Mediasonic HW250STB Digital TV Converter Box with Recording and Multimedia Function, ATSC Digital Converter Box, USB Multimedia Function, 1080P HDMI Output, Metal Case, Clear QAM

I purchased this mostly to watch shows in MP4 format downloaded over the Internet to a 2 TB hard drive. It works well for this purpose. I hooked it up to my old roof antenna. I'm 60 miles away from the transmit antenna and it received more channels then my previous HW-150 model would receive. Picture quality is excellent. I use the HDMI port to feed my TV set. Remote control seems to be more robust than the remote that came with the HW-150. Please note that this receiver is Compatible with ATSC 1 and 2 broadcasts and not for ATSC 3 NextGen. Installation was as simple as plugging in the antenna coax, HDMI cable and plugging it into a wall power outlet, installing 2 AAA batteries in the remote (batteries not included). It powers itself on, follow the manual and on screen prompts for configuration. It does have a built in LCD screen that displays a clock when turned off with the remote. I have not found a way to dim or turn off this display.. but I've only had it for a few hours. I purchased this in "used" condition. It came in the original box with a printed manual, HDMI cable, remote, and RCA phono jack cables for composite connection to the TV all in like new condition. You will need additional cables if you are going to use coax audio output to a audio amplifier, feeding an old TV with coax on NTSC RF 3 or 4, or component video.

It works great, I got 23 channels even though I didn't raise the antenna but it's just near the window, very easy to use, once you install it it will show you the language selection and then it will automatically search for channels and the channel storage will end automatically, you just need two AAA batteries for the remote control, everything is great and the picture is clear and the sound is clear and the remote works quickly, I'm happy because I got my old TV back again and I'm drinking my coffee and watching TV as if I'm living in the eighties the good old days, thanks to this seller and the manufacturer, I'm very happy I recommend buying it immediately it's very cheap

Bought this converter so I could use an old c. 1998 tube TV in place of a modern flat screen that died, and in most respects it is not as cheap and nasty as I expected. It uses the same antenna setup as the old TV and receives all the same stations as the old TV did - some with signal as low as 40% are a bit glitchy but completely watchable. One very distant station, that only came in about 20% of the time on the old TV doesn't come in at all with this converter but I can hardly fault it for that. Otherwise it's pretty solid. The case is metal, which is nice. It runs warm but there are vent slots so I don't expect it to overheat. The menu system is fairly intuitive if you've ever set up a digital TV before. I did have to consult the manual once to find the default password for the parental controls. I was pleasantly surprised to find the RF output can be switched between a pass-through of the antenna signal and a ch3/ch4 modulated down-converted signal so this can be used even with small TVs without AV inputs. It also has an HDMI output so it can be used as a second tuner on modern TVs or with monitors that have no tuner built in. It would be nice if it had an S-Video output since my TV doesn't have component inputs, but the composite output works okay and the picture is bright and clear. The weak point in all this is the remote. It's a lightweight, generic plastic remote and it's not universal meaning while it runs the converter box just fine, it can't be programmed to also control the TV. I need to keep the TV remote around to handle functions like power and input select. The converter has its own volume and mute functions but since I'm also using other devices on other inputs with this TV I need to use the TV volume and mute functions as well and it's really a bit more complicated than it needs to be. The other thing about the remote - and this is a bizarre coincidence that I can't really blame anyone for - is that it uses the same codes as an Android TV box I purchased in 2017 in Europe. So both devices respond in different ways as I press the buttons. Truly strange. I have had to cover the front of the Android box with black tape so the InfraRed remote signal is blocked. I use a bluetooth remote with it anyway. What are the odds of that? Weird weird. I like the LED channel display on the front of the converter. It reminds me of the old Zenith TV I had when I was a kid that always showed the channel number on a similar display. I haven't tried any of the PVR functions because I don't have a drive to hook up, but when I do I will update this review if there are any serious issues. All in all would I buy it again? Yes, yes I would.

