News.com Poll
UPDATE (February 4, 2009): Both houses of Congress have now passed identical versions of a revised DTV bill that President Obama is expected to sign into law. However, it appears that the law will still allow analog stations to shut down starting February 17. See CNET News for more information.
The future of the DTV transition is still uncertain, and Wednesday the House of Representatives is set to vote on the latest bill to delay the transition from February 17 to June 12.
That sounds simple enough, but the reality is still pretty muddled. For one, the delay is still voluntary, which means it's possible that TV stations will turn off analog signals anytime between February 17 and June 12. (Some representatives dispute how voluntary the delay actually is.) Early switchovers seem likely if it's true that just running the analog transmitters will cost stations tens of thousands of dollars.
Probably the biggest reason for the delay is that the government-subsidized DTV coupon program is essentially out of money, so anyone without a coupon (or with an expired coupon) will have to shell out their own money if they don't already have a converter box. While the new DTV bill will end the expiration dates on DTV coupons, funding for that bill is dependent on the economic stimulus program passing--another uncertainty. If the DTV delay passes, but the stimulus program doesn't, it's unclear if new coupons will issued.
With all those issues in mind, we put the question to you: should the DTV transition be delayed?
Be sure to vote in the poll and discuss the details in the comments section below.
Related content:
CNET's quick guide to the DTV transition
Which DTV converter box should I buy?
One of the often overlooked aspects of the analog-to-digital TV transition is that the vast majority of portable TVs have an analog tuner and won't be able to receive signals after the big switch on February 17, 2009. Earlier this year, we wrote a blog titled, "Don't buy a portable TV this year" to warn consumers about the coming switch, plus the fact that the FCC had stated that it didn't expect any battery-powered DTV converters to be released. Well, that prediction was a little off the mark, as we recently posted our review of the Winegard RCDT09A, which is the first battery-powered DTV converter box that we've seen.
The battery pack is sold separately and requires six D batteries.
The RCDT09A can work off standard power like any other DTV box, but you also have the option of purchasing a separate battery pack and run it off six D batteries. While that might be a lot of effort for a tailgate party, it's an excellent solution for those that use portable TVs for news in emergency situations where there's no power.
The bottom line is that it's still probably not a good idea to buy a new analog portable TV--using a battery-powered converter box is a pretty kludgey workaround--but you may be able to extend the life of your existing portable set with the RCDT09A.
The new DTVPal Plus is just like the TR-40, except it costs more and offers an enhanced tuner.
Way back at CES 2008, Dish Network announced a DTV converter box called the TR-40 that was going to cost $40, include an electronic program guide and it seemed like it was going to be a simple, cheap choice for buyers looking to handle the upcoming analog-to-digital TV transition. Shortly afterward, the TR-40 became the DTVPal and the price went up to $60. Then the TR-40 CRA came out, which was exactly the same as the DTVPal, except it cost $40. And, as of now, you can buy both products from the DTVPal Web site, essentially giving you the option of donating an extra $20 to Dish Network for exactly the same product. If you're confused, don't worry--so are we.
Now, Dish continues to muddy the waters with the DTVPal Plus, which is essentially exactly the same as both the TR-40 CRA and the DTVPal, except it includes a more sensitive tuner and costs $70. A DTV converter box with a stronger tuner might be worthwhile for some buyers, but we're disappointed Dish hasn't been more forthcoming about the company's DTV plans. Buyers of the original DTVPal may feel slighted since they only had to wait a couple months to save $20 (on the TR-40) or have the option of buying a box with a stronger tuner. And while we're on the the subject, what's up with the TR-50, Dish?
There are a lot of DTV converter boxes on the market now, and while they all look pretty similar from the outside, there can be significant differences in their features and performance. The Magnavox TB100MW9, widely available at Wal-Mart, is one of the more basic converter boxes we've reviewed, lacking extra features such an advanced electronic program guide, analog pass-through, or S-Video output. While we could live without the extra features, we had a harder time struggling with the poorly designed remote. That being said, the TB100MW9 does do a good job with the DTV basics, as it pulled in a respectable 24 station from our Manhattan location and its video quality was only a notch below top performing boxes. But at the end of the day, we didn't find any reason why buyers should prefer the TB100MW9 over the competing boxes on the market.
If you were wondering whether the DTV transition was really coming in 2009, the recent early test in Wilmington, N.C. should convince you that there won't be any push backs this time. That means that if you're getting your TV using free, analog over-the-air signals, you should start looking at DTV converter boxes before the big switch on February 17, 2009.
The Apex DT250 is a pretty interesting converter box because it includes several features missing form many competitors--S-Video output, a "Smart Antenna" port and analog pass-through. We were even more impressed when started watching digital TV with the converter box, as its video quality was very good, rivaling even the Zenith DTT901. However, when we started comparing the DT250's reception to other boxes, we were surprised to see that it was pulling in 4-to-5 stations fewer--including NBC. The full details are in the review, but our summary is that unless you live in an area close to DTV signals, the extra features probably aren't worth the mediocre reception.
