Apex DT502 - Page 3

When you are viewing the EPG, you select the program you want to watch with the up/down arrows, then you press the OK button to put a checkmark next to the selected program. The box will then change to that program when the time arrives. It does not turn the box "ON."

Best Buy is the only place I know of to purchase this box. Also, be aware that APEX is now producing an "A" model. I don't have it, so I can't tell you what it does. WIKI shows that it doesn't have S-Video or Smart Antenna.

I find this very interesting.

On another one of the forums here, someone mentioned this about the Apex, and I did some research. Couldn't find any online reference to the automatic channel changing, so I finally downloaded the manual from the Apex website.

The manual seems to only say this-
"Reminder List is a preselected set of programs which you can configure in the Simple Guide to remind you of upcoming programs."

It only says it "reminds" you of the upcoming show. No mention of it actually changing channels.

Uh...is this something it's actually done in real-life use, or is it something someone's misunderstood about this box?

I'd like someone to verify this before I go-out and buy two Apex boxes. I need the box to feed a VCR, which means it needs to change channels.

I'm not sure how many other members actually have this box. I've had mine for a couple of months now and can confirm it does change channels, because I do use it with my DVD recorder..

But is it just a one time deal, or can you set it up for repeating reminders like daily or weekly? Does it change channels exactly when the program starts, or does it change a minute or two before the show starts?

It doesn't give you the ability to do repeating events. I'll have to confirm the time when it switches, but I can't believe it can be too far off the exact time, because of a previous show not being over yet. This becomes a case of needing the stations to be broadcasting accurate time data, because the clock on the DT502 will set itself to whatever station it's on. Very annoying when every station is different.

The DT502 does have multi-day EPG capability, although, almost every station I get, only goes to Midnight.

I bought a DT502 for the smart antenna feature, and finally got an RCA ANT2000 to pair it with. The RCA ANT2000 performs quite well for an indoor antenna (better than my decades-old attic antenna with a rotor that no longer works). The DT502's overscan issues really don't do the smart antenna feature any justice. I'm currently trying to figure out if any smart antenna boxes are any better, so if you have any experience with them (RCA, Goodmind, Alpha Digital, Tivax) please chime in. The DT502 also has other flaws...it does lock up and require a reboot, and the GUI and audio and video quality are inferior to the LG boxes (Zenith, Insignia). Also, the remote's range is TOTAL RUBBISH! So I couldn't recommend it, especially when compared to the Zenith box I have. If only LG would introduce a smart antenna model!

I noticed this evening that all the channels that I'm currently getting are now showing the correct DST information. My Zinwell is still off.

I changed my VCR and Zinwell VCR/DVR Timer clocks yesterday. It took less than a minute, and was much less hassle than calling the company (or local station) and complaining.

What if you want to record a program on November 12, but the Apex EPG is currently blank for that day? Can you still set the box to switch channels at that appointed time?

ALSO: Is the Apex reception better or worse relative to the Zinwell or DTVenemy? Neither of these can get channels 6, 10, 29, or 65 in my area... they just show garbage (Zinwell) or nothing (DTVpal).

No.


In my case the APEX DT502 and the Sunkey SK-801ATSC are better at receiving stations than my Insignia -APT and APEX DT250, with the Zinwell ZAT-970A, Digital Stream DTX9950, and RCA DTA800B1 being the same, in reception capabilities. My Ventura CECB was, by far, the worst.

See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...1#post14751681

Shucks.

Guess I'll stick with the Zinwell. I wish it had a better tuner in it. It doesn't get as many channels as my Channel Master box.

fyi for everyone here....TigerDirect.com now has the Apex DT502 and the Access HD 1080D for $40 >

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=4039

Why couldn't you have given a direct link instead of linking it through "click.linksynergy.com"

DIRECT LINK

By UPC and Model#, it appears that this product is not a DT502A. Total cost with S&H is $7.00

It doesn't sound viable- too many glitches and all these that have ability to shift the vcr or program the vcr seem iffy at best. I appreciate the honest feedback since I used my coupons on 2 DS9500's- meaning I would pay full price- shipping and at that point- not be happy. I don't understand why they made these so poorly with vhs and dvd's without tuners. Thank you.

Hi

they are kind of close, but which one. I have couple days left and I'm not sure which one to pick. I'm looking primarily for Smart antenna box and S-Video option is a secondary thing(it would be nice).

Any prons and cons?

Thanks

Have you read through the two threads?

Yes, I have and I'm still not sure which one to pick. 502 takes too long to scan channels, but how often do I have to do it, but it does have S-Video. Tivax scans faster and you can add channels directly.

Any help????

Scanning on the DT502 took about 2:29 to acquire eight stations for me, which puts it in the middle of the pack for scanning. You only need to rescan if you have a rotor. You will also need to rescan in Feb after the transition. I don't know about the T8, but the APEX doesn't keep the existing stations and doesn't allow manual station adding. Maybe the DT502A does, but I haven't seen anyone review that unit yet.

I don't have the T8 and I haven't seen anyone here that has compared both units side-by-side.

"APEX doesn't keep the existing stations" what does it mean? Can I switch channels by pressing channel number on the remote control?

Thank you

lepa71, check out this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post14996150

I would avoid the Apex as it doesn't overscan or keep the channels you've found when you rescan. It kind of defeats the smart antenna's purpose. You can't add a channel it didn't find on the initial scan and see if the smart antenna can adjust. For a few stations, I need to repostion the antenna and do a complete rescan, and lose other stations I had already found.

Add that to the terrible remote control and the Apex DT502's propensity to lock up, freeze, and require a reboot...

If you grab a Tivax, let us know how it performs.

The remote is far superior to the Zenith/Insignia. Those remotes are non-standard, smaller, & harder to read in low-light situations.

Sorry. I don't really care for remote in ether of those boxes. I have Harmony that works with both of them. I guess I wish Tivax would have S-Video ...
I'll go with Tivax.

I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree here. I find that the range on the DT-502 remote is sort of worthless (I've had to get up and go directly to the box a number of times), and the buttons are poorly laid out. The Zenith is small but intuitive enough that I don't really need to look at it. The Zenith can turn on the TV. If anyone needs some kind of reference, the Zenith/Insignia remote is remarkably similar to many Sony product remotes.

I don't own (or have owned) any Sony products.

One of the biggest problems I have (with the Zenith/Insignia remote) is that the LEFT/RIGHT/UP/DOWN arrows don't respond for channel or volume control and you have to go searching for the volume and channel buttons.

I just ordered two Apex DT502's from Compusa.com for $40.01 (before coupon). The website will not let you order more than one CECB at a time. Give them a call and they'll do the transaction for a grand total of $13.29 (after coupons).

I can't guarantee you can get this result but here is what I tried for fun and it worked. I've already bought an RCA DTA800B, Insignia NS-DXA1 and wanted some more boxes to compare for fun or give away. My mom gave me the two coupons I had ordered for her and I went down to the local Best Buy. I asked them to match the CompUSA price for the DT502 and they did! So I walked out the doors with two boxes for $40.01 a piece plus the California sales tax.

Nice!!

Other than the redesigned circuit board and user menu, what are the other differences between the older 250 and the 502?


If you enter the actual physical channel number (say 43.1 for example), the 250 did reconize it and I'm pretty sure it did remember it also.
Their support was not aware of this.

Different tuners.

DT250: Thomson DTT76852
DT250A: Unknown
DT502: Samsung DTVS22D
DT502A: Unknown