Queue up for a digital set top box coupon for CT-100, etc...

[matt_s78mn]

Originally Posted by Pete Deksnis

Also, for my second box I've been searching for one with S-video out to feed my mid-nineties CTC-169. Only a Channel Master shows up on Google, but the company apparently hasn't yet placed it on the market. Anyone hear otherwise?

Pete

As far as I know, the coupon eligible boxes are only allowed to have composite video and RF outputs. If you want s-video, component, HDMI, digital audio, etc. etc. you should look at the higher-end set top boxes. (there is a Samsung that is available at Best Buy.) I use a DigitalStream HD3150Plus for my home-theater setup and it works extremely well. I use its s-video, component, and coaxial digital audio output. Yes, it's a bit more money than the coupon boxes are, but it's much more versatile outputs, has a better program guide, etc.

Here's a link for more info on the DigitalStream STB http://www.dstreamtech.com/english/p...ail.asp?idx=27

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by Pete Deksnis

a Channel Master shows up on Google, but the company apparently hasn't yet placed it on the market. Anyone hear otherwise?

Pete-

I saw a Channel Master ATSC tuner at Fry's Electronics here tonight, but I didn't look at it closely. It was priced at $80, though, versus $60 for the Zeniths I already bought.

[Fred Sanford]

Requested my cards 01/02/08, got them yesterday with an expiration of 06/06/08.

I'll probably buy one & check it out, then wait a bit to see what's on the market. My first one will feed a TiVo/DVD-R that then distributes throughout the house, anyway. Second one will just feed another TiVo. Our Living Room & Office have digital TVs already.

je

[kbmuri]

You can guarantee you will keep your coupon, by buying a converter box online. Example:

http://search.solidsignal.com/?site=...+Converter+Box

You can enter the coupon code directly at checkout. I ordered one of the Philco units just to compare and contrast makes (and to put on my Philco 50T when it's ready). Would like a Zenith too (for the Zenith Roundie), but haven't found one locally yet.

[jstout66]

I purchased 2 boxes. 1 Digital Stream at Radio Shack, which was priced at 59.95 (and why does going into a Radio Shack now leave a bad taste in my mouth? IDIOTS working there and everything is OVERPRICED) and a Magnavox box at Wal Mart priced at 48.95.
I think the Digital Stream box appears to be of higher quality. I hooked it up to my CTC-16 in the basement and am able to pull in MANY channels with no problem. Before I could only get in 1 channel clearly and the other 3 had snow. Gave the Magnavox box to a friend who does use rabbit ears and could only pick up 2 channels. He gets them ALL in now, but 1 channel does have "freeze up" problems. All in all, I would say I love the boxes. Both work well, but for personal choice I will NOT be getting another Magnavox/Funai.

[andy]

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[kx250rider]

Radio Shack is listed on the coupon sheets here, but at TWO Radio Shack stores I visited, the numb-nuts Iranian teen boys didn't even know what I was talking about, and when I showed the sheet, one guy said it looked like a mistake because "Radio Shack doesn't sell non-digital TV sets."... That did it: Radio Shack, after 30 years of my business, is officially on my S-list.

Charles

[jpdylon]

Charles,

I'd head over to best buy. They should have alot of converters in stock. They were playing a loop video describing how you needed one for the change over in 2009.

I've been using one of their insignia boxes and I have to say its a pretty decent thing. I bought another as a spare just for the helluva it.

[kx250rider]

I looked at the Insignia at Best Buy, but it's the same LG-built unit as the Zenith... I bought one each of the Zenith ($59 Circuit City) and the RCA ($49 WalMart), so I'll fool around with them when I get a chance and see which is the better deal...

Charles

[RCAkid]

Got my DTV converters today!!!

There weren't many to choose from here in Oklahoma City. I saw a Magnavox at Wal-Mart but there were none in stock. They did have the RCA boxes so I picked up two of those.

I had hoped to get the Zenith branded boxes so I went over to Best Buy but all they had were the Insignia branded boxes....but I don't know, maybe I am silly, stupid, whatever...but just didn't want that name on my stuff.

It was funny, they had to get the store manager to run the transaction on the boxes. She said I was the first one to use the coupons for the boxes and the cashier had no clue what they were for. She asked though and I educated her.

They did give me back my coupon cards...so I will put em in a frame for posterity along with the sheet they came stuck on.

But, now I am ready for the dreaded analog cutoff of '09.

Roy

[markthefixer]

Ok, I finally got my coupons a few days ago, and after Jury Duty yesterday I picked up a digital stream converter from Radio Shack...

Since I already have some repaired Panasonic dvd recoders - dmr-ez27, this will be a review of the digital stream box instead of an entire DTV critique.

First the box does not pass antenna signals through to the output connector, even with power off and the rf modulator off, the modulator can be turned on and off by menu. The channel selection on the box is smoother and faster than the dvd recorder, and channel lockup is faster too (surfing anybody??). Setup was a breeze and most of the factory defaults are spot on. The remote training worked great (hold down a button and press another to sequence through the recognized tv list until the tv shuts off) and gives on/off and volume for the tv set, as well as internal 20 step volume control of the box output (to rf OR the rca plugs).

