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DTV converter boxes selling fast?

Do ANY stores have the boxes actually connected up and working?

It would be nice if customers could see how they work...how to set them up, how fast they change channels, how "user friendly" the remotes and front-panel buttons are, what it takes to change audio/languages, how complete are the EPGs (Electronic Program Guides), what CC options are available,....stuff like that.

Some stores seem to look at them as "just another adapter", like some kinda' coax plug.
 
The Wal-Mart I work at won't let me use an antenna of any kind, even if the customer asks for me to put one on so they could see digital reception. We have our display of the Magnavox converter tied down with a cheesy countdown clock and that's it. Basically, our wall of the LCD TVs are fed with a series of progressive cables (red/green/blue) that pass through the digital signal to each TV with no converter boxes. They're all tied to a box in the corner, passing through whatever Wal-Mart is using for its HD advertising. The box shows it as "14-1" when I hit the box's info button. (There is no broadcaster in Hartford/New Haven using channel 14 for either analog or digital.)
 
What are the chances of actually being able to get reception inside a big building like Wal Mart? The steel and concrete frames of those types of buildings would make any bit of reception very difficult.
 
I remember the old days at the old in my town K-Mart in my town and the Woolco store in North Haven CT. had a tv antenna on the roof and it was hooked up to all the tv's on the floor.these days the stores have DVD fed signals fed to the demo sets on the floor with store promos and quick movie clips.Maybe they should erect a antenna on the roof of the stores today and show the costumers DTV in thier area.
and sell loads of new DTV sets and DTV boxes altogether.
 
ansky212 said:
What are the chances of actually being able to get reception inside a big building like Wal Mart? The steel and concrete frames of those types of buildings would make any bit of reception very difficult.
Click to expand...

On the few times I did have an antenna hooked up to one of the TVs (in this case, the same 26" Sanyo LCD model which I own), I could only get a marginal digital signal of local CBS, NBC, FOX and if it was pointed the right way, UNI. The front of our store faces west, from which you can see two tall towers in the distance in Farmington, CT (Rattlesnake Mountain). On the left is WVIT-TV/DT (NBC) channel 30/D 35, while the other tower supports WTIC-TV/DT (FOX) channel 61/D 35, WEDH-TV (PBS) channel 24, WTXX-DT (CW) D 12 and WRCH-FM 100.5 (AC "Lite 100.5"). Again, the frame of the building likely blocks VHF (no CBS 3 or ABC 8 on analog and no CW 12 on digital).
 
ansky212 said:
What are the chances of actually being able to get reception inside a big building like Wal Mart? The steel and concrete frames of those types of buildings would make any bit of reception very difficult.
Click to expand...

A Best Buy in Charlotte had a Silver Sensor hooked up to one of their HDTV display models for a year or two. It was always tuned to WBTV-DT and always had a great picture. The store faced away from the direction of the tower, which is about 20 miles away (WBTV-DT broadcasts on channel 23 with a million watts at 2000 ft HAAT).
 
Wally World may be the only retailer here in Fairbanks with digital converters on sale (Magnavox and RCA)...but not for long as Fred Meyer will start selling them sometime next month. Theirs will be Sylvania and the price will be around $40-$50, compared to $60 over at Wally World.

(By the way...my boss at work calls Wal-Mart "Wally World", just like how Keith Olbermann and others call Fox News Channel "Fox Noise Channel", "Fixed News Channel", etc.)

Jonathan Allen
 
You know you could just call that certain big-box retailer WAL-FART? :)

Seriously, I've only seen one coupon in our register bag the last three days. Our supply of the boxes is still taking up about 60% of the available space for it.
 
As far as waiting later to buy your convertor, I understand the coupons expire 90 days from the day they are issued! So if you just received one, you can't wait til the Fall to use it. At least that's my understanding of it....Someone correct me if I'm wrong....
 
From what I can tell my coupon should be coming in April, but I may hold out if possible until the Echo Star model comes out that is supposed to be able to handle analog signals and run at $40, which will make it virtually free with the coupon (except possibly for sales tax), The big question is where will they be sold?
 
Buddy Hayes said:
Got mine today at Wal-Mart (with the coupons and an unused gift card, they were free). All they had was the RCA.
Click to expand...

Wal-Mart was supposedly selling both the Magnavox and RCA boxes, but I still haven't seen the Magnavox boxes at any W-M location in almost two months. They had plenty of them before that.

Apparently the RCA boxes are exclusive to Wal-Mart. On one of the display models I saw, there is a sticker that says something to the effect "If you see this coverter sold somewhere other than Wal-Mart, call (phone #.)
 
Both the Magnavox and RCA models are available in the Wal Marts I go to in West TN. It's varied from one time to the next how many of which model was available.
 
anotherguy said:
Both the Magnavox and RCA models are available in the Wal Marts I go to in West TN. It's varied from one time to the next how many of which model was available.
Click to expand...

Which is the better model?
 
My local Best Buy has quite a few of their Insignia boxes available. It was a rather modest display in an easy-to-find location. I overheard another couple there by the boxes talking about the DTV switch, so it appears people are hearing about it. I still think there will be a lot of freaked out people come next February who weren't paying attention.

They also have a rather high-end 'HDTV converter' from Samsung, which runs a cool $159 or so. Doesn't appear that this one qualifies for the voucher prograrm.

Is the Insignia box the same as the Zenith DTT900 that's sold at Radio Shack and Circuit City? They look almost identical, from what I could tell, and both retail for the same price. I've heard that the Zenith is the best one available.
 
sdwulfdawg said:
anotherguy said:
Both the Magnavox and RCA models are available in the Wal Marts I go to in West TN. It's varied from one time to the next how many of which model was available.
Click to expand...

Which is the better model?
Click to expand...

I'm really not sure. I'm leaning more toward either the Insignia at Best Buy or the Echo Star model once it's out.
 
I wouldn't judge the Echostar one until we see how the tuner is. If it's got a crap tuner in it, all the analog passthrough in the world won't make it a good box.

At the moment, I'm recommending to anyone who asks me that they get the Zenith.

- Trip
 
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