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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Schertz, Texas on 11/18/2008
I own three of these analog pass-through DTV converter boxes. They are connected to televisions on the second floor of my home. The on-screen set-up wizard was very easy to follow. I was able to pickup 14 digital stations. All the station transmitters are located within 25 miles from my home. As far as the remote is concerned, I was able to control two of three televisions I have. The other one is over 15 years old and the remote couldn't be programmed to fully control the television -- its in a guest room and is rarely used anyway. I could not be more happier with this converter box. I am now able to view television stations I did not know even existed. Also, this converter box works very well with a cheap RCA ANT111 antenna.
from Alameda, CA on 11/13/2008
I've had this unit for about 6 months now and found it very easy to connect, scan & program your favorite channels and does offer decent HD and digital reception. My dislikes about this product stems around the remote, from the poor layout of the buttons to what it's supposed to control.
Although the remote is supposed to be programable for compatability to any brand of TV, so you can operate your TV, volume & converter box, the compatability somehow drops off by itself and is impossible to get it reprogramed again! Or for some of my friends, not programable at all!
So now I have to turn each device on and off in a specific order so a deafening "white noise" won't be blarring from the TV. Of course this all happened after the 30 day warranty expired, so couldn't return or exchange it.
bad
from Wyoming on 10/29/2008
I had to return the Zenith model and get this one. It found the digital signal that the Zenith did not. This one will pick up digital signals that may not be the strongest.
I live in an area where I can get digital stations from 3 markets. With Dish, I can only get local stations from Erie while I use the DTX 9950 for digital stations out of Youngstown and Pittsburgh. I first purchased the DTX 9900 but exchanged it once Digital Stream came out with one with analog pass through. I can use the pass through feature for either my outdoor antenna when the box is on or Dish Network when the box is off by using a switch between the two. With the Erie digital channels going full power, I may drop locals from Dish since the channels I get now look amazing off air.
I love it!
They have falsely advertised their product as having large font, colors, etc. and it doesn't! [...]Don't buy it! If u own one already, return it!
from Chicago,IL on 10/13/2008
I like this converter box because it's easy to use.It show great high definiton picture. It's very easy to assemble and use.It gets even better it comes with a universal remote that can control your tv and the box with one control.IF you lost your control for your tv you won't have to buy a nother one you just use the one that comes with the box.IT is a the best converter box you could ever buy or use.
from Humboldt County, CA. on 10/11/2008
I bought two of these converters and they both work as advertised. I am receiving TV stations that I couldn't before the purchase.
I installed 2 of these in my Winnebago MH. and I am amazed at how easy they were to install and how improved my picture is. Almost like having HD on 2 older analog TV's
there is no manual tuning so if it doesn't pick it up just forget it
from mcdonough ny on 9/30/2008
i haye a digital stream and a magnovox i wish i had bought 2 digital streams it works 10 times better than the magnavox you need both remotes to use it be cause there is no volume control.you also get less chanels
from New York, NY on 9/26/2008
The setup was straight forward. Recently I started getting abc and pbs which I couldn't before (a couple of months before). Recently though all of the sudden a black rectangle appears in the middle of the screen. Has anybody experienced this?
Many talk about DTV but I cant find a DTV Box that will resolve 1080i or 1080p and that will not work with my HD TV
from Birmingham,AL on 9/22/2008
I've used the converter box for 3 weeks now and I'm impressed by the picture quality Ive been getting while watching regular television. Ive discovered recently that every time a plane flew over my home the signal would shut off for a few seconds until the plane was far away.Wish I'd known that planes jammed digital signals.I'll stick with analog for a while longer.
from Norfolk, VA on 9/21/2008
After almost one month in the mobile environment, the DTX-9950 is still working great! As a trucker, having a TV for information and entertainment while on down time is a must. Some drivers with extra $ to spend like to subscribe to a satellite service. For those of us who don't have the monetary means for such, a DTV converter with analog TV is a resonable alternative. My TV/VCR is a Broksonic CTSGT-8460 13" analog /w AC/DC. I purchased a small inverter to power the DTX-9950. I use the TV antenna that comes installed with the Volvo 630 tractor I currently drive.
When I shut down for the evening, All I need to do is rescan for the new TV market I'm in. In less than 5 minutes I'm ready to watch TV for the night. When I need to sleep and want to record on the VCR I set the TV to record channel 4 for the time I need and leave the converter on the appropriate channel that I want recorded. It's that easy!
