Here's a quick review of the new digital-to-analog converter box,
Magnavox TB100MW9. I found it at one Wal-Mart location in the Indy
area for $49.87. As a DTV DXer, I was very curious how it would locate and
decode very weak digital signals. This is the initial review I just
shared with a DXers' group. BTW, up to now, I, along with a few other
DXers, have found the RCA ATSC11 (from 2003) to be one of the better
units for receiving weak and distant DTV signals.

............................................................ ..................................


Yes, I took a 25 mile drive to the Indy area Wal-Mart
that is currently stocking this unit and purchased
one.
My initial reaction to its performance next to the RCA
ATSC11 is that I really like it. I have the UHF
antenna signal coming out of a two-way splitter and
feeding the two receivers. I also have a Radio Shack
attenuator on the line for testing purposes.

I currently have them tuned to WIPB-DT-52 (49.1,
49.2), Muncie, IN (PBS) @ 40 miles. The Triax stack
antenna is misaimed by approximately 45 degrees for
this station and the new TB100MW9 is displaying a
perfect picture with perfect audio while the ATSC11
has neither. In fact, the green LED light (indicating
DTV signal)on the ATSC11 is only occasionally even
lighting. Too bad there's no enhanced tropo today,
as conditions are really bad at the moment.

Positives for the TB100MW9 so far:
Can skip auto scan...Can manually enter true RF
channel number. It then brings up a small screen
indicating "SCANNING." If it locates a station,
it brings it up. If it doesn't find it
initially,
it will allow you sit on the channel and then
when the channel is found it will lock it in
and bring it up on the screen.

It has a signal meter, via the "DISPLAY" button or
through the menu button. The one through the
menu
gives a full graph giving a visual, plus it gives
a "NOW" signal reading plus a constant "PEAK"
reading, indicating the highest signal
registered. So far, the signal strength screen
does not seem to time out. AND it stays up even
while changing from channel to channel.

It automatically remaps the channel from the true
RF channel to its virtual channel number. The
"DISPLAY" button also indicates the call letters
of the station.

Has 3 Display Modes: Letterbox, Zoom and Full

Has Auto Power Down feature with 4 settings:
Off, 4 hours, 2 hours and 1 hour.

Seems to be very user friendly.

Negatives with the TB100MW9 so far:
Is slower than the ATSC11 at initially locating
and decoding a new station. But once it is
locked, no doubt that it is better at holding
and retaining the station over the RCA.

It is very small in size and very lightweight. It has
an RF in and an RF out. It also has composite outputs
for video, and left/right audio outputs.

Initially I'd say this is a keeper, especially for the
price. I would like to know if this unit DOES contain
the 6th generation chip. More later. Have to head to
work.

Steve

With the coupon this is a $10 STB - I can see a sizable portion of the viewing public going OTA next year. Recession+out of control cable rates=more OTA viewers.:cool:

Would it be possible for you to post pictures or a Youtube video of the unit in action? I'm curious to see what the EPG and remote looks like in action.

Thanks in advance.

Does an auto-scan delete channels you've already added?

One thing that would be useful to know with these converter boxes is whether they have a clear QAM tuner or not. The models that do have QAM can be used with the cable systems (and Verizon FiOS) that have or are shutting down their analog channels and going all digital. The SD and HD locals should be sent in the clear on most cable systems, so those with an old analog TV could use the converter with the $40 coupon rather than have to lease a STB from the cable company. The cable companies going all digital may provide low STBs for free for 6 months or a year, but then after that people are likely looking at $2 to $4/month. Verizon will be charging $4/month for the Motorola DCT 700.

So for those planning to post reviews of all the different units, please note whether the box says it has QAM or not. Do the Magnavox specs say anything about QAM?

Does an auto-scan delete channels you've already added?

Yes. You start all over with a new scan, but you can enter new (additional) channels manually.

Steve

One thing that would be useful to know with these converter boxes is whether they have a clear QAM tuner or not. ...... Do the Magnavox specs say anything about QAM?

No. There is absolutely no mention of QAM in the manual.

This Magnavox unit is made by Funai.

Steve

Pics/Videos?

No. There is absolutely no mention of QAM in the manual.

This Magnavox unit is made by Funai.

Steve

As a converter box, QAM might not be advertised. Afaik, QAM and ATSC are similar enough that it costs more to make a separate QAM specific chip than to have a combo chip. QAM functionality would go against the spirit of the mandate, but it's not explicitly forbidden and I doubt the FCC or whoever is validating the boxes is going to check for QAM functionality.

The only way to see if an LG 6th generation tuner is being used is to open it up. If you do that, please post pics. :D:D

Once the info gets out that some of these coupon subsidized boxes do QAM you'll have a second rush for the coupons. Who wouldn't want a dirt cheap STB for that rarely used analog TV vs. paying the cable co $2-4/mo forever.

Will it output 16x9 480i ???

If so it would be nice for those of us with stand alone DVD recorders that do not have a digital tuner.

My COMCAST cable box outputs HDTV at 480i but forces it to a 4:3 letterbox instead of keeping it 16x9 yet it would be so nice to still have 480i for DVD recording but keep the anamorphic 16x9 picture.

Glad your TB100MW9 worked! I bought one on Wednesday at a Wal-Mart 35 miles away from home. Unfortunately, the box would not power up after several attempts and I returned it. They didn't have a box at that store. Today, I bought another TB100MW9 and it also would not power up. Magnavox/Funai just said to return it to Wal-Mart.

It is my hope that quality control of these CECBs is better than my awful experience with the Magnavox unit. If large numbers of CECBs turn out to be unreliable (possibly due to power-supply issues relating to Energy Star certification), millions of Americans will scream at Congress for a costly boondoggle.

Once the info gets out that some of these coupon subsidized boxes do QAM .

I don't recall that any have been found to do so. Seeing as it's a subsidized OTA box, I doubt they will. My RJ900 does not offer a QAM selection, even tho the tuner brick probably supports it.

The RJ900 uses the Thomson tuner brick, haven't found what chipset that uses yet. It has above average sensitivity.

Magnavox/Funai's quality control on these units is suspect. Twice I've tried these boxes and both were "dead on arrival", unable to power up. On my second box purchase, I called Funai telephone customer service. The rep was courteous but simply advised me to return the defective unit to Wal Mart.

Magnavox/Funai should not ship defective goods to Wal Mart, particularly CECBs eligible for Uncle Sam's $40 coupon program. I'm using nice language here to get across my displeasure.

The maggotbox I got works fine... Pretty good operationally, I'm not so sure how long it will last tho. Remote doesn't fit the hand very well. It is the lowest cost box so far.

WalMart website says Magnavox TB100MW9 supports "Digital Audio Output (Coaxial)"
and has "both digital and analog (SDTV) tuners".
Can anyone confirm Coax (or Optical) output and whether it can receive
analog NTSC station directly...or at least passes thru RF to TV's NTSC tuner???

How is the EPG (Electronic Program Guide)? How many days out???

Can you hear STEREO (or only MONO) via CH3/4 RF output???

Is there an external wall-wart power supply and if so what DC voltage (for RV use).

WalMart website says Magnavox TB100MW9 supports "Digital Audio Output (Coaxial)"
and has "both digital and analog (SDTV) tuners".
Can anyone confirm Coax (or Optical) output and whether it can receive
analog NTSC station directly...or at least passes thru RF to TV's NTSC tuner???

How is the EPG (Electronic Program Guide)? How many days out???

Can you hear STEREO (or only MONO) via CH3/4 RF output???

Is there an external wall-wart power supply and if so what DC voltage (for RV use).

i live in md up in harford county about 30 miles from baltimore with no outside antenna going to walmart tomorrow to get one. if anybody is interested i'll report back. can anyone tell me whether or not the rca unit is available on the east coast walmart says only west coast verify if you can thanks.

i live in md up in harford county about 30 miles from baltimore with no outside antenna going to walmart tomorrow to get one. if anybody is interested i'll report back. can anyone tell me whether or not the rca unit is available on the east coast walmart says only west coast verify if you can thanks.
I checked Wal-Mart's in-store availability search tool for the RCA CECB. The RCA box isn't shown yet as being in stock at Wal-Marts near Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boise, Portland or Seattle (West Coast markets).

OP Goldrich's review of the Magnavox noted: "In fact, the green LED light (indicating DTV signal) on the ATSC11 is only occasionally even lighting." Based on the users' manual, the green LED light indicates that the power is on, the yellow LED light indicates a DTV signal. That his unit's power light is rarely coming on raises more likelihood that the Magnavox CECB's suffer from a shoddy or unstable power supply.

He was talking about the signal light on his old RCA box. He was saying the Magnavox box is displaying a perfect picture while the old RCA ATSC11 was barely even seeing a signal.

FYI: There is a spread sheet in fol. thread listing features & chipsets for each CECB SD-STB:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=980052&page=2

Still waiting for someone to open up and jot down part numbers for big chips and "tin can" tuner.....

WalMart website says Magnavox TB100MW9 ).


No digital audio output.
Digital tuner only. Did not test pass thru or RF output.It's most likely mono.
Minimal EPG, no grid style as most are accustomed to. Shows current event from current channel, you must cursor right to see next events.
FYI, Most broadcasters do NOT send 7 days data, I only send 48hrs.
Power supply is internal, minimal switched mode type.
Plastic case, poorly shielded. Uses Sanyo tuner brick.
Odd shaped remote with small buttons, Grandma will have a hard time seeing.

Operationally, works pretty good. Indicates multiple audios OSD. Signal meter
seems slow to read. Fast channel scan, but says "scanning" for every channel change. No external port for upgrade, does have a port on the tuner PCB tho.

Not a bad box for $50, even better for $10 after coupon. But I'd recommend the Zenith-Insignia. Best Buy here doesn't have them as of yet.

Have any others bought this CECB? Anyone else run into defective units which won't power up?

FYI yesterday I noticed the local Best Buy stocked their Insignia (Zenith/LG) CECBs with little fanfare. I'm going to wait for the $40 coupons to arrive, which could be a few more weeks.

