Digital TV Facts: The Latest

“What this country needs,” in the words of Thomas Riley Marshall, “is a really good five-cent cigar.” Those words were said in 1917, when Marshall was Woodrow Wilson’s vice president. But America’s longing for bargain-priced consumer products endures. Today we’re waiting for an affordably priced, cigar box-sized device—the digital TV converter.

A DTV converter box hooks up to an antenna-equipped analog TV, allowing it to display digital channels. Several electronics manufacturers have signaled plans to market low-priced converter boxes, which consumers can purchase using $40-off coupons from the U.S. government. The subsidy program begins in January 2008. Thomson announced plans for an RCA converter box, initially priced at $125, in 2005. Anticipated prices for digital TV adapters have now dropped to the $60 range.

The question is, where are they?
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DTV set-top boxes and other accessories may become easier to set up, thanks to enhanced on-screen controls. Two new digital TV receiver standards, introduced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), will add to the immense joy of the 2009 DTV transition. (Or at least dull some of the pain.)

Discounts on HDTVs will be available to consumers who sign up for HD digital cable packages, under a promotion involving major cable companies and a television manufacturer. (Another option: Pay for your new HDTV without any help from Comcast—but get your HD programming for free, over the air.)

The long-awaited RCA digital TV adapter, designed for over-the air viewers with old-style TVs, has yet to reach stores. For a hint of what we might expect, have a look at that brand’s combination DVD/VCR recorder with built-in DTV tuner, model DRC8335. Jonathan Takiff was especially impressed by the digital tuner:

When connected to a rooftop antenna (recommended), the on-board tuner pulled in an extremely stable picture from every digital TV station in town, including some channels I hadn’t been able to receive on much pricier high-def TVs!

At one major retailer, the price for the DRC8335 is about $220.

I have no idea, as of yet, whether DTV converter boxes from RCA will use the same tuner found in the DVD/VCR combo. Let’s hope for DTV converter performance that’s comparable to this early report.

Consumers who want a digital TV converter today may find recorder/DTV-tuner combos appealing. If you don’t mind waiting until next year, $40-off coupons from the federal government become available in January.

• Link: Philly Daily News

Related:
• DTV Converter Box Alternatives
• DTV Converter Box Coupons
• Converter Boxes
• Converter-box performance: Reports raise concerns

…well, sort of. You can buy a DTV converter box alternative for your old analog TV today—as long as you don’t mind paying for (and perhaps even enjoying) extra features like DVD recording.

A DVD recorder, equipped with a built-in digital tuner, can solve the “2009 problem” faced by analog TV owners who watch over-the-air broadcasts using an antenna. When analog broadcasts meet their demise on February 17, 2009, many of those viewers will switch on brand-new, government-subsidized DTV converter boxes. But new DVD recorders, starting at about $145, can also tune in digital TV broadcasts.

Some models, according to user reports, are not without problems. For a look at the benefits and drawbacks, see our story on DTV converter box alternatives.

Read more:
• DTV Converter Box Alternatives
• DTV Converter Boxes
• DTV Converter Box Coupons