After reading other reviews I thought I'd comment on a few....
JustMe from Suffolk County, NY on 9/8/2008: "Took the unit out of the box and it never worked. Weak Signal/No Signal. The meter would read '0'."
Have you gone into the menu to have the unit scan to find the channels to find the DTV channels in your area. Occaisionally a station will add programming to multicast; it would do you well to rescan using the update feature from time to time. You will also need to rescan on/after 2/19/09 when full power analog transmitter will be discontinued. Many digital signals will change channels one more time to their permanent assignments.
By Cat lover from Fairfield County, Connecticut on 8/13/2008: "Just got the Digital Stream DTX9950 converter box and plugged it in. It has a greenish light glowing but can't get it to shut off. Has anyone had this trouble. Both of the items I ordered do the same thing."
That "greenish light" is telling you it's on. Make sure you're using the correct on/off button on your remote (the smaller one on the top right corner). The other on/off button is for the universal TV remote function. There is also the on/off button on the unit itself.
By PonySoldier from Forest Lake, MN on 8/8/2008: "... lacks the ability to pass-thru an analog signal to your VCR. In other words, you can't record any television after installing".
Sure you can! Not knowing what your setup is I can only guess. Remember, the analog pass through function (the "A/D" button). That effectively turns the unit off (red light appears on box). You should be able to record accordingly. As far as recording OTA DTV onto a VCR, refer to my second paragraph on this review. This should work even with a VCR separate from a TV. Granted, you're stuck on the channel your converter is on but it works!
By OP Dave from Overland Park, KS on 6/12/2008: "I have a VCR which I was worried about, since I record the 2AM movie each night. No problem: just remember to turn off the DTV Converter, and the analog signal is passed through. So this takes care of that problem until February 2009."
Again I refer to my second paragraph.
By SaneoT from LA on 6/20/2008: "I hooked this up for my dad and found it does not have analog pass through. If you click Product Support, the diagram confirms a splitter is required. This is also verified on Consumer Reports. Having pass through would've meant less buttons for dad to press, since there are still a few stations that do not have digital broadcast. Other than that, the picture is sharper and all the 'noise' from antenna interference has been elimintated."
Are you sure you bought the '9950? Sounds like you have another unit. the '9950 DOES have analog pass through. That's what the "A/D" button on the remote is.
In either home, office or portable application, having a decent OUTDOOR antenna is a MUST! In most cases, set top "rabbit ears" will not work well if at all due to obstructions such as buildings, trees and yes, PEOPLE walking or standing in front of the antenna. If you cannot mount an antenna outside, try hanging one in an attic. The height and gain by using such an antenna will work wonders for you. If you absolutely must use a set top antenna, consider buying one with a preamplifier to boost the incoming signal. You won't regret it!
In my portable application, I have thought of two possible issues I'll have to watch. Yes, I've noticed the heat from the unit. I'll have to check to make sure it's ventillated enough. Lack of ventillation around the converter MAY be the reason why some reviewers here have said their units have either temporarily or permanently stopped working.
Also, will truck vibrations cause something inside to break or crack? Hopefully not, but time will tell. In the meantime, I am VERY HAPPY with this purchase.
from Albany,Ca. on 9/18/2008
The closed caption function is a nightmare.Spanish comes on instead of English,even with the CC in the off position.
The salesmen at the store were no help and the various phone numbers provided are never answered.I emailed for help,was told I would be contacted within three days,and am still waiting three "weeks" later!
from Philly, PA on 9/16/2008
Due to financial reasons I had to get rid of the Dishnet. I'm not crazy about this, but it will have to do for now. I hooked the box up to the VCR and what I get is not only the voices from the CD im playing but also the previous channels voices.
I bought this unit earlier this afternoon. It was simple to setup, and appears to work fine. I can't compare it to others since I've not tried them. Navigating the menus was intuitive, but the buttons to press were a bit clunky (switching back and forth between button groups to navigate).
My biggest complaint so far is that while it has these wonderful options for setting opacity and text size of the closed caption text, none of the selections I made were honored. They were all ignored and the defaults did not change.
For now I'll continue using the CC on my TV.
Oh, and I have checked the pass-through AND the digital TV feature for recording on my VCR. Both work. But I'll not be able to program recordings for more than one channel any longer, after Feb-2009.
If I have problems later I may re-review this, since right now it is only a few hours old.
