Digital TV converter coupons?

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HarveyH42

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Well, after a couple of months, finally got a pair of $40 coupons from the US government to help pay for the change over to digital TV, February 17, 2009.

After looking at a few sites, and looking through a a couple of local store websites. Doesn't look like choosing the best store/product/price is going to be as simple as I had thought. The stores I checked only had two models each, and sounded like junk. All listed at $59.95, so I'm looking at $20 each out of pocket + tax. There are 30 or so different models listed on the paper included with the coupons. I've got less then 90 days to make the purchase before these coupons expire.

Figured I'd ask, and see if anyone here has gotten the coupons and made a purchase. Some suggestion or direction on which model to choose. Noticed they list 4 models with analog signal pass through, but didn't find those for sale yet, but top of my list.

Will keep you posted as I shop and search. My first impressions are that these converter boxes are maybe worth $20, and the coupons just pay the markup. Haven't tried the websites listed yet, but expect to see lower prices then the local stores, but Ebay-style shipping charges.
 
Looks like the RCA DTA800 has the best reviews. Bummer they say better cheaper boxes to be released later this year. Not sure If I should wait for them though.
 
It's not a trivial matter to convert from the digital ATSC signal to the analog NTSC. The desired TV channel RF signal is first selected and amplified with an RF tuner, then the digital audio and video signals are recovered from the RF modulation, the video down converted from 720p or 1080i 16:9 format to 480i 4:3 format, the video and audio converted to analog, and the video reformated into the NTSC video signal. Finally the analog signals are used to AM modulate the video and FM modulate the audio of an RF carrier for output to the TV. I'm tired just thinking about it. So $60 may be a reasonable price for the converters.
 
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The coupons expire in 90 days because if you don't spend it they will give a coupon to somebody else.

Standard Definition digital TVs start at about $120, if the box is 50% of a TV, that's $60.
 
What was the cost of that same TV with an analog tuner?
 
Let's see. Tonight's prime time shows on the networks at 8:00 PM EST are: My Name is Earl; Survivor: Micronesia; Ugly Betty; and Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader.

I wouldn't watch any of those if you paid me $60, much less pay to have access to them.

What am I missing: World Wide Wrestling Smackdown.

What really hurts is the use of tax dollars to further such mindless indulgence. I think I will just spend this evening soldering some SMDs together. John
 
The parts cost $5.00.
The robot makes the converter for nothing.
The person who takes care of the robot gets paid a bowl of rice a day ($.20?).
The factory charges $10.00.
The importer charges $20.00 and shipping is $5.00.
The retailer gets paid $40.00 by the government and $25.00 by you.

Go to China and steal one.
 
There is a limited budget; iirc about $1.1 billion. If they start to run low, the later coupon mailings will be delayed until the first ones expire. (I know at least one person who'll be keeping one of his as a collector's item.) See the FCC website for more info.

That (Walmart) TV has both analog and digital tuners. I'm just proposing that if you throw away the color CRT, speaker, EHT, and deflection circuits you have the basics of the converter box. Is what's left still 50% of the TV's value? I don't think so, but you may differ.

What's left is a tuner, an ATSC/QAM decoder chip (like TI's TVP9900 1K at $6), a DSP, and a low-end video card chip. Feed that into a $2 modulator chip and put it in a box. Add wall-wart and IR remote, markup, and sell.

Hard to compare this to an analog-only TV since you can't buy them in the US any more.

@guru: One more item in the formula: The government collects $5 sales tax. (at least here.)
 
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Here, nearly everything has sales tax when it is purchased.
I hate paying tax on something I get for free with a coupon.
I got 10 solar garden lights for free with a coupon but I had to pay tax.
 
They're dumping the output of all these converters into an RF modulator rather than a composite A/V output? Can't be! How stupid (pointless, backward) that would be.

Dean
 
Dean Huster said:
They're dumping the output of all these converters into an RF modulator rather than a composite A/V output? Can't be! How stupid (pointless, backward) that would be.
Click to expand...
It's for the people with REALLY OLD TVs.
 
Dean Huster said:
They're dumping the output of all these converters into an RF modulator rather than a composite A/V output? Can't be! How stupid (pointless, backward) that would be.

Dean
Click to expand...

The DTV converter box is for the RF signal, to replace the analog tuner. Some of the converters might have A/V out. I don't what a lot of TV, so don't buy cable or satellite, just over the air broadcasts. I've got a 55" rear projection TV, and don't wish to buy a new small TV. I have been using the VCR tuner instead of the TV's, it picks up more channels.

Anyway, if you need the converter, it's guaranteed that you have RF input to the TV. I have two 19" TVs I use for security cameras, no A/V input (bummer), but have a VCR hooked up to them anyway.
 
As far as I've been able to determine, all converter boxes have RF out, but most also seem to have composite A/V out.
 
mneary said:
As far as I've been able to determine, all converter boxes have RF out, but most also seem to have composite A/V out.
Click to expand...

But both of these have the worst possible quality, you want either RGB, Component, or HDMI to give decent quality.
 
Majority of the people buying these converters are too cheap to buy a higher end TV, it's broadcast. My TV probably has all those and more, which I never bothered with. I know it has the RF and the A/V, think it does surround sound. Must be a dozen different places on the back to hook stuff up. I got it free, just had to do a few minor repairs. Mostly just clean out the dust and dead bugs. The fluid under the lens for the red is cloudy, bacteria I guess. The cap on was loose where you fill it. Didn't know how to clean it out, or what the fluid might be. Figure something like glycerin or anti-freeze. The color is only a little off. Don't really do much watching, it's good enough.
 
But both of these have the worst possible quality,
Click to expand...
These government subsidized converters are to provide a bare minimum to those who otherwise wouldn't have any TV after the cutoff.
 
I wonder how many morons will think that one of these cheap Chinese converters will convert their fuzzy old TV into a very clear wide-screen high-definition TV?

3D TV is next.
 
audioguru said:
I wonder how many morons will think that one of these cheap Chinese converters will convert their fuzzy old TV into a very clear wide-screen high-definition TV?

3D TV is next.
Click to expand...

My picture is fuzzy right now. Does that mean It will be fuzzy with the converter box? Or that I'm a moron?

Actually, at first I figured the picture would be as good as I get watching a movie of the VCR or DVD. But from reading some reviews of the converter boxes, I tend to believe there will be problems, mostly at the border. Some make me wonder why the manufacturer would consider selling such a useless piece of crap. Wish I would have done my searching, before signing up for the coupons. Got about 2 months left, the good ones don't seem to be stocked in local stores. Walmart only had one model in the store, and not much good said about it online. I have to agree, these will in no way be an upgrade, just basic compatibility. Just a scheme to get people out buying new expensive TVs.

One cool thing that will come from this, tons of free TVs sitting at the curb next year...
 

"Just a scheme to get people out buying new expensive TVs."

Keep in mind that the "scheme" is much bigger then that. By elimination of VHF analog broadcast the government and big biz gets their hands on tons of spectrum space to bid out and re-utilize for profit making. This was a spectrum grab plain and simple. Now with cable/satellite usage at around 90% in the US (I think) there is probably some argument that the wide analog TV spectrum would have better utilization for other uses. We will see I guess.

Lefty
 
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