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Rayvyn007
Member
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Location: United States
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I need some help in finding the right digital converter box. I recently got my two $40 vouchers for my converter and there is a list...
https://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm
Now I don't know which one of these boxes are getting. I don't want to go too far above the $40. No more than $15 more. Does anyone have any reviews of these boxes? I need to find out which are good because the coupons are only valid for 90 days and I'm getting close to that. Thanks for any help in adavance
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mysts
Member
Joined: 18 Jul 2002
Location: United States
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I got mine at Walmart($49.00) and found it to be ok. It is easy to setup and use. It is a Magnavox TB100MW9 and your cost should somewhere aroung $13.00 which includes tax. I do recommend it. Good luck.
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Squash
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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There are a lot of user comparisons and experiences of the available boxes in several threads over at AVSforum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=25
I just picked up the RCA model at Walmart last night but haven't hooked it up yet. I'm waiting for awhile to apply for my second coupon until some more models roll out later this year. Most of the ones now available seem to have some sort of weakness which may or may not concern you. You will find them talked to death over at AVSF.
They're often referred to in the threads as CECBs (couon-eligible converter boxes).
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samijubal
Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2004
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Paid a little more and got the Zenith from CC, $20 +tax with the coupon, don't trust anything Philips or RCA, works good and doesn't get hot, easy to set up.
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redwudz
Mod Neophyte
Joined: 07 Sep 2002
Location: AZ, USA
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I think the Zenith is better rated. I got a 'Digital Stream' for $60US before rebate from Radio Shack, but I haven't tried it yet.
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edDV
Member
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
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I've seen some models in stores that lack an S-Video connector. I'd avoid those.
I'd also seek a model with digital audio out.
This class of ATSC tuner has SD out only. Those wanting HD out (analog component or HDMI) need to up the $$. The coupons only apply only to SD out models.
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Squash
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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Rayvyn007
Member
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Location: United States
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Thanks for the help guys. I'm gonna check all those sites out. Why did they have to put a 90-day time limit on this? I guess they figure some people will miss the deadline so they don't actually have to pay up.
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samijubal
Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2004
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I wondered about the 90 days too. Echostar is supposed to release a box for $40, free with coupon, in mid June. It supposedly will have timers for recording. My coupons will already be expired.
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redwudz
Mod Neophyte
Joined: 07 Sep 2002
Location: AZ, USA
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From what I read, they have to appropriate the money for the rebates. They can't easily get more unless they can show that the money has been spent..or not.The 90 day limit closes out the books to help set up the next appropriation.
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arcthered
Member
Joined: 15 May 2008
Location: United States
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cal_tony
Member
Joined: 14 Jun 2004
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I got the RCA DTA 800 from Walmart for $ 49.00. I like it but it has its peculiar problems. On one of the stations that is in the fringe area, and only that station, a loss of signal might cause the device to loose either sound or video. So far, the only way I have found to reestablish proper functioning is to shut it off and turn it back on.
The unit has a signal strength meter has provisions for a smart antenna and it is very small and can be set up horizontally or vertically. The remote works well and has provisions for selecting your TV.
Finally, and unexpectedly, it does hold a signal better than either of my HD TVs.
Tony
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Squash
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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@cal_tony,
A DTA 800 owner says on avsforum that you can get the audio to come back on without re-starting:
"A quick fix without having to turn the box off is to enter the main menu and then exit and then the sound should return."
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13620174#post13620174
Doesn't mention any video dropout problems, though.
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tweetyboop
Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Location: United States
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I've recently purchased a Insignia converter box from Wal-Mart and it didn't work well, the audio sometimes goes off, you need to reset the box. Then I purchased a Sansonic converter box, $54.99. It works great! Great video picture quality & audio sound. I recommended to everyone. You can go to www.sansonic.net to find a retailer nearest you. I live in California, & got it from R1M3 in Whitter.
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samijubal
Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2004
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You didn't get an Insignia, the same as Zenith, from Wal Mart. Insignia is BBs brand.
