I got 2 coupons for the converter boxes and when i went to use them, i was told the numbers were no good. I contacted the company that issued them and was told it would be reported, but they could not issue new ones!

Comcast tells me that it will soon shift my C-Span 2 channel from cable to digital, upon which I will need a digital receiver to continue to view C-Span 2. What do you recommend?

I have one digital and two analog TV sets. I also have one Comcast cable box. After Feb 17, I would ideally like to not pay Comcast for any cable boxes. Will the converter boxes that you have been testing work with my two analog TVs and my cable service? (Comcast gives me evasive answers to my questions.)

TO: Alfred - 17 Sept - " Can I use Converter for Cable ...?"

Absolutely NOT ... strictly for TVs operated by only an antenna --- no other connections.

The sole means of not paying Comcast will be to cancel totally & have an outside antenna, with it's 4 -5 major channels + PBS .. that's it.

TO: James Allison - 17 Sept - "Comcast is changing my favorite show to digital ..."

At this point, seriously consider getting Comcast basic Standard Digital service for all your TV Sets ... no extra charge for any after the first one. This DOES work perfectly on all picture tube sets. Plus, not extraordinarily costly such as "HD" , Pay-For-View, On-Demand, etc..

You will have all of your "old channels" plus quite a few all-new. And, no "issues" at all concerning next Feb, or , 2012 , the end of cable analog either! You may keep the CRT sets as long as they work.

Comcast Basic cable is about $11.00/month in my area (Berkeley, CA). I had no idea it was that cheap.

At that price, it might be better then the hassle of mounting a new rooftop antenna & routing the cables to my TV.

TO: Stephan L.-18 Sept-"Cheap Basic Cable better than?"

Your "discovery" was made a part of the agreements last year whenever major local cable companies & the FCC agreed to continue analog thru 2102, NOT stop next Feb!
Available in all major markets, with some (24) channels of absolutely clear, perfect reception on old TVs!

For many, especially ALL that can not self-install a new digital antenna system which IS required for the federal coupon Converters - this will definitely be a far better alternative ! Just the materials ... metal mast, supporting wires, coax cable, antenna, etc., will total well into the $150 range, not including anything for the commercial installation for someone to climb onto the rooftop!

All the "public infomercials" gloss over the fact that analog or set top "V" rabbit ears do not work!

Obviously "2102" .. should be 2012 for local analog cable

Sorry!

This is concerning the hook-up ntsc tuner dvd and vhs recorders. Will it be possible to hook up these adjunct items to one converter by means of a splitter and be able to record shows? If not are there any recommendations?

My old set-top, analog rabbit ears work just fine with my DTV converter. You don't need a new "digital antenna system" - you just need to be able to get good reception on the UHF band (channels 14-69). Some people may need a new antenna, but to state that a new "digital antenna system" is required for everyone with the DTV converter is just wrong.

You can read a little more about this here:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/02/how-to-use-a-co.html

TO: Nathan - 21 Sept - "MY Analog Rabbit ears Do Great.."

Then, your particular set Does have it's "UHF" band loop or Bow Tie section intact ... Most do not & WILL have to be replaced!

Indoor units will also have reception issues during foul weather sessions, need more frequent "tweaking."

Federal Coupon Converters Do Not Receive analog - Channels 02-13. Strictly #14 up, in UHF.

TO: Harold -20 Sept - " What about my VCR...?"

That will need it's own Converter so's you can be watching a different channel while the VCR is recording another one.

EXPLANATION FOR Nathan. Please...

Those "loops" or bow tie elements were originally connected via very small, flexible springs, in order to allow an infinite variety of attempted alignments as one tried to get analog channels above #13 to "appear" on the picture tube ! The "UHF" band has always been more difficult to obtain satisfactory reception upon.

In that context, a majority have become "lost", broken off, missing .... owners didn't bother with trying anymore to get those UHF channels for years.

Many still have the original cracked, brittle 'ribbon' lead-in.

Unless one IS extremely close to their TV Towers, without
any obstructions, the old, existing set top antennas will Not provide reliable, trouble-free digital reception. It is this, rather than the various Converters, that's causing many of the issues for our Seniors!

Now, essentially all of the public "Informercials" about next Feb carelessly illustrate strictly V rabbit ears, also without any loop or bow tie elements! Now, that IS definitely wrong!

