Rating: 
Summary: Works well considering the price point.
Review: I have this tuner plugged into my Sony 36" XBR's component inputs (Video 5) and the picture is superb. I'm using a typical rooftop antenna nearly 50 miles from the Phoenix area broadcast towers, and they are not line-of-sight; I'm behind a mountain! Nevertheless, this unit found about 7 HDTV channels for all the major networks and a few others without any problems. (sadly, not our educational channel on 8) Yes, it is slow to start the decode to send to the TV, and the search for channels is slow, but once set up, I've been very pleased with the performance. Considering what the prices used to be, I think this unit is good value. I paid about $280 for a refurb unit.
Rating:
Summary: Decent STB, but be careful purchasing
Review: I recently puchased this STB despite the mixed reviews. I only use this box to decode over-the-air broadcasts for my area (philly), so my review is centered around using this box as a terrestrial receiver only. I have not tried to use this for cable tuning, and from what I hear this is not a smooth process since that is not what this box is primarily designed for.
That said, my review is rated relatively high because I live in the philadelphia area and have a rooftop antenna. I already received pretty clear reception using an old school antenna, so I expected to pickup a good number of channels. And I did, the t351 picked up all the channels I get over-the-air plus an extra 7 channels I didn't get before (they're mostly Spanish channels, but I did a couple more pbs). But don't expect to get the same results if you don't live in philly, nyc, san fran, la, or chicago. Even if you do live in these areas where most channels are broadcast digitally, you'll still need an antenna that can pick up the channels well. So, if you only want to pickup over-the-air DTV channels assuming that these are available in your area and you already have decent reception using an antenna, then this box is a good bet considering the low price. Many reviewers have been complaining about this unit being defective from the start, so why not pick up the much cheaper refurbished units that have already been tested? That's what I did, it works fine. Of course this only has a limited warranty, but after talking with Samsung they're not very stringent on this issue.
So here are some bugs I've noticed with this unit. First, there is an issue with the digital audio out. If you use the standard rca for audio output, there is no problem. Similarly, if you set your digital out (coax or optical) to PCM then there is no problem again. BUT, if you set the t351 to output to Dolby Digital using the coax or optical out, then you will experience audio dropouts. I've contacted Samsung about this issue and they are mailing me a cable and updated firmware to resolve this problem (free of charge). However, I've read in other forums that the updated firmware still does not resolve the Dolby Digital issue. Point being that this problem is pretty minor if you use this box solely for over-the-air reception. That's because hardly any channels broadcast in 5.1 to begin with, I mean we're talking at best about 2-8 hours per week. Another issue I've noticed with my box is that using the DVI output is a bit more unstable than the component. This could very well be an isolated problem, but I've noticed that DVI is more sensitive when it comes to channel reception. Not that it doesn't work, but I did have to do some adjusting to pickup channels consistently whereas using the component it was automatic. One other point worth mentioning--if you have a 16:9 TV, you can normally choose your view as full, panorama, zoom, or standard. Well, if you connect to this t351 then this ability to change viewing formats is taken over by the t351. To begin with, the t351 obviously picks up channels that are broadcast digitally, but these channels do not always broadcast in HDTV. In fact, very few shows are broadcast in HD, most of them are limited to prime time shows and movies. But the number of shows broadcast in HD will only go up, so this is promising (including the Olympics). Point being that if the show is not broadcast in HD, then the picture on a 16:9 screen will not fill the screen, it will look like the 4:3 format, and you cannot change this setting. Of course, if the show is broadcast in HD, then it is natively broadcast in 16:9 and it fills the entire 16:9 screen without distorting or stretching.
One last issue: choosing this t351 or samsung's other t165. They both use the same generation tuner, but the t165 has been discontinued. The t165 has been known to have many bugs and even defective units, but the more likely reason it has been discontinued is because it has the infamous firewire port that allows you to connect it to a jvc vhs recorder that can copy HD quality onto tape. But i wouldn't advise purchasing the t165 because there seems to be a large number of defective units out there and they all need required firmware upgrades to fix random rebooting problems and overheating. If you want the HD recording option, I would wait until a new format like blue ray becomes adopted or just get a pvr unit. So, for the price, I think the t351 is great provided your only need is terrestrial broadcasts and you already have or plan to get good reception.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome unit for the price!
