[ale] Results of my digital TV converter research

Charles Shapiro hooterpincher at gmail.com
Sat Jan 3 11:02:26 EST 2009


The magic coupons arrived last weekend and Saturday I went up to Micro
Center on Pleasant Hill Road to redeem them. We staggered around a bit in
the TV section before being directed to the East wall, where there was a
pile of different brands of digital converters. The guy tried to sell us a
cheaper one, but I held out for the Tivax; they still had a good-sized pile
of 'em on the shelf as of Saturday.   Using the coupon turned out to be a
minor-major hassle; the sales clerks acted like they had never seen one, and
it took about three of them before we were able to pay the $18 difference
between the coupon and the cost of the unit.

 The instruction book makes installing it look easy; one wire goes to your
antenna, the other to your TV's 3-RCA-plug video input.   You change
channels on the DTV converter with the included remote, which (mercifully)
has a mute button included.

Thanks Keith, I think I owe you a  home-brew on this one.

-- CHS

On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 9:57 PM, <krwatson at cc.gatech.edu> wrote:

> I did some research on digital TV converters and I knew there were a number
> of people who might be interested in the results to I sent it to a bcc list.
>
> All the TV stations have been transmitting their shows in both analog
> (NTSC) and digital (ATSC) formats for the last few years. On February 17,
> 2009 all of the analog transmissions nation wide will be discontinued. This
> means that if you want to receive an over the air (OTA) TV broadcast you
> must have a TV capable of receiving an ATSC signal.
>
> If you have an NTSC only TV that uses a roof top antenna or rabbit ears
> then you will no longer be able to watch TV without purchasing an ATSC to
> NTSC converter box.
>
> If you are on cable and plug it directly into an NTSC TV (no cable box) you
> may need an ATSC to NTSC converter. Cable companies can convert ATSC to NTSC
> and distribute it over the cable system. You will have to contact your cable
> company to find out what they are going to do.
>
> If you have an NTSC TV connected to a cable box then you will not need an
> ATSC to NTSC converter as the cable box already does this for you.
>
> The federal government set up a program to subsidize the purchase of an
> ATSC to NTSC converter box for any one that needs it. To take advantage of
> this program you must apply for a discount coupon before December 31, 2008.
> There are a limited number of coupons so the longer you wait the more likely
> they are to run out of them.
>
> You can get a maximum of two discount coupons per household. A coupon is
> worth $40.00 dollars off the purchase of an ATSC to NTSC converter box. Most
> boxes cost between $40 and $70 dollars so you can end up paying $0 to $30
> dollars for a converter box.
>
> If you don't get a coupon and later decide you need an ATSC to NTSC
> converter box you will still be able to buy them but you will have to pay
> full price.
>
> You can apply for the ATSC to NTSC converter box coupons here:
>
> TV Converter Box Coupon Program
> https://www.dtv2009.gov/
>
>
> Here is the FAQ if you have additional questions:
>
> DTV Frequently Asked Questions
> https://www.dtv2009.gov/FAQ.aspx
>
>
> Which ATSC to NTSC converter box should you buy (with or without coupons)?
>
> The short answer is: buy the Tivax STB-T8. You can get them here:
>
> NOTE: Prices may vary between retailers and not all online sites will allow
> you to enter the coupon information so you may have to go to their physical
> store to use the coupon.
>
> Microcenter - They have two stores in Atlanta and you can buy them online.
> I have not verified if they will accept coupons online.
> http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0296153
>
> dtvboxanswers.com - will accept coupons online.
> http://www.dtvboxanswers.com/tivaxstbt8.html
>
> Locate a Converter Box Retailer near you
> https://www.dtv2009.gov/VendorSearch.aspx
>
> A list of converter box retailers listed by model number of the box
> http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/Converter_Box_Retailers.html
>
>
> If you are like me you'll want all the gory details so here is the long
> answer.
>
> When ATSC to NTSC converter boxes first became available for purchase there
> were no product reviews for them. The general consensus of the broadcast and
> cable TV industries was and still is that they are all alike just pick the
> one with the best price. I even attended a technical meeting and pointed out
> the lack of reviews and was pointedly told "reviews are not needed, they are
> all the same".
>
> We'll just like all other products they are not all the same. There are a
> base line set of features that all coupon eligible boxes (CEBs) must have.
> However, they do come with additional features and some of them perform much
> better than others.
>
> Here are the final rules that determine which features are mandatory:
> http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2007/DTVFinalRule_2e.htm
>
