Digital TV Converter Box Tests and Ratings

DIGITAL TV CONVERTER BOX TESTS

Best Buy, K-Mart, Radio Shack, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart, eBay and other popular Boxes Tested

We've Tested 18 New Converter Boxes!
Batch One Digital Converter Boxes

TWO BATCHES PURCHASED AND TESTED IN A FAMILY HOME SETTING

RETAIL STORE ...or On-Line	CONVERTER BOX TYPE Press Name for Factory Specifications	PRICE (We Paid)	PRESS IMAGE TO ENLARGE AND TO SEE ITS REMOTE
Best Buy	Apex DT250 Analog Pass-Through	$59.99
Sears/K-Mart	Magnavox TB100MG9 Analog Pass-Through	$49.99
Radio Shack	Digital Stream DTX9900	$59.99
Target	GE 22729 Venturer STB7766G	$79.99 $49.99
Wal-Mart	RCA DTA800	$49.87
eBay	Tivax STB-T9 Access HD DTA1010D THESE TWO ARE THE SAME INSIDE	$79.97 $44.99
On-Line	Channel Master CM-7000	$69.98
- - - - - - - - SECOND BATCH of POPULAR CONVERTER BOXES - - - - - - - -
On-Line	Coship N9988T	$40.01
On-Line	Insignia NS DXA1 Same as Zenith DTT900, top Different Remote Control	$49.98
On-Line	Sansonic FT-300A	$54.99
On-Line	Winegard RCDT09	$69.98
On-Line	Digital Stream DSP7500T	$69.98
On-Line	Alpha Digital AT2016	$48.99
On-Line	DTVPal Analog Pass-Through	$40.00
On-Line	Zinwell ZAT-970A Analog Pass-Through	$47.99

Hands On Digital Converter Boxes Batch One Converter Boxes and Remote Controls

What They're Like and How They Feel

Converter Boxes are fun! Imagine a new TV in your living room. That's what it's like when you hook-up a Converter Box to your old TV. Clear sights and sounds fill your room like never before.

Thirty-five million Converter Boxes have been made and shipped in the last three years. They do a fantastic job converting TV signals, but to have qualified for Coupon discounts they had do other things.

They had to have alerts, parental control, auto-off, zoom, strength indicators, energy saving and program guides. But most couldn't turn your TV off at night. Last minute production pressure and bureaucratic mandate didn't promote practical development.

Many still have trouble synchronizing sound and video. Lips move before they're heard. Even so, watching your television today is much more enjoyable than ever before.

Batch Two Converter Boxes are Smaller

MOST of SECOND BATCH of CONVERTER BOXES TESTED were SMALLER

PERFORMANCE TEST PROCEDURES

Converter Box Test Environmental Constants - Press for Control Tuner Detail

All Tests were conducted at the same home with the same antenna and TV.

A CE LABS CONTROL BOX was used to monitor all incoming signals.

Every Box was subject to identical signal qualities and strengths.

Every Test was performed on every Box every day for 10 days.

In order to grade 18 Converter Boxes for quality of reception and usability in a Real World environment of complex variables, a "standard" for judging each Box by various family members was established. Unlike all other Converter Box tests, our's were done 33 miles from the stations.

Channels Used in Our Converter Box Tests

The 12 Channels we used here are further broken into 26 Multicast Channels
i.e. WUSF-DT channel 16 broadcasts programs on 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 and 16.4
Our standard consisted of 26 RF Channels, received on an amplified antenna, being split into a Test Control Box and a Converter Box. Each Box was compared to the same Control Box by the same people during two different ten day test periods. This assured test uniformity.

Circuit Diagram and Notes from a 2 Hour Test Cycle of 18 Converter Boxes

Two component antenna inputs on the TV allowed us to switch between boxes to compare screen and stereo qualities. Fast switching accented the differences. Tests were performed by people of different ages at various times of day. Screen/Sound grades and incidents were recorded.