Picked up the magnavox unit from walmart. I only had it connected temporarily to test, and it worked fine.

setup was easy, Scans the channels pretty fast.

No zoom button on the remote, i presume you have to switch it through the setup button, but didn't try to. Because of this i'm probably going to pick up a different box that does have 'zoom' on the remote.

I've been playing with a Magnavox TB100MW9 STB I picked up at Walmart this past Friday.
It comes in box that states: "$40 - You can use coupon - The U.S. Government is making $40 rebate coupons available to offset the cost of these boxes at the time of purchase" and "NTIA Coupon Eligible".
Inside the box are the STB, a basic remote control, 2 AA batteries for the remote, owner's manual, an addendum to the owner's manual and a coax cable with push-on type connectors.
After leaving the unit on for a few hours, the plastic case felt slighty warm to the touch, but not excessively hot. The tuner does have ventilation slots in the plastic case but no fan.
It does have:
RF Channel 3/4 and composite video output.
Stereo on the RF Channel 3/4 output - at least that's what my TV display indicates when I used the RF output to hook this unit to my TV.
To setup the channels you do an initial autoscan which scans and saves any OTA channels it detects.
You can go into a setup screen and add or remove channels manually. You can only remove the main channel not individual sub channels.

IT DOES NOT HAVE:
Does not have any buttons on the STB to change the channel. If you lose the remote control, you won't be able to use this STB. The remote has tiny buttons and can't be programmed for TV power or volume. The only switch on the STB is a main power switch that puts it in standby when switched on.
No grid style TV channel guide - Only shows one program at a time. You're not going to get a Tivo or cable /satellite box type EPG with this box. Depending on the channel it looks like you can get up to about 6 hours of PSIP guide information.
It has no on screen time display, I couldn't find any way to display what time the STB was receiving OTA. Also, there is no way to set the time manually in case your local stations are broadcasting the wrong time. The STB has settings for your time zone and daylight savings time.

It has no VCR Timer function, you can't set it tune to specific channel at a specific time.
It has no S-video output and no RF passthrough - I checked this by putting the box between my antenna and TV. No NTSC or Clear QAM tuner - It does have a weird bug - you can try to tune to any channel from 2-99. If this does have a QAM tuner I couldn't find any way to enable it.
Screen caps below:
1 Shows the signal strength indicator when you go into the STB box setup screens
2 Aspect ratio settings in the setup screen
3 Channel Add/Delete functions
4 Channel scan that is part of the intial setup, you can redo the scan through the setup screens
5 Shows what's available in the "Detail" settings screen

Some more screen caps of the Magnavox STB in use:
1 When watching a channel you can display the station info and a signal strength meter
2 Shows the EPG - depending on the station, I've been ale to see up to 6 hours of PSIP guide information
3 Time zone and Daylight Savings Time settings
4 This shows the tuning bug - you can try and tune to any channel from 2-99

If it's there, the QAM tuner doesn't need to be turned on. All you need to do is connect the coaxial cable to the converter box.

On my HDTV and DVD Recorders, to use the QAM tuners in them you have to go into a setup screen and select them.
As an example, I attached a screen capture from one of my DVD Recorders.

There is no option in the Magnavox's setup screens to enable a QAM tuner. When I first hooked the Magnavox to a TV I connected it to my cable line. I went through the inital setup and let it autoscan for channels on my cable line. I didn't detect any channels.

On my HDTV and DVD Recorders, to use the QAM tuners in them you have to go into a setup screen and select them.
As an example, I attached a screen capture from one of my DVD Recorders.

There is no option in the Magnavox's setup screens to enable a QAM tuner. When I first hooked the Magnavox to a TV I connected it to my cable line. I went through the inital setup and let it autoscan for channels on my cable line. I didn't detect any channels.

Oh, I thought it worked like analog cable.

QAM would be nice for those with cable. :(

Oh, I thought it worked like analog cable.

QAM would be nice for those with cable. :(
That's why I tried to find if this box has a QAM tuner ;)

EDIT: Nevermind.

These digital-to-analog converter boxes were designed to assist OTA viewers with analog-only tuners, not cable viewers with analog-only tuners. See the chart at "Ways To Prepare" here http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html

Steve

Some more screen caps of the Magnavox STB in use:
1 When watching a channel you can display the station info and a signal strength meter
2 Shows the EPG - depending on the station, I've been ale to see up to 6 hours of PSIP guide information
3 Time zone and Daylight Savings Time settings
4 This shows the tuning bug - you can try and tune to any channel from 2-99
FWIW: Magnavox displays look EXACTLY like my Sylvania 6900DTE HD-STB
(aka Funai STB400), built by Funai of Japan....except I have extended scan for Smart Antenna.

Why reinvent the wheel?
They probably removed the features they didn't need from the old design to get this on store shelves ASAP.

Here's an article about the Magnavox TB100MW9 at Walmart:
http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/02/wal-mart-offering-10-dtv-converter-box-with-coupon/

Has anybody figured out which chip the Magnavox is using?

Has anyone else here had a defective TB100MW9 (no power)?

I too picked one up from Walmart. I am going to return it because I am just testing it and did not want to burn up coupon for it. I am good a sealing stuff back up.

OK if I had the coupon I might keep it because it's the first box I tested and is good overall. It is fairly simple and defaults to channel 3 for RF out. The picture is OK for RF and need to test video out next.

My goal with this unit was to get Syracuse NY channels from Utica. I live about a mile from the Utica city line going north about 55 miles from Syracuse.

I can receive channels 2, 3, 5, 9, 20, 33, 43 Well that is what the box calls them. They have different analog UHF channels.
Look them up at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_New_York_%28by_region%29

I am using an old yagi antenna that is like 6 foot long with a UHF end that 2 foot wings on it. It was on a stump in the front yard and getting 5 and 43 was so-so. The rest were stable.

I hope to put it on the roof soon. I still want to pick up 24 PBS from Syracuse.

The good
Simple unit
good menu
Cheap $50 + $4:50 tax - $40 for coupon.

The bad
No svideo out
No buttons on the box itself other than power rocker switch.
Remote has small buttons on it.
Could use more feedback when scanning like listing the last channel it found.
Just 480i out. HD would be GREAT.

Can this Magnavox display the full 16x9 image at 480i? I was thinking about using one of these on an old HD 16x9 TV and want to know if it will display the actual size image without any cropping or letterboxing when the channel is transmitting an HD show.

Yes I know it won't be in HD at 480i.

The bad
No svideo out
.......

Just 480i out. HD would be GREAT.None of these "coupon boxes" can legally have HD outputs of any kind.

Can this box down convert 1080i signals to 480i? All the stations around us broadcast in 720p and 1080i now in HD... would be a waste of $10 if we cant even see those channels.. thanks!

Can this box down convert 1080i signals to 480i? All the stations around us broadcast in 720p and 1080i now in HD... would be a waste of $10 if we cant even see those channels.. thanks!



That's etly what they do. Their outputs just can't be higher than SD or 480i, if they are to be Coupon Eligible.

Has anyone tested whether Magnavox MT100MW9 has "Pass Thru"
of RF from antenna to TV when OFF?

And since we don't know what big chip(s) and "tin-can" tuner is used,
could someone remove the cover and jot down the part numbers....
Maybe even some photos...

I had one of these for a month before I returned it to Walmart.

No RF pass through on this model.

User manual for MT100MW9: http://www.funai-corp.com/6pdf/om/TB100MW9.pdf (http://www.funai-corp.com/6pdf/om/TB100MW9.pdf)

Anyone know if there is a Universal Remote code that works with the Magnavox box? I was bummed out that the remote that comes with it won't control power/volume on my TV.

Update: Couldn't find a code for my universal remote. Exchanged for RCA. Glad I did.. RCA is much better.

Update: Couldn't find a code for my universal remote. Exchanged for RCA. Glad I did.. RCA is much better.

Where did you get the RCA at? Over here the only one anyone has is the Magnavox one... and wal-mart says they only sell RCA ones on the west coast when asked...

The Magnavox TB100MW9 does not have QAM nor may it be allowed to have that feature and be eligible for the NTIA coupon program. There are some strict rules see these links

www*ezdigitaltv*com/NTIA_requirements*html

www*ezdigitaltv*com/Additional_Features_Matrix*html

sorry I'm a rookie and not allowed to post urls. sub . for *

I just grabbed two of these from WalMart for $10 each after coupon. They're great! My wife has a little office TV and I tried it on that. I get all the channels I usually get OTA, but with the chincy rabbit ears her TV came with. All the channels look good and work fine with only 60% signal strength.

For $10, I'm ecstatic.

Chris

Where did you get the RCA at? Over here the only one anyone has is the Magnavox one... and wal-mart says they only sell RCA ones on the west coast when asked...

I got it from Walmart in Colorado. I posted a comparison between the RCA and Magnavox here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13336277#post13336277

Not only does the RCA come with a remote that controls the TV + box, it seems to be a better unit overall.

I bought this box from Wal-Mart to check it out. These are my impressions.

Positives:

It was very easy to connect and set up and it quickly found 23 channels (includes "sub channels") which is about everything there is where I live. (If you do a re-scan, channels from the previous scan are replaced with the results of the new scan.) Anyone who is used to watching blurry and/or snowy analog TV will be very pleased with the crisp picture. I tried adding and deleting channels and it worked fine. The menus seemed clear and easy to navigate (I didn't try the v-chip menu however).

Negatives:

The box doesn't allow analog signals to pass through to the TV. That is important if you want to receive stations that are still broadcasting in analog (mostly low power stations) or have another signal source such as satellite or cable. You'll have to split the signal before the box to overcome that. Also, the remote doesn't turn the TV on or off or adjust the volume. And, there are no buttons on the remote for closed captioning or for changing the picture format (letterbox, zoom or full screen). You'll have to use the menus for that. There are no buttons on the box itself so if you lose or break the remote you are out of luck. Actually, there is an on/off button on the side of the box which is easy to overlook and is not documented in the owners manual. So if your box seems completely dead, check the button.

