Out of curiosity I went to the order status web page (https://www.linkpointcart.net/cgi-bin/OrderStatus.cgi)and it still says:


OnlineOrder_00000076
Mar-24-2008
In Process
Free Shipping Domestic Only


Even though they did refund my money!

How do I get refunded coupon?

If you bought a Maxmedia box through memsen. You will get a coupon replacement. If you haven't you are SOL

Still no replacement for me :(

The first replacement reported here was 7/21 with an expiration date of 10/10. So the best case for processing/mailing was 9 days (coupons created on 7/12). Coupons arriving now have taken 13 days.

Here is the "expected delivery" as posted on the dtv2009.gov site

*Note that coupons do not expire until 90 days after they have been mailed. Note also that coupons are being mailed via Standard mail (not First-class mail), with delivery expected around 2-9 days from the mail date.

Two plus weeks delivery time is ridiculous for someting with a 90 day shelf life. I don't know whether to be pizzled at the NTIA or the USPS :mad:

Two plus weeks delivery time is ridiculous for someting with a 90 day shelf life. I don't know whether to be pizzled at the NTIA or the USPS :mad:

I'd blame the NTIA. They couldn't even spare 1% of the coupon value for 1st-class postage, which would've meant getting your coupon up to a week earlier? Give me a break.

The MaxMedia LuTRO * was again added to the NTIA-Approved & Not Currently Available :eek:

The MaxMedia LuTRO * was again added to the NTIA-Approved & Not Currently Available :eek:

The same is true for the MMDTVB03, the original "vaporware" that hasn't fully vaporized apparently.

The Maxmedia Lutro is now been moved up to Certified AND available.


Where is it available from? I thought Maxmedia lost their retailer certification, did they get reinstated?

Whats the status on Microprose and its retailer status?


-=Doug=-

"Coming to a retailer near you" suggests a national chain retailer. Maxmedia was the virtual manufacturer, it was convertmytv aka memsen (the virtual retailer) that was decertified. I know nothing about this box, except it has APT. maxmedia-usa still has the spooky placeholder webpage.

Malouff is watching Microprose. Last update, Sep 19 for stateside product, but they were still working on a retailer. Sigh.

Whats the status on Microprose and its retailer status?Nice to see you back ;)

Any chance that you can do a review of your MicroProse?

I don't think that the NTIA has certified their webstore yet and like TalkingRat said they are expecting it in their State side warehouse in September.

I also find it interesting that MaxMedia is Certified AND available.
You would think the NTIA would also have certified both parts for MicroProse by now (the box and webstore).

I would not touch MM with your 10 foot pole. They have proven themselves not to be trusted. imo

That's almost as bad as people ordering the TR-40cra(p), after they've heard incidences of people still losing their timer settings. And worse if they were the ones who've already gotten burned buying the DTVPal.

But it's happening.

A fool and his money...., Fool me once, shame on you....there's a million of 'em.

That's almost as bad as people ordering the TR-40cra(p), after they've heard incidences of people still losing their timer settings. And worse if they were the ones who've already gotten burned buying the DTVPal.

But it's happening.

A fool and his money...., Fool me once, shame on you....there's a million of 'em.I couldn't agree more. It amazes me how many people have taken the TR-40CRA bait, especially without any real evidence that the problems are truly fixed.

It's no wonder that companies pull unscrupulous stunts like selling defective equipment and demanding the customer pay more money to get something that might work better. If consumers keep allowing companies to defraud and cheat them, what incentive do companies have to do anything differently?

I don't own any of these two boxes, I do plan to get one more box because I got two DVD-R in same room. I got a Zenith 901 already, it's fantastic, just about the best all around box, runs cool and all (I got a Digital Stream 9900, besides the audio problem, it runs hotter).

I want to get another 901, but I can't change the remote code on these boxes operating in the same room. So I must get another brand.

I am still wary of TR40 given what I read so far, because there is still nothing definitive as to how well it works as a timer. It seems work 'okay' from users who have it. I might get one use to mess around. If timer doesn't work, it'd be like any other box, I'd just use for watching TV and not as timer. The worst is I'd be out 9 dollars order from DigitalStar.com. I was thinking of ordering two since I got 2 coupons, but might be safer (if I) order just 1 given the unknowns assoicate with DTVPal/TR40, and how Dish is treating customers...no good.

