http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6487_7-6613951.html

Of the four that they tested, they rated the RCA DTA800 the best.

I find it interesting that under "Local Shopping" it states, "No local stores found", but yet they seem to be widely available in Wal-Marts and if I recall correctly, Wal-Mart is one on the largest retailers in the US.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6487_7-6613951.html

Of the four that they tested, they rated the RCA DTA800 the best. The "new Smart Antennas that automatically align themselves to get better reception" aren't yet widely available in retail stores.

CNET evaluated the General Electric 22730, which hasn't yet surfaced in stores. Per their review, its performance is disappointing and doesn't quite live up to the GE reputation.

My email is messed up. Can someone email the Cnet reviewer/editor to see if he found any sound problems (when receiving DD5.1) with the Zenith or Insignia. In the absence of any sound problems, I would go with the better picture (Cnet says that's Insignia) and better channel pickup (I pick up great with my Insignia and may want to buy more).

CNET evaluated the General Electric 22730, which hasn't yet surfaced in stores. Per their review, its performance is disappointing and doesn't quite live up to the GE reputation.Remember HDTVexpert reviewed the GE 22730 (http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/DTVconverters.html) also

What I find strange is that CNET said that the sensitivity was horrible and HDTVexpert said it was essentially a tie with the Digital Stream

Both however said they did not like the remote and and that the picture is not as great as the others.

I do however wonder if the Goodmind is the same as the GE.
I have found a vendor that sells the Goodmind DTA900 for $5 and the DTA1000 for $7 after the $40 coupon.

I currently don't have any coupons and am hesitant to try the Goodmind after the CNET review.

I do however wonder if the Goodmind is the same as the GE.

Per freedtvshop.com "THE GOODMIND DTA-1000 IS THE SAME CONVERTER BOX AS THE GE/JASCO 22729 WITH A METAL HOUSING"

I asked goodmindinnovation if they could tell me the SoC Chip used several times and all they have told me is that it is not the LG
but for sure they are using the Sanyo UBA00AL tuner.

They also said "Why the brand and model number is so important to you ? Since it's government certified after all."

I today asked if it was the same as the GE/JASCO and this is what they said
We have Non Disclosure Agreement with every customer so we are not able to reveal the design details. We are a professional and experienced STB maker so it's not strange if you see several similar design in market.

I will agree with freedtvshop.com that it looks like they have the same user interface EPG and all.

But the Zenith and Artec also have similar interfaces but are different.
The Artec has color correction menu to adjust Hue, Brightness, Contrast
http://www.king-cart.com also gave Artec a bad review.

They both also use the LGDT1111 SoC and Sanyo UBA00AL tuner.

So the Goodmind and the GE/JASCO might not be exactly the same but more like the Artec/Zenith and just SIMILAR.

Can someone email the Cnet reviewer/editor to see if he found any sound problems (when receiving DD5.1) with the Zenith or Insignia.

CNET mentioned the audio problem in its DTT900 review, (http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-hdtv-tuners-receivers/zenith-dtt900/4505-6487_7-32887594.html) but the reviewer downplayed it as something "many people won't mind or notice."

For those of you who subscribe to Consumer Reports, here's a link to their comparison:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/televisions/digital-tv-converter/ratings/dtv-converter-boxes-ratings.htm

They rate the Tivax STB-T9 and Microgem MG2000 as having the best picture quality. Next, the Sansonic FT300A, then the Lasonic LTA-260

It goes on to list BETTER PICTURE QUALITY A small step below the best, but still better than most analog broadcasts. If there's interest, I'll do more copying and pasting.

I have both the Sansonic FT300A and the Zenith DTT-901. I can't see any difference in picture quality between the two. The Sansonic does lock on one more station than the Zenith does, so the tuner appears to be more sensitive. The Sansonic signal strength meter is better than the Zenith.

The Zenith has so many more functions and is much more user friendly than the Sansonic, that I would never recommend getting the Sansonic over the Zenith unless a little more tuner sensitivity is really important.