Don't be afraid of DTV!
I live about 60 miles from my local broadcast city. With my analog roof antenna and TV I used to get 3 network VHF stations and about 5 UHF stations that all varied in quality from poor to OK at best.
With my DTV converter and the same old roof antenna, I now get 20+ channels with perfect, crystal clear reception, plus another 10 or so that will freeze from time to time when the signal gets low due to atmospheric conditions. (Note that DTV doesn't get snow like an analog signal. You pretty much have a perfect picture or the picture gets blocky and pixilated and then freezes up.)

I have purchased two Insignia converter boxes from Best Buy. I have one problem, I have ran my antenna cable to the converter box, then to vcr, then to the tv. The converter box works fine but I'm unable to tape on my vcr. All I get is a taped blue screen. I'm still able to watch vcr tapes on the vcr but still not able to record. ANY IDEAS???????????????????????

To Brian Hogan:

It sounds like you have the converter box hooked up correctly to your TV and VCR. Try these steps:

1) Make sure the converter box is powered on and set to the correct channel you wish to record.

2) If you are using the RF or antenna connection OUT of your converter box to your VCR, make sure your VCR is set to channel 3--or 4, depending on where you live and which of the two channels is NOT being used by a local analog TV broadcast.

3) If you are using the audio-video output (the three RCA-type connections colored red, white and yellow) from your converter box to your VCR, make sure your VCR is recording from the "video input." (Check your owners manual on this.)

Hope that helps.

--Paul Eng
Web Senior Editor, Electronics

The coupon program is the biggest joke ever. Ordered mine in May, still not here. Go to the site, it knows you ordered them but suprise, you can not make a complaint. I guess you can, it's just they don't have to do anything about it. When you select the "My coupons never arrived" option from the drop down list you get "For a schedule of coupon mailing dates or to check the status of your application please click here. Note that coupons may take several weeks from the time you applied to arrive in the mail. We are not able to issue coupon replacements under any circumstances." I did this early to avoid the rush, lot of good it did me. Who would have thought the government would come up with a hairbrained ineffective solution to a problem they created. Guess I'm a slave to Comcast until I replace my TV.

TO: Chris - 22 Sept - "Coupons Have Not Arrived.."

A "better" solution might be to be "firm" with Comcast @ just get their $11 basic, analog cable deal , good until early 2012, for ~20 channels .... far more than the Converters will ever provide, without the hassle of any antenna, be it new or yours now, & just as clear on a picture tube set.

Will also do as many different sets as there are thoughout the home, too, of course.

By that date, all HDTVs will have come down even more than lately!

NOT normally advertised or in the usual offer page from which their telemarketer quotes, but it's there.

I want to continue to record a program on one channel using my VCR while watching a program on another channel. Will I still be able to do so with a DTV converter box and my rooftop antenna? If not, what are my options if recording one program while watching another is still possible after the switchover?

For Ralph - 25 Sept - "Want VCR on 1 channel/watch another ?"

One means to do that (now) will be to get a 2nd Converter for that VCR ... in this Blog, it is also explained.

Use a splitter in the antenna coax before anything. (1) line to the TV's Converter ... the other one to the VCR's Converter.

To: Ralph

Unfortunately, with a strictly over-the-air setup, a single converter box won't let you record one program while watching another.

In the "old" world, your TV tuner allowed you to watch one program, while your VCR's tuner recorded another. Now, neither of those tuners will be in play when the big DTV switch is turned on. Assuming an appropriate antenna setup, you'd need *two* converter boxes to accomplish an approximately equivalent setup - one converter box to feed the VCR (to serve as the "tuner" for the recorder, if you will), and the other to feed the TV. And that doesn't even begin to go into how you'll have to change your hookups, because the converter boxes both want to send a signal out that your TV will need to be on channel 3 (typically) to pick up.

Ideally a converter box would supply line-level (composite) outputs that you could route to the TV, but there are so many possible permutations of that scenario it would go *way* beyond the scope of this post.

Bottom line - to do what you want *in a strictly over-the-air setup* requires two tuners, and those tuners have to be digital tuners in the new world. Now, be aware that most cable companies offer a dual-tuner DVR that will accomplish precisely what you're discussing - but that's obviously no longer an over-the-air configuration.

Regards,
-wd

Do you believe prices on DTV converter boxes will come down in price in future months?

TO: Brian - 01 Oct - "Will federal coupon Converters get cheaper?"

There are some estimates that as many as 100 million analog TV sets exist without cable or satellite service.