I bought this mainly as a backup for when there's a problem with my DirecTV. I don't plan to use it often. But I did test it, and I was blown away by the quality. It's only a 23 inch widescreen (HDTV capable but no ATSC tuner) TV that I'm using, but I was still surprised at how this 480i signal was basically indistinguishable from 720p video I've watched via the TV's VGA port. I only wish it also had an S-Video port and not just the RCA and RF ones. That would make it 5 stars.
have issue with bad signel streght (channel are with in ten miles)
it shut down now and then
there is a "s" sound , on some programs sound
ill be checking around for better...
Took the unit out of the box and it never worked. Weak Signal/No Signal. The meter would read "0".
from Dallas, TX on 9/6/2008
Easy to set up and easy to use. Remote provides more features than I expected. I use this on a spare TV that is not attached to our cable system. This TV is used primarily when the house is full of grandchildren who can't agree on what to watch on the other TVs. Now we have access to many very clear broadcast channels on this TV in addition to watching tapes or DVDs. Previously the TV broadcast signals were too noisy or weak to enjoy, especially compared to high definition TV viewed on the other sets. Another plus is that this TV provides access to broadcast TV when my cable service is interrupted in the middle of the evening news - I hate it when that happens.
If you're willing to pay extra for a long term warranty, then this will be a good choice for you. Mine was impressively good for a few months. After a few months it began shutting itself off at random times and right away it would turn back on. It became so frequent that I just couldn't keep using it. It also began to have sound bleeding through from another channel. It wasn't getting hot and it wasn't being used more than a couple of hours in the evening. It was really nice while it worked.
Reception of channels was bad even with an amplified antenna. I returned this unit and bought a zenith from Circuit City, which worked much better.
Easy! Picture and sound greatly improved. More stations than before. Signal strength meter makes it easy to optimize antenna position. Remote works well. Totally impressed!
Before you buy any DTV converter visit [...]to see what stations you will get i.e Upstate Vermont isn't planning to convert over many stations. If you get weak Analog you may not get DTV. DTV does not require as strong a signal to be clear but it is all or nothing unlike weak analog that comes in lousy. This Digital Stream recieved 22 digital stations -1 more station than my Zenith, which I also like -using my Roof top 70 mile wing Antenna from RadioShack in south MA gets Providence, Boston, and some NH and Worcester stations. No [$]box accepts Cable or Sat, you need a TV game type coax switch. Remote would not turn on TV, only shut off but operated all of the box if aimed directly at it. Have not owned it for long, Zenith still OK after 3 months.
I too have seen the unit go funky after a few hours use. Returned it for an exchange, but only got back the difference between what the price was and the credit on the Federal coupon. Unit is WAY overpriced compared to other comparable retail units. Buy elsewhere.
from Toleeedo on 8/28/2008
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The good = great digital TV picture AND stereo sound but ONLY when you use the 3 RCA jacks for video and stereo sound. The Bad: There is a BIG problem with the RF modulator in this box - it makes/adds tons of "snow" on CH3 or CH4 for BOTH pass-thru AND DTV. DTV works great with the 3 RCA jacks, but when you use the F-connector RF connections, the same picture is full of snow. The Ugly - this box gets way too hot compared to other units. IF the case was metal, if it was larger AND if it didn't get hot, I would be a lot happier.
Using the RCA plugs, it's great as long as you don't accidently cover-up the unit and start a fire.
i've just bought it recently for my mom's room-size(19-inch}TV set and IT ROCKS.
It's multiple features and functions-including analog pass-thorough and antenna signal strength meter-makes it a MUST for every household to have it.
We hooked this converter box to a 15-year old Magnavox TV. In seconds, instead of 5 analog stations, we had 16 perfectly clear digital ones! Well worth the money after having used the [$] coupon.
from Tucson, AZ on 8/24/2008
The remote would not work right out of the box. Radio Shack replaced it without any problems. Now, exactly 90 days later the unit itself has failed. I wonder if Radio Shack will honor my request for a replacement? There are so many other options available there must be better choices than this.
from Norfolk VA on 8/23/2008
Worked great out of the box! Tried it out first at home using the tv's analog tuner. I now have it with my tv/vcr in the Volvo tractor I drive.
from Queensbridge/Silvercup on 8/20/2008
Tried first on TV = fantastic results.
Now using on computer with analog PCI TV-Tuner card. Superb results, good enough to record scenes for professional use on actors' reels.
