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PrimeDTV PHD-101 / PHD-200 / PHD-205 / PHD-205LE ATSC/QAM Tuner Official Thread - Page 4

post #91 of 844
7/22/06 at 7:20pm
I purchased this unit and notice all the problems mentioned in this forum. At first I thought I could live with it but reality struck....this unit is not practical to use even at this price.

Maybe they will listen to the suggestions expressed hear, then just maybe, it will be a product worth purchasing.

So back it goes.....
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post #92 of 844
7/23/06 at 9:26am
Just be sure you write/type all of the issues. Even if it didn't apply to you, mention the 4x3 issue where this can't be used on a conventional TV because of the lack of aspect control (no crop). Also mention the lack of a channel up/down on the front panel.

It does have promise if they would only get their act together.
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post #93 of 844
7/23/06 at 7:15pm
so overall experience seems to stay away from this product?

any recommendations other than 4200a receiver? that is readily available on the market..
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post #94 of 844
7/23/06 at 7:55pm
Well, I ended up ordering a Humax HFA-100, and here's why...

I really like the on screen guide on the Humax.

Hardware and software wise, the PrimeDTV unit just seems a little too cheesy for me.

I really liked the way the Samsung SIRT-451 box looked, but it's incredibly SLOW at changing channels, and that drives me nuts...

The Probrand HD3150 seemed alright. But almost everyone who has owned the Humax unit as well as the Probrand unit almost always say they like the Humax better.
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post #95 of 844
7/24/06 at 5:37am
Humax is 8VSB only, correct??
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post #96 of 844
7/24/06 at 10:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Symbios View Post

Well, I ended up ordering a Humax HFA-100, and here's why...

I really like the on screen guide on the Humax.

Hardware and software wise, the PrimeDTV unit just seems a little too cheesy for me.

I really liked the way the Samsung SIRT-451 box looked, but it's incredibly SLOW at changing channels, and that drives me nuts...

The Probrand HD3150 seemed alright. But almost everyone who has owned the Humax unit as well as the Probrand unit almost always say they like the Humax better.

i guess recommendations that would have atsc/qam with channel memory settings...
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post #97 of 844
8/3/06 at 11:45am
I've been reading every post that I can get my browser to in the past few days regarding tuner boxes and am pretty much setteled on this PHD-101.. until I read that 4x3 TVs are not supported, and that they will have a new model in the summer.

Well, its summer and I have a 4x3 tv... I might still be willing to order one even if the new one is around the corner, but just curious about this statement on their web site:


-Video Output format selectable for 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio
-Letterbox, and Full output modes for viewing 16:9 programs on 4:3 TV and Monitors from SD signal

So which is it? 4x3 or no? Maybe it is a new firmware addition for the shipping models?
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post #98 of 844
8/3/06 at 1:28pm
For what it's worth, I like mine. The picture is great. It seems reliable. I have had no issues. None of these are perfect.
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post #99 of 844
8/3/06 at 4:36pm
EGPoulin, PM me. I have a PHD-101 available since I have gone to digital HD cable service.

I'll check the letterbox of 16:9 on a 4:3. I still have my "ancient" RCA 27" s-video/composite only, I'll test the DVI out to my 19" 4:3 computer monitor as well to see if it might just be a interface thing.
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post #100 of 844
8/4/06 at 5:13am
Quote:


So which is it? 4x3 or no?

You will be watching a 'crunched' image on a 4x3 monitor.
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post #101 of 844
8/4/06 at 6:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by videobruce View Post

You will be watching a 'crunched' image on a 4x3 monitor.

Depends upon your TV, My Sony 40inch XBR will properly display and 720 or 1080i inthe correct aspect ratio. The space above and below the picture is not used (scanned). Picture is not "crunched".
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post #102 of 844
8/14/06 at 1:34pm
Hi Guys,

I am new to this forum. Received my PHD-101 on Friday and noticed several issue. Main one is the sound. There is no sound in either DVI or component video connections. I know some of you also had the same issues. How did you fix it?

Also remote is pathetic. It works when it wants to work. It totally stopped working yesterday. Luckily my Samsung TV remote is working with receiver!!. Atleast most of the functions.

My firmware version says 1.0.1. I wrote them an email describing all issues including the above 2 Did not hear from them yet.

I appreciate any response.

Thanks
Ruda
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post #103 of 844
8/14/06 at 3:40pm
Quote:


My Sony 40inch XBR will properly display and 720 or 1080i inthe correct aspect ratio.

Is this a 4x3 or 16x9 monitor? If it is a 16x9, yes it would display properly.
Quote:


I wrote them an email describing all issues including the above 2 Did not hear from them yet.

