Digital tuner gone bad? - Page 2

These matters are covered in great detail in this sub-forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=106

There's also a recent link in that thread which shows Sears in-store clearance Pal's for under $200.00 (sometimes as low as $99.93) that's worth checking. You may find one at a store in a nearby city if you're lucky.

For DVR's, there's also these:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1204433

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...aysprune=&f=42

Sweet! I looked back throught the past two pages and couldn't find it but it's easy to miss stuff. Just off the top of your head, do you recall if it's something I would find perusing the Sears.com website? Thanks!

http://www.searsoutlet.com/DTVPal-DV...de=buyUsedOnly

No such luck here but thanks again and a good link to check back on.
Only three outlet stores in all of Texas (including surrounding states), fortunately they're all in my greater area.
User suggestion: Select ALL the stores in your area, not just the outlet stores. I noticed when I clicked on "Find nearest product availability" it gave me a retail store in Illinois.

"Elwood: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses.
Jake: Hit it."

Great, what do you want to bet it was the kid that originally pushed it
My kids are always pushing buttons causing me have to figure out what went wrong

It's not. All output from DVR recorders is SD.

For HD, you have 2 options. The list above linked, for just viewing HD, and this link http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1204433 for recording and viewing HD.

Yes, all DVD recorder "output" is SD but an unmodulated RF pass through does not downconvert the signal to SD. Whatever signal is provided to the RF input is "passed through" to the RF output.

Signals generated within the DVD recorder itself are output through composite, component, S-Video or HDMI outputs. It is those "outputs" that are SD.

My current setups use nine recorders with unmodulated RF outputs (passing through signals) and three recorders with modulated RF outputs (outputting a recorder's internally generated signals).

My Panasonic and Funai-built DVD Recorders and HDD/DVD Recorders have unmodulated RF outputs.

My Panasonic VHS/DVD combo recorders have unmodulated outputs upon powerup but any use of the VHS or DVD section or some other operations, e.g., pressing SCHEDULE, switches the RF output to a modulated status until the recorder is powered off. When powered off the Panasonic combo recorders revert to an unmodulated RF pass through output.

See the DVD Recorder sub-forum for more detailed discussions of RF pass throughs and unmodulated/modulated RF outputs:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=106

It seems that I'm frequently being called upon by my mother-in-law and others to show them or walk them through pressing the right buttons on various remotes to return their technology products to a functional condition. My wife has had a good grasp of the relationship between her various remotes until just last week when a careless button press on her TV remote derailed her viewing. Following that she had also managed to power off her Motorola cable converter box. It took a powering up of her cable converter box and cycling through her TV input options to get her TV viewing back to where she wanted it.

Good to know, wasn't completely sure. I guess it would have cost too much to make the demodulated HD signal available to any outputs when not recording (we know you're in there somewhere! ).
Although I see a few units have this so-called upscaling, some sort of extrapolated version that achieves quasi-HD.

It's not nearly the same. The best you can hope for is that it'll look as good as standard definition DVD.

Here's what Panasonic claims on their DMR-EZ28:

"1080p Up-Conversion
By interpolating video data using proprietary algorithms, SD format data is up-converted to 1080 x 1920p HD format video data. This conversion increases the richness of the original data by almost six fold, producing the highest possible image quality when viewing content on a large-screen HDTV."

Many years ago some commercials had a line something like "simple enough to be used by a seven year old."

Then more recently there were commercials that had a line something like "simple enough that a cave-man can do it."

I think we're finding out at long last that only a seven year old (or a cave-man) can make most things work. The message is clear enough, other folks should stick to things they know how to do.

While I agree the EZ-28s tuner(tuned to a HD channel) upconverted looks very good and almost HD-like tuned to 720p channels, 1080i channels don't look nearly as good as real HD. Also DVD upconversion looks good, but no better than most good upconverting DVD players.

Interesting, favors p over i, maybe because the upconversion is p. Unfortunately I think most of the major stations here are 1080i.

Hey, can any of you point me to a good resource(s) for comparing the old widescreen HD CRTs? I looked through this AVS topic but not much there:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...aysprune=&f=64

I don't imagine those were made for many years. I was originally looking at the Sony WEGA CRTs since the heavy pigs are going so cheap now, then realized I might as well up my ante to the widescreen HD versions (hopefully with an HD tuner too).

