OT - HD Converter Boxes

Post by **vickyg2003** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:08 am

This is slightly off topic, but I'd like to know if anybody has researched and purchased a Set Top Box to convert HD air signals? If you could provide links to any reviews or write a review of your own, I'd appreciate the input. I run a mixture of Directv and antenna for my local channels on the home theater and antenna on all the bedroom tvs. I want to be able to record, and run a signal to PIP. I haven't been able to find much information at all. I'd like to find something that's will provide me with the functionality I have now.

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:20 am

If you get an H20 or HR20 from directv for your main system, it will convert for you. Your HD tv probably already handles HD OTA too, so you can just split the antenna input between the sat box and your tv and you'll be good to go. If your main TV doesn't already handle HD OTA and for your other analog TVs, check out THIS thread at avsforum. Have you signed up to get your free vouchers for these boxes yet? If not, there's info about that as well in the above link.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:38 am

Thank you, that thread is going to be a big help. My current TV is HD "ready", so I need a box. I also have an analog DVD recorders that I want to keep in the mix. All my other TV's are just cheapies.

I will be signing up for my free vouchers, I just want to make sure that there is something worth buying first.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:19 am

Don't confuse the Digital TV Set-top boxes which are covered by the voucher program with HD Set-top boxes. (I'm not saying they will NOT be HD, but I am saying that they are not REQUIRED to be HD).

All OTA TV signals must become DIGITAL next year. There is no requirement that they all become HD. There will still be plenty of SD content and signals out there, and although I've not seen any such Digital TV Set-Top boxes yet, in the UK they have had digital TV (Freeview) for a while and it is a far cry from HD.

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:33 am

Good point. Voucher box is not a good choice for your main tv, as they all downconvert to SD, IIRC. Doesn't matter on your other tv's unless they can display better than 480.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:03 am

Okay, no voucher box for the main TV. Then I won't be stuck with a barebones no feature box. I knew this was the right place to ask this question, even if it is off topic.

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:35 am

I forgot to mention, directv has an AM21 HD tuner coming out soon which may be a good option for your main tv. The H20/HR20 have a tuner, but the H21/HR21 do not. The AM21 will be an add-on for the latter, and likely won't be very expensive. Not certain of the timing, but should be fairly soon.

EDIT: Just checked the specs. Not so good after all. It will only interface with a directv box, so no outputs for PIP.

Evan_s · Post by **Evan_s** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:24 pm

I'm pretty sure for the voucher program the box is actually required to not have any advanced features. No HD, no EPG, coax on channel 3 for output, etc. Basically needs to be as dirt cheap a box as possible to qualify for the voucher program.

That doesn't mean there won't be higher end boxes for people with good tv's that just don't have a digital tuner but voucher program won't be relevant to these boxes at all.

zaphod7501 · Post by **zaphod7501** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 5:25 pm

Evan_s wrote:I'm pretty sure for the voucher program the box is actually required to not have any advanced features. No HD, no EPG, coax on channel 3 for output, etc.

This is pretty much true although they usually have composite video with L/R audio jacks.

Some of them do have an EPG and one has a VCR timer function so you can have it tune to a particular channel for unassisted recording. The one from Echostar/Sling Media specifically seems to be the best of the bunch but won't be in full distribution for a few months. This would be a good choice to match up with a DVD recorder.

Here is a nice list of boxes and links to more info. http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/Converter_Box_Retailers.html

Standalone HD tuners are pretty scarce and many have disappeared, rather than becoming more common. Some built into satellite receivers won't operate without a sat. subscription. (The USDTV being an exception but no longer available new) Cost is running in the $150 - $200 range for a tuner.

The HDD recorders with digital tuners all downconvert to SD for recording so they are not true HD receivers. At this time, if you want an HD recorder with full HD playback capabilities then TIVO or a HTPC are your primary choices. I prever an HTPC for portability of recordings.

