Samsung SIR-T351 ATSC (HD) Tuner

by Samsung

Product Details

Product Manual [6.93mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 3.5 x 16.1 inches ; 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0000DIACI
• Item model number: SIR-T351
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,687 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #37 in Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Stereo Components > Tuners
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

Whether you're upgrading your PC or your HD-ready TV to full high-definition status or paving the way to buy an HD-ready set sometime soon, Samsung's SIR-T351 digital TV receiver is a cost-effective and versatile component for your entertainment system. After all, over-air HDTV broadcasts are free for the watching--no special service is required. Just plug in your receiver (and possibly an external antenna, not included) and start channel surfing.

The SIR-T351 tunes and decodes all 18 ATSC broadcast formats. You can view HDTV and even SDTV, standard-definition television (NTSC 480i format via S-video or composite-video output), so you don't even have to wait for an HD-ready TV. Select DTV programs offer Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, which the SIR-T351 passes to any compatible surround-processing audio/video receiver and a multichannel speaker system.

You get a wide selection of output options, including 1080i, 720p, or 480p/i DTV formats, and connection options including one each component-video, composite-video, and S-video. Audio jacks consist of a stereo (left/right) RCA output and a pair of digital-audio connections (one each optical and coaxial).

What's in the Box
DTV receiver, component cables, audio cables, remote control, two AA batteries, and user's manual.

Product Description

Terrestrial HD receiver

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Junk...don't bother with this unit., January 21, 2004

By 

Reverend L.S. Goodwin "Reverend L.S. Goodwin" (Encino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung SIR-T351 ATSC (HD) Tuner (Electronics)

Apart from it's clumsy primitive user interface, this unit has two tragic flaws:

1 - The on screen displays (program guide, info screen, setup menus, channel display, etc.) do not work when using the DVI port when the resolution is set to 1080i!! You're totally flying blind, with no visual way to set or confirm settings or channels. Samsung has confirmed that it is designed this way, but could offer no explanation why! This reason alone is enough to stay away from this model.

2 - The Dolby Digital implementation doesn't work correctly. When using the optical or coaxial digital output, while set to Dolby Digital output, the audio drops out repeatedly and constantly. It will usually work fine for a few minutes, then it starts cutting in and out. Changing channels will clear it up for a few more minutes, but the problem quickly returns. The only way to get functioning digital audio is to set it to PCM, but then of course you can't decode Dolby 5.1 broadcasts. Samsung has confirmed this design flaw, but offers no solution.

Check with www.avsforum.com, and you'll find countless pissed off Samsung owners. Go with a unit from Zenith, LG or Motorola, you'll be much happier.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb for the price paid, January 9, 2005

By 

Bron "Bron" (Mechanicsville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Samsung SIR-T351 ATSC (HD) Tuner (Electronics)

I got my unit at a local CC for $130 as an open box special - actually there was no box - but the unit looked good and all the parts and manual, cables, etc. were there in a plastic bag - so at $130 (after making sure I could return it) - I took a chance. I had been wanting a tuner for my Hitachi 32" HDTV for some time, but balked at paying $300. This unit was on-sale for $239 at the time (with a box;).

I came here to check the reviews and that's the main reason I'm back to post this one. After reading the many negative reviews here, I thought maybe I'd made a big mistake - but I decided to give it a whirl anyway. On the first day - all excited - I started hooking everything up - pretty easy. I used component (YPbPr) so I had no problems at all getting 480i 480p 720p and 1080i right off the bat. I had no antenna, so I just grabbed the cheap (really cheap - not even very adjustable) radio shack rabbit ears off the TV in my son's room. Right off the bat I had many problems as reported here, picture pixelating, sound dropping out, and so on. I don't know that much about HDTV gear, but I did some careful reading here and check out a few inet sites. But that night I was pretty sure it was going back to the store.

The next evening when I got some time, I gave it another go. I had read on one of the sites the importance of the length of the antenna for the VHF channels, the UHF loop isn't even adjustable on the antenna I was using. So I tried adjusting them to the recommended length (13.5 inches or so, I think) and I found by making one a little longer than the other and turning it the right way, I went from 3 bars to 5-6 bars in signal strength and WHAM! a rock solid glorious image and sound!

