Sabrent Stand Alone TV Tuner Box with Picture in Picture for TV/CRT/TFT and Plasma Monitor/Projectors (NTSC) ANALOG Only (TV-LCDHR)

I can't believe some of the negative reviews, here. Those writing them obviously don't really know very much about how television systems, and cable systems, and monitors and tuners and whatnot work. I've been working with equipment like this for pushing 40 years (of course the stuff 40 years ago was a lot larger and more expensive and some of it still even had vacuum tubes in it, but you get my point; I've kept-up with the technology), so please read and trust this review. You'll learn a lot from it.Here's how to think of this thing: If a computer monitor is only the screen part of a television set, then this little box is everything else that turns the two of them, combined, into a real TV. This box is nothing more, nor nothing less. Simply plug a computer monitor into into this little box's VGA port, and, voila!, the two of them, together, to become a regular ol' TV set. That's all this thing does.Er... well... it does some other cool stuff, too. I mean, it's got all the modern inputs and outputs that any of today's TVs have......um... er... wait... that is, except HDMI. Let's be clear aboout that: there's no HDMI anywhere on this thing. No matter how much you sat this box down and tried to explain to it how to use HDMI, it would just sit there give you a blank look. It doesn't know from HDMI.But it's bygolly got all the other common inputs/outputs that let you, for example, connect your computer to it, or a DVD or Blu-Ray, or DVR or VCR to it. And it's got the audio inputs and outputs that will let you do anything from simply plug a cheap pair of desktop computer speakers into it, all the way to hooking it up to your fancy dancy 5.1 surround system. It simply does all those things through the older S-video and composite audio/video connectors of... well... not "yesteryear," 'cause we're still using those; but at least not HDMI. What can I say. This box doesn't have that.This box also isn't capable of receiving the new ATSC digital signals that TV stations now send-out over the air. Instead, this box is only capable of receiving the old-fashioned analog NTSC signals that the FCC told TV stations a few years ago that they couldn't send out anymore. Remember that? When the government gave anyone (who needed them) vouchers so they could buy cheap ATSC-to-NTSC converters so their old analog TVs could receive the new digital over-the-air TV signals? Remember? It wasn't that long ago. It was all over the news. Remember?Well, this box is like one of those old analog NTSC TVs that need an ATSC-to-NTSC converter box in order to receive today's new ATSC digital over-the-air TV signals. But so what? The signal that comes out of that set-top box you've got from the cable company is old-fashioned analog NTSC. So your cable TV set-top box will plug right into this box; and then you set this box to either channel 3 or channel 4; and then you change channels using the remote that came with the cable TV set-top box... just like probably every other TV in your house!So, then, the fact that this box only receives the old-fashioned NTSC signals is no big deal......that is, unless you want to receive over-the-air digital TV signals through it. If you want that, then, yes, you'll need one of those $30-or-so ATSC-to-NTSC converters sitting between your TV antenna and this box.And let's be clear about something else, while we're at it, here: This box cannot have your cable TV cable plugged directly into it. In other words, your cable TV set-top box must sit between your cable TV cable and this box.Er... well... wait... let me clarify: If your cable TV system is so old that you could still connect a 120-something-channel "cable-ready" TV to it, without a set-top box, and get the 120-something channels through it, then yes, this box could be connected directly to your cablt TV cable, without any from-the-cable-company set-top box. But nearly no cable company does things like that anymore. What comes straight out of the cable, today, is, in addition to the digital signal that the set-top box needs, what's called "Clear QAM;" and most Clear QAM signals cover just channels 2 through 83 at the most; often just 2 through 36. And the truth is that most cable companies aren't even doing that anymore. Most of them, now, are just encrypting everything that comes out of the cable so that a set-top box from the cable company is mandatory. So, pretty much almost no matter what, you're gonna' be connecting the RF (coaxial cable) output of your cable TV set-top box to the RF (coaxial cable) input of this Sabrent box; and then you'll set the Sabrent to either channel 3 or channel 4; and then you'll change channels using the remote that came with the cable TV company's set-top box... just as you probably already do on most TVs in your home.Another thing you should be prepared for is that the remote control that came with the cable TV set-top box may not be able to turn this Sabrent box on/off, or control its volume. I mean, it MIGHT; but probably not. For whatever reason, there just seems to be no code for it in most cable TV company's set-top boxs' remote controls. So that's definitely a downside. What can I say.But the bottom line, nevertheless, is that you needn't be afraid of this Sabrent box. It's good quality (no, it's not super-high-end, but it's way more than just "okay"), and as long as your eyes are wide open about what it is, and does (as well as what it isn't, and doesn't do), then you'll be happy. Not just "fine," mind you, but actually happy. It's a darned nice little device, for what it does.Even when I've connected it to a really cheapo LED monitor, I've been able to fiddle with the settings (it takes a little patience) until I finally got the picture to look as good as one of my high-end Samsung high-def TVs. I'm serious. This thing, in conjunction with a decent monitor, makes a mighty fine little TV set. No kidding.I've used it both to make old monitors into TVs, as well as, on my desk, to combine with my computer's Windows Media Center to show a little Window on the screen with CNN or MS-NBC in it while I work on the rest of the screen on whatever it is I'm working on. Seriously, if you know what you're doing, you can do a lot with this thing. I just love it. What can I say.After all the ones I've used over the years, only this most recent one I just got was bad out of the box. Everything worked fine except the audio, which was both too soft and a little distorted. It was obviously defective. The seller, though, took it back without question; it'll be credited to my card in a day or two; and the new one'll be here a few days after that. What more could a guy want?One last thing: I've always noticed some heat coming off of this little Sabrent box. It definitely generates a little heat; not much, mind you, but it's at least noticeable. And so that means it can't be placed into some kind of small, confined area where it can't "breathe." I'll bet dollars-to-donuts that most of the failures people report around here are due to the device running hot for a prolonged period of time until it finally dies (or maybe its IR receiver goes out, and so the remote stops working... that sort of thing). This little box definitely needs to "breathe;" to have a little bit of air flow around and beneath it. Definitely make sure it has that! And don't set it on top of another device which generates its own heat! Keep this thing as cool as possible by just normal ordinary and reasonable means. No fan or anything like that is necessary; but just don't cramp it up into some kind of small and confined space, either. Make sure it has normal room-temperature air -- preferably with a little movement to it -- on all of its sides, all the time. That's all. Just make sure it can "breathe."So, anyway, I decided to write this review in the style in which I've here written it because it's just really painfully obvious, from some of the reviews, here, that SOMEONE needed to explain this product as I now have.Hope it helps.__________________________________Gregg L. DesElmsNapa, California USA

