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chickadeead

Best TV digital converter box?

chickadeead
15 years ago

My DH and I are currently shopping around for digital converter boxes for our elderly mothers, neither of whom have cable or satellite and both of whom have older televisions that still work just fine. We are in the Washington, DC area, so they get plenty of channels using their current analog signals.

If you have experience with any of the converter boxes, can you provide your feedback (good and bad) on them? Right now, based on some online reviews, we are leaning towards the $40 Dish Network box. Our coupons are in the mail.

TIA.

Comments (9)

  • jdbillp
    15 years ago

    I have heard good things about the Dish Network box, too. Too bad they were not available when my coupons were expiring.

  • friedajune
    15 years ago

    Zenith DTT901. Read the reviews at the Circuit City website (linked below).

    Here is a link that might be useful: Zenith DTT901 at Circuit City

  • jdbillp
    15 years ago

    LG makes that tuner for Zenith. LG makes that tuner for a lot of companies to sell including LG themselves.

    I have the LG version of that tuner and it is OK. I've heard that the menu on the Dish Network is easier to navigate.

  • tobr24u
    15 years ago

    I have already purchased two, A Zenith and a GE. They both work the same as I tried them just to see what would happen. I have to say that the GE on the outside seems a higher quality and more user friendly in regard to the remote...

  • friedajune
    15 years ago

    Tobr24u - can you specify which GE converter box you have? GE makes 4. Only 2 of the 4 have the Analog Pass-Thru feature, which I think is very good to have. The two GE models that have the Analog Pass-Thru feature are the 23333 and the 23334. The 23333 unfortunately has only received poor reviews. I have not seen any reviews for the 23334. I pointed out the Zenith DTT901 above because it appears to receive good reviews everywhere. On the Circuit City website it only only about 4 bad reviews out of 66.

  • tobr24u
    15 years ago

    Don't know the # (I communicate from a library) but it doesn't have a pass-thru, neither does the Zenith...

  • friedajune
    15 years ago

    Tobr24u, you are incorrect about the Zenith DTT901 not having an analog pass-thru feature. If you look on the Circuit City link I provided above, you will see it is called "Zenith Digital to Analog Pass-thru TV Tuner/Converter Box". Or, better still, check out Zenith's website linked below, where the DTT901 is featured, in capital letters, as "Digital TV Tuner Converter Box with Analog Pass-Through". Or, on that same page, you can access the Spec Sheet. Page 2 of that Spec Sheet devotes about a third of the page discussing the DTT901's Analog Pass Thru feature.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Zenith Website - DTT901 Converter Box

  • jdbillp
    15 years ago

    I know that my LG tuner does not have pass thru but a later version does of my tuner does.

    I believe LG didn't change the model number but added the pass through as an upgrade.

    I was going to wait for the upgraded version but my coupon was expiring so I bought the non pass through version.

  • tobr24u
    15 years ago

    Oops, it was a Magnovox not a Zenith...

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