Help...need a GOOD external tv tuner!

[spauld]

I watch 'free tv' over the airwaves using a digital rooftop antenna which feeds the signal into my 4 year old Samsung Plasma TV. Or at least, I used to. While watching TV a while back, something popped and crackled in my set and suddenly I had no picture, only sound. Since I am still able to feed a signal into my tv via HDMI connections, I've tried three different options in an effort to circumvent the no-picture-issue (I fear that having this repaired would be too expensive). I first tried using my old Panasonic DVD recorder (it has a tv tuner in it). It worked for a bit, but ultimately stopped working, so I ordered TWO different external tuners. They were even worse! Neither would pull in even ONE station. So far, all of these devices behave like an old worn out computer; sluggish start-ups, responding to commands (either from their remote controls or by direct input) very sporadically and ultimately freezing up where they simply will do nothing. It is VERY frustrating. Does anyone know of a sound option for providing reliable signal input via an HDMI cable? At this point my expensice Samsung is basically just a big plasma monitor! Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

[sdifox]

fta satellite boxes tend to have ATSC tuner in them and they have hdmi.