There are still several million federal coupons available.

There's no incentive for a pricing reduction at all.

Next "Black Friday" - or sooner ! - there are supposed to be tremendous reductions in full HDTV sets which have been already made / are in stock / in great "surplus" now due to the world economic crisis. No Converter needed, of course, + infinitely-better results.

I applied for an obtained my two cupons, then bought two converter boxes from an online store (SolidSignal.com). The converters arrived quickly but I just as quickly learned that my old antenna system would only allow me to receive three stations (Before DTV robbed some of the analog transmit power, I could receive 6.) I have now replaced my old antenna with a new, deep-fringe model (Channel Master #3020), and can now recieve up to 25 stations, depending on the weather. The 25 stations provide over 50 channels of DTV programming.

Now for the real problem. Of all the DTV broadcasts I receive, only two stations (one PBS & one small UHF) put anything worth watching on the subchannels. The common thing I find on the subchannels is weather radar displays, station logos and occasionally, 1960s westerns and other 3rd rate programs. The state PBS network does a very good job of programming their subchannels with interesting programming (e.g travel, cooking, gardening, etc). The one UHF station has some game shows and old movies on their extra channels.

The broadcasters might have the ability to compete with the service of basic cable to their over-the-air viewers if only they would understand the real impact of DTV and stop being affraid of offering programs that might compete with their main program channel.

Before the converter, I was able to get ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX (some better reception than others, but all able to watch). With the converter, most of the time ABC and NBC seem like satellite during a storm, CBS is great, but I can not get FOX at all (I do get PBS great as well). I have switched back to the analog antenna so I can watch television till February. I do not think it is a problem with how I set up the box because it is not that complicated. Any suggestions?

TO: Todd N. - " Converter Channels erratic / not at all.."

There's a great chance that your UHF antenna system - whatever it may be - IS insufficiently strong! All digital signal reception IS much more troublesome to achieve reliably than the analog ever was.

www.antennaweb.org
is one site, with your ZIP & ignoring all the rest, that will list all the channels available to you, their transmission band { VHF or UHF } how far, what Compass Direction, plus what antennas by a color code.

Most DO need a different antenna than before in order for the federal coupon Converters to "function" for all channels, all weather, usually outdoors.

I went and bought the Magnovox DTV converter and I am so not pleased. 1st off quality of DTV Converter is poorly mfg and 2nd,I can't receive the standard local channels I had prior to DTV converter install on a CONSISTENT basis. They are all jarbled... probably my rabit ears antenna or its position but none the less I'm pissed... I had high expectations!

Anyways I was wondering... what are digital receivers?
With a DTV converter AND a Digital Receiver can I receive more programming channels AND with stronger signals without paying a monthly service fee AND still use the rabit ears antenna?

TO: V. Scott - 10 Oct -"May I still use rabbit ears w/ a digital ....?"

No - IF your ears are w/o the included inner circle loop or Bow tie section for UHF band. The long, slender "V" rods only are VHF & except for NYC, Chicago & a very few others changing back to that after next Feb., obsolete.

The reason that you had bad fortune / results IS that federal coupon Converters MUST have a proper UHF antenna system .. very seldom will an older, existing set- top system work well at all. Needs "changing" for each channel, different characteristics for bad weather, etc..

O.T.A. generally requires an appropriate UHF Band antenna system, meaning outside, high on one's roof, connected via Quad Coax RG-6 cabling. This is Not the same as our old analog reception at all. Even done as a "D.I.Y." project, it represents over $100-$150.

The Converter IS a digital receiver so you don't need another one.

Any other O.T.A. Box with an "ATSC" tuner Will require a monthly fee, such as the TIVO pair of units. Plus, it will need a new outside antenna system usually, same as before.

As a last resort, do consider the available, new, limited analog cable service .. available across the nation .. COX has (24) channels @$11.75 / Comcast = (20) @ $11 / etc.. --- all good thru 2012. You VCR will function just as before, too.

Comment is very simple, even with the last issue and it's article on rhe convertors, a column was omitted was the available models tested. Real simple, where were they made. I do not purchase from Communist China! The waste land of on air TV, if this is all that is out there. the more reason yo go back to books!

TO: J. & E. - 13 Oct - " I Don't buy from ... "

Sorry, But, we are totally "out-of-luck" with any attempts to locate / buy any electronic gear with an genuine "made in USA" anymore!

