The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119054   Message #2578945
Posted By: johnross
01-Mar-09 - 09:02 PM
Thread Name: Tech: Digital TV converter boxes
Subject: RE: Tech: Digital TV converter boxes
I bought one of those Insignia boxes at Best Buy (actually made by Zenith). The first one produced a lot of background noise on the digital channels, so I exchanged it for another that was not quite as bad.

I later bought a second box at Fry's, made by Channel Master. The CM box is a lot more solid (metal rather than plastic case, sems like better build quality), with a better remote control and less background noise, but it's not as sensitive as the Insignia -- doesn't receive as many digital channels.The one distant station that had a marginal analog signal (the PBS station in Tacoma) is completely gone on every box I have tried.

I recently looked at a Philco box in a store. Looked like good quality, but I wasn't able to test for sensitivity. It has fewer options on the remote control, which could be good or bad, depending on your attitude toward gizmoes and obscure features.

Note that I am within less than three miles of the major Seattle TV transmitter sites -- Queen Anne and Capitol Hills -- and maybe twelve miles from the other stations. So my experience may not mean anything for those who live in more distant suburbs.