DTX9950 vs DTT901: Any comparative testing?

Unfortunately can't remember the exact thread, I think it was the "Help, I am very confused" One person posted the following in one of their replies:


"Both the DTX9950 and Zenith DTT900 (April build code 0201) worked well for me. The only major negative that they both had was low audio volume when used in stereo mode. This has supposedly been fixed with the DTT901. If your TV is not stereo this may not matter to you but I would find it annoying if the two converters had significantly different audio output levels."


? one of the zenith threads?

"Zenith 901 better than 900

This week I bought a 900 1082 version.


I hooked it up and it pulled in 3 stations.

The audio was weak etc as others have

stated.


So then I returned it back to CC for a April

build 901. After hooking it up I tuned

in 8 stations. Everything remained the same

concerning the antenna. In addition the

salesman at the store said that the 901

tuners are equal to sanyo tuner. He didnt

say that about the 900 april build tuners.

Tuner in the 901 is the revamped LG tuner.

The 901 tuner will drop the station half way

into weak field on signal level. The other april

900 build would drop signal when signal meter was

half full, ie well past full weak level signal.

My opinion based on my location, 900 april

builds are to be avoided.


The 901 audio levels are the same for both

mono and stereo and outputs are

nice and loud for both composite and rf.

Picture is slightly better on the 901, colors

seem better too.


901 has a better tuner and no audio

problems whatsoever. My advice if you

are still in the return window for CC

get on down there and get a 901 asap.


DTT901 84e00948

april 2008

804shng499735"


Not much detail but it is a start

I own both and they're roughly tied for tuner sensitivity so far as one can tell at my location.  I've a great personal preference for the DTT901 in usage, but it's mostly subjective, and it would mostly go away if the DTX9950's remote didn't have OK, down, and Menu all squished together (I'm always hitting the wrong one of those three).


The DTT901's RF passthrough works while the box is unplugged; the DTX9950's doesn't.  That may be a factor for some users.


The DTT901's EPG is just Now/Next (and program titles, no synopses) but it covers all channels of every station recently visited, and you can see what's on or coming up without leaving the channel you're watching.  The DTX9950's EPG goes a few hours out but will display only the channel to which it is tuned, and you have to have stayed on that channel for several minutes before it displays synopses in addition to the titles.

We've now had a chance to evaluate the 2 boxes and as dattier indicated they are essentially equal in performance with very minor differences in features (e.g. program guide, etc.). Neither picks up the regional Fox affiliate in digital which is no real surprise. I would be happy with either box.


Until earlier this week my neighbors and I couldn't even get the Fox digital broadcast using big outdoor Winegard OTA antennas. Ironically DishNetwork just swapped out my soon-to-be-obsolete Echostar 811 receiver for a newer ViP211K and replaced the 500 antenna with a 3 satellite horn 1000 dish. For whatever reason I now get the OTA Fox station in HD digital using the outdoor antenna pass through on the new 211. Nothing else in my home theater system changed. That makes 5 HD digital stations OTA we get with 2 others not there yet (NBC and WB affiliates). There are two low power stations I'm not counting either. They're affiliated with MY Network and The CW.


This Fox station had a transmitter component failure late last year which reduced their effective radiated power. They've indicated that they don't intend to have it fixed until next February when other transmitter gear will be installed/activated. FCC data shows their output will more than double then. I suspect both the DTT901 and DTX9950 will be able to pick up that digital signal next Feb as well.


--Bob

I finally picked up a DTT901 and I replaced the DTX9900 with a 9950, so I can add some impressions. As others have noted, as far as sensitivity and overall functionality, the units are very similar. I've been attempting to summarize the few differences I've noticed, or my view on things others have made comments about.


EPG:

I initially assumed I'd prefer the DS EPG over the Zenith because the DS displays more than just now/next. After limited use, I think I like the Zenith better. While the Zenith only shows now and next, it is way more convenient in regards to seeing what is on other channels. On the DS if you want to look at the guide for more than one channel you have to back out of the guide, change channels and bring the guide back up for each channel of guide you want to see. With the Zenith, you can scroll through the listings for other channels while still watching/listening to the current channel. If you see something in the listing you'd rather watch, push the ok/enter button (in the center of the arrow buttons) and it changes to that channel.


Heat:

Zenith barely warm. DS is warm, but not hot. Issue seems overblown.


Picture:

Zenith picture is slightly sharper, but not by much and is purely anecdotal since I didn't swap the boxes/cables/modulators to eliminate differences upstream and downstream.


Overscan:

Zenith seems to show a little more at the top and the DS a little more at the bottom. Or you can read that as the Zenith seems to cut off a little bit at the bottom and the DS seems to cut off a little at the top.


Sound:

I don't know if I've heard the 5.1 problem referred to by others. Both models as well as the DS DTX9900 all have pronounced c's t's ch's on certain programs. This may be a digital vs analog thing. I don't believe this is the same as the 5.1 left channel thing others have talked about.