This device is a "tuner" for old-style (NTSC) ANALOG signals. It is not for new-style (ATSC) DIGITAL signals. If you do not know the difference, you need to educate yourself before you buy.Analog channels are not commonly broadcast over-the-air in the U.S. by major broadcast stations, although there are some community stations that still use it. Analog channels are also broadcast by most cable companies, although they also are converting to digital channels. My cable company broadcasts both analog and digital channels. Analog channels are not the high quality digital channels that are becoming common.The outputs of this device include a VGA connection and a VIDEO OUT connection. Either connection can be used to connect to an external device. VGA connections are primarily used by older computer monitors. VIDEO OUT is used to connect to an older-style television with VIDEO IN ports (RCA jacks). If you need a more digital connection (HDMI or DVI), this device does not have those.I'm using this in a building that has its own satellite receiver and its own modulator (analog channel 3). The modulated signal is around around the building on standard coax cables (RG-59 or RG-6 cable). There is an input jack for this type of cable using an "F" connector.The picture quality is very good FOR AN ANALOG SIGNAL. As noted by others, it is typically 480i format It is not the quality you'll see on an HD signal (720p or 1080i).The price for this device is very good (less than $40 at this time). The price is low because there aren't many people who need an analog tuner any more.

Although the box says, "High Resolution" TV tuner box, that doesn't mean it decodes even the local channels in HD....basically it does what you think you want...which is make some use out of your old PC monitor that's collecting dust in the garage.All via my cable provider, some channels look ok, some good, some better. The box is really small, and for $40, I got what I wanted, but then again...for another $150, I could have bought a "COBY" :)...but my old PC monitor would still be sitting in the garage. I'll keep this...it's a good little product. The first they sent had a loose connection for the coax cable and wouldn't tune the channels properly, but the replacement works pretty well. Again...not HD...but good enough for a kitchen or office background tv

I read all the negative reviews but decided that for $40 I could take a chance. Easy to install though printed manual is marginal. Cable TV came right up. Sound and video quality is OK, but I've only used it for cable news.I was unsuccessful in running a Linux laptop through the TV tuner. With the tuner between the laptop and monitor, the OS doesn't recognize the presence of a second monitor. Oddly, when you power off the tuner, the Linux OS can recognize the second monitor, So I can toggle between cable and the laptop with the power button instead of the input button.Reading through all the hardware problems people have had, it occurred to me that this device might be extra sensitive to power surges. I've been very careful to power down the turner and connected devices when connecting and disconnecting hardware. I'm still concerned with the tuner's long term reliability, and I'll edit this review if I have any problems.UPDATE: Two weeks in and still works fine.UPDATE Two: I've used it for close to a year now and it still works well, though I only use it a couple hours a week.