Speaking of Digital Television (What Will a Coverter Box Cost)

[R.D.P.]

How much will a converter box cost, once the time has come to get one? Will I be able to get one at Wal-Mart? R.D.P. <><P.S. Will this converter box be like the one the Cable and/or Satellite companies use to receive their programming? Just curious. ???

 

[TexasTom]

Supposedly, about $50. And, yeah, they should be similar to any other digital box, whether for satellite or cable -- the difference being that this box will hook up to an antenna and won't have any monthly subscription fees.

 

[R.D.P.]

Thanks for your respose. That was really quick and helpful. R.D.P. <><

 

[KML0224]

How much will a converter box cost, once the time has come to get one? Will I be able to get one at Wal-Mart? R.D.P. <><P.S. Will this converter box be like the one the Cable and/or Satellite companies use to receive their programming? Just curious. ???

We had US Digital converter boxes for a time at the Wal-Mart I work at in Connecticut. They were $200 when they first came in. Then $125, then $100. I don't recall a single one ever being sold.

 

[MarcB]

Kevin,At least your store had them. At the Walmart where I live, they didn't know what the hell I was talking about when I asked about one.Marc

 

[R.D.P.]

Hope my excuse of a Wal-Mart store, will have one, when it's time for me to get it. Knowing my Wal-Mart, they probably won't even know what I'm talking about. ???R.D.P. <><

 

[FreddyE1977]

Congress is considering offering a subsidy or rebate (most likely as a deduction on your 1040 form) to buy a couple of boxes. Typical of their thinking.....mandate a change, set an arbitrary deadline, and then when it creates a hardship, pay for the fix with our own money.

 

[R.D.P.]

This is coming from the same federal government, that doesn't even know how to control it's own borders and/or its wasteful spending? If so, shame on them. R.D.P. <><

 

[FreddyE1977]

yes, it speaks volumes about where their priorities are, unfortunately.

 

[BoardmanDJ]

The generic boxes will be available all over the place. They're an easy sell when you need one to watch anything on the old 1972 Magnavox console still in Grandma's living room.These won't be HD boxes of course, simply a reciever for the digital signal, which will then be converted to NTSC. So, instead of mega bucks, you'll pay about $0, not counting any rebates

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

This is coming from the same federal government, that doesn't even know how to control it's own borders and/or its wasteful spending? If so, shame on them.

It's also the same federal government that doesn't even know what the hell it's doing AT ANYTHING, let alone how to run a country. Don't get me started beyond that. I may never get off. Cheers Pat

 

[DJKraze]

I'm covered, for the most part, I got the Accurian that radio shack had for $89 (then dropped to $69 a few months after! )It doesn't have the QMA thing (can someone explain what the QMA thing is about? I don't think it matters for me YET, but I'd like to know for later on down the road)

 

[adam95]

Can anyone tell me where to get one of these? I bought a LCD a few months ago, didn't do my homework, and found out that it was not digital-ready.I went to the store to buy the appropriate equipment, and all this certain big box store (which shall remain nameless) carried was the directv receiver which they told me would work, even after I told them I didn't even have cable, much less satellite. Long story short, it didn't. At least I got an apology from someone who looked important.I've also been to Radio Shack and told me they didn't have any at the time, but were expecting some new ones soon. Unfortunately, he didn't know what the definition of "soon" is.Any suggestions???

 

[KML0224]