There are none.... federal coupon Converters, HDTVs, etc.,
are all 100 % from elsewhere.

Don't buy the DTVPal from Dish Netowrk.

I purchased this unit based on all of the positive reviews I read at sites like CNet. As soon as I plugged the unit in, I noticed a line of digital noise/distortion at the top of many programs when viewed in letter box format on a normal TV set. The flickering distortion was difficult to ignore and so I contacted tech support for assistance. Thus began a two month long saga.

My saga with tech support included recommendations that I buy new cables or view the image in zoom mode to "hide" the distortion. Pursuing the issue further for several weeks, i finally found someone who confirmed that early DTVPal units had a known software glitch and that I could return mine for a replacement. When I contacted tech support to do so, however, I learned that I would have to pay to ship the defective unit back to them.

So, two months into owning this unit that everyone seemed to think was so wonderful I had a choice of 1) continuing to use it and try to ignore the continually flickering distortion, 2) pay to ship my defective unit to Dish Network and trust that they would send me a "newer" unit that did not have the software problem, or 3) throw the defective unit in the trash. Unfortunately, I've chosen option 3 and have to admit that I will never do business with Dish Network again.

I understand the possibility of having a buggy product when you're rushing to get things out the door and be a "pioneer" in this new set top box converter field, but requiring customers to pay more for your incompetence is ridiculous. Why would I spend more money with a company that has already sold me a defective product. I'm going to stick with the Digital Stream converter box I bought from Radio Shack. It's worked flawlessly from day one.

This is for Paul Eng, please. (And anyone else who would care to chime in.) On Sept. 22, you advised a blogger who wanted to tape from his VCR using the converter box.

You told him that if he was connecting by his AVcables (a better connection than coaxial I suspect?), to make sure he was recording from his "video input." Could you elaborate how to work that/what that means? Even w/ manual consultation, I'm confused - & very frustrated in trying to get my VCR to tape.

An adjunct question: I've read that Dish Net's Pal, Pal Plus, & new TR-40 CRA are the only boxes which let you program multiple entries on the VCR, like we can now. Is the CRA TR-40 the much heralded & awaited Echostar TR-40 which never seemed to come? And which of these 3 would you recommend buying if you wanted that feature?

Also, does a non-analog pass-through box mean you can't get digital until 2/17/09? That doesn't give any test it/figure-out time, does it? I have a Magnavox -MW9 which says it has no pass-through, yet I'm getting my regular channels plus tons more, yet the Insignia DXA1 on another TV is only getting one major channel & 4 minor ones. The cust serv lady @ Insignia says it's because it doesn't have pass-through.

Any help's appreciated, as I'm an electronics novice & have spent parts of days trying to figure this whole thing out.

In return, I can share a piece I picked up that's not heavily advertised: If you want to time record your VCR, you need to change the default setting of the Auto Power Down in the converter box' Options menu. It is usually set to shut off in 4 hrs to save energy. Change it to "off" if you're going to program regularly. The VCR will not tape when the box is not set on.

Thank you in advance for any help.

To Pat Ford:

It's very easy to get confused with digital TV converter boxes. To help you, I would first suggest that you watch our digital video online, Guide to Digital TV Converter Boxes. It's in the blog post, or you can click on this link:

http://video.consumerreports.org/services/link/bcpid1329233564/bclid1118125802/bctid1788872544

Now to the specifics of your post:

A/V connections:

Your DTV converter box should have at least two (or more) types of output. One is the coax--big, round, screw-on type connections used to connect your antenna to the box and the box to the antenna input of your TV (and/or VCR). The other type is A/V--a set of three (colored red, white and yellow) "push-on" type of connections.

If you use the coax connection, you set your TV (or VCR) to channel 3 (or 4, depending on which channel is not being used in your neighborhood). The converter box is then the main "tuner." In other words, you use the box to change all your channels.

To record something on the VCR, you then program it to record Channel 3 (or 4) and then tune the DTV box to the appropriate channel you want to record--AND LEAVE THE DTV BOX POWERED ON AND TUNED TO THAT CHANNEL.

If you use A/V connections, you watch TV through its "video" input. And the same goes for your VCR. (You program it to record FROM "video input" NOT from a channel.)

Dish Network's DTVPal, DTV PalPlus, and TR-40 CRA:

As of now, those boxes are the only one with VCR timer capabilities. In other words, you can program those converter boxes to automatically switch channels, enabling you to record an hour of channel 7 at 8pm on Monday AND two hours of channel 5 at 9pm the same day. (You would of course, have to PROGRAM your VCR seperately.)

