Rules on DTV converter coupons might ease, but expiration date stands

As the rollout of digital converter boxes for next year's conversion to all-digital TV continues, the federal government is considering loosening some eligibility requirements for subsidies on the boxes. But other beefs from consumers and consumer groups remain unaddressed.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency administering the distribution of $40 coupons to offset the typical $50 to $70 cost of the boxes, is considering allowing nursing home residents and consumers who use post-office boxes to apply for the coupons, as our colleagues at Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, are reporting on hearusnow.org.

But the agency isn't budging on the expiration of the coupons after 90 days. CU and other groups complain that this is a potentially bigger issue, because there are still relatively few converter boxes in stores, few have the analog pass-through feature some consumers want, and none are as yet priced at $40 or less, meaning consumers must bear some out-of-pocket cost.

We've reviewed three coupon-eligible boxes without the analog pass-through feature and one, a Philco product, that has it. All did a decent job, but you might have to tinker with your setup to get optimal results.

For more helpful advice and links to other DTV resources on the Web, check out our Digital TV Transition information center on ConsumerReports.org.

Comments

[marco]

echostar dtvpal timer problems,repackaged as TR40 CRA..
I too have problems with my timers...on dtvpal, i contacted echostar in denver to resolve, however they were supposedly knew nothing about this problem and got the run around, i asked if they had internet access??
Then I said they should read up on the reviews of your timers....The lady said to make a complaint..I did I contacted the better business bureau...My dtvpal is 3 days old timers don't work which is the only reason I bought it......
Without timers vcr's will be worthless...argh...

[everett whitney]

TO: Sandra - " Have a Panasonic DVR w/ ATSC but ...?"

Your DVR is certainly made w/ a far better design criteria than any of the Federal Coupon Converters!

That unit only needs to have a proper or more powerful antenna than whatever is now connected. And, certainly Not at any 200' in height ... it's assumed you were teasing, of course.

IF that assigned frequency is on UHF { above channel 13 } there is a Channel Master # 4228 which would receive the signal from only 32 miles easily plus at most, from a normal mast on the roof of your home. A length of quad coax cable will also be necessary. NO Converter!

To find out what that frequency or channel assignment is, use your Zip + address & check "digital" at the www.antennaweb.org site --- it will list all the info, so that a proper antenna might be found.

Agreed, the other - at 78 miles - is WELL beyond the curvature of the earth limitation.

Many places - but - one web store for antennas is -
www.solidsignal.com

[Sandra]

We are in the very minority here in Upper East Tennessee. Most people have cable or sattelite in our area because of the difficult terrain. There is also no real coverage provided by PBS stations. The closest PBS transmitter is 32 miles from here. I would have to raise my antenna 200 feet to get that signal. FAA would have serious issues with this. The strongest and best PBS signal comes from WUNC, 78 miles away. The Panasonic VCR/DVR with ATSC tuner will not pickup any digital PBS signals, apparently because they are too weak. The VCR/DVR does pick up the local digital commercial channels which are not worth watching. Do the converter boxes have a signal strength meter and are they manually tunable?

[jack lee]

the fcc really screwed this one up! There ARE people who know how to set the 8 timers in the vcr and routinely have it record 3 programs a day while they are away. Simply claiming "you can use the conversion box with a vcr...but you have to set the channel before leaving" is bunk! Where are the boxes with 8 programmable timers that can switch the channel unattended?
I understand I can "renew" my coupon prior to expiration, and it looks like I will have to do it until some company produces what the consumer needs to fit in with the new edict from above.

[everett whitney]

TO Leonard - 20 May "Sony digital TV - BUT -w/o tuner"

Since the majority of external digital tuners have "left" the market now, it's either ' buy another HDTV ' or simply get HD Cable with it's Box & use that Sony as a monitor.

Certainly, the $ 13 / monthly fee of TIVO in addition to the selling costs of $ 799 or about half for the smaller one will be out-of-reach, as well.

[leonard Buse]

There is another set of consumers that have a digital TV with an
analog tuner (Sony MFM-HT75W )What is your recommendation for it to
receive digital signals?.Standalone ATSC tuners are hard to find
and cost around $180.Would i be able to use my DVD/VCR combo
recorder?Do you have reviews on ATSC tuners?

[Bill]

Be aware of the expiration date on the Coupons you receive. Mine were mailed 5-9-08-received 5-19-08, and have an expiration date of 7/29/08. I don't expect a lot from government employees, but I can count 90 days better than that with my shoes on.

