Hey there, folks ...I'm going to be installing my killer antenna setup in about a month (separate UHF,VHF and FM antenna, RG-11, tower, CM rotator + bearing, pre-amps, etc... all on the top of a hill).

The plan is to just get anything up and running, and hook it up to our existing analog TV and analog FM tuners, then upgrade to a digital TV tuner, and HD Radio tuners (their a little spendy at the moment).

Anyways... I currently only have five year old Panasonic 27" TAU Flatscreen analog CRT, and really have no need to replace it. We watch little TV, don't have space for anything bigger, and I really like the picture. Really, I have no reason to upgrade it.

Not wanting to spend a gazillion dollars on a new TV or a $300 DTV STB (for a $400 TV), I'm looking for a good DTV STB for under $100. At the very least, it needs to have a coaxial digital audio out, and component. If all possible, I'd like to get one with a 5th gen. chipset (especally since I live on the fringe), and DVI or HDMI output would be really great, too. I've got my eye on a used VOOM box or a used USDTV box, any other recommendations?

The Samsung DTB-H260F is a very fine ATSC tuner - but not as cheap as you specified.b It also doesn't have digital coax, but it DOES have a TOSLINK output. HDMI, component, 1 S-Video, 2 composite, and 2 sets analog audio outputs as well. It does pass through (with a slight boost) any other TV signal.

You can find the Sammy cheaper online. I know some people here have gotten them refurbished or open box for a lot closer to a hundred bucks than the $180.00 retail price. I saw a "scratch and dent" one at Crutchfield recently for around $129.00 - but it was gone last time I checked.

The VOOM tuners probably don't have anything better than a 3rd gen. chip, and the USDTV has the 4th.

I have or have had five 4th gen. tuners, and the DTB-H260F beats them all. It's GREATLY improved with multipath and also slightly improved with sensitivity/distance and holding onto channels.

I definitely wouldn't go any lower than a 4th - especially since you're going all out on everything else with your installation.

The digital tuner you get wil come with its own built in decoder so that you can output decoded video.
You don't want one of the government program tuner boxes since they will ony output 480i SD S-Video and/or composite video.One vendors fourth 4th tuner design(4th generation tuner) may be just as good as or better then LG"s 5th generation tuner.
The DTB-H260F certainly sounds like an excellent tuner for now and for the future when you do get a TV that will actually display HD video.

If you want to wait a few months, the "coupon" boxes will be out. Granted these will not output HDTV, but are intended as digital to analog converters. The Sammy (260) is a good choice.

Another option is getting a DVD-R with a digital tuner. Panasonic's DMR-EZ 17/27/37/47 series will record digital OTA broadcasts and will work as a tuner. But it has no zoom function for correcting the "postage" stamp effect.

Most of the tuners on Ebay are older generation or have issues. YMMV. Stay away from newer D* or E* boxes as they require a sat dish and/or subscription to work with OTA signals (the older RCA ATSC 11 will reportedly work w/o a dish hooked up but has no HDMI outputs)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11163808#post11163808

Another option is getting a DVD-R with a digital tuner. Panasonic's DMR-EZ 17/27/37/47 series will record digital OTA broadcasts and will work as a tuner. But it has no zoom function for correcting the "postage" stamp effect.

I am intrigued by those tuner/recorders too, but as far as I know, none of them are HD. In fact, I don't think you could fit more than a few minutes of HD onto a DVD-R anyway. And also, where would you play it? Not in your standard DVD player, that's for sure.

The one big disadvantage for the Sammy is that the menues etc. are not displayed on the composite / S-Video outputs. You have to use the component / HDMI outputs to see them.

Just a note about the Toslink only output. Converters from Toslink to coax (and vice versa) are readily available and not hugely expensive.

I am intrigued by those tuner/recorders too, but as far as I know, none of them are HD.He says he doesn't want an HDTV now. However, I guess it couldn't hurt him if that option was on the table in the future.

If you want to wait a few months, the "coupon" boxes will be out. Granted these will not output HDTV, but are intended as digital to analog converters.None of them will have a coaxial or optical 5.1 digital audio output.

Another option is getting a DVD-R with a digital tuner. Panasonic's DMR-EZ 17/27/37/47 series will record digital OTA broadcasts and will work as a tuner.The only current DVD recorder that might output in DD5.1 through a digital output is the Samsung DVD-AR650, but I'm not 100% about that. In addition, no DVD recorders have HD outputs.

The one big disadvantage for the Sammy is that the menues etc. are not displayed on the composite / S-Video outputs. You have to use the component / HDMI outputs to see them.He says he wants to connect the convertor box to the TV via component input, so that's no big deal. However, with 4x3 TVs using the component input, when not in "letterbox" mode, all programming darkens compared to what it should be. In addition, all 4x3 channels, when outputted through component (not through composite or S-video), have greater overscan than normal, and fouls up viewing on most any 4x3 CRT TV.

I am intrigued by those tuner/recorders too, but as far as I know, none of them are HD. In fact, I don't think you could fit more than a few minutes of HD onto a DVD-R anyway. And also, where would you play it? Not in your standard DVD player, that's for sure.

The DVD burners with built in digital tuners all burn the DVDs in SD. They are thus playable on regular DVD players. The DVD burners with digital tuners only output SD however they do usually have component outputs.

Rick R

I am intrigued by those tuner/recorders too, but as far as I know, none of them are HD. In fact, I don't think you could fit more than a few minutes of HD onto a DVD-R anyway. And also, where would you play it? Not in your standard DVD player, that's for sure.

Yep - you are right - the DVD Recorders (and DVD/HD combos) with built in Digital TV tuners only display and record digital TV in SD. Any HD broadcasts are downconverted to SD prior to display / recording - and no current models have any HD output of either live TV or recorded material. It has been suggested that next gen models will output live TV in HD, and downconvert just for recording, we'll have to wait and see.

The DVDs thus recorded by DVD recorders with inbuild DTV tuners are thus standard SD DVDs - and will play in any DVD player that plays DVD+ or -R recordings (depending on the flavour of disc recorded on)

(BTW - those of us recording HDTV as data files to DVD+R/-Rs, using a PC rather than a standalone device, get a lot more than a few mins! BBC HD is around 18Mbs H264 and I can fit 30 minutes of this video on a single DVD5 for replay on my PS3 as an .m2ts file. Other broadcasters run at lower data rates, and you can thus get 45 mins to 60 mins of some HD broadcasters to9 fit onto a DVD5)