We are next to Queensboro Bridge. Analog over-the-air was crappy, but this DTV is amazing; and FREE of monthly fees.
This product was very easy to set up, in minutes and improved the picture on this TV 100% with just rabbit ears. It is small and sits on a small TV very nicely.
from Richmond, VA on 8/15/2008
I have two converter boxes and they both work a few hours and cut off leaving us with no usable signal.
from Yonkers, NY on 8/14/2008
Prior to hooking up the digital box, I was already receiving a high quality analog picture on channels 2-13 however was frustrated with on/off electromagnetic interference on channels 2 and 4.
After hooking up the digital converter box, I was receiving a bunch of new digital channels and just needed to fine tune my topside TV antenna using the menu’s signal strength meter.
After that, all electromagnetic interference was eliminated and my picture quality is now comparable to cable TV, best part it’s free!
I purchased the digital converter to prepare for February 2009, and I was unexceptedly suprised at how much the digital converter improved the picture quality on our 10 year old analog TV.
Just got the Digital Stream DTX9950 converter box and plugged it in. It has a greenish light glowing but can't get it to shut off. Has anyone had this trouble. Both of the items I ordered do the same thing. [...]
This unit works great it let analog signal through, with just a press of a button. I even get more channels now and yes you can still record TV stations with it if it is a analong singal press the a/d button.
I use this as my primary means of television in my home. I have gone through quite a bit getting all three of them working connected to the antennas in my attic. The antenna position on digital is very, very, very important, much moreso than on analog. Some of the review on here are complaining about the reception, well I will say from experience that these bring in stations much better than the other 2 types of digital receivers I own. Also, these are NOT guaranteed to give you more channels, it all depends on where you live and what the stations around you decide to do. Good news is that things will get better in the reception department after 2/17/09. For me, I get around 30 channels, including all major networks and some local independents. Buy this box expecting to have to do a little work to get all your channels, but in the end it is worth it. I have had cable for 15 years and the picture is 10x better than cable, and best of all it is completely FREE!
I bought 2 of these for the only tv's in the house that do not have HD Satellite. Both work great and took no time to setup. All my digital channels come in clear and with a better picture then before.
from central Virginia on 8/10/2008
Very easy hookup, within 5 minutes I was getting 10 additional stations.
Picture quality is fine, even with the RF output only.
[1 of 5 customers found this review helpful]
Installs easily enough, but lacks the ability to pass-thru an analog signal to your VCR. In other words, you can't record any television after installing!
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Poughkeepsie, NY on 8/7/2008
I live far from most of my broadcast stations, where I was able to receive weak (snowy) to good traditional analog TV with an attic-mounted, medium-range, amplified antenna from my hilltop location (with good line-of-sight view in the direction of my stations). Most of my stations are 66 miles away, and I didn't receive as many analog stations as antennaweb predicts.[...]. For DTV, it tells me I need a large long-range directional outdoor amplified antenna for the 66 mile stations. With only my medium-range amplified antenna in the attic, I get all but one of the stations it tells me I should get, and I also get one other that it doesn't think I should get at all. With my smaller than recommended antenna, the converter shows a strong signal strength (almost always well in the green zone) and perfect picture quality for these 66 mile away stations. Each station has several sub-channels, so I now have much better picture quality and many more channel choices than before. I was worried whether DTV would work well so far from my stations, and thought I might need to try a bigger antenna, but this converter works great with my old antenna! I should have got one of these DTV converters sooner!I haven't tried other converters, but this one works really nice. The remote is universal, and I've programmed it to turn on and off and change volume on my TV so I only need the converter remote. Really nice on-screen menus and program guide, and there's nice shortcut keys on the remote for functions you may use a lot, so you don't have to go through the menus (the 4-option zoom function is really nice, to decide how you want widescreen format programming displayed - zoomed to just the center part of widescreen, or letterbox with black top/bottom, or in-between, or squeezed to fit).You can only program the channels the remote up/down buttons go to with the search setup function, but then you can mark the ones you want for the "favorites" key, and go through all channels with the up/down key, or just your favorites with the favorites key (or you can enter the channel number too).The audio seems to be in stereo only if you use the separate L/R audio jacks and video jack; the combined RF output connector (channel 3/4) does not seem to be stereo.
