$40 Off Digital To Analog TV Converter Box From Uncle Sam

[pheobe]

I know I know. Who would still want that crappy analog TV? But for the sake of reducing the size of the junk pile in your local waste dump, the government through http://www.DTV2009.gov offers you a $40 coupon so that you can buy a Digital to Analog converter in preparation for the February 17, 2009 switch.

http://www.DTV2009.gov

eligible products:
http://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm

 

[Engineer]

If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this. The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts. Other than that, waste of taxpayer money. Well, even if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts, it's still a waste of taxpayers money. Buy your own damn box.

 

[Pardus]

The 2009 switchover is a good marketing campaign.. lcd tv's are hot sellers, most have some form of cable or satellite.. if your living in a van down by the river using rabbit ears to get broadcast, then the box is needed.

 

[esquared]

Originally posted by: Engineer
If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this. The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts. Other than that, waste of taxpayer money. Well, even if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts, it's still a waste of taxpayers money. Buy your own damn box.

Actually this isn't just for people picking up TV from the airwaves. There are cable companies that still broadcast basic cable that's analog that don't use a box. Comcast, for instance in my area. If you subscribed to the basic service you would need to buy one of these boxes come 2009. Comcast will rent you a box for a dollar a month if I remember correctly.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: esquared

Originally posted by: Engineer
If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this. The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts. Other than that, waste of taxpayer money. Well, even if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts, it's still a waste of taxpayers money. Buy your own damn box.

Actually this isn't just for people picking up TV from the airwaves. There are cable companies that still broadcast basic cable that's analog that don't use a box. Comcast, for instance in my area. If you subscribed to the basic service you would need to buy one of these boxes come 2009. Comcast will rent you a box for a dollar a month if I remember correctly.

Not true. They are free to transmit analog cable over their lines. They are freeing up some of the OTA frequency spectrum. This has nothing to do with how analog cable gets to your house.

 

[Replay]

EXPIRES 90 days after they mail it.

Thinking of waiting until I see the converter deals.
But a bit worried they will run out of coupons.

 

[rickon66]

The generous Feds are giving out a few millions of dollars worth of coupons so they can reap back Billions and Billions of bucks by selling off the left over frequency space formerly occupined by analog broadcasts. They are coming out waaaay ahead, it is only fair that they help in the transition that they forced upon the public..

 

[vortix]

They should let us use these vouchers for $40 off the purchase of a TV with a digital tuner as well. Why not give people an option of purchasing a new TV if they don't want to hang on to their old TV + a converter box? Either way it would have the same effect of eliminating the requirement to use those airwaves.

Put my order in for 2 vouchers anyway though....I get my service over the air with an analog TV and it'll be great to get the much improved reception from the digital signals!

 

[VinDSL]

I've been running HDTV and terrestial HDTV/DTV-to-Analog converters, for years. I'm actually on my 4th DTB...

May I suggest the most excellent Samsung DTB-H260F?

The 'H260F includes an HDMI output for a high-quality digital transfer of both audio and video signals to a compatible TV. You also get a full set of analog outputs for making a connection to a television without a digital input, or to a DVD recorder.

It's the best of all possible worlds, my friends... and less than half the price of the DTBs I used to buy...

Highly recommended!

It's NOT on the official 'Uncle Sam Eligible Products' rebate list, but it's the best deal out there...

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Engineer
If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this.

The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts.

Sorry, but I disagree!

As I said above, I've been using HDTV for years, and bandwidth is the name of the game, for picture quality!

If I've got a choice of watching a HDTV program on satellite or Over-The-Air, I'll pick OTA every time... (yes, I have both)

Satellite is better than cable, in this respect, but NOTHING beats OTA for bandwidth!!!

There is only so much bandwidth available on satellites and (particularly) cable systems, and it gets divided up between many channels. The most popular channels with the biggest viewing audiences get the most bandwidth. The others are clipped!

Sure, satellite and cable operators hope you don't notice this, but even if you do - oh, well! There's nothing they can do about it!

OTA doesn't suffer from this limitation! They've got bandwidth up the ying-yang!!!