Overall:

For $10 after the coupon its good deal IMHO. However, I'm planning to return the box. Individually, no negative is a deal breaker, but for me when you add them together, I think it might be better to do some more looking even if it costs a little more.

From the pictures of the philco tb100hh9 unit and its remote it appears that the magnavox tb100mw9 is the exact same unit, only it is black instead of gray.
Can anyone confirm?

Decided to void my $12 warranty and run a side by side comparison, I have 2 magnavox tb100s, both were made on 071229 and have sequencial serial numbers. I removed the lid and drilled some ventilation holes in one and closed the unit back up, plugged in both units and connected them up as if I was using them normally, after an hour on the same channel the ventilated unit is running at 87 degrees and the factory unit is running at 110. Seems like they don't want these to last people very long, I could understand some of these units that have external AC/12vDC adapters would not need much ventilation but units like this with an internal power supply should have vents.
Whoever appoved these really did their homework!

Here are some pics of the inside of the unit. You can see two empty output slots one looks like s video or smart antenna and the other possibly digital audio, this has three chips one says japan , one says samsung and one says sharp also has a connector port possibly for firmware update on the circuit board directly above the sanyo tin can tuner.

Pros: Cheap, locks onto and displays weak signals even while using a 6" uhf remote antenna at 35 miles from transmitters. (Your results will vary with haat)

Cons: No controls on unit to change channel or setup, if power fails does not auto reboot back to tuned channel and display video must be turned back on, lack of ventilation in lid, manual add channel bug,look & feel of remote reminds you of a 1980s sears tv, signal meter works on a delay.

All in all, better than nothing I guess, will keep my voom OTA HD tuner boxes warm!

I bought the DTV converter box and am debating whether to keep it or not. I bought it last Saturday and hooked it up to my 7-year-old JVC 20" CRT TV that I have in my apartment in the Oklahoma City area. I have never had cable, I view off-the-air broadcasts only, when I do watch TV. I think they designed these boxes with people like me in mind, rather than people who already have cable and don't have to worry about a digital signal.

The little unit is Energy Star compliant, which is important to me. Hooking it up was easy, as long as you remember, if you've got it hooked up to a recording device like I do, to turn on the recording device and set it to the auxiliary channel so that you can see the wizard that comes up on the screen. After that, you just follow the instructions and let it do its work. The audio question it asks is tricky; I chose audio out since I was using the RCA cables to connect to my DVD recorder.

The Autoscan picked up a lot of channels! Granted, I live less than 10 miles from the majority of the stations in the city area. A couple of them were just shots of the weather radar looping around, but I got a station with cheesy telenovelas which should be fun, and I may even be able to watch a soccer game on TV! It's very exciting to see an extra PBS channel and to get to see Charlie Rose again after 20 years of not being shown here. Whether it picked up ALL the channels in the area, I can't say, but it did pick up the ones I'm likely to watch except, at first, our ABC affiliate, KOCO. This was upsetting because I do like Oprah, Ugly Betty, and other programs that I like to record. So I had to research and found out that even though it's on Channel 5, I had to manually punch in 7.1 for it to come in, and then the tuner brought it in as 5.1! Very weird. But, after that, it had no problem finding it again.

Some people may not like the way it has to search for and lock in a channel, but it doesn't bother me that much. Besides if I want to get to a channel quickly, I just need to punch in the number plus .1 and I'm there. Never hurts anybody to slow down and take life easy.

The sound is going from the tuner through the DVD recorder through the TV set and out through the computer speakers I have plugged into the TV's headphone jack. The sound is very smooth, no crackling, no dropouts.

What I didn't like about the picture is I got these faded stripes going across the picture, and sometimes they even flip up and down almost like a vertical hold button gone haywire, and then they disappear. Not sure what that's about because, thank goodness, they didn't happen on every channel. I will say that I have a powered RCA brand antenna, so I wonder if the transformer of the antenna is interfering with it. I unplugged the antenna once and got NO signal, so that may or may not have been the problem. Something else to experiment in the next few months.

What I also didn't like is the remote, and would like to find some way to program it into my Philips Consolidator 4-Device remote (PM435S). I thought I'd put the tuner in the Cable/Sat button, since I'll need the TV part to actually turn the TV on and turn off the closed captioning on occasion.

There was another thread concerned about the closed-captioning on the device, and it does have the functionality of being able to choose typeface, size, and all that, but my TV (and all televisions since about '95) have had closed captioning built in, and the TV's CC kicks in without my even having to activate that of the Magnovox tuner, so I don't worry about it. I'm not deaf, but I use CC for watching sporting events, news, and movies, or if I just want to watch TV with the sound off. Closed captioning is the best thing since fried scrapple!

Regarding why I'm debating to keep it or not, I ran into a snag with my hookups. I still have a standalone mono Panasonic VCR which I have hooked up into my Samsung DVD recorder on its AV1 channel. Unfortunately, the Magnavox tuner needs that input because it doesn't have SVideo. So, I had to do some disconnecting and untangling of cords, and it was an awful mess. I also had to disconnect the antenna (plain old RCA rabbit ears I've had for 5 years) from the DVD recorder and connect it to the tuner so it could get a signal, which made sense. But I've decided I really need my VCR since I still have tapes that I enjoy from time to time. So for the time being I've disconnected the Magnavox tuner and reconfigured my TV-DVD-VCR-computer speaker setup back to the way I had it. So in the next ten months or so I'll be thinking of a way to make that situation work best for me.

Yesterday, I did realize that I could simply buy the digital tuner its own set of rabbit ears, and that would save me from having to disconnect the antenna from the DVD recorder, and while I'm at it, I could buy the tuner it's own set of RCA cables and simply unplug it (SIMPLY?!) whenever I wanted to watch the VCR. This could be a workaround I may experiment with in the next couple of weekends. There's a little antenna less than $10 that people are raving about on Circuit City, and it's not even powered; I may see how well that works for me.

Ultimately, I wonder if buying a DVD/VCR combo recorder with a tuner will be more advantageous, and may simplify my set-up considerably without a need for a separate tuner OR a VCR. There'll be a lot of stuff going to Goodwill if I go that route!

In the meantime, programming the remote will be the most important problem to solve. I really like my Philips with its LARGE, color-coded blue buttons, but the Magnavox is too recent an invention for it to have its codes, and it's not a learning remote. I hate getting rid of something that works well!

Anyway, I hope this post helps some of you lurkers who aren't as tech-y as these men who post seem to be. Don't be afraid of the tuner. It works, and you don't need fancy new equipment to get THIS box to work for you.

I also use a Philips PM435S remote. It has a Code Search method (see page eight of the user manual) to find codes not listed in the twelve pages of code lists. In addition to the TV button (assigned through the Code Search funtion) for a new Dynex LCD TV (a brand not listed in the code lists), a Westinghouse LCD TV is assigned to the VCR button, and a RCA CRT TV is assigned to the SAT/CBL button, and the DVD button is assigned to a Panasonic DVD player.

The PDF version of the User Manual is found here:

http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?scy=US&slg=AEN&cat=HOME_AUDIO_VIDEO_ACCESSORIES_CA&sct=AV_REMOTE_CONTROLS_SU&grp=HOME_ENTERTAINMENT_GR&session=20080315163352_67.170.143.241&ctn=PM435S&mid=Link_UserManuals&hlt=Link_UserManuals

I tried to hook-up my TB100 this evening and ran into some difficulties. If I ran my coax from my antenna into the converter and a coax to the TV, all was well. However, when I tried to run RCA cables from the converter to the TV without the the coax to TV hookup, no luck. I tried various confugurations but to no avail. I simply had no luck running a signal from the converter to the TV with RCA cables.

Anyone have similar stories??

Here are some pics of the inside of the unit. You can see two empty output slots one looks like s video and the other possibly digital audio, this has three chips one says japan , one says samsung and one says sharp also has a connector port possibly for firmware update on the circuit board directly above the sanyo tin can tuner.
I haven't succeeded in identifying the big chip (yet), but I suspect that
with 208 pins, it is a mainstream HDTV type SoC (System-On-A-Chip)
which has lots of "extra" (unused in converter box) interfaces.

Part number on smaller chip to right (Samsung?) is obscured by a sticker,
but looks like a memory chip (EPROM?).

For sure it isn't the LGDT1111 6th Gen LG chip (80 pin) we've seen
pictured in about seven boxes thus far.

The part number is "R8A66973RP" (or FB?? or PP??) and on another forum
I saw 72010F for third line (74110H is evidently a lot number).

Note that it is mounted on a daughter board....perhaps from an existing DTV design.

I don't need the PDF, thanks, I've got the real thing. So you tried the code search and it worked for you? I'll try it. Thanks for the information! :-)

I tried to hook-up my TB100 this evening and ran into some difficulties. If I ran my coax from my antenna into the converter and a coax to the TV, all was well. However, when I tried to run RCA cables from the converter to the TV without the the coax to TV hookup, no luck. I tried various confugurations but to no avail. I simply had no luck running a signal from the converter to the TV with RCA cables.

Anyone have similar stories??

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the problem, but I think you need to go back and look at page 9 of the manual. You don't need to put any RCA cables to the TV set because you're getting all your audio to the antenna. And you set your audio to RF, accordingly.

But, if you want to set it up like on page 10, then you need to go to your audio set up like it says to and change your audio output from RF to AUDIO OUT. (It'll show a picture of that on page 13.)

Please note that you can't watch anything until you've gone through the Setup Wizard completely. After that you can tweak it.

MissIrisMG,

Yes, the Code Search found the right code for the Dynex TV after about three minutes of trial and error.

The drawback is that one has no idea what the actual code number is when the correct code has been found using Code Search. The good feature is that the codes will not be lost when replacing batteries as long as the new batteries are in place within ten minutes and no buttons have been pushed during the period that no batteries are in place.

