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Convertor Boxes.. - 8/23/2008 10:07:28 PM
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Concerto
Posts: 195
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Hi all:
Anyone buy a convertor box yet? I bought the Insignia brand, and it seemed ok, but, I took it back because my indoor antenna did not pull in all local stations.
I do not want cable or satellite, but live in an apartment. What set up will get me all broadcast stations in my area..converter plus..
C
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 8/24/2008 3:00:47 PM
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shawke
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Get an amplified indoor antenna. That should help bring in more stations. But even with an amplified antenna, I am having problems getting in some stations, and I live in the city. It's much better than the old rabbit ears I had, however.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 8/24/2008 8:10:25 PM
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stellaluna
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First, you need to make sure all your local stations are broadcasting a digital signal.
Second, you need to find out how powerful a signal they are broadcasting.
Yes, all TV stations are required to broadcast a simultaneous digital signal right now, but that doesn't mean all of them are. And a good many are broadcasting a weak signal to meet legal demands while they replace all their equipment in anticipation of next year's complete conversion.
(What size city are you in?)
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 8/27/2008 10:12:03 AM
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Soxfan
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I got the $49 Magnavox box from Wal Mart. Works fine. I get close to 15 channels and with a better antenna, I expect to get more
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 8/30/2008 12:04:18 PM
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humbleinspirit
Posts: 17861
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First, you should go to get a $40 coupon.
My mom bought a converter box and found out that not all the channels come in. It appears that a couple of stations started broadcasting in digital sorely to satify FCC rules. With that said, you can still watch those channels in analog. You just have to switch from digital back to analog on the box, which you can do via remote control, and vica versa.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/3/2008 12:46:42 AM
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Veritas
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quote:
ORIGINAL: humbleinspirit
First, you should go to get a $40 coupon.
My mom bought a converter box and found out that not all the channels come in. It appears that a couple of stations started broadcasting in digital sorely to satify FCC rules. With that said, you can still watch those channels in analog. You just have to switch from digital back to analog on the box, which you can do via remote control, and vica versa.
Couple of things you should be aware of. There is a limit of 2 coupons per household. You can get both at the same time, or get 2 separately. The second and more important thing: The coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed! So, don't order two coupons and just sit on them.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/6/2008 7:06:56 PM
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humbleinspirit
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Agreed!
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/9/2008 8:18:05 AM
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DaveW
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Does anyone know if there are "converter boxes" that connect directly to a computer screen? I have a Sabrent box but it has an analog reciever inside.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/9/2008 3:08:02 PM
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DaveW
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Names, Brands????
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/9/2008 4:33:23 PM
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stateofgrace
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Just from a browse at TigerDirect, I see PCI cards from Pinnacle, Diamond TV, VisionTek, Sabrent etc. with the digital tuning. External (USB 2.0) devices to attach to a PC from Sabrent, Pinnacle, AverTv, etc.
And a full fledged tuner box (can attach to a monitor, no PC needed) from Sabrent. The prices range from about $40 to $150.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/10/2008 11:45:27 AM
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DaveW
Posts: 4070
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Looking for a stand-alone box to connect to a comp monitor.
Tiger direct has these 2 from sabrent:
Sabrent Ultra-Compact Premium TV Tuner Box Item Number: M501-1278 (the one I have already)
Sabrent TV-LCDHR High-Resolution TV Tuner Box Item Number: M501-1334
and this one for USB:
Sabrent TV-USB20 TV Tuner/Video Capture Box Item Number: M501-1208
All 3 have this:
CONSUMER ALERT
This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products.
What I want is Antenna => tuner box => monitor/speakers
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Avatar is Saphira 5 months and Louvena at 23 months!
We are now grandparents TWICE!!
====================================
Our CD is now available here:
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/10/2008 7:07:45 PM
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figmentPez
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DaveW, you're looking for a device with an ATSC tuner (that's the digital broadcast standard). I've heard, from multiple sources, that Hauppauge makes the best tuners, though there products from many other companies.
EDIT: Doh! Noticed you're looking for a stand-alone box, not just a tuner device to work with a computer. Sorry! I've just been horrible about not reading your tech questions closely enough. I'm not sure if anyone is making what you're looking for. Let me see what I can find.