Signals were monitored for uniformity during each two hour test cycle consisting of each Converter Box being observed, in random order, for 10 minutes followed by a 2 minute intermission while preparing the next Box for testing. By switching the Control Box for another Converter Box we could directly compare two different Converter Boxes.

Screen color and sound variations were automatically adjusted by our RCA TruFlat CRT TV. Each Converter Box tested was made in China except the Channel Master CM-7000, which was made in Bulgaria. All had similar features and each qualified for using a $40 Government Coupon.

Response time to remote control varied by Converter Box. Many had aggravating sensitivity issues. They just didn't work very well. If not pointed precisely toward their Converter Box they would NOT work. Since remote controls were critical to Converter Box testing, they, too, were graded.

TEST RESULTS

Radio Shack's Digital Stream models DTX9900 and DSP7500T tied for First. Their video, stereo and unique remote control qualities are excellent. Both models quickly tune all local and distant channels clearly over long periods of time, with little or no variation.
Extremely user friendly with the only remote controls we tested with TV control; users, even those with cable or satellite, can easily switch to/from local HDTV, adjust TV volume and turn the TV on/off from anywhere in a large room. Plus, as with all other Converter Boxes we tested, they host parental control, zoom, signal strength indicators, energy saving options and program guides.

Channel Master CM-7000 and Coship N9988T tied for Second. With 95% of the winners' qualities, they lack only TV and "decimal" remote control buttons.
The RF Channels must be scrolled in. Otherwise, both are practical, well built, durable and attractive pieces.

The GE 22729, with incredible distant-channel reception, wins Third. Powerful screen and stereo on all channels. Great full-screen program guide.
Best tuner for every TV on the farm. Locks-in weak signals perfectly but the remote control must be aimed precisely at the Box to work. This unit is more of a stand-alone TV receiver than a family style channel tuner.

Dish Network's DTV Pal earns Forth Place. Like a Channel Master CM-7000 at twice its price, DTV Pal does the job on all channels with only a few remote control drawbacks.
Small Box with an external power transformer. Best Converter Box for analogue pass-through control.

Insignia NS-DXA1 takes Fifth. Sharp screens with brighter colors than most. Excellent Remote features but two High Numbered VHF channels were untunable.
These are family Boxes. Durable and easy for everyone, the remote control works well from anywhere in the room. Its "Recall" button shows selectable channels' strengths to help you select a usable one.

RCA DTA800 and Access HD DTA1010D are Sixth. Excellent screen images, sound and zooming control but slow to respond to, and difficult to aim, remote control.

Magnavox's TB100MG9 comes in Seventh. Sharp screen lacking bright colors of most. With analogue pass-thru and combat ready remote control, kids can't break it or waste its batteries.

Please note that better Converter Boxes come from established companies.
Five small boxes - Winegard and Venturer, identical units, Sansonic, Alpha Digital and Zinwell - tie for Eighth. Too small for kids, all have bright screen colors with good stereo but each has a variety of remote control problems.

Apex is Ninth. With its aggravating remote control, tuning the Converter Box from across a room is nearly impossible.

Last place goes to Tivax.

All Tests Performed Using Vendor Specifications!
Converter Box Manuals and Full Cycle Test Record

ALL TV BROADCASTS ARE DIGITAL-OVER-THE-AIR NOW! Regular TV set tuners will not work long. You'll need a Converter Box for each TV using an antenna. Different tuners are described here. Some work good outside of town, some don't. Some on any channel, some not! BUT...

