Artec T3A Pro NTIA CECB - Page 3

Sadly after waiting 3 weeks and finally receiving and testing today I can confirm after about 2 minutes that the artec t3a pro model does have the same annoying left channel 5.1 audio processing defect present on the insignia and zenith.

The program has no business allowing boxes like this to be continued as certified to participate in the program. What BS!

Sad to hear that. I was goin to get one of those for home usage.

I currently have one of the Insignia NS-DXA1 boxes (Made in March 08'), for the past 4 or so days...no real freeze ups.

satpro I see from your bottom picture that the box does have some ventilation holes.
Does it still get hot like others have reported?

Can you please confirm that pressing ▼ will show more info in the EPG and it is indeed different than the LG EPG?

I am still wondering why the CoShip also with LG SoC doesn't have the same annoying left channel 5.1 audio processing defect as the Zenith/Insignia/Digital Stream/Artec

Thank you for taking the time to test and report for so many boxes

The little artec box was running on the warm side, it seemed to me.. Today i opened the puppy up and took the plastic cover off took the top button circuit board off the lid..Then i put scotch tape(masking would work as well) on finished side to protect and proceeded to drill twelve small holes on each side of the button...put it back together im going to test it now.. see if it runs cooler will report back.


John

You know i just realized something..the rubber pads on this device dont leave any room for the thing to even cool from the bottom..i bet
some bigger pads from Radio Shack wuold help as well... Oh well good
thing i dont have only a few dollars into this thing.. might work out to be a good device with the mods. =P

pressing ▼ only goes to the next program


Have been running the coship tonight and it also has same LG audio problem it is just not as noticeable since the max volume setting on coship is much lower than on the artec.

Thank you for looking satpro

So the Artec is just a simple Now/Next and not advanced

The interface is very similar to the Zenith then except for the layout and advanced picture adjustment.

I wonder why the Artec User Manual page 15 (page 21 pdf) says you can press ▼ to display more programs with playing time.

To bad about the CoShip, I was wondering why it would be different.
Between the Artec and CoShip what one do you like?

Do they both allow you to adjust the hue, brightness, and contrast?


I had my brother order a Tivax too also from DigitalStar

Is it safe to say that Artec is the only cecb that has Advanced Picture Adjustments (hue, brightness, contrast)?

I am leaning towards Artec because of this feature!

Any comments appreciated....

The picture adjustment feature is horrible, the default setting is way off, and without color bars to setup to it will be nearly impossible, I tuned color bars and had to set my hue to 0 and had to change the other settings as well. This stuff should not be mucked with! Complete idiots must have designed this feature to be so off!

The ▼ while in the EPG screen shows all the shows coming up one at a time in the next box for the channel you are on.. The 1/xx at the top of the next box is the position and number of shows in the list for that channel....
It appears more advanced than the zenith and some of the other now/next boxes.
Hope this helps.

Edit 5/14: I was able to see and scroll through 34 hours of programing, 47 shows on KCSM. On the other hand, I was only able to see 20 of 48 hours on KPIX. Both stations sit at the same level on the Sutro Tower. I determined the numbers of hours of programing being broadcast in the psip using a LG LST4200a set top box on the same antenna.


The ◄ ► and ▼ buttons in the INFO screen only do what the manual says. The ▼ button brings down a box with the program's description if one is available. The ◄ ► buttons just bounce you back and forth between the now/next boxes with the program information box showing or not.

Tufur THANK YOU for this information it does confirm the EPG

So it shows up as the first thing on the Next box then.
Looking at troydog's image it has (1/3) and the user manual has (1/15) now that you mentioned it I never noticed the xx/xx there before.

It also looks like you can do more with the Channel Information/Program Information screen using the ◄ ► and ▼ buttons too

Have multiple people confirmed this yet? What conditions trigger the problem exactly? Are people still buying this box despite this and why? I've got to use my coupon real soon. I guess I should go with the Tivax?

Here is a quote from a user who installed this unit in his Class "C" motorhome.
"An update on testing/installation of my new Artec T3A Pro DTV
converter, which is now done. I cut off the AC brick from the 12V
cord, and soldered the cord to the existing 12V pigtail to the TV -
the Artec works fine from the coach battery. For connection to the TV,
I am using the RF output, since this provides the simplest
interconnect and fewest wires. To disconnect the Artec, I simply pull
three quick-disconnect plugs from the back, and reconnect the two RF
cables to each other with a bulkhead connector. Pull, pull, pull, push
and push, and the TV is reconnected for analog use. The Artec is so
small and unobtrusive, that I will just stash it away when not in use,
and leave it on the table in front of the TV while connected.