Review: I think the Samsung SIR-T351 is a great unit for the price. I got mine for $199 refurbished by doing a yahoo search under "SIR-T351 refurbished". The store I used was in the top 8 selections.
I am approx 10 miles from my local stations in Rochester NY and pick up all local digital channels with ease using a Terk TV42, which is a multi-directional powered antenna attached to my DirecTV satellite dish. When it's not raining at night, I am also tuning in all 3 major networks from Buffalo NY, which are approx. 60 miles away! This is good news for me because Rochester is currently broadcasting only 2 channels (PBS, ABC) in hi-def. NBC and CBS Hi-Def I catch out of Buffalo.
Things to consider:
I had to adjust the antenna to catch all the stations. Your antenna type and antenna positioning is the key to getting this unit to work properly. Keep in mind that with each antenna adjustment you have to go thought the channel memorization process each time. You cannot simply move the antenna and turn to the station to check if it is coming in. You have to do go through the memorize channel process which takes approx. 5 minutes to verify your new antenna positioning.
I also experienced the audio dropout with Dolby Digital that others have described, but more for the Buffalo stations that are so far away (60 miles). Not so much with Dolby 2.0 but with Dolby 5.1. This is fine with me because I just switch the unit to PCM48 audio that has no audio dropout at all. My audio receiver is equipped with Pro Logic II anyway and there is not that big of a difference to me. There is very minimal to no audio dropout when tuning to my local stations decoding either type of Dolby Digital.
The following website is a great reference for getting started: www.antennaweb.org. Here you will get all the information you need to find out what digital stations might be available to you.
Overall, I am very pleased with this unit and happy that I bought it. After reading the many negative reviews I was hesitant about it. Now I realize that much of the criticism probably came from slackers that did not put the proper time into setting the unit up. Hi-Def TV is the best. You got to see it to believe it. The best part is that there are no monthly charges and that more and more events/TV shows are being broadcast in Hi-Def. I can't wait to see Monday Night Football in Hi-Def!
Rating: 
Summary: WOW, saved some big bucks on a HDTV monitor!
Review: I wanted HDTV and not intererested in the $800 to $5000 monitor to view it. So I reviewed the Samsung SIR-T351 and found it on sale for $319. I noticed that it worked with a RGB Computer monitor. I have a Sony Multiscan 200SX, top of the line from 8 years ago sitting around from an old computer. I paid $200 buck or so for it. I decided to give it a try. WOW, HDTV with .25 pixels, and the cost of the monitor is, in today's prices, $100 bucks or so. I attached a $10 Computer stereo speaker system and I have sound. The picture is fantastic on my Computer monitor. I put it by my easy chair, with the Analog TV Sony attached to my Motorola 922 satellite reciever, watch local programs on my Computer monitor. There is no need to spend big bucks for the HDTV montitor. Just buy the receiver, attach an old computer monitor, like my Sony and you can enjoy HDTV without the big bucks of the HDTV monitor. I plan to buy a Monitor, when they come down in price, but in the meantime, I can enjoy HDTV on my 17 inch computer monitor by Sony with stereo.
By the way, with the monitor four feet from my easy chair, it has as big a screen as my 36 inch at 15 feet. I am using a pair of rabbit ears from a 26 year old TV to receive HDTV off the air. Good signal.
I recommend this unit.
Don't spend the big bucks for a new HDTV monitor, the Sony Multiscan 200SX for $100 bucks will give you a great picture or some monitor like it. I cannot believe the detail of HDTV especially on the tonite show and PBS nature programs. You don't need the giant screen to enjoy HDTV.
