Circuit City Has Digital to Analog TV Converter Boxes Also!
Okay, I have been caught up on my nomenclature here.It turns out they are not calling these things "HDTV converters" because they don't, strictly speaking, GENERATE an HDTV picture. They certainly RECEIVE HDTV, but because they generate a conventional 480i NTSC signal on the back end they're just calling them "Digital to Analog Convertors".
The one that Circuit City is carrying is made by Zenith, model # DTT900.
Now, I haven't had a chance to try this one out yet, but I probably will be getting one as I do have to shop for these things for several family members and the coupons are only good for 90 days.
The coupons from the government's DTV2009.gov site are good for $40 and Circuit City is also offering their convertor for $59.99 plus tax.
Nice of the government to short us all $20.
The Zenith model pretty much looks IDENTICAL to the Insignia model - same connections, same remote control.
What I don't know is if the software is the same and WHY these too boxes look so much alike. Is everyone just licensing the same design from some common company?
Looks like Wal-Mart is carrying two different models of the converter, one made by Magnavox that looks to lack any controls on the box itself in case you lose the remote, and also has some bad reviews that it lack "universal remote" features ... in other words you can't control your TV's volume with the converter's remote. Wal-Mart is selling the Magnavox for $49.87 or $9.87 net after the coupon.
Wal-Mart is also offering a Thompson RCA DTA800 model. This one has much better reviews than the Magnavox. It also has the ability to be installed on a vertical brace. It has front panel controls and a somewhat different remote from the Best Buy and Circuit City offerings. Wal-Mart is also selling this one for $49.87 - $9.87 net after coupon.
Looks like all-in-all, judging from most of the reviews everyone has been as surprised as I have that so many signals do come in. I guess the local broadcasters have had time to tweak their signals and maybe there has even been some work on the tuners because I remember the very early adopters griping precipitously about how hard it was to tune over-the-air HD signals.
Well, in any event, for those of you who still watch over-the-air programming, it looks like for as little as $10 you will STILL be able to watch over-the-air programming, but you gotta get your relatives to go on DTV2009.gov or call 1-888-DTV-2009 before they run out of coupons!
Axinar's Posts
4 Comments:
Insignia and Zenith are both owned by LG, which explains why they look the same.
Good info here. All the local stores in my area were sold out, so I ended up ordering online. I settled on the Sansonic FT300A though as it was one of the Consumer Reports best buys. I've been really pleased so far. We lost some channels though (I think it's called the cliff effect), so I may order a different antenna.
Yes, the "cliff effect" is rather strange at times.
What you may find is that you lose some channels, but you also pick up some others.
For instance here - Channel 16 was barely watchable on analog but comes in great on digital.
Channel 9 was pretty solid on analog, but is quite spotty on digital.
It is time to read 3D TV reviews, with all the leading manufacturers of HDTVs bringing out new models with 3D feature this year. These models have been specially designed to help you see the 3D effects of the pictures
thaare telecast in the TV These TV reviews also suggest that the 3D TVs cantake you to a new world of entertainment where you can’t help becoming totally involved in what is happening in the scenes.
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