Our little cheapo 5" screen TV that we use in the kitchen is doomed whenever TV makes its conversion -- in June now, I believe. Obviously we won't get a $100 converter box for a $15 TV set.
But I just noticed one of the discount stores has on sale a Prism digital LCD TV. with a 7" screen. My question is whether this one would also require a converter box -- or how could I tell.
It does have a retractable antenna, if that means anything.
All TVs sold in the US now have to have an ATSC DTV tuner built-in. The requirement began with the largest TVs quite a few years ago and included even the smallest for maybe the last 2 years or so.
the converter boxes are cheap, recently target had them on sale for $40.01
one cent over the coupon program
If you have an expired coupon from the govt, is it still honored?
Mikepier wrote: ...
Not at present...there's been no clear decision rendered on what the mechanics are going to be I've seen on whatever added funding there may eventually be. At present, new requests already in the queue are being honored only as previously issued ones that haven't been utilized expire. There apparently is quite some delay in determining whether one is actually expired and unused, however...
--
About a year after the switch really happens, I'm thinking there will be a lot of used converters for sale for just a few bucks. There will be a lot of converter box users that will buy widescreens as prices fall.
Also, you don't need a television to use a converter box, anything that has an rs-170 input and sound input will work. The converter box is a tv, less the display and speaker. I'm feeding one of our converters composite video into an old pci ntsc card and the left/right sound into the cd rom connector. I expect to bring out the video and sound leads on an old $20 5" b/w portable tv, unless I find a cheap lcd video player that has a composite input. The bare converter board will even fit in the old 5" portable case next to the D cell battery compartment. And it will now have a remote control to boot.
Time to be a little creative. You can find new usb2 atsc sticks on sale for $25-30, if the rebate pays out. ;-) You can also put dtv sound in your car for $40, if your auto radio has ipod or cd player jacks.
Think outside the box.
--larry / dallas
larry wrote in news:oC3hl.12181$ snipped-for-privacy@flpi146.ffdc.sbc.com:
you can also feed the converter's composite outputs into a VCR or a NTSC video monitor.
(the $40 coupons are not for USB sticks,just converter boxes)
If your TV has antenna/cable or RCA (red, white, yellow) inputs then you can use a converter box if not, then TV will be useless. Many of the small battery powered TV's do not have any inputs and will not work after the changeover.
I recently saw some under cabinet LCD TV units for sale that did not have digital tuners. There were signs posted on the store shelf and stickers on the box saying that. If it has DTV tuner then the specs printed on the outside of the box will say so. You might also 'google' the model number and look for specs and/or reviews.
See above. Kevin
And 66 or so % of converter boxes are second rate, In Fact no locals sell 1st rate that I see. Its all online.
There are good and crap boxes, Target sells mid road and crap rated. A box is not a box in equal. Just like phones
~snipped~
True, but my comment was more that you can get a real atsc tuner usb stick (widescreen if your monitor is w/s) for your computer for $25. And if the $30-$50 manufacturer mail-in rebate check is sent back to you.
Also, no coupon approved converter box outputs a widescreen image, but will do things like letterbox, full, zoom1 and zoom2. The manufacturers fought hard that no cheap box would cannibalize their new set sales!
You can take the converter box modulator type f cable output and strip the shield back a few inches, Wrap the center wire around the antenna rod for tv's without a connector.
Just saw on tv news that the studios are now doing shows and commercials in 3-D. Dig out your red/blue glasses for tomorrow's Super Bowl ads!
-l
Wake up bubba butts-
I'm sure not. They had dates on them. I only used one, and when I called in to get another, they knew they had sent me two, but didn't seem to know I hadn't used the second.
Those who want more issued says that would be better than extending the exp. date on ones already issued. I don't know why, but that is what even the ones who want more issued say.
I only used one, because I wasn't impressed with the boxes. Since then, I've found two models at an indepenedent store and would like to buy my second converter. But if I can't get a coupon, there is no rush. And if I can get a new coupon, it will probably expire while I'm on a long business trip this spring.
the Zenith, also sold under the Insignia brand, are both made by LG Electronics, are the best, from the research that I did. I have bought two of the Zenith, and they work great.
James
I have a Zenith on the TV in the spare bedroom and like it, but I have a Channel Master on my big TV downstairs because the CM has an S-video output which the Zenith does not. Also has a much better onscreen guide than the Zenith. The one drawback to the CM is the remote; it does not have a programmable button for your TV power, but if you have a universal remote that doesn't matter. These are the only two I've tried, but like you I spent a lot of time searching online for reviews etc. before purchasing anything.
nate
If it says digital on it, that should mean that it's digital. And it probably does, but read the box carefully, plug it in when you get home and make sure it gets digital stations.
Not true. But they do have to be labeled if they won't receive digital.
Absolutely not. I've seen non-digital tvs up to 15 inches in the stores this year. They were however labeled that they would require a converter or something to receive digital signals.
These tvs still work with converters, cable, and satellite. That's the vast majority of America. Let the manufacturers change over their production as they see fit. Just don't mislead consumers.
larry wrote in news:Ga6hl.12714$ snipped-for-privacy@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com:
Uh,the intent of the DTV *converter* is to convert DTV to work on a NTSC set,which is 4:3 ratio. if you try to fit a 16:9 format on a 4:3 NTSC display,there has to be letterboxing,or an overscan.
The converter boxes are not intended to be anything more.
Boxes may be nearly free with the rebate card
So says you. The FCC says otherwise:
Many Americans don't understand digital TV, but they no longer can buy the old analog technology it replaces, thanks to a federal mandate that recently kicked in.
All new television sets designed to receive over-the-air signals must now contain a tuner capable of receiving digital broadcasts, not just the old-style analog signals we have relied on for the past half- century.
The March 1 mandate covers smaller sets, the last bastion of all- analog technology. "
So, as I stated, for about 2 years now, ALL TVs manufactured for sale in the USA must have an ATSC tuner. Yeah, you might find some TV somewhere that was built prior to Mar 2007, but the chances of that are small, unless it's some refurbished piece of crap.
I don't understand why this question even needs to be asked. All one has to do is read the box.
The good news is you'll be able to watch that little TV a bit longer as the government will be delaying the switch over date to June. It's not a sure thing yet but the bill passed the senate and has to pass the house which is predicted to do so.
Check to make sure any TV you purchase has it's own digital tuner. If not, it'll require a box, but then again, you shouldn't even be able to find a new TV without a digital tuner.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.