Zenith (LG) DTT900 CECB - Page 5

Seems with such high interest in the 40 dollar coupon's that stores would actually be trying way hard to get their hands on them.

Radio Shack is going to have the Zenith box in mid Feburary ???

Seems they could sell them right now...Today...Not 40 days from now...40 bucks is great...But hey it is not like 69 dollars in going to break the bank.

I would buy the Zenith tomorrow if I could great my hands on one.

Hopefully the manufacturers and retailers will see a need to get these box's into "brick and mortar" stores ASAP.

There will probably be demand before May since those coupons they are now issuing expire in 90 days.

- Tom

Coupons won't be issued until coupon-eligible converters are in stores. The 90 day countdown will start when the coupons are mailed out.

Caller ID blocking does not work with calls to 800 numbers, because 800 numbers use something called ANI "automatic number identification," which predates caller ID.

Owners of toll free numbers are paying for the call and have the right to see who's calling. Additionally, they can subscribe to databases of the billing name/address associated with the numbers that call them.

Something to think about whenever you can a toll-free number.

Are Amazon or other on-line retailers going to participate? It probably depends upon how easily they can add the coupon approval transaction to the checkout process. The NTIA only lets retailers participate that have been in business for a year.

Avio, I could've saved you the trouble. I used to work for AT&T.

man, those coupons are flying fast! at this rate, they'll have to start on the second batch by fall 2008.

I'm pretty sure I checked the specs and digital audio is allowed. In fact, I think one of the Philco boxes (TB150HH9) has coax digital audio. I don't know about the other brands/models.

I read the requirements - Digital audio of any kind is expressly prohibited. Just like any HDTV capable video.

Start here - http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frn...nalRule_2e.htm
Section D paragraph 51 - 56 for video, and 57 - 59 for audio

I couldn't find anything explicit about digital audio being prohibited (or permitted). It does say that digital outputs are prohibited, but that is in the context of video, and it's not clear whether that applies to audio also.

I guess we'll see - I'm not always right . But my interpetation is that only analog service outputs are allowed - which to me means no TOSLINK /Digital Coax audio, as per Paragraph 61

Any idea if one of these boxes can be controlled by an IR Blaster from a DVR?

I've given up cable now that I'm receiving OTA digital on my new TV, but I'd like to continue to use my Panasonic DMR-EH55 DVR/DVD recorder. One of these boxes would allow me to tune the digital OTA and record it onto my analog DVR via composite video (or maybe S-video on a different model) and line-level audio.

I wonder how similar the IR codes will be to a cable set-top box. Will I at least be able to tune in the major channel numbers (4.1, 5.1,) even if I cannot get the other programs on those stations (4.2, 4.3, 4.4)?

Won't know until we can experiment with them first hand.

I know that my Accurian ATSC tuner can be controlled with a Pioneer cable box code.

And welcome to the forum.

That's hopeful news. Operating this way, does it just switch the among the X.1 channels or do you get X.2, X.3 somehow as well, such as through channel up/down?

My family really likes having recording capability with our DMR-EH55 even at standard definition; I personally just want a stop-gap while waiting for an affordable no-subscription HD recorder with a really good digital tuner.

-Steve Goodridge (who will be moving the antenna out of the attic and onto the roof next week....)

Just the main. "X.1" channels. But that's OK here, where most of the subs are mainly an afterthought. Except for maybe 2 of them - one of which is the digital version of our main, local PBS channel (11.2), and the other shows old TV shows (26.2 - some real good ones you can't see anywhere else). But 26.2 will be moving to it's own, separate main channel pretty soon. There are a few others, but none of 'em are of any huge interest to me, personally.

I really don't care to record the sub-channels here, either. PBS has its HD programming on 4.2 but my son's shows are on 4.1, and those are what I need to record.

I look forward to getting the other older TV sets onto digital OTA as well....

I'm one who likes to record a few of our local sub channels. Two are for the kids, and one is the PBS HD channel.
One thing I've noticed about one of the up-coming coupon boxes is that it is designed to shut off after a few hours inactivity. Assuming the recorder can control the STB, can a recorder equipped with an IR blaster power a STB up and then change the channel?

I don't think so. Too risky because it could end up turning the box off if it was left on. But you should be able to disable the auto shut-off timer on these boxes. If you can't, then the engineer needs to be smacked...

Maybe not. Might be a requirement to qualify for the coupon program.

The Zenith has two connection options, a antenna cable or an old fashioned composite video (not S-video or RGB) like they use of old VCRs. Which will give better video quality?

IB

Composite.

From the link above about the Zenith:

Doesn't sound like it's required to me.

It's required to auto shut off by default, but optionally devices can allow disabling this feature.

Hmm the manufacturerFAQ file covers almost all the details on what is and isn't allowed in a CECB units. In fact 16. asks if Digital audio is premited and the answer to that is a No as stated in Paragraph 55 of the Final Rule document.

The option of Digital Out on a CECB is NOT Allowed. As it says in the on The NTIA site under manufacturerFAQ Question Number 16. Most every spec is in the Manufacturers Docs on the NTIA site.

Thanks for the info. Too bad...