HTS-6000 to do better during winter because there a no leaves on trees to block reception.

I just had a severe thunderstorm roll through the other day. The Accurian held up really well; the lower power UHF stations dropped out here and there, but the full power ones didn't. There's also one VHF digital channel, and it never broke up either.

I have found that if the door on the unit is left open the remote works much better. Someone mentioned the remote not working behind a glass door and it got me thinking about the fact that the Accurian has its own door in front of the remote signal detector.

But it does look better with the door closed. WAF.

Does this unit carry sound over HDMI? Do I have to use toslink for sound?

Does this unit carry sound over HDMI? Do I have to use toslink for sound?
It does carry sound over HDMI.

After playing with the Accurian for a few hours, I think I have a pretty good handle on how it compares to my Sir-T151. If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them, but here's a little review:

Frankly, as far as the box itself and the on-screen displays, I prefer the Samsung. The Sammy box is a heavy-duty metal one, and it has channel controls on the box itself -- invaluable for people like me who misplace remotes. :) The on-screen displays on the Sammy are much better IMO... They just look classier somehow, and I like the look of the programming list a lot better. Of course, this is just personal preference and not that important to a lot of people anyway.

The one huge area the Accurian won was the one-button signal meter and the meter itself. The Samsung meter is frustratingly vague and seemingly inaccurate. The Accurian gives specific numbers and a S/N ratio, which is a great feature.

The reason I really got the Accurian was to see if I could improve reception in my difficult fringe area. To make a long story short, I've got one strong local, one low-powered station about 15-20 miles away, and one full-power "local" on VHF about 50 miles away... Plus an apartment with no yard or other place to put an antenna. I have to stick my antenna on the grill on my porch. In other words, finding a more sensitive STB is about my last hope.

I first tried the low-powered UHF station that's about 15 miles away. The Accurian locked on pretty easily, but I still had to move the antenna to the right spot, like I did with the Samsung. Was reception better? It was hard to tell. I thought it was, but it didn't seem dramatically better, either. I started to wonder if the new box was worth it.

Next I tried the VHF channel 11 that's about 50 miles away. I used to get it just fine on my Winegard PR-8000 (which of course is a UHF antenna, but like all bowtie designs gets the higher VHF stations fairly well), but lately I hadn't been able to get it at all. So I took an old rabbit ears antenna out and gave it a shot. Success, there it was with all the subchannels. And here the detailed signal meter was absolutely invaluable, as I was able to make fine adjustments that I never could with the Samsung meter. After finding the position that gave maximum signal strength, I hooked everything up to the Sammy to compare. Frankly, I expected the Samsung to get it just fine as well, especially now that I knew the antenna was in perfect postion. BUT... Nothing on the Samsung. Not even a periodic flicker. This was the first indication that the Accurian really was much more sensitive than the Samsung... And that maybe this little project was going to be worth it. :)

Will I keep the Accurian? I think so. Despite the inferior (IMO) menus and displays, reception capability is what really matters in my case. If the Accurian will let me watch programs even a few times on those lousy reception days when the Samsung comes up empty, it will be worth it to me.

I prefer the Samsung. The Sammy box is a heavy-duty metal one, and it has channel controls on the box itself -- invaluable for people like me who misplace remotes. :)
The last few T151 units i had were silver color plastic boxes, heavy-duty metal ?
Also the RS has channel controls under the door, the up & down arrows.

I succumbed today and bought the RS receiver. So far it is close to equivelant the LG 4200. Seems to get some channels better than the LG but some channels worse. Seems strange to me that it would be that way. I am at the bitter fringe of local reception so nothing really surprises me anymore.
The remote, as has been mentioned here, is weak to very annoying to use. I suspect that if I got more channels reliably, the remote would work better as it seemed to not function at all sometime, especially when I was trying to move off a channel that wasn't coming in at the time. This would be more a problem in the design of the receiver than the fault of the remote control.
I tried to program an 8 in 1 RS remote using the Pioneer Cable codes and found one code that would work, but only one time. A second push of any button after the first one resulted in nothing happening. I think this might be a fault of the receiver too, but have no way of proving that. RS code was 1044.
Just tried again setting up an X10 remote with a Pioneer code and it acted the same way. Worked only once. X10 code was 047.

I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has tried this and had the same problem.

I also tried Pioneer cable box codes, mine on a Mitsubishi television remote. Two codes worked once, with none of the keys doing anything afterward, as Grandude reported.

Thanks, Diode1 for the clearance info. I picked up the last $12.49 HDMI cable in Kitsap county Wa state. It has made the PQ even better on our new 32" LCD TV. And it freed up the Component input so my DVD player in progressive looks better than I thought it could look.

What a difference one small purchase made. :D Wow!

Thanks again.

The RS Gold branded cable has always been considered good cable.
Although most of the time it’s priced like monster, monster cable does have some good stuff, its just over priced. imo
While anyone is at the RS stores, ask to look at their clearance sheet, it is for store use, you will find many pages of some cool clearance items.

jerry

Thanks for the heads up. When I bought the STB I also bought the HDMI cable for $49, took back the receipt Friday and got a credit for the price difference.

The RS Gold branded cable has always been considered good cable.
Although most of the time it’s priced like monster, monster cable does have some good stuff, its just over priced. imo
While anyone is at the RS stores, ask to look at their clearance sheet, it is for store use, you will find many pages of some cool clearance items.

jerry

It's nice your RS store showed you the clearance list. I went to my RS and asked if I could see a list of items on clearance, and the manager refused to show me the list. But I could look at the crappy online list which doesn't even show the HDMI cables. Also my RS has the old pricing on all those cables, like $69-$89 for the 6 and the 12.

It's nice your RS store showed you the clearance list. I went to my RS and asked if I could see a list of items on clearance, and the manager refused to show me the list.
It did not hurt printing these and bringing them in.
Then they showed me the lists they had.
Be sure to expand the picture
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showpost.php?p=1584833&postcount=56

Also some of the same on the first page
http://forums.slickdeals.net/t135941.html?&page=1

BTW, for all of you who are sending this out to a projector with DVI in (or a HDTV with DVI in) check out the link below for a DVI to HDMI Cable for only $11.99.

