Top positive review
6 people found this helpful
Exactly what I was looking for!
By P. J. Hauser on Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2014
This unit is not perfect, as others have pointed out, but it really is exactly what I was looking for. Here is my criteria:1. Must be able to pull in weak signals from an outdoor antenna - Check.2. Must have HDMI output AND Component outputs - Check.3. Must have the ability to force the HDMI resolution to 720P - Check.4. Must be relatively inexpensive - Check.I have had several external HD tuners over the years (first to feed an HD monitor, and then a projector), and all have konked out or had various issues. My latest tuner works fine for most stations, but then failed to receive the local Fox station that should have been no problem. So all I was really looking for was a good, solid tuner, that just works. I don't need the recording functions so I haven't even tried that part.There are three ways I use this unit. One is to feed the TV, so I use a short HDMI running 1080P for that. The second was is to drive a projector that has a long HDMI cable run. And with that run, it sometimes streaks when I try to push 1080P, so I drop it back to 720P for that, since the projector is only 720P anyway. Then it works perfectly. Third, I sometimes host a superbowl party with my projector at a different location from home, and when I use even a short HDMI cable, I sometimes get dropouts (the jack on the projector is most of the problem, as the cable has to be connected just right). So for that, I use a component cable since it is rock solid and never drops out (and no one can tell it's not digital from 30 feet away).As others have noted, this unit does have some quirks, but I expected that based on the cheap price and being an off-brand. But I expected that it had some good modern chips in it, and that it my work for what I needed, and that turned out to be true. The user manual is awful, of course, and the front panel shows a sequential number for the channel number instead of the actual channel number (there may be a setting to make it show the channel number, but I didn't find it). The online program guide is actually pretty good compared to other units I've had. The interface to set up recording appears a little clunky, but I haven't actually tried that yet, and don't plan to. And note that to record you do need an external storage device of some sort. When I went to set it up on my Harmony One remote, the manufacturer was not listed, so I had to set it up manually, which still wasn't too bad with the Harmony interface.So, if you're looking for a super do-all device that is easy to use, this is not it. But if you have specific requirements as I did, it may just be the perfect unit for you.
Top critical review
63 people found this helpful
It's as though it is designed to fail quickly.
By Maggie Mae on Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2017
Like so many that have posted herein, the AT-163 is a great unit that does so much...when it works. It has a good strong tuner and the on-screen information lists actual channel numbers, IE 3-1 or 12-1. There are other tuners such as the one I just bought (another manufacturer's similar type unit, the iView-3200STB), but that one doesn't show actual channel numbers & has a weaker tuner (same antenna & conditions but my local channel 6-1 wasn't strong enough for the same stable picture). I bought a total of two AT-163 models. One stopped working within the warranty and they sent me another. Now the other one has stopped working after the 90 day warranty (a total of 2 out of 3 have stopped working). No power, no lights, nothing, just dead! I only have one left working, only because it has rarely been plugged in! When plugged in, all of these always were plugged into a surge protector. I believe someone mentioned the problem is in the power source section on theirs and I think it's the same here. It's as though it is designed to fail quickly. I question what I should do next, as the competitor's similar unit I mention above doesn't show actual channel numbers and doesn't pick up stations good enough. There are some that claim theirs is still working; perhaps on the marginal cress of dying too, but may not be worth the risk.*Final Update (2017-09-12)*: They did send me a replacement, I choose the AT-300 option. Now I have two working units which I'll either keep unplugged or plugged into a surge protector with an on/off switch, switched off when not in use. Just plug in & turn on; it saves all scanned channels and settings. The AT-300 is the answer here because the power source is not inside, but outside on the converter plug (outputs 5 volts at 1500 mA), so if that goes bad, the whole unit won't be junk, just replace that part. This model also does have the onscreen TV display of the actual channel (say 6-1); note that on the box, it displays the channel number using a zero in lieu of a dash, thus 0601 (6-1) or 1201 (12-1) but becomes the clock time display when the box is off. Also has a built in antenna amplifier, and both a signal strength and signal quality meter for when fine tuning in the antenna direction! The tuner is a good tuner that really pulls in the stations, although that's more dependent on the antenna and your location/direction to the TV broadcast transmission towers. Supports connecting up to a 2 TB USB hard drive (Limit) or a USB thumb drive for recording stuff and playing back, including pictures, other movie formats, and music (mp3 & acc) that's on your drive.
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