Here are more of the specs for the tb100

tuner: Sanyo
UTUNATSSP004
UB010AF
LOT FULQ

there is a 11 pin ribbon cable connector port


the biggest square chip on top of daughter board reads
R8A66973FP
RF0Z
74110H
JAPAN

after removing the sticker the rectangular chip next to it reads
SAMSUNG 740
K4H561638H-UCB3
H5616 WBG465P1C

on the bottom of the daughter board facing down there is another chip which is not visible and was also covered by a sticker that had to be removed.
using a dentists mirror here is what I could make out
ST e3
M29DW323DB
70N6 H
99AMW VS
MYZ 99 746


under the motherboard facing down there is also another chip that reads
ST1
QSZAAOSHT177
151 7450Z07

Here are some pics of the inside of the unit. You can see two empty output slots one looks like s video or smart antenna and the other possibly digital audio, this has three chips one says japan , one says samsung and one says sharp also has a connector port possibly for firmware update on the circuit board directly above the sanyo tin can tuner.

Yes! There appears to be a spot for a SVideo connector to the left (looking from the front top) of the yellow Composite connector, which makes sense for location. Also I'd assume some type of audio conector to the right of the red "right" connector. It appears it could also be an RCA connector goes there, but might need that electrolytic cap filled.

I would be very interested to see a picture of the traces on the bottom of the board, especially under the S-connector, so we can see if they go directly to the chip or through some (missing) circuitry that needs to be filled in for it to work. Can you get pics of that?

MissIrisMG,

Yes, the Code Search found the right code for the Dynex TV after about three minutes of trial and error.

The drawback is that one has no idea what the actual code number is when the correct code has been found using Code Search. The good feature is that the codes will not be lost when replacing batteries as long as the new batteries are in place within ten minutes and no buttons have been pushed during the period that no batteries are in place.

Are you sure you tried this to load the Magnavox tuner's code into your remote?! Because I must have hit "Channel UP" for a good ten minutes and nothing happened, and I followed the directions in the manual.

Dynex was already in my list of codes, but I don't even care about finding that anyway, so I suppose I need to verify what you're telling me I'm able to do regarding the Magnavox STB. If you were just talking about the Dynex, that's not helpful to my purposes at all, and I'm back to square one, although I do appreciate the input! :-)

Thanks!

Yes! There appears to be a spot for a SVideo connector to the left (looking from the front top) of the yellow Composite connector, which makes sense for location. Also I'd assume some type of audio conector to the right of the red "right" connector. It appears it could also be an RCA connector goes there, but might need that electrolytic cap filled.

I would be very interested to see a picture of the traces on the bottom of the board, especially under the S-connector, so we can see if they go directly to the chip or through some (missing) circuitry that needs to be filled in for it to work. Can you get pics of that?

here is the bottom of the board. I also noticed that the top of the board had a circuit trace labeled spdif which I assume is for digital coxial audio. it is located near the center on the top side.

Here are more of the specs for Magx TB100MW9

after removing the sticker the rectangular chip next to it reads
SAMSUNG 740
K4H561638H-UCB3
H5616 WBG465P1C

on the bottom of the daughter board facing down there is another chip which
is not visible and was also covered by a sticker that had to be removed.
Using a dentists mirror here is what I could make out:
ST e3
M29DW323DB
70N6 H
99AMW VS
MYZ 99 746

under the motherboard facing down there is also another chip that reads
ST1
QSZAAOSHT177
151 7450Z07
Samsung K4H561638H-UCB3 is 256 Mbit DDR SDRAM.

ST Microelectronics M29DW323DB is 32 Mbit Flash Memory.

About how big is the "ST1" chip? About how many pins?

Decided to void my $12 warranty and run a side by side comparison, I have 2 magnavox tb100s, both were made on 071229 and have sequencial serial numbers. I removed the lid and drilled some ventilation holes in one and closed the unit back up, plugged in both units and connected them up as if I was using them normally, after an hour on the same channel the ventilated unit is running at 87 degrees and the factory unit is running at 110. Seems like they don't want these to last people very long, I could understand some of these units that have external AC/12vDC adapters would not need much ventilation but units like this with an internal power supply should have vents.
Whoever appoved these really did their homework!

How did you figure out where to drill the vent holes? Did you need to put holes in the sides or bottom too? I'm thinking about the Magnavox model after reading the sound issues with the Zenith.

How did you figure out where to drill the vent holes? Did you need to put holes in the sides or bottom too? I'm thinking about the Magnavox model after reading the sound issues with the Zenith.

No holes in the sides just the lid for now, I may go back and make some on the bottom directly under the tin can tuner because it is still getting way to hot below that area.

here is how I modified the lid,

unplug the unit and let it stand for a while if it has been plugged in for awhile. remove the 4 screws on the bottom of unit then remove the lid. the front panel and clear plastic led refractor pieces will now be lose so be careful not to lose or drop them.

place the detached lid by itself on a hard surface and adhere masking tape or better yet a blank shipping label on the top/outside of the lid, this is to prevent scuffing from the drill, drilling down through the top/outside very slowly using a 1/8" bit, slowly being the most important part to prevent slipping, scuffing, schreding or cracking the lid. if you do not have steady hands do not attempt, also this will completely void your warrenty unless you happen to have a second box laying around with a factory lid.

there is an example of the vents arrangement pictured below.
be careful to avoid placing your vents too close together, too close to the edges or above any structure that supports the lids placement.
You can see what I mean by this statement by examining the inside/bottom of the lid.

About how big is the "ST1" chip? About how many pins?

picture of chip
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=104881&d=1205712718

MissIrisMG,

I mentioned programing the Philips remote for Dynex and other TVs as examples of assignment of various devices to different device codes and the Code Search method. I was very pleased to find the Dynex code after as few as three minutes.

I don't have a Magnavox converter box. Since Funai products (including Magnavox) are very common in the marketplace it is reasonable to assume that the correct Magnavox code may be found somewhere among the hundreds or thousands of codes supported by the Philips universal remote.

Thanks Satpro.

I'm planning on using the Magnavox box with an older DVD recorder. Since I do a lot of timer recordings, I'll have to leave the box on during the times I set the timer. I don't want the box to overheat. I thought about getting the Zenith/Insiginia boxes (lots of vent holes) since I've read that the picture quality was a little better but decided against it after reading about problems with audio drop outs and other sound issues.

BTW, has anyone had an issue with the Magnavox remote interfering with other Funai products? I had this problem when I stacked a Magnavox DVD player on top of my Sylvania recorder. Also, I since the Magnavox is a Funai product, I wonder if ANY universal remote can control it.

As far as using the tb100 for timer recordings by seting it on one channel and leaving, I would avoid it for just this reason. here is why, as I stated previously if the unit looses power from an outage it does not then auto reboot back to video. Instead it just goes back on and stays in standby mode and then someone must manually power it on again. If this still does not convince you to avoid this box then keep in mind to turn off its energy star 4 hour auto off default setting.

my VCR looses the time if the power goes off, and very rarely does it pick up the time from the TV signal.

Once the analog signals are gone, the VCR will not be able to reset the time.

MissIrisMG,

I mentioned programing the Philips remote for Dynex and other TVs as examples of assignment of various devices to different device codes and the Code Search method. I was very pleased to find the Dynex code after as few as three minutes.

I don't have a Magnavox converter box. Since Funai products (including Magnavox) are very common in the marketplace it is reasonable to assume that the correct Magnavox code may be found somewhere among the hundreds or thousands of codes supported by the Philips universal remote.
Well, apparently it wasn't in this case. If someone has actually tried it with the converter and succeeded, I'd be interested to know what they did. Thanks, anyway.

Neither the current Philips or Magnavox HDD/DVD recorder's code's can be found in any remote, so it doesn't surprise me. Whoever's actually making them now (for Funai) must be using all new ones, so as common as they used to be, they're not anymore.

no luck trying to program this thing to a universal remote:mad:
other than that this is a good product.
I been testing 2 of these babies for 2 weeks now.:D

Picked up one of these at Wally World a couple nights ago. I haven't even ordered my coupons yet (trying to time their arrival to coincide with the possible, projected, hoped-for late-summer debut of the EchoStar TR-40), so I paid the full freight--$49.95 + tax. I was surprised that the checkout clerk actually asked me if I had my $40 coupon.

The unit is what it's supposed to be: a very simple, no frills "converter" to keep your older, non-HDTV operational post-2/17/09. Set up was dead-nuts simple; it found all but one of my local stations, and that one failure was probably due to antenna orientation. But an annoying glitch is that when I re-oriented the antenna and keyed in the channel number, the TB100 *still* couldn't "find" the channel. Apparently, I have to completely re-scan, even though the manual promises otherwise--an annoyance. PQ was adequate--WAY better than the analog versions of the channels--though not up to the SD output from my Samgsung 260 tuner. I also detected a very slight greenish cast to the picture on my 20" Sony Wega CRT that I don't see on any other source. Another annoyance not having a button on the remote to change the aspect ratio; you have to drill down through the setup menus to do it--a pain because some of my local stations are still 4:3 and some are 16:9. Further, some of the 16:9 channels sometimes run programs that come out letterboxed and pillarboxed, and one-touch zooming to full screen would be a big help. On the up side, when a station is 4:3 and the unit is set to letterbox, it still comes out full screen; the Samsung DTB-H260F squashes and stretches the image and so requires you to manually adjust the ratio.

Your only interface with the box is through that remote--no controls on the box itself aside from the master power switch on the right-hand side panel--and though I normally don't get torqued off about remote ergonomics, I hafta say this one is pretty lame. Buttons are mushy and don't make positive contact. Hit one off-center or don't push deeply enough, and you're staring at the screen waiting for something to happen that isn't. At the center of the remote are four large directional buttons for navigating the menus--exactly where the hand wants the channel-changer buttons to be. Instead, those are two small blue buttons at the upper right of the remote--inconveniently placed and nearly impossible to hit without changing your grip on the remote. Overall, the remote seems like it was designed for some other purpose and button assignments were made willy nilly to accommodate the TB100.

When you change channels, there is some lag before the tuner locks onto the new channel, but all digital tuners seems to do that, and it's not an excessive time--seems to vary based on signal strength of the individual channel. The EPG data loaded up within minutes of scanning in the channels, but I find OTA DTV EPGs pretty useless except for telling you what you're watching at the moment. So don't cancel that TV Guide subscription right yet. One nice thing: the info screen for the channel you're watching also contains a signal strength bar. You have to drill down through the menus to get the same with the Samsung 260.

