[rblnr]

Was all excited as I'm moved to the 'burbs to get Directv HDTV. Visiting the local chains has yielded an unexpected disappointment -- virtually all of the receiver boxes on the shelves are discontinued. Am seeking advice on:


-- whether I should pick up a closeout box, and if so, which one. The only ones I was even able to see were a Samsung, the RCA DTC 100 and a Mitsubishi 500.


-- am I better off waiting until the next generation comes out, and if so, which ones, when might they be available, and why are they better?


-- where can I order one; the salesmen at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. don't know anything and have little available.


Thanks for any advice.

 

[ahsan]

Also, will next generation boxes be costlier or at a lower cost point?

 

[Brian Shannon]

I am waiting for the next generation boxes. I have heard there should be some this fall.

 

[Rich Peterson]

It looks like a few manufacturers are going to have a line of two or three STBs rather than one. The lowest ones are expected to retail for about $400 which is lower than this year's models. The step-up models will be more comparably priced to this year's.


New boxes will likely have more powerful OTA tuners and some will have DVI and/or Firewire, but other than that this year's models will work fine for most people and may have more features than some of the newer lower-end models. The Samsung you mention is OTA-only, the DTC100 is an older model that is still very popular but is RGB-only, and the Mit 500 seems to be priced higher than the others. My advice is if you see something under $400 buy it. Otherwise, I would probably wait for the new models.