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Read Daniel 7:13-14
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/10/2008 9:44:56 PM
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furrypurrykitty
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I got my $40 coupon and found out yesterday that Fringe was going to be premiering on Fox, which is a channel I don't get. So after I got off work, I started calling around to see who had the boxes in stock. I was glad I called instead of driving around, because Wal-Mart, K-mart and Target were all out. Best Buy and Sears had them, but for about $10 more than I was told they cost at Wal-Mart. I have a friend at work who says you just have to keep calling to see if they've gotten more in, which sounds like a nuisance. I may eventually give in and just pay the extra $10.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/11/2008 7:39:54 AM
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macokjc
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quote:
because Wal-Mart, K-mart and Target were all out.
Can you order it online w/ their free "shipping your local store." That way you'll know when it comes in and just have to go pick it up.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/11/2008 1:21:31 PM
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DaveW
Posts: 4070
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From: MD suburbs of Washington DC
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Did you check out Radio Shack?
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Avatar is Saphira 5 months and Louvena at 23 months!
We are now grandparents TWICE!!
====================================
Our CD is now available here:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/dswaggoner
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/13/2008 7:10:45 PM
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humbleinspirit
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Also try Best Buy and local drug stores also.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/20/2008 9:35:55 PM
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furrypurrykitty
Posts: 337
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I went to Wal-Mart this past week and asked in Electronics if they had any converter boxes in stock, and they had two, so I got one. It's an RCA model. I got it out Wednesday night and got it all hooked up (after getting things tangled up when I was trying to run it through the VCR), and it's really exceeding my expectations as far as picture quality - it's so much clearer than with the antenna alone. There are a couple of local channels I'm not able to pull in even though I've tried adjusting the antenna. I think the antenna I have must be wimpy because the converter box has an option where I can test the antenna signal to adjust it for the best reception, and the highest signal percentage I can get is 30 and it's usually more like 27 or 28. I got it about 5 years ago, which probably means it's outdated, but I'm not sure what kind of new antenna to buy or whether it would help if I did. The station I want to be able to get is about 15 miles away versus five for the ones I'm able to get. I've looked online at www.antennaweb.com and www.tvfool.com for local station and antenna info, but I'm still not sure what to get. I'd rather not shell out $100 for a new antenna when a $50 would work about as well. Also, is indoor or outdoor better? If I got an outdoor one, I'd have to get somebody to help me put it up.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/21/2008 12:37:20 AM
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humbleinspirit
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Some of the TV stations DT signal is not strong enough yet. I suspect the stations will do something about that by the Feb. 2009 conversion date.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/22/2008 8:03:13 AM
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cajunhillbilly
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I have a converter box and ALL my local stations come in just fine. Alot better than analog. Plus there are extra stations I never knew about. There is a 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, etc.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/22/2008 10:09:42 AM
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stellaluna
Posts: 4222
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1) Humble is right; many stations are not broadcasting at full digital strength yet. This depends a lot on what size market you live in.
2) Most stations are not utilizing extra digital channels yet. Some never will. The move to digital was mandated by the FCC, not driven by the television industry.
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/24/2008 9:07:14 AM
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amybreit
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quote:
Yeah, but are the broadcasters actually showing anything on the additional stations, other than 24/7 weather reports and infomercials? Actually they are!! We have a -2 of our PBS station & they show different shows (some that aren't ever on our -1 PBS). We also have 5 TBNs, so we have JCTV which is a music video channel & an exclusively kids channel (whatever your opinion of TBN, we enjoy some of the shows we get on these extra channels). One local station has a -2 & plays old westerns & other old TV shows. And the "i" network has 4. One has lots of health & technology sections. One is QUBO (a kids channel that has Veggie Tales & other shows on it) and one is a worship channel that has music playing most of the day! So, we get a lot more variety of programming than we had before!
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RE: Convertor Boxes.. - 9/25/2008 11:37:07 PM
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furrypurrykitty
Posts: 337
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quote:
ORIGINAL: humbleinspirit
Some of the TV stations DT signal is not strong enough yet. I suspect the stations will do something about that by the Feb. 2009 conversion date.
I talked to a guy I know at church who works for a local TV station, and he corroborated this; he said the station I can't get right now may change its signal after the conversion, so if he were me, he'd wait after the conversion to decide whether to get a new antenna.
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We bought a samsung one, but since then we've bought TVs that are digital, so we don't need it anymore! We have trouble getting one local channel (ABC). We have heard that it is because it was interferring with another city's signal. The other city is South of the big city where we get our channels from & we are South also. We are hoping that once they have to go digital, that we will be able to pick it up - otherwise, we'll never get to see any ABC shows again! 
