ESA1178 said:
Using the same coaxial. I am convinced it is the Sony Tuner..
Mark
You should not be convinced until you rescan. That is the first step. If the last scan was done before the analog shutoff in 2009 when many HD channels had not moved to new virtual channel slots, that would explain why many channels are missing. A recent scan will be the only thing that will eliminate those sorts of obstacles. Sets are scanned at setup and rarely ever scanned again, and that may mean you have not scanned since 2007. We won't know if this is an issue until you actually do that, but I would eliminate it as an issue first, as that is quick and easy.
I had a 2004 Grand Wega, and its tuner was as good as the Tivo tuner of its day (HR10-250), actually somewhat better. Tuner technology has improved in leaps and bounds since 1999, and a year or two difference in tuner age between 1999 and about 2010 made a huge difference. These days the improvements are minimal, as they have sort of topped out as the technology matured, but this means that a 2011 tuner will run rings around a 2007 tuner.
And it also means that your 2007 tuner should run rings around my 2004 Grand Wega tuner, which means the 2007 tuner was nothing to sneeze at, and should work nearly as well as most tuners. Only if you are in a difficult reception spot should it make any difference anyway; in a good location even a 2007 tuner should be able to receive almost all channels using nothing more than a paper clip.
Don't be concerned with cable runs, splitters, and loss. Those were issues when analog ruled the day, but things have changed completely. A proper antenna system from 20 years ago (assuming it contains UHF capability) will do a better job receiving todays digital channels than it did receiving yesterdays analog channels, so don't question existing distribution that gets that many channels on a Haier.
Loss and low signal levels are not problematic with digital reception (up to a point of course). A good analog signal needed a 46 dB s/n ratio, while an average digital signal needs a 15 dB s/n ratio. If your old distribution was good for analog, it will be more than good enough for digital as far as raw levels go.
The limiting factor for analog was raw RF power levels. That is not the case for digital. The limiting factor there is freedom from multipath interference, which can be solved at the antenna, and at the tuner. When you are "far" from a digital station and can't receive it, it typically has nothing to do with the power levels you are receiving; it has to do with curvature or the earth and line of sight, both of which become worse over distance meaning that the multipath ratio becomes worse over distance. The very reason the Grand Alliance chose 8VSB for ATSC in the first place was because the self-limiting factor of increased multipath over distance made it ideal for preventing co-interference from adjacent markets which would have until 2009 twice as many signals to worry about.
The "converter" boxes are called "converters" because they convert ATSC to analog SD NTSC. That is not what you want. Outboard tuners also are not the answer.
I think the best answer is the AM21. While not the best tuner out there, its pretty good and unless you are trying to pick up adjacent markets through a canyon, will work just as well as any other tuner. Plus, that is the only way to record OTA from DTV, other than the HR20.
Scan first, and then you will know where you stand. Solve that first. If you still only get 5 channels, you have a bad tuner, not a bad antenna or a bad distribution system (which works pretty well for the Haier).