Comments on: Rocky Road for DTV Tuners

By: mzokc

mzokc — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:49:17 +0000

I agree, the DDT901 is excellent. The improvements from the DDT900 are the analog pass through and louder audio. The older model would have a softer volume (like a DVD player) while the newer DDT901 has the same volume at 100% as the television’s built-in analog tuner or audio inputs.

Where the DDT901 excels is in quality performance. You’ll know the difference when you try another manufacturers model. The Dish Network DTV Pal is not as sharp and cannot handle some types of interference depending on the channel you are watching. 13-1 OETA will break up in Midtown OKC downtown with the DTV Pal while the DDT901 works. I have tried two DTV Pal units and the results are the same. I have used rabbit ears w/ UHF loop and an outdoor antenna, both gave the same results! While Sears said mine was the first returned, it appears that certain locations in the city could cause problems with the DTV Pal. Why suffer? Get the Zenith.

One more thing. The Zenith is cool when it is turned off. The DTV Pal will remain warm. Dish Network may be keeping some circuits alive to update the program guide.

The Zenith remote can turn your TV (with infrared remote) on and off. No TV on/off with the DTV Pal remote.

By: GB

GB — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:29:06 +0000

Zenith DDT 901 is very good… Long Range Good…

By: 1984Poke

1984Poke — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:27:49 +0000

Newshawk–

That sounds right. I think it was a Digital Stream brand of converter box. I know it has the analog pass-through.

BTW: I saw something in the Tulsa paper a couple of weeks ago that a new Hispanic station was starting up there but had some technical problems that delayed its planned launch date. It’s weird, though, that they had the capability to transmit a logo but not programming . . . .

By: Newshawk

Newshawk — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:53:40 +0000

If it’s the one my mother-in-law bought, it’s a Digital Stream box with analog pass through. It was an easy set-up and my mil is very pleased with it. The converter has a built-in volume control, so you never need to use the TV’s remote. I’ve instructed my mil to turn off only the TV as at 87 I don’t know if she’d remember to turn the converter on before turning on the TV.

The converter was hooked up to a set of rabbit ears that my mil has used for years and it pulled in 19 different stations. One was a Hispanic station transmitting just a logo, so I deleted that from her channel list but she gets all the other Tulsa TV stations with great reception.

There is an electronic program guide, but it only gives you info on the channel you’re on. It’s not a grid guide like on digital cable or satellite stbs. That, and the inability of the remote to run macros are the biggest minuses of the converter.

All-in-all, the Digital Stream converter is well worth the price, and even better with the $40 coupon.

By: 1984Poke

1984Poke — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 02:31:11 +0000

I bought (well, ordered) two tuners from Radio Shack for my parents’ standard-def TVs today. I can’t remember the brand name but I know it was NOT RCA.

After they receive theirs in 7-10 days and we get them hooked up and they’ve had some time to use them, I’ll try to make a report on their experience with them (and include the brand name).