Capn Trips · Post by **Capn Trips** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:09 pm

zaphod7501 wrote:The HDD recorders with digital tuners all downconvert to SD for recording so they are not true HD receivers. At this time, if you want an HD recorder with full HD playback capabilities then TIVO or a HTPC are your primary choices. I prever an HTPC for portability of recordings.

Perhaps what you are saying is correct for OTA tuners, but my Cox cable HD-PVR (SA 8300HD, I think) records programmes is true HD.

zaphod7501 · Post by **zaphod7501** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:08 am

I know there are some cable boxes that allow HD recording but you can't buy them, only rent. (I did say "primarily", not "only"

) It's also awfully hard to save the HD content or play it on other sets. You can't use it without a current subscription and you can't take it with you.

On my cable system you can't get the HD recorder to record or watch local HD content (these channels are in the clear if you have a QAM tuner) unless you purchase Cable -> Expanded Cable -> Digital Cable -> HD Package -> HD-DVR.

In theory you can buy your own box (which could allow you to watch and record local, clear, HD stations on cable without additional subscriptions): in practice, the manufacturers have refused to sell them over-the-counter. The only devices (that you can buy) that can record digital content (HD and SD) seem to downconvert to SD for storage and won't passthrough higher than 480i signals, even when they have HDMI connectors. These are fine for analog TVs and backup on standard DVDs but don't interface well with all of those HD Ready TVs and don't allow archiving in full HD.

Post by **vickyg2003** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:00 am

It looks like with two basic OTA decoders and some creative wiring, I could get most of the functionality I have now on my home theater. And then 4 more basic boxes.

5 basic boxes 350
1 HD box 200
-Coupons -80
Total cost 420

Or I could subscribe to basic cable if they still offer that without a box, for 215 a year. However my experience with cable has been poor picture quality. But this would give me the same functionality as I have now.

Or I could move to a house that has a big enough area to get a decent sized 16:9 $6000, and then invest in dramamine to deal with the dizziness that I get from watching HD on big screens, and then buy a bunch of HD tv's for the bedrooms at 600 a pop.

And they say the government isn't doing enough to stimulate the economy!

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:28 am

Ouch! I didin't realize basic boxes were so expensive. My Panasonic DMR-EZ17 DVD Recorder was only $50 from ebay and is way better than a basic box (ASTC/QAM tuner, s-video out, etc.), and it's a recorder to boot. You may want to think "outside the box" on this one, and look at other devices, like recorders, that have digital tuners. Granted, the cheap ones like I'm talking about will be used/refurbs.

Another option is to forget about OTA and share a directv box. I have tv's in three other rooms, but they are rarely/never used simultaneously. So I feed the signal from 1 directv box out to those 3, and control it with rf remotes (9910's of course).

Post by **vickyg2003** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:18 am

The boxes that I saw were running about 70, so that's not so bad when you get your 40 discount. Its just when you have multiple tvs what do you do? Send them all to a landfill?

I do believe we'll see lots of people juggling remotes this time next year. It will be a good time to be a JP1er.

Evan_s · Post by **Evan_s** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 11:47 am

I know I've seen reports of a OT Digital box for around 48 at walmart already so the prices on those will probably go down. I expect that as we get closer to the switch over we'll see more deals and more competition with the boxes so holding off on purchasing for a bit might be a good idea. I'm pretty sure the voucher is up to 40$ so you are not going to make money on it if the box is less than 40$ so might as well get your first 2 boxes as soon as you see something at or close to 40$.

Might also look into the basic cable option from the cable company. Most cable companies have, because they are required to, a very cheap analogue cable with only broadcast and public access type channels. Usually runs 10$ + or - a little. When I signed up for my cable internet from comcast it was cheaper to get the basic cable option and cable internet than to pay the extra for the cable internet for not having any cable tv at all. It was 8$ a month and would be cheaper than getting all the OTA boxes for at least a couple years.