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=367-003M&cat=CBL

smithmal

Another thanks to Moxie! Got the last receiver in the area. I had planned on waiting until Christmas to get the LG 4200A, but this was too good of a deal to pass up. Just finished hooking it up and I'm able to get all available HD locals with 85-95 signal strength on the meter using a Zenith Silver Sensor in my second story attic.

The remote is really weak as others have mentioned, but I configured the Accurian in my Harmony remote and it works great using the Harmony. Watching MNF in HD right now and the picture is unbelievable!

I had planned on waiting until Christmas to get the LG 4200A, but this was too good of a deal to pass up.
Where were you planning on buying the 4200A? It seems to be discontinued and none of the stores have them anymore.

Ed

My 2 FOX affiliates here in southeast Florida ( WSVN & WFLX ) lock up the unit. I have tried a different antenna with the same results. Signal levels are fine. Just wondering if there may be a "software" fix available. All other channels are fine. I really like this unit other than that.

After recently purchasing the Accurian, I needed an adaptor for the HDMI output to connect to DVI single link that came with my Panny PT50lc13. Ordered the adaptor from Monoprice mentioned in this thread and fits my DVI but does not fit in the STB. The STB seems to have a female opening with a male protrusion inside it. Suggestions for where to get an adaptor that fits the HDMI/DVI conversion needed?

Just picked one up at the south shore plaza. Lady said they have one more left.

I only have SDTV - but I want to know what my OTA options are prior to an HD purchase in 06. Thanks.

My 2 FOX affiliates here in southeast Florida ( WSVN & WFLX ) lock up the unit. I have tried a different antenna with the same results. Signal levels are fine. Just wondering if there may be a "software" fix available. All other channels are fine. I really like this unit other than that.
I just got the unit here in Miami. It shows the same problem. All FOX channels lock up the unit. Any ideas why?

to be any problem with other FOX affiliates in other markets. Not sure what the problem is.

I am also interested in this unit but would definitely need it to work on FOX. (Anyone using this to watch FOX outside of Florida?).

Fox nfl football has been great with this unit the past two weekends here in Mpls MN. Short of the National problems the network had opening weekend.
No lock-ups, sounds likea local problem. Maybe the info placed in the data stream.

Where were you planning on buying the 4200A? It seems to be discontinued and none of the stores have them anymore.

Ed

I had planned on getting it from B&H Photo Video, but I just checked their website and it's now listed as discontinued. Cousin's Video is still listing them on their website as available.

I am also interested in this unit but would definitely need it to work on FOX. (Anyone using this to watch FOX outside of Florida?).

I haven't had any trouble with Fox. In fact, my local Fox is the strongest signal of all.

I had a problem with Fox in Chicago when I first set up the box, I couldn't not get it to come in, SS @49, SNR@17. I turned off the antenna amp and it came in with no problem. After I relocated the antenna to the second floor there is no problem with Fox with the amp set at max. The relocation added an additional 125' of RG-6(I haven't cleaned up the installation yet), a 2x4 powered multiswitch, and a diplexer. The signal has been rock solid on Fox. There was a problem with no audio on the Fox broadcast of the Packers/Lions game on the 11th, but the problem was with Fox, not the box.

moxie1617 problem sounded like a reception issue. I have tried attenuators, different antenna positions, etc. with no help on either channel. This happens on HD or SD content, local or national program origination. Sure wish I knew what these 2 channels are using in common. I believe that they are owned by separate companies.

The only other thing I could suggest is to unplug the unit from the wall for a few minutes and then when you power it back up do a rescan.
The last time I had a STB was in February when all the stations were changing their PSIP data stream formats. It wrecked havoc on the Samsung T-351 and the only way to get things back was to unplug the unit and do a rescan of the channels.

Belive me, I tried that with no success. Was wondering if there is a master clear button sequence.

Belive me, I tried that with no success. Was wondering if there is a master clear button sequence.
There IS a momentary button under the hood of the unit.
I did not press this while it was on, it maybe just be a remote onboard power button or it also could be a reset; you could give that a try.
The RCA DTC-100 also had one.
http://home.comcast.net/~cyber16/1.JPG
It is right to the rear of the tuner, look for SW301

After not finding any local stores with the on-line search, I checked again yesterday afternoon on a whim, and found one nearby. I called and was told it had just been returned, but was otherwise new. I also heard back from Radio Shack corporate, and they confirmed it is indeed discontinued. I don't know why the stores think otherwise, but that's for them to figure out.

Anyway, it works well. I have the same RC issue that others have, and I haven't gotten my All For One RC to work with this either. If anybody knows the code, please post it.

One simple thing I can't figure out is how to change channels. If I key in a channel number, it goes there before I get a chance to specify a subchannel. So the only way I can think of getting to a specific subchannel is to key in the channel number and use the channel up button if that subchannel is in the scan. (i.e. change the channel twice.) If the subchannel is not in the scan, the only way I can figure is to go to the closest channel, work my way through the setup menus to the channel setup, arrow down to the channel I want, and press exit. But it doesn't seem sensible that I have to press a cryptic sequence of 10 or more buttons just to get to a specific channel. Is there an easier way of doing it?

[...] the only way I can think of getting to a specific subchannel is to key in the channel number and use the channel up button if that subchannel is in the scan. (i.e. change the channel twice.)

As far as I can tell, that is correct.

If the subchannel is not in the scan, [...]

Then you need to get the subchannel into the scan! :D Go into the menu and look for the section where you add channels. (I'm not at home right now so I can't look to see the exact path.) You have a choice between an "update" which adds to the channel list any new channels or subchannels that the box finds, and a "rescan" which clears your channel list and then scans in a new list from scratch. Do an "update" and the box should pick up any subchannels that are currently missing from your list.

I had to do this last week when one of my local stations added a new subchannel. I found about the new subchannel on my local OTA reception thread here; otherwise I would not have known about it unless I had stumbled on an announcement for it on the station's primary subchannel.

By the way, I've used three different STBs so far (the Radio Shack Accurian, the Samsung SIR-T451, and the Walmart US Digital), and none of them provide a way to go directly to a channel-subchannel combination from the numeric keypad. It sure seems like this would be an obvious feature to include, though. It beats me why they haven't.

