Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rammitinski /forum/post/14102316
Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Bouldrey /forum/post/14099645
Rammitinski, will you please estimate the size of your postage stamped picture?
I'm wondering if I'd get the same size stamp with the Samsung that I get with a Tivax which is 27½" diagonal on my 32".
I'd imagine it would be right around the same size as what the Tivax gives you (27 1/2" seems about right to my eyes). Most boxes display a 16:9 picture around the same size, give or take a hair on the top and bottom.
One exception to this would be my RS Accurian, which is noticably a little wider than average from top to bottom, although I kinda like it. In 16:9 mode it doesn't leave a lot of the screen uncovered, and doesn't really seem to (noticably, at least) cut any of the sides off to do so, yet it still looks entirely in proportion. I always watch it in zoom mode anyway though on the 480i 32" set, which is where it's at right now. It's giving me a sharper PQ than the Zenith CECB box was, although not quite as sharp and rich in color as the Samsung, which truly does appear almost HD-like on it. The last HD Digital Stream tuner, which was the same box under a different name, was like that, also (very sensitive boxes too, I must say, for having 4th gen. chips) - the Samsung's picture is average in height as far as comparing it to any of my other receivers. The only CECB box I've tried so far is the Zenith, and that was "normal", too.
I'm not good enough at math to really give you an exact per square inch figure (it was far and away my worst subject in school), and I don't have the H260F hooked up so I can't really tape measure it. It's boxed up and stashed away right now.
Really though, I'd say the Accurian/Digital Stream HD model was probably designed more with SD in mind unlike the Samsung. The Samsung is OK though if you've got an SDTV with component inputs and a zoom mode of it's own. If you didn't
need a tuner with a newer chip design, and you could find one somewhere, I'd recommend the RS/DS over the Samsung for SD. The only negative is, you can't use the component out for 480I - only up to s-video. Decent guide, though. The Hisense USDTV tuner would also be a good choice, but it's a bit less sensitive, if that would matter to you (PQ's as good as or even better than the Samsung - although it can be buggier than the other two - but you
can use the component out, if I remember right). The Accurian was $80.-$90. new on clearance, and the Hisense could be found new for $33.00 (by someone advertising a load of them in the Hisense thread here) last I knew of (don't think the Digital Stream version ever got down that low, though). I don't know what the going rate for any of them used would be at this point in time, though.
I know that certain used tuners (like all of the LG's and the Sony DVR's, etc.) command a real premium, so I'm not suggesting those. But there are also Sylvania's that are supposed to be good that might be found cheap that could fit the bill (Sears, and then BB in the end, mainly sold them). I don't really know too much about the features on those, though - I just remember reading that they were pretty good tuners. Funai's, I believe.
The Hisense thread is currently still very active here, but you'd probably have to search back a little bit for the RS/DS one(s) - if you're interested at all in reading about them. The Sylvania's would probably be found
way back - maybe in the archives by now, even though the tuners are not really that old themselves (they're all 4th gen.). Then there's the older Samsung models, too - but I personally don't know how any of those handle aspect modes. But sensitivity-wise, I'm pretty certain that the RS/DS beats all of the pre-H260F Samsungs, the Hisense, and the Sylvania's.
