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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
I bought the 900 and the new 901 model.The 901 model has the analog pass through feature.I gave my mom the 900 model and at her house she gets 11 channels except NBC which the support guy said would come through in Feb.2009.My 901 model gives me 21 channels.I have a dvd/vcr hooked up but it wont record the digital picture channels only the analog picture.I need one more for another tv.These converter boxes sell out as soon as they hit the stores in my area.I recommend the DTT901 model.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
The box brings in much clearer pictures but I may be forced to buy an antenna rotator to pull in stations whose towers are in different locations or with weaker signals. And we haven't figured out a way to record programs with our VCR using this box.
It appears we may be forced to buy at least one DTV and a DVD recorder/player to continue using an antenna - or be FORCED to buy cable or satellite.
This is NOT what I expected from my Zenith converter box!
"Push" On type RF cable junk! Causes intermittant connection .I replaced it with a "Threaded type"
No more problems. Runs warm .Do not cover vents.
If your T.V. has RCA "in" jacks ..use them for better sound. I connected it thru my VCR.
You can turn T.V on/off from remote.
Use "Signal" function on remote to aim antenna for best picture.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I have had this product about 2 months. I definitely does what is says it is supposed to. I have used it on two different TV's. As I suspected, we get better reception and more channels on the TV with the boosted antenna which matched our experiences with analog signals. My best guess is that if you only get few channels or they are choppy, it is your antenna and not the converter box.
Important features: Zoom button on remote is real handy as it seems like each show is broadcast in a different format, and programing list for next two programs.
Downfalls: Sound comes through very poorly. I have to turn the TV volume way up to hear decent audio. It helped to turn the audio signal on the converter box to mono from stereo, but it is still a hassle. Some of this is because the different stations are broadcast with different sound levels.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
I bought two of these [...] The Box looks great and works great. It was Very Quick and Easy to install. Remote works great and the change of channels is quickly responsive. You can hook it up with either The RF cable or Composite cables it comes with. A Quick note also... The sound is better if you change the audio option to Mono rather than Stereo. All in All I am very happy with the choice I made in purchasing a converter box.
[0 of 5 customers found this review helpful]
I wouldn't waste my money on it. When the signal comes in it IS good but over half of the time the signal isn't good. I don't know if it is the box or what but this HD is not as good as they say it is.
[1 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
from Reynoldsburg, OHIO on 6/4/2008
I purchased two different brand name digital converter boxes. The un-named converter works great also sold by Radio Shack. The Zenith volume is very bad. Someone should notify Zenith and ask for a recall on these boxes until they can get it right or at least have a trade-in program for a converter box that works. I will to to email Zenith with this problem. Some else try also.
[2 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
this item basically does what it is supposed to do
i was able to set it up but when i wanted to attach the vcr/dvd player i had to call for tech support which was very clear
the channels i receive are very good however i have given up channel 13 and some others that i dont care so much about
i am hoping 13 will come back when all goes digital
i dont see where any of the others are better
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Lexington, Massachusetts on 5/31/2008
I have had a large digital HD TV for 2 years using an antennae located in my attic. I live 10 mi. N of Boston. I get very good reception most of the times but some breakup on bad weather days. I bought the 9900DTX for an old analog TV located over my treadmill. I connected it to a pair of rabbit ears located on top of the set. The reception and image quality are FANTASTIC! I get 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, 7.2, 25.1, 38.1, 44.1, 44.2, 44.3, 44.4, 56.1, 66.1 and a few others! I bought the radio shack $16 antennae especially for DTV but never bothered to connect it as the reception is so great. For $20 (after coupon) this is a no brainer.
[0 of 35 customers found this review helpful]
IT SUCKKS
[5 of 6 customers found this review helpful]
from San Francisco, CA on 5/21/2008
Had this unit hooked up to one TV and had the DTX9900 right next to it with the same antenna split to the two. Picture was identical, they did the samething, showed same picture, both cut out at the same time when it had poor reception. The only advantage this Zenith has is that it comes with composite video cables to hook it up to the television instead of a coax so thats why the picture looks better (Coax = 280 lines of resolution, Composite = 380 lines of resolution).