The experts here at Consumer Reports, however, say there are more boxes coming out with that feature. (And I believe we have another such box that will be mentioned in our up-coming DTV converter box Ratings update. I just don't have the particular model information handy! Sorry!)

Analog pass-through:

This is a feature that is useful to continue to receive so-called "low-power stations" that may or may not convert to completely digital transmissions by Feb. 17, 2009. You'll find more information about this feature here:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/04/the-dtv-transit.html

Hope this helps!!

-Paul Eng
Web Senior Editor, Electronics

Thanks, Paul, for your timely & thorough reply.

I'll keep working through it!

Pat

Even if everything goes smoothly with people being able to figure out how to hook up the converter boxes correctly, there will still be lots of complaints about TV reception and antenna problems. Did you hear about the results of the Wilmington NC experiment?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26858298/

If the rest of the TV markets have similiar problems after their switch over in February, it would appear that the Centris study was right after all.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/02/11/6_million_may_lose_digital_tv_reception/

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6552349.html?rssid=193

To the "moderators" please ignore the other two postings I submited for review. I have now learned from you website what I tried to learn from RCN for over 2 hours today. I asked repeatedly if there is a box that I could use that would control changing the channels on the vcr and I was repeatedly told I would have to rent a DVR/converter from them.

Even though I'm a system adminstrator for a living and am really technical I don't have TV experience but once I get the correct info I can set things up. IT took your website and your honesty and caring of the people for me to learn the terms "analog pass through" and that there is a box that can do time shifting.

How do I find out if DTV Pal will be compatible with my RCN New York City cable provider? Right now we are renting from the them the Motorola DCT700, we are paying for each box AND RCN had to activate them. RCN has not been too cooperative, how can I know for sure that I can use DTV pal and will I have to have RCN activate them? Can RCN refuse to activate them and finaly where can I find DTV Pal.

Thanks so much

Can you tell me: is it possible to buy a DVR from Amazon and using with RCN in New York City? If I use a DVR to record would it still be just like my VCR in that I can't watch on station and tape another?

Thanks so much

Now I'm a bit more confused: After watching your video on this page I'm a bit more confused. You seem in your video to mention that you used the "antenna" on your building. Now do I use these boxes with my coax cable or do I use an antenna? I have been with RCN and for years they have used an analog signal. Now they are all digital signal. Now clearly I'm not using an antenna but I still need a converter as rcn has gone to all digintal in it's signal. Can I use these "DTV converters" with my cable. Why doe the video only mention an antenna?
I'm now using the motorola DCT 700 that I'm forced to "rent" from RCN. I would like to test a box to use in my house that is compatible with RCN in New York city and has analog pass through and Time shift recording. AGain do I have to get RCN's permission to use this box? Do they have to activate it?
Thanks so much for you great work and for caring about the consumer

TO: Judith - 07 Nov - "Need Converter to work w/ Cable "

You have obviously made numerous posts previously, which on these "blogs" are nigh onto impossible to readily "see", since there's no "Search" as in C.R.'s HDTV Forums.

If / when one uses cable - ANY such service at all - then, this Feb is totally without any meaning for your existing video equipment 100 % !

You should Not have bought any federal coupon Converter nor did / do you need any "Antenna" of either Band... VHF nor UHF !

Each local cable company is able to meet the regulation of "analog until 2012" via any means they choose, including in your case , having converted internally to digital & therefore having all it's customers use a set top box to get analog.

BUT - you CAN NOT combine Converters w/ any cable services !

Federal coupon Converters are Only for those with picture-tube analog sets / VCRs and strictly Antenna Reception ... NO other television signals whatever.

Cable service also dictates that the most reasonable means of Recording will be with their various dual tuner, hard drive units - which Still do function w/ older CRTs very well - @ about $12 / monthly.

This gives total program guides, record 1 / watch a different , record for an entire season, excellent "look up" for previously-recorded inventories, etc..

From these very few now-visible posts, you might consider "starting anew !"

To Judith:

Welcome to the blog and we're glad we can try to help you--and countless other consumers--navigate the confusion surrounding the digital TV transition.

