Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
Home Repair (alt.home.repair) For all homeowners and DIYers with many experienced tradesmen. Solve your toughest home fix-it problems. |
Reply |
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of
them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate |
#2
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them
On Aug 28, 7:27*pm, N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... *do any of them stand above the rest of the field? *I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate |
#3
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
|
#4
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
N8N wrote:
So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate Hi, New LCD panels use less power compared to old CRT ones. |
#5
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Aug 28, 9:02 pm, Tony Hwang wrote:
N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate Hi, New LCD panels use less power compared to old CRT ones. I'm sure they do, but for all the TV I watch it is definitely not worth it. Was looking at new TVs today and even a "cheap" one is $400. Ain't happenin' when I have several perfectly good old ones. Yeah, it'd be nice to watch TV in HD but just to listen to the news/ weather while I get dressed in the AM? And my 53" projector in the basement is fine when there's something I actually want to watch on. No, it's not HD either, but for $200 off craigslist it beats the heck out of a couple kilobucks. I am sure I could save more money by insulating the upstairs. nate |
#6
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
Tony Hwang wrote:
N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate Hi, New LCD panels use less power compared to old CRT ones. And the payback period for a $500 27" generic flat panel that replaces a working-fine 27" glass Sony Trinitron is how long, exactly? Make the math easy- figure 4 hours on-time per day. -- aem sends... |
#7
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
"N8N" wrote in message ... So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. I got the one from radio shack. digital stream. analog passthrough. works great. |
#8
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus:
wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). -- "In 1964 Barry Goldwater declared: 'Elect me president, and I will bomb the cities of Vietnam, defoliate the jungles, herd the population into concentration camps and turn the country into a wasteland.' But Lyndon Johnson said: 'No! No! No! Don't you dare do that. Let ME do it.'" - Characterization (paraphrased) of the 1964 Goldwater/Johnson presidential race by Professor Irwin Corey, "The World's Foremost Authority". |
#9
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks, I got the sheet somewhere, too, just nice to have confirmation from someone it seems to be a decent box... I got the coupons but ain't done nuttin' w/ 'em as yet... I'm expecting when the switchover comes to have nothing anyway as suspect the signal strength will be too low at the far fringe area we're in. I guess at that point I'll just be back to the 50s again...sometimes "progress" ain't alto I guess there's always the possibility of being surprised... -- |
#10
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
dpb wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote: On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks, I got the sheet somewhere, too, just nice to have confirmation from someone it seems to be a decent box... I got the coupons but ain't done nuttin' w/ 'em as yet... I'm expecting when the switchover comes to have nothing anyway as suspect the signal strength will be too low at the far fringe area we're in. I guess at that point I'll just be back to the 50s again...sometimes "progress" ain't alto I guess there's always the possibility of being surprised... -- Hang an antenna from a tethered balloon, and just crank out the rope when you want to watch TV? -- aem sends... |
#11
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
N8N wrote:
On Aug 28, 9:02 pm, Tony Hwang wrote: N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate Hi, New LCD panels use less power compared to old CRT ones. I'm sure they do, but for all the TV I watch it is definitely not worth it. Was looking at new TVs today and even a "cheap" one is $400. Ain't happenin' when I have several perfectly good old ones. Yeah, it'd be nice to watch TV in HD but just to listen to the news/ weather while I get dressed in the AM? And my 53" projector in the basement is fine when there's something I actually want to watch on. No, it's not HD either, but for $200 off craigslist it beats the heck out of a couple kilobucks. I am sure I could save more money by insulating the upstairs. nate Yup, When projector lamp goes it's not xheap either. LCD panel has back lighting lamp as well. By the time you saved enough there'll be better panels out. Currently 1080P Plasma or 1080P 120Hz LCD panel and organic LED TV are at the top. All pricy. |
#12
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
dpb wrote:
