Do these HDTV tuners for Android phones work?

[Gonad the Barbarian]

There are a bunch on ebay but I can't find much info outside of that.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...RC2.A0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=android+tv+tuner&_sacat=0

 

[Jembo]

Those are for DVB broadcasts, which don't exist in most of the world.

 

[openwheel]

in the US, you need ATSC tuners

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Features:
Android ATSC TV Receiver.
Watch live Free to air TV at your Android phone or pad with micro USB OTG
Using area: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Alaska, South Korea.
Specification:
Standard: ATSC
Frequencies: UHF and VHF
Compression: MPEG-2
Channel bandwidth: 6MHz
Modulation: 8VSB, 16 QAM, 256 QAM
requires an Android device with a 1 GHz or faster dual-core CPU, USB host mode functionality and Android 4.1 or later,Playback of MPEG-4/H.264 video requires a processor with NEON support (e.g. egra3).

Selling Points:use for Android phone or pad with micro USB OTG,Support change channels by touch screen,Support ATSC TV.

Package include:

1 x ATSC TV Receiver

1 x Antenna

1 x installation guide

http://www.ebay.com/itm/micro-USB-A...456541?hash=item464717db5d:g:bv0AAOSwGotWjv4T

 

[core2slow]

Wouldn't it be easier just to get xbmc/kodi installed on your phone?

 

[paperwastage]

Wouldn't it be easier just to get xbmc/kodi installed on your phone?

you still need to "get" the OTA signal somewhere

since Aereo was shutdown, only way to get signal is to leave your backend (at home) running, or get a portable signal decoder on your device (or use a cable service that offers a digitalized backend like "Xfinity TV Go", "Optimum for ipad"..)

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I'm specifically looking for something for OTA TV when the power goes out. I know there are some smaller portable TV's but they seem expensive for what they are. And I've got a laptop & USB tuner but don't think it would go for too long playing full HD on the battery. I have a pile of phones just sitting around I could rotate and recharge with an external battery pack. I'm not sure why this is apparently such a niche thing, phone and TV seems like peanut butter and jelly to me.

 

[poofyhairguy]

you still need to "get" the OTA signal somewhere

A HDHomerun connected to your network would be the best option for that.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm not sure why this is apparently such a niche thing, phone and TV seems like peanut butter and jelly to me.

When people say they watch TV on an iPad they mean Netflix, and not OTA signals. Part of the mobile revolution is the death of traditional TV distribution.

Plus ever since the forced switch to digital OTA it is much harder to get a signal than it used to be, unless you live in the middle of New York you need a decent antenna. Those little digital OTA tvs suck.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I haven't had trouble at all with signals since the digital changeover and I'm about 20 miles from the towers. I'm even still using my old ears and loop antenna. The one station in the area that has given others problems is the one that stayed on VHF. Someone should have been fired over that. Those flat ~$6 ones work fine from here too.

My mom has a several-years-old portable TV, lives about 10 miles further out than I do, and still was able to get a stable signal with the telescoping antenna on that. I don't have data on my cell so OTA is my one good option during outages.

I also don't have Netflix.

OTA4EVAH!

 

[paperwastage]

A HDHomerun connected to your network would be the best option for that.

kills your data plan (if you don't have unlimited, or not on wifi)



anyways, there's no guarantee of a "microUSB ATSC OTA decoder" working on any android phone

(see: not all android phones support <simpler> OTG devices. )

 

[poofyhairguy]

I haven't had trouble at all with signals since the digital changeover and I'm about 20 miles from the towers. I'm even still using my old ears and loop antenna. The one station in the area that has given others problems is the one that stayed on VHF. Someone should have been fired over that. Those flat ~$6 ones work fine from here too.

My mom has a several-years-old portable TV, lives about 10 miles further out than I do, and still was able to get a stable signal with the telescoping antenna on that. I don't have data on my cell so OTA is my one good option during outages.

I also don't have Netflix.

OTA4EVAH!

You are correct that with large enough antenna you can get the digital signal, but small closed loop antennas are worthless (aka any sleek looking modern antenna is worthless).