It amazes me how many people have taken the TR-40CRA bait, especially without any real evidence that the problems are truly fixed.And on top of the new timer-loss reports by customers, there's been only one report of Echostar saying the "timer bug is fixed" (I think just from one person's e-mail or phone call response from a Dish CSR, and we know how much that means), while there's been official releases by them saying that the TR-40CRA is exactly the same as the DTVPal.

I'll tell 'ya one thing - if it were up to me, and any of these people came back here afterwards complaining and moaning AGAIN looking for some kind of sympathy, I would just ban them from here, or at least keep deleting their posts or closing any new threads they start on it.

....it'd be like any other box....Unless you really want it for the guide, not really. The picture quality is lousy, the box has other operational bugs and no ventilation and gets extremely hot after a few hours, which is one if the causes behind some of the malfunctioning and also won't do much for the longevity of the unit, and there are MUCH better all-around boxes out there. If the PQ of the Zinwell is adequate enough, I'd just get one of those instead, if you absolutely have to have those timers.

Otherwise, if you don't care that much about the timers, I'd suggest the CM-7000, especially if you have an s-video input. Excellent guide, great sensitivity, and possibly the best PQ of the whole bunch. That and the Zenith are the all-around best.

Also, if any of your DVDR's have an IR blaster, the CM can be controlled by it to change channels. The Pal can too, but if they both can, and that turns out to be your only choice of method to change the channels for recording, which would you rather choose? (And if any of those recorders of yours are later models with IR blasters, they may even control that Zenith you already have.)

The TVGOS conversion feature would be a selling point to those who's recorders have that, but it hasn't been proven to work with any recorder yet.

So, like I said, unless you're just so in love with that fancy guide that you have to have it, if you're thinking of getting the Pal as "a box to use for watching TV", then don't even bother with it. Get something instead that's actually better for that main purpose. For the timers, at this point, I'd still choose the Zinwell long before I did the Pal.

Thanks for your suggestion.

I don't really have to have that fancy guide, as I get my TV schedule on the internet. It's like a toy that I don't really need to me. If it works, I guess it's a bonus, if it doesn't like what people have experienced, it is not so much fun with all the d/l problem and such...

I have heard PAL's PQ ranges from decent to horrible...honestly it got me curious, I just wonder how average or bad it is lol. So I am curious to take a look for myself. If it turns out to be real bad, I guess I'll use it only when I want to tape something, but I'll keep using Zenith 901 as my main one.

But the longevity of the unit regard to heat is really big concern to me. I have seen pictures of it, I can hardly see any holes. If I get TR40, I might take a drill and make some vent holes on my own lol.

I do want at least one box with timer...
Zinwell seems a good alternative, but the timer interface that doesnt' use AM/PM is a bit turn off for me. I haven't study it too much, so I can't say it's really a bad box though.

None of my DVD recorders have IR blaster. I didn't know what it is before, I wish I have it though

I am still looking at CM-7000 thread, it seems have a lot of fans. I only wish it has auto Zoom Aspect like Zenith does, but it seems only Zenith has this feature. I haven't decided what I'd do with my other coupon, but if I can pick it up locally at Frys, I might keep it on my possible list if I get another box.

I have heard PAL's PQ ranges from decent to horrible...honestly it got me curious, I just wonder how average or bad it is lol. So I am curious to take a look for myself.A lot of those people haven't really compared it with other boxes, or are watching on very small TV's.

I've had the Zenith, the CM and the Pal, and all I'll say is, if you've been using the Zenith, and you have it right there to compare it with, you will definitely see a huge difference for the worse with the Pal. That Consumer Reports review of it is about the most accurate one I've seen so far. They say it's "very soft", and indeed it is that. So much in fact that it causes me eyestrain after watching awhile. It's certainly not something I'd want to make recordings and archive from - not if I have a choice. I also see more noise and macroblocking in the picture, so the processing in general's not that great.

CR also put the CM's s-video PQ right at the top, and they're right on about both. It's just the Zenith I think they might be a little off on (rated sort of middling) - but then again, I really haven't seen most of those other boxes they rate ahead of it. Plus, I don't know exactly what kind of criteria they're using. But I do think that it's PQ is very, very good, and about 50x better than the Pal's. Like night and day, actually.