I can get the closest channels (12-20 miles) with ease now - even though I live on a lot w/30-40 foot trees around the house.
I get a rock solid signal at night, during mid-day there are occasional glitches. But, of course, I need to get a *real* antenna!!! I'm sure then I will be able to pull in more channels and will have no more problems.

So, as many other sites (and some reviews here) suggested - it's the antenna that's key (Duh!). The unit itself works exactly as described and I have had no problems. The guide works fine once your unit has been on long enough the first time to down load the data. I think the unit looks nice and the setup, features and options all seem pretty good to me.

Now I can actuall watch HDTV for free on my Hitachi and I am sure glad I did not take this baby back!!!

So, don't let the negative reviews put you off - give it a shot if you can find one at a good price!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent STB, but be careful purchasing, July 29, 2004

By 

Joe Smith "consumer" (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung SIR-T351 ATSC (HD) Tuner (Electronics)

I recently puchased this STB despite the mixed reviews. I only use this box to decode over-the-air broadcasts for my area (philly), so my review is centered around using this box as a terrestrial receiver only. I have not tried to use this for cable tuning, and from what I hear this is not a smooth process since that is not what this box is primarily designed for.

That said, my review is rated relatively high because I live in the philadelphia area and have a rooftop antenna. I already received pretty clear reception using an old school antenna, so I expected to pickup a good number of channels. And I did, the t351 picked up all the channels I get over-the-air plus an extra 7 channels I didn't get before (they're mostly Spanish channels, but I did a couple more pbs). But don't expect to get the same results if you don't live in philly, nyc, san fran, la, or chicago. Even if you do live in these areas where most channels are broadcast digitally, you'll still need an antenna that can pick up the channels well. So, if you only want to pickup over-the-air DTV channels assuming that these are available in your area and you already have decent reception using an antenna, then this box is a good bet considering the low price. Many reviewers have been complaining about this unit being defective from the start, so why not pick up the much cheaper refurbished units that have already been tested? That's what I did, it works fine. Of course this only has a limited warranty, but after talking with Samsung they're not very stringent on this issue.

So here are some bugs I've noticed with this unit. First, there is an issue with the digital audio out. If you use the standard rca for audio output, there is no problem. Similarly, if you set your digital out (coax or optical) to PCM then there is no problem again. BUT, if you set the t351 to output to Dolby Digital using the coax or optical out, then you will experience audio dropouts. I've contacted Samsung about this issue and they are mailing me a cable and updated firmware to resolve this problem (free of charge). However, I've read in other forums that the updated firmware still does not resolve the Dolby Digital issue. Point being that this problem is pretty minor if you use this box solely for over-the-air reception. That's because hardly any channels broadcast in 5.1 to begin with, I mean we're talking at best about 2-8 hours per week. Another issue I've noticed with my box is that using the DVI output is a bit more unstable than the component. This could very well be an isolated problem, but I've noticed that DVI is more sensitive when it comes to channel reception. Not that it doesn't work, but I did have to do some adjusting to pickup channels consistently whereas using the component it was automatic. One other point worth mentioning--if you have a 16:9 TV, you can normally choose your view as full, panorama, zoom, or standard. Well, if you connect to this t351 then this ability to change viewing formats is taken over by the t351. To begin with, the t351 obviously picks up channels that are broadcast digitally, but these channels do not always broadcast in HDTV. In fact, very few shows are broadcast in HD, most of them are limited to prime time shows and movies. But the number of shows broadcast in HD will only go up, so this is promising (including the Olympics). Point being that if the show is not broadcast in HD, then the picture on a 16:9 screen will not fill the screen, it will look like the 4:3 format, and you cannot change this setting. Of course, if the show is broadcast in HD, then it is natively broadcast in 16:9 and it fills the entire 16:9 screen without distorting or stretching.

One last issue: choosing this t351 or samsung's other t165. They both use the same generation tuner, but the t165 has been discontinued. The t165 has been known to have many bugs and even defective units, but the more likely reason it has been discontinued is because it has the infamous firewire port that allows you to connect it to a jvc vhs recorder that can copy HD quality onto tape. But i wouldn't advise purchasing the t165 because there seems to be a large number of defective units out there and they all need required firmware upgrades to fix random rebooting problems and overheating. If you want the HD recording option, I would wait until a new format like blue ray becomes adopted or just get a pvr unit. So, for the price, I think the t351 is great provided your only need is terrestrial broadcasts and you already have or plan to get good reception.