The reason they are so hard to find is because Zenith wants more money for these boxes than the other companies that make the converter boxes
[1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Seattle, WA on 5/21/2008
If you wanna use a VCR/DVD
Try getting a Splitter
splitter is a tool you can plug more that 1 coaxal cable into.
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
Easy to set up. Great reception. Pulls in stations that were snowy in analog mode and makes them crystal clear. More powerful than the Digitalstream (I lost a channel with the DS, but got it back with Zenith). Radioshack should stock more of these.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
This is a great box, I tried to get 2 but the only store I could find that had one only had one. I have searched everwhere to try and find one been to numerous stores all over the area. If you find one in the metro detroit area buy it, its like Gold here.
[3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
The unit is easy to set up with on screen instructions. I was able to receive all the local channels in the metro Richmond, VA with only moderate "break up" of the picture. Most of the time, all stations are crystal clear, far superior to the old analog tuner. I am using a cheap, set top antenna. I would recommend a more elaborate hookup if you plan to use this as your primary tv source. Several people have complained about audio. I dialed it up to Full or 100%, then I didn't have any trouble using the tv volume control. It also lets you adjust the picture to either a 4:3 ratio (most older sets) or the 16:9 (widescreen) format which I have. I primarily bought this as a backup for when the cable goes out, and I'm glad I did.
[3 of 5 customers found this review helpful]
Purchased the converter box today. It was easy to set up. The picture and sound are great! I get seven channels without it and eleven with it. However...I can't use the PIP (picture in picture) and can't record one station and watch another. It is a good product for what it does. I can only hope that in the future there will be a way to use the dvd to record!! Guess I can live without the PIP.
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
from Bronx, N.Y. on 5/12/2008
I have a P.S. to my last review, if you do record from the VCR (instructions in last review) you have to make sure you turn the "sleep" feature off. Otherwise the Digital converter box will automatically shut off after 4 hours and then, when the VCR kicks in to record the show you programmed it to record, it will record a blue screen because no channel is broadcasting cause the converter box is off.
[5 of 6 customers found this review helpful]
This unit is IDENTICAL to the Insignia model. The ONLY difference is the name on the front and the design of the box.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Here's the skinny on this converter:Pros:1) Great, great picture. Seems pretty good at locking onto and capturing weaker and/or problematic signals -- I live in an area with heavy multipath. this might be an issue for people like myself who are in apartments and heavy urban environments.2) Very easy setup. Less than two minutes easy!3) Simple, slim, nicely laid out remote.Cons:1) Lack of analog passthrough.2) The sound -- as noted in other reviews, there is a problem with the sound on this unit. The sound is very tinny, and on the stereo setting the sound is noticeably fainter than on the mono setting. (Yes, you could set it to Mono, but who wants Mono?) Also, there is a sound artifact -- as noted in previous reviews, when "S" is spoken, there is a chirping. Surprising that these units were allowed through production, considering this defect!3) I'm not sure about the previous reviewer who mentioned that it doesn't convert true HD signals. I'm watching PBS now, which I'm pretty sure is a true HD broadcast, and it seems to be working fine. Picture is fantastic.Overall, if I could do it again, I'd be tempted to try the Digital Stream, in order to see the differences... [...] My guess is that the Zenith and Digital Stream are probably about comparable, when you consider each of their relative strengths and weaknesses... these might matter to you if you are trying to decide between these two, and for example, you're a true audiophile and have a high-end audio system, or live in an area with hard-to-capture signals.
