DO NOT BUY!!! This product does not work. I bought 2 from Compusa. Both had the same problem, the remote control won't turn them on, you have to do it manually. I tried to return, but they told me they all are that way!? They run VERY hot, so don't expect them to last. The XFMR makes a high frequency whine when the box is powered off. Sound has noise in it. RF output is noisy. No good! Picture is actually good though using RCA outopus, but too many problems.
| Smart antenna? | Yes |
| Closed Captions? | Yes |
| CECB certified? | Yes |
| EPG? | Yes |
| NTSC tuner? | Yes |
| Analog cable tuner? | Yes |
- CECB certified (Is this a certified Coupon-Eligible Converter Box)
CECB stands for Coupon-Eligible Converter Box. This means that a box that is CECB certified is eligible for U.S. government coupon which is worth $40. Households can apply to get such coupons via U.S. DTV web page and then use the coupon to get CECB certified DTV converter for free.
- EPG (Electronic program guide (EPG))
EPG stand for Electronic Program Guide and is an on-screen guide to scheduled broadcast television or radio programs. EPG allows the viewer to browse upcoming programming with the remote control.
- Recorder (Integrated video recorder (HDD))
If the DTV converter has a built-in recorder it can be used to record broadcasts.
- NTSC tuner (Integrated analog over-the-air tuner (NTSC))
NTSC tuner is an analog tuner which can pickup over-the-air (OTA) broadcast signals. The tuner will become obsolete on Feb. 17, 2009, as the USA switches to digital only OTA broadcasts.
- Analog cable tuner (Integrated analog cable tuner)
Analog cable tuner is required to receive the analog cable broadcasts. Cable companies are not obliged to switch over to digital transmissions on Feb 17, 2009, and thus the analog tuner can still be of use in some regions.
- Smart antenna (Smart antenna)
A smart antenna system combines multiple standard antenna elements with a signal-processing capability to optimize the reception pattern automatically in response to the signal environment. In other words, smart antenna saves the trouble of manually adjusting the antenna for optimal reception.
- Closed Captions (Support for Closed Captions (CC))
Support for closed captions means that the digital-to-analog converter box can convert over-the-air digital closed captioning for display on analog TV sets. According to the FCC rules all DTA converters are obliged to support this feature.
Purchased this product because it is free with coupon, and still have another coupon in case it dies.
Setup
The channel autoscan takes ~3-5 mintues. It finds all the local stations +
some that the analog could not get at all, although some digital stations are
weaker than the analog equivalent.
Quality
Picture quality is great, audio quality has a little added noise compared to
analog of same channels.
The RF output died after only 2 weeks of usage. We did not abuse the unit at
all: we used it for less than 10 hours/day and unplugged it during the night,
which should not be unreasonable. We have now resorted to the composite out
and who knows how long that will last! Thankfully the composite output
quality is the same as the RF output quality. Plan to give updates if the
composite dies and what happens when we complain to HDAcess.
Remote
The box has only three buttons! Power on, channel up and channel down. Thus you NEED the remote to do necessary tasks, like add channels. Bad news if it breaks!
Features
Has analog passthrough, works just as one would hope.
You cannot scroll through the EPG without changing the channel, which I find
annoying. The EPG does allow you to scroll through 12 hours of future
programming on your current channel.
The box has a signal strength indicator, which can be turned on from the
SIGNAL button on the remote, and turns off upon channel change or the SIGNAL
button. It gives you a number from 0-100, and it needs about 25+ to display
the channel.
The Menu has the following items:
Auto Channel Searching [allows option of full scan OR add channels, which is
very nice in case you can't get reception of all channels at once]
Channel List Editing [you can manually "delete" (i.e. hide) a channel so that
you skip it when you surf]
Change Password [for Parental Controls]
Parental Controls [V-chip]
Advanced Closed Caption [Style, Size, Font, Text Color, Text Opacity,
Background Color, Background Opacity, Edge Effect, Edge Color]
Language [English, Spanish, French]
Auto Power Down Timer [Off, 1, 2, 3, 4 Hours]
Time Zone
Overall
Does what we want it to do, but VERY disappointed that the RF output died
within two weeks of purchasing.
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