Samsung SIR-T351 ATSC (HD) Tuner | List Price: $449.99
Discount Price: $199.00
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Brand: Samsung
Binding: Electronics
Features: - Tunes and decodes all 18 approved ATSC DTV broadcast formats
- Selectable outputs, including 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i so you can match the resolution to that of your TV or PC
- Range of outputs includes DVI, component-video, composite-video, S-video, and both analog and digital audio
- Receives and passes Dolby Digital DTV broadcasts for stereo or discrete 5.1-channel surround sound with compatible hardware
- Includes universal remote control
SIR-T351 Great Picture - Great Price [Posted on 2004-12-14]
I bought my SIR-T351 on eBay for under $200.
READ THE DIRECTIONS. You get no signal and no picture until the unit is set up.
I am about five miles from digital towers in my area. Locks in on channels almost instantaneously. Two stations (ABC and CBS) are at light bulb status (<100watts). CBS comes in with 4 bars and is solid, ABC has one blinking bar and will not lock in. NFL football in HD off FOX is beautiful.
I believe people who are having troubles with this unit are:
1. Not properly setting up the set, or
2. Not realizing that 90% of digital reception problems are antenna related (multipath, etc.), or
3. blaming the receiver when the station is at fault. Digital broadcasting is a difficult and precise art that most stations are not capable of doing perfectly.
Superb for the price paid [Posted on 2005-01-10]
I got my unit at a local CC for $130 as an open box special - actually there was no box - but the unit looked good and all the parts and manual, cables, etc. were there in a plastic bag - so at $130 (after making sure I could return it) - I took a chance. I had been wanting a tuner for my Hitachi 32" HDTV for some time, but balked at paying $300. This unit was on-sale for $239 at the time (with a box;).
I came here to check the reviews and that's the main reason I'm back to post this one. After reading the many negative reviews here, I thought maybe I'd made a big mistake - but I decided to give it a whirl anyway. On the first day - all excited - I started hooking everything up - pretty easy. I used component (YPbPr) so I had no problems at all getting 480i 480p 720p and 1080i right off the bat. I had no antenna, so I just grabbed the cheap (really cheap - not even very adjustable) radio shack rabbit ears off the TV in my son's room. Right off the bat I had many problems as reported here, picture pixelating, sound dropping out, and so on. I don't know that much about HDTV gear, but I did some careful reading here and check out a few inet sites. But that night I was pretty sure it was going back to the store.
The next evening when I got some time, I gave it another go. I had read on one of the sites the importance of the length of the antenna for the VHF channels, the UHF loop isn't even adjustable on the antenna I was using. So I tried adjusting them to the recommended length (13.5 inches or so, I think) and I found by making one a little longer than the other and turning it the right way, I went from 3 bars to 5-6 bars in signal strength and WHAM! a rock solid glorious image and sound!
I can get the closest channels (12-20 miles) with ease now - even though I live on a lot w/30-40 foot trees around the house.
I get a rock solid signal at night, during mid-day there are occasional glitches. But, of course, I need to get a *real* antenna!!! I'm sure then I will be able to pull in more channels and will have no more problems.
So, as many other sites (and some reviews here) suggested - it's the antenna that's key (Duh!). The unit itself works exactly as described and I have had no problems. The guide works fine once your unit has been on long enough the first time to down load the data. I think the unit looks nice and the setup, features and options all seem pretty good to me.
Now I can actuall watch HDTV for free on my Hitachi and I am sure glad I did not take this baby back!!!
So, don't let the negative reviews put you off - give it a shot if you can find one at a good price!
Stay clear of this unit and the Samsung Company products! [Posted on 2005-12-06]
I purchased this new in a factory sealed box and not reconditioned. Registered the unit with the serial number for the factory warranty online and began using the unit. In less than thirty days it locked up and would not work properly. I contacted Samsung to arrange to have it shipped back to a service center for the warranty repair. They would not accept the item for repair because it was last years model and they did not have parts or work on them anymore. They offered to sell me the latest unit as a replacement. How many people out there are going to purchase another unit from a company that won't stand behind their previous model. Very, very poor customer service and product quality. I will never purchase any other Samsung product again!
Solid performer - strange behavior at times [Posted on 2005-12-22]
Have owned this unit since May 2005. Bought it refurbished for $100. Works really well except for audio/video sync problems that may be related to distance from the ATSC transmitter. I have some problems with signal strength when it snows or rains. I live as much as 40 miles from the broadcast stations but still pick them up fine. The secret to picking up these broadcasts is HEIGHT! I have a non-amplified UHF antenna in the attic of my two story colonial that used to be part of my old NTSC VHF UHF antenna. I live at the midpoint between Detroit and Lansing E to W and between Flint and Ann Arbor N to S and can receive HD channels from these locations without rotating the UHF antenna!
A Bit Expensive for a Mediocre HD Tuner [Posted on 2007-06-10]
I purchased the Samsung SIR-T351 in April of 2004 and have used it to this day. I can thoroughly say I have a great deal of experience with this tuner.
Positives: Easy to flip to your favorite channels, decent HD signal scanning capability, ease of setup and connections (for simple systems, i.e., one HDTV and terrestrial antenna input).
Negatives: Does not have "point" on the remote so you can't enter 4.1, 10.3, you have to go to 4 then "channel-up" to .1, .2, .3, etc.; during storms, high winds or rain when the signal is disrupted or becomes weak the audio may go out of sync (changing channels then coming back solves the problem); the tuner interface is SLOW (can't perform other controls if the guide or other features are displayed, you have to wait for the tuner to lock to a channel before you can change to a different one); no way to upgrade the firmware in this unit; the signal strength meter is very slow and does not give a good real-time indicator of signal strength (will show 7 bars even if the signal goes in and out quickly); the unit gets very warm (don't set anything on this as it will quickly heat up), and it was expensive when we bought it ($250 at Best Buy after some credit card and other discounts were applied).
There are more than likely better tuners out there. At the time, this was the only terrestrial tuner offered at Best Buy in my area (Raleigh, NC), so I pretty much had to take it (there were plenty of HD decoders from the cable and satellite companies but I wanted over-the-air so my choices were limited). It is still operational but the built-in tuner in my Sharp Aquos, which I purchased a year later, is significantly better, so I know by now HD terrestrial tuners have improved and are more than likely a bit less expensive.
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