Rating:
Summary: Quite cool
Review: I'd like to add some details about this tuner:you can hook this tuner to a regular NTSC, non-HD TV and get TV pictures that is as good as DVD. Also you can hook it up to a computer monitor too... of course, you need to hook up the audio to separate speakers that way. i asked about six different stores about whether it can be hooked up to a regular non-HD TV. Half of the stores said yes. Half said no. Some of them just said, no-no-no, you must hook it up to HDTV. And I had to explain to them all I want is to watch the 5 channels of PBS in super sharp quality on a regular TV. And they said it like they are reading from some education of HDTV material: no no no, you need to have an HD TV. So I bought the tuner anyways, and sure enough, I don't need an HD TV to watch HD channels. The picture is super sharp. It blows me away. only thing is... at night, I get a lot more channels, like 20 of them. When it is near 7:20am, the channels would go away one by one... I tried the Terk TV50 antenna as well as the Gemini ZHDTV1 antenna, and they are the same. [update: I found that the Sutro Tower in San Francisco has earthquake upgrade work going on Monday - Saturday 7am to 5:30pm, so that's why a lot of the signal is gone during that time] also with this tuner, if I watch some channels which are in Letterbox format, then the top and bottom have a bar region that is gray... why isn't it all black? if it is gray for a long time, it will burn the screen in. it feels a bit slow to change channel. it takes close to three seconds before any image is displayed. also you can't choose channel 9-5 right away. You need to change to 9-1 first and then press the channel up button four times. If you add it to the Favorite Channels, then it helps. the user manual feels like a "reference manual". The beginner guide should be: change the two switches at the back of the machine until you can see the on screen menu when you press menu on the remote. Then, don't worry about checking the signal strength. Go straight to "Channels -> Memorize Channels" to scan all the channels to catch all the channels available. Of course, hook up the antenna first.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheapest for a Reason
Review: I've had good experience with Samsung in the past, but don't go for this unit unless you already have a near-perfect analog signal. I'm 2 miles from the broadcast stations in Chicago, but in an apartment. I would get 8 out of 10 bars in signal strength, but the unit would have to keep honing in on the signal so the signal strength bars would 'flicker' and as a result audio and pixilated picture would constantly come in and out despite all amplification attempts. I now get shadows with my analog set up, so my guess is that the reflecting in my indoor signal is causing both the analog shadowing as well as the transient at best HD picture and sound through this unit. I believe it's an issue with the processor not being able to re-adjust quickly enough and filter down the signal it needs just right. I also must reiterate the issue that you can not view the menu in 1080i through the DVI and this unit does NOT come with a DVI cable so expect to shell out another $100 for one. If you have a roof antenna, then then this may be the unit for you, but I'll try out the 4th generation Samsung TS360 and hopefully it will be able to lock onto my bouncing but strong signal - plus it comes with a DVI cable. I still applaud Samsung for leading the way in driving down the price of these suckers & releasing the better technology with better consumer end-user specs before everybody else.
Rating: 
Summary: dead out of the box
Review: It's hard to review a product that you could not get to function out of the box. Plugged in, attached antenna (good one, outdoor on rotor) yet no reception (no green light) and no output at all through my Sony XBR's DVI connector.
Disconnected the Samsung, reconnected aerial to TV, normal reception was fine. Note...this was a display unit, came with a remote that was not the correct remote for this unit. (salesperson error at Best Buy). My sense is the sales folks still don't have much knowledge about HDTV and especially terrestrial HDTV reception. Samsung....it would be nice if the product would at least function out of box. Then I could evaluate performance.
Rating:
Summary: Dead on Arrival
Review: Like others reviews, I got a new unit that had no signal strength even though I have a roof mounted, $100 antenna that works great for analog and other HD receivers.
I'm going on 3 weeks now waiting for repair/replace. Not Good.
Clearly this model has issues.
Rating:
Summary: likely defective
Review: picked one up at a local store. Same price as Internet. Tv could see box but samsung couldn't see antenna signal. Tried many times but it just kept saying no signal. Put coax to TV - works fine. Put coax to unit - no signal. You need a signal to even get it to tune to a channel so there was no way to manually look at a specific channel to see what might be of issue. It showed that it added channels that don't exist locally but they weren't in the channel menu afterwards. I took it back. Like everything Samsung I've ever had, quality is questionable in my opinion. $350 is a lot of money to spend on something that is dead out of the box. I am highly disappointed because most of the retailers here carry that unit or nothing for over the air broadcast - that or you subscribe to direct-tv which at $600 per year is too steep for my bank account. (In my lifetime that will be about $30,000 to watch TV assuming prices stay constant. Way too expensive.)
Rating:
Summary: Samsung quality control is BAD
Review: Purchased 1 unit, went though 9 of them before returning it for good. All of them would power up, menu worked, but could not recieve any signal with a $50 antenna. Samsung asked to send the unit in for repair...but why would I do that since it doesnt work new out of the box. I did not have any luck with this unit. My LG electronics one works great with full signal strength.
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