Be advised that all ATSC (Digital Set-Top Boxes) that are approved by the FCC in the U.S.A. that are to be used with the vouchers that US families can apply for; will be showing up on E-bay et ALL. These sets will NOT have digital outputs(HDMI or DVI) only analogue usually limited to composite and sometimes S-video.Good point. It is my understanding that the ONLY ATSC boxes that are voucher-eligible are those with standard outputs, such as the Insignia box I mention in my previous post.

Best Buy in Michigan sells theirs under a "special return" designation - if you purchase a box and return it, you will be refunded the purchase price LESS $40.00. Prospective buyers should be sure to do their homework before buying to ensure that the ATSC signals available to your viewing area warrant the purchase.

Best Buy had two options: the Insignia I purchased for $59.99 (coax and component out, voucher eligible), and a Samsung tuner for $179.99 (HDMI + DVI out, NOT voucher eligible). I have no HD televisions in the house, so the decision was an easy one for me.

Now Dell.ca has Coby ATSC HD set top box in stock. You can order it online. The delivery is free. Its now on sale.

Thanks, pacific_Dolphin! Here's the Dell writeup:The DTV-140 from Coby is the perfect addition for your TVs and monitors with analog only NTSC tuners. The DTV-140 will receive digital terrestrial signals with 720p and 1080i outputs. The DTV-140 will also downconvert HDTV signals to 480i/480p for your SD and ED TVs. The On-Screen Programming guide will simplify choosing programs and the multiple output choices make it easy to connect to any home theater system.

Overview

ATSC High Definition(HD) Set-up Box, Receives Free Over-The-Air HDTV SignalsAnd here are its connections:

1 x RF input
1 x component video output
1 x composite video/audio output
1 x S-Video output
1 x SPDIF coax output

EchoStar DTV Box Set For June Release

LITTLETON, COLO. The first wave of digital TV converter-box coupons went out last week, but EchoStar's much-publicized $39.99 converter box won't be available until June or July, the company told TWICE.

The company, which recently split off its set-top box division from its Dish Network satellite TV service, made headlines at International CES by announcing plans to market a DTV converter box that would be eligible for National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) $40 TV converter box coupons, making it effectively free to consumers who participate.

However, under the company's timetable, the converter box " model TR-40 " may not be available to the earliest people to receive coupons, since the mandated redemption period is 90 days.
http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=316822

However, under the company's timetable, the converter box " model TR-40 " may not be available to the earliest people to receive coupons, since the mandated redemption period is 90 days.

That's definitely true for everyone who applied for a coupon on 1/1/08, like me. I check my status today and my coupon has been mailed.

Rumors have been flying about the Echostar TR-40. What many are saying and hoping for is that it will have the new Gemstar digital TV guide built in. The specs released by Echostar say it will have a 7 day guide and a VCR timer, which seems to suggest just that. So, as long as you can pick up a CBS station, you can get the data.
FWIW, I had a DVD recorder with the old analog TV guide built in. It worked very well, and provided program info for all my Canadian locals. So, the new guide may contain Canadian digital signal program info as well.

If the Echostar can do all that, I'll pay $40 for it, just for the TV guide features.

I picked up a ATSC tuner form ebay for 30 bucks used. It sold for 200 at walmart. I havent got it yet but im excited to see if I get anything!

I see circuit city in the US is selling Zenith DTT900's for $59.99. Anyone tried one yet? Just curious how they are for an older std def tv.

There is a review of the Zenith DTT900, here:

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/Zenith_DTT900%20.html

I saw an ATSC tuner at Walmart in Lockport NY for $50 last weekend.

For that price that would have been an ATSC Converter Box and not a Tuner, I'm guessing. What was the brand and model number, Dunc?

Got my CECB coupons the other day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CECB

so I went to Best Buy and bought an Insignia (Zenith/LG clone) and brought it home to try out.

First, I hooked it to my garage TV antenna, a CM 4221 clone mounted in my garage, and to my garage TV, a 21" Panasonic, circa 1993 or so.
First thing I noticed on the screen was that the menu images were shaking. No big deal, as long as the picture doesn't shake.
I ran it through the set-up, then ran the channel scan. In my garage, it only picked up channels 12, 13, 20 and 33. The first three didn't surprise me, since their signals so strong in my area. The fact it picked up 33 was a surprise, since it's weak in my area, especially with the antenna pointed away.

Next, I brought the CECB into the house an hooked it up via the antenna out on my Samsung DTB-H260F to my Sony TV. No more shaky menues, must have been the Panny TV. My main antenna is a CM 4228 with a CM 7777 pre-amp. The CECB picked up all the same channels my 260 does, with about the same signal strength. 34 in all, including sub-channels.

I didn't find anything much to say about the CECB that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews, except for one thing. While watching TV using it last night, we noticed a few very brief audio drop-outs. Just enough to be slightly annoying. I'm quite sure it's something to do with the box, not the signal, since it did it on more than one station, and I never get this with the Samsung box. PQ was about as good as it gets with composite video.

A couple of cool things about the box:
If you can make a universal remote operate it and the remote is lacking a "." button, that's OK. When you press the number for the channel, 9 for instance, the display momentarily shows a drop-down list of the available sub channels, 9.2, 9.3, 9.5 and so on.
The signal strength meter beeps.

I picked up a ATSC tuner form ebay for 30 bucks used.What is its brand name and model number?

Hello,

I have an analog only TV, and I would like to get a digital converter box (if that's the right term (sorry, I'm very new to this)) to pick up Digital/HD signals, and an indoor antenna (I live in an apartment). The antenna (tuner?) can be separate or together (no preference other than I would like to get the best possible signal strength/quality that my situation/area can get).

I read through the FAQ, but I am completely new to this tech stuff (or any tech for that matter), and it only confused me and gave me more questions then when I began.

I live in Nepean (suburb of Ottawa, ON). If anyone has any recommendations on what kind of hardware would be good for me, that would be great!

Also, along with the hardware recommendations.... where I can purchase them. I could not find any such devices or antennas in Futureshop or Best Buy, but I'm not sure if I was looking for the right thing.

Thank you :)

I recently bought on eBay a Hisense HDTV tuner that is compatible with a standard definition TV. I use it with a 5 dollars rabbit ears antenna. You may try it since it should not cost too much and the tuner is ready for 1081i and 720p resolution. Good luck. Jean.

Paul777, I've merged your question into this thread about the kind of convertor boxes you're asking about. :) Lots of good info in here.

Thank you. I will read through this thread.

I just bought a referbished H260F off ebay, it seems to have alot of problems. It always locks up but it's different all the time. Sometimes it will just freeze the video and the audio will continue for a while but then it'll just go away as well. Other time it will just lock up completly, all the time however i cannot use the controller. I also always get vertical lines on the screen, skinny, and about 2 inch's apart, not whole lines but dots and lines in random sizes. Could it be the video decoder that's messed?

Rawker, are you in a good location for Digital OTA with a good antenna, and have you cabled everything up according to the manual?

I have a T451. It has DVI but supports HDCP. I am trying to connect it to my new Elite 92TXH A/V receiver which uses only HDMI (and component, of course). The Elite is connected to a Sony CRT which has only a DVI but supports HDCP, too. I want to use HDMI to save the component connections.

When I connect the T451 with a DVI to HDMI cable and a SPDIF for audio, I get no sound (even though the Elite has been configured for both connections for the T451). Anyone else have such a problem hooking up the T451?

There is an audio setting on the T451 - Dolby or PCM - maybe it's set incorrectly?