[Scooter]

Actually, they a gift cards. Now I simply have to find the right box and I am all set.

Anyone get their's yet?

[Phil A]

I got mine a couple of weeks back and used them. I don't use the old TVs much (e.g. guest room) so I just went to Wal-Mart and got $50 boxes and hooked them up. If I need them I have them.

[Scooter]

I am trying to find detailed info on the available boxes. The list is here:

https://www.ntiadtv.gov/cecb_list.cfm

But I want to read the specs.

[Phil A]

perhaps a site like this can help?

Complete list of coupon-eligible Digital TV converters -- with specs

It was not a concern for me as one is currently hooked via RF to a 19 inch TV that is probably around 20 yrs. old and maybe gets used once every couple of yrs. I hooked the other one to a Samsung PC monitor that had and analog tuner built in and video input jacks. If I'm doing something on the old PC and want to watch the news or something it is fine for that purpose as my old portable 2 inch LCD with an analog tuner will be useless. I have a 13 inch (CRT) TV in another extra bedroom that barely gets used and if I need to I can move one of the two units around. It would be different if I was going to put them on sets I cared about.

[Scooter]

Went to that site, but the specs are incomplete. Actually, every device I looked at had nothing for what Broadcast/Cable format it would decode.

[Andrew M]

The few reviews I've read indicate a great deal of performance variance between models. I saw several models displayed at CES and now that I have my coupons I'm looking for a converter with S-Video output. The Apex and Channel Master converters have this feature and with two coupons I might try both. The Apex has an input for a "Smart" antenna and the people at the Apex booth at CES were unsure what that was. All my TVs have digital turners, these converters would be for two DVD recorders.

[LanceJ]

Any observations on how they perform?

A lot of people will be using these on quality monitors that don't have digital tuners, either folks outside the cable provider's territory; people that can't afford cable/sat service; those that *do* have service but not to every TV in their home; or people that just don't care about cable/dish programming.

Right now I'm interested in a box for my service-less "mancave" that includes a digital audio output for any programming that includes a 5.1 Dolby signal. Also would like at least an S-video output.

And am interested in the multicasting ability of the digital TV system and how well image quality holds up when this is used; plus the programming guide that many stations transmit is a nice feature.

[Scooter]

I need one that does:
720P
ALL formats tuning ATSC/Qam
Component Out
HDMI
Timer

[Jon Martin]

There is an excellent thread in the HTF TV AND HDTV PROGRAMMING thread about the converter boxes, with plenty of links to reviews and such.

I applied several weeks ago, and have yet to get my coupon.

[Jesse Skeen]

My parents got an RCA one, they have it hooked up through RF but it carries the sound in mono that way, I plan on getting them some A/V cables to hook it up.

Most of these look pretty basic; they don't have S-Video output let alone digital audio. I already have a DVD recorder with a digital tuner but it outputs the sound as 2-channel PCM. There's still not much to watch on digital TV anyways; a plus if you're using these with a 4x3 TV though is you can have it crop the picture so most of the "bug" logos are cut off! That's one instance when I'd prefer to watch a cropped picture!

We have one station that has 3 sub-channels and they look awful, anytime something moves the picture goes blocky. I would still be interested in a good specialty-format use for subchannels, but my guess is they'll probably be all infomercials or home shopping. One station here carried a music network called "The Tube", but it always had annoying logos on the screen so I never watched it and I was glad when it went out of business a few months ago.