Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: What's the result of the HD to ST converter box?

This is topic What's the result of the HD to ST converter box? in forum The Afterlife at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-05-2008, 10:20 AM:

OK, so my dad refuses to get rid of his trusty standard TV set in the den. He's got an HD for the living room, but rails againt the government arbitrarily making his favorite TV set in the den obsolete. So if I get him the converter box for which I applied for the discount ticket, what does that do to the HD image? I mean, what is 16:9 going to look like on the 4:3 screen? Letterboxed? Missing the sides? COMPRESSED? How will it deal with the ratio difference of the two displays?

[ 06-06-2008, 06:04 PM: Message edited by: Frank Angel ]

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 06-05-2008, 10:49 AM:

Depending on how you have the unit set-up for the TV in use. (16x9 or 4x3) If its a 4x3 you can have the aspect ratio handled by program or switch it by remote to letterbox, full screen or squeezed. The Zenith unit is very easy to use and set-up and runs around $60, but with coupon ($40) it's final cost is $21 and change. In NYC you will get channels 2-1, 4-1,4-2,4-4, 5-1, 5-2, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 9-1,9-2, 11-1,11-2, 13, 25 and more.
The picture in the NYC area looks great for HD on a SD set. Some of the higher channels that are still showing SD stuff looks fair.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-06-2008, 06:05 PM:

Cool. Thanks Bill. I'm off to get him one.

Posted by Greg Anderson (Member # 235) on 06-07-2008, 09:19 AM:

Wal-Mart has the Magnavox box for $50 but the same box at Sam's Club is $45... before the magical, government-provided gift card kicks in. Those gift cards only work for boxes that provide minimal output opportunities, like RF and red-white-yellow RCA. No S-Video or component. I guess they figure that if you want that stuff you can afford to pay for your own box and this coupon program is supposed to be for those who really need the government's help. But... are we allowed to express an opinion about this program which would be a bi-partisan or non-partisam slam? Or does that fall into the "no politics" issue at Film-Tech?

Edit: The Bottom line for me is that there was no good reason to mandate that your father's TV can't receive anything anymore. We all know how we'd feel if we were required by the government to switch to digital projection and all of our film projectors were left without "software" at some arbitrary deadline. This shouldn't even be a political issue.

[ 06-07-2008, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: Greg Anderson ]

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-24-2008, 08:40 AM:

I am not normally a proponent of shopping at Radio Shack but they've got the most reliable CECB (Coupon Eligible Converter Box) on the market.

The Digitalstream model that they sell is the best, most reliable one on the market.

The Zenith model on sale at Circuit City and the Insignia model on sale at Best Buy are crap. Known to have a high percentage of DOA units right out of the box. They are also known to die an early death due to poor heat sink design. I don't know much about the RCA models that Wally World sells. I bought the Digitalstream model.

Here's a comparison of CECBs on Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_CECB_units

I don't have cable or satellite. I don't plan on getting them. The TV I have is a 25" JVC model, purchased in 2001. That TV is going strong and shows no sign of age, but for this stupid switchover.

To be honest, for all it's promised, HDTV has been a big letdown in our area.

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 06-24-2008, 03:39 PM:

quote: Randy Stankey
To be honest, for all it's promised, HDTV has been a big letdown in our area.

Digital is not the same as HDTV, you realize that, right?

I only ask because you switch mid-post from talking about digital converter boxes and wrap up with disappointment with HDTV in your area.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 06-24-2008, 04:40 PM:

My parents sent me an email saying they got one of the converter boxes (I assume a new TV has to wait for mom to finish grad school like me) and she said that their picture improved and got extra stations compared to before.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 06-24-2008, 06:06 PM:

I love how every time someone confesses to buying something at Radio Shack they feel compelled to say "I normally don't shop there but..." or "I had no other choice so...". Everybody is expected to say they hate Radio Shack, but the truth is someone is shopping there, and I think it's us. [uhoh]

Kind of like nobody watches American Idol yet somehow it keeps going.

Re Greg's comment, the government controls the public airways, and for good reason (there would be chaos otherwise). The change to DTV is all about repurposing the available broadcast frequencies for public (and private) gain. Government has no self-interest regarding the technology used in movie theaters. So I'm not sure how you can compare the two. [Confused]

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-26-2008, 11:06 AM:

Anselm,

Let me clarify...
All that newfangled TV shit, no matter what format it is broadcast in, has turned out to be a big disappointment.

NONE of the TV stations in this area are HDTV even though the networks are broadcasting in HD. They ALL downconvert the HD to analog so they can run it through their analog master control then they upconvert back to digital for transmission.
Even though they all CLAIM to be in "High Quality Digital" and even though the networks CLAIM to be in HD, they get by on the loophole that says, "Where available."

What's more the digital transmitters that they are installing are only powerful enough to hit the head end of the local cable company. So, no matter what format they are broadcasting in, you can't receive it half the time because the signal is too weak.

Finally, the analog transmitters are breaking down.
Fox, CBS and ABC networks all beam their signals to the same transmitter site and broadcast from there. The links are all breaking down, the antennas are falling to pieces and the transmitters are all running on their last legs. The stations aren't going to repair them because, in 8 months, they will all be shut down anyway.

Everything in this town, television-wise, is a big disappointment! It doesn't matter whether it's SD digital or HD. It's all crap!

My plan is to wait until FIOS is available in this area, at which time I'll just use the money I would have spent on buying a new TV and cable/satellite service to buy a new and better computer.

About Radio Shack:

I don't believe it's inconsistent to say I don't normally shop there.

90% of the stuff they sell is crap. But, if I find a product that is good, no matter what the source, I will buy it.

If Radio Shack sells crap, I won't buy. If Radio Shack sells good products I will buy.

It is the best strategy to encourage stores to improve the products they sell.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 06-26-2008, 04:02 PM:

My quibble with Radio Shack isn't the quality but the pricing: One can often find similar products (surge protectors, speaker cable) elsewhere of comparable quality much cheaper.
I am using 2 antennas I purchased from Radio Shack...one is a conventional TV antenna disguised as a picture frame and the other is an amplified am/fm antenna for my receiver. (I didn't want to spend the extra money to buy one from C-Crane.)