[HD RECEPTION]
Set Top Box (STB)
The Set Top Box is a key component in realizing High Definition on your HD-ready
set. It provides reception and display of the high-def signal from your local HD
broadcast towers and/or from your satellite provider to your television.
There are a number of contenders in this market. Twice.com
provides a comparison of features, price, and availability of integrated STBs in the
market, present and upcoming. (Table may be a bit dated but info about each box is
still very helpful).
Standalone STB
Here's the list of the more popular STBs that are currently available:
- Panasonic TU-HDS20
- Toshiba DST3000
- Mitsubishi SR-HD400/500
- RCA DTC-100
- Proscan PSHD105 (same as the RCA)
- Sony SAT-HD100
- Samsung SIR-T15 (local broadcast only)
- Dish 6000
All can receive local and satellite broadcasts, regular and HD. All are DirecTV
receivers with the exception Dish 6000 which is Dish Network's own STB.
For owner reviews on STBs, visit the HDTV discussions at avsforums.com.
Differences between DirecTV and Dish Network at this time with respect to HD?
- Programming - presently, DirecTV only has HBO and PPV while Dish Network has HBO, PPV,
and Showtime.
- Hardware - DirecTV STBs can pickup local over the air broadcast without a dish; Dish
6000, at this time, requires an OTA module plus a dish pointed to 101 deg W for proper
operation. Dish is expected to correct this with a satellite software update in the
future.
Cost-wise, the cheapest is the RCA DTC-100 at about $500. The others range from
around $600 - $1200. But with special sales and rebates, prices tend to settle and
equalize around $700.
STB on a PC card
There is another option to receive local only HD broadcast. You can get a pc
card which plugs into your personal computer. You then connect the card to an
antenna and voila, HD heaven. =) These cards sell for about $400.
A HUGE benefit going this route also is that they are able to record HD broadcasts like
Tivo or ReplayTV (Note that they only record HD programs and not SD).
Hipix and AccessDTV have the greater population amongst users right now since they got
it to the market first. Hence, there is more info out there from the established
user base.
>>>> Read
about our review of the myHD MDP-100 card by
MIT. |
