Re: In Move to Digital TV, Confusion Is in the Air [Telecom]

tlvp <PmUiRsGcE.TtHlEvSpE@xxxxxxx> wrote in
news:op.umwqc7jbwqrt3j@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

[ ... ]
In this connection, may I solicit your advice as to
which digital converter boxes to avoid, which to seek out,
what sales outlets to seek them at, and what net prices might
resemble?

My two $40 coupons *should* be entering the mails January 2 :-) .

Thanks, -- tlvp

***** Moderator's Note *****

I'm not qualified to recommend a particular box, but Consumers Union
did tests a few months back, so your local library will have their
recommendations in an issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

The online version of the report is at -

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/tvs-services/d
igital-tv-converter/overview/dtv-converter-box-guide.htm

... but I think you have to be an online subscriber to read the actual
product ratings. The site, however, has a lot of links and a video
explaining the various options, so it's worth a look if you're in the
market.

IIRC, my zenith box was about $65. BTW, if you'd like a bigger analog
TV to go with it, people around here are giving them away as they buy
digital sets: in my area, Craigslist and FreeCycle have at least one
per week, and the recycle bin at my local drop-off center is filled to
the brim.

Bill Horne
Temporary Moderator



There's a chart on Wikipedia (sorry, too lazy to look for it myself) that
compares features. I bought in the Spring, and from the feature list, I
bought an Insignia (Best Buy house brand) NX-DXA1, which seems to be a
re-labeled Zenith unit. Best Buy discontinued that one, and has a new one
from a different manufacturer that I looked into but didn't like the
features of. The one thing that's lacking is analog pass-through,
something that a later updated model from Zenith has.

When I looked $59.99 seemed to be the going pre-coupon price point, give
or take a buck or two. Frankly, I think the manufacturers' research
determined that the market could bear a $20.00 price and aimed for that,
then added the $40.00 coupon value to their prices as pure excess
windfall profit. (What's worse is that it's $40.00 going to the Far East,
not staying in the US.) Lately, I think I've seen some a bit closer to
$40.00, but none actually as low as $40.00. Since I have my two, I
haven't been following them all that closely. Also keep in mind that if
your state levies a sales tax, that tax may be due on the full pre-coupon
price (at least in NJ, that's the way it works, your mileage may vary).

Features I like in my Insignia/Zenith:

- Remote has an extra button that can be programmed to send the power
on/off code for many TVs so you don't need a separate remote.
- Converter box has volume adjustment that is remotely controlled.
- Signal strength meter
- Baseband A/V output (Yellow video, red/white right/left audio RCA
plugs) as well as broadcast channel 3/4 output

Misfeatures/missing features:

- Analog passthrough - I get poor reception on some channels, I wish I
could just hit a button to re-wire the box out of the connection and tune
the TV to the analog channel. (Also, some people live in areas where low-
power TV stations broadcast -- LPTV is not required to go digital yet.)
- Audible signal strength indication is through TV speaker, not through a
sounder built into the box.
- Audible signal strength indicator doesn't kick in until there is
considerable signal strength. It works OK when trying to fine-tune your
aim, but not for trying to locate or sweep for a station.
- Would like to see a BER (bit error rate) guage as well. You may have
lots of signal, but if it's all multipath, it's not receivable, which
would show up as high strength but high BER.
- The remodulator for channel 3/4 produces very noisy audio. One almost
has to leave the box set for full volume and use the TV volume control to
adjust volume, which defeats the purpose of having a converter box volume
control at all. OTOH, baseband analog audio is very noise-free
- (minor nit) - Since the front panel has power and channel up/down
switches, it would be nice to have volume up/down as well.

Some commentators complain the the most sophisticated output is composite
video + stereo audio, whereas they'd like S-video. Sorry, folks, but the
powers that be deemed S-video an advanced feature that made the box
ineligible for the coupon program.
--
Rich Wurth / rwurth@xxxxxxx / Rumson, NJ

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