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handyguy
Member
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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Sling has a new box out, free after coupon:
A joint venture between sling media and echostar, the tr-40 over-the-air, digital-to-analog converter allows analog tvs to receive digital over-the-air broadcasts and comes with an onscreen setup wizard for easy installation. Other features include up to a seven-day electronic programming guide (epg), program search, parental locks and vcr auto-tune timers.
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Scooter_NJ
Member
Joined: 03 Apr 2002
Location: New Jersey
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I looked for specs, i.e. formats/outputs/etc., but couldn't find any.
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samijubal
Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2004
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Are you sure it's been released? Last I heard it wasn't supposed to come out until mid June.
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handyguy
Member
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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It's OOS, so yes, you're right, they are probably just putting it on the web site & get orders & then it comes out sometime soon & ship....
SLING MEDIA 159365 DIGITAL TO ANALOG CONVERTER WITH BUILT-IN DIGITAL TUNER AND PASS THROUGH CAPABILITY
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Shytimberwolf
Member
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Location: United States
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We bought 2 Zenith Dtv Converter Boxes at radio shack .... Now I'm wondering how to rest the boxes....
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usually_quiet
Member
Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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An update: The Echostar TR-40 won't be out for some time, although it is still supposed to be priced at about $40.00. DISH Network's version of this product, the DTVPAL, is scheduled to be available for sale the week of June 23, but the MSRP has gone up to $60.00.
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usually_quiet
Member
Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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Dish Network began accepting orders for the DTVPal as of this morning. My coupons arrived earlier this week, and I decided to use one for this converter box. With a coupon applied, my cost with shipping and tax came to $33.77. It will ship in 7-10 days.
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samijubal
Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2004
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What's the difference between the two?
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usually_quiet
Member
Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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There is little reliable infomation available about the TR-40 at the moment, really just that it is still going to be released. I am also waiting to hear something more about TR-50 DVR, which will not be coupon-elegible since it records.
As far as rumors go, the TR-40 is supposedly awaiting certification from Uncle Sam, and the software would provide fewer features than the DTVPal. I'm sure there must be some hardware differences though, or the price difference would be smaller. I would be very surprised if they kept the price at $40, since most CECB's seem to be in the $50-$70 range before the coupon is applied. We all know that two weeks before making it available for sale, the MSRP for the DTVPal was unexpectedly increased by $20, leaving a couple of online retailers who had accepted pre-orders in an awkward situation.
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usually_quiet
Member
Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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There is something important which I forgot to mention regarding ordering direct from Dish Network -- All sales are final. The fact that they are not standing behind their product is somewhat worrisome, but it suited my needs better than any other CECB, and reviews have been favorable, so I decided to take a chance.
Since I ordered, I found there are a few other retailers selling the DVTPal, and I could have saved a few dollars at a couple of them had I been a little more patient. I located a post in the AVS Forum where somebody was keeping track of other sources: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1022201
Last edited by usually_quiet on Jun 28, 2008 12:16, edited 2 times in total
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yoda313
POLLSTER
Joined: 15 Jun 2004
Location: the real world
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Just my two cents - The Insignia converter box is quite excellent.
I finally got the other week and checked out some reviews at Target.com. The ge and zenith were so so and the Venturer model had mixed reviews also. I was suprised to see mutliple reviews praising the insignia model at a different website from bestbuy's. Even Bestbuy's website had mostly 4 or 5 star ratings for it. Hardly any negatives.
I got it for 60 then the 40 coupon. I think it was 23 out of pocket with tax. Not bad. The setup was simple and easy. I am using it on a small 10" tv that is not hooked up to my comcast cable. I like it a lot.
It has a nice auto crop feature to get rid of the letterbox since its a square tv. The picture is great with a powered, non hdtv antenna. Unfortunately the unpowered one I was using before didn't have enough signal strength so I had plenty of signal breakup. I plugged in the power one and it cleared up great.
Now channels that were fuzzy at best are crystal clear. I haven't seen any downside to the unit. It's small form and black color are attractive and it is a flat surface, no fancy designs like that one I saw that was wavy.
