The US Government is giving a way a limited number of $40 subsidy coupons to use toward buying a digital tuner box or converter for your old analog TV to be able to tune in digital TV. You can request a coupon on this website:

https://www.dtv2009.gov/

There are a limited number of coupons available, yet they expire 90 days after you get one. Since my newest TV is 18+ years old, I'll probably want at least one of these.

Anyone have a digital tuner? How does yours work? What did it cost? What do you like/don't like about it? Any recommendations on which one to buy?

Andrew

Oh, and when I tried to search for a retailer near me that supposedly sells these boxes, I got 0 results! I'm not sure if I can use these coupons only at such retailers, so I'm of course wary about getting a coupon yet if it expires in 90 days...

Andrew

Andrew-
I called the Digital TV Converter Hotline and signed up for a coupon. (1.888.DTV.2009) They gave me a reference number that I wrote down and will probably need when using the coupon.

The converter boxes aren't in stores yet. Once they are shipped then the coupons are sent out with the 90 day expiration date.

Andrew--

"Anyone have a digital tuner? How does yours work? What did it cost? What do you like/don't like about it? Any recommendations on which one to buy?"

Panasonic DMR-EZ27~
It works all right for stronger signals over the air (weak signals like KPTV's ATSC feed tend to break up very often.)

LOVE-- Has a DVD-Video recorder, and by using a DVDRAM disc and with a bit of coaxing, can mimic some of the basic functions of a TIVO unit.
Also rather easy to upgrade the firmware using a CDR disc recorded in Nero.
Can receive many of the free-to-air/in the clear QAM channels Comcast is currently broadcasting (How cool is that?)

HATE-- It's slow. It literally takes seven seconds to switch between digital channels, even longer switching between ATSC & analogue NTSC. Channel surfing is kinda' slow but can be done.
Doesn't have an EPG, only a now/next banner which shows up when you hit the Status button on the remote.
It freezes up--often. Although this doesn't seem to be so much of a problem now that I upgraded the firmware two weeks ago.
Cost: $250 a year ago this April at Video Only.

Pansat 9000HD~
Actually a satellite receiver which also has a terrestrial ATSC convertor. (I honestly have no idea if it works with the QAM system used on cable, as I don't have a cable outlet in my apartment to test it with! ;o) Even if you never intend to use the satellite receiver, it's worth the expense just for the ATSC functions. Has an HDMI out, and I haven't had a single problem with that. Is based on Conexant hardware.....I really don't know if that's good or bad, but apparently that's what it is.

CHEERS-- Basically consolidates what would otherwise be two seperate pieces of equipment (sat box and ATSC box) into one component.
- Has probably the most sensitive ATSC tuner I have ever used. Where I normally would get a fluxuating 70-82% copy of KPTV on my Panasonic, it seems to remain at a steady 90% here. (Not sure how it performs when the weather is nasty tho, as I just got the box not even a week ago!) even pulls it in rather decently with an indoor antenna (rabbit ears) as opposed to my regular outside antenna.
- Is also a satellite receiver. I can have my DMX music *and* OPB channels and I don't even have to switch inputs on my TV & Stereo!
- Actually has an electronic programme guide, for satelite and ATSC at that. Hell, it even has a sort-of "picture-in-picture" function wherein it displays the tuned channel in a reduced window while below the EPG displays, kinda' like on many Dish Network receivers.
- Has a "blind scan" mode for satellite.
- Has a USB2 socket behind the front banel...it even includes a little 512MB USB flash drive thingy.
- It's a Pansat. Need I say more? ;o)

JEERS-- Setup is pretty difficult. I even had to refer to the user's manual (literally the size of an average issue of "Billboard") and many of my closest friends will admit, is rather unlike me!
- Is still kind of slow switching between ATSC channels, but is in fact a little bit faster than the Panasonic. It's also pretty slow when switching between satellites (but not between transponders on a particular satellite, which seem to change almost instantly.)
- Doesn't have facilities for a DVR or DVD-Video recorder like its cousin, the 9200HD has for about $100 more.
- Is expensive. Mine cost me $400 once shipping and handling were tacked on, but it also came from a supplier up in Canada. (see also http://kusat.com/go.php?path=/mpeg2/pansat9000hd.php)

Unfortunately because of their features neither of these boxes even come marginally close to qualifying for the subsidy, based on what I have read about the programme......