First off, be aware that in general, when you hear about the "DTV transition" or the mandatory switchover of TV stations from analog to digital (which is suppose to happen by Feb. 17 2009) it applies ONLY to TV stations that broadcast "over the air." In other words, TV signals that you would receive using an antenna either on top of your TV (remember "rabbit ears"??) or on the roof of your dwelling.

So, all of the "DTV converter boxes" that we, Consumer Reports, are discussing here work ONLY with "over the air" broadcasts--the signals you receive via an antenna, NOT through a "for-pay" TV service, like satellite (DirecTV, Dish Network) or cable services such as RCN.

Since you are an RCN subscriber in NYC, you will NOT be affected by the Feb. 17, 2009 deadline. RCN should continue to work fine after that date.

So, why do you need to "rent" that converter box from RCN? Because cable systems like RCN use a different "tuner" (called QAM) technology in order to offer subscribers more channels (Discovery, TBS, CNN, etc.) than possible under the standard tuners (called NTSC) commonly used in TVs and VCRs. There were some TVs and VCRs that were marketed as "cable-ready." But they're probably non-existent now. Why?

Because cable companies as well are increasingly using digital technology to offer even more options--pay per view, net access, etc. BUT, DTV boxes are tuners (called ATSC) specifically geared to converter digital "over the air" broadcasts into NTSC signals that your old analog TV will understand.

DTV converters like DTVPal won't work with cable TV systems like RCN. They're just not compatible. That's why you need to keep renting the box from RCN. Even better: RCN would prefer that you "rent" its pricier DVR/converter box.

Is there a DVR box on Amazon that would let you record one channel off of RCN while watching another? I know there are some "dual-tuner" DVRs out there. But whether they would work with RCN's cable system, that I'm not sure of, so that I can't comment on. (Perhaps others on this board, like Everret Whitney, can provide more input.)

Is there a workaround to your dilemma? Perhaps. It really depends on what you want to do.

If all you want to do is record the major broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, Fox, ABC, etc.) while watching another network (including cable channels like CNN or Bravo), try this:

1) Get a DTV box (like the DTVPal)
2) Get a simple indoor VHF/UHF antenna (I assume you live IN NYC, within Manhattan? You should be able to pick up local broadcasts from the Empire State Building with a simple Radio Shack antenna. Note: NO need to splurge on a "digital DTV antenna." Just a marketing gimmick!)
3) Connect the two to your VCR as explained previously in other comments and posts here. (Or follow the instructions in the video above.)
4) Set your VCR tuner to channel 3
5) Run through the DTV box's setup
6) The DTV box then becomes your new "tuner" for the

This will, assuming all goes well, free your RCN's converter box/tuner to display other channels while your VCR's recording off the DTV converter box.

Hope this helps.

--Paul Eng
Web Senior Edtor, Electronics

A -p.s.- to "Judith"- What Recorder may I buy for cable?

There IS an excellent digital box that works with all local cable companies .. BUT... it, as well. has the very same monthly fees of about $13 for their connection!

www.tivo.com

Stay w/ your local cable company as you've been doing these past many years .... it will Not be satisfactory to only have those 5 -6 major networks as total reception with O.T.A. / antenna after having had all the rest for a long time.

As "aggravating" as it may be to pay the fee for a cable recorder, after one use it for a very brief interval, the Much Improved ease-of-use plus no more loss-of-time with every power interrupt will be a very welcome change!

And, these dual tuner, hard drive units DO store the equal to 30 VCR tapes , even @ the 6 hour capacity !

No repair expenses, either.

everett

You refer to a composite connectors. I don't know what these are and am not clear on the correct connections from the TV to the converter box using the composite connectors.

Also, I have a VCR recorder connected to my TV. How do I connect the converter box to be able to still record via the VCR?

Another question.
I've purchased a Philco unit and the tech didn't know if I could record with my VCR or not. I'm now seeing from other blogs that I cannot do continuous timed recording with this unit. What unit do you recommend other than the Dish Network boxes.

To MC:

Composite connections, as we show in our video (in the post), are the yellow-colored connection jacks found on most TVs and VCRs.

The video in the blog post goes into detail about the connections and how to hook up your DTV box to your VCR for recording. (You can "fast-forward" the video to about the 4-minute mark to see that portion of information.)

You can also find the video (that can be played in a bigger screen) here:

http://video.consumerreports.org/services/link/bcpid1329233564/bclid1118125802/bctid1788872544

As for other DTV boxes (beside the Dish Network model) with a VCR timer, we've found only one: the Zinwell ZAT-970A.

