Sylvania 6900DTE ATSC/HDTV Broadcast Set-Top Box Receiver
Solid consumer HDTV receiver
I have used the product for only several days but am writing since nobody else has reviewed this product as of yet. <br /> <br />My initial impression of the unit is favorable. The setup was quick and was facilitated by an onscreen \\"wizard\\" which walks you through an inital 8-step setup process. After this process you are able to channel surf immediately without need for further adjustment. I'll break my evaluation down by category for the sake of simplicity: <br /> <br />Tuner: The reception of the unit is good, though I have not used any other models for comparison. I have coupled the unit with the Zenith ZHDTV1 indoor antenna and can bring down the majority of HDTV signals in my area. The only disappointment has been that some channels require I move the antenna slightly for proper reception. This is probably a sympton of the antenna and not the receiver itself. To facilitate this process, the unit includes an onscreen display which shows signal strength in real-time. I've found this very useful due to the quirky nature of HDTV signals in my area. This is one of the strongest selling points in my opinion. The receiver also has the capability to store per-channel antenna positions should you choose to mate it with a motorized antenna.  <br />    On the downside, no fine tuning of channels is permitted. The unit does provide two setup scans which attempt to locate any and all available HDTV signals in your area. One of them takes almost 20 minutes (estimated) and so I have yet to try it. The standard scan took about three minutes and seemed to accurately pinpoint the available signals. <br />    Switching channels is remarkably fluid, with only about a second of delay between changes. The unit is faster than the DTV unit supplied by my cable provider. Based on reviews I've read of other units, I believe this one ranks amongst the fastest. <br /> <br /> <br />Picture: Obviously the picture is an improvement over standard TV. Besides the usual increase in definitionI've also observed greater color contrast and deeper dark tones. The unit does a good job of framing the picture with no discernable image cropping. Note that I have not used the zoom features since these crop the image by default. <br />     Since it is a common issue with other receivers, I must note that this unit also places the dreaded gray bars on the sides of 4:3 content. The color of these bars cannot be changed and was distracting at first. I personally would have preferred black bars but have learned to live with the gray. If you find this to be annoying and watch a significant amount of 4:3 content then you may want to consider a different model. <br />     Finally, it should be mentioned that the unit is conspicuously lacking in picture controls. There are no settings adjustments for any of the common picture components such as brightness, saturation, tint, etc.. Fortunately, in my case the default picture was good enough that no such adjustments were needed. But if you have highly trained eyes then you may find the lack of such controls to be a significant problem.  <br />     As a final note, I've noticed that some ambiguity surrounds the unit's ability to output to 720p. Many sources quote the unit as only being 480i, 480p, and 1080i compatible. As it turns out, these numbers actually refer to its predecessor, the 6900DTD. The newer 6900DTE adds 720p output via a selector switch on the back of the box. This selector allows you to toggle between 480p/720p/1080i depending on your display. In addition, 480i can also be achieved using the Composite video or S-video outputs. <br /> <br />Sound: I'm using the SPDIF output for my audio. The unit does not provide any control over sound level or Dolby modes. I've noticed that the Dolby mode may switch as I pass from channel to channel. This creates pronounced disparities in volume since my audio receiver is constantly switching between 2.1 and 5.1 decoding. I believe I can correct this problem by tweaking my sound system levels but it would have been nice to do this through the 6900DTE instead. Also, neither the remote nor the base unit include a volume control. <br /> <br />Build Quality: The construction of the unit is somewhat on the cheap side, being made mostly of plastic and feeling it too. It operates silently with no audible moving parts. The unit has a smaller footprint than the typical audio/video  component and so it does not lend itself to stacking. However, that small footprint could be a bonus if you are already outgrowing your AV cabinet.  <br /> <br />Overall I am pleased with the unit. It's a solid entry-level performer for someone new to HDTV. The missing features mean that it will probably not satisfy enthusiasts, or even me in a year from now. Also, the gray bars will annoy some, but as 16:9 broadcasts become more common this issue will become less of a factor. In evaluating my purchase though, I feel that I did make   the correct choice in choosing the 6900DTE.