Thanks for the feedback! It looks I've got to start learning about this stuff.

It also sounds like it might make sense to get a media center PC. Then I could set it up myself however I want. I've always been frustrated with the limitations on my home a/v equipment. With digital TV it sounds like a media center PC might be sweet.

Andrew

I'm gonna go the PC route. Lots of choices too. Build it your self, Linux / Myth TV setups are looking good these days. I think there are fairly reliable program guide services available monthly now too.

A family member has a Microsoft Media Center system, and it's pretty decent.

Cards can be had that offer IR functionality, so it can be pretty low key.

Check these out:

http://www.hushtechnologies.net/

I use these for demo / test servers. Fast, quiet, robust. Load up what you want, plug it in, and it can just sit there doing it's thing.

The little HDTV USB device I got for video capture on my laptop is just excellent. It gets a lot of OTA DTV, with just the little goofy magnetic antenna. Connected to any reasonable antenna, it's great. Analog performance sucks, but who cares?

That thing, running on a laptop, offers IR remote capability from your laptop IR port, DVR functionality, and a nice display / menu system. Recordings are ready to burn to DVD, being nice and clean mpeg2.

Having used a Replay TV DVR for a number of years now, I'm quite sure I'm not going back to live TV any more. Maybe for sports, election stuff, news, but that's it, and only sometimes.

I have a Media Center PC, and it is pretty sweet.
However, a couple of words of caution:
(Mine is MCE-2005, so I can only speak to that, not the new Vista stuff)

1. I would dedicate the PC to Media Center opperations only.
Attempts to use it as Media center & a Family PC can be frustrating.
When the Media Center App is running, the Remote takes control of the mouse, making it impossible to use both at the same time.
You can use an X-Box as a remote access device, that would remedy this, but if you have a store of movies in DIVX, the X-box (last I checked) won't support the decoders.

2. In order to be able to access digital cable, you must purchase a PC that was built to accept the cable card.
You CANNOT add later.

Here is an excellent resource for Media Center info.

http://thegreenbutton.com/default.aspx

Some cool apps too.
My favorite is the commercial skipper (DVRMST toolbox).
Works VERY well!

Personally I have never much really embraced the "media centre PC" concept. I have been thinking of building one sometime in the near future tho.......I know that if I do end up building one that I WON'T have it running a Micro$hit OS....most likely gonna be a Mandrake or Ubuntu version, if it isn't Musix...........

(I have been recently contemplating getting a PCI-bus satellite receiver kit for my current computer. It's a start I guess, but that likely means I would have to get another dish which I haven't any room for right now.......)

Meanwhile I applied to receive my digital TV receiver ticket last night. Figured I might as well; hardware doesn't last forever (especially nowdays) and I can get myself a spare in case one of my boxes should break or go out. (I lost a Fortec satellite box not too long ago because the power supply failed; R.I.P.) That little Echostar ATSC box looks kinda' attractive right now....

Well, I now have at least 5 PCs at home (not all of them on at the same time - a couple are servers) plus a laptop, so devoting another PC to a media center is no big deal. :-) I assume I'd access it remotely via VNC so no need for keyboard or mouse. I haven't really considered the basic architecture of a system designed around one, I guess. I'd like to setup a wired Cat6/gigabit ethernet network in the house so I could download stuff direct to the media PC. It would be nice if my (next) TV had an ethernet port directly - is that even an option or do people do that all with a media center PC?

The fact that I can't add a digital cable card after the fact sounds like yet another reason to avoid digital cable! I'm hoping to receive over-the-air or internet broadcasts only. I haven't looked into a digital tuner card for a PC but that might be a better choice for me perhaps than buying a converter box?

And it will surely be a Ubuntu Linux box if that works well enough for media. I'm not planning to buy MS Vista or a media center edition of Vista if at all possible.

Andrew

Motozak, where can you get a PCI bus satellite card? Does it run on one of the regular satellite carriers (Dish or DirecTV) or is it a separate carrier?

I always thought that would be a good way to go.