Built-in DTV tuners: are some better than others?

[bigjoe]

I need to pick out a new flat panel TV for my mom. She is hoping to drop basic cable and use an indoor antenna to watch OTA digital broadcasts. The ability to get a stable OTA signal from the major networks would mean more to her than the TV's resolution, contrast ratio, etc. She is only 8 miles from the towers, but in a first floor apartment with no direct line of site. I know that we will eventually just have to try it and see, but can anyone suggest some particular TV makes or models that are considered to have better ATSC tuners, and might therefore improve her chances? Any major brands to avoid in this regard? Any links for further info and comparisons?

I am finding a lot of info on antennas, but no comparisons of tuners in different TVs.

[cylinder]

it doesnt matter what kind of tuner you have, its the antenna that grabs the signal.
since she is in an apartment, i would have recommended an outdoor antenna on her balcony if she had one, but now i see she is on the first floor. try getting an amplified indoor antenna, and pointing it toward the broadcast towers, preferably through a window.
ask tigerbangs, he would know more on what to do and what antenna to get.

[bigjoe]

Thanks for the info. The only real reason I asked is because of the lack of line-of-sight to the towers. Are there any indoor antennas that will be able to pull in a signal anyway?

[cylinder]

due to the lack of line of sight, i doubt regular indoor antennas can grab a signal, marginal at least. but i cant be completely sure. you are only 8 miles from the transmitter towers after all. maybe it'll work, maybe not. like i said before, ask tigerbangs, he installs antennas, he would know for sure

[tigerbangs]

There are differences between the tuners in Digital TV sets, but those differences have narrowed considerably in the past year or so. Any TV that you buy today HAS to have an ATSC (digital) tuner, and the reception is actually pretty good these days. Some TV sets, like the Sonys in particular, are especially tedious to tune and set-up in digital, as they take a LONG time to scan for digital stations, and they frequently don't make the association between an analog station and their digital counterpart. Other sets, like LG, who makes the chipset for many of the other TV manufacturers, has an especially easy to use and fairly quick digital setup.

As for which antenna to use in an urban area: well, if your digital stations are all on UHF, the Silver Sensor is a good antenna for indoor use, as long as you aren't more than 15 miles or so from the transmitters. They are not good for VHF stations, however, which means that you would have to add a pair of rabbit ears to the Silver Sensor to make i work: Radio Shack makes such an adaptor if you need it. Don't get sucked into the business of buying an expensive amplified indoor antenna, though, as the amplifier is almost always unnecessary when you are close to the transmitters: multipath, or reflected signal, is the real enemy of close-in digital reception, and the Silver Sensor is the most directional undoor UHF antenna you can buy. Today's new fifth-generation digital tuners are much better at rejecting multipath than earlier models were.