How long will we be able to buy ATSC-NTSC converter boxes?

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Bill R

None of our DVD/VCR combos have tuners, and for that matter our DVD recorders do not have tuners.

Bill R

I think there are DVD/VCR combination units available with ATSC tuners, but they cost a lot more than the DVD/VCR players available for $30 or so at the discount stores such as Best Buy, Big Lots, et al. I recently saw an ad in my Sunday paper for a Sony DVD/VCR combo unit that was selling at Best Buy for well over $100.

You get what you pay for. The cheapies are playback only and may not last a year (!); the combos with tuners are probably better made and may last somewhat longer, but again, even those units are built with cheap plastic parts, like everything else. I have two Sony AM/FM portable radios from 1973 that still work like a charm today, but I wouldn't expect a modern Sony DVD/VCR player to last anywhere nearly that long.

My first DVD player was a CyberHome CH-DVD300, which looked and felt like it was built like a tank. However, it failed after three years. I replaced it last September with a Memorex full-size player which still works well, but I cannot say for how much longer. I recently read on another video forum (not AK) that these players will fail within nine months after initial purchase; the problem is a cheap capacitor that eventually swells and splits open, rendering the player inoperable. Again, you get what you pay for: these players sell for very low prices at discount stores (I got mine at Big Lots for $40), so the manufacturer (Changhong) cannot use quality parts in them and expect them to sell for such dirt-cheap prices.

Oh, well. At least the players with the built-in tuners can still be used as ATSC tuners when the DVD or VCR players, or both, go bad.