I mainly need the STB to keep my Panasonic DMR-E85 and other analog-tunered DVDRs viable, and of course, the TB100 is only a partial solution to that because it won't let you record multiple events on different channels. Not an utter deal-breaker, since I rarely record more than one program a night.

Most, if not all, of these boxes have an auto shutoff feature, and the TB100 comes with a default setting of 4 hours--another annoyance. Last night I was too busy to watch Madama Butterfly from New York City opera, so I tuned it in on the TB100, ran the box's output to the front inputs on the E85, and time-shifted the program…..until the 4 hour limit was up and the TB100 shut off in the middle of Act III while I was busy in another room. Note to Self: Disable auto-shutoff function IMMEDIATELY upon setting up new tuner/DVDR/etc.

The other thing I'm concerned about is sound quality--i.e., is it stereo? I couldn't be sure because even if the station is broadcasting a stereo signal, the program itself may be mono or stereo with poor separation. The NTIA requirements for DTV "converter" boxes seem to require stereo output, but there's nominal stereo and then there's good, high-fidelity stereo with a full dynamic range. Subjectively, I will say the Madama Butterfly broadcast was adequate.

After careful comparison of features and reviews, the Zenith/Insignia unit appears to more in line with what I need/want, and in fact, I ordered one at my local Radio Shack last night (not in stock at my store, so they're shipping one out to me). I've saved the receipt for the Maggie, and it'll probably go back to WW. The Magnavox TB100 is what it is: if you want to keep that vintage Dumont in the den or the Philco in the family room running to watch Andy Griffith Show and I Love Lucy re-runs, this'll do it fer ya.

doswonk

I bought the RCA DTA800b and the Magnavox TB100MW9 converters at Wal-Mart.
Units cost $49.87 each ($9.87 after coupon)
The RCA is a far superior unit.
The Menu's and remote control functions are excellent.
Similar in nature to a satellite receiver.
Reception was very good even with just a "bow tie" antenna.

The Magnavox is not worth the money.
It is made by Funi Electronics and the remote control has tiny buttons.
The Menu's are just as bad.
Reception was not very good with just a "bow tie" antenna.
Not even close to the RCA.

Played with this tuner more over the weekend, and I hafta say, the negatives listed above notwithstanding, I'm getting to like it. In practice, the need to drill down through menus to change the aspect ratio occurs less often than I thought it would: I keep the unit set at Letterbox, and when a station runs 4:3 content, the unit automatically outputs it full screen. For some reason, I did have to hit zoom to fill the screen with The 10 Commandments on Sat. night, but no big sweat. Reception is quite steady--even better when, playing a hunch, I unplugged the amplifier on my indoor rabbit-ear antenna (not surprising--amps often degrade the signal more than they help it). Before unplugging the amp, the TD100's Signal Strength bar was averaging 30-34%, with occasional breakups when I walked right next to the antenna. After unplugging, SS was 74-82%.

The problem remains that the only way to add channels is to re-run the scan--still a major negative--though by tweaking antenna position and finding the "sweet spot," I may be able to keep all the channels I've got and add my local CBS affiliate, which typically requires a substantially different antenna orientation to get a decent analog picture. Curiously enough, the RCA STB also seems to have this limitation--perhaps it and the Magnavox use the same chip or have some other similarities under the hood?

Sat. night I discovered that my PBS affiliate is running 3 digital channels: one in HD, a crafty/hobby/how-to channel, and an SD (I presume) digital feed of their analog OTA--good because the HD and analog feeds are not always identical--last year I missed some programs I wanted to see because they were only on the HD feed. Flipping back and forth between the SD digital and analog feeds showed more subdued colors and perhaps a little softness to the SD DTV picture, but that could be simply a difference in the broadcaster's feed rather than an issue with the TD100. The subtler, less saturated colors may be more realistic….but when you're taping The Lawrence Welk Show for Mom and Dad, it just doesn't seem right.

A side benefit of the rock-solid, clean digital picture is better quality input to the DVD recorder, which means I'll be able to get away with the 4-hour to a disc recording rate more often. Normally, even a little interference or snow in the picture can kick off macroblocking and other artifacts on the recording that are annoying if not downright unacceptable on some programming. Coupling the TD100 with a basic Panasonic DVDR with Panny's 500 line resolution LP mode--say, the new tunerless EZ-18 or one of the many new ES-15s now still available for slightly more than the price of lunch--could be an economical time-shifting powerhouse. I also realized that since I have two DVDRs myself, simply adding a CECB to each will most likely cover my multiple-channel recording needs; not as convenient as dropping all of an evening's time-shifting on one disc (or HDD) but better than the alternative.

I still have the Zenith STB on the way for comparisons--should arrive tomorrow. I've read some complaints about that unit's sound quality, but it could be a localized problem with one broadcaster, a bad unit, or something else, so I want to test for myself. The TD100 is not giving out highly separated stereo for sure, but for most programming it is OK. At least, there's no crackling or distortion, which most emphataically is NOT OK. The Zenith, of course, offers the possibility of being able to add individual channels after running the scan and, judging from the photos online, seems to have a more logical, user-friendly remote.

doswonk

Yes! There appears to be a spot for a SVideo connector to the left (looking from the front top) of the yellow Composite connector, which makes sense for location. Also I'd assume some type of audio conector to the right of the red "right" connector. It appears it could also be an RCA connector goes there, but might need that electrolytic cap filled.

I would be very interested to see a picture of the traces on the bottom of the board, especially under the S-connector, so we can see if they go directly to the chip or through some (missing) circuitry that needs to be filled in for it to work. Can you get pics of that?

I got the Magnavox yesterday. I took the top off and saw the spot for the S connector and the digital audio out connector. It would be cool to get these functions working. From what I know the composite signal has both the Y & C merged. So in theory there has to be raw Y & C before that point feeding the circuit that combines them for the composite. I may mess with the circuit and see if I can find the raw Y & C it has to be in that area. Anyone else got any input on these? :)

Does this box have analog passthrough? I read some people say yes and others say no????

Does this box have analog passthrough? I read some people say yes and others say no????

No it doesn't

There are two models, I don't think the one with pass through is out yet.

Ok thanks guys. Sad day for me lol

I went to two Walmarts yesterday and they were all sold out of the Magnavox's. They had stacks of the RCAs. I went to a third Walmart this morning and found one left among the stacks of RCAs. I used one of my coupons (I'm saving the second for a better model hopefully). The process was easy.

It turned out to be a returned unit. I had to reset the menu to English (the previous buyer must have changed the language to Spanish). The picture quality was subpar compared to the tuner in my Philips DVD recorder w/digital tuning. Using letterbox brought about a somewhat better picture than zoom (pan & scan?). If a 4x3 broadcast came on using letterbox, I'd see a small picture with black borders top, sides, and bottom.

When I touched the antenna, I get small blocky interference/distortion on the screen. I only live a few miles away from the transmitter towers.

What really got me was the crappy remote that it uses. Ok, I like the AA batteries since I got a bunch of rechargables ones at home that I can always use. But, the buttons are so tiny!!!!!! Someone with big fingers would need a Palm Pilot stick or Nintendo DS stick to push them... ok, I'm kidding but they are really tiny.

I picked up the Magnavox because I haven't read about any issues with the audio. I hope LG (Zenith) corrects their audio issues so that I can buy one of theirs before my other coupon expires in June. I don't think I will hook up this unit to my older analog DVD recorder because overall the quality is pretty sorry compared to my Philip's DVD recorder's digital tuner.

One more thing, watching though the coaxial (TV set to channel 3) produced a worse picture including the closed captioning being a little blurry compared to using the A/V RCA cable connections.

I don't think I will hook up this unit to my older analog DVD recorder because overall the quality is pretty sorry compared to my Philip's DVD recorder's digital tuner.Wow, it must really be bad then, because I had the Philips 3575H and I returned it because I thought the PQ from the digital tuner was terrible. Hard to believe anything could actually be worse than that.

I guess I'll stay away from the Magnavox.

I think the PQ on the Magnavox using the coaxial was poor because I later found that there was a setting on the setup asking whether I was using the RF out or the RCA plug out. The setting was on RCA out. Also, I've got my Philips connected to a Sony Trinitron (computer) monitor. This is an excellent monitor which produces a great PQ. I need to plug the Magnavox to it and see if it was my RCA 27" TV that may have caused the poorer PQ.

I just can't stand the remote. I tried my other Funai product's remotes and none of them worked on the Magnavox.

Magnavox update.

I plugged the Magnavox to my Sony Trinitron PC monitor and got the exact same PQ as my Philips DVD recorder with digital tuning. I think it was my five year old RCA TV that isn't so great. Some say that the Philips tuner is a Funai. Since this Magnavox is a Funai, having similar tuner characteristics doesn't suprise me. I did notice that the audio sound levels are lower than the analog TV. This sound level is the same as the Philips. BTW, I connected using the RCA (composite) cables. As I wrote above, one has to choose whether the connection will be composite or RF (coaxial) in the setup.

I bought this one at WM for $49.87 for use on my garage TV. I liked nearly all the features except for the remote. I only had it for one day. My hair stylist bought it from me along with my YouTube antenna. She really likes it.
Doswonk1. I live in Aledo IL and I get CH12 in Iowa City. I could never pull in the analog.

I've had the Magnavox for 5 days now. The picture quality is excellent (A/V out) on my 2 year old 32" Toshiba SD tv. HD programing has some of that HD depth something that I never saw on analog. I am a purist when it comes to picture quality. If it looks good to me it has to be good, I give it a pass. I have access to master first generation signals on my big satellite dish and the local HD channels can rival those. There is a bit of dot crawl, but that is the nature of composite out. RF out picture is okay for a RF modulated signal. I daisy chain it to my DVB satellite receiver for a whole house feed into my SMATV system.

The audio is clear and clean, no artifacts like I have heard about the Zenith/Insigna box. This is one reason I went with the Magnavox.

