Tue
Aug 26 2008
03:46 pm
Got my digital TV converter box
By: michael kaplan

Recently received my digital TV converter box. Ordered a $40 coupon from the Feds which took several weeks to receive. Then ordered the box from Radio Shack which cost me $25 additional and took a week to receive by mail. The setup was very easy. The rabbit ears plug into the box, then the box plugs into the tv through a video cable (yellow, red, white). The box does a channel search and automatically sets up an array of stations it can pull in. Everything works well (except channels 39.1 and 39.2) and the picture is gorgeous, about the quality of a DVD image. The tv automatically formats for what is being broadcast (standard format, 16:9 or 14:9). I'm now getting channels 6, 8.1, 8.2 (jewelry), 10.1, 10.2 (weather), 15.1, 15.2 (PBS), 43.1 and 43.2 (blank, for the moment). And it all comes across the airwaves, as it should. Free, almost.

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Andy Axel's picture

My TV has two antenna inputs

Submitted by Andy Axel on Thu, 2008/08/28 - 12:02am.

My TV has two antenna inputs and I'm only using one. Maybe I'll spring for this DTV converter for free-to-air broadcast...

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the distance between black & white is much further than i would like until now i never noticed that fascism has many disguises -d. boon, 1981

michael kaplan's picture

Thanks for the info. Sounds

Submitted by michael kaplan on Wed, 2008/08/27 - 5:42pm.

Thanks for the info. Sounds like your converter box is more sensitive than mine. Frankly, I'm satisfied as long as PBS comes in loud and clear. Wouldn't it be nice if there were broadcast versions of C-Span and Community TV for us public TV addicts?

mjw's picture

C-Span? Heck, yeah!

Submitted by mjw on Thu, 2008/08/28 - 12:00am.

At least now we have two PBS's. I like having the choice of programming on most nights. But, yes, Broadcast C-Span would be my dream. (Ok, so I'm an unredeemed political geek.)

Still, I'm glad analog PBS going off the air forced me to make a move on the converter box. The Olympics in digital quality was wonderful.

Anonymous's picture

Thanks. We've been curious

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2008/08/26 - 6:24pm.

Thanks. We've been curious about this - just the info we needed. :)

mjw's picture

Zenith DTT-901

Submitted by mjw on Tue, 2008/08/26 - 6:10pm.

I recommend walking in to Circuit City and walking out with a Zenith DTT-901 for the same price. They had scads in stock when I bought mine a couple of weeks ago. It rates better than average for picture and is one of the ones that is highly rated for signal sensitivity. Which can be a problem in our area with all the hills. I'm now getting channels: 6.1 (ABC), 7.1, 7.2 (syndicated stuff/lots of judges/same signal on both), 8.1 (CBS), 8.2 (jewelry and some syndicated shows), 10.1 (NBC), 10.2 (weather), 15.1, 15.2 (PBS, and not showing the same programming, BTW), 20.1 (CW), 43.1 (Fox), 43.2 (blank), 54.1 (ION), 54.2 (qubo/cartoons), 54.3 (IONLife, whatever that is), and 54.4 ("Worship", which seems to involve lots of music playing over pictures of trees, except on Sunday morning).

The guide facility is also nice. Once you've tuned in a channel, even for a split second, it can tell you whats playing on that channel and what's coming up next while you are watching something else.

It's probably worth picking up one box even if you have cable or satellite for when the cable/signal goes out if you don't already have an HDTV with a digital tuner.

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