David Nebenzahl wrote: On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks, I got the sheet somewhere, too, just nice to have confirmation from someone it seems to be a decent box... I got the coupons but ain't done nuttin' w/ 'em as yet... I'm expecting when the switchover comes to have nothing anyway as suspect the signal strength will be too low at the far fringe area we're in. I guess at that point I'll just be back to the 50s again...sometimes "progress" ain't alto I guess there's always the possibility of being surprised... To locate your stations and their signal strength, go to http://tvfool.com , click on Signal Locater, and plug in your ZIP code. Shows the stations before and after switchover. |
#13
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
Leroy wrote:
dpb wrote: David Nebenzahl wrote: On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks, I got the sheet somewhere, too, just nice to have confirmation from someone it seems to be a decent box... I got the coupons but ain't done nuttin' w/ 'em as yet... I'm expecting when the switchover comes to have nothing anyway as suspect the signal strength will be too low at the far fringe area we're in. I guess at that point I'll just be back to the 50s again...sometimes "progress" ain't alto I guess there's always the possibility of being surprised... To locate your stations and their signal strength, go to http://tvfool.com , click on Signal Locater, and plug in your ZIP code. Shows the stations before and after switchover. I know _where_ they are; they're not building anything new. The stations say they don't know if signal strength will be sufficient or not and they have no plans to do anything about outlying areas if it isn't when asked. -- |
#14
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
"Leroy" wrote in
: dpb wrote: David Nebenzahl wrote: On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks, I got the sheet somewhere, too, just nice to have confirmation from someone it seems to be a decent box... I got the coupons but ain't done nuttin' w/ 'em as yet... I'm expecting when the switchover comes to have nothing anyway as suspect the signal strength will be too low at the far fringe area we're in. I guess at that point I'll just be back to the 50s again...sometimes "progress" ain't alto I guess there's always the possibility of being surprised... To locate your stations and their signal strength, go to http://tvfool.com , click on Signal Locater, and plug in your ZIP code. Shows the stations before and after switchover. Nice link. Lots of detailed info. Thanks for posting it. |
#15
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate Andy writes: I have tried a number of them, and can offer the following advice. 1) Try the remote for the "feel".... I like a nice, crisp, tactile feedback and fine the mushy feel of the Motorola unit to be objectionable. 2) Check the operation of the "program guide". Some models only show what is playing now, and others will allow the user to scale ahead for several hours, much like the DISHNETWORK system.... 3) Analog passthru will only be useful for the next 6 months and after that there will be no more analog. While it is an annoyance now, the DTV box will be needed as long as your analog TV lasts, which could be another 20 years, so I don't , personally, see this as a deal breaker, especially considering the other features we will be using for the life of the unit. 4) If you are going to use the unit in a vehicle , boat, or RV, you need to get a model that can also be used on 12Volts. There is only one that I'm aware of. I think it's the TIVAX STB-T9, but I may be mis-remembering. You can google "12 Volt DTV Converter" and you'll probly be able to verify that. 5) After you make your choice, consider buying over the internet. The costs, including shipping, are about the same as the in-store costs , and you have a much wider variety to choose from. Just some advice from one who has been there and done that. Good luck, Andy in Eureka, Texas |
#16
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
In article , Andy wrote: 3) Analog passthru will only be useful for the next 6 months and after that there will be no more analog. While it is an annoyance now, the DTV box will be needed as long as your analog TV lasts, which could be another 20 years, so I don't , personally, see this as a deal breaker, especially considering the other features we will be using for the life of the unit. Analog passthru will continue to be useful past February 2009 if you have a low power local station that is not covered by the mandated digital switchover date. |
#17
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Aug 29, 5:42*am, (Mike S.) wrote:
Analog passthru will continue to be useful past February 2009 if you have a low power local station that is not covered by the mandated digital switchover date. Or repeaters. We have a cabin near Flagstaff AZ. After the switchover, TVFool indicates that there will be 3 digital stations (we have only been able to receive 2 reliably), and the 5 or 6 repeaters of Phoenix stations that we currently receive will still be around. If you're in the boonies and currently receive repeaters, after the switch, you can either do without the digital box and still watch the repeaters, or buy a digital box with analog passthrough and watch them all. If you have a friend with a digital box, ask to borrow it for a day and see if you get a reliable digital signal in your area. Jerry |