See our Latest Ratings for more details:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/tvs-services/digital-tv-converter/ratings/dtv-converter-boxes-ratings.htm

More info on the Zinwell here:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/tvs-services/digital-tv-converter/recommendations-and-notes/digital-tv-converter-boxes-recommendations-and-notes.htm#5

Hope this helps.

--Paul Eng
Web Senior Editor, Electronics

What is the basis of the auto shut down, on the digital converter boxes and is there anything that can be done to circumvent it? I heard it was to allow the receiver to reset - as a result of the boxes not being turned off over night. This is obviously not correct, as our box & Tv are off, more than on. The box is always turned off, along with the TV. Yet, after a few hours of viewing, the window appears, advising auto shut dowjn will soon occur - as it did at 10:20pm, this evening, in the middle of the People's Choice Awards. The TV & box had been on since 5pm.

Mr. Eng you are wonderful! ALSO THANK you everyone for your wonderful help and input for frustrated non-technical people.
Mr. Eng I posted a question a very long time ago - Nov. 7, 2008.
I was so confused back then and then we had a serious illness in the family and so I never came back to read this thread until today.
JUST an FYI: while in a hospital waiting room I read an article that explained many of the problems with this DTV transition that helped me get some fundamentals down.
So here in Manhattan: RCN has forced us to rent these Motorolla DC700 for our tvs. NOW I understand from you that Moto converter is really all about being a TUNER - as you called it a QAM tuner. I guess it's also converting digital signals from the cable wire to analog ones that our old sets can understand?
Our friends who have time warner in NYC claim they don't even need a box to continue watching their analog TVs and still use their VCRs till 2012 however in this house 3 months AGO RCN made some sort of switch and all our TVS stopped working now I'm guesing it's over that QAM tuner thing: that type of tuner was necessary to read the channels coming accross the cable.
YIKES without good people like those posting here I would go nuts. MY question: can people buy a QAM tuner at the store, to work on RCN's network, that would be a "dual" tuner so that you could split the cable coming out of the tuner/converter and put one of the split output cables into your TV and another into you VCR so that your VCR can tune into one station and your TV tune into another station. The way this RCN set up and Moto DCT700 box is set up it seems that it has become a master TUNER so that even if you split the output only the channel tunned into by RCN's converter/tuner can be watched and tape. Why can't beople buy a "tuner" that patchest through ALL the stations and let the TV and VCR pick which station to tune into? Right now our TV and VCR must alwasy be set to channel 3 which to me means that ONLY the converter picks a stations and no matter how you "split" it you are forced to view/tape the channel you are tunned into?
OR can I buy a DVD-R with a QAM tuner so that it can tune into staions spit out by the MotoDCM700 if I split the out signal?

I am going to get rid of my cable subscription and go with an antenna. How do I tell if my television is digital or analog and what is the best antenna to buy? Do I need to put it on the roof or will it work inside?

TO: Jim-04Feb- "How to tell which my TV is?"

A number of ways ... your manual explains IF it has an internal "ATSC" tuner --- if lost, go to the web site of your Brand & download a new manual or simply send an Email to their Tech Support, listing the full Model #, etc..

"IF" you bought it BEFORE 2006, it likely is ONLY a digital-ready type, meaning you will need to buy your own, external, separate digital HD tuner from Samasung or TIVO.

YES - in spite of all those "glowing claims" on the cartons of antennas in local stores, set top, indoor antennas will most-likely need constant "fiddling" between channels or during storms or whenever the trees are in full foliage, etc..

www.antennaweb.org is the starting point ---- input Only your ZIP, check 'digital' & listed will be your available channels, Compass Headings, Distance, which VHF or UHF Bands, & by color-coding, which strength or electronic "gain" is suggested.

Lots of web stores - - - one displaying / offering all will be - - - www.solidsignal.com and, DO also buy / use a single length of Quad RG-6 Coax from that outside antenna directly to the (1) TV set.

Since the FCC mandated conversion from analog to digital signals is only for broadcast signals being picked up by an antenna, it has been said that that those on cable don't need digital converter boxes. That information has been in public service announcements and has been repeated by highly respected and authoritative sources for about a year.

As said above the particular cable provider required a QAM tuner for their particular output, and they require consumers to rent a cable box from them. The reason is generally stated as that they had lots of demand for some more channels and needed a new format in order to deliver this service. There's no reason to doubt that reason.