My 2 FOX affiliates here in southeast Florida ( WSVN & WFLX ) lock up the unit. I have tried a different antenna with the same results. Signal levels are fine. Just wondering if there may be a "software" fix available. All other channels are fine. I really like this unit other than that.

Another lockup here in South Florida!

I was helping a friend set his box up (in Ft. Lauderdale) and channel 7 (FOX) kept making the unit lock up. We figured it was a faulty box, so I told him to exchange it. I guess it's either a software bug, or FOX is screwed up.

But it locked onto the other channels GREAT. All were at 80+% (green).

Diode, you're right. I assumed the T-151 was metal because it is so heavy, probably three times the weight of the RS model. But on looking at it again, it is plastic on at least the top (and I guess the sides, too). They fooled me. :)

And on the controls on the Accurian, I hadn't removed the clear plastic strip because I thought I might return it, so I wasn't aware that the controls were under there.

I've used the unit a few more times and am pretty happy with it. I took it to my parents' house because on their cable system they get CBS but not ABC in hi-def, and the cable company told them our ABC wasn't broadcasting hi-def. I had to prove to them that the cable company was wrong. :) So I hooked it up to their Samsung DLP 46" for Monday Night Football, and the Accurian got the 50+ mile channel with just some rabbit ears propped up on a chair inside the house. Despite the signal being only around 30 on the meter, the RS locked onto the signal and only dropped out for a few seconds for the entire duration of the game. I don't think my Samsung would have been able to do that.

Another lockup here in South Florida!

I was helping a friend set his box up (in Ft. Lauderdale) and channel 7 (FOX) kept making the unit lock up. We figured it was a faulty box, so I told him to exchange it. I guess it's either a software bug, or FOX is screwed up.

But it locked onto the other channels GREAT. All were at 80+% (green).


Probably is a software bug since I have not heard of complaints from other vendor's units ( LG, Walmart, etc. ). But, also something these 2 TV stations are doing to the data stream.

And on the controls on the Accurian, I hadn't removed the clear plastic strip because I thought I might return it, so I wasn't aware that the controls were under there.
Did you not purchase your RS in the box?
If you did, take a look at the box, it has a HUGE picture of the unit with the front access panel down ;)

Certainly. :) Post #3 says it has composite and S-video outputs, which only pass SD.

This is assuming your TV has A/V inputs, otherwise you'd need an RF modulator. :D

Since you can get a cheap VCR for about the price of an RF modulator, I'm assuming that would work too.

I was curious though if there are many or any HD STBs with coax out. In theory, everybody with an analog TV who watches OTA broadcasts will need one in a few years. That segment of the market can benefit from STBs right now far more than most people realize. Even though it won't rival an HD monitor, if you've seen how DVD improves analog TV, an HD box can improve things as much as the set can handle.

I still have analog sets, and I have one in my guest room with only a coax input. At this point, I'll probably drop cable soon, so I'll need something for it. It's a moot point given the price of the Accurian HTS 6000, but is the marketplace going to continue to ignore this issue?

I expect HDTVs to continue to drop, and once even 25" sets have built in tuners and are affordable, then it will be pointless for most people to consider a $250 box, which is all mainstream stores want to sell. There are already digital monitors in the low $200 range, and once they have built in tuners, I don't expect the prices to go up.

So why have STB prices remained artificially high, and not dropped in mainstream stores the way monitors have? I'm sure the point will come when people want to get an STB because they have no choice, and it would seem that a manufacturer could make more money selling STBs than new sets, even at a fraction of current prices.

$89 may seem like a good price compared to what's out there in most stores, but compared to other electronic devices of similar complexity, it's still in the rip off range.

As far as I can tell, that is correct.
Then you need to get the subchannel into the scan! :D

I know how to get subchannels into the scan. Getting them out of the scan was the real issue. I don't really want all the shopping channels and prayer channels and Spanish channels because I don't happen to watch them. And some of the sub channels are just a repeat of the main channel, at least most of the time. And in a lower resolution at that. So I don't want to scan through the same channels over and over, but I might want to watch some of them on occasion when they do show something different.

So I guess the bottom line is that I can't go there directly. On the other hand, if the OPG were not so clunky, I'd probably be able to use that as an option. I hadn't tried it, but I assume it will show what's there even if it's not in my scan. And if I don't know that something is on, I probably would not look for it anyway.

You can delete and mark favorite channels using the Menu, Channels, Channel Edit. For those channels you have marked as favorites, you can use the FAV-CH button to surf, only goes up, not down.

And on the controls on the Accurian, I hadn't removed the clear plastic strip because I thought I might return it, so I wasn't aware that the controls were under there.


I'm glad to hear that some people in the world are still considerate. I wouldn't have removed it either under the circumstances. But the one that I bought had no clue that there was ever such a strip, and the manual and inserts look like they were taken out of the trash can, uncrumpled, and repacked. It didn't stop RS from taking it back and reselling it. In fairness, they let me know that it was a customer return, but was otherwise new, and I knew that the store would not get more in, but they were not too picky about accepting returns as long as the unit itself worked and was not damaged.

I just read the outside of the box, and apparently I was supposed to get audio cables too, so that didn't stop RS from accepting a return either. I'm assuming that those cables are not worth the trip back to complain, but it would have been nice of them to at least check that everything was there.

You can delete and mark favorite channels using the Menu, Channels, Channel Edit. For those channels you have marked as favorites, you can use the FAV-CH button to surf, only goes up, not down.

Come to think of it, you can also use the favorites to mark your non-favorites, and then just keep your favorites in the scan. That way, you can scan through the channels you normally watch if you are just going so to see what's on, and then use the button to go through the rest on those occasions when you want to get to a non-favorite.

Back in the 1970s when I got my first set with an electronic tuner, the cool thing was that I was able to go directly to a channel without passing every channel in between by turning a knob on the set. Scanning up and down was analogous to turning the knob, but back then, scanning through all the channels took a few seconds, not half an hour. But more recently, the idea of using the scan as the only way to change channels seems to have become the default for most people, even if they are 50 channels away, and keeping all the channels in the scan became the norm once setup programs started doing automatic setup. When I told this box to look for channels, I ended up with 43 of them. Going up or down as a way to navigate is not very efficient if I keep them all there.