I usually don't rate a product made in China 5 stars but I do love this digital converter box. Mediasonic is an American company I believe. If you want to cut the cable and to be able to record local TV and don't want to pay a monthly fee (makes sense if you are looking at cutting the cable) and don't want to pay a lot for the recorder (also makes sense) then this is the item you want. Set up is intuitive and went well (would have been a little easier if I had known the converter is set to channel 4 out of the box for use on an old TV using the RF1 cable). I also have it connected to a new TV via the supplied HDML cable. I love the old school interface; it is easy to understand and use. And I have found that the feature that shows you the signal strength is indeed very useful and easy to use. It doesn't come with a storage device which is necessary for recording. Mediasonic does not recommend using a flash drive, though it looks like from YouTube videos and comments that some people do use them. I had an Iomega SSD drive laying around and it is working great. I copied the files that were on it then I used the converter to format it after attaching it. I actually like that I can remove the storage device. I can put movies, pictures, or music on it to play on the TV. And I can go in the other direction too; my wife has me use American Idol recordings to create MP3s for her music player. That will now be easier as I can plug the Iomega into the computer and use Audacity to create her MP3s. Know that it can only record 1 program at a time. That isn't a problem for us. There is a 15-20 second gap between the recordings of my wife's Young And The Restless and The Bold And The Beautiful which follows it. I haven't tried the "Loop Through" function that allows you to watch one station while recording another but I anticipate that will work easily. Similarly I haven't yet tried the feature that allows you to pause and rewind and then fast forward with live TV. Only sort of related; for cable cutters now looking for antennas; if you are within 10 miles of most of your broadcasters like me, or maybe even within 30 miles, with no big hills in the way, then I suggest also getting the simplest least expensive antenna. The $11 Phillips antenna works fine for me. They are just pieces of metal attached to a cord. Check out The Antenna Man's YouTube channel for a lot more detail on that, and a review of this converter box.

I've used this device for a couple of weeks now, and for the money, it cant be beat, so my review is based on that fact. The Pros: It records cleanly and the recording feature is pretty simple. The unit will take just about anything you can plug into its USB port. In my case, I'm using an old 3 terabyte external harddrive that I've had for years to back up my old computer. Of course, I had to Formal the drive for it to work with Homeworks. But once I did, the recording went flawlessly. So far, the unit has done everything I wanted it to do, all the while saving me the $1,200 a year I was spending on a TIVO. The Cons: The unit takes a while to understand all the controls, and the instructions leave some of the more important questions out, like "How do I retrieve my recorded videos?" The only other thing is that the unit is a little buggy. It sometimes does things you dont want it to do, like lock up. But a simple reboot usually solves the problem. UPDATE: After using the 2 units that I purchased for awhile now, I'm becoming more and more disappointed. These units reboot constantly, which is a pain. The longer I use them, the more often they reboot. I dont mind a reboot here and there, but it's getting to the point that I can hardly watch TV without one of them or the other constantly rebooting. UPDATE NUMBER 2: I've had these 2 units now for just over a year. The rebooting issue is a pain, but other than that, they still work and record fine. For the amount of money I spent, they are STILL worth it. I saw another review where someone said they had to replace this same unit every 6 months. I dont know if they got bad ones or what, but mine are operating with no problem, (other than the rebooting). I just read the reviews on the new model that just came out, and it appears to have many problems that this older model doesnt, so IF I have to replace these, I'll buy the same thing due to the low cost. SUGGESTION: As this unit seems to want to constantly reboot, it's a real pain to either wait a full minute for it to do this, OR you can simply unplug it and plug it back in. Most people will never want to have to get up off the couch and walk across the room, find the plug and unplug it. So just buy a remote control outlet, they kind that has been sold for decades to turn your lights on and off. They dont cost hardly anything, and then you can sit on the couch, turn off the power with a push of a button and reboot the unit instantly.