Channel Master CM-7000

MSRP: $60 at Amazon.com

Introduction

With high hopes, the Channel Master CM-7000 was set up in the test station.  An initial glance at the remote looked promising as did the back of the box with its S-video output.  The package included the TV converter box, the remote with 2 batteries, and a high quality RG6 coax cable.  It would have been great to see an A/V cable but my assumption is that Channel Master was going for the lowest common denominator and trying to keep the price as low as possible.  The back of the box used for packaging had a great setup graphic and the manual was easy to understand.  Oddly, the online user manual was more comprehensive than the included manual, indicating that it had probably been updated following the printing of the packaged product.

Appearance – 4/5

This is the only silver tuner in the shootout and it was also the largest physical box, but only slightly larger than the Apex Digital tuner.  The front of the box features a small Power LED that is Amber when off and Green when on.  To the right of that, there was a power button and channel up and down buttons.  Lastly, there was a large black square which I had hoped to be a channel designation, but it was only the IR sensor.  It was either the most sensitive IR receiver, or the best remote emitter of the group. I could aim the remote almost anywhere in the room and have the tuner do my bidding.

Ports – 4/5

The Channel Master was the only box with the power cord on the left side.  So, from left to right, there was the hard-wired power cable, coax antenna in, coax TV out,  composite/stereo A/V jacks with an unused black RCA jack, S-video, then the CH3/4 switch. We actually tested the black RCA jack to see if was really a digital audio output, but to no avail.  A quick search on google revealed that this was its original intent by Channel Master but was disabled to comply with the governement coupon comaptibility rules.

Remote – 3/5

The Channel Master remote has a good layout for the most part, but there were a few problems.  One thing was that there are unused (but labeled) buttons that seem like they may be useful. They aren't. If you try the PageUp, PageDown, Text, or Option buttons they don't do anything. We know you'll still go ahead and try them, but trust us -they don't do anything.  As for useful functions, the D-pad is well placed and there is a Wide button for the aspect ratio, a Subtitle button for closed caption selection and Guide, Audio, Mute, Info and Audio buttons that do what they actually say.  I was disappointed that there wasn't a TV power button on the remote, as well.

Initial Setup – 3/5

Upon the first boot up of the CM-7000 the user is greeted with a Channel Master info page that quickly disappears and a black screen appears.  There was no walk-through at all for initial setup on the device itself.  The manual was very descriptive of each function, but it didn't specify exactly what to do and in what order for new users.  It's clear that more advanced users with find this device a bit easier to use than others.

Menu System – 5/5

This is where the Channel Master really starts to shine.  The main menu system has some nice icons and an easy to use layout.  There are a lot of options, so it may be intimidating for beginners, but the seasoned channel surfer will be right at home.  There are options for manually setting channels, favorite channels, rescanning channels, clock with auto & manual settings (and time zone), auto power down with optional warnings, an extensive CC setup, and rating controls for parents.  The menu is easy to read. In fact, even though it has a smaller font there was no flickering of the text at all.

Channel Information – 5/5

The info page for the current program is fantastic!  It showed the Channel number and call sign, the program title with time range and the current time, the full extended program description which could be scrolled through, the signal strength, the source signal of 480i/p, 720p, or 1080i, the language, the ratings, and finally if there is CC text available.  I was super impressed with the readability even though the font was a bit small.  This info page would be excellent on larger CRT televisions.

Program Guide – 5/5

It just kept getting better and better as I pulled up the guide.  This was the most extensive program guide of any box in the shootout.  Times and titles for the current channel were paired with a tab showing the full extended description.  The system allowed scrolling up and down to see about 12 hours in the future.  Left and right on the D-pad changed the channel to show all the upcoming programming on each.  I was very happy with this system and it would only have been better if it hadn't changed the channel until the enter button was pressed when scrolling through channels.  That seemed to be a very minor issue when compared to the amount of information that was easily displayed.

Signal Strength – 5/5

The low cost antenna revealed nearly 100% channel strength on all my channels.  The update was fast and occasionally it would drop down to 80% or so, but there was no skipping to be seen.  Only after switching to the amplified antenna did some skipping issues take place.  It seemed that the CM-7000 was very good at elimination of problems on its own and over-amplifying the signal actually made the signal strength drop and skip.  Turning the amp strength down once again restored the near 100% signal.

Picture Quality – 5/5

This box has the best picture quality of all the boxes in the shootout.  It seemed even just slightly sharper than the Apex Digital even though the S-video port was used on both.  The composite video output was also very good but S-video, as expected, showed enough improvement for me to insist users make that their default connection where possible.  On the CRT, both the color and resolution was good with no fringing problems or washout.  The LCD monitor also displayed exceptional video quality and all text in menus and the CC became perfectly crisp and clear.  This would certainly be the right tuner to use if a coupon certified box is needed for older digital HDTVs that lack built in tuners.

Sound Quality – 5/5

Sound output was also very good, and was at least the same, if not better, than the Insignia tuner.  Perhaps it was just that so many other things were working so well, but in either case we awarded it a 5/5.

Conclusion

The Channel Master truly lives up to its name.  Of course, the remote could use some work and the initial setup might be a little more than expected for new users, but it's worth it.  The CM-7000 is certainly worth waiting for when ordering on line.  S-video output with a rock solid picture and great tuning stability, an awesome guide and great onscreen info, and Channel Master hits the mark!

Overall – 4.5/5

Specifications

• Frequency Range:  54 to 864 MHz
• Input Impedance:  75 Ohm
• Input Connector:  F-Type, Female
• Channel Bandwidth:  6 MHz
• Input Dynamic Range:  -83 to -5 dBM / SNR - 15 dB
• Type:  8VSB / ATSC A/53 compliant
• Performance:  ATSC A/74 compliant
• Input Video Formats:  1080i, 720p, 480i, 480p
• Output Format:  480i
• Aspect Ratio:  4:3 / 16:9 with letter box pan and scan
• Composite Video:  RCA
• Component Video:  S-Video
• Audio - Left / Right:  RCA, Stereo
• Output RF Connector:  F-Type, Female
• Channel:  3 / 4, Selectable, Mono Audio
• Supply:  120 VAC / 60 Hz
• Consumption "ON" :  8 W
• Consumption "STANDBY":  2 W
• Auto-Sleep Mode:  4 hours after last remote control entry
• Dimensions (W x L x H):  22 x 16 x 4 cm / 8.7 x 6.3 x 1.6 in
• Weight:  0.9 kg / 2.0 lbs
• Operating Temperature:  0 to 60° C / 32 to 140° F
• Relative Humidity:  10 to 90% non-condensing