Another thing that's missing from this unit is the ability to map channels or move them. On my PC (HDTV Wonder card) I can move channels up or down and relabel them, so I can at least group channels by relevance. Like it or not, that's the way the cable company does it. The best of all worlds is to leave it up to the user. When my NBC affiliate changed, the cable company put the new one right near where the old one was. But with this box, it's out of place compared to where I expect it. So flipping from the Tonight Show to Letterman is not a simple up or down arrow.

Come to think of it, you can also use the favorites to mark your non-favorites, and then just keep your favorites in the scan. That way, you can scan through the channels you normally watch if you are just going so to see what's on, and then use the button to go through the rest on those occasions when you want to get to a non-favorite.
I'm going to try this. Good idea!

I just purchased one of these radio shack HD receivers and am testing it out. The box, receiver, and manual says Accurrian premier 16-3499 and no where on the box or receiver does it indicate the HST6000 mentioned in some of the messages. Nor have I been able to find the S/N meter that several people have mentioned. Have I missed something? Did I get the correct item??
Thanks

Trying this out. I'm getting very good reception but I lose sync with my HDTV. First the picture "bends" then the screen goes blue. I am using component cables and have the switch set to 1080i (my mits tv won't take 720p). The 480p output does not have this problem. Aspect set to 16:9 wide.
Any ideas before I take it back?
Brian

Did you not purchase your RS in the box?
If you did, take a look at the box, it has a HUGE picture of the unit with the front access panel down ;)
Are you kidding? I was in such a frenzy when I read this thread and the clerk at my RS pointed out that one remaining purple box, I just picked it up and ran to the counter. There could have been a Chihuahua on the box (or for that matter inside) and I wouldn't have noticed. :D

And mzf, unless I missed something, you got the right model. The signal meter isn't actually on the unit itself; a button on the remote brings it up on the screen. There is a bar with signal strength and below that a s/n number.

hagrinas,

OFA support says that the code is 1653, but it isn't in most remotes. You can send your remote in to have it upgraded, upgrade over the phone if your remote supports it, or load the upgrade yourself if you have a JP1 model and cable.

Jerry

I've been playing with the Radio Shack (RS) receiver and found some difficulties. I have the unit attached to a Westinghouse 37" HDTV monitor and I've discovered that the two remotes sometimes interfere. Sometimes when I change channels on the RS remote the monitor responds by changing its input source. Sometimes the receiver remote causes the Westy to adjust volume or affect some arbitrary parameter. Using the Westy remote has caused the scene to freeze. So, there is a lot of unexpected and (almost) random interaction between the two components.

The RS may not pick up a station, but I have not had a scene break up.

By the way, I did find the METER button which initiates the SNR values and the signal strength; very cute if you believe it. Interestingly, I have gottten very nice reception on the local PBS station even with a signal level of 25-27.

Incidently, and I hope this isn't off topic, but does anyone have any familiarity with the Toshiba DST-3100 receiver? This component seems to do it all, including analog reception, which I would really like to have in order to avoid a maze of wires.

Thanks

I was curious though if there are many or any HD STBs with coax out.Hell, they don't even make DVD players with RF out.

I have a Toshiba 3000 if that's what you meant. It's got the DTV and HD tuner. STAY AWAY! It's a rebadged H86 (sold as two other things also). Bad design, runs HOT HOT HOT, burned and blistered my finger on connection on the back once. I've got to keep an old CPU fan on top running 24x7 to keep it from baking itself. It also melted the access card one time!

Hell, they don't even make DVD players with RF out.

I know that, but it's not the same thing. The assumption is that RF only sets are old technology and it's not cost effective for DVD players to support something that will merely downgrade their signal, and do so for people who tend not to upgrade technology anyway.

On the other hand, the plan is to tell all people with analog sets that their only option will be to get an STB if they want their set to work once analog is turned off.

If no such boxes exist that work with RF only sets, then there will be an outcry from people who can no longer watch TV. Chances are that Congress would put off dropping analog, which will give stations less incentive to concentrate on digital.

If companies can make VCRs with all the moving parts and spinning heads, RF output, and a tuner card (which few use since most people can't even figure out how to set the clock, let alone record with it) and keep it in the $35 range then making an HDTV box with RF out and everything else should be doable and affordable as long as the market is there.

There are people who already had cable and dishes at one end of the spectrum, and people who had only analog broadcast at the other end. The ones at that end are the most likely candidates to continue wanting OTA broadcasts and are the biggest untapped potential market for STBs. On the other hand, people who already have a dish or digital cable who found that most sets had no tuner, the stores didn't even want to sell them a tuner, there were few HD stations when they bought their HD monitor and an HD tuner is becoming a larger and larger cost in proportion to the price of an HD monitor, may not be jumping into the market for an HD box anyway.

So, while there may not be a big enough market for DVD players with RF output to justify the cost of adding that feature to the line, the same will not be true for owners of analog sets who will need to migrate or lose everything.

And those who have an alternate feed will find in a year or two that they can buy a new 25 inch set for their bedroom for under $250 anyway, and it will have a built in tuner. So the idea of buying a current technology STB at today's prices will not be an option. Those who spent $20,000 on an HD monitor in the beginning either don't care about the cost of an HD box, or use an alternate feed anyway and don't care, but are less likely to run out after the fact to buy an STB now. So unlike a DVD player, the analog TV owners could be the biggest market for STBs by far.

I also noticed that many stores have a crappy feed into their HD monitors, and an STB would blow it away. So getting STBs into the hands of people years ago would have been a good strategy to get them to upgrade their monitors once they saw what they were missing.

hagrinas,

OFA support says that the code is 1653, but it isn't in most remotes. You can send your remote in to have it upgraded, upgrade over the phone if your remote supports it, or load the upgrade yourself if you have a JP1 model and cable.

Jerry

Thanks for that. My remotes are upgradable over the phone, at least in theory. The problem is that there's only a finite amount of info that they can download. I've been through it before and my remote already can't hold everything I'd like it to, but I guess it's time to shuffle.