[Marjoire Snead]

After fine tuning my TV and Magnavox converter to receive all the channels I used to: i.e. by cross referencing Analog station ch with Digital station ch and what location picks up what channel number. I still drop a station every so often, and have to rescan or if autoscan does not pick it up, manually add the channel back into the ch menu. I did know that the VCR will only record one channel at a time once connected to the converter box; but my problem is now. . .that it only records CH3 (one station). So far I've not got it to record any other station, unless I'm watching that specific station at the time and manually select the RECord button on the remote. DID THE GOVERNMENT EVEN KNOW THIS MANY PROBLEMS WOULD ARISE ? AND I'M EVEN NOT TOTALLY BLAMEING THE GOVERNMENT, AFTER ALL THE GOVERNMNENT IS NOT IN THE TV BUSINESS. HERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION...HOW MANY TECH PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE HELPING THE ELDERLY FOLKS SET UP THEIR TV'S SO THEY WILL WORK ONCE THE PLUG IS PULLED ON THE ANALOG SETS? (AND I DON'T MEAN CHARGING THEM FOR IT EITHER.)

[everett whitney]

To John - 15 May - "NO RECORDERS ?" ......

There are very few HD Recorders Unless you do rent / lease the cable / satellite units .." The Digital Millennium Copyright Act" + the "Digital Rights Management", etc., have all but shut off any private, hard disk recording w/ "Do not Copy" signals embedded within the digital stream.

These dual tuner, hard drive HD Recorders are extremely easy to use / program, much more so than our others every were ! Choices include every episode / all season, search by Title, etc., and, the time of day, date, start / stop etc., are all items of the past plus there are marvelous "libraries" to retrieve all recorded shows.

Rather than buying a $799 TIVIO Ser 3, with it's $13/monthly fee & any repairs @ the owner's expense - consider instead these as alternatives - a "HD" Box is required anyway for Pay-for-View, On Demand, all of those channels not sent "un-scrambled" by the cable company which can not be seen by the "QAM" tuner, so the $9 - $ 13 "fee" for a HD Recorder is a bargain !

[John H. Midbo]

Electronics manufacturers and CU have seemingly forgotten CATV subscribers lately. Manufacturers (for the most part) no longer include a tuner (either analog or digital) with their DVD/VCR combo units - telling consumers that they'll need a set-top box of some sort to record shows. What about those of us who have cable and will continue to have cable after the analog-to-digital switch? Are we to be forced to buy or rent a box we don't really need, just to be able to record TV shows? If we buy or rent the box, how does it get switched between channels if we choose to program our VCR to record more than one program at a time? It seems that manufacturers have taken a step backward in not including a tuner in their products!

[everett whitney]

TO: " Matt - 01 May - read a book / use Computer..."

There's an element of "accuracy" to your posting - essentially all new computers either already contain an internal (digital) Video card or have available a model that does. These offer about the sole source of acceptable small display HD available.

It's been at least 4 - 5 generations since we've all experienced the multitude of roof antennas, the required maintenance, the very limited number of channels available, etc..

Successful, reliable Digital reception will be more difficult than VHF ever was.

Added to those new experiences will be the "severe cropping" on analog TV screens as 16::9 shows are attempted.

Before very long, the issues of Converter Boxes to save CRT may well be offset by the overall dissatisfaction with it all.

[Matt]

It sounds like we'd all be better off just reading more books. I think i'll be watching "TV" on my computer.

[AMBER]

Philips electronics is garbage, they do not back thier products only give a one year warrenty. No one will service their products for after 4 years you might as well haul to the dump. That is as long as it lasts. No wonder the land fills and enviromental charge is there for philips no longer put any money in to the product that they sell

[Emmy]

The lack of analog passthru is not the only problem, of course. I suspect that there are people who don't yet realize that their VCR/DVD recorders will also stop working (as receivers) if they do not have digital tuners. I bought my recorder last year, before there was much awareness of this government-mandated obsolescence. Not only was there no warning on the box when I bought it, it is virtually impossible to find out whether it has a digital tuner by reading the printed manuals and specifications that came with it. I was able to find it for sale online, however, complete with an analog-only warning that confirmed my suspicion that it will stop working next year. I assumed that I could salvage it by buying *two* converters, one for the TV, which I love and do not want to be forced by the government to replace, and one for the VCR with which I record everything before watching it. Now I find that the available converters do not support channel-switching while recording, in effect requiring me to choose only one channel per day to record. The good news is that some higher-function converters will be released later in the year--after, OF COURSE, my coupons have expired. Am I pissed? You becha.