Well, I know that this is starting to become and old subject here, but I figured I'd post about it anyway. I got my $40 off coupons finally, so I went down to Radio Shack and bought a converter box. It's a DigitalStream, and it's supposed to have the same LG chipset that the Zenith does. With the coupon (and after tax), it cost me about $25.

It's a small black box, about the size of a VHS tape. It has a coaxial screw-on type antenna connector and an RF output, as well as stereo and composite video outputs. It even came with a short coaxial cable. I connected it to a 19" color TV. I disconnected the TV's rabbit ears from the set, and hooked them up to the DTV box's input. I had to be a bit creative on the wiring, since the wires are only long enough to reach from inside the set, out, and to the VHF terminals on the back. I connected the DTV box up to the TV's VHF input, set the TV to channel 3, and turned everything on.

After stepping through the setup on the box, it scanned the channels, and found 7 digital stations. After I got the antenna adjusted for the strongest signal, I was pleasantly surprised by how clear and sharp the picture was, and how well everything worked. I even discovered a subchannel called "RetroTV", that was playing a rerun of one of my favorite shows - "Get Smart". The box seemed to work very well, the remote is pretty nice (it even came with batteries!), and the box does everything it's supposed to. There are a couple of oddities though:

-The box has a little red light that lights up to tell you that it's off. When the box is on, this light is green.

-The audio output from the box isn't particularly strong. It's OK, but with the volume control on the box up all the way, it's not as loud as the TV snow that you get when the box is shut off. So, shutting off the box before the TV produces a very loud blast of snow.

-The box takes a while to "boot". Once again, if you turn the set on first, then the box, you'll get blasted with static.

-The box doesn't change channels quite as fast as a regular TV can. I guess this is to be expected, and at least this box works MUCH faster than my old digital cable box did. Still, it takes a second for the picture to appear. Makes sense though, it has to lock in on the signal and start decoding the digital.

-The coaxial cable that comes with the box is crap. If you use it to connect the box to the TV set, you get snow in the picture. Using a better cable gets rid of this problem.

-The box does not come with any antenna adapters. I have extras, so it's not a big deal. But it would be nice if they included the 75 ohm to 300 ohm matching transformers to connect the output of the box to the back of the TV, or from the antenna to the box.

-It would have been really nice if they had put a switched outlet on the back of the box to plug the TV set into. That way, you'd only have to switch off/on the box. It would also get around the problem of the box taking a second to "boot up" - you woudn't notice, since the TV would be warming up too. It shouldn't be too hard for me to add this capability though - a relay and a power socket is all that's needed.

-A channel display on the box would have also been a nice touch. But, you can't have everything.


All in all, it seems to work well. Once more stations are broadcasting in digital, there will be more to watch with it. Right now I get seven channels, but it's really only three or four different RF channels, a couple of them have subchannels. Reception around here isn't normally very good, and I could only get three or four channels on VHF, and if I was lucky, another three on UHF. With the digital, there is a definite possibility of more good programming, and mroe stations. The only problem is that with the digital - it either works perfectly, or it's totally unwatchable. If the antenna is adjusted wrong, the picture breaks up and the sound stops.

-Ian

Glad to hear you found some additional (free) programming in your area. Down here I haven't found many subchannels, save for the 'City Drive Live' realtime traffic cam channel.

The low audio issue is indeed a problem especially when used with tube sets which often have low gain as it is. My Zenith DTT990 is better when switched to MONO and with volume at full tilt.

As long as I use a decent antenna I get good reception.

Yeah, I'm having a good time with my DTV boxes, I have two Zenith DTT900, one to an old Sony B&W set the other on a Commodore monitor. The only downside I see is that I wish there was a power outlet for the TV but can't have everything. I use a set of 1959 rabbit ears on one and a cheap 50 cent UHF bow-tie antenna on the other. So far here in Pittsburgh, all DTV signals are in the UHF band but I managed to dig up the VHF antenna that goes with the bow-tie so I'll hook that in when 2009 gets closer. I love Retro TV, between that and PBS running three channels, HD, normal (although in DT mode) and a second DT channel filled with Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania history, I can do without cable of I had to. Mom likes to go to my room and catch Magnum PI on my set pn RTV and every Sunday night, we disconnect the cable from the '82 Zenith daily watcher to watch Knightrider every Sunday night at 8 PM. There is a weird twist, in 1983, I watched Knightrider at 8 PM, Sundays when I was 16, now I'm 41, I'm doing the same thing and using the same set. ;) I might make a fall/winter project to make a DIY UHF DTV antenna. I can pick up a handful of Johnstown, PA and Altoona, PA stations from the East and WKBN-TV and the FOX station from Youngstown, Ohio on occasion. I wish KDKA would run a sub channel, the other stations have weather which is good.

One other thing about the digital stream box, when you press a button on the remote after the box is booted, the green led flashes red momentarily for each keypress... nice to know when the batteries go kaput.....

It also has the most extensive electronic program guide I have seen, IF the station broadcasts the information. I can find information to at least 48 hours later....

<snip> -It would have been really nice if they had put a switched outlet on the back of the box to plug the TV set into. That way, you'd only have to switch off/on the box. It would also get around the problem of the box taking a second to "boot up" - you woudn't notice, since the TV would be warming up too. It shouldn't be too hard for me to add this capability though - a relay and a power socket is all that's needed. <snip>

-Ian

Before you go to the trouble, make sure your set will turn on at power up. Non-remote sets with manual power switches will, of course, but most newer remote sets only sit in standby at power up until one pushes the "power" button. I HAVE seen a few models with an option switch (on the rear panel, or in a menu) that will enable/disable "turn on at power up", however, most of THEM have been hotel sets.

In any event, the set WILL shut OFF when the convertor is powered down. Although, come to think of it, I have a small 9" set that has to auto-program at turn on after every power outage. So... I can't think of a set that I own that I would benefit from a switched outlet on the convertor.

Thanks for your review of the box! A purchase of two of those is in my immediate future.