> The document is quite long so here is the short list of features common to
> all CEBs:
> http://site.dtvboxanswers.com/features
>
> Here is a list of CEBs:
> https://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm
>
>
> It seems I wasn't the only one who wanted reviews of CEBs.
>
> Comparison of CECB units
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_CECB_units
>
>
> Additional Features Permitted by the NTIA for the Coupon-Eligible Converter
> Boxes
> http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/Additional_Features_Matrix.html
>
>
> TV Digital Converter Box Reviews
> http://site.dtvboxanswers.com/reviews
>
>
> Consumer Reports DTV converter box guide - this guide is free and open to
> the public
>
> http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/tvs-services/digital-tv-converter/overview/dtv-converter-box-guide.htm
>
> http://tinyurl.com/5csh87
>
>
> Consumer Reports - DTV converters: Best performers from our tests - this
> guide is free and open to the public
> http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/06/dtv-converter-1.html
>
>
> CNET - Which (nearly) free DTV converter box should I buy? (not as
> comprehensive a review)
> http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-tv-converter/
>
>
> HDTV.biz - DTV converter boxes compare and contrast
> http://www.hdtv.biz/Article-DTV_converter_boxes_compare_and_contrast.shtml
>
>
>
> It is a lot of information to wade through so I'll summarize the key
> differences in the non-mandatory CEB features in no particular order (I may
> have missed a few of the more esoteric differences):
>
>  1. How many days are provided by the online TV programming guide.
>
>  2. Analog pass through.
>
>  3. Smart Antenna capable. Some vendors use a proprietary protocol instead
> of the ANSI/CEA-909 standard. If they use a proprietary protocol it only
> works with the manufacturers antenna.
>
>  4. The firmware can be upgraded.
>
>  5. Can be controlled by a PC.
>
>  6. Comes with universal remote rather than one that only controls the
> converter.
>
>  7. Comes with cables.
>
>  8. Price.
>
>  9. Quality of image.
>
> 10. Receiver sensitivity.
>
> 11. Front panel controls allow basic operation without the remote.
>
> 12. Quality of manufacture.
>
> 13. Quality of documentation and tech support online.
>
> 14. Quality of tech support when you call.
>
> 15. S-Video output.
>
> 16. Internal or external power supply.
>
> 17. Have an internal programmable timer that can be configured to change
> channels at specific times to so you can use your VCR to record shows.
>
> 18. The cabinet style and/or color matches the rest of your stereo or home
> theater equipment. Can you stack other equipment on top of the unit (as long
> as you don't block air flow).
>
> 19. Is hackable.
>
> 20. You can modify the color and size of the close captioning.
>
> 21. Ability to program a single channel without having to do a full scan.
>
> 22. On screen signal quality display to allow for manual antenna aiming and
> to help in locating stations missed during a channel scan due to the antenna
> pointing in the wrong (assuming you have a directional antenna).
>
>
> So this is how I came to my decision that the Tivax STB-T8 is the one I'm
> going to get. (Download the manual and see the manufacturers FAQ for
> details)
>
> Manufacturer's home page
> http://www.tivax.com/
>
> Manual for the Tivax-STB9 (Tivax-STB8 is the identical to the Tivax-STB9
> but the Tivax-STB8 comes with analog pass through)
> http://www.tivax.com/manual/STB-T9%20(AT2008)%20%20English%20User.pdf<http://www.tivax.com/manual/STB-T9%20%28AT2008%29%20%20English%20User.pdf>
>
> Manufacturer's FAQ
> https://shop.tivax.com/faq/
>
> The Tivax STB-T8 was rated as one of the best (if not the best box) by
> multiple sites when it comes to picture quality and receiver sensitivity.
>
> The Tivax STB-T8 comes with the following features.
>
>  1. The online TV programming guide was one of the better ones but not the
> best. Good enough for me as I use my PC for looking up programming.
>
>  2. Has analog pass through.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_passthrough
>
>  3. Smart Antenna capable using the ANSI/CEA-909A standard.
>
> https://shop.tivax.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=2&id=23&artlang=en
>
>  4. The firmware can be upgraded via the serial port. The manufacturer is
> not planning on providing firmware upgrades at this time but may in the
> future. This also means the box may be hackable although I wasn't able to
> find any sites about hacks to the box.
>
> https://shop.tivax.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=2&id=5&artlang=en
>
>  5. Can be controlled by a PC. The manufacturer says that the box can be
> controlled with a PC and gave some very limited instructions but it is an
> unsupported feature:
>
> https://shop.tivax.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=1&id=42&artlang=en
>
>  6. It does not have a universal remote but they do publish the IR control
> codes so you can use a universal remote you already have or IR blaster for
> PC control.
>