Volume:

There is no significant volume difference between stereo and mono on the Zenith and with the volume at max the TV volume is similar to other inputs, so no audio surprises when switching from the Zenith to another source. The DTX9950 on the other hand has a huge difference between mono(CH 3/4) and stereo(Line Out). In stereo(Line Out) mode and with the box at max, the TV needs to be turned WAY up to get significant volume and would cause a significant surprise (if not ear damage) when changing back to a different source. I don't recall the difference being this great with the old DTX9900, but I may have left it in mono until I got my stereo modulators.


Zoom:

I don't yet think I like the way either box handles this. Since our locals go back and forth between widescreen and 4:3, both brands are often displaying in the wrong mode, so I don't think the Zenith remembering a setting for individual channels is that much better than the DS having a Global setting. I currently have the Zenith set to Set to Program, but even that gets it wrong half the time. It probably doesn't help when the locals go back and forth between 4:3 and WS constantly since some commercials are WS, some 4:3.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob A (SD) /forum/post/14122767


Looking through the individual threads I did not find any direct comparisons between these two models, hence this thread. I'd really appreciate information from anyone who has been able to compare these two models. THX!

Click to expand...

It may be apples and oranges, but probably not by much: I have both the DTX9900 (three of these, actually) and the DTT901. While I like both units, I second the observation that the Zenith has somewhat better PQ than the Digital Stream. The PQ of the DS isn't bad - no, I'd rate it as good. It's just that watching the same channel with the same antenna and swapping the two, I can see that the picture appears slightly crisper using the 901. Same was true when I tested a friends' Insignia against the DS.


In my setup, I can say with confidence that the 901 does a better job of holding stations without breakup than the 9900. If you have marginal stations, they'll be more watchable on the Zenith. Fewer breakups, that is.


If the signal strength is so low that the picture freezes or disappears on the DS, it'll pixelate seriously on the Zenith. So the 901 isn't a cure all for weak signals or bad multipath. But for folks who don't have solid signal levels in the green range, I'd say the Zenith was the better choice.


[ Two of my 9900's are at a house in another state with a chimney mounted VHF/UHF antenna. No preamp. That antenna has line-of-sight to the transmitters 45 miles away. With that set up, the signals are typically 85-95% on the DS converters. The one I'm comparing to the Zenith is using an indoor UHF antenna in a townhouse 33 miles from the transmitters. With very careful antenna positioning, I can only get signal levels up to 35% or so.

As others have pointed out, for OTA DTV, what matters most is antenna, antenna, antenna! ]


I don't know how they compare at handling strong signal overload. I don't have that situation.


The DTX9900 does have some overscan cut off of the bottom of the picture.

I consider the number of lines cut off to be no big deal. Others might find that more objectionable. I've read that the Apex box with APT has serious overscan, FWIW.


Some people have expressed a preference for one remote over the other.

Both are fine, in my opinion. I also found both sets of menus easy to learn and quite acceptable.


I do like the DS' numeric signal strength meter over the bar with audio beeps for the Zenith. The beeps are intended, I'd assume, to help you adjust the antenna when you aren't in position to watch the strength bar. Problem is, the 901 exits signal strength mode on its own before I'm finished tweaking the antenna position.


Sorry that this is a 9900 vs. 901 not a 9950 vs. 901 comparison. But, to my knowledge, the main differences between the 9900 and 9950 are the addition of APT and associated changes to the remote button functions. Performance-wise, I'd expect the two DS's to be very close.



Quote:
Originally Posted by rmcneil321 /forum/post/14228602


Zoom:

I don’t yet think I like the way either box handles this. Since our locals go back and forth between widescreen and 4:3, both brands are often displaying in the wrong mode, so I don’t think the Zenith remembering a setting for individual channels is that much better than the DS having a Global setting. I currently have the Zenith set to “Set to Program”, but even that gets it wrong half the time. It probably doesn’t help when the locals go back and forth between 4:3 and WS constantly since some commercials are WS, some 4:3.

Click to expand...

I'd guess that for most CECB users, the two biggest annoyances with OTA DTV will be the occasional picture breakups and freezes, and the frequent changes in aspect ratio. Sometimes, the programming switches the transmitted ratio when they see fit. When channel surfing, you again bounce between ratios. These aren't CECB-only issues, of course. Just a reality of the era we live in with a mix of 4:3 and 16:9 programming, 4:3 and 16:9 displays, and the occasional 14:9 and various legacy widescreen film aspect ratios.


OK, maybe varying audio levels and audio compression levels runs a close 3rd to the above annoyances.


But maybe I'm wrong. Here on AVS Forum, it seems there is a huge interest in a CECB that will let you continue to use your VCR to timeshift programs. Could be that once the general population figures out that this is a problem resulting from the DTV transition, they'll rank this as the most serious issue, too.