No surprise. Tech support in non-existant via e-mail. Better off calling.
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post #104 of 844
8/18/06 at 9:34am
Just got one of these yesterday. Im near Philly with basic Comcast cable, ran the STD channel scan, found over 300 channels which only a few of them come in. Mostly the local stuff is in HD like 3,6,10, FOX, and ESPN which is cool. Definately not a user friendly box and menus. I wonder if I'd be able to get the same channels with an OTA Antenna? Not sure if Id use this box other than for watching the sports broadcasts in HD cuz its such a pain in the arse to use.
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post #105 of 844
8/18/06 at 11:36am
You would probably get your locals depend on how close you were to the antennas with OTA> You would not get ESPN.
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post #106 of 844
8/18/06 at 5:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by videobruce View Post

Is this a 4x3 or 16x9 monitor? If it is a 16x9, yes it would display properly. No surprise. Tech support in non-existant via e-mail. Better off calling.

The sony is a tube 4:3 monitor. It correctly displays a 720 or 1080 image. If you feed it a 4:3 picture that has been upconverted to 720 or 1080 it will piller box them as will any HD l6:9 set. I therefor play 4:3 DVD's at 480P (to fill the screen without distortion) via component inputs and all others at 1080i via HDMI. Both outputs are active on my Pan. S77 dvd player. The sounds are decoded by a Pan SA XR57 that just relaced my older Denon 3300. Great setup...the XR 57 auto decodes DVD audio so you get rid of 6 audio cables and the fiber optic cable. My TWC uses another digital input on the amp and feeds the amp while the video go straight into the TV. Its like having two tv's in one...a 40 inch SD monitor and a 38 HD monitor
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post #107 of 844
9/8/06 at 1:26pm
I sent this back. Its just not user friendly to use and the remote is a piece of junk and thats all U have to use, plus I didnt get any ESPN high defs and thats important to me. I wound up getting a comcast box and Im very happy with it.
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post #108 of 844
9/8/06 at 1:40pm
Quote:


I didnt get any ESPN high defs and thats important to me.

Those are 'pay' encripted channels. What, you expected those to be in the clear?? Universal remotes solve the other problem.

The unit needs tweaking, mostly in the firmware.
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post #109 of 844
9/14/06 at 6:59pm
And how often do the update the firmware on this unit? How is the firmware updated?
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post #110 of 844
9/15/06 at 5:02am
Once per model.

Wait (as I am doing) for the next model (whenever that is suppose to show).
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post #111 of 844
9/15/06 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by videobruce View Post

Once per model.

Wait (as I am doing) for the next model (whenever that is suppose to show).

Sure now you tell me after I buy one on Ebay for $133!!!!

Well I guess I can use it until a new model comes out and then put this on back on Ebay! ;-)
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post #112 of 844
9/17/06 at 8:50pm
If anyone's still looking at this thread,
I just got my PHD-101 and hooked it up to my Mits 42" CRT RPTV with the box set to 480p to be safe through setup. I got the channel scan to see all the channels, but it gives no picture at all. I saw menu's just fine, but I can't get it to list anything under 68.1 and the guide shows no channels either.

Any suggestions??
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post #113 of 844
9/18/06 at 5:34am
What output are you using? Try another output for starters.
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post #114 of 844
9/22/06 at 6:12pm
Is there anyone here from Northern NJ who might know how Comcast maps it channels? I just got a PHD 101 but the scan didn't find any unencrypted channels. TV channel 242 and those immediately above are the Hi-Def NYC channels which should be available to basic subscribers according to Comcast. If anyone can tell me where those basic NYC channels are mapped from it might help. Second problem is that I don't have any sound when using DVI (yes audio cables are connected )
Any thoughts. Disappointing, I may have to return this unit.

Ray
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post #115 of 844
10/3/06 at 11:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by raylock View Post

Is there anyone here from Northern NJ who might know how Comcast maps it channels? I just got a PHD 101 but the scan didn't find any unencrypted channels. TV channel 242 and those immediately above are the Hi-Def NYC channels which should be available to basic subscribers according to Comcast. If anyone can tell me where those basic NYC channels are mapped from it might help. Second problem is that I don't have any sound when using DVI (yes audio cables are connected )
Any thoughts. Disappointing, I may have to return this unit.

Ray


Hi Ray,

I'm not from your area, but I do have comcast and have just finished reading all the comments in this thread.

First, be sure you are in the right input mode. There are 2; one for OTA signals and one for receiving the HD OTA channels that have been captured by comcast and rebroadcast on the cable. The OTA HD signals that you capture yourself using an antenna are decoded with the ATSC setting and the HD cannels on the comcast cable are decoded with the QAM setting. Be sure you have it set for QAM and do at least 2 scans for channels. Some here have reported that they didn't find them all the first time.

You should end up with something like 300 or so channels (including all sub channels) that you are going to have to go through one at a time to find the clear QAM channels (the local HD channels). Once you find all the good channels, you can go through and deselect all the others. It is time consuming and a real pain, but you will only have to do it once unless you want to try to use both the QAM and the ATSC tuners. You'll have to scan for a new list every time you change.

