Analog TVs will be outdated by February 17, 2009, according to the FCC. Recently we’d aquired an 32″ HDTV and a 22″ HD monitor to get ready for the change. The monitor was paid for by Microsoft I got from a settlement program. On a side note, Bill Gates, with his philanthropy program, isn’t so evil after all. The LCD TV will be the third most expensive item our family would ever own, but not the most important item.
If you have an antenna that recieves signals off the air you will need one of these converter boxes in this chart. If you want a $40 voucher go here.
The Tivocommunity has created a small poll. The poll shows that more people are choosing the $40 ECHOSTAR.

This poll chart is compiled by the Tivocommunity forum as seen here.
The DigitalSTREAM might be my choice because of a better video output. The voucher won’t allow high definition outputs. I’ll also have the CoShip 9900T because it stores up to 3000 channels with fast inter-channel switching capability and supports a picture in picture capability.

The following copyrighted information is compiled by Ken of EZ Digital TV used with permission. You can go to Ken’s site to see the updated online retailers.
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Example Coupon Eligible Digital Converter Box with EPG*
*EPG (Electronic Program Guide) time zone specific. You can see what will be showing up to a week in an advance. Check to be sure that some of these do have 7 days of programming guide. Some will show only 2-3hour ahead of program guide.
CoShip 9900T (7days)
The Echostar TR-40 (7 days)
Tivax ATSC STB-T9 (CECB) $ 49.99
Artec Digital ATSC T3APro (CECB) $ 54.99
MicroGEM ATSC MG2000 (7days) (CECB) $ 64.99
Philco ATSC TB100HH9 (CECB) $ 74.99
Sansonic ATSC (Note: Does not specify the type of programming) FT-300A $ 59.99
Note: All Sold by solidsignal. All images by solid signal.
Other features worth mentioning: The RCA DTA800 is equip with smart antenna jack which controls the smart antenna. The smart antenna isn’t probably available until Feb 2008. Smart Digital Antenna uses sonar technology to seek and lock the strongest DTV signal available. This gives consumers the convenience of never having to physically adjust your antenna.
You can probably find some of these boxes at a local store near you:
Best Buy
Circuit City
Target
K-Mart
Sam’s Club
Sears Roebuck
Radio Shack
Walmart
I tried out the Digital STREAM DTX9900 from radio Radio Shack and it was an easy setup. Took only a minute to auto scan and collect the channels. This model doesn’t have the S-VHS output or programming (I believe.) Without S-VHS, the lack of quality clearly shows on the screen. The converter box comes with a volume control for convenience but I can’t give great reviews on its sound quality. Many channels will sound just as though the TV is speaking thru a tin can (or the sound you get when your speaker is stuck at the 6-10kHz frequency bandwidth.) Reception is just as great as my Sharp Aquos. Switching between channels can give you a delay of about 1 to 1.5 seconds, somewhat slow but better than my Aquos. Overall it’s a practical box if you need one that produce a decent image on your square screen TV. But I think I need a better receiver, hopefully with a better video output, a few days of EPG and a faster inter-channel switching.
My HDTV will be used primarily to watch details in documentary movies such as Nature and the sciences. Our analog CRT TV had lasted about 10-15 years and they’re still manufacturing the same poor image quality as of ten years ago. Our LCD HDTV is expected to last 20-25 years because I bought spare parts along with it. But the technology will probably be outdated in about 18 years.
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