It was fun to see the channel search going, as it displayed an ongoing list of the traditional tv channel 2-69(?) and what the num-num designation of the multicast signals it found on that channel. It ignored analog channels, as it should.

The convienence features of channel selection work nicely on the remote (or inside the box?). prev favorite etc... 2 will default to 2.1 etc...

The aspect ratio stuff was left at factory default, and was great. The "worst" I have gotten was the single top and bottom letterboxing, as contrasted with the dvd recorder and the chaotic letterboxing IT does...

The detractions: minor...

The remote is very light and has 4 dimples or feet on the botton and if the buttons on the edge like volume up/down or channel up/down are pressed the remote sitting on a flat surface, the remote tilts up using the feet as a furclum and can scoot away like a watermelon seed. 30 seconds with a box cutter solved THAT by removing the "feet"...

There is a stray magnetic field present even when the box is "turned off" that was noticible as a red color blob on the blue screen the tv displays when there isn't a usable signal coming in. So the converter shouldn't be set right on top of a modern set without a lot of space between the top of the tube and the top of the set. I'm looking for a sheet of mu-metal for mine...

The remote forgets the tv type when the batteries are removed... no 30 second grace period that I could find
edit: wrong, there is a capacitor that holds a charge, but the battery terminals are hot and I must have accidentially shorted them, later I wanted to change the set type and start over from scratch and I had to short out the two lower battery contacts to clear/reset the remote.

All in all this box is much easier to use, more fun and less aggravating than using the panasonic dvd recorder as an atsc digital tuner front end, and I may just change over to more of these converters for viewing as opposed to recording OTA. Just feed it into your vcr to record and there's no worry about any digital copy protection (on the dvd recorder, IF certain copy protect bits are set in a particular program, then the dvd recorder will record them ONLY if DVD-RAM media is used) and the vhs playback is great with the strong clean signal the box provides... no HINT of any analog copy protection like macrovision or whatever coming OUT of the converter..... (so far)

Of course, for unattended recording the converter is stuck on one channel, until somebody comes up with a solution to change the channel.

[Phil Nelson]

I have read complaints that the sound level from the Zenith/Insignia box is so low as to be almost unusable with older TVs. Setting its sound to mono seems to improve the problem, but not a lot.

I'd be interested to hear how different boxes compare in this respect. My only use for a box would be for my 1940s TVs, so performance reports with new TVs are not helpful.

Phil Nelson

[kbmuri]

The Philco and Magnavox units are mostly identical. The Magnavox has a power switch. The cases are different colors (Philco is white, Mx is black).




These two do not seem to have the low-audio/intercarrier-buzz problem that the Zenith/Insignia units have. I think the Digitalstream also has low audio, not quite as bad, but bad enough. These two have good audio. Also they pass-thru the antenna feed when not in use. Only drawback is the remotes aren't programmable for the TV, and they do not adjust volume internally (you have to use the TV set's remote for those functions -- not an issue on a '40s roundie though!).

So for your new set, for general use, the Zenith/Insignia is best. The menus are cool, the remotes program, and the boxes have internal volume control.

For your ancient roundies, Magnavox/Philco is the way to go.

I still don't have an RCA, so the jury's still out on that one. Anybody having low-audio/buzz problems with it? What are its pros and cons?

[Phil Nelson]

My coupons finally arrived (two months after applying on the website). I went to Wal-Mart looking for a Magnavox, but they only had RCAs, which looked so cheesy that I passed.

At Circuit City I bought a Zenith DTT900. I initially tested it with a 1980s solid state color TV and was quite impressed. Setup is a snap; it found about 20 channels.

This was using a Radio Shack amplified rabbit ear antenna. In this neighborhood, everybody has satellite TV. Analog reception on rabbit ears is marginal: only a few stations, lots of fiddling with the antenna, and reception is often degraded if you walk within a few feet of the antenna.

Using the DTV box, reception was dramatically improved in every way. Video and audio are excellent -- and look at all those new channels.

I next moved to the room where my RCA 630TS lives and hooked it up. Again, dramatic improvement over what you could get with naked rabbit ears. I have never seen this kind of performance from my 630, apart from playing a DVD.

I had heard other reports about low audio volume with the Zenith/Insignia boxes, but that does not seem to be a problem here.

I did switch the audio to mono using the menu, and turned up the box volume all the way. With those settings, I get good volume and excellent fidelity with the 630's volume control turned up one-third to halfway at most. That's higher than I would turn it using analog rabbit ears, but there is still plenty of "headroom" if you want to turn it to get blasting volume (& eventually distortion).

The converter turns my beloved 630 into a practical daily watcher, as opposed to a novelty that you demo for occasional visitors. You can basically sit back and change channels with the remote. I need to get out of the habit of darting up to fiddle with the picture control, fine tuning, etc., for every channel change.

A few of the channels discovered during the initial setup with a modern TV were not watchable on the 630 (freezing or blanking out). Again, these TVs are located in parts of the house and this is a marginal reception area, so that may be understandable.

A good initial experience, in short.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

FYI - My 2 coupons arrived today after a mere 4-5 week wait and are valid through July 16th. Now to go look-see what's in the stores...