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Best internal OTA digital tuner?

post #1 of 9
2/11/09 at 12:28pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for a 1080p LCD TV in the 42-46" range. It will be used primarily for watching OTA HD channels.

I want something with an excellent built-in tuner. One that can change channels instantly. One of my biggest gripes about most digital tuners that I've played with is how slow it is when you change channels. Sometimes it seems like it can take an entire second after you press the button on the remote before it's tuned into the next channel.

It would be a bonus if I could find a TV with an EPG and other informational perks as well, but channel changing speed is the primary concern.
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post #2 of 9
2/11/09 at 2:14pm
With digital I think you will find most of the ATSC tuners will take a second or two to display the OTA signal. I installed a 10' Radio Shack antenna to pick-up the local networks. My Vizio, Konka LCD's and Philips HD recorder take a second or two to display the incoming signal.
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post #3 of 9
2/11/09 at 3:13pm
Thread Starter 
That has been the case with all the digital tuners in TV's I've owned so far (Hitachi 57F59A, a Sharp Aquos from 2007, and an STB Samsung DTB-H260F)

I was hoping there would be some models out there with better tuners by now. The Samsung standalone stb was by far the worst tuner of all. I can't believe how slow it is in in changing channels and the remote is horribly underpowered, you have to point it directly at the box and press each button with slow and deliberate care. If that's any inidication of what the tuners in their TV's are still like, I'll be staying away from Samsung for sure.
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post #4 of 9
2/11/09 at 7:53pm
Is there any difference between tuners as far as range is concerned?
I need an LCD flatscreen with maximum OTA digital reception for a boat.
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post #5 of 9
2/13/09 at 1:38am
Thread Starter 
I couldn't tell you which TV's or models have the better tuners as far range is concerned, but there can definitely be a difference. The Samsung STB I have seems to work slightly better with a weaker signal than my Toshiba TV.


As far as channel changing speeds, after a little more research, I've been told that the newer generation of Samsung TV's are fairly quick at changing channels. I wish there was a way to test out the tuners in the stores but nobody ever has their display models hooked up to antennas.
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post #6 of 9
2/13/09 at 7:29am
My 2.5 year old Vizio 42" lcd has a much better tuner than my 1.5 year old Sharp 32" lcd. The channel changes are much much quicker.
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post #7 of 9
2/13/09 at 7:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOtherOne View Post

That has been the case with all the digital tuners in TV's I've owned so far (Hitachi 57F59A, a Sharp Aquos from 2007, and an STB Samsung DTB-H260F)

I was hoping there would be some models out there with better tuners by now. The Samsung standalone stb was by far the worst tuner of all. I can't believe how slow it is in in changing channels and the remote is horribly underpowered, you have to point it directly at the box and press each button with slow and deliberate care. If that's any inidication of what the tuners in their TV's are still like, I'll be staying away from Samsung for sure.

The ATSC tuner in my Samsung TV (32a550) is far superior to the one in my previous Sharp (32D44u). It produces fewer artifacts, gets better reception, and changes channels much faster.
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post #8 of 9
2/13/09 at 10:19am
I'm in the same boat, want to replace my 46" polaroid with a 52", but I want to make sure I'm getting the best tuner possible. OTA reception/range being the most important, and the ability to scan channels save them and scan again, without loosing the previous channels.
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post #9 of 9
2/18/09 at 12:58pm
On my old Sony Bravia 32l4000 a full channel scan took 28.5 minutes (analog & digital cable), on my new Panny 32lx85 the same operation took about 10 minutes.

Channel changes are faster on the panny too.
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