#18
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Aug 29, 12:02*am, Tony Hwang wrote:
N8N wrote: On Aug 28, 9:02 pm, Tony Hwang wrote: N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... *do any of them stand above the rest of the field? *I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons.. nate Hi, New LCD panels use less power compared to old CRT ones. I'm sure they do, but for all the TV I watch it is definitely not worth it. *Was looking at new TVs today and even a "cheap" one is $400. *Ain't happenin' when I have several perfectly good old ones. Yeah, it'd be nice to watch TV in HD but just to listen to the news/ weather while I get dressed in the AM? *And my 53" projector in the basement is fine when there's something I actually want to watch on. No, it's not HD either, but for $200 off craigslist it beats the heck out of a couple kilobucks. *I am sure I could save more money by insulating the upstairs. nate Yup, When projector lamp goes it's not xheap either. LCD panel has back lighting lamp as well. By the time you saved enough there'll be better panels out. Currently 1080P Plasma or 1080P 120Hz LCD panel and organic LED TV are at the top. All pricy. Yup, I'm sure. Hopefully by the time one of my current sets dies something comparable to the current state of the art will be more affordable as well. I'm probably either dating myself or proving that I'm a cheap ******* when I found myself looking at some reasonably sized (appx. 32") LCDs with a possible eye towards replacing the bedroom TV and found myself thinking "I've bought cars that took me to work every day for less than that!" nate |
#19
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Aug 28, 9:19*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Tony Hwang wrote: N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... *do any of them stand above the rest of the field? *I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate Hi, New LCD panels use less power compared to old CRT ones. And the payback period for a $500 27" generic flat panel that replaces a working-fine 27" glass Sony Trinitron is how long, exactly? Make the math easy- figure 4 hours on-time per day. That's really generous... if I watch 4 hours of TV a day that is a very long TV day, and I'm likely to be doing it on the couch in the basement where I have the big projector. An LCD comparable to that guy is more like $4K. The little CRT jobs I literally never watch; SWMBO may have the one in the bedroom on for ~15 minutes every morning while she's getting dressed, because she likes to catch the morning weather report. The other one in the garage only gets used if I happen to be working out there and there's a good football or hockey game on. In fact, we pretty much didn't watch TV at all until I got the big 'un, and I don't know that that's all bad. nate |
#20
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
Jerry wrote:
.... ... If you're in the boonies and currently receive repeaters, after the switch, you can either do without the digital box and still watch the repeaters, or buy a digital box with analog passthrough and watch them all. If you have a friend with a digital box, ask to borrow it for a day and see if you get a reliable digital signal in your area. Ayup...and some who will be making the switch and are on the fringes their answer when asked if current folks who are receiving their analog signals will continue to be able to are answering "We don't know" which is pretty much what the models are saying--it's fringe and it's anybody's guess how successful any particular location is going to be... -- |
#21
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Aug 28, 10:34*pm, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. *I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks for the replies guys, I did see those at CC so I went ahead and ordered my coupons. Please post and let us all know if something changes and there's a new better product (since I won't get the coupons for another month it appears.) I did a little searching on the Zenith unit and it sounds like the audio output is weak on pre-May '08 built models FWIW. Only a concern, I guess, if you are using the RCA plugs for audio and not the RF modulator. nate |
#22
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
"N8N" wrote in message ... On Aug 28, 10:34 pm, David Nebenzahl wrote: On 8/28/2008 5:40 PM dpb spake thus: wrote: Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them Is it one w/ analog passthru??? According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon agency, that one does have analog passthrough (both the 900 and the 901). Thanks for the replies guys, I did see those at CC so I went ahead and ordered my coupons. Please post and let us all know if something changes and there's a new better product (since I won't get the coupons for another month it appears.) I did a little searching on the Zenith unit and it sounds like the audio output is weak on pre-May '08 built models FWIW. Only a concern, I guess, if you are using the RCA plugs for audio and not the RF modulator. nate The early model, the Zenith DTT900, did have a couple of audio problems. Those audio issues have been resolved by the latest Zenith model, the DTT901. Also, the DTT901 has "analog pass-thru", the DTT900 did not not have "analog pass-thru". Jean |