Has anybody tried using this STB with an HDMI to DVI cable? I have a JVC AV-32DF74 tv and cannot get it to work through the TV's DVI input. I also tried using it with my neighbor's Samsung DLP unit and it wouldn't work either. It could possibly be the cable (brand new) but wanted to see if anyone had gotten this type of setup to work.

Also, does anyone in the Portland OR area own this? Can you get Fox (12.1)? I get really good signal strength on all channels (85+) and but Fox gives me 49% and wildly varying SNRs. Essentially, the unit does not recognize that Fox broadcasts. I'm 18 miles north and all broadcast antennas are within 2 degrees of one another so I cannot figure out what is going on (of course, all of my neighbors get Fox easily).

Jay

Been following this thread and finally picked up one from RS they other day.
After hooking it up all my HD stations come in with a signal of 83 to 89%
Everything looks good but I cannot receive any Dolby Digital 5.1 only Prologic.
I understand that not all shows are broadcast in 5.1, but a show that stated in HDTV and DD 5.1 only came in in Prologic not DD.

I have my RS receiver hooked up with an optical cable to my receiver so I guess my question is can you actually receive 5.1 over the air or is Prologic the best you can get OTA?

Thanks for the deal on this as it looks great on my projector!!


Gman

I have the Accurian hooked up to my RCA D52W20 rear projection set with an HDMI to DVI cable I bought on Ebay. It's working great for me. The only adjustment I needed to make was to center the image with the TV controls, as the image was off-center. I understand this is common with digital interfaces, as many DVD players with HDMI have an A/B timing setting that affects image position. The Accurian box does not have a similar setting. Fortunately, my TV does, and it only affects the DVI input.

Been following this thread and finally picked up one from RS they other day.
After hooking it up all my HD stations come in with a signal of 83 to 89%
Everything looks good but I cannot receive any Dolby Digital 5.1 only Prologic.
I understand that not all shows are broadcast in 5.1, but a show that stated in HDTV and DD 5.1 only came in in Prologic not DD.

I have my RS receiver hooked up with an optical cable to my receiver so I guess my question is can you actually receive 5.1 over the air or is Prologic the best you can get OTA?

Thanks for the deal on this as it looks great on my projector!!


Gman

It depends on what is being broadcast. I usually get Prologic on commercials but some shows are also broadcast that way. CSI last night was DD. There are still a lot of shows recorded in sd and upscaled for hd broadcast. One can really see/hear the difference these shows. That includes football coverage in dd5.1 surround and "digital suround". Anybody noticed that volume level in ota hd broadcast is higher than dvd? I always turn down my rcvr's volume when watching hdtv and turn up when watching dvds.

I have my RS receiver hooked up with an optical cable to my receiver so I guess my question is can you actually receive 5.1 over the air or is Prologic the best you can get OTA?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=422073
Check your DMA for green (HD and 5.1 capable) stations.

I had the RS Accurian for about two weeks. For the most part it works well. I live outside Detroit, Michigan, about 10 miles from the transmitters ( all within a 10 degree range).

I sometimes get dropouts and have to rotate my 25 year-old rooftop antenna -- no problem. Last night we had a thunderstorm roll through and I lost reception on 4 of the 6 channels (completely dead). On the two I still received, I had drop-outs about 80% of the time. I was surprised because I'm only 10 miles away. Has anyone had such terrible reception?

I also have a Fusion5 HDTV turner in my computer and it still received all channels. It has the LG 5th generation chipset.

I also notice on the Accurian, than when flipping through the channels (several times), the Digital audio stops, both on optical and coax. I have to power off to reset.

I was thinking of exchanging or returning.

If no such boxes exist that work with RF only sets, then there will be an outcry from people who can no longer watch TV.I don't see it provoking an outcry. People will just do what they do now with DVD players -- hook it up via an external RF modulator (about $20), or VCR. And even on the low end of today's TV's, RF-only units are being phased out.

If RF modulators were going to be built into anything, it ought to be today's low-end DVD players. You can get them for under $50, under $30, even under $20 now. And those are the devices that will be hooked up to low-end TVs. No one's going to connect a $200 STB to a sub-$100 RF-only TV.* So it's no surprise that the STBs don't have RF built-in now.

In the future, yeah, I expect STB prices to come way down. Mandate or not, they should eventually be cheaper than DVD players, since there are no moving parts to worry about; it's only a matter of computing power. But will that get them RF built-in? I'm sure someone will make such a unit, but I doubt it will ever become the standard.

Probably the standalone OTA receiver will fade as a product (even more so than now). Instead, ATSC tuners will be built into TVs, VCRs (!), and DVD recorders (and maybe even players). That will simplify hookups, and the tuner will cost much less than it would as a standalone.

* Although actually, I have such a setup in my house right now. (It's a leftover STB that was replaced with an HD-Tivo.)

Trying this out. I'm getting very good reception but I lose sync with my HDTV. First the picture "bends" then the screen goes blue. I am using component cables and have the switch set to 1080i (my mits tv won't take 720p). The 480p output does not have this problem. Aspect set to 16:9 wide.
Any ideas before I take it back?
Brian

Followup: I picked up a second unit. Same problem. Loses sync at 1080i with my mits 46807 tv over component. I picked up the samsung sir-t451. That unit works like a charm, better build quality, better remote control response, but at more than twice the clearance price it better be. I don't see much difference in the reception between the units. I'll probable keep the rca around and see if I can find another use for it.

Rack: Thanks for the link.

It seems I only have two stations in my area that are capable of broadcasting in DD 5.1. Even then Wednesday night Law and Order said DD 5.1 and at my house it was Dolby surrond not DD. I had a HDTV crt with a built in tuner last year for a couple of months and I remember that I thought it was the CRT's tuner as I never once got DD 5.1 and now I know it is probably that I live in Idaho and they just don' broadcast in DD here. Although I have a friend that has Cable service here and he gets certain broadcast in DD. :(
Oh well the picture is great compared to the crappy SD signal I get on my TV.
No Monday Night football in DD here but at leat I will be able to see the action nice and clear now!! :D

Thanks for the info all and enjoy

Gman

Can this STB stretch the 1080i signal?

I mean upconverted 1080i, when the broadcast material is 4:3. I want to get rid of the sidebars, and my plasma won't stretch the 1080i.