For instance, OTA broadcasters have so much bandwidth available, many offer several sub-channels of content available on the same channel, like:

8-1
8-2
8-3
8-4
8-5
8-6

What's the benefit to OTA viewers (HDTV & Analog)? On channel 8, in the example above, you'll get 6 channels of content (with an OTA HDTV/DTV converter) instead of 1 channel on analog... and it will look better than off a 'bird' or cable system! Hello?!?!?!

Anyway, OTA has its' place - believe me on this...

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: esquared

Originally posted by: Engineer
If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this. The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts. Other than that, waste of taxpayer money. Well, even if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts, it's still a waste of taxpayers money. Buy your own damn box.

Actually this isn't just for people picking up TV from the airwaves. There are cable companies that still broadcast basic cable that's analog that don't use a box. Comcast, for instance in my area. If you subscribed to the basic service you would need to buy one of these boxes come 2009. Comcast will rent you a box for a dollar a month if I remember correctly.

See what PurdueRy said. This is for over the airwaves broadcasts only, not what the cables send along their lines. Why would anything sent over the lines matter to the public airwaves (which is what was cleared up by moving from analog broadcasts to digital)?

VinDSL,

Are the current broadcasts of HD already in digital? If so, why would you need a convertor box (I assume you already have a built in or separate HD tuner to pick up OTA broadcasts if you prefer them)?

 

[AliasX]

I still use bunny ears. Sure, I have a kickass PC, xbox, xbox 360, mp3 player, and tons of other up to date technological items in my house, but I don't care enough about TV to pay each month for it. I watch Jeapordy. That is all. I'm not paying to have digital Jeopardy.

 

[esquared]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: esquared

Originally posted by: Engineer
If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this. The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts. Other than that, waste of taxpayer money. Well, even if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts, it's still a waste of taxpayers money. Buy your own damn box.

Actually this isn't just for people picking up TV from the airwaves. There are cable companies that still broadcast basic cable that's analog that don't use a box. Comcast, for instance in my area. If you subscribed to the basic service you would need to buy one of these boxes come 2009. Comcast will rent you a box for a dollar a month if I remember correctly.

See what PurdueRy said. This is for over the airwaves broadcasts only, not what the cables send along their lines. Why would anything sent over the lines matter to the public airwaves (which is what was cleared up by moving from analog broadcasts to digital)?

My mistake, that this is for the airwaves broadcast only. I didn't realize there would be two types of digital to analog converters. Comcast will be converting even the basic channel subscribers (analog) to digital in 2009 and for people with analog TV's, these people will have to get a box for convert the signal back to analog. Comcast is giving these boxes to people for free for the first 12 months, after that they will charge 1.99/month. link to the article here

From the link:
As for Comcast's analog TV customers who find fewer and fewer channels every time they pick up the remote, Comcast spokesperson Mark Apple says not to worry.

"Just pick up the phone, call your local Comcast representative and ask for a digital-to-analog conversion box," Apple said. The boxes are free for the first 12 months and $1.99 every month thereafter. There is no cost to upgrade to digital TV. "The channels aren't disappearing, they're just migrating."

"The boxes will allow analog customers to regain channels they've lost - and then some."

 

[buzzer]

Originally posted by: AliasX
I still use bunny ears. Sure, I have a kickass PC, xbox, xbox 360, mp3 player, and tons of other up to date technological items in my house, but I don't care enough about TV to pay each month for it. I watch Jeapordy. That is all. I'm not paying to have digital Jeopardy.

You will be paying for a box when your local Jeapordy over the air station flips the analog switch off and you get a blank screen in 2009.

I had an analog antenna and changed to uhf/digital and it is very selective. I would probably have to go another 20 ft. up over the analog antenna with a rotor to get everything I was getting on analog. Line of sight really comes into play with digital. At least with analog you can watch a snowy picture and listen to the buzzy audio. With digital the screen either locks up for seconds/minutes with no audio or there is just no picture at all.

If you are getting TV now only by antenna get a box with the coupon now and see what you get before the deadline hits and you find out all of a sudden you can't get the local over the air stations digital signal worth a darn without putting up a huge tower and rotor antenna. People out on the fringe might be up a creek without a signal like me.

