Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes

[Inchworm]

I stopped the gazillion channels of nothing a few months back. Where I live (if the weather is right) I barely get NBC. I get no other channels. Freakin reality television sucks hawg bawls and am considering getting a box if I could pick up PBS.

Does anyone have any experience with these boxes? Do they recieve better than regular rabbit ears?

I went here and am supposedly getting a $40 cupon mailed to me.
https://www.dtv2009.gov/

:shrug:

[crispini]

1. You're going to have to have one before next year.

When we go to all-digital. That said, the reception at least in my area is worse than analog. They're supposed to boost the signal when they take the analog stations offline, but if that doesn't improve my reception I'm going to have to go to a roof antenna if I want to get much of anything.

[Inchworm]

3. Boo!

So it is possible reception is worse.

That stinks.

x(

[BarenakedLady]

2. February 17, 2009

My mumbleitymumblity birthday actually is the date all tv is going digital.

I only have one tv using an antenna (my personal one). I won't be able to use it without a converter box. :(

[Inchworm]

4. Goto that link in OP

You get a $40 coupon sent and the boxes are only like $60-80.

So.. uhh.. hey baby.. whatcha wearin? :P

Flirt- Flirt- Flirt- :loveya:

Hi!

:hi:

[mockmonkey]

5. I just got one

You still need a good antenna to pick up the stations and of course an outdoor one works best. I can pick up 4 local stations pretty good and those have more than one channel. My channel 5 also gives me a channel just with weather on it and a channel with old reruns. My PBS station has like 5 different channels.

The picture is better than I had before even with the rabbit ears I use. I don't have an outdoor antenna (renter) but I did have an elaborate set up of 5 different rabbit ears running to different rooms where they each picked up a different channel..it was a pain in the ass. And the picture wasn't that great.

You might want to look at getting a converter that has an "Analog pass through". It allows you to watch the channels that aren't Digital yet or if you have low-power stations. Mine works by basically shutting off the unit and allowing the Analog signal through. Most of the boxes are about $65 bucks although I have seen one for around $45 on line. I got mine at Radio Shack with the coupon. With tax I still paid almost $30.

Here is a website to help you identify local channels in your area. Of course you won't get all of them.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx



You can just use you Zip Code to access it, it will also show you the directions the channel signals are coming from if you use your approximate address just click on "view street level map"

Forgot to mention that the link in the OP will also give you web sites and stores that carry Converters.

[Inchworm]

6. Awesome, thanks!

:hi:

[MrCoffee]

7. Thanks for the reminder!

I had totally forgotten to remember to order my coupon thingy, so thanks for the tip!

[Inchworm]

10. The coupon has yet to bear fruit

but I think it is early enough to get your hands on one.

:hi:

[mwooldri]

8. Couple of things:

It all depends on where you are and what's happening. For me, we got a big improvement: real dodgy reception of WFMY (CBS), WXII (NBC) and WXLV (ABC), just about watchable WGHP (Fox) and WUNC/WUNL (PBS), fantastic WGPX (Ion), WGCWG (CW) and WMYV (MyTv). Sometimes we even got Univision. When we got our digital box, we got good reception of everything except PBS and NBC - NBC we literally will need to get an outdoor antenna for, and PBS is hit-and-miss - some days it's good, some days it breaks up. The others just boom on in.

Now Inchworm, if your DU profile is correct then antennaweb.org has bad news for you. I did just a zip code look up for Lansing, NC and got "no tv services offered in this area" at all - not even using a high gain, outdoor, rotating, pre-amplified antenna. I thought funny, because UNC-TV has translators scattered throughout the mountain communities, and yes, there is one near you: W25AY, licensed to Jefferson, NC. According to the FCC (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio2?x=tvq.html) the signal is supposed to cover Lansing. I then decided to double check antennaweb.org - I picked out some real estate for sale in Lansing and plugged that in... lo and behold you do get two TV stations: UNC-TV and NBC - WCYB out of Bristol, VA. The latter is apparently only possible with an outdoor, high gain, directional pre-amplified antenna.