[11 of 11 customers found this review helpful]
from Bronx, N.Y. on 5/11/2008
I got improved reception after connecting the box. I have a roof antenna which isn't so hot so I wasn't getting all the channels but after connecting this box, I picked up better reception on the weak channels and picked up a few more channels. For instance, ABC has 7-1 (which is the regular channel) then 7-2, and 7-3 which is a weather channel and maybe 7-4. Setup was relatively easy but it only gives instructions on how to set up to a TV. The Antenna set up, which views through either channel 3 or 4 (depending on which station does not have a broadcast) does not have as good of a picture or sound as the AV set up (AV wires). Also, I have a VCR and had to call tech to find out how to set the box through a VCR. I got 4 people who all had different answers, one being that you CAN'T do it and another being that you can't record using the VCR once you Do connect it to the VCR. Finally I got a guy who knew his stuff. He told me how to set it up as well as record using the VCR. But here's the problem which I am sure will be the same for all the Digital converter boxes. Since you can only view the Digital converter channels through your TV on either channel 3 or 4 (Antenna set up) or through your AV channel (AV cable set up) this means that, if you want to do timer recordings using your VCR, you will have to program the show you want to record to either channel 3 or 4 or to your AV channel since the channels on the converter box only view through these two channels on your TV. Then, have your converter box set to the channel you want to record, (ex: the show you want is tomorrow at 9pm on channel 7-1. Since there are no broadcasts coming though your TV on any other channels except channel 3 or the AV channel, if you program your VCR to pick up channel 7 at 9pm, it will just record a blue screen. So you must have channel 7.1 viewing through your TV on channel 3 or the AV channel and when 9pm comes tomorrow, the VCR will record what ever channel the box is tuned to.) May sound complicated but it meant a lot to me to find this out cause I do a lot of recording. Another thing, you can no longer view another channel while you are recording from your VCR. Bummer.
[3 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
from Baltimore Maryland on 5/11/2008
For local city reception, it does do a decent job of dealing with multipath issues. This means that it will do a good job in your city and its immediate suburb. If you want good DX capablilty for reception greater than 30 miles (even with good outdoor antenna) this one should be passed up. There are better units for this purpose.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
Ok , for all you so called tech savvy people. You cannot get surrond sound off an antenna with a non digital tv! The sound on this box is acceptable providing your are not a complete moron. You will not get surrond sound because it is impossible to do so since it does not have optical or digital coxial outputs. The only way to get true surrind sound is to get a digital cable box, sat receiver or a digital tv with the correct outputs. Sorry folks but running a pair of cheap RCA cables from the audio out of your analog tv isnt surround sound. The picture quality is good with a decent outdoor antenna and dont seem to have the issue with it locking up or hummiong the way the pieces of junk from [...] do.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from New Castle,IN on 5/9/2008
Use this converter in our Motorhome with a standard batwing RV antenna. Was getting only 4 channels here at home,now get 22. from 90 miles away. Very easy to set up,almost does it all itself.Does seem to be very sensitive to antenna direction but this may be due to antenna design. Recommend for all owners of older motorhomes with analog TV.
[1 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
from New York, NY on 5/9/2008
Once I got both [$] coupons from the government, I had scoured the web on which set top box would fit my Panasonic PV-DM2799 27" TV/VCR/DVD Combo. I decided because I would by one box at a time, I'd try the Zenith DTT900. Consumer Reports rated it as slightly better in reception and resolution than the Insignia NS-DXA1, both which are manufactured by LG.Easy to setup, the Zenith includes the unit, remote control, RCA jacks, video and coaxial cables as well as a AAA battery. You can use a simple rabbit-ear antenna but can upgrade to a rooftop antenna if permissible.The on-screen menu guides you to setting up your channels, aspect ratio of wide screen or standard format, parental locks on programming and so on. I live in the 11373 area and can pick up 15 channels at this time of press. However, I could probably pick an additional ten if I modify or wait until the Feb 09 deadline. The bad side is I can't pick up WNET nor WLIW. Not yet anyway.The online program guide is very nice and has the time/date displayed along with SAP, caption and TV rating. The box itself is simple in design with a channel changer and power button. It's light indicator color changes from crimson red(off) to ion blue(on).Overall, I'm pleased so far but I'm certain once my last coupon expires, there's going to be a better model on the horizon.
[1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Seattle, WA on 5/9/2008
The First RadioShack I went to, they told me they have never sold this product in their store and tried very hard to sell me the Digital Stream one - She didn't even know who made it. I went to another, the sales were much smarter than the previous one and told me they were out and found that another store nearby had some. I went to pick up one. The setup is very easy if you only hook that up directly to your TV. I get much more channels than before - even a local Chinese channel. Images are very clear and much stable. Audio is just like the other reviewers noticed - noise from the TV set and the converter.
