Are there any American-made converter boxes?

[Robert Grant]

My Zinwell ZTA-970A claims to be made in Taiwan (perhaps China, but not the PRC), though the on-screen graphics look just like those on the Sansonic FT-300A, which is made in the PRC.

[Whirled One]

Originally Posted by Thyratron

it's got a "vintage" brand name, too, which doesn't hurt, although wasn't Channel Master Japanese originally?

Channel Master was (and is, I assume) a US-based company, but they ended up serving mostly as an importer for various Japanese-made goods. Channel Master was originally best known for TV antennas-- which I think they actually made in the USA-- but then they started selling transistor radios and TVs and what-not, which were typically Japanese in origin. Channel Master also had a line of replacement CRTs, and I'm not sure who made them (or perhaps they were really rebuilts that CM rebuilt and badged with their name..?)

BTW, putting a modern DTV converter in a vintage case would be a neat project. I was actually planning to "case-mod" a DVD player into an old industrial-looking RCA intercom control box that I found at a hamfest a while back. The finished project would then be re-badged as an "RCA Video Victrola" or something. However, case-modding a DTV converter would be *really* simple (since you don't need to worry about control panel buttons or displays or DVD trays)-- just have an opening/bezel somewhere for the IR sensor. Great!

[zenithfan1]

Originally Posted by Whirled One

Channel Master also had a line of replacement CRTs, and I'm not sure who made them (or perhaps they were really rebuilts that CM rebuilt and badged with their name..?

Sorry for the OT comment but I have had horrible experience with these. I have two 21FJP22s, one is rebuilt so badly that it fails every test except emissions, which tests great. The picture is AWFUL. The other one is a dead one, I brought two guns back to life but the blue is just dead. They both seem to be low hours but were just junk from the start. Flaws all over, just looks carelessly rebuilt. Run away from these.

[kx250rider]

Originally Posted by zenithfan1

Sorry for the OT comment but I have had horrible experience with these. I have two 21FJP22s, one is rebuilt so badly that it fails every test except emissions, which tests great. The picture is AWFUL. The other one is a dead one, I brought two guns back to life but the blue is just dead. They both seem to be low hours but were just junk from the start. Flaws all over, just looks carelessly rebuilt. Run away from these.

Channel Master has always, in my mind, been a cheap-O brand of anything. Same experience with their rebuilt CRTs, and even their small tubes. Junk; possibly GE or RCA quality control rejects.

Charles

[bgadow]

At one time CM made their own new picture tubes, here in the US. I seem to recall that they were even used in some new sets. That was a long time ago. The company has changed hands a few times.