So I'd definitely recommend the insignia brand one that is offered at Best Buy.
By the way it has coax in and out AND rca audio/video out. No svideo out but it at least has audio/video out for a little extra compatibillity.
_________________
Live long and prosper - and rock on dude!!!!
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samijubal
Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2004
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Insignia and Zenith are the exact same boxes manufactered by LG.
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usually_quiet
Member
Joined: 14 Aug 2006
Location: United States
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The DTVPal that I ordered on June 26th from Dish Network arrived yesterday. I also received a statement for my order as a separate mailing, which was at first disconcerting because they sent mostly the same paperwork as one wouild receive for a Dish Network subscription order. One must read carefully to tell that it is just an invoice for a DTVPal.
The DTVPal is very small, about the same size as a pocket-sized paperback book. It comes with a remote, screw-on coaxial cable, 2 AAA batteries for the remote, and manual. There are no control buttons or on/off switch on the DTVPal, so one must have a remote to use it. The remote can only control volume, and the functions of the DTVPal itself. One still needs the TV remote to control the TV.
I took a little time to play with my new toy last night, and it has met almost all my expectaions so far. Basic setup was quick and painless. I found it reasonably easy to use, but I suspect my elderly parents would probably find it overly complicated because of the number of menus/menu options, and buttons on the rather small remote.
I can't compare the picture to the one from any other converter box, but it is the sharpest I have ever seen on either the 13" or 20" analog TV's that I used to test it. There are a couple of distant/low powered digital stations that I can't tune in using my indoor antennas, but these were also almost unwatchable in analog. There are 3 picture options. Normal (unmodified), Full (Squeezes 16x9 to fill a 4x3 screen), and Zoom (fills 4:3 screen using the center of the picture).
If one has a G-Link cable, it can be used with devices that have TVGOS, but I don't have anything that I can use to test that feature.
There is a timer allowing up to 5 programmed events, for those who want their TV tuned to various shows at specific times during the day, or who want to use this box with an analog recording device. The choices are Once, Daily, Weekly, or M-F, for 1 to 999 minutes. It can't be used to turn on a TV or recording device, so one must synchronize the timers for both devices. The DTVPal turns itself on a couple of minutes ahead of time and displays a countdown for timer events, if it has previously been off. If it is already on (for events that follow one another) it simply changes channels. I found a possible bug: When I turned off the DTVPal during a timer event, it did not turn itself on for the next event, though the event was still active.
The DTVPal can be set up to turn itself off after a specified period of inactivity. The default is 4 hours.
It has a good program guide, which can be used to set timers by selecting individual shows. New guide information is downloaded each time the unit is turned on. In my area the guide covers between 24 and 36 hours, for the most part, depending on the channel. However, I believe it would be capable of covering several additional days, if the information were available. One can seach the guide, by title, category, or both.
There is an analog pass-though button on the remote that gives a 9-second delay to allow the chance to cancel it. This seems to work well, though there will only be one low-powered analog station left to watch after the switch. Analog signals also go through with the DTVPal turned off, though perhaps not as clearly. It is hard for me to tell because my reception for analog varies so much.
It has a lot of options for displaying digital closed caption. I have not had a chance to go through all of them yet, though they seem as complete as one could ask for, except that there is no way to change where they appear on the screen. Also, there are times when they don't entirely erase text from earlier dialog.
I haven't tested the SAP, or parental lock features yet, since I don't use them, but they are available.
[edit] I set the timer for 15 minutes last night, and the DTVPal came on, but didn't shut itself off. I will have to do more tests. This may be another bug, since it accepts any time one enters, from 1 minute to 999 minutes. Timer events lasting 30 minutes or 60 minutes were handled correctly It turns out these timer events were not handled as I thought after all. The inactivity monitor apparently turned off the DTVPal instead of the timer. The timer turns on the DTVPal, and changes channels automatically, but does not shut it off. This is a bit of a disappointment, since I expected the timer be like | |
