I have never seen this work good enough to spurge for.

why is this one item constantly being pimped? the prices are always about $38.

Exactly, what is so special about this item?

It is black

if you really want to improve your broadband service, you can pay more money, or look into removing the bandwidth cap on your router. (google is your friend)

Does not improve reception.

Bad reception at the source amplified = bad reception

In many states it is the responsibility of your cable provider to ensure quality reception. I dont see how this would improve broadband speed. If anything it would increase the SNR and actually lower your speed.

Useful if you're pirating broadband from your neighbor.

This does work well. Just install it where the cable comes in. Especially useful if you split the cable for different TVs.

Granted #9 as long as the soruce signal is clean to begin with. Like #6 stated.
Bad reception at the source amplified = bad reception

bought a philips branded coax amplifier a year ago and it did nothing. Frys used to sell them for 1/2 the price of this, but even at 50% off I think this is a waste of money.

This does help if you have a weak signal or many TV/cables running in the house.
If you have a crappy signal, crap in = crap out

This did solve my pixelation problem with some HD channels. Plus it's made by motorola, not some generic junk off ebay.

Time Warner installs a booster if you have at least 4 tv's and 1 digital box in your house..... at least that's what they installed for me.

Often the cable company is only responsible for achieving n.n signal level at the entrance to your residence, you own the cabling, connectors, anything they did not provide, and you are responsible for any problems arising from a low signal level.

That's what this booster is meant to improve, to keep the signal level high so the inevitable noise introduced remains a low %, high SNR.

Generally speaking, it should be installed before as many splitters as possible, or if your cabling allows for it, only a single split where one output goes straight to your cable modem and the other to the signal booster.

Unless you have more than two to three splitters inline before the receiving equipment, the more common cause of problems is poor quality splitters, or poor termination (cable connections).

Before attempting a DIY fix, if there is any question whether the cable line outside the residence is a problem (4 times out of 5, that is the problem if you're not using an excessive # of splitters, not your inside conditions as the weather takes it's toll over time), then have your cable co. send out a tech who can measure the signal quality at the junction of where their line stops and your (owned portion of) line starts.

As for this deal, seems like regular price. It's not hard to find for about $40 delivered, so take your time determining if you really need one.