Whats The Best OTA STB?

[NikoB 999]

Whats the best OTA STB that has HDMI and possibly more ports like component and I don't want it to be Chinese

 

[comfortably_numb]

Opinions vary. Some folks here favor Tivo. Others (like me) use their satellite receiver as an OTA DVR. Other than that, it would be difficult NOT to find a box that isn't made in China.

 

[MartyDe]

I had a Samsung DTB-H260F. Good tuner with HDMI, component and optical out. NO recording just a tuner. Came out in the early days of digital. They may be around used. I thought it was pretty sensitive. You can Google for specs.

 

[navychop]

Check out whatever Channel Master is selling today.


Sent from my iPad3 using the SatelliteGuys app! Only because can't get Tapatalk to work on such an old device. I'll shift to Chrome on this, too, eventually.

 

[Apologist]

The Channel Master STB does not do 5.1 only 2.0 pcm. Just an FYI.

 

[comfortably_numb]

The AirTV isn't bad, but it performs transcoding on the video. If you like your video uncompressed, then that's not a good choice. If that doesn't matter to you, then I think it's a solid investment.

 

[krynn]

good luck on finding one that's not made in china.. everything today is made there

 

[Jim5506]

If you keep your eyes open, you can occasionally find older model TiVo's (Roamio/Premiere) with lifetime data for less than $200.

 

[TheKrell]

If you like your video uncompressed, then that's not a good choice.

I thought we were taking about OTA signals.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I thought we were taking about OTA signals.

We are

The AirTV black box transcodes OTA signals for streaming.

 

[dweber]

I have an Amazon Fire Recast TV that does a decent job on OTA signals. The Recast provides a 10 to 14 day Guide for my 48 OTA channels from Dayton and Columbus Ohio. The Guide is free.
Of course it does not have a HDMI output but displays on my Fire TV sticks. It also allows you to watch on portable devices such as my IPhone 8+.
The DVR functions are good and fairly easy to use.

The OTA DVR on my Hopper3 receivers are better and easier to use. But Dish does not provide Guide info for many of the subchannels. Thus I use the Recast for recording content from OTA channels that have no Guide data on Dish.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[comfortably_numb]

I use my Edision OS MIO receiver with EHD as my OTA tuner and DVR. It pulls down PSIP info for all but 1 of my 54 channels.

 

[dishdude]

I'm shocked how few options there are. Tivo is by far the best, but spendy. I have the Channel Master Stream+ as a back up to Dish. It's not perfect, but at $99 and no monthly fee I think it's a solid device. The biggest negative is no chase play, no Netflix or Amazon Prime and no way to only record only new episodes...but for the money I can live with those shortcomings. The 14 day live channels guide really is sharp too.

I was playing around with the Sling app on it, and I think it makes a great cord cutting device.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I''m shocked how few options there are

My theory for the lack of options is there is no ongoing revenue stream to make creating options more appealing. Dish has OTA capabilities because it financially benefits them to offer it. But once you buy one of these other tuners, like the cheap Chinese ones, that's it- it's a one-and-done spend, unless you subscribe to guide data or Tivo.

 

[NikoB 999]

This is a lot to go through, I will research all of them

 

[navychop]

TiVO has a monthly fee, which I abhor. Or you can pay for “lifetime” which is, shall we say, limited. Device lifetime? Certainly not covering ATSC 3. So if it’s worth 5 years to you, go lifetime. Value will fade after that.

AND - it’s tied to the Internet. If you have limited internet access, as I do at my RV, it’s of limited use. No PSIP backup.

 

[Cheddar_Head]

Technically not an STB but you might want to give the Tablo OTA DVR a look. It connects to your antenna and LAN, your TV connects using a local app or a Roku/Firestick etc.

 

[TheKrell]

The AirTV black box transcodes OTA signals for streaming.

I was not disputing your claim about AirTV transcoding, since I don't know anything about it. I am surprised that it does that since that just adds cost without benefit.

What I was specifically keying off of, in your earlier post, was your use of the word "uncompressed". I am unaware of any uncompressed video within the ATSC 1 spec.

 

[primestar31]

I was not disputing your claim about AirTV transcoding, since I don't know anything about it. I am surprised that it does that since that just adds cost without benefit.

What I was specifically keying off of, in your earlier post, was your use of the word "uncompressed". I am unaware of any uncompressed video within the ATSC 1 spec.

He likely means "NOT transcoded" by saying "uncompressed" IE: as broadcast.

 

[TheKrell]

He likely means "NOT transcoded" by saying "uncompressed" IE: as broadcast.

You are probably right. I was trying to be gentle so he could correct himself.

But while we're on the subject of AirTV, does anybody know if transcoding or encryption is going on inside the AirTV dongle I'm using on my Hopper? There should be no need to do either IMHO.