Mediasonic ATSC Digital Converter Box with TV Tuner Function (HW130RN)

2/19/21I bought my first Homeworx tuner about 7 years ago. It worked "flawlessly" (for such a low cost unit, I do not expect perfection). Last weekend a power outage finally took it out. The new one is a lot smaller because they replaced the built-in power supply with a wall wart.While I'm happy with the new one (only $19!), I actually liked the larger one better for these reasons:1. It's easier to use a standard 2-prong cord than a wall wart power supply (cords fit better on plug strips)2. The larger box stayed put on the shelf better because it's wider and a bit heavier.The cord on the new wall wart power supply is shorter than the old power cord so I had to use a short extension cord too reach my plug strip.My new tuner does not have the DVR capability. The old one did, but I never used that feature so i saved $10 without it.You can see how they got the price under $20...external power supply and no DVR feature (which is just a firmware mod).I should mention that I live close to a metropolitan area and have line of sight to a big TV transmitter so I get about 35 stations with excellent quality.I thought about dropping this to 4 stars because of the change to the external power supply. But... it's a great tuner for less than $20! How can I complain?

Ok

I use this converter box everyday since I quit getting cable. Works great and saves me money. No cable anymore

I order one of these and it worked great but only lasted about a year. I thought I'd give it a second chance and ordered another as replacement. Ordered in December and it was dead by the end of February.

After getting the converter box set up and programmed, I found that the volume was at such a low level that neither I nor my company could even hear the newscast. I tried adjusting the sound on the TV, but that made no difference as the volume ended at a low level, no matter what. My company then plugged the audio cord into the audio jacks on the TV and converter box and that increased the volume just barely. I also found that trying to read the very small font on the program list feature and on other features was very difficult from even just a few feet away. These blocks of information are set against a grey screen, so they do not stand out and are not easy to read or respond to with the remote. I will keep this as a spare but have found the same kind of converter box I have had and really like on Ebay. I could not figure out how to set the time, even, so I just gave up on that. The remote is very small and the wording on that is miniscule, as well. I guess when they design these units, the engineers all wear huge magnifying glasses--but this just isn't for people with normal vision or normal hearing.

I am one of the few people that purchased the Vizio Chromecast TV's which were only in stores for one year. It is basically a computer monitor with a built in ROKU. You will need this product if you have the same TV and want to add local channels. It allows you to convert coaxial to HDMI. It worked perfectly. I did purchase a HDMI cable separately just to be sure. The channel quality is decent on some channels, better on others. Since I don't have cable I just wanted to make sure I am able to still see the news if my internet goes out. (This has happened multiple times). Overall, good product.

Received as advertised.

For starters, I will say I bought a factory-refurbished version of this product which may have something to do with my issues. However, I understand others have dealt with similar problems even with the new product.After getting the product, which had a certified refurbished sticker, all the fixins' and the box in near-new condition, I hooked it up (following the directions to a T) to my antenna and projector. It very briefly registered four channels with pretty poor picture and lots of visual noise. I will admit this could be partially due to the antenna and, of course, my location; I can't blame the box for that with any certainty. I do live in a veritable television no-man's land despite being in a small-ish city; I'm surrounded by the mighty Ozarks and 60 miles, minimum, from any major TV station.What I can definitely blame on this product: After maybe 15-20 minutes of trying to adjust the picture and move the antenna around, disconnecting and reconnecting the cable and adapter, the box just shut off entirely and would not turn back on, neither with the remote nor with the button on the device. There was no visible damage to the device and I was careful not to harm it at all while working with it. I reconnected the adapter many times and used several power outlets without success. Also, even while the adapter was working, it was way too easy to accidentally pull it out of the electrical socket and it needed to be re-plugged several times for that reason. The prongs must be too narrow or something.The complaints about the remote are also very valid; it was usable (while the device was working, that is) but you do have to click it almost right next to the box. I was OK with that since I use a projector—it's much closer to where I sit than a real TV would be—but it was annoying nonetheless. I didn't get to the point of removing the cover to expose the sensor for better responsiveness like one reviewer suggested since it powered off before I was able to get it to serve its purpose well.After the box turned off and it became clear that no amount of trying would make it turn back on, I contacted Amazon support and the seller. The seller responded very quickly and offered to replace the item after Amazon helped me troubleshoot. I asked for a refund instead because I didn't want to wait or try my luck again with what I feel is an unreliable product, and the seller quickly obliged, saying I should simply recycle the broken box. I really appreciate the seller's kindness and quick response even though the product didn't work out.I have ordered a used, more well-known, and older brand of set-top box from eBay for about the same price and am hoping for a better experience despite the used status. Unfortunately, my impulse to buy this value brand may mean I won't catch the Super Bowl on TV this year. Don't make my mistake, much less if you need the device in a hurry! If you have time to mess around with it and replace it if you need to, it may be worth trying based on the positive reviews.