Are they all the same? I just got a couple vouchers for the old TV's in the house, and I am trying to figure out where to buy them from. Are they all manufactured by the same company and sold for the same price? Are there any differences among them? Any particular ones you recommend? Mostly, I don't want to shell out much more than what the coupons cover (which is $40 each). TIA for the help...
I have the insignia brand converter boxes and don't have any complaints. My brother bought them from Best Buy a while back. I'm not sure if you will be able to find them for $40, but they shouldn't be more than $60.
From what I've seen, the on-screen guides on the cheaper ones aren't as good and there are fewer options on the remotes. That's about it.
from what i have gathered from surfing some forums like avs..Channel master and zenith (901 i think) are the better ones. http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=CM-7000
Can one of these things be used as an external tuner? Like, I have an HD monitor "tv" that doesn't have a tuner in it and so I just connect it to my HD cable box.
Yes, its essentially a go between from your antenna to your TV. It works like a cable box. Old school TVs have tuners as well, but they can't do 11.1, 11.2, and the like, so they had to make the box a tuner. Now does your TV have the right inputs to take the output from a converter box?? Depends on the box. I dont have a box, as I use DISH but it should say what kind of output is on the box. I wouldn't count on getting HDMI out, but a pretty good chance at component(5 wires, red/green/blue/white/red) with a bare minimum composite(3 wires, red/yellow/white).
OK, so I guess I have narrowed it down to some essential (and optional) features I would like to have. Essentials: 1) On-screen program guide (kinda like the Dish or Cable guides that makes it easier to navigate or see upcoming programming) 2) Closed Captioning Optional: 1) S-Video connection ...am I missing some other feature that may prove useful? I am not as concerned about picture quality as having as many features as I can get. I especially really like the Cable-like onscreen guide feature, that would be a major improvement over analog. The best bang for the buck one thus far is the TR-40 from Dish Network, and that one sells for $40 flat...unfortunately they are sold out. I figure I am not the only one who is trying to make the switch, so may be this thread can help others with their purchasing decisions. -------------------- Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys. I am trying to educate myself on this and your input is always appreciated.
Another question guys: what is the "Analog pass-through"? What does it do/how important is it to have? Thanks again!
