Got my digital TV box coupon, and bought a box "Insignia" brand

[wa2ise]

Got my digital set top digital TV converter box coupons today. They look like credit cards, with a magnetic strip on the back. Went to a Best Buy and used a coupon to get the $40 off an "Insignia" brand box. With the 7% NJ sales tax, I paid about $25. Model NS-DXA1

My review of this box:

It actually works quite well. My location is Oradell NJ, exit 165 off the parkway, 14 miles due north of the Empire State Building. It picked up all the local NYC digital stations with just an UHF hoop antenna (the kind that came with vacuum tube TVs with UHF in the mid 60's). And when connected to an outside roof UHF corner reflector, it gets channel 55 from Riverhead NY, and channel 58 (really on VHF 8) from central NJ. That's very good, considering that I'm using a UHF only antenna on the box.

I don't see any evidence of the front end getting overloaded.

The box comes with a remote control that can be programmed to turn the NTSC TV set on or off (if that TV has a remote eyeball). And you can adjust the volume up or down (inside the box itself, not the TV's volume directly) with the box's remote. For once they got it right. This volume control adjusts the RCA left and right output jacks and the volume level on the locally generated TV RF out.

[Chad Hauris]

That's good that you got the coupon...still waiting here! I got the DVD recorder with built-in digital tuner for home but would like the standalone convertors for the barn, etc.

[kx250rider]

Still waiting here too... I applied the same day that the link was posted here. Hopefully mine might come soon!

I hear that they EXPIRE in March, and that many of them will not be mailed out 'til after they expire. That was on the news last week. Typical government tomfoolery.

Charles

[radiotvnut]

My understanding was that they would expire 90 days after the issue date and they would not be issued until the boxes became available.

The ability to control volume through the box is a nice feature. It would also be nice if the box had a switched AC outlet like the old cable boxes did.

[zenithfan1]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

My understanding was that they would expire 90 days after the issue date and they would not be issued until the boxes became available.

The ability to control volume through the box is a nice feature. It would also be nice if the box had a switched AC outlet like the old cable boxes did.

I hope mine come soon too, they better not come expired! and yes I thought that outlet would be nice myself... hopefully one of the companies will put one in their box.

[kx250rider]

Monday, I borrowed a Samsung ATSC converter box from someone.... It receives digital, and outputs in standard, or HD 720 and 1080i. I wonder if the cheapie boxes will also have HD output, so that you can use them with HD-capable TVs, or will they just have a standard output? Additionally, I wonder if there will be a Channel 3 RF output on any of the boxes? If not, we'll need the converter box, PLUS an RF modulator.

I still think it would be fun for us TV collectors to set up a string of converter boxes' each one tuned to a local channel, and each one piped and trunked through RF modulators so that we can just connect one cable to the old TVs, and use the original tuner!

Charles

[old_tv_nut]

To be coupon-eligible, boxes must have the following outputs: baseband composite NTSC; baseband left and right audio; channel 3/4 RF (only mono audio required). They must NOT have high definition or component outputs. They must NOT include extra-cost features like PVR hard drives. They may have a smart antenna jack, although that may be compatible with only a particular brand of antenna for the "smart" functions to work. The gov has been pushing for boxes to go to RF feed-through when power is off, but that was not specified in the beginning, so many early boxes do not have it designed in.

Edit: they MAY have S-video in addition to composite output.

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by old_tv_nut

To be coupon-eligible, boxes must have the following outputs: baseband composite NTSC; baseband left and right audio; channel 3/4 RF (only mono audio required). They must NOT have high definition or component outputs. They must NOT include extra-cost features like PVR hard drives. They may have a smart antenna jack, although that may be compatible with only a particular brand of antenna for the "smart" functions to work. The gov has been pushing for boxes to go to RF feed-through when power is off, but that was not specified in the beginning, so many early boxes do not have it designed in.

Edit: they MAY have S-video in addition to composite output.

That's good news... Thanks for the info!

Charles

[andy]

The Wal-Mart Magnavox/Funai doesn't have S-video.

[wa2ise]

I got my second box, a "Digitalstream" brand at Radio Shack. It's slightly less sensitive (approx 5 dB) than the Insignia box. Otherwise it has the same features and remote control features.

[mikeh]

My cupons arrived today and expire 5/22/08 so it is abound 90 days from the time they were mailed.
Mike

[markthefixer]

Originally Posted by kx250rider

Monday, I borrowed a Samsung ATSC converter box from someone.... It receives digital, and outputs in standard, or HD 720 and 1080i. I wonder if the cheapie boxes will also have HD output, so that you can use them with HD-capable TVs, or will they just have a standard output? Additionally, I wonder if there will be a Channel 3 RF output on any of the boxes? If not, we'll need the converter box, PLUS an RF modulator.

I still think it would be fun for us TV collectors to set up a string of converter boxes' each one tuned to a local channel, and each one piped and trunked through RF modulators so that we can just connect one cable to the old TVs, and use the original tuner!

Charles

RF modulators are REQUIRED for a box to qualify for the coupon program

HD output, even RGB DISQUALIFIES a box from the coupon program...

S-video output doesn't disqualify a box, but the boxes I have seen so far just have rf out and the usual red white and yellow rca jacks...

[johnfull]

How does the signal appear on a square tube?
Can it be switched between letterbox and
anamorphic, for those with vertical compression?

[andy]

According to the manual for the Magnavox, it will do that in "full" mode (see page 20). The Magnavox web site lists QAM as a feature. Can anyone confirm whether or not it really can receive QAM? It's not mentioned in the manual. QAM would allow it to receive local HD channel on cable.

http://www.funai-corp.com/6pdf/om/TB100MW9.pdf

I wonder if any of these boxes have digital audio, S-video, RGB, or component video accessable from inside the box. I would love to know which chip is doing the video decoding.

[kx250rider]

Here's a thought thinking outside the box (pun intended)... Is anyone going to keep an un-cashed coupon as a collectors item?

Charles