QAM stands for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation. It's weird with the Sanyo 26" LCD HDTV I own (Model DP26746 for $697 at the "big-box" stor I work at). I have the regular analog cable line (without the converter) hooked to the 75 ohm coax jack marked "VHF/UHF/CATV IN". I have a second cable hooked to the jack marked "DIGITAL ANTENNA IN". [It should be noted that I have a splitter for these two cables just behind the TV.] Once I put the TV on the digital tuner, I then have it go through a digital cable scan. With this hookup, I get the following here in New Britain, CT:Analog cable lineup from 02-99 (really starts at channel 1 but I delete that since cable channel 1 is only used with the digital cable converter and Comcast's On Demand).Digital channels including FUSE, PBS-HD (since local WEDH-DT isn't on the air yet), five of the local primary HD signals (3-1, 8-1, 20-1, 30-1 and 61-1), an On Demand p.p.v. preview channel and the occasional raw feed or movie passing through. Proof of that? On channel 85-3, something or somebody was fast-forwarding through a porno movie...at 4 PM! Anyways, anytime I've checked my bill balance with Comcast, it still says I'm at $0 for my balance! The downside? With this hookup, I can't get WCTX-DT (UPN) channel 39 (analog 59) from New Haven or WHPX-DT (I) channel 34 (analog 26) from New London. I also don't get any digital subchannels, such as 3-2 (really 33-2), which is the "CBS 3" service which WFSB-TV/DT (CBS) of Hartford sends to Springfield, MA. 8-2 is the Storm Team 8 doppler from WTNH-TV/DT (ABC) of New Haven. The one upside is that the signal meter is either at the full 5 bars or between 4 and 5 bars. No pixelation or dropouts with this hookup yet. ;D

 

[Nertz!]

What is Quadrature Amplitude Modulation?

 

[Markxxx]

I am oversimplifying a bit but QAM is the tuner that cable companies useNTSC is the tuner that analogue TV in the United States, and most of the rest of North America usesIn the USA they use 8VSB as a tuner for digital TV. There is much debate that 8VSB is already outdated technology but that is an opinion though with each version of the digital tuners, they get better at tuning stations. So those with cable won't notice when digital comes into effect because as it is now cable takes NTSC signals and converts them to be sent to you via a QAM tuner, in otherwords your cable box.When digital comes they will convert the digital signals to the same QAM tuner. This is what miffs me about the transition, because so many people fail to realize they will NOT be getting digital signals. Many cable companies will simply upconvert and pass them off as digital. Even some local over the air will simply upcovert and yet people will pay thousands more for TV and think they are getting signals which are not digital.

 

[R.D.P.]

This post has generated much attention and many responses. I'm stoked about it. Anyway, Dish Network told me that I would still be able to receive my locals, once they all have switched over to Digital. They told me that I would still be able to use my current setup, without changing anything over.WBIH Channel 29, in Selma, is a great example. I can still get them from my current Satellite setup. When I tried to tune them in, from my den TV, I was no longer able to get them. When I turned the antenna, that didn't help.R.D.P. <><

 

[KML0224]

??? With the QAM hookup on my Sanyo 26" LCD HDTV, most of those channels are analog simulcasts. I get all of the local broadcast stations to come through. The only digital stations seem to be PBS-HD and the primary channel for CBS 3, ABC 8, WB 20, NBC 30 and FOX 61. Comcast of New Britain and Hartford carries PBS-HD when WEDH-TV (PBS) channel 24 of Hartford is off the air. (WEDH-DT channel 42 is not on the air yet.) They don't carry WHPX-DT (I) channel 34 (analog 26) of New London or WCTX-DT (UPN) channel 39 (analog 59) of New Haven yet. The same goes for WUVN-DT (UNI) channel 46 (analog 18) of Hartford.

 

[3DXJDawg]

Out here in vegas, Wal-Mart offers a services called USDTV, a new start up company that offers most of the local channels (at least here in Vegas, the UPN/soon to be independent affiliate KTUD isn't offered) as well as 12 cable channels including ESPN, ESPN2, Fox News, and Disney, in hi def. The unit is $25 I beleive (i got mine 2 years ago at $20) and the service is $20/month. Right now, its only based in 3 or 4 markets-Vegas, Dallas, Salt Lake and Alberquerque. Go to usdtv.com for info...

 

[TexasTom]

The local service that is offered through USDTV is just the free-to-air digital broadcasts that are available to any area viewer with a digital tuner. The reason that KTUD is missing from the USDTV line-up is that it is an LPTV that doesn't have a paired digital channel -- nothing for the USDTV box to receive.