The remote buttons are tiny and a bit annoying at times although Im getting use to them. Having to toggle through the menu's to change from Letterbox to Zoom is a bit of a hassle, so unless I really want to watch Letterbox (HD content only) I leave it in Zoom. The reception quality is solid as a rock on my outdoor antenna. I have seen the meter as high as 100 with almost all my channels in the 90's.

All and all it's not a bad unit for 10 bucks. I am saving my second coupon (Expires in June) to see if there is something else that has more features and no issues (Zenith) that hits the market before I have to use the coupon. If not I may get another Magnavox if there still around.

No holes in the sides just the lid for now, I may go back and make some on the bottom directly under the tin can tuner because it is still getting way to hot below that area.

here is how I modified the lid,

unplug the unit and let it stand for a while if it has been plugged in for awhile. remove the 4 screws on the bottom of unit then remove the lid. the front panel and clear plastic led refractor pieces will now be lose so be careful not to lose or drop them.

place the detached lid by itself on a hard surface and adhere masking tape or better yet a blank shipping label on the top/outside of the lid, this is to prevent scuffing from the drill, drilling down through the top/outside very slowly using a 1/8" bit, slowly being the most important part to prevent slipping, scuffing, schreding or cracking the lid. if you do not have steady hands do not attempt, also this will completely void your warrenty unless you happen to have a second box laying around with a factory lid.

there is an example of the vents arrangement pictured below.
be careful to avoid placing your vents too close together, too close to the edges or above any structure that supports the lids placement.
You can see what I mean by this statement by examining the inside/bottom of the lid.

I've been thinking about venting mine. Most of the heat comes from the cpu with the power supply being the second source. I went about it differently. I took a 1" hole saw and drilled a 1" circle hole in the middle towards the back. Then I took some nylon windowscreen and glued it on the inside. Then I made the factory holes on the bottom sides bigger and added a few. This created a chimney effect and seems to work well. It has a nice look to it too. I knew no matter how hard I tried to keep a bunch of holes straight they wouldn't end up totally in line. That's when I came up with this idea.

After running the unit for an hour there is only a 5 to 6 degree difference coming out of the chimney hole on top than room temp. I say it's a winner :)

Neither the current Philips or Magnavox HDD/DVD recorder's code's can be found in any remote, so it doesn't surprise me. Whoever's actually making them now (for Funai) must be using all new ones, so as common as they used to be, they're not anymore.
Thanks for the useful information.

I even read a rumor that a company called Gemini made the remote, so I tried their code but it didn't work, either. I wonder if there's a way to gently prod either Magnavox or Funai to release the code or Philips to upgrade their remotes to include the code?

A friend of mine finally got her coupons in the mail, and redeemed one of them for the Magnavox. i asked her to bring it over here yesterday to compare it with the Zenith.

The over look/feel was a bit disappointing, and the signal strength on the weakest channel appeared lower with the Magnavox, but I suppose that could be a difference in the signal strength meters. It still managed to lock onto a viewable signal, regardless--and there were no audible sound issues, unlike the Zenith.

I didn't care much for the overall look and polish of the menu system--the Zenith wins hands-down in this area. However, I love the program guide, which extended several hours into the future, as opposed to now/next with the Zenith.

By far, though, the coolest feature that this box had, that I wish was on the Zenith, was a "still" button, enabling you to freeze the current onscreen image for as long as desired. I know--it's a toy feature, a fun feature--but I still wish that it was on the Zenith.

In spite of the look/feel, which worries me a bit, I wouldn't mind having the Magnavox as a second converter.

Sounds like the clear favorites so far in features and performance are both the LG's and the Digital Stream, which isn't surprising, given that these are about the only two companies making these new tuners who have been making standalone ATSC tuners over the years.

I just bought one of these "Maggotboxes" because my Motorola HDT-100 died last night. I like it for it's functionality, but the tuner in this maggot box isn't even close to the old Motorola... On stations I got at 100% with the Motorola, I am only getting a 70 for a signal out of the Magnavox. I think I'll take it back and try the Zenith next...

The magnavox did pick up all the channels that the motorola did, just at weaker signal readings...

I noticed that WalMart now shows the selling price as $52.97 on its web site

I found it at one Wal*Mart location in the Indy area for $49.87. Wal*Mart's price increased to $52.97 (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8283870). These CECBs must be selling briskly enough to allow Wal*Mart to pass on the increased shipping costs from the Peoples' Republic of China. It's a brisk 6% price hike!

Wal*Mart's price increased to $52.97 (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8283870). These CECBs must be selling briskly enough to allow Wal*Mart to pass on the increased shipping costs from the Peoples' Republic of China. It's a brisk 6% price hike!

Glad I got mine for the $49.87 price. Well $10.71 with the coupon. May hold off on getting another Magnavox now. May try something else before the second coupon expires. I wish all the LG's didn't have the DD 5.1 problem. I would like to try the Zenith but not with that flaw. My Magnavox works fine the only thing that bugs me is I wish it had an aspect ratio on the fly button on the remote. I have till June 13th till #2 expires so I don't have to buy another yet, by then things may change.

Glad I got mine for the $49.87 price. Well $10.71 with the coupon. May hold off on getting another Magnavox now. May try something else before the second coupon expires. I wish all the LG's didn't have the DD 5.1 problem. I would like to try the Zenith but not with that flaw. My Magnavox works fine the only thing that bugs me is I wish it had an aspect ratio on the fly button on the remote. I have till June 13th till #2 expires so I don't have to buy another yet, by then things may change.

i got my 2 at $49.87 /ea.:D
same here in NH price went up along with just about everything else in the store:D

I got my first one with the coupon for $9.87; I wanted to have it up and running before I had surgery last week. Glad I did, too, because, after watching TV for a solid week, I LOVE IT! In fact, I liked the first one so well, I went back and bought another one. So I've used my coupons, and I'm not sorry I bought these, not at all.

I like the EPG and signal meter a lot; the signal meter was a BIG help when I was up in the attic aiming the antenna. (One box is on my garage TV; all I had to do was peek down the ladder and "voila," easy aiming!)

The only minuses, as have been mentioned, are the remote and the number of steps it takes to change the screen from zoom to letterbox to fullscreen. Other than those minor annoyances, it's a great box.

None of the box availible thu the coupon have a QAM to my understanding.

And my cable company wants me to spend 6.00 a month extra to up rent a box. I am just about the try this manavox and hope it works I can't see spending and extra 6.00 a month to me that is a waste of money.

The first time I call the cable company I was told I could use these boxes for converting the channels. The second time I called I was told I had to rent. Hope not because I'm not renting a box for what I get on my tv. She was like but with this rental we can fix your tv problems without having to come out. Excuse me in over 10 years I've only had maybe 1 or 2 problems with my cable anyways if that. Why spend the extra 6.00 a month.

The only reason why most of us in this area even have cable to begin with is because the tv signals suck in this area to begin with its cable or nothing for most of us or extreamly poor picture with lots of snow and fading in and out without cable. And my cable I have is very very basic cable.

To let you know what a problem this is in our area I have contacted 3 walmarts and everyone I talked to is having the same problem as I am don't know what is going to happen to us who don't use the box with cable provided by the cable company. (those of us who only have basic cable running thu our vcr's)

We are all at a loss as to what to do and don't want to shell out another 6.00 a month. :(

Starlady,

These converter boxes work with antennas to receive digital broadcast stations. They do not work with cable services.

None of the box availible thu the coupon have a QAM to my understanding.

And my cable company wants me to spend 6.00 a month extra to up rent a box. I am just about the try this manavox and hope it works I can't see spending and extra 6.00 a month to me that is a waste of money.

The first time I call the cable company I was told I could use these boxes for converting the channels. The second time I called I was told I had to rent. Hope not because I'm not renting a box for what I get on my tv. She was like but with this rental we can fix your tv problems without having to come out. Excuse me in over 10 years I've only had maybe 1 or 2 problems with my cable anyways if that. Why spend the extra 6.00 a month.

The only reason why most of us in this area even have cable to begin with is because the tv signals suck in this area to begin with its cable or nothing for most of us or extreamly poor picture with lots of snow and fading in and out without cable. And my cable I have is very very basic cable.
I'm a little confused on what you want to do.

You said you are a Basic cable subscriber, in which case any old TV should
continue to receive those analog channels.....on MOST cable systems.

What is the extra $6 for??? Is your cable system going ALL DIGITAL, including
Basic cable channels and hence there is an extra charge for multiple cable boxes???
PS: Where are you (zipcode) and which cable system???

The converter boxes discussed in this thread connect to an on-air antenna,
converting the new digital TV signals so they can be watched on old TVs.
Is that what you want to do instead of paying for Basic cable?

None of the box availible thru the coupon have a QAM to my understanding.

And my cable company wants me to spend 6.00 a month extra to up rent a box. I am just about the try this manavox and hope it works I can't see spending and extra 6.00 a month to me that is a waste of money.The Feb. '09 analog shutoff mandate only applies to full power over the air signals.

You should be able to continue using your VCR or TV's analog tuner to receive the basic local channels. I don't know why they told you you needed their tuner. Maybe they figured you were confused and were trying to take advantage of you. Or they misunderstood and thought that you really wanted the digital channels.

If you do eventually need a QAM tuner, you could either buy the Samsung DTB-H260F QAM/ATSC tuner, or one of the more inexpensive DVD recorders with a QAM tuner. It'll cost you considerably more than the $20.00 or so you'd shell out for one of these OTA-only boxes (which are of no use to you anyway with cable), but it should more than pay for itself eventually. And with a DVD recorder, you'll be replacing your VCR for better and more convienient recording quality (DVD recorders also have analog tuners in them, so you could still use that if you decided to get one now, although you'll probably prefer watching the digital versions from the QAM tuner).

I don't know why they told you you needed their tuner. Maybe they figured you were confused and were trying to take advantage of you. Or they misunderstood and thought that you really wanted the digital channels.Some cable providers are cutting off analog delivery then.  Comcast will be doing that, so they tell me, in Chicago Area 2, and if I want to continue receiving their unencrypted stations, a QAM tuner will be necessary.  They'll happily provide STBs to customers for that purpose at a monthly rental fee.