I just boxed my Pal up and put it away for when or if they ever get that TVGOS thing working (the station sending out the proper signal it needs to work, or whatever). After trying the Zenith and now having the CM, I just can't stand to look at the Pal's PQ.

So, as subjective as a lot of people here make it sound (and those are often people not all that experienced with electronics to begin with), it's really not so much.

Oh - and there are no holes in the Pal - not even one. If you do drill any, at least wait 'till the exchange period's up, if not the warranty.

As far as the Zinwell, I wouldn't let that military time thing stop me. Maybe other things, but not that. As long as other people aren't using the box's timers too, you will get used to that quickly enough.

Zenith's PQ is very good, I believe if I get TR40, I'll spot the difference right away given what I have read from users like you so far having Pal's before.

Actually I am buying a box not just for myself, but also for my parents' friend behalf, because they don't know about these things. They do like the low cost point of TR40 now, ~$8 for a box, so not too bad .

When I tell my father Zenith is better, but cost $25 (with tax) at Circuit City, he told me just get the cheaper one (TR40) for his friend, because he won't use it more than 2 hour a day, so no need to worry too much, if it's cheaper, get the cheaper one.

Since the friend never own any box before, I am not sure if they can tell the PQ difference. But, the thing the friend most worries about is not the cost, but some sub channels he wants to see. He was telling me how his neighbors got RCA, and it didn't get some of the channel they want.

So, I know Zenith, even Pal probably won't have problem with channel reception.

As I write this, I read Beeper's latest DTVPal F103 test.
The zoomed picture shifted and the still not fix VBI is not good news...even though the timer is intact.

Hmm, now I know I won't get two TR40s for myself for sure given the potential problem...not sure I should get one for myself either. I suspect my parent's friend don't really care which box I got for them, as long as they see the subchannel. But I can't say for sure they might not encounter the zoomed shift and distracting VBI, that they will be bugged by them...

Thanks for the input Rammitinski, I was for sure gonna order one TR40 at least, but now have to think about from scratch. Hmm.

I don't know if they've fixed any of these problems yet, but like I said, there have been plenty of performance bugs reported otherwise with the Pal, like the box locking up and turning off by itself among other things. Mine has numerous issues which affect being able to use and watch it comfortably at times. It often won't turn on from the remote until I unplug/reboot it first.

Are you sure your parents and your father's friend would be OK with any of those things if they were to happen? Especially if it was a common occurance? The Zenith and the CM are not perfect - no CECB box really is so far - but they do seem to be a lot more stable. It really is more than worth the extra $20.00 or whatever in this case.

You might at least want to try out the Pal first for a week or two before you hand it over to them. For you to have it to play around with is one thing, but most older people just want something to "work", and not give them any problems. Personally, I'd just get them the Zenith and be done with it. That's what I recommended for a friend of mine who's in his early 50's and is in a similar situation, and he's completely satisfied and has never had any issues at all with the box. He doesn't even care about the scant guide, because he gets the Sunday paper's weekly TV guide. If you can get the CM on sale at Fry's, that has a very decent guide. And they don't have to worry about it holding separate aspect ratios on a 4:3 analog CRT. You just set it on "Zoom2" and leave it. For the few times they'd ever want to change it, there's a handy button right on the remote. They won't have to go into the menu to do it. You also won't see any data lines at the top of the picture using Zoom2 on a 4:3 set.

Oh, and just so you know - the Pal's sensitivity actually is at least as good as the Zenith's, and they're both slightly below that of the CM's. That's one of the few, really good things I can say about the Pal. I've never tried the RCA myself, but I believe they're all more sensitive than that one.

Like you said, the TR-40 might be good enough for your dad's friend, but I'd at least try to wait as long as possible to hear more reviews before ordering one.

I don't think I'll get the TR40 for them for sure now, because of the bugs that COULD crop up like those you described, I can't say for sure if I order a TR40 for parent's friend, they won't have these problems, and if they don't like something about TR40, trying to do an exchange would be hard (if not possible).

I'd try to tell them better pay a little bit more for Zenith because it's more stable (even if far from perfect). At least I own it, I know what it is like, and if something is wrong, I can exchange for them in store locally.

As for myself, I might wait a little more to decide if I should get TR40 given what I know so far. I think I'll look at the CM thread to really learn about it, at least seems more stable (even w/o timer).

Good thinking. And I'd keep an eye on that Zinwell thread too, for good measure.