One thing I haven't figired that out is to hook up to my VCR with the TV and converter at the same time so that I can record programs. Can anyone direct me about the setup. Thanks.
Great stuff. Make sure to use the ($40)coupon. The signal strength meter is a PLUS.
[0 of 15 customers found this review helpful]
Zenith DTT900 Digital-to-Analog Converter Box by Zenith KILLED MY TV.
MY TV NOW IS DEAD.
[3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
I purchased two of the Zenith DDT900 unit?s one for installation on our 6 year old 55 inch projection TV and one on my wife?s 9 year old CRT 19 inch set. Our project TV has the normal DVD and VCR?s currently connected in addition to a General Instruments DSR-922 4DTV ?C? band 12 foot satellite system. We are currently utilizing a 64 elements Winguard roof antenna 35 feet above the ground with amplification. The entire installation for both sets required about 1 hour. Read the instructions and follow them to the letter. Both sets perform manifestly. We are of Seattle about 38 miles from the transmitters. The picture is greatly improved on channels 4, 5, 7 and 28. The sound is excellent via a Denon A/V unit through 36 JBL surround sound speakers. In addition we now receive 37 channels of digital where we only received 9 analog via the same antenna and equipment setup. I would highly recommend the Zenith DTT900 system purchased from Radio Shack. Even the remote was very easy to program to operate the TV. If I had any recommendation for changes it would be to install ?Monster Cables? brand in place of the cheap ones furnished with the unit. This does improve both the sound and picture clarity dramatically.
from New Castle,IN on 5/7/2008
Purchased this unit to use in our motorhome. Use it with the batwing antenna with power boast. Before,setting in my driveway I could only get 5 channels, now it will pick up 22,one from about 90 miles.Can`t wait to see what it will do when they all switch to digital. Setup is a breeze,almost does it all by itself. Would definatly recommend this converter.
It was very easy to set-up. The on-screen setup wizard only took about a minute or two. The picture is absolutely AMAZING. My only complaint is that the sounds is terribly hissy with annoying, audible artifacts in the high end. You might not notice it on cheepy TV speakers, but you definitely will not be happy if you have a nice home theater sound system!!!
Bought two converts and had both set up in 5 mins. The new remote also controls the volume of the TV. I was also able to program the remote to turn the tv on/off, so I only need to use on remote.
from Wilsonville, OR on 5/5/2008
The things that I was proud about this product was its design, user interface, easy setup, and improved picture and sounds. I like using this Zenith DTV converter box.
According to some people's review, they complained that there's a strange sound when watching a program. I only herd it a little bit. It's not loud enough that it bugs me. I don't even bother complain because its good enough.
I was able to only watch 10 analog channels with my Sony TV. However, when I scanned for digital channels, it drawed my attention that I had 22 digital channels. Digital is way better! You get more channels from the same broadcasters with digital, not in analog.
Yeah, I'd definitely recommend this product to all of my friends. Great work, Zenith!
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Chicago suburbs on 5/5/2008
Installation and set-up were straightforward and simple. Results excellent; great picture quality.
My installation is slightly unusual. I already have a digital HD TV set. However, my VCR (of course) has no digital tuner, so I am using the DTT900 to feed the VCR. In Chicago, the PBS station 11.1 often does not show the same programming as their channel 11 or 11.2. I can now record those special programs to watch at my convenience (time shift), without waiting for the program to show up on 11 or 11.2 a week or so later.
For watching programs in real-time, I simply use the digital TV set, but I can send the signal from the DTT900 through to the TV for comparison. The DTT900 is an analog signal of course, not High Definition, but it has equally high quality as any of the direct analog programs. The Output from the box is being sent to the TV using the RCA Audio/Video cable, which should give better picture than using the RF Output ("F" Plug to Channel 3 or 4 on the TV).
I do have a fairly high quality roof antenna, so both the TV and the DTT900 have a strong signal to work with.
