Now, that's what I call a loaded question! It's also a very good one. Sadly, there's no good answer because the makers of HDTVs and converter boxes don't release technical specs. It's not because they have something to hide; part of the reason is that, unlike with the analog tuners of earlier days, every maker uses different software, making side-by-side comparisons at least partially irrelevant. There hasn't been any independent testing recently that anyone is aware of. The
FCC did publish side-by-side sensitivity comparisons about four years ago, but advances in tuner/software design since then have rendered those conclusions moot. Besides, the agency didn't identify which maker was behind
HD receiver "A,"
HDTV "B" or converter box "C," and it didn't compare products across the categories, either.
You're certainly not alone in observing a notable sensitivity difference. Many, many online posters have made the same comment. I noticed the difference firsthand while installing CECBs last year for a few older neighbors. Even though every one of them has set-top rabbit ears, their reception is nearly as reliable as what I get with my
HDTV, and I have separate, and fairly large, VHF and UHF antennas in the attic.
I can only speculate, but I believe the difference has to do with the target buyers of each kind of tuner.
HDTV makers know that roughly 85 percent of customers intend to connect their new sets to cable or satellite, because that's the proportion of households that pay for TV service. TVs connected to strong signal sources, such as those provided by the subscription services, don't need tuners that are all that sensitive, do they?
On the other hand, 100 percent of the converter boxes were destined to be fed by antennas, and their makers had to assume that a good number of these boxes would be hooked up to rabbit ears. To work well, a converter box on rabbit ears needs a tuner that is both highly sensitive and highly resistant to multipath interference.
The best you can do is to choose your new
HDTV from among brands known for quality products, such as Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Samsung, etc.