#23
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
Just got a Zenith at Circuit City. It works well, has pass thru, you can
see program listing of both the current station and other stations on screen without changing the channel. Automatic channel search, signal strength indicator, and many display modes (automatic, increase vertical to fit, shrink horizontal to fit). Definitely recommend. "N8N" wrote in message ... So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... do any of them stand above the rest of the field? I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate |
#24
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:42:30 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
Zenith DTT900 is fine. I bought 2 and like them That's the model I have. It works well. On Aug 28, 7:27*pm, N8N wrote: So the converter boxes have been out for a while now... *do any of them stand above the rest of the field? *I don't think I'm ready to start purchasing new TVs yet, nor am I getting very far with wiring my whole house for cable, so I might as well go ahead and get my coupons. nate -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
#25
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On 8/29/2008 12:42 PM Jean spake thus:
The early model, the Zenith DTT900, did have a couple of audio problems. Those audio issues have been resolved by the latest Zenith model, the DTT901. Also, the DTT901 has "analog pass-thru", the DTT900 did not not have "analog pass-thru". According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon program, both the 900 and the 901 have analog passthrough. -- "In 1964 Barry Goldwater declared: 'Elect me president, and I will bomb the cities of Vietnam, defoliate the jungles, herd the population into concentration camps and turn the country into a wasteland.' But Lyndon Johnson said: 'No! No! No! Don't you dare do that. Let ME do it.'" - Characterization (paraphrased) of the 1964 Goldwater/Johnson presidential race by Professor Irwin Corey, "The World's Foremost Authority". |
#26
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:42:42 +0000 (UTC), (Mike S.)
wrote: In article , Andy wrote: 3) Analog passthru will only be useful for the next 6 months and after that there will be no more analog. While it is an annoyance now, the DTV box will be needed as long as your analog TV lasts, which could be another 20 years, so I don't , personally, see this as a deal breaker, especially considering the other features we will be using for the life of the unit. Analog passthru will continue to be useful past February 2009 if you have a low power local station that is not covered by the mandated digital switchover date. Note that translator stations are still allowed to use analog too. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
#27
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
do you have to have a separate converter box for each tv in the house ?
James |
#28
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Aug 29, 6:23*pm, "James" wrote:
do you have to have a separate converter box for each tv in the house ? James Only if you want to watch separate channels. |
#29
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
On Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:23:30 -0400, "James"
wrote: do you have to have a separate converter box for each tv in the house ? James Mostly yes, and a little no. A converter box is mostly an ATSC tuner. Like any such, it will work for only ONE channel at a time. You need a converter for each TV unless you always watch the same channel on each TV. -- Mark Lloyd http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com "The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." |
#30
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 8/29/2008 12:42 PM Jean spake thus: The early model, the Zenith DTT900, did have a couple of audio problems. Those audio issues have been resolved by the latest Zenith model, the DTT901. Also, the DTT901 has "analog pass-thru", the DTT900 did not not have "analog pass-thru". According to the sheet I got from the TV converter box coupon program, both the 900 and the 901 have analog passthrough. The 901 has pass thru. The 900 doesn't. (I have a 900) Get a Apex 250 from BB if you want s-video out. |
#31
Posted to alt.home.repair
|
|||
|
|||
DTV converter boxes - good, bad, ugly?
Mike S. wrote: Analog passthru will continue to be useful past February 2009 if you have a low power local station that is not covered by the mandated digital switchover date. Wal-mart is now carrying RCA converter boxes that support analog passthrough. I believe the model number is DTA-800b1, as opposed to DTA-800 for the model without passthrough. The packaging looks almost the same but mentions the passthrough. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Cardell Cabinets-The good, the bad, the ugly???? | Home Repair | |||
Question About TV Converter Boxes | Home Repair | |||
Speaking of satellite converter boxes..... | Home Repair | |||
Reverse Osmosis good, bad, and ugly? | Home Repair | |||
Mibro dado set, good, bad, ugly? | Woodworking |