 

[poofyhairguy]

kills your data plan (if you don't have unlimited, or not on wifi)

If your backend has enough power you can transcode the OTA signal to something reasonable.

anyways, there's no guarantee of a "microUSB ATSC OTA decoder" working on any android phone

(see: not all android phones support OTG devices. )

They make really good Android devices with OTA tuners built in, but they are designed to be set top cable box replacements. There is no such thing as a reputable portable Android OTA tuner and there are hardly any small OTA tvs left like what used to be huge in the 1990s. The digital transition killed that device for most people.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

You are correct that with large enough antenna you can get the digital signal, but small closed loop antennas are worthless (aka any sleek looking modern antenna is worthless).

I'm not trying to argue but you're just wrong. Even these cheap little things work:
http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW110AN-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B008KVUAGU
Not as good as a bigger/more expensive antenna, but it'll pull in a solid signal under conditions reasonable for it.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm not trying to argue but you're just wrong. Even these cheap little things work:
http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-Homeworx-HW110AN-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B008KVUAGU
Not as good as a bigger/more expensive antenna, but it'll pull in a solid signal under conditions reasonable for it.

Sure the Leaf designs work (depending on how close you are to the source, they don't work for me), but you can't hook that up to a five inch phone without looking like you are hunting UFOs or something. Also those antennas often need a signal booster, which requires more power than an phone outputs from its port.

THAT is my point- that thanks to the digital switchover there cannot be such a thing as a slick 5 inch antenna which then undoes the whole point of the mobile revolution. Very few people want three foot long rabbit ear antennas sticking out of their slick Galaxy phone, especially when most people DO get data so they can easily watch Netflix or Youtube instead.

But don't take my word for it, here is a source that backs up my assertion that digital channels are more difficult to get:

Estimates from a computer simulation run by Centris, a market research firm in Los Angeles, found that more than nine million households that now get programming over the air could lose one or more stations they now receive. Although digital broadcasts will provide a superior picture and more channels than old analog broadcasts, digital reception is more easily blocked by hills, trees and buildings than analog reception. Furthermore, analog degrades gradually, with the picture displaying snow or ghosts (image echoes) as the signal becomes weaker. But the digital signal stays uniformly crisp until the signal gets weak; then the picture suddenly drops out, a phenomenon that engineers call the “cliff effect."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/technology/personaltech/24basics.html?_r=0

Obviously some people will use a phone tuner, as they do exist on Ebay, but none come from mainstream brands for a reason. The problem you are trying to solve almost everyone else solved by giving in and paying for a data plan.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Well don't let my daily first hand experience sway you from your almost 8-year-old article. VHF broadcasts were indeed harder to pick up after changing over, especially ones in the lower band. This was well known beforehand, and why most stations that were there changed over to UHF for the transition. I get the PBS station here more reliably than I ever did before for exactly that reason. And I realize I'm a bit more miserly than most folks but I can't believe I'm that far off the curve with a bunch of stations still beaming their signals all over area, no internet bandwidth, cell service, or monthly fees required. Having something you can toss in your emergency cabinet (OK, maybe I am off the curve with that) that can get OTA broadcasts when the power is out is just prudent emergency prep.

Seriously, condolences in living in area where pulling in OTA is difficult, but it's not the case everywhere, even way, way out from the city.

 

[TheGardener]

I have an old school analog cathode ray tube tv connected to a digital converter box. Ten years back the government was subsidizing these boxes, as the politicians feared a major political backlash from the sheep. My 34 yo tv was recently retired, and I've substituted a more up-to-date 25 yo model with stereo. I can usually receive close to 40 over the air channels. I live about 15-20 miles from the tv towers, as the crow flies.

If you capture the over the air signal to a device, I highly recommend an amplified antenna. It is vastly superior to a non-amplified antenna. I get a great signal.

 

[TheGardener]

= Having something you can toss in your emergency cabinet (OK, maybe I am off the curve with that) that can get OTA broadcasts when the power is out is just prudent emergency prep.

So long as you have serious battery backup.