Now if you're getting WCYB on Channel 5 out of Bristol then... you should in theory be able to receive WKPT on channel 19. Its transmitter isn't too far away, about equal average output power and is supposed to cover your area well. However WKPT is broadcasting in low power digital still so no hope of getting a signal from them yet.

As for digital TV... well it's going to be interesting. WCYB is broadcasting in digital on channel 28 - that's UHF - and UHF signals have a different nature to them compared to VHF. Now WCYB will be moving back to Channel 5 - so if you're getting channel 5 now in analog, you will definitely get it in digital but you might have to wait until analog switch off to get it as WCYB cannot broadcast in digital and analog on the same channel at the same time. As for that UNC-TV translator in Jefferson, if you somehow figure out how to receive it you may well be able to still receive it after digital switch off: UNC-TV hasn't mentioned any plans to digitize its translators (save one which its converting to a "full power" digital-only station) and it's only full power stations that are affected by the switch over from analog to digital. So for now, I'm going to stick my neck out on the line: if all you get is channel 5 then you might well get nothing and if you get something then all you're going to get is WCYB and its subchannel. (so you'll get NBC and the CW)

In any case it's definitely worth your while getting the set top boxes. I might be wrong, and you might move into an area where there's better TV coverage. You might equip yourself with a better antenna (I don't know what you're using right now). Failing that if cable is available, take their absolute basic package. That way you'll at least get UNC-TV in the clear plus all the other major broadcast networks. Other than that, then the only two other choices are satellite or no TV at all.

Mark.

[Inchworm]

9. Super info!

That is what I'm thinking. NBC only.

It's nice to know that I may get CW and the UNC channel as well though.

There is no cable here and I am actually trying to stay out of the satellite services. That is what I've had for years. At first it was $30 then by me adding things had become $80 a month. I hardly ever watch TV. CNN or C-Span was always on in the background, and even shows I liked were merely listened to as I did other things in the house.

I just want 2-3 choices really. NBC only sucks to listen to if it is all you got. Yesterday I listened to men grunting rhythmically as they bounced balls to each other over a net (Wimbledon). Would have been cool to have a different choice.

Radio isn't much better either. I got more radio channels 20 years ago than I do today.

Thanks for all the detail, Mark!

:yourock:

[mwooldri]

14. No problem. Ever considered sat radio?

XM performs very well in the mountains: went on a driving trip to Cherokee a couple of times and did an errand once to nearby Franklin. XM performed great with very few drop outs. With XM you'd get the audio of CNN, Faux News (if you must), BBC World Service (great! but then I'm biased), America Right/Left (Mike Malloy on America Left is a hoot!) and then all them music channels. Sirius might work well too but I've never used their service.

You're right about radio in your area too: little choice. radio-locator.com is the radio equivalent of antennaweb.org but it's far better and more reliable. All you have for radio in youe area is pretty much public radio, choices of country, a couple of AC stations and a rocker. And that's it.

Regards, Mark.

[Bozita]

11. I was shopping them last week online.

Walmart was the cheapest I'd found at $49.95. I'd imagine Costco would be the same or lower.

Most retailers were selling them for $60 to $70.

[Inchworm]

12. Cool, thanks

Anywhere but Wally World ;)

:hi:

[Bozita]

13. link to c-net reviews of boxes

http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6487_7-6613951.html

[Awsi Dooger]

15. I bought the Zenith DTT901

Got it at Circuit City a few weeks ago. Need it for the TV I use while camping.

Circuit City was stockpiled with the older Zenith DTT900 model, but that one lacks the analog pass through. I asked the clerk to look it up and they had the 901s in the back room but weren't going to stock the shelves until the 900s were gone. But he brought one out for me, then my aunt did the same thing two days later. It was $60 before the coupon, so $20 plus tax.

The audio visual sites were in agreement that the DTT901 was an excellent choice, particularly at this date. Later models may have more features but the performance of those boxes is theoretical. The DTT900 is already well reviewed from actual usage and the 901 is an upgrade.