06.29.08
DTV Converters: Part II
Be sure to read the previous entry of the for the proper background.
I was thwarted in my attempts to get the Channel Master CM-7000 or the Philco. Instead I ended up with the Zenith DTT901. The ‘1’ means that it has the Analog Pass-Thru capability which is as simple as you can possibly imagine. From what I can tell, the only thing analog pass-thru does is add a physical wire so that when the box is turned off, the incoming RF signal is connected to the outgoing RF signal. If you’re getting an analog signal from the coaxial cable (whether from Over The Air or from the cable company) you’ll end up with the signal coming into your TV just like the converter box wasn’t there. But once you turn on the converter box, you need to change your TV back to channel 3 or 4 in order to see what signla might be coming through.
The real problem here is that the OTA digital signals are *NOT* available over the Cable TV connection as they are on the antenna connection, so I cannot get the system set up the way I would really like.
I was hoping for something a little slicker, where you’d be able to surf up and down the digital signals and the analog signals through a single run of channels, basically putting an analog tuner in along side the digital tuner. No such luck. I’ll now go back and re-number my preference ratings from the last entry, dropping the analog pass-thru feature to a 5 and giving the 15 other points to each of the S-Video, Tivo-controlability and the other minor features. Analog pass-thru could still be useful, but I’m far less sold on it now.
The funny thing is that the Zenith is functionally- (and nearly physically-) identical to the Insignia box that I already had. The remotes and the boxes themselves are clones except for the logos and the analog pass-thru option. Oddly, the manuals are quite different in layout and (some) text, but largely organized in the same way.
So with my new scoring weights, here’s where the two boxes shake out:
Insignia NS-DXA1:
- Tivo (Series 2) compatibility: Unknown, but possible. (25 of 50 points)
- S-Video connection: No (0 of 20)
- Analog Pass-thru: No, older model (0 of 5)
- Off-state power consumption: 0.01 amps; 0.06 amps while on. (3 of 3)
- Auto-shut off: 1, 2, 3, 4 hours (3 of 3)
- Shape of the remote: Number pad at bottom (yay!) Decent variety of button shapes (2 of 3)
- Quality of menus/setup: Nice graphics, wrap-around menus, nice arrow movement (3 of 3)
- Aesthetics of the form factor: Black. Logo can be covered, LED is a bit big. (2 of 3)
- Total for the Insignia NS-DXA1: 38 of a possible 100 points. (Was 33)
Zenith DTT901:
- Tivo (Series 2) compatibility: Unknown, but possible. (25 of 50 points)
- S-Video connection: No (0 of 20)
- Analog Pass-thru: Yes (5 of 5)
- Off-state power consumption: 0.01 amps; 0.06 amps while on. (3 of 3)
- Auto-shut off: 1, 2, 3, 4 hours (3 of 3)
- Shape of the remote: Number pad at bottom (yay!) Decent variety of button shapes (2 of 3)
- Quality of menus/setup: Nice graphics, wrap-around menus, nice arrow movement (3 of 3)
- Aesthetics of the form factor: Black. Logo can be covered, LED is a bit big. (2 of 3)
- Total for the Insignia NS-DXA1: 43 of a possible 100 points.
I’ve highlighted the only difference between these two in the scoring, the Analog Pass-Thru capability.
I may still try to get the CM-7000, but I might wait to see what reviews come out about the Apex DT250 and the DT1001. Either way I’ll probably try to offer up one of the two boxes I already have as a straight trade for the $40 coupon. My parents might take me up on it. The Apex models won’t be out for another few months, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see if a revised version of the CM-7000 comes out.
[EDIT: November 2009: As we’ve gotten full support of the Comcast DTA for basic digital cable and a bigger Motorola set-top box for extended channels, we haven’t actually needed to use an Over-The-Air converter box. However, TiVo does support some, including the two that we got: http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/310, the Insignia and the Channel Master. (I traded off my 2nd Insignia box to my parents when their coupons came in for a Channel Master.) ]