TIP - If your set-up will use a Splitter on the antenna cable, be careful to select the right splitter. There are splitters for Cable, Antenna, Satellite etc. Information on the packages is limited, confusing and sometimes outright wrong. Ask questions until you are fairly confident you are getting good answers. This is the cheapest component of the system, but it can have a profound effect.
My system uses only the roof antenna with a splitter dividing the signal between the TV set and the VCR/DTT900 combination. I am using the Radio Shack 15-1234 splitter with excellent results.
from The Colony, TX on 5/5/2008
Some people have complained about the high pitch on left channel but I have not noticed it. I own a Sony WEGA from year 2000 and found that TV audio and video settings are the key to get the most out of the converter. Note that this TV tunner is not an antenna, you need to have an antenna located where it can pick signals. Keep in mind this is just a cheap-low-cost-plain digital to analog converter, not a HD receiver. Since I just wanted to continue to use my old Sony WEGA TV, this converter has been doing its job very well. For[...](including tax and after $40 coupon) this has been providing CD-quality picture. You may not be satisfied with this converter specifications, in turn, you can spend $130 or more in a better receiver... I own two digital receivers and am happy with their job for what I paid for them. I'm in The Colony, TX... yes, I call it a town not a city (blink and you'll miss it), what I mean? I little far from TV stations and converter was able to pick as many channels as my two HD TV's. Remote control features are just what I need and work perfect. It turn on and off the TV's.
from Upland, CA (Los Angeles area) on 5/4/2008
Bought this digital TV converter to use with my 2 year old TV and rabbit ears. Depending on orientation, I can either get channels 7 and 24 or 11 and 56, but major networks (in L.A.) CBS2 and NBC4 are non-existent or unwatchable. Bought an amplified "HDTV" antenna and now I can't get 7 or 56 either (yes, reception got worse) however the antenna connected direct to my TV works okay for analog channels. I'm not at all impressed with digital TV at this point. No wonder the gov't had to mandate the change to get people off of analog TV.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
This is to follow-up an earlier review.
1) A call to LG tech support confirmed that
the DTT900 will NOT decode HD transmitted
signals. Only SD transmitted signals.
2) Compared to Magnavox: The DTT900 has MUCH
better sensitivity (MUCH better at receiving
weak/distant signals), and produces a
noticeably better image on the analog TV.
As much as I otherwise prefer the DTT900, the lack of HD decoding is for me a fatal flaw. I wish it were not the case.
I cannot recommend the DTT900 to anyone who wants to receive HD transmission.
[1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
In my area, there are only three available: Magnavox, Zenith-made-by-LG, and one other "no-name". Reviews favored Zenith DTT900 - except for possible poor/distorted audio.
In my case, audio was quite good,and standard-definition (SD) digital signals were better than corresponding analog signals (a good antenna is needed, however).
I set the unit up using the RF output (output set to default Ch 3 for input to VCR tuner). The unit did not "see" digital channels 2.1 (SD),2.2(HD) and 2.3(SD), which are strongest in area. Using audio/video outputs, it saw these channels (curious) and added them to list of channels. Once added, they remained available, and were received, when returning to the RF input (more curious).
My main complaint is that it does NOT convert the one channel (Ch 2.2) thatis broadcast in true HD. The display image is broken, and it "stutters" timewise - is not useable. I had read in a review that unit converts HD to SD before the D/A conversion. This does not appear to be the case.
Unfortunately, HD Ch 2.2 is one that I watch regularly - and want the ability to record on my analog VCR via the D/A converter. The only saving consideration for me is that HD broadcast on Ch 2.2 are frequently simulcast on SD Ch 2.1 (the 2.x channels are public broadcast) - but this is not alway true.
My next step will be to try the Magnavox converter, to see if the issue is in the converter or the transmitted signal.
In summary, if the DTT900 works (which appears to be SD transmissions only), it appears to work very well. If one knows the limitations up front and can live with them, then I would recommend it.
The DTT900 provides excellent digital performance, even in a severe multi-path environment. Very fast channel scan and easy to add new channels.
The lack of an analog pass through is an advantage, for improved RF sensitivity.