Read the full Apex DT250 review.
(Credit:
Dish Network)
Let's get the facts out first. Dish Network is now selling a "new" DTV converter box, called the TR-40 CRA, which will sell for $40 and is exactly the same as the currently released DTVPal. And that's not just our editorial spin--we've confirmed with Dish Network that the hardware and feature set is exactly the same, and Dish Network lays it out clearly on its DTVPal Web site. Even more confusingly, you can still order both models from the same online order form--effectively giving you the option of whether you'd like to pay more for the same product.
If that's not confusing enough, the history of the DTVPal and TR-40 is even more headache-inducing. Let's take a quick trip down memory lane to see how we described the situation in our DTVPal review back in June:
The Dish Network DTVPal is one of the boxes that shoppers can buy with the coupon, and we've been heavily anticipating its release since it was announced at CES 2008. Since then, however, there's been a lot of confusion. The converter box was first announced as the EchoStar TR-40 with a $40 price tag, then it was renamed to the Dish Network DTVPal, and now the latest news is that the Dish Network DTVPal and the EchoStar TR-40 are actually different products--yikes. The final story is that the Dish Network DTVPal is slated to be available at DTVPal.com on June 19, with an MSRP between $40 and $60. The TR-40 will come out at a later date at a price to be determined. If we had to guess, based on Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen's "Charlie Chat," the DTVPal will cost about $60 and the TR-40 will cost $40.
While it's easy to spin this as a win for consumers--new buyers are getting all the functionality of the DTVPal for $40 now--we can't help but feeling like Dish stuck it to early adopters of the DTVPal. Dish always promised to release a DTV converter box for $40, so why didn't they just originally price the DTVPal at $40? We always thought the cheaper TR-40 would include less functionality--to offset its low cost--but it seems that the DTVPal was just an opportunity to make a little extra profit on those who bought early.
If you're in the market to buy a DTV converter box, we have a full review of the DTVPal and it's actually one of the better boxes we've tested--although anyone buying now should get the cheaper TR-40. And if our review made you go out and buy a DTVPal already, all we can say is we're sorry.
Read our Dish Network DTVPal review.
(Credit:
DTV2009.gov)
While most American TV watchers and broadcasters are preparing for (fretting over) the long-planned DTV transition in February 2009, broadcasters along the U.S. southern border are requesting an exemption from shutting down their analog broadcasts--up to five years after the deadline. The House of Representatives, according to an article by HD Guru, has already passed the DTV Border Fix Act bill by unanimous consent. ... Read more
We just posted our full review of the Dish Network DTVPal DTV converter box, and it's one of the best units we've tested so far. The standout feature of the DTVPal is its electronic program guide, which can handle several days worth of data and has a layout similar to what you'd see on a cable box or TiVo. It's also really responsive, so cycling through a day or two of programs feels pretty effortless. Besides the EPG, reception and video quality was good (but not great), but we were a little disappointed by the remote--especially compared with the RCA DTA800. Be sure to read the full DTVPal review to get all the details.
Along with the review, we've also been able to get the latest info on the differences between the Dish Network DTVPal and the EchoStar TR-40.... Read more
If you buy GE's lackluster DTV converter box, are you stuck with it?
(Credit: CNET)We finally got one of our government-issued DTV converter box coupons in the mail, and one of the notices on the accompanying information sheet caught our eye:
IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING REFUNDS: You will not be able to receive cash or credit for the coupon amount, but you can receive cash or credit for any amount you paid out of pocket, if the store policy permits.
To be honest, that's not much of a surprise when you consider how the coupon program actually works. If consumers were able to get credit or cash for returned DTV converter boxes, unscrupulous buyers could return a DTV converter box then use the credit to purchase any piece of electronics they wanted--which is definitely not the spirit of the coupon program.
But what happens if you get your DTV converter box back and it's broken?... Read more
Sorry little guy, but your days are numbered.
(Credit: Wal-Mart Stores)Editors' note: Since the publication of this story, a battery-powered DTV converter box has been released, the Winegard RCDT09A. While we'd still hold off on buying a new portable TV this year--it's better to wait for portable TVs with new digital tuners--older analog portable TVs can be used with the RCDT09A if they have a composite or RF input. For more information, read our full review of the Winegard RCDT09A.
Portable TVs can be great for camping or in case of emergency, but you're probably going to be getting ripped off if you buy one in 2008. That's because almost all portable TVs use standard analog TV signals, and those signals are going to get turned off on February 17, 2009. And even though these TVs are just about obsolete, you can still buy them at places like Target, Wal-mart Stores, and Amazon. Some of the pages have warnings about the impending DTV transition, but some of them don't.
While it is possible that someone will come out with a battery-powered DTV converter--which could work with a portable TV that has inputs--we wouldn't hold our breath. The FCC's DTV FAQ page already explicitly says, "it is not anticipated that battery powered digital-to-analog converter boxes will be produced," ... Read more
