Cogs can think.

I’ve been wanting this thing for a while now, and yesterday I decided to take the plunge and buy it: the Samsung DCB-H360R high-definition digital cable decoder - in black, of course.

It allows me to watch digital TV in HD (well, 1080i anyway), while also upscaling SD content. Image quality has certainly gone up on my Vizio 32″ HDTV, and the HD demo channel looks just absolutely stunning. HD is so damn vivid, it makes me wonder why not everyone is switching over. I immediately ordered the high-definition package over the internet (which gets you Discovery HD, National Geographic HD, and a few others) and I’m eager to see those channels unlocked.

I’m quite happy with the device - easy to set up, easy to use, and good-looking too. The only downside is that it only has 5.1 audio via digital (optical) audio out, or via the HDMI port. I would have preferred the option to have 5.1 output in the analog way, since my 5.1 Sony receiver doesn’t have optical-in (don’t ask me). Yes, I know, I need a new receiver.

For 170 EUR, totally worth it.