Zenith has come out with an affordable digital-to-analog TV signal converter box, the DTT900. The box, which makes it debut at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, takes the digital TV signal that broadcasters are required to use come next year and converts them to an analog signal, useable on older TVs. The digital signal that broadcasters will have to use starting February, 2009 are incompatible with older TVs; older TVs will be useless past that date without such a converter box.
This particular model also falls under the government coupon program that reimburses consumers for their purchase of such converter boxes.
Additonally, Zenith has launched a Web site to help educate consumers on just what exactly is involved in the transition from analog to digital TV.
If you own an HDTV, and I assume some of you do, this is completely irrelevant to you. Have a cookie.
Zenith DTV Transition Guide [Zenith]
where can one purchase a dtv converter box, today, in los angeles, 90301? how much do these boxes cost?
candymanw@yahoo.com
I purchased my dtv box at circuit city, and the box cost $59.99 but with your coupon you should file for it will cost you about $20.00 per box. I can’t tell you exactly being I bought 2 at one time at the same time.
where can you find a box today?
The boxes will be available at your local electronic retailer starting the first half of this year. Right now you just have to wait until they are available. Also they will range from $40 to $70 bucks. Go to https://www.dtv2009.gov/ for more detailed informantion.
Coupons are available today that have a 90 day expiration date for boxes that are not available in stores. Anyone who requests their coupons today may be out of luck when the boxes finally hit the stores. This is another government foul up simialar to the Passport fiasco.
Here’s a website that has all the converter box and coupon information.
I got my coupons yesterday and picked up my box today. Unfortunately I am not having any luck with my new box. I live up in the high desert of So. Cal and the closes transmitting towers are about 75 miles. My first box was DOA. The second box only receives 2 channels compare to over 2 dozen channels I can normally view on my TV. My antenna is a multi-element Yagi with a pre-amp for a 20db gain. With that strong of a signal you’d think this box would get more than only 2 channels. Does anyone know how strong a signal is required to make this box function normally?
I too live in the High desert of So. Cal., Victorville to be exact. I picked up a converter box primarily for use in the RV. I use Directv for service at home and in the RV, but I thought that when I am camped near a big city in range of the new digital tv transmitters, I can tune into the local tv programming using the converter box on my analog TV. Here in Victorville I did not receive any signals at all. I know that the local UHF translator re-transmits some of the LA stations is analog, but I have not heard if they will continue operation after Feb. 2009 in a digital format. I am surprised that you can pick-up any digital broadcast at all. I venture to say that if you lived within 40-50 mile radius of LA, you would pick many more stations as long as you did not have any major terrain obstructions, mtns etc.
Unfortunately Digital output for broadcast is substantially lower than that of regular Analog broadcast. By best estimates about 10% of the former broadcast watts will be “allowed” by the FCC. This is to give (presumably) more broadcasters the opportunity to license in a particular market. This also gives the government more control and more licensing fees for each broadcast channel.
The Bandwidth that is used in Digital is almost 1% (actually 2.65%) of what normal Analog Broadcast took including the FM band.
Now with the capability to broadcast over 2000 channels in such a dense medium it is no brainer to understand why the government has gone this route.
Sorry but you will have to amplify your receiver a lot more than normal to get even a portion of what you received before. What is interesting is that most broadcasters are adding about 3 channels for every Analog they are taking off. If you were close enough to the transmitter you should receive not just 1 channel for channel but up to 5 or 10 channels for every channel you saw before. Mainly because new broadcasters at lower costs and at least 3 channels for every old…… ie Channel 30 becomes 30.1, 30.3 and 30.7. I am trying to figure out how to amplify all my reception too. A lot of growing pains to go through. Most communities are trying to get everyone to go to paid plans it seems (Cable, Satellite, Internet) Viva la Open Source…..
Don’t waste your money if your reception now is so-so. I get channels 6(abc) 11(nbc)15(fox) pretty good with my antenna, but the digital box cannot pickup any digital channels. I know they are their cause everyone else can get them. Only buy these boxes if you get perfect reception!