Samsung SIR-T451 High Definition Terrestrial Tuner
Horrible!  Back to the store it goes.
Review: <br /> <br />- Program guide takes forever to download and never gets all the data. <br /> <br />- Horrible customer service from Samsung.  (HD tuners are no longer manufactured or supported by Samsung even if you have a \\"warranty.\\") <br /> <br />- Some digital audio problems. <br /> <br />My Experience: <br /> <br />I bought the Samsung SIR-T451 because my father had a good experience with an earlier Samsung model, both with performance and customer service.  However, I had a completely different experience with this model. <br /> <br />When I first installed the tuner, it took about a half hour before it started to receive any signal.  (My previous HD receiver received all signals just fine.)  I called Samsung about the problem, and when the first person couldn't help me fix the problem, she said she was transferring me to a \\"level 2\\" support tech who could help me.  After waiting on the phone for another 20 minutes I was disconnected. <br /> <br />Fortunately, while I was calling back, I was able to finally get a signal after tinkering around with the options myself.  However, I immediately noticed 2 problems:  1.  Occasional crackling sounds in my speakers when listening to the digital audio.  & 2.  The program guide took forever to download and never did get all the data from the channels.  The only way to select channels was by the channel +/- button (very slow as well). <br /> <br />So, I ended up talking to Samsung techs several more times, each time asking me if all the cables were connected properly and telling me to unplug the power and call back later.  They even tried telling me to call DirectTV to resolve the problems!  (Hello!  This is a terrestrial receiver, not a satellite receiver!) <br /> <br />Finally, I was able to get through to a \\"level 2\\" tech who basically told me to return the tuner and that there was nothing they could do for me since Samsung no longer manufactured external HD tuners. <br /> <br />So, back to the store it goes.