what tvs have the best tuners?

danbo · 7-Apr-2013, 1:54 PM

i bought a vizio tv and lost 5 channels, if i hook up my digital converter box i get the channels back but all the channels are only 480i when using the box.

i think the vizio has a weak tuner. i dont want to use the converter. i have talked to customer service, it is not how i have the tv setup. i will be returning the tv.

what tv brands have the best tuners?

FYI---i plan on upgrading the antenna, but that is so i can get more channels not so i can get the ones i have always gotten.

7-Apr-2013, 3:29 PM

Not in any order of preference , I recommend , Samsung or Sony.

The LED flat screen Tv's.

TV manufactures have , bottom of the line Tv's , middle of the road Tv's , top of the line Tv's.

I recommend middle of the road ~to~ close to top of the line.

__________________________________________________

If you will like recommendations for antennas and reception.

Is this a , house , town home , condo , apartment , mobile home , motor home , or etc.??

What directions do , windows , patios , balconies , face??

What floor??

What is the top floor??

How many Tv's are/will be connected??

Please make a tvfool report using the Exact address.

Make the antenna height 25 feet.

Stereocraig · 7-Apr-2013, 3:59 PM

W/O seeing specs, (Which are never provided) it would impossible to tell.
I can say however, that when we got our Bravia, it totally blew away the Tivax STB that we had.
It accessed channels quicker, too.

OberGeiss · 7-Apr-2013, 4:36 PM

I have had same experience with a Dynex and Vizio. I do much much better with outboard Disk Network digital/analog converter or onboard tuners on my LG sets. I have not had a Samsung in the house but would be interested in trying.

GroundUrMast · 7-Apr-2013, 4:47 PM

Anecdotal only... My VIZIO ever so slightly beats the SiliconDust HDHR network attached tuners. The Toshiba is markedly worse.

danbo · 7-Apr-2013, 10:06 PM

so LG, Samsung, or Sony.

i have had some people tell me samsung did not stand behind there product.

sony can be pricey.

i guess i will try LG, unless there are some others that have the best tuner.

danbo · 7-Apr-2013, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teleview

If you will like recommendations for antennas and reception.

Is this a , house , town home , condo , apartment , mobile home , motor home , or etc.??

What directions do , windows , patios , balconies , face??

What floor??

What is the top floor??

How many Tv's are/will be connected??

Please make a tvfool report using the Exact address.

Make the antenna height 25 feet.

house 1 story.

1 or 2 tvs

antenna is already 25-30 feet

i bought a 65 foot antenna pole, it has the big 6 foot half round antenna on it i dont know if it works.

i am 50-60 miles from all broadcasts.

i would like a unidirectional antenna, but i dont know if i can find a big enough one.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...1dda6e4802c161

GroundUrMast · 7-Apr-2013, 10:53 PM

It sounds as if you're describing an omnidirectional antenna. If so it will have very little gain, often with no significant VHF capability. Omnidirectional antennas also can not ignore multipath interference the way a high gain directional antenna can.

Your TV Fool report does not appear to be based on your exact location, it also is based on the default antenna height of 10', but if it's representative of your situation, you'll want to consider using separate UHF and VHF antennas. The Antennas Direct 91XG or Winegard HD9095P would be good choices for UHF. An Antennacraft Y10713 or Winegard YA1713 would be the best options for going after real channels 7 through 13 (High-VHF).

It would help a great deal if you could use the interactive map tool to locate your exact location and then use an antenna mounting height that is more realistic. (You mentioned a 65' antenna mast.)

There may be significant changes to our recommendations depending on what a more accurate report shows.

danbo · 8-Apr-2013, 12:44 PM

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=90

i was looking at the wrong page,

btw, i put in my address and the map came up in Chicago, but i moved the pointer to my location.

should i get all the channels listed?

GroundUrMast · 9-Apr-2013, 6:12 AM

Sorry, your link points only to the data entry form...

danbo · 9-Apr-2013, 7:01 PM

here are the coordinates 43.680039,-89.843616

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...1dda4c2215dc87

danbo · 9-Apr-2013, 9:09 PM

i just looked at your site name (GroundUrMast), and i thought i would share a photo of my parents house after the antenna was hit by lightning.

the mast was not grounded.

i think every electronic thing in the house was smoked, here is a partial list,

all the tvs, well pump, refrigerator, computer, dewalt battery charger and battery, pellet stove, furnace, electrical fuse box exploded, all vcr's, phone, surround sound system, playstation 2, washer and drier, basically anything that was plugged in.

and yes it was installed by a professional installer.

GroundUrMast · 9-Apr-2013, 9:45 PM

Wow!

I won't pretend that no damage would have occurred if the mast had been grounded... but I would venture to hope that some of the collateral damage could have been less.

(Grounding a TV antenna system, using the NEC as a minimum standard, usually costs less than a months cable bill.)

GroundUrMast · 9-Apr-2013, 10:00 PM

The signal conditions shown in your report (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...1dda4c2215dc87) calls for an antenna mounted high, clear of trees. Even then, you need high gain and directivity. An omnidirectional antenna offers neither attribute.

I would 'go big'. An Antennas Direct 91XG paired with an Antennacraft Y10713. The Antennacraft 10G221 preamp has inputs for both a UHF antenna and a VHF antenna.

danbo · 9-Apr-2013, 11:45 PM

i took the vizio tv back and got a LG tv, i now can pick up the channels i was missing.

the antenna that i got with the 65' tower, i be leave is a Channel Master 4251,

should i make any and all repairs to it and install it, or is it a wast of time, how does it compare to the Antennas Direct 91XG paired with an Antennacraft Y10713? or is it like comparing apples and oranges?

do i need both antennas?, i thought i was told all digital channels where UHF. i dont care about non-digital channels.

any suggestions on an antenna rotator.

GroundUrMast · 10-Apr-2013, 2:25 AM

Ahhhhhhh! That's definitely not a low gain omni'. If the antenna is in good shape, you have a rather impressive high gain, directional antenna, quite capable of doing the UHF portion of work in a premium antenna system.

I have antenna envy...

Look at your TV Fool report, paying close attention to the real-channel numbers. Though many stations moved to UHF frequencies, not all did. You'll need a capable VHF antenna to have a shot at seeing WSAW (real CH-7), WAOW (real CH-9)... and there are others that are weaker. If you want to forgo the expense, satisfied with the other stronger signal that carry the same major networks, the UHF only solution is certainly a valid choice.