It may be coincidental that some cable providers happen to have chosen this particular time when the FCC's mandated deadline was imminent to convert their output such that a cable box is required for every set in the house? I believe we need to be observant here to see whether there might be a trend.

Some cable providers have been advising that proprietary digital converters were mandatory and blaming it on the federal government mandate, which only applied to broadcast signals being picked up by a consumer's antenna. Some have been chastised for this as an ethically deficient effort to rent out more boxes. It would be difficult to know whether that was the motivator for any company's requirement of proprietary cable boxes. If a trend develops, especially at this time, our suspicions regarding ethics might be somewhat confirmed.

It's possible that some former antenna users who are now new cable customers have decided to come on board at least in part to avoid having to deal with the acquisition(including government coupon) and setup of an ATSC cable tuner box or of buying a new TV having an ATSC digital tuner. Now, if their cable provider converts its signal as some others have done the new customer will need to choose between the company's rental box or a new TV with QAM digital tuner. If they choose to buy a new TV with a digital tuner, they had better make sure that it has the right kind of digital tuner. Of course if they get the wrong kind they can then go back to their old antenna. It will probably be too late for a government coupon, though.

Now, in my area our lone cable provider is changing their cable output so that a proprietary cable box or a TV having a QAM tuner will be required to watch most of their channels. In their notice to customers they stated that it had nothing to do with the FCC mandate, which is to their credit. It's good that some companies have a higher regard for ethics. They just wanted to be able to give us a better product and additional channels that so many people have requested. We have been receiving 60-plus channels including Discovery, TBS, CNN for years on all TVs in the home even though only one is connected to a company-owned digital cable box. That one gets around 40 extra channels plus music and numerous pay per view options. They offer a better deal than many because the first box is free. We will only only have to rent boxes or buy new TVs if we have more than one TV in the future..

There was a question raised earlier that was part of a more complex question. In an effort to simplify, are there any QAM Digital Tuner cable boxes out there on the market that are reliable and low priced?

I know that you can buy a new TV with a QAM tuner inside. Since times are not so great right now for the country and for most families, I just thought it would be reasonable to avoid having to buy new TVs or to pay new rental fees if appropriate tuner boxes are available. Information on this particular topic seems to be lacking when compared to the flood of information on digital converter boxes in general. The new and better programming offerings are coming at a difficult time for many consumers.

A timely answer would be valuable because the deadline for the government coupon for the ATSC digital converter box is close at hand. The old antenna from years ago is still on the roof and will probably work if that becomes necessary.

Maybe in the future if the economy is slow to recover, or if cable customers feel overly squeezed, some channels that are now only on cable or dish might be broadcast over the air waves.

TO: George-"Cable requiring Boxes or a new digital TV"

Some added facts to your post, please .

ALL local cable WILL require some sort of new, set top box no later than early 2011 - - - in fact, in major markets, with NYC as #1, it IS well underway now - substantially before!

That's some 24 months away . . . all have to become prepared to pay for that. And, yes, of course, it IS (1) box per TV !

NO, a "QAM" internal tuner will NOT provide for those extra channels of which you spoke - - - only a paid subscription. That "QAM" tuner in reality currently only provides for the traditional channel content thought of as # 02 thru about #70 and NO more of those Digital Channels in the clear / unscrambled as an outside antenna System! And, for some years already, most local cable companies are "switching" the content previously seen on those old lower channels to "only-available" @ extra-cost Variety Tiers!

For some ~ ~ 55 years we have been using those analog initial channels plus unlimited / unrestricted recording all of the content w/ our VCRs, becoming quite "spoiled!"

DTV already IS an entirely-different medium & FAR from the same (cheap) at all . . . . between the cost of a Top Tier, large display HDTV, the means to Record DTV to avoid loosing a program during simultaneous presentations, the approx $75 or more monthly fees for such service, the custom of having 3 - 4 - 5 TVs in the home WILL soon change!

No, there is no Global Economic situation which will bring about more "Free" channels. Rather, it will most-probably become the case wherein FAR more households will have Zero TVs at all.

Everett, Thank you for your response. I believe our provider's early actions to convert will cause me to settle for a little less than I have now. For me, the offerings on 2-70 are enough on an extra set in the bedroom. I guess I'll have to see whether any good deals on TVs with QAM tuners or a cheap set-top QAM box are available so I can still get those channels. If not, maybe 2-20 wouldn't be so terrible.