I need some advice on my HDTV experience ( I live in Tucson, AZ). I just recently took the dive into HDTV by purchasing a Samsung SIR-T165 over the air HDTV receiver. My experience has really been mixed and I am wondering if I just need to wait a year or so until the TV stations and the hardware manufactures figure things out. Some of the issues I have had over the past month are:

1. PBS multicasts and when they are not using one of the sub channels the STB continually reboots and is locked up until I disconnect the antenna. Samsung says that it is an issue with the channel and PBS says they may have a problem, but are not sure.

2. NBC multicasts and their channels work about 80% of the time, the other 20% they continually re-boot the box (the box is locked up until I disconnect the antenna). NBC blames the Samsung receiver and Samsung blames NBC.

3. When watching CBS, the audio is not synced up with the people talking. This only happens sometimes. CBS thinks it could be them. CBS will show one NFL game in HDTV and then show a test pattern for the other, but the Analog channel will have the game.

4. The FOX signals pixilates about every 2 minutes. FOX admits the have a problem and are hoping to fix in sometime in the next 3 months.

5. ABC & UPN work great.

Is this a common experience when trying to get HDTV over the air? Any advice is appreciated.

My HDTV is located about 32 miles from Phoenix. The problem is many of the DT transmitters are not yet up to full power. I have had pixelation problems, but since going to a roof top antenna this has largely been eliminated. When I had an attic antenna I noticed that as the temperature went up the pixelation or complete loss of the channel also went up.

I'm not in your area but I am using the Samsung 165 and I've had none of the problems you are experiencing except the audio being out of sync is a problem but this is not the box's fault and everyone has this problem courtesy of the networks. This is one problem that has been getting better.

My one low power affiliate is either on or not as respects HD. By that I mean I either get it or it drops out totally.....no in between.

I don’t know how long the Tucson DTV stations have been on the air, but the problems you report are very typical of new stations. It often takes a few months for them to rid their systems of all these bugs. Eventually they will all get fixed. I have never seen my T165 reboot itself, and I have never needed to disconnect the antenna from my T165, so I think there might be a minor defect in your box that is triggered by a flawed signal. If so it might eventually go away when the stations are fixed.

I think you are correct. I called PBS and they said the only thing they are broadcasting on the channels not in use is the PSIP table. Samsung said this is wrong, they should be broadcasting nothing on the channels not in use. Samsung did admit that the PSIP data on a channel with no video will cause the box a problem.

I have the T165 and it goes crazy with Fox in San Diego, CA. I quit using oTA adn just watch on the DISH 600OU

I live in Tucson, have owned a Sony SAT HD200 for over a year now. Here are my observations:
1. PBS (KUAT and KUAS) have had intermittent service. Lately 6.1 and 28.1 have occasionally had no signal, but the subchannels have been carrying non-HD programming. I'm sure they're still shaking-out their equipment. My receiver hasn't been rebooting, but it used to once in a while. Sometimes I'd wake up and my TV would be on at 3AM after it re-booted.
2. No problems with NBC KVOA-DT
3. Notice the audio sync problem with CBS. Was watching 'Judging Amy' in HD the other night and must have been a half-second delay in the audio. Amazing as how the technology becomes more sophisticated they still have to solve problems that date back to the early days of motion pictures w/sound. As far as test pattern, I don't watch that much TV to notice, especially football games.
4. Yes, observed the pixelation with FOX. Thought my antenna needed tweaking, guess not.
5. Yes, ABC/UPN seem fine. Don't think I've seen any HD programming though.

So yours ais a common experience. Perhaps if like me, after a year of HD (including DirecTV) you'll find the novelty of HD will have worn off. For me I don't give a rip anymore, moved on to other interests. Picture can be great but most the time the programmming is trash.

Guy,

Thanks for the input. Looks like we are seeing similar issues. As a note NBC has been fine the last couple of days. The only thing I have seen in HDTV on ABC is Monday Night Football, which has been great. Last night UPN showed up as 19-1 instead of 18-1 and had no sound. Fox now works but shows up as 25-1 and not 11-1 as it should. Gotta love it! Sound like they may eventually figure things out. I guess I will look at HDTV as a novelty and enjoy the football.