Cable is a whole different confusing ball game. By a cable card equipped, QAM tuner, or digital box for TV and think you are safe forget it! Cable companies are testing On Demand for all channels now in some areas. Instead of sending all the channels down the cable and letting your TV or cable box pick a channel they send just one channel down. You tell the company what you want to watch and they send it down the cable. Requires up and down signal capability from the cable card or cable box and that is in testing now.

 

[Cardio]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: Engineer
If you're on cable or satelite, you don't need this.

The only reason you would need this is if you're picking up over the airwaves broadcasts.

Sorry, but I disagree!

As I said above, I've been using HDTV for years, and bandwidth is the name of the game, for picture quality!

If I've got a choice of watching a HDTV program on satellite or Over-The-Air, I'll pick OTA every time... (yes, I have both)

Satellite is better than cable, in this respect, but NOTHING beats OTA for bandwidth!!!

There is only so much bandwidth available on satellites and (particularly) cable systems, and it gets divided up between many channels. The most popular channels with the biggest viewing audiences get the most bandwidth. The others are clipped!

Sure, satellite and cable operators hope you don't notice this, but even if you do - oh, well! There's nothing they can do about it!

OTA doesn't suffer from this limitation! They've got bandwidth up the ying-yang!!!

For instance, OTA broadcasters have so much bandwidth available, many offer several sub-channels of content available on the same channel, like:

8-1
8-2
8-3
8-4
8-5
8-6

What's the benefit to OTA viewers (HDTV & Analog)? On channel 8, in the example above, you'll get 6 channels of content (with an OTA HDTV/DTV converter) instead of 1 channel on analog... and it will look better than off a 'bird' or cable system! Hello?!?!?!

Anyway, OTA has its' place - believe me on this... ;

Sorry but you missed the boat........the sub-channels you speak of on OTA TV come at the expense of picture quality on the main channel. Your HD broadcast is degraded because the bandwith was devided to allow for all those sub-channels. A broadcaster is not given unlimited bandwidth. But you are free to divide it into sub-channels. Very few stations transmit a full band HD because of this! If you can find one that uses the full bandwidth for one HD channel you have the best PQ available, with sub-channels you have what many describe as HD lite and about the same quality of the highly compressed satellite feeds. Satellite is Not better than cable. Not all cable systems compress to the extent that is present in the satellite signal from both D*tv or E*'s signal.

 

[Replay]

Originally posted by: Cardio
Sorry but you missed the boat........the sub-channels you speak of on OTA TV come at the expense of picture quality on the main channel. Your HD broadcast is degraded because the bandwith was devided to allow for all those sub-channels. A broadcaster is not given unlimited bandwidth. But you are free to divide it into sub-channels. Very few stations transmit a full band HD because of this! If you can find one that uses the full bandwidth for one HD channel you have the best PQ available, with sub-channels you have what many describe as HD lite and about the same quality of the highly compressed satellite feeds. Satellite is Not better than cable. Not all cable systems compress to the extent that is present in the satellite signal from both D*tv or E*'s signal.

Can't beat OTA HDTV for the price. Shrek 2 was on our local ABC, in glorious 1280x720 progressive scan HD (beyond dvd quality), while subchannel 2 offered public affairs programming, and subchannel 3 had weather reports. Local PBS turns off subchannels when they have prime time HDTV offerings, but the rest of the time we have additional PBS channels (kids, educational, lo-fi PBS (home improvement etc.). Sports on OTA HD look awesome.

One local religious channel does five low-fi digital channels, so I know what you mean about low quality split bandwidth digital tv. But even that has a purpose, showing four televangelists (incl. Spanish), plus an inspirational music channel, instead of only one program stream.

 

[Replay]

Coupon Approved boxes cannot have any HD outputs! Only RF, composite and svideo outputs are permitted.