> https://shop.tivax.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=2&id=19&artlang=en
>
>  7. Comes with cables.
>
>  8. The price is good.
>
>  9. All of the reviews said the Tivax STB-T9/T8 has extremely good if not
> the best picture quality.
>
> 10. There were no direct measurements of receiver sensitivity but the
> reviews mentioned the Tivax STB-T8/T9 pulled in stations that others missed.
>
> 11. Front panel controls allow basic operation without the remote. This is
> very limited on the Tivax STB-T8. It only supports standby and channel
> up/down.
>
> 12. Quality of manufacture. dtvboxanswers.com said the following:
>
> This is our best TV digital converter box.
>
> This box is our best seller and we have had no returns or problems with it.
> The Manufacturer has given us great customer support.
> It comes with a 90 DAY Warranty
> We highly recommend it.
>
> http://www.dtvboxanswers.com/tivaxstbt8.html
>
> 13. Quality of documentation and tech support online. I had a short list of
> boxes I was interested in so I went to their web sites and looked for
> manuals, FAQs, blogs, forums, etc. Tivax was better than all the others I
> looked at.
>
> 14. Quality of tech support when you call. dtvboxanswers.com said Tivax
> tech support was good when they contacted them.
>
> This is our best TV digital converter box.
>
> This box is our best seller and we have had no returns or problems with it.
> The Manufacturer has given us great customer support.
> It comes with a 90 DAY Warranty
> We highly recommend it.
>
> http://www.dtvboxanswers.com/tivaxstbt8.html
>
> 15. S-Video output. This unit doesn't have S-Vidoe output. I wish it did
> but this is not a show stopper for me.
>
> 16. Internal or external power supply. There is some confusion on some of
> the sites but the manufacturer says that it has an internal power supply.
>
> https://shop.tivax.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=2&id=45&artlang=en
>
> 17. Have an internal programmable timer that can be configured to change
> channels at specific times to so you can use your VCR to record shows. The
> Tivax STB-T8 does not have this feature however, I believe I will be able to
> control the unit with a PC and if not I will us an IR blaster.
>
> 18. The cabinet style and/or color matches the rest of your stereo or home
> theater equipment. Can you stack other equipment on top of the unit (as long
> as you don't block air flow). You can stack other equipment on top of the
> box. I believe in function over form so I didn't care about the color.
>
> 19. Is hackable. It appears to be via the serial port but I didn't find
> anyone doing it yet. See numbers 4 and 5 above.
>
> 20. You can modify the color and size of the close captioning. The STB-T8
> has this feature although this wasn't important to me.
>
> 21. Ability to program a single channel without having to do a full scan.
> The STB-T8 has this feature.
>
> 22. On screen signal quality display to allow for manual antenna aiming and
> to help in locating stations missed during a channel scan due to the antenna
> pointing in the wrong (assuming you have a directional antenna). The STB-T8
> has this feature.
>
>
> The last issue to look at is how to aim your antenna for best reception and
> smart antennas.
>
> I was originally planning on using my rabbit ears and if that didn't work
> out I would use a high gain directional antenna. When using a directional
> antenna it is necessary to properly aim the antenna:
>
> http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
>
> http://www.2150.com/broadcast/default.asp
>
> This is a complete 'HowTo' use the site '2150.com'
> http://www.highdefforum.com/184511-post1.html
>
> Another site to find the direction to aim you antenna that is really nice
> http://www.tvfool.com/
>
> TVQ TV Database Query
> http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html
>
>
>
> However with the advent of smart antennas and a converter box with a smart
> antenna interface I am no longer planning on using a regular directional
> antenna if by rabbit ears don't work out.
>
> A smart antenna is an electronically controllable antenna array that allows
> for beam steering. In layman's terms this means the CEB can automatically
> control which direction the antenna is looking to get optimal signal quality
> without the use of a rotor. This type of technology has been in use by the
> military for many years.
>
> Wikipedia - Smart antenna
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_antenna
>
> Broadcast Engineering - Smart antennas
> http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/smart_antennas/
>
> I'm very excited about this technology but I don't have a product
> recommendation yet as I'm still doing research.
>
> I hope this answers you questions or at the least shows you where to get
> answers.
>
> keith
>
> --
>
> Keith R. Watson                        Georgia Institute of Technology
> Systems Support Specialist IV          College of Computing
> keith.watson at cc.gatech.edu             801 Atlantic Drive NW
> (404) 385-7401                         Atlanta, GA 30332-0280
>
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