FIRST YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW WHICH HDTV CHANNELS AND ANTENNAS WILL WORK AT YOUR PLACE near:
Abilene, Akron, Albany NY, Albany GA, Albuquerque, Alexandria LA, Allentown, Amarillo, Anchorage, Appleton WI, Asheville, Atlanta, Atlantic City, Auburn AL, Augusta GA, Austin TX, Bakersfield, Baltimore, Bangor, Baton Rouge, Bend OR, Billings, Birmingham, Bismarck, Bluefield WV, Bloomington, Boise, Boston Metro, Boulder, Bowling Green, Branson, Buffalo, Burlington, Brownsville, Canton, Cape Cod, Cape Gerardo, Casper, Cedar Rapids, Champaign, Charleston SC, Charleston WV, Charlotte, Charlottesville, Chattanooga, Cheyenne, Chicago Metro, Cincinnati, Clarksburg, Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Columbia SC, Columbus GA, Columbus OH, Corpus Christi, Coos Bay, Dallas Metro, Dayton, Davenport, Decatur IL, Denver Metro, Des Moines, Detroit, Dothan, Dover, Duluth, Durham, El Paso, Erie, Eugene, Evansville, Fairbanks, Fargo, Fayetteville, Flint, Flagstaff, Florence, Ft Lauderdale, Ft Myers, Ft Pierce, Ft Smith, Ft Wayne, Fresno, Gainesville, Grand Forks, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Gulfport, Greensboro, Greenville NC, Hartford, Harlingen, Harrisburg, Hartford, Hattiesburg, High Point NC, Hopkinsville, Honolulu, Houston Area, Huntington, Huntsville, Idaho Falls, Indianapolis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Johnstown PA, Joplin, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Kearney, Key West, Killeen TX, Kingsport, Knoxville, Lafayette, Lake Charles LA, Lansing, Laredo, Las Vegas, Lexington, Lincoln NB, Little Rock, Los Angeles Area, Louisville, Lubbock, Macon, Madison, Madisonville, Manchester, Mansfield OH, McAllen TX, Memphis, Meridian, Miami Metro, Midland, Milwaukee, Mobile, Modesto, Minneapolis, Monroe, Monterey, Montgomery, Morehead City, Morgantown WV, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Naples FL, New Bern, New Haven, New London, New Orleans, New York Metro, Norfolk, Oakland CA, Ocala, Odessa TX, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard, Paducah, Panama City, Peoria, Pensacola, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland ME, Portland OR, Prescott AZ, Providence, Raleigh, Rapid City, Reading, Reno, Richmond, Roanoke, Rochester, Rockford, Sacramento, Saginaw, Salisbury, Salt Lake City, Saint Joseph MO, Saint Paul MN, Saint Petersburg, Saint Louis Area, San Angelo TX, San Antonio, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose CA, Santa Ana CA, Santa Barbara, Santa Fe, Sarasota, Savannah, Schenectady, Scranton, Seattle, Selma, Shreveport, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Spartanburg, Spokane, Springfield MA, Springfield MO, Springfield IL, Syracuse, Tacoma, Tallahassee, Tampa Area, Terre Haute, Toledo, Topeka, Trenton NJ, Tri-Cities TN, Troy NY, Tucson, Tulsa, Tupelo, Tuscaloosa, Utica, Valdosta, Vermont, Vincennes, Virginia Beach, Waco, Washington, Waterbury, Waterloo, Watertown, West Palm Beach, Weston, Wichita, Wilmington, Winston-Salem, Yakima LARGER PRINT

CALIFORNIA - ARIZONA - TEXAS - ILLINOIS - PENNSYLVANIA - OHIO - NEW YORK - GEORGIA - NORTH CAROLINA - FLORIDA

New Multicast channels look like this...
during setup and tuning with a Converter Box.
Please Pardon Poor Photography

Cable and Satellite DON'T carry most local channels!
TV Guides are FREE on DTV

Consumer Electronics Association on
How Many Sets Need Converter Boxes...
...currently only 34.9 million (11 percent) of the 304 million television sets in the U.S. are used to view over-the-air television programming. The phenomenon is driven by the fact that television today is largely a wired (i.e., cable or satellite) service.
Converter Box Coupons Issued

Converter Box Coupon Costs

National Telecommunications & Information Administration Data

Each $40 coupon cost taxpayers $48

Free DTV in America