You mean they're not even giving you the first box free like a lot of other areas are? That really sucks.

You mean they're not even giving you the first box free like a lot of other areas are? That really sucks.
Perhaps they do if you have no boxes otherwise, but I have a DVR from them on one outlet (no decoders on any others, just Comcast coax into the RF jacks on the TVs), so that may count as my first box, so the reps may have found no reason to tell me that other customers might get one box free.

My solution's been to buy low-end televisions with ATSC tuners for the rooms with poor OTA reception and to use their QAM tuners, and to get CECBs for the analog sets in rooms where the OTA reception is good.

hey.
got 2 yesterday and read most posts here about it and agree.


the question I have is.......( to see if they are defective or not )

if anyone has used this in NYC, what channels are you getting?
I only get 2 with a decent signal.

5.1= fox
5.2= My 9

no others come in at all and wondering if other stations here are yet broadcasting in DT here?
I think I read that NBC / ABC / CBS were but my box only gets two.

It will go back and sucks that I will lose my coupons to wally world:(
cause thats the only type box I have seen there.

thnx.

There are tons of digital stations in NYC.
Enter your location into www.tvfool.com and/or www.antennaweb.org to see a list.

You may need to move antenna around, preferably close to an exterior window.

There are tons of digital stations in NYC.
Enter your location into www.tvfool.com and/or www.antennaweb.org to see a list.

You may need to move antenna around, preferably close to an exterior window.


wow thnx.
I figured theres lots of them here but I guess digital is way more fragile a signal to get than analog is cause all the analogs come in way clear with the same antenna.
it shows a 34 on the signal meter so I guess it needs more than huh?

I was just skeptical cause I read here all these people getting all these channels from a distance and here I am in the USAs largest city with tons of channels-----and all I get are a lousy two of them!

Microtune found manufacturing and/or design defects, esp. in one of the converter boxes:
http://www.microtune.com/news/2008Articles/MTLetter.pdf
The manufacturer was Japanese (subtle hint: Magnavox is made by Funai of Japan).

Strong stations would prevent reception of weaker stations.

thats not good to read that.
i think i totally blew my coupons on this box.

if i return it to wally world-- I prob will only get the tax I paid back
and lose the coupons since there is no exchange since its the only one
there to buy:(

another question....

I think i know the answer to it having had a cell phone since the analoge days but........

will the digital signal not make it out to the "fringe" areas like the analoge does?
I have a summer place with a big rooftop antenna that gets analoge snowy pics ( I need satellite--- ya I know).....and Im betting based on cell phone past --- analoge vs digital--- that I wont be able to recieve these digital signals up there in the country place once feb 2009 arrives:(

Hell-- i cant even get dig. signals right here now in NYC ex. for 2 dam stations...

There are tons of digital stations in NYC.
Enter your location into www.tvfool.com and/or www.antennaweb.org to see a list.

You may need to move antenna around, preferably close to an exterior window.


Even used a rooftop off a neigbors jsut now and same thing.

2 channels only.

I am like 2 miles from the transmitters here in NYC and this box only
can get 2 channels?

Must be the box.

Even used a rooftop off a neigbors jsut now and same thing.

2 channels only.

I am like 2 miles from the transmitters here in NYC and this box only
can get 2 channels?

Must be the box.

Suggestion: Tune your TV to one of the following analog channels: 25, 31, 41, 47. Start with 41. Move the antenna about to get the best possible picture. Then, leaving the antenna in place, hook it up to the Magnavox box and let us know if you get more digital channels now.

All Magnavox STBs have been pulled from our local Wal-Mart shelves and they are now only selling the RCA. Salesperson knew nothing (of course). BTW, I am about an hour from WM's world headquarters.

Suggestion: Tune your TV to one of the following analog channels: 25, 31, 41, 47. Start with 41. Move the antenna about to get the best possible picture. Then, leaving the antenna in place, hook it up to the Magnavox box and let us know if you get more digital channels now.

I notice you say to use all UHF channels-- that may be the problem.
the antenna we used-- indoor and outdoor have really no UHF loop for those channels so wondering maybe thats why??

Anyways-- according to the next post-- these are being taken off the shelves at Wally World....
but today they were stocking more and more of them in the store I went to in Long Island:(

In our area, very close to walmart headquaters, the maggotboxes have been removed from store shelves. The only box available at wm here is the RCA.

Get the Zenith at radio shack, best buy (insignia brand - same as zenith) or circuitcity. The maggotbox doesn't work well where there are lots and lots of channels OTA.

I notice you say to use all UHF channels-- that may be the problem.
the antenna we used-- indoor and outdoor have really no UHF loop for those channels so wondering maybe thats why??

Yep, that’s likely the problem. If your slightly handy you can make a uhf antenna substitute. You only need about 6-7 inches of unshielded wire. If you have an extra piece of coax lying around you could strip the final 6-7 inches from it and try that. If de-sheathing that much coax is too much a PITA, you could solder or alligator-clip-attach a short piece of wire to the center conductor of the coax for your antenna. There is no need to strip the insulation from the wire. This certainly wouldn’t do much for most folks, but you are so close to the transmitters I expect it will work well for you.

Currently all the NY digital signals are in the UHF band. However next February three of the main channels return to the VHF-HI band: WNET returns to RF 13, WPIX to RF 11 and WABC to RF 7. I imagine there will be an uptick in activity in the NYC OTA reception forum then that you could find useful. The consensus today is that the Silver Sensor is the best indoor UHF antenna. Some claim it also receives the upper VHF band well enough, but I couldn’t vouch for that. It’s also about $30 to get your $15 box a signal. So, I suggest you try the wire as I think it will work for you.

Yep, that’s likely the problem. If your slightly handy you can make a uhf antenna substitute. You only need about 6-7 inches of unshielded wire. If you have an extra piece of coax lying around you could strip the final 6-7 inches from it and try that. If de-sheathing that much coax is too much a PITA, you could solder or alligator-clip-attach a short piece of wire to the center conductor of the coax for your antenna. There is no need to strip the insulation from the wire. This certainly wouldn’t do much for most folks, but you are so close to the transmitters I expect it will work well for you.

Currently all the NY digital signals are in the UHF band. However next February three of the main channels return to the VHF-HI band: WNET returns to RF 13, WPIX to RF 11 and WABC to RF 7. I imagine there will be an uptick in activity in the NYC OTA reception forum then that you could find useful. The consensus today is that the Silver Sensor is the best indoor UHF antenna. Some claim it also receives the upper VHF band well enough, but I couldn’t vouch for that. It’s also about $30 to get your $15 box a signal. So, I suggest you try the wire as I think it will work for you.


hey there Steve avs
thank you for reply.
i had no clue these stations were in UHF band. Just figured they were VHF but this is why I turn to this board-- for help:)

I will go out today and get a UHF specific antenna like the one you suggested and try it out.
Hopefully things will work.

So also can you answer this:
Our country place is 55 miles away from NYC stations and getting the old analogue ones--- some very snowy -- with a huge roof antenna.

When this change is in effect next year-- do you think it will be way harder to get digital up at that place being that I assume digital doesnt travel as far as analogue from maps I have seen?

thank you for help ! boo.

I will go out today and get a UHF specific antenna like the one you suggested and try it out.
Hopefully things will work.

I’m looking forward to reading how it works out.

So also can you answer this:
Our country place is 55 miles away from NYC stations and getting the old analogue ones--- some very snowy -- with a huge roof antenna.

When this change is in effect next year-- do you think it will be way harder to get digital up at that place being that I assume digital doesnt travel as far as analogue from maps I have seen?

If some of those are UHF channels then yes, there is a good chance you’ll receive the strongest channels by just plugging in your box. The transition was designed to duplicate the coverage of the analog system, so you can expect all of the channels to provide enough power to reach their viewers next February. If you find your location at 55 miles troublesome there are steps you can take to increase the gain, but take it one step at a time and see how your current antenna works out.

I’m looking forward to reading how it works out.



If some of those are UHF channels then yes, there is a good chance you’ll receive the strongest channels by just plugging in your box. The transition was designed to duplicate the coverage of the analog system, so you can expect all of the channels to provide enough power to reach their viewers next February. If you find your location at 55 miles troublesome there are steps you can take to increase the gain, but take it one step at a time and see how your current antenna works out.


hello and appreciate the help!

havent gotten the indoor one as of yet and I may just get the rooftop one I saw online-- a big channel master 8 bay cause I will more likely need it when I go up to the country place for summer so might as well buy it now and see and keep it in attic.
I may also just get an indoor one from B Buy -- try it out-- then return cause im VERY curious how this box will work if at all with that.

thank you again.

I got 2 TB100MW9 STBs for my mom who uses an antenna. I hooked the coax from the antenna to the STB, the the provided jumper from the STB to the TV. Powered up, went through the set up and channel finding, no problems. Good picture, good sound, works great.

Except, when I turn the box off NOTHING passes through from the antenna to the TV. A VCR will allow an analog signal to just pass through when it's off, but the STB does not seem to. This is only a problem for my mom because she watches 2 Canadian TV stations, which have not yet converted to digital. For that matter I don't know if they are going to.

So my dumb question is: Other that using a switch box or other mess, is it possible to have the STB allow an analog signal to pass through?

MJBlake: the TB100MW9, like most of the early boxes, does not support analog passthrough.  The successor model (TB100MG9) has that feature.  From what I understand analog passthrough on the MG9 works better with the box turned on and passthrough selected than with the box off.

MJBlake: the TB100MW9, like most of the early boxes, does not support analog passthrough. The successor model (TB100MG9) has that feature. From what I understand analog passthrough on the MG9 works better with the box turned on and passthrough selected than with the box off.
There is NO passthru with box OFF

With BOX on and NO RF selected the signal is degraded so most stations can not be watched.

Only way is to select RF out

Hi.
tryed numerous antennas (outdoor and indoor) and still cant get anything but Fox and My9 here in NYC.
I guess back to Direc TV.