I also tested use via the composite video and line-level audio inputs,
and the picture is of course slightly better, but fast a-b testing is
needed to tell the difference. If your screen is significantly larger
than our 13" lcd, you might want to opt for this connection. In our
case, these inputs are already occupied by our DVD player, so it's not
worth the switchover hassle. BTW, the RF ch3 output is apparently in
stereo, as far as I can tell - this is not always the case with
modulator outputs, but may be a federal requirement for these units."

As usual, your mileage may vary

I just finished living with an Artec T3a Pro for 1 week and I didn't hear anything out of the normal. I expected to as it has the LG chip. So, I went back and read through all the zenith tt900 thread for how this sound problem thing started. First we hear about chirping and are given graphic capture of the chirp. Then sibilance is another sound heard and we are given a graphic capture of the sibilance. I believe these people that posted that information. The information was real. Fast forward to 5/6/08 zenith tt900 thread and now the boxes are coming back from zenith warranty repair and only sibilance is heard. Posters start hearing sibilance on their other full featured DTV converters...At this point it been one week and time to transplant the artec onto the van's tv. I hook my LG LST 4200a stb back up and I heard sibilance on a news channel. But it was the studio audio, not my equipment. It was a live broadcast. I never did hear the chirping. I believe some zenith units were sent out with faulty programing or a miss selected chip that caused the initial uproar. Its a mute topic for me now.
I think all the gov coupon boxes are good. I would look for a fullest EPG you can find. I was able to go out to 34 hours with the Artec, but without show desription. I'm waiting for a s-video coupon box for my computer now. My other tv welfare card is good until July.

Update I been using this box every day of the week since I got it. Not one audio problem for me at all. To me theses boxes are for older tv's. For my hdtv I am going to buy a hdtv box that is made with all the outputs. But for my older tv that is just a tv set no high end type this works. great.

I did hook it up to my hdtv and it looks great sounds great. The color video thing in the menu works fine for me. Heck if you can not look at a tv show and see if the color is off then you might need color bars. But as long as people are not blue or green and reds are red I am happy.

The box is so small you can hide it easy. For the projector I used strong stick tape and have it under a shelf. The unit has been on since day one only time it was off was when the power went out.

Local tv networks are hard to get here but it picks them up great. Zip if you wondering how far tv networks are is 42025. It is the only box that has picked up the cbs network with no drop outs at all. This thing is great.

I wish it had s video but not something I would need that much. Only other thing I would like to see on any box is a front display for the Chanel your watching. Would be nice if the tv is off but you were going to record something.

Thank You! Second coupon is about to run out and this is the info I was waiting for to go ahead with the Artec. Have a 9" 12v TV for weather emergencies and that is primary need. Weather radio is helpful but the radar pics tell me exactly whats happening in relation to my location. Order placed .

Get a handheld, battery-operated radio scanner instead. Or at least for those times when the conditions inhibit your digital TV reception - or better yet, to add to the radar channel even when you are getting good reception. The live, storm spotters' reports on the county ESDA frequency can estimate when a storm front is about to hit you - usually right to the minute. They can also tell you specifically what kind of effects it's having - and if they are damaging, with every little detail. Can't beat that.

Then you can even follow your local utility companies progress when the power goes out, among many other potential scenarios.

Sounds interesting never looked at those. Before we get further OT can you provide a link for further investigation?

Either www.uniden.com or www.radioshack.com. would be the most well-known makers and sellers. Uniden actually makes most (or all now) of Radio Shack's models. At this point I'd get a digital-capable one though, even if your local area emergency systems haven't gone digital yet. There are Federal frequences and such which are only digital. And it should have trunking capabilities (most digital scanners will, though). I suppose for just bare-bones usage, you could get by without all that, but you'd at least need one that goes up thru the 900 mhz frequencies in analog. Actually, all I have are analog ones, and I still pick up plenty of stuff with them.

You can check and see what kind of frequencies your area uses (digital/analog, what bands, etc.) at www.radioreference.com. Just check out the database. They also have a forum there you can check out, too.

(edit: Wow, I just checked, and I didn't even realize that RS is also selling Uniden scanners now. Looks like retail pricing for the digital ones, though - yikes! - 600 bucks! Also, it looks like the BC370CRS tabletop model uses batteries, too. 24 hrs. on 3 AA. It's designed specifically for what I'm talking about - weather and emergencies. Doesn't do digital though, so if your local police, fire (or utility companies, etc.) are digital-only, you won't be able to monitor them. Some are one or the other, or a combination, and some simulcast both. And some, especially the larger metro areas and counties, use trunked systems, while some don't. Trunking is akin to the frequency hopping of cordless and cellphones.)