Consumer Reports reviews are much better!
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/06/dtv-converter-1.html

DTV converters: Best performers from our tests
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/06/dtv-converter-1.html
Consumer Reports recommended Zenith, Insignia, Tivax STB-T9 & Microgem MG2000 though

If you're watching a down-converted HD program letter-boxed to fit your squarish screen, images are stretched vertically to a slight extent.
The Philco was recommended for APT as it was the only one w/ APT they tested so far.
Now Zenith & Insignia have APT models. :cool:

If someone is going to go by cnet 'reviews' one better be able to read between the lines. Start here & note the what the reviewer gives the most attention:http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:diUg_QePa5EJ:reviews.cnet.com/tv-hdtv-tuners-receivers/dish-network-dtvpal/4514-6487_7-32886696.html+EPG+electronic%20program%20guide&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
However, for everyone else, the DTVPal's excellent EPG make it our go-to pick for DTV converter boxes.:D

Finally a brief comment on PQ!

Video quality was fairly good overall, but a notch below the best converter boxes we've tested. We compared it head-to-head with the Zenith DTT900 using the composite video input, and we found the DTVPal to be a tad softer, with more jaggies and other image imperfections. It was nearly as bad as the GE 22730, and more comparable to the image quality of the RCA DTA800.
If you look at cnet ratings as based on EPG not PQ, etc. they make sense! :D

I suggest a DTV Tuner/converter based on PQ, reception, ability to add Ch., etc. :cool:

I am just wondering when we talk about sensitivity in these receivers, do we have a benchmark of comparison? For example, is one .2 microvolts more sensitive than other or are we really talking about the ability to deal with multi path distortion interference? The reason I ask that is because I have an antenna in the attic above my attached garage and I have had issues with multi path distortion interference. The other issue is, although they may publish specifications for sensitivity, I am not sure how one would compare the ability to deal with multi path distortion interference.

Now Zenith & Insignia have APT models.Has anyone actually seen Insignia's APT model available for purchase yet?  (The Zenith DTT901, yes; I own one myself.)

The reason I ask that is because I have an antenna in the attic above my attached garage and I have had issues with multi path distortion interference.Not surprising that you're having multipath issues with an antenna being in an attic.

My email is messed up. Can someone email the Cnet reviewer/editor to see if he found any sound problems (when receiving DD5.1) with the Zenith or Insignia. In the absence of any sound problems, I would go with the better picture (Cnet says that's Insignia) and better channel pickup (I pick up great with my Insignia and may want to buy more).

To avoid the very real sound problem, look for a manufacture date of at least April 2008.

Not surprising that you're having multipath issues with an antenna being in an attic.

The good thing is I have found "the sweet spot" up there. I get all of the local ATSC channels AND it keeps my wife happy because it can't be seen from the outside. When I bought our 5 acre hobby farm I was pretty skeptical about the prior owner having a VHF-UHF log periodic dipole array in the attic above the garage, but I never bothered changing it because we had good NTSC signal and I am only about 20 miles from the transmitters. When I bought a Channel Master CM-4228 I have had to experiment with different locations in the attic, but I now seem to have found it.

I have both the Sansonic FT300A and the Zenith DTT-901. I can't see any difference in picture quality between the two. The Sansonic does lock on one more station than the Zenith does, so the tuner appears to be more sensitive. The Sansonic signal strength meter is better than the Zenith.

The Zenith has so many more functions and is much more user friendly than the Sansonic, that I would never recommend getting the Sansonic over the Zenith unless a little more tuner sensitivity is really important.

Just for the record, I've got a FT300A and a DTT900 (April/Sanyo) and the Zenith locked one more station than the Sansonic. (Now that the troppo is kicking in from San Diego, neither of them lock to it anymore.)

The Sansonic's RF out is terrible. Looks like VHS. But its RCA out is lovely.

The moral of the story ... YMMV. :D