In around August 2005 we purchased a Sony KD-30XS955 30" widescreen CRT with a "HD Tuner" and "Super Fine Pitch." The Sony has given good service. It weighs more than 150 lbs. We moved it to an upstairs bedroom (using a handtruck, still a tough job) a couple of years ago after purchasing a larger LCD TV for the main family viewing area. Attached are a couple of photos of the Sony. The first photo shows the Sony tuned to a local broadcast station with only a paper clip for an antenna. There are two RF inputs, one for cable and one for antenna (just above the portion of the rear panel seen in the second photo).

Absolutely, those "fine pitch" Sony's are the best widescreen CRT's. And the XBR's are the cream of the crop.

After that, the Toshiba's, Philips', and JVC's are all good.

RCA made the very first one sold in the US, and it had really nice PQ, too. I think it came in a 36", or some other odd size for widescreen. The rest all came in 30" or 34".

There were even a few 480i widescreen sets.

Sounds like I'm on the right track as you guys know this stuff well. That's classic the paper clip antenna - sounds like a darn good tuner. I also like the two RF inputs.

OK, does this sound like a good shopping list?:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...7#post18438797

Spotted in that AVS link but the subject was 16x9 HD CRT with low input lag (a gamer). I think if I prioritize the Sony I can peruse their esupport website to get a handle on the models and work back from there. I'm a little familiar with some of the terms; read XBR on Wiki, saw HS as High Scan.
Is XS the Super Fine Pitch?
Anyone know what the lower case n suffix means?

The last two posters bragged about something called a Unity Motion and Loewe Aconda. Obscure brands I suspect.

I was used to a 31" SD so I'm thinking with the widescreen probably a 34" minimum.

Looks like you got a rare one, DigaDo.

When we purchased the larger LCD TV back in 2008 our daughter wanted the Sony KD-30XS955 for her basement bedroom. We carefully measured all the passageways and with the weight factor she determined that it couldn't be brought down to her bedroom.

Since we had given the Sony to her she thought of selling it on Craig's List. I wrote the text for the listing and took the photos but left the pricing up to her. The first ad was $600 "firm." No calls. Subsequent ads dropped the price and included OBO (or best offer). No calls until the final ad was $300 OBO. There were a few calls but when the callers were told on the phone that it was big and heavy--the ad text also made a big deal of it's weight "over 150 lbs., bring a helper, you don't want to drop it on your foot" and one of the photos was a 3/4 view showing its depth--only one person came by to look. Even after I explained the Sony's size and weight, the one person that showed up still thought it was going to be a flat panel LCD until he saw it.

After that, my daughter gave up trying to sell the Sony.

After the Sony had been sitting on the floor in our library for about a week (and out on our front porch for another week) my wife suggested putting it in an upstairs bedroom. She took careful measurements then ordered a sturdy wood cabinet that the Sony could set atop. After the cabinet arrived she assembled it. Next came the "Handtruck Adventure" (another story) and now the Sony permanently resides in that bedroom. (Or, to put it another way, DigaDo isn't going to move that Sony again.)

Yeah that would be a real knuckle-scraper!

I know where you're coming from after reading 100s of CL ads. I do see a wide variety of prices, I think if they didn't weigh so much those folks might actually achieve the upper end; better deals the more flights they have to be carried down . To my advantage, my biggest hurdle being getting someone to help load it depending on where I have to drive to (nice big D/FW market) but I do have a handtruck (neighbor can help me once I'm home). Oh yeah, "flat screen tube but not flat panel" is common CL clarification.

Well the good thing is those CRTs last a long time and I suspect the Sonys make that even better.

I bought a leather sectional out of a rich gal's game room, she also tried to sell me a regulation shuffleboard table cheap. Problem was the second floor room was enclosed around the table (remodeled room I guess). Spiral metal staircase too. She suggested a window or cutting it in half. I declined her offer.

I've only heard of Loewe's, but I always thought they were mainly sold in Europe - the UK, specifically. Maybe you can get them here, too.

They were always very highly rated.

I did a quick search and it's German. The other brand looks to be for monitor use (maybe studios clearing them out from time to time). Worth adding to my used product search but don't expect to find much locally.

I just remember seeing it always top-rated in the British A/V magazines that I used to read a lot a few years back. So it's apparently big outside of Germany, too.

Not surprising it'd be rated so well, being made in Germany.

That's some support but doesn't surprise me in this greedy day&age. Have you tried digging around in Fixya?

http://www.fixya.com/

Well that's enough money for several alternate tuner solutions.