No this player won't stretch 720p or 1080 signals. You will have to either use your TV's zoom modes or if your TV locks you out on HDTV signals then the work around I have found for 4:3 1080i content is to go to menu quickly change to 4:3 monitor and use the 4:3 zoom mode which seems to be a very acceptable zoomed in picture on my 57" WS HDTV.

The user manual provides no guidance regarding what exactly opacity is. Any idea what this is?

Also, what is an acceptable signal to noise ratio (the measurement that is displayed when getting channel details).

I am a newbie to OTA and HDTV. I picked up one of the last units in Dallas based on this thread. I also pick up a Silver Sensor at Frys. Thought I would try an in room antenna first. I live in North Dallas and about 30 miles from most of the stations according to antennaweb site After initial setup, unit went into autoscan of stations. Found none. Could not get signal above 8%. Went to Radio shack and purchase their 80" antenna. Tried the attic first (2 story brick house)....no luck there. Still could not get signal above 8%. In desparation I got a longer RG6 cable and went up to the peak of my roof (about 30 feet) holding the antenna and my son doiing the autoscan. Still nothing better than 8% signal). I checked the cable by re-inserting to my Comcast signal chain and it was fine.
I am thinking this unit is defective or I am just totally lost. Could my signal really be that weak at the peak of my house? I do have a large tree in the back yard...I pointed the antenna south as was indicated on the antenna website where most of my stations would be found. Has any one else seen defective units? Thanks

I too live in N Dallas in the Coit/Frankford area. I have a 6 foot or so standard issue Radio Shack antenna in my attic (single story) and get signal in the 90's. Look at TitanTV.com for antenna pointing info. If that tree is in the line of sight to the stations, it could be your problem. Organics are bad!!!!!

The user manual provides no guidance regarding what exactly opacity is. Any idea what this is?
The only reference to opacity that I know of is the menu. It asks you to set the amount you will or will not be able to see through the menu. I made mine as transparent as possible.

I am a newbie to OTA and HDTV. I picked up one of the last units in Dallas based on this thread. I also pick up a Silver Sensor at Frys. Thought I would try an in room antenna first. I live in North Dallas and about 30 miles from most of the stations according to antennaweb site After initial setup, unit went into autoscan of stations. Found none. Could not get signal above 8%. Went to Radio shack and purchase their 80" antenna. Tried the attic first (2 story brick house)....no luck there. Still could not get signal above 8%. In desparation I got a longer RG6 cable and went up to the peak of my roof (about 30 feet) holding the antenna and my son doiing the autoscan. Still nothing better than 8% signal). I checked the cable by re-inserting to my Comcast signal chain and it was fine.
I am thinking this unit is defective or I am just totally lost. Could my signal really be that weak at the peak of my house? I do have a large tree in the back yard...I pointed the antenna south as was indicated on the antenna website where most of my stations would be found. Has any one else seen defective units? Thanks


I picked up an Accurian STB from Radio Shack two weeks ago. I live 30 miles from the antenna farm in Philadelphia, PA. I tried using a MegaWave indoor antenna to feed the OTA signal into the box, but I was only able to get two channels. I then bought a Channel Master 4228 UHF antenna and put it up in the attic. I am now able to get almost all channels from that direction. Absolutely beautiful picture.

Two things you may want to check if you have not done so already.

1) In the "Channel/Input Select" menu, make sure you have "AIR" selected. If you have "cable" selected, every channel will show an 8% signal.

2) With that nice big antenna in the attic, disconnect the cable going into the Accurian STB and just connect it to your TV's antenna input and see what kind of reception you get on the UFH stations. If they are strong, then you should be be able to receive something. We know the digital stations are in your area because of Rakstr's posting.

Good luck. The picture is worth the effort to get it working.

I am a newbie to OTA and HDTV. I picked up one of the last units in Dallas based on this thread. I also pick up a Silver Sensor at Frys. Thought I would try an in room antenna first. I live in North Dallas and about 30 miles from most of the stations according to antennaweb site After initial setup, unit went into autoscan of stations. Found none. Could not get signal above 8%. Went to Radio shack and purchase their 80" antenna. Tried the attic first (2 story brick house)....no luck there. Still could not get signal above 8%. In desparation I got a longer RG6 cable and went up to the peak of my roof (about 30 feet) holding the antenna and my son doiing the autoscan. Still nothing better than 8% signal). I checked the cable by re-inserting to my Comcast signal chain and it was fine.
I am thinking this unit is defective or I am just totally lost. Could my signal really be that weak at the peak of my house? I do have a large tree in the back yard...I pointed the antenna south as was indicated on the antenna website where most of my stations would be found. Has any one else seen defective units? Thanks

My brother-in-law purchased one two weeks ago and I went to his house to install it with him. Although he already had an antenna we intalled a year ago for analog OTA which works fine, the Radio Shack unit didn't find any stations. We tried everything to get it to work but nada. We decided the best thing to before returning it was for me to test it at my house since I already have an LG 3510a that works fine. I hooked it up to my antenna and same story no signal.

I met him at Rat Shack and he exchanged it for the display model. We intalled it at his house and voila, all the stations were found! Yes they can be defective.

I would suggest that you try to take it to someone's house that already has an OTA DTV setup and try it there before returning it.

Good Luck,

Joel

FYI: Even though the sales clerks didn't know what a DTV STAB is they are willing to sell you an extended Replacement Warrantee. The prices quoted were $10.99 for one year and $29.99 for three years.

FYI Remote: I have found that if you point the remote towards the unit at a 45 degree down angle it works just fine. :)

Primus's post reminded me of something ICW warranty. Many of these units being sold are openned boxes/floor models. ASK! if this is the case Radio Shack corporate policy is to provide twice the MFG warranty FREE OF CHARGE. My sales clerk tried to sell the extended warranty to me until I pointed out the broken seal on the box. He owned up to the fact it was a floor display and gave me the FREE extended warranty!

I installed a Channel Master CM-4221 antenna outside, up at 30 feet. It cost me $35 with the shipping from Solidsignal. It is rated to 45 miles. The CM-4228 is rated to 60 miles.
In any case, with the CM-4221 antenna, I can pickup nearly every station in South Florida. That is about 15 stations. Some are near 50 miles from me. I love the HD picture with Dolby Digital output. I watched Sound Stage on PBS-DT last night, it was awesome. It is evern harder to believe that I got it without the help of Adlphia, or Dishnet.