The DTT900 is by far the best ATSC tuner I have used so far. With an outside antenna, the scan picks up about 50 digital channels. Even indoors, with a RadioShack double bow tie antenna, it picks up digital channels 40 miles distant. I have tested seven HDTV ATSC tuners (built-in, PCI and STB types), none of these tuners worked satisfactorily indoors. Only the DTT900 provided usable indoor results.
Bought one of these to try out to see how effective it would be and if it was the one we wanted. It was super simple to connect and the setup was a breeze. We live in a rural area, with an outside antenna, and ended up with several more channels than we had been getting. Only one channel that we got marginally before didn't come in better and it would have surprised us if it would have, since it is broadcast from quite a distance away. We do get more from the local PBS stations using this, and we are very happy about that!
I live in the middle of Los Angeles, in the second floor of a 2-floor building with highrises less than a mile all around me. And all I have is a cheap (probable less than $5) indoor antenna that my brother used as a pretend sword when we were kids (twenty years ago). I now get 43 perfectly clear channels.
Things that I would advise: if you aren't getting some channels, move the box and antenna around while you have the Signal strength feature activated on a channel. I doubled my channels my messing with the placement of the antenna for about 10 minutes. And the volume function for the box seems a bit weak. It should be used with the tv's volume control.
from Philadelphia, PA on 5/2/2008
Seemed easy to set up but it was unable to pull in a signal - kept getting "weak signal" message - went back to radio shack and purchased a [$]antenna - still got weak signal message. Called Digital Stream tech support - they told me I needed to use the remote to access the menu and tell the converter to "update" (basically, rescanning for channels - seems it was remembering the weak signal from the old antenna and does not automatically rescan for channels unless you program it to do so). Once this update was done - took only a minute or two - it works great. Very pleased.
from Manhasset, NY on 4/30/2008
I picked this unit from radio shack [...]I do not see any picture or audio improvement on my Sony TV. Unit did not pick up 2 PBS channels that are available digitally on air, and other channels tend to freeze every now and then. We live in NYC suburb and signal quality should be great. the regular roof antenna has better quality audio and video compare to this digital converter box. Great disappointment and this unit will go back. [$] So my suggestion is to read all reviews and pay attention to negative comments.
[2 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
from Bowie, MD on 4/28/2008
I set up this coverter box in a second bedroom which has an analog TV. Set up was a snap and reception is excellent providing you have an HD antenna.
[3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
My apartment in Detroit is in TV broadcast towers blind spot and the only two local channels I can receive (channels 4 & 7) are snowy at best. I have bought all imaginable indoor TV antennas from old fashioned rabbit ears to amplified Philips HD antenna but none could pull in any viewable channel and Cable is too expensive for my need as I only watch the early morning news. I read reviews of all available digital to analog converters before settling for the Zenith. What a surprise. Setup is a breeze and what kind of antenna do I have? Nothing fancy here: just the traditional Rrabit TV antenna for my bedroom (12 crystal HD quality channels) and a $10.00 Radioshack Rabit Ear antenna for my living room(15 crystal clear channels).
Yes, the remote controls the TV too if you can take the time to program it: Just hold down the "TV Power" button on the remote while pressing the channel button on the remote until the TV turns on or off. You must have gone through the initial setup which even a caveman can do. Depending on your TV screen some of of the images may not feel the entire screen. To resize just press the zoom button on the remote repeatedly to crop the image accordingly.
[7 of 7 customers found this review helpful]
Some install and setup hints (I assume you also want to continue to get analog TV until it's cut off, or even after, if you get Canadian/Mexican channels or low-power analog):
1) Digital TV requires a better antenna than analog TV, or you can expect those fuzzy, but watchable, analog TV programs to become unwatchable due to frequent drop-outs with digital TV. This causes large blocks to appear, the picture and sound to freeze for a few seconds, and sometimes the screen will go blank.
2) If using "rabbit ears" or an "aerial" with separate outputs for UHF and VHF, you can send the UHF to the converter box and continue to send the VHF directly to the TV. This is because digital TV is only broadcast in the UHF range. This will allow you to still get analog TV, as well, since analog TV basically only needs a VHF antenna. (Analog UHF seems to come in on most TVs without an antenna.)