I installed my Artec in my motorhome, also cutting off the 120V adapter. I put 3 diodes in the + lead to drop the voltage a bit to protect the box. My RV has an "amplified" Winegard antenna with an output for "set 2" that goes directly to the box. The Artec is connected with the 3 cables to my TV. Box selection is on the TV by choosing RFin or "game". It works fine. I had tested the unit at home (using the 120v adapter) here in Manhattan and had 20 channels. I ordered a second Artec for home use and they accidently shipped me a "Sansonic" - also tested with horrible results using same antenna. Sansonic shipped back! The little Artec mounts "upside down" under the TV's cabinet - so it's "on top" controls are useable - a bit of heavy duty velcro did the mount.
The antenna in the RV is rotatable - and the signal strength indicator (a bit sluggish) but quite useable for getting a good picture. Some "heat shrink" covers the diodes.
Ken

Why are you guys cutting off the adapter?
So you are hooking it up to the battery using the exposed wires.

Why not use a DC adapter and plug into the cigarette lighter.
You could buy a universal adaptor and select the voltage and tip needed and keep the included adapter for Generator/AC use.

I was thinking of mounting the Artec (I don't have one) and found the controls on top to not be a good idea.

I like how the MicroProse has the controls on the front and you can also access the menu without the remote.

Not only that but I also like how they have ventilation on the sides so they don't get covered mounting it like the Artec would.

Analog PassThru is also always nice to have when traveling.

Probably because they have a single use battery application.

My plan is to do as you sugest as I will be using it on a daily basis for my shop and excersise room. Hopefully will never have to use it off the battery because that would be a bad situation.

Rammitinski,


Thanks for the pointers.

Can a owner tell me how this box handle aspect ratio? Can it display 1080i/720p signal as "Squeezed" while 480i signal as "Normal"? In other words, it will fully utilize the screen for all signals without the need of toggling aspect ratio.

I'm not sure what a level converter chip is. But I suppose you can make a RS-232 interface with 3 wires - Tx, Rx and Gnd (combined)?

I've been attempting this, and failing so far. Does anyone know the details of the "data port" pins? I have tried every combination of wiring those three pins to pins 2,3 & 5 of a DB9 connector. And then I've been trying every combination I can think of for terminal settings. I've gotten garbage out (in to my telnet session), but that's it.

I have noticed that the middle pin of the three will give some voltage out using either pin 1 or 3 as the common, so I'm guess that means the middle pin is Tx. But I'm not sure what that tells me as far as which one is Rx and which is Gnd. Maybe I'm just barking up the wrong tree entirely.


Yes, in fact you can either do "squeeze" or "crop" on 16:9 content to dispaly it as 4:3. The 4:3 content is unaffected and always displays as 4:3 no matter what.

Just spent a few hours with our recently received Artec T3A Pro, Sys. Version 1.0.4A (found in Menu > Options > Accessory). I'm pleased to find that listening even through a 120 watt stereo amplifier and 12" 3-way speakers at comfortable listening levels I hear no sibilance problem with the audio. We are equipped and situated as we described in Channel Master thread, post #236. I'm finding the signal level on all channels running at the dividing line between medium range and good on the indicator, much like on our HDTV. The performance of this box is entirely satisfactory, and without the curious sound skipping problem on channel 21 that we're having with our HDTV when connected to the same antenna cable. I also found that the factory default color settings in this Artec are just about spot-on, needing no touch-up.

In our situation DTV reception doesn't seem the least bit sensitive to orientation of our highly directional outdoor antenna, even with considerable multipath interference present in the signal on many channels. Though I'll probably be taking measures to improve the ventilation, I would say that the permanent performance degradation blamed on heat in a post early in this thread, was the result of a mfg. flaw in a semiconductor component that resulted in its very early decline. Heat does accelerate the inevitable in such cases. Overall, I'm very pleased with the Artec. Its compact size is very nice. I hope the CM-7000 I'm waiting for will do as well overall.

I have been using Artec for over a week and have not seen any audio problems at all. Sensitivity is slightly less than Tivax stb9. Picture quality is also somewhat worse than Tivax stb9. But still this is a usable box and I wouldn't spend more money on this type of boxes given that they are pretty feature-poor. I bought from digital star local pickup (Total after coupons was $10 for Tivax and Artec)