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Crossing the Digital Divide Will I need a converter box for my TVs that are using cable? Will the digital transition affect my TVs that use antennas? Will I need a new antenna with a digital conversion box? Will I need a converter box for my TVs that are using satellite? How do I get a digital conversion box? Which converter box should I buy if I have an installed antenna with good signal? Which converter box should I get if I use rabbit ears or have weak signal? Why choose the Echostar Tr-40 a.k.a. Echostar/Sling Media DTVPal? How do I upgrade my HDTV Ready TV or Monitor to HDTV?
What is this thorny issue, the Digital TV transition? Is your digital alarm clock the only digital equipment with which you are comfortable? Oh, weren't we so thrilled at the first digital watches! How about those "new" digital calculators that revolutionized the business of numbers? How about cell phones? Few now live without one. New digital cameras give us more flexibility than ever imagined. And we have survived the giant step forward that accompanied the advent of affordable personal computers. The much faster rate of information exchange has caused enormous and revolutionary change at a phenomenal rate! Step-by-step and day-by-day we become more and more a digitized world. Everything today seems to have some sort of computer chip. Cars, microwaves, refrigerators...how many of you have "chipped" your dog or cat? It's all been good, though not without a few thorns. And now, radio, TV, cell phones, and much of the communication industry are digital. I am here to tell you, DIGITAL IS GOOD. Even with the confusion, the hassles, and the high learning curve of this step of the digital transition, it's ALL GOOD! This step across the digital divide seems to be especially thorny, though. Do we really have to go through this? For those of you that have seen a properly installed and calibrated HDTV, you know that you've never seen anything like it! This "Rose" HDTV, comes equipped with the clarity, the reality, and a depth that is beyond what we've experienced thus far! Nearly 3-D like images with bountiful, rich, and accurate colors. Details not seen by some of us except when we get new glasses. It moves you, draws you in, and brings you back again and again. It is impossible to quantify the "WOW" of HDTV with words. How much is 5 or 6 times greater definition? If a picture is worth a thousand words, then HD must be worth 5 - 6 thousand words! This step is much bigger than the transition from black and white. If you think that HDTV is just a lot of hype, then you better have a look at the Do's & Don'ts page and make some adjustments! For those who have seen a proper rendition of HDTV, you know what I mean. This isn't your daddy's TV! Save your travel money and visit the world from your easy chair! But what about all the rest who have a standard definition TV and use an antenna to get their TV? Here's the other "Rose", which is Digital TV in standard definition. This rose comes as digital conversion set-top box added to their TV, often times, using their existing antenna. We have transformed a few fuzzy, hard to see, analog channels into a full line up of locals, with the finest standard definition digital picture available , today! Viewing SDTV from your antenna is second ONLY to GOOD HDTV! AND, there are additional bonus channels AND a channel viewing guide! (St. Louis currently has 14, crystal clear, digital feeds with more in the works) For those viewing "regular TV", TV isn't regular anymore! For many in the St. Louis market, we've turned that old set into an entirely new viewing experience while using their TV AND their antenna. What have they said? They have said "WOW!", of course, and other things like, "I would have done this sooner" and "I can't wait to tell so-and-so about this!". Last but not least, is the fact that Digital TV, both HDTV and SDTV, hold the promise of interactivity. Perhaps you'll be able to press a button to show the recipe during a cooking show, or maybe call up the floor plan or budget on a "This Old House" episode. You may end up casting your vote for your favorite American Idol with your remote, choosing the news you're interested in, or see your favorite NASCAR driver's position, or sponsor information, with the push of a button. The possibilities are endless. The future is here. Try it, you'll like it! If you have the right information, you know that purchasing a new HDTV is not the inescapable conclusion to the DTV transition. Will I need a converter box for my TVs that are using cable? Now there's a sticky question... It seems to me that some cable companies may be trying to exploit the digital transition for their personal gain. Depending on who you use, your cable provider may try to have you add a digital receiver for you to keep watching. Don't pay more money to your cable company to make this transition! You will need to call your local cable provider and hope they have the answers you need. For more information regarding converter boxes and cable check here http://www.ezdigitaltv.com/Cable_Television.html Will the digital transition affect my TVs that use antennas? It will affect you if you are using an antenna for local broadcast reception. It will affect the people who are watching "regular old TV" by antenna. Analog TV, you know the kind. It's the kind that is often fuzzy, plagued with ghosts, and interference. Regular old TV. The digital transition may also affect you if you use cable. And, the good news is; when a digital conversion box a.k.a. digital tuner, is added to your "regular old TV", it rockets your "fuzzy picture box" to the future of television! It will provide you with THE BEST SDTV PICTURE available! Better than satellite or cable!!! It is hard to say whether or not you will need a new antenna. What is certain is that you should try your existing antenna before buying a new one. Your existing antenna will work just fine for many people. If you have good signal with no problems, you should be good. If you use rabbit ears of have fading, ghosting, etc, you need to upgrade your antenna or make GraBBit Ears. Will I need a converter box for my TVs that are using satellite? No. How do I get a digital conversion box? For those who wish to be able to receive antenna broadcasts on their older analog television, the government is providing $40 coupons toward the purchase of the digital converter. Now is the time to order your coupons. Follow the link below and fill in the form. You should receive your coupons in about 3 weeks. The coupons have a 90 day expiration date. The order forms are here: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ Which converter box should I buy if i have an installed antenna with good signal? My recommendation for a converter box for use with installed antenna is the Echostar Tr-40. Which converter box should I get if I use rabbit ears or have weak signal? My recommendation for a converter box for use with rabbit ears or in fringe reception areas is the Echostar/Sling Media DTVPal. This version has a decidedly better (more sensitive) digital tuner than the Magnavox, RCA, Choice Select, and the Digital Stream models.
I've installed Magnavox, RCA, Digital Stream and others. YUCK! Instead of trying whatever happens to be on the shelves, do yourself a favor and order a Tr-40 or, if you are having any reception issues, the DTVPal Plus. (I am not paid by anyone for recommendations.) The Echostar track record and my experience with these boxes says to me that the Tr-40 will do the job nicely with good signal and the DTVPal Plus is the best converter on the market. There have been a number of reports on conversion boxes with poor picture quality and that fail to comply with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration's specifications. For those of you who want to add a tuner to their monitor or HD Ready TV, and for those who have a good TV with component inputs but only an analog tuner, read on... How do I upgrade my HDTV Ready TV or Monitor to HDTV? USES: Upgrade older analog TVs, HD Monitors, and HD Ready TVs Welcome to the future! It's here today! If you're watching TV using an antenna, you've got to see this! Convert your old fuzzy, antenna TV, into a new Digital viewing machine!
Choice Select
HDTV Tuner
1080i /
720P
output
ATSC But it's also great for those that have a poor analog signal who simply want a better picture, and more channels on their analog TV. (This unit actually provides the BEST SDTV picture I've EVER witnessed! Hi-Def Jeff). The unit has component video and composite video outputs so it will work on HDTV-ready sets and regular analog sets. It even makes standard definition look amazing-especially when viewing HDTV content. Description Features
For reviews and ratings of digital converter boxes Digital Converter Box Reviews |
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