Went up to the country place that has a huge antenna we put in for analoge tv years back and it has UHF/VHF elements and it only got 3 channels-- that were all PBS. No network at all.

Guess back to Direc TV there as well.

Its very apparent now that Dig signals cant travel as far as the analog ones.
Sad cause in the rural areas-- I dealt with the snowy picture just fine!

Hi.
tryed numerous antennas (outdoor and indoor) and still cant get anything but Fox and My9 here in NYC.
I guess back to Direc TV.

Went up to the country place that has a huge antenna we put in for analoge tv years back and it has UHF/VHF elements and it only got 3 channels-- that were all PBS. No network at all.

Guess back to Direc TV there as well.

Its very apparent now that Dig signals cant travel as far as the analog ones.
Sad cause in the rural areas-- I dealt with the snowy picture just fine!

Issue is what will be after the transition. Digital travels as far for the same frequency and power.

Right now VHF HI analog stations might temporary on UHF and will move back to VHF. UHF doesn't travel as far for the same power, also the antenna for the transmitter may be less then optimal now. Stations may switch back to VHF and higher power and better antenna after the transition all of which mean better coverage.

See what your stations will be after the transition compared to current digital. If they will be changing channels or power or antenna it all could be very different.

It's been 3 months since the complaint was filed. Since then, the following boxes have been removed (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13899785#post13899785)from the NTIA certified list: The MaxMedia MMDTVB03, EchoStar TR-40, (which has been replaced by the DTVPal) and the DigitalStream D2A1D10 and D2A1D20.

Either the complaint was bogus, or perhaps one of these boxes was the culprit (though not the TR-40, as it uses an M-T chip). There's no way to tell.

Not removed, acug, the NTIA has split the list between available and unavailable. The boxes you name are still on the approved list, just not available and a certified retailer can't redeem the coupon for them until they are back on the available list.

If you carefully reread Microtune's letter, you'll see that they met with a
Converter Box manufacturer in JAPAN.
[Hint....Magnavox & Philco are made by Funai...which is located in Japan.]
http://www.microtune.com/news/2008Articles/MTLetter.pdf
Also note that prior to Mar 2008 letter, they tested COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
boxes....a fairly short list....and did not include the boxes listed above....

Five months and mine is still working quite well. Still haven't solved the remote problem, though.

Five months and mine is still working quite well. Still haven't solved the remote problem, though.

I don't have a Magnavox CECB. But my Philips PMDVD6 six device "learning" remote is able to learn control signals from original product remotes. This Philips learning remote was less than $10. The drawback is that many of the 51 buttons are small. My Philips PM435S is the same overall size with 45 buttons, most of which are much larger. This remote was less than $7, but it doesn't have any "learning" feature. This is the main remote I use with my RCA TV and Zenith DTT901 but I manually select the subchannels as there is no "." or "-" on the remote. I taught the Philips "learning" remote the Zenith "-" command but this remote is most often used in a room without a converter box.

[QUOTE=beachbum_50;13331109]I had one of these for a month before I returned it to Walmart.

No RF pass through on this model.

The Zenith DTT900 sold by Radioshack its RF pass through capable.
I get one and test yesterday

The Zenith DTT900 sold by Radio Shack is RF pass through capable

The Zenith DTT900 sold by Radio Shack is RF pass through capable

The Zenith DTT901 model has analog RF pass through. This model was first produced in April 2008.

The Zenith DTT900 model does not have analog RF pass through. The DTT900 was produced beginning in November 2007 and was discontinued during April 2008 production when the DTT901 model was placed into production.

I have and use both Zenith models.

Just a report - my Magnavox unit is still going strong, have no need for this "pass-through" feature everybody finds so important, still no cheap work around for the universal remote problem. Never did use government coupon I finally got - full price didn't kill me. May check out Insignia model, just to see if there is any difference in number of channels picked up. Oh, and still using $10 rabbit ears for free OTA reception!

May check out Insignia model, just to see if there is any difference in number of channels picked up.

Be sure that the Insignia is of April 2008 or newer production (see the bar code sticker on one end of the cardboard box).

The Insignia should respond to LG or Zenith remote activation codes listed under SAT/CABLE/WEBTV or similar device listings with many remotes.

With my Philips remotes the Zenith/Insignia activation code is 0267.

That is true. Sorry I made a mistake the model is DTT 901

Just a report - my Magnavox unit is still going strong, have no need for this "pass-through" feature everybody finds so important, still no cheap work around for the universal remote problem. Never did use government coupon I finally got - full price didn't kill me. May check out Insignia model, just to see if there is any difference in number of channels picked up. Oh, and still using $10 rabbit ears for free OTA reception!

My Magnavox that I picked up in March without pass through is also working fine too. Never had any hassles with it like I did with swapouts 3 times with my Zenith DTT-900. Not a bad unit for $10.00 with the coupon.

I bought my first box, the Magnavox for full price last March. I did not like the remote. I sold it to the beauty shop so she could watch "March Madness" She likes it. Since then she bought a Digital Stream for her house. She still likes Maggie the best.

I bought two of the Magnavox TB100MW9 Digital to Analog converters. I live in Sturgeon Bay, WI and my stations are in Green Bay, WI roughly 40 miles away.

Both worked, but one of them only got two out of the five we normally got on analog. I'm in the process of returning the one with low sensitivity.

Just picked up my Magnavox TB100MW9 today at Walmart. So far so good. I have cable, but I wanted a converter box just in case. I like the strength meter which I can use to position my antenna. For $10 you can't go wrong.

Just picked up my Magnavox TB100MW9 today at Walmart. So far so good. I have cable, but I wanted a converter box just in case. I like the strength meter which I can use to position my antenna. For $10 you can't go wrong. How many stations are you pulling in? Are you capturing all of your local OTA channels?

How many stations are you pulling in? Are you capturing all of your local OTA channels?

Yes I can pull in all the major networks, I'm 25 miles from the ESB on Long Island. I was very pleased with the performance.
The only quirk I don't like is that the program guide only displays info on the current channel you are watching. You can't see what is going to be on the other channels unless you switch to them. But thats ok.

Did anyone ever obtain the remote code for this model? I have a Samsung DVD-VR375 and want to utilize the STB control feature, but the codes in the manual will not work with the magnavox TB100MW9. Any ideas?

On YouTube, somebody is making a claim that these CECB's have cameras in them to spy on people. Specifically, he opened up a Magnavox. So for everybody in this thread, watch out what you are doing in front of your TV!:rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ4iIM8Eljc&feature=related

. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ4iIM8Eljc&feature=related

Nah, according to my know it all geek neighbor, the spy cam is in the remote.

that video was proven to be a hoax. He soldered it.

Can anyone help me set this thing up? I have it hooked up with a coaxial cable from the box to the wall jack and have the red, yellow, white cables hooked up from the box to the TV. I'm not getting any channels with the box.

I accidentally switched to RF Through or whatever to see if that would work and now the setup menus don't appear. I tried reseting it by leaving it unplugged for an hour but that didn't work. I also tried pressing and holding setup on the remote for 3-5 seconds like the manual says and that doesn't work either.

Using an RCA Color Trak F20640BC Model TV manufactured in 1998. Do I need an antenna? I live in an apartment and I'm not sure if the wall jack goes to an antenna.

I'd just piss around with it but like I said I can't get the menu to show up any more after I switched to RF Through.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Can anyone help me set this thing up? I have it hooked up with a coaxial cable from the box to the wall jack and have the red, yellow, white cables hooked up from the box to the TV. I'm not getting any channels with the box.

I accidentally switched to RF Through or whatever to see if that would work and now the setup menus don't appear. I tried reseting it by leaving it unplugged for an hour but that didn't work. I also tried pressing and holding setup on the remote for 3-5 seconds like the manual says and that doesn't work either.

Using an RCA Color Trak F20640BC Model TV manufactured in 1998. Do I need an antenna? I live in an apartment and I'm not sure if the wall jack goes to an antenna.

I'd just piss around with it but like I said I can't get the menu to show up any more after I switched to RF Through.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Hook a coaxial cable from the other coaxial jack on your converter to the antenna in (coaxial connector) on your TV. Temporarily reuse the one you have running to the wall, if you don't have a second cable.

Turn your TV to air channel 3, and see if the menus are visible (might need to try ch 4, instead).

If so, switch the converter back to A/V outputs. Then, switch the TV back to A/V input.

It's quite possible that your apartment wall jack does not go to an antenna or antenna distribution system. It may just go to a box where the cable company can connect/disconnect cable service for your apartment.

One trick is to replace the coax in to the box with a makeshift simple antenna, made by unfolding a bare wire paper clip into an "L" shape. Stick the short end of the "L" into the in from antenna jack on the converter.

Do a channel scan. Did it pick up any channels? This simple antenna won't cut it if you are in a valley or far from the TV station transmitters, but it's cheap and easy enough to try the experiment.

If it does get a station - at least part of a frozen picture, or whatever - try the wall jack again, leaving the converter tuned as is. Do you get the station now? If not, the wall jack probably isn't going to be useful.
You'll need to get a decent antenna.

In an apartment building, OTA DTV reception with an indoor antenna may be less than perfect. If the paper clip antenna doesn't get anything, a simple rabbit ears/ loop antenna probably won't do much better.

There are good writeups on indoor antennas elsewhere on AVSforum. Search for those and read them before you buy. (I suggest avoiding amplified indoor antennas).

Good Luck

Try connecting the box using the RF cable to the TV. Put the TV on channel 3 or 4 and see if the menu comes up.

And yes, you'll need an antenna if the wall connector doesn't go to an outdoor antenna.

Try connecting the box using the RF cable to the TV. Put the TV on channel 3 or 4 and see if the menu comes up.

And yes, you'll need an antenna if the wall connector doesn't go to an outdoor antenna.

I purchased 2 of these units from Walmart. both of them died after about 2 years

For those of you who are wondering, I still have my Magnavox Converter box. It still runs great. Now all I need is an Antenna that will pick up all the stations as I am on a amplified rabbit ears antenna.