My only trouble with my Accurian receiver, seams to be shared with all the other owners of South Florida. I can not receive WFLX-DT, the Fox station.

If you have a Accruian receiver, and you can, or can not receive your FOX station. Could you post here and include the call letters of your Fox station? this is only for Accurian owners. I am convinced that WFLX has some settings that prevent some receivers from receiving them. Joe


How are Radio Shack's return policies on sale items? Thinking of purchasing one of the STBs to see if it can pull HD content coming from towers 26 miles away. If the STB doesn't work well then a return would be in order.

For those who have purchased the STB, please post your review/feedback. Thanks.

I purchased this unit on wednesday after alot of trial and error I can receive everything but FOX WTTG/wash dc.I'm using indoor terk/winegard antenna and RS says no problem if not satisfied it is returnable. In response to a previous poster about setup I have my basic cable going to tv and hdmi from stb to tv, coaxial to stereo receiveran presto good pic and sound and I still can watch all the other cable station when HD isn't on

Rack: Thanks for the link.

It seems I only have two stations in my area that are capable of broadcasting in DD 5.1. Even then Wednesday night Law and Order said DD 5.1 and at my house it was Dolby surrond not DD. I had a HDTV crt with a built in tuner last year for a couple of months and I remember that I thought it was the CRT's tuner as I never once got DD 5.1 and now I know it is probably that I live in Idaho and they just don' broadcast in DD here. Although I have a friend that has Cable service here and he gets certain broadcast in DD. :(
Oh well the picture is great compared to the crappy SD signal I get on my TV.
No Monday Night football in DD here but at leat I will be able to see the action nice and clear now!! :D

Thanks for the info all and enjoy

Gman

All ATSC broadcasts are sending AC-3(Dolby Digital) audio. AC-3 is the standard for HDTV broadcasts, now depending on how the programming is mastered through the station or originally, the sound will be in 5.1 Discrete or AC-3 Dolby Surround. AC-3 Dolby Surround is AC-3(Dolby Digital), but instead of 5 discrete channels, there is just Left, Center, Right and surround is matrix from one mono channel. In fact, sometimes it says DD 5.1, but the surround tracks have no information, their sending AC-3 Stereo through 5.1. My cable here (TWC WOH) and some ATSC do the same thing, some digital content will say 5.1 , but for the most part it is all PL or AC-3 Stereo. Regardless of whether it is DD or PL, the sound is digital, and is a huge improvement over analog sound. Attached is a report from Dolby Labs that has a lot of information about AC-3 audio.

My only trouble with my Accurian receiver, seams to be shared with all the other owners of South Florida. I can not receive WFLX-DT, the Fox station.

If you have a Accruian receiver, and you can, or can not receive your FOX station. Could you post here and include the call letters of your Fox station? this is only for Accurian owners. I am convinced that WFLX has some settings that prevent some receivers from receiving them. Joe

I've tried calling WFLX, but no response. WSVN in Miami does the same thing. I called them (WSVN) and their response is that they no of no problem with there signal and don't know of anything in common with WFLX. I guess if we can get enough people to complain and actually show them the problem, then they might take some action. Especially if we can show them that the unit is fine on all other stations in Miami and West Palm, which I can get where I live ( North Broward ).

Two things you may want to check if you have not done so already.

1) In the "Channel/Input Select" menu, make sure you have "AIR" selected. If you have "cable" selected, every channel will show an 8% signal.

2) With that nice big antenna in the attic, disconnect the cable going into the Accurian STB and just connect it to your TV's antenna input and see what kind of reception you get on the UFH stations. If they are strong, then you should be be able to receive something. We know the digital stations are in your area because of Rakstr's posting.

Thanks for the tip. I tried the antenna on the roof of my garage, outside of line of my tree.
Still no signal (8%). So I hooked up the cable to my TV directly and had no problem picking up the analog stations. Clearly must be a defective unit. Unfortunately must return to the Shack and wait till they get more in stock. Anybody compared this unit to the performance of the 2x expensive Humax?

Bought one Saturday, returning it today. I already have an OTA STB, but thought maybe it was time to change since the one I have is a Hughes E-86.

I have had some trouble with one station, hooked up the RS unit, and it was worse than the Hughes, even after tweaking to the best possible position. It would cut out too much when the Hughes would stay locked in. Granted it was a "yellow signal", not green, but the hughes came through and this didn't.

All the features that it has, I already have with the Hughes, except the "update" feature. Man, I like that! I don't have HDMI so it was of no use to me.

On the remote. It is the remote itself not the unit. I have a learning remote, and programmed mine. I can use it very easily!

This is a fine unit, I would have kept it if it was my only receiver.

Can't beat the price for sure! I'll just have to await further technology that really improves the OTA STB before I hunt for something again.

Hey guys,

Couple questions:

1. Anybody had any problems with the optical audio out with this unit? I can get audio out fine through the analog or digital RCA outs but not the optical.

2. I know someone mentioned using a learnable remote to circumvent the RC problem. Anybody used a Harmony remote with this and if so have you updated your specs for this unit to their website?

Thanks,

smithmal

Hey guys,

Couple questions:

1. Anybody had any problems with the optical audio out with this unit? I can get audio out fine through the analog or digital RCA outs but not the optical.

2. I know someone mentioned using a learnable remote to circumvent the RC problem. Anybody used a Harmony remote with this and if so have you updated your specs for this unit to their website?

Thanks,

smithmal
I use the optical out, works fine. I think you have to go to setup audio and make sure it isn't sending PCM. Not home now so not sure.

I use a Harmony 676 and updated a week ago by teaching it commands from my remote. The command set in the Harmony database was really flakey, esp the "Favoris". If you have to teach commands to your Harmony you have to get the remotes about a 1/4 inch apart, not the 2 to 5 inches they recommend. It was a pain but it worked.

I've tried calling WFLX, but no response. WSVN in Miami does the same thing. I called them (WSVN) and their response is that they no of no problem with there signal and don't know of anything in common with WFLX. I guess if we can get enough people to complain and actually show them the problem, then they might take some action. Especially if we can show them that the unit is fine on all other stations in Miami and West Palm, which I can get where I live ( North Broward ).