Disqualifying Feature
 Digital Video Interface (DVI);
 Component video (YPbPr);
 High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI);
 Computer video (VGA);
 USB IEEE-1394 (iLink or Firewire)
 Ethernet (IEEE-802.3)
 Wireless (IEEE0802.11)

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/DTVmanufacturers.pdf
Found while browsing AVS Forums: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=948767


"SmartAntenna interface" sounds slick.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=934600

From Kenglish on avsforum:
"When you scan the STB, it goes to channel 2, tries all combinations of antenna "directions" (it can create 16 possible azimuths by electronically switching the elements), and then...if it sees something resembling a DTV signal...it fine tunes the filters, azimuth, and preamp gain for the best signal. This is done using signal strength and signal "Q" (Quality, using the error correction signals within the STB), and the settings are then stored in the STB. Then, it tries channel 3, and so on."

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Still using a roof antenna. Waiting for a $40 box so I don't have to fork over more $ for TV. Damn crooks @ FCC.

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: Cardio
Sorry but you missed the boat........the sub-channels you speak of on OTA TV come at the expense of picture quality on the main channel. Your HD broadcast is degraded because the bandwith was devided to allow for all those sub-channels. A broadcaster is not given unlimited bandwidth. But you are free to divide it into sub-channels. Very few stations transmit a full band HD because of this!

Yep! Cannot disagree with that...

In the example I used - a real-life example BTW - the PQ DID get worse on the primary HDTV channel. No doubt about it!

PQ aside, the larger point is, OTA broadcasters have so much bandwidth available that their DTV signal CAN be divided into several sub-channels.

I *think* this is the reason that the gov is so interested in killing analog.

Radio frequencies are crowded these days (and finite) and analog TV takes up a LOT of space. These frequencies are worth big bucks, and killing analog TV will open up a large spectrum for other commercial usage(s)!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Still using a roof antenna...

Well, another nice thing about OTA HDTV/DTV is everything operates in the UHF band, so you can dump that big VHF/UHF roof antenna - which probably doesn't do squat on UHF...

You can get some awesome, high-gain, bowtie UHF arrays for cheap!

For indoor use, I suggest: The Winegard SS-3000 SharpShooter

For outdoor/attic use: The Channel Master 4228

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: VinDSL
[...]
Well, another nice thing about OTA HDTV/DTV is everything operates in the UHF band
[...]

Not entirely true...while it seems most are UHF, there are still a good number of digital channels on VHF in various markets (the PBS channel here in San Antonio, for instance)...plus some stations (currently on temporary UHF channels) plan to return to their original VHF channels after the transition is over.

 

[RichardK]

Originally posted by: VinDSL

Originally posted by: SerpentRoyal
Still using a roof antenna...

Well, another nice thing about OTA HDTV/DTV is everything operates in the UHF band, so you can dump that big VHF/UHF roof antenna - which probably doesn't do squat on UHF...

[/L]

Not necessarily. In my broadcast area (Kansas City) one of the digital stations operates on RF channel 7 in the VHF band.

Also, IIRC, some digital stations that are now in the UHF band will be moving to the upper VHF band after 2/2009, when the analog channels are shut down. Since they will be using the upper VHF frequencies, you may get adequate gain with a UHF antenna, but YMMV. (I'm receiving the KC VHF channel fine with only a UHF antenna.)

So don't throw away your VHF/UHF antenna yet. If you're getting decent reception with it on analog channels, it's a good bet that it will work well for digital TV.

That said, digital OTA digital TV is a huge improvement over analog, even without a HD set. The picture quality is much better than you can ever get with analog, and additional channels are available. So I certainly recommend making the switch ASAP. (I did it over a year ago.)

 

[SerpentRoyal]

The improvement is limited to the capability of the TV. A decent CRT can handle 450 to 500 lines, which is a big improvement over NTSC. Downside of digital is poor reception if you're in a weak signal area. A lot of folks who could barely pickup analog (like me...Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego) will probably miss out on the San Diego broadcasts.

 

[bigpow]

looks like the analog to digital transition will not get delayed after all, that alone sounds like a good deal!

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: RichardK
Not necessarily. In my broadcast area (Kansas City) one of the digital stations operates on RF channel 7 in the VHF band.

KMBC?

Point taken... although I think they're in the strict minority!