3) If you have two-lead output wires from your antenna, you will need to buy a connector to change from the two-lead antenna wires to coax, which this converter box expects as input. Techies like to refer to those by the obscure terms "75 ohm" and "300 ohm" antenna wires, and so call this device a "75 ohm to 300 ohm converter".
4) If your antenna only has one output, you may want to buy a device which splits a combined antenna signal into UHF (for the converter box), VHF (for the analog VHF channels), and sometimes FM radio.
5) Depending on the inputs your TV has you may need to do different things:
a) Only a single coax input: If you still want to get analog VHF, you will need to combine the digital output coax from the converter box with the VHF output from the antenna. This can be done either with a T-splitter, which links 3 coax cables together all the time, or an A-B box, which allows you to press button A or B to connect either cable A or B to the TV's input.
b) Two coax inputs: This is easier. Just plug the output coax from the converter box into one and the VHF output from the antenna into the other. On the TV, you will need to select which antenna input to use, depending if you are watching digital or analog TV at the time. If you are using the coax output from your converter box, your digital TV will come in on analog channel 3 or 4, which you can select from the converter box menu ("MENU" + "SETUP" + "Output Channel").
c) A coax input and RCA inputs (yellow, white, and red cables): This is the best situation. Use the RCA cables to connect the converter box to the TV, not the coax cable. You can still connect the VHF signal from your antenna to the coax TV input. Some TVs then allow you to select the input you want to use (via the remote), depending on if you want to watch analog or digital TV (the RCA inputs may be called "cable"). Other TVs, unfortunately, require you to go flip a switch on the TV or the TV automatically uses the RCA jacks if they are attached. You would then need to flip the switch or disconnect at least one of the RCA cables to watch analog VHF TV. Also note that the RCA jacks may already be taken up by a VCR, DVD player, or other device. In this case, you may want to go back to steps a and b and attach both the digital TV and analog VHF to the coax TV input, leaving the RCA jacks free for other devices.
6) The "FAV" button on the remote was a bit of a mystery to me, at first. You program it by picking "MENU" + "SETUP" + "Channel Edit" + ">" + "FAV" when on each desired channel in the pop-up list. Then, once you exit the MENU, the FAV button will flip forward through that subset of the channels. There doesn't appear to be any option to flip backward through the list, but you do get a list of all the FAV channels when you hit the button, and can scroll up and down through that list using the up and down arrows.
7) The "SAP" button never appears to work in my area to provide another language.
8) The "GUIDE" button has the odd behavior of only displaying program info for TV stations you've clicked through recently. Otherwise it says "Tune to channel for program information". It only lists the current and next program for each station.
9) The "ZOOM" button behaves differently depending if you have "Normal TV (4:3)" or "Wide TV (16:9)" selected under "MENU" + "OPTION" + "TV Aspect Ratio". Under Normal TV, the "ZOOM" button flips through the options "Set By Program", "Letter Box", "Cropped", and "Squeezed". Under Wide TV, it flips through options "Set By Program", "16:9", "4:3", and "Zoom". Unfortunately, if you have the converter box option set so that it doesn't match the aspect ratio for the current channel, it will just say "Aspect ratio cannot be changed on this channel", when you hit the "ZOOM" button. They really need to allow you to set the aspect ratio for each channel independently to solve this issue. "ZOOM" never allows 2X, 3X, or 4X magnification, as it does on many DVD players.
10) The "SLEEP" function is of limited use, since it only turns off the converter box, not the TV. This leaves the TV on with nothing but static, which can be louder than the previous program and wake you up. If your TV also has a sleep setting, make sure the TV goes off before the box to avoid this.
11) The digital closed captioning can be customized fully. You can change the size, font, text color, text opacity, background color, background opacity, edge type, and edge color under "MENU" + "OPTION" + "Caption" + "Digital Option". The "edge color" is apparently the color at the edge of each letter, not at the edge of the caption box. I found the most visible captions to be large, font 3, yellow text and yellow edge color, black background, depressed edge type, and solid text and background. You do occasionally get garbage captions, especially when you've just changed a channel or when it's dropping out, but it's usually right. (One funny example was the phrase "proxy war" being listed as an "epoxy war", inspiring visions of combatants spraying glue on each other.)