I just checked the ePVision web site and no mention of the updated PHD-101 or 102 or whatever it's going to be called.

One thing that did intrigue me was the PHTV-320 LCD TV with the ATSC/QAM tuner built in. With the specs and the picture already up, I wonder how long it will be before it is really available and can we trust a company with no TV experience to make a reliable unit.

Kit Kimes
Oswego, IL USA
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post #116 of 844
10/4/06 at 6:27am
Quote:


I just checked the ePVision web site and no mention of the updated PHD-101 or 102 or whatever it's going to be called.

One thing that did intrigue me was the PHTV-320 LCD TV with the ATSC/QAM tuner built in. With the specs and the picture already up, I wonder how long it will be before it is really available and can we trust a company with no TV experience to make a reliable unit.

That TV has been there for around four months now. Still no price.
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post #117 of 844
10/4/06 at 7:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kkimes View Post

Hi Ray,

I'm not from your area, but I do have comcast and have just finished reading all the comments in this thread.

First, be sure you are in the right input mode. There are 2; one for OTA signals and one for receiving the HD OTA channels that have been captured by comcast and rebroadcast on the cable. The OTA HD signals that you capture yourself using an antenna are decoded with the ATSC setting and the HD cannels on the comcast cable are decoded with the QAM setting. Be sure you have it set for QAM and do at least 2 scans for channels. Some here have reported that they didn't find them all the first time.

You should end up with something like 300 or so channels (including all sub channels) that you are going to have to go through one at a time to find the clear QAM channels (the local HD channels). Once you find all the good channels, you can go through and deselect all the others. It is time consuming and a real pain, but you will only have to do it once unless you want to try to use both the QAM and the ATSC tuners. You'll have to scan for a new list every time you change.

I just checked the ePVision web site and no mention of the updated PHD-101 or 102 or whatever it's going to be called.

One thing that did intrigue me was the PHTV-320 LCD TV with the ATSC/QAM tuner built in. With the specs and the picture already up, I wonder how long it will be before it is really available and can we trust a company with no TV experience to make a reliable unit.

Kit Kimes
Oswego, IL USA

I again called Comcast and was told this time that ALL digital channels are encrypted. Apparently, even though the local HD stations are included in the basic subscription according to their web site, you have to rent a box to see them. It makes me wonder what good TV's with QAM but without a cable card would be. Thanks for your response. I did get about 300+ channels but they were all encrypted.

Ray
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post #118 of 844
10/4/06 at 8:34am
Comcast figures all of you in NJ have lots of $$ and should pay for something that is available free with an antenna. Apparently the FCC doesn't make the distinction between analog and digital regarding the availibility of local OTA stations.

Can't wait untill Feb. 2009
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post #119 of 844
11/14/06 at 5:00pm
I just spoke to ePVision (same guy I spoke to last spring) and he had information about the next model. For reference, here is my list of observations of the current model;
Quote:
Originally Posted by videobruce View Post

Pluses;
1. Price.
2. Best sensistivity (so far of any tuner).
3. 8VSB & QAM tuners.
4. Multiple outputs including DVI & VGA.

Minuses;
1. No channel up/down on front panel.
2. No 'stand-by' button on front panel.
3. You can't add channels that aren't in the original scan (major issue with most tuners).
4. NOT SUITABLE FOR 4x3 DISPLAYS! Aspect control doesn't work on HD channels.
5. NO channel display on front panel.
6. On screen menu is very hard to read on a smaller screen.
7. No separate memories for OTA & cable.
8. No on-screen display of volume.
9. Two color LED on front panel doesn't tell you if the set booted properly or if it is 'on' or in 'standby'. It is red for booting and orange any other time.
10. Power consumption is almost as much in 'stand-by' as it is in the 'on' state (.13A vs .19A).

Changes:
Should be available by years end,
Will have front panel channel up/down buttons,
Channel display on the front panel,
NTSC tuner (both cable & OTA),
Next generation intergraded ATI chip (all in one tuner decoder),
Should be able to add a channel that wasn't in the scan by a direct input (eg: 28.1),
NO composite or S-video out!
NO separate memories for OTA and cable. You get either one or the other!

Unknowns:
If stretch mode was added for a 4x3 HD channel to display on a 4x3 monitor,
Price.

Also, there is a 3rd generation in the works that will have a EPG (possibly TV Guide On Screen). Unknown much more about that one. I suggested dual memories and he suggested dual tuners and dual inputs.
Good luck on that...........

BTW, that 32" LCD set on their web site is toast. They can't import it at the price point they need to make a profit because of LCD price drops. I suggested pulling that model off their site and he agreed (as he has with just about everything else I said).
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post #120 of 844
1/13/07 at 8:47pm
Interesting reading on this tuner. Too bad can't get it locally to try and be easily returned. Companies should let avsforum members test drive their units for less cash or free and then listen to members comments
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