I've experienced severe lockups with the Accurian STB on WFLX (no VHS antenna, so I can't get WSVN). Try emailing their chief engineer, Butch Figurella....he may be able to help with the issue on WFLX. His address is:
bfigurella@raycommedia.com

Hey guys,

Couple questions:

1. Anybody had any problems with the optical audio out with this unit? I can get audio out fine through the analog or digital RCA outs but not the optical.

2. I know someone mentioned using a learnable remote to circumvent the RC problem. Anybody used a Harmony remote with this and if so have you updated your specs for this unit to their website?

Thanks,

smithmal

My experience with the Harmony is the same as Moxie's. My 676 would only control the channel button and directional ring after adding the Accurian as an activity. I had to use the learn function for other commands. I only added Menu to the Menu button on the remote and Meter to the LCD screen. I don't feel the need to add anything else.

Everyone complains about the remote.

I can confirm an earlier post that aiming the remote well below the receiver is a big improvement.

HTH.

WFLX here in southeast Florida is working tonight thanks to the engineers at the station. Hopefully they will relay there "fix" to WSVN soon.

It seems that I am able to get 49 on the signal meter on almost all the stations near me. There is one that I pull in at 80. The ones at 49 I can't seem to get any better. The picture on those is a little snowy just plugging into my tv but otherwise not bad. Do you guys think I have a defective unit that gets stuck at 49 or should I invest in new antenna install? I have tried a few amplified indoor antennas, the last being the terk hdtvi. I am 30-40 miles from most of the towers with the exception of a couple that are about 15 miles. The one station I get in a 80 is one of the 30-40 mile towers though. I am going to post for some help on an antenna setup for me, but wanted to get any input on this unit to see if it is ok or if I should take it back. Any thoughts?

Thanks

yrless11,

The 49 signal meter reading means you are not getting any signal, based on my experience. There is probably nothing wrong with your receiver.

Thanks Mike....now to figure out what antenna combination I need to get things working.

Everyone complains about the remote.

I can confirm an earlier post that aiming the remote well below the receiver is a big improvement.

HTH.

In my case, I point the remote to the door which is about 45 degrees and 5ft to my front left and the av rack is about 6ft to my back left. Confusing but it works! On the other hand, I use the recessed light with my dvd remote. Probably need a UR with rf extender... :rolleyes:

It seems that I am able to get 49 on the signal meter on almost all the stations near me. There is one that I pull in at 80. The ones at 49 I can't seem to get any better. The picture on those is a little snowy just plugging into my tv but otherwise not bad. Do you guys think I have a defective unit that gets stuck at 49 or should I invest in new antenna install? I have tried a few amplified indoor antennas, the last being the terk hdtvi. I am 30-40 miles from most of the towers with the exception of a couple that are about 15 miles. The one station I get in a 80 is one of the 30-40 mile towers though. I am going to post for some help on an antenna setup for me, but wanted to get any input on this unit to see if it is ok or if I should take it back. Any thoughts?

Thanks
It sounds like you are tuning the analog channel number not the digital one. My unit reports a steady 49 signal strength for any strong analog station and since it has no analog tuner no picture is displayed. You need to use the digital station number until the first time the station is received, after that the box will re-map the station to look like you are tuning the old number but inside it will really be tuning the digital station. An autoscan is one way to find digital channels without knowing the digital number; any that it finds it will immediately re-map.

It sounds like you are tuning the analog channel number not the digital one. My unit reports a steady 49 signal strength for any strong analog station and since it has no analog tuner no picture is displayed. You need to use the digital station number until the first time the station is received, after that the box will re-map the station to look like you are tuning the old number but inside it will really be tuning the digital station. An autoscan is one way to find digital channels without knowing the digital number; any that it finds it will immediately re-map.

That sounds like what I may be doing. I will try tuning in the digital channels first and see what happens. Thanks for the insight.

I reported this problem to Butch at WFLX. he looked into it and got back to me today to see if WFLX is working any better on my Accurian receiver. He said he made some changes and gave me a way to contatc him tonight after I dod some checking. Has anyone noticed any better reception of WFLX on their Radio Shack Accurian HD receiver?

Send me your feedback on WFLX along with the City you live in, and model of receiver you have, and I will forward it to WFLX after I do my testing later tonight. Joe


I just got the unit here in Miami. It shows the same problem. All FOX channels lock up the unit. Any ideas why?

Butch, from WFLX mentioned that someone left him a voicemail about WFLX locking up their receiver. He mentioned that they said the audio was like a broken record, repeating. If that was you, you should write Butch an email from the WFLX web page, and identify yourself. Unlike the other station you mentioned, WFLX cares about what the public thinks. Butch said that he made changes to his HD system, and wants to get feedback from those that had trouble receiving WFLX. You can find the email address for Mr. Figurello on WFLX under HD programming news. Look for it. You can also find it in these threads. Joe - In Jensen Beach

I've tried calling WFLX, but no response. I live ( North Broward ).

WFLX was working fine as of this morning. I checked last night during prime time as well and no problem.

I hope we can get WSVN to check into the situation. If anyone has an e-mail for them, please post so I can contact them.

The user manual provides no guidance regarding what exactly opacity is. Any idea what this is?

Also, what is an acceptable signal to noise ratio (the measurement that is displayed when getting channel details).

I bought thre Rs unit two weeks works well.
Opacity is actually the transparent setting of the on screen menu. Set it to the lowest setting if you would like to be able to see through the menu when it's on.

I also found that if the S/N ration is around 22 the signal will lock in. Even with a low signal strength.

WW

Yes, WFLX was working when I checked it tonight. I spoke to Butch and he said he got some updates from the Fox afiliate in LA. As for WSVN, go to their web site and find the email, or voice contact info. If they give you any flack, tell them how nice the people at Fox were in resolving our issues.

For now, I want to see if there is a WB station within the range of my home. CAn anyone tell me this? My zip is 34957 Thanks. Joe

WFLX was working fine as of this morning. I checked last night during prime time as well and no problem.

I hope we can get WSVN to check into the situation. If anyone has an e-mail for them, please post so I can contact them.