12) As noted by others, the volume controls only allow you to reduce the volume below the level set by the TV, not above. I've found that at the 100% setting the volume of digital TV matches the analog volume, but only if you have "Mono" selected under "MENU" + "OPTION" + "Audio Output". If you pick "Stereo", you can never get the volume as high under digital as it was in analog. It's quite annoying if the volume changes when toggling between analog and digital, so I suggest leaving the volume on the converter box set to 100%, setting the audio output to mono, and using your TV remote to control the volume.
13) The remote is laid-out well. It's not a universal remote but does allow you to reduce or mute the volume and allows you to turn on/off some TVs (but not all). It only has one AAA battery so it will likely need to be replaced often. I failed to notice the clear plastic wrap around the supplied battery when I first installed it in the remote, with predictable results. The controls on the base unit are minimal (on/off and channel up/down), so don't lose the remote. If you do lose it, note that you can use the remote from another unit until you find it. Only the "TV POWER" button won't work, unless it's reprogrammed for the new TV.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Bayville, NJ on 4/27/2008
After having read the product reviews, I decided to go with the DTT900. Am very happy I did! If it's in the air with any reasonable signal level, this baby will decode it! I live on the Jersey Shore, where all reception can be a challenge. A few channels are unreliable (WCAU, WHYY and WTXF from Philly to be exact) but this is due to the station's broadcast facilities, not the DTT900, which is very sensitive. I've pulled DTV from Bridgeport, CT and Long Island, NY!
One word of advice: if you are more than 35 miles or so from the transmitter, you really should use a rooftop antenna. An antenna mounted preamp wouldn't hurt, either. I have both, as well as a rotor. I'd get nothing with rabbit ears or any indoor antenna.
And, regrettably, the typical RadioShack employee these days knows little to nothing about antennae.
I believe they have discontinued much of their outdoor antenna line, which is a real shame. I'm using their VU-190 on my roof, and it's been up there for 11 years. Only one bent element (damned seagulls!).
I bought 2 converters on 4/15 and installed them that night - they were easy to install and they found 23 channels from Salt Lake City. The picture and sound were great. The only thing that I don't like about the converter is the program guide - it only shows you the next program, nothing further than that. This is a great product for those who have basic TVs.
[0 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
With my attic mounted Radio Shack antenna connected to my Samsung 27" Flat Screen HD ready TV box I typically received 6 local channels but after connecting the converter I now receive 30 HD channels. Also connected to the TV are a DVD player and a VCR. Everything works great except when my wife uses the VCR timer feature to record General Hospital. The VCR works as it should when playing except for recording. I have tried installing the converter in several configurations (between the antenna wall jack and VCR and the VCR to TV etc). I?m running out of configurations to try. [...]
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
This is a followup to my post and a tip for some others who have complained about audio quality in stereo mode. Check that the volume on the actual TV set is turned up pretty high. The box adjusts volume but the TV volume level sets an upper limit. If the TV volume is too low, than the box will have poor audio sound. I stumbled across this and it helped A LOT! Maybe it will help you.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I first bought the Digital Stream and while it worked, it is slow to change channels and does not pull in hard to get stations.
The Zenith is fast and gets all the available stations. Same antenna and cable.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
I live 60 miles east of LA and have been using an old TV with amplified rabbit ears and sound through a stereo setup. Setup is very straightforward and the box does the work. My first impression was WOW! Visual clarity was incredible--like we had cable. I agree with some of the posts that the output in stereo seems off. However, ran it through mono and it is fine. If you aren't going to be in a surround sound situation it probably won't matter. If you are, what are you doing with an old TV trying to get reception through a converter box anyway? Most people probably will not be disturbed by the audio shortcomings. Other than that, the box and remote are well thought out and include many helpful features including a button on the remote that changes the aspect ratio; an on-screen TV guide; and a graphic that indicates the strength of signal for when you want to adjust the antenna.