Very easy to hook everything up and easy remote w/menu setup but the few channels I get look good then stops coming in...it's like a bad Satellite Dish with a storm going through the area...Very Frustrating
I read a lot of reviews on the internet and went with this one. The people at radio shack were very nice and told me some key information...connect the converter box to your tv and antenna BEFORE you plug it into the wall. -hope that helps others-
I did as I was told and am very happy with this little box. I have 28 MORE channels! I only had 5 before (I live in SF,CA)
I love the EPG button (on the remote) that pulls up a page on your tv screen and tells you what is on in the next few hours. The OK button gives you a detailed description about what you are currently watching.
Have you ever watched some saturday afternoon movie and spent the whole time saying to yourself "what is the name of this movie" and they never tell you...now you have the blue OK button
Oh technology!
I have a small Panasonic television set with an accompanying rabbit ear attena. The setup was very simple and I began searching for channels and got all the channels I had previously (which is not a big deal). But when I finalized everything the picture did not come through. The only way I could get a picture is if I picked up the attena and held it up to my ceiling. When I did get a good signal the picture was flawless and the sound improved. Hopefully when the stations begin broadcasting in digital that my signal will be much better.
We are getting less channels with the converter than without. So, am not using it. The one channel I am getting does come it crystal clear, but I was getting 5 channels before I hooked up the box. So a disappointment.
Before, I was able to receive about 15 analog channels, most of which were very fuzzy. After hooking up this unit, about the same number of channels came through. Then, I moved the antenna outside, and was able to receive 48 channels, most of which are perfect quality. My distance to most broadcasts are about 38 miles. Moving the antenna outdoors made an enormous improvement in performance. As other reviewers have mentioned, the menu is frustrating. If you want to change channels while you view signal strength or electronic program guide, you have to press very many buttons. Overall very happy. Pass-through only works if you are using COAXIAL connection to TV, not the composite video cable, which was very frustrating to me as my coaxial connection is broken on TV and thus cannot use pass-through.
from Washingon, DC on 7/30/2008
Setup was easy, after I realized I should program the remote by pointing it at the TV and not the DTV unit.
I live in an inner suburb (DC), and gained a lot of channels after installing the DTV box. Reception is much better, even with a rabbit-ear antenna with only one ear.
it stinks... that's all I can say. I had 1 channel before I bought the thing and now I have 1 channel and, oh boy, 1 weather channel. So, I spent [$] for 1 channel, might has well have not purchased it. I get more channels and info on the internet. I live in Smithton,PA and got abc and I still get abc. big deal!!!!!
The Box Itself is great, the only bad thing is that RadioShack [...]I went back to the store and they said the order had not even been processed yet, they game me one they had in the store, but it had been opened by some one and the manuals were missing, which leads me to believe it was a return, I was also given the choice to continue waiting since "You don't need the box until next year sir" or "you can get $30 back but RadioShack keeps the $40 government coupon" (those were the actual words of the store manager) so I took the open box and went back to my home very disappointed in RadioShack.Oh i was also told "RadioShack is doing everyone a favor by providing this converter boxes and even delivering them at no extra cost"... which just made my jaw fall to the floor when i heard those words coming out of the manager... i took the box and i ran for the hills.
This unit has all the featers. Self programming yet it allows adding or deleating channels. It shows signal stringth for each channel for optimum antenna direction. Allows favorites for fastes channel selection. You get program guide for each selected channel. It is way better than I had anticipated. I will go back to buy another :-)
I live about 65-70 miles, or an hours drive, from the nearest broadcast city. My tv is a 14" Sharp, not sure on the year. The local channels have always been fuzzy out here, even Fox on occasion. I got my two DTV boxes last week, and with my coupons they were only [$] a piece, plus it's an Energy Star model. Once I figured everything out I was really surprised at how well the picture came in, even on the weakest channels. I still get All my local channels. I was worried that I might need to get an outdoor antenna, living out in the middle of nowhere, but so far it works great without one. I do get a little brake-up now and then for the weaker stations, but its been minor and so far has always come back. I love the built-in TV Guide.If things change I'll write an update, but for now I highly recommend this model to anyone who is still looking for a DTV box to buy.
The Analog RF Pass Through function works well (box off).
As far as I can tell, the Digital Version of the major local stations are currently being broadcast on the UHF band (as indicated on the display during Auto Program). I used (2) external antennas, pointed in different directions, with good results (picked up ALL Major channels and a lot of Minor channels (currently almost useless but interesting). I imagine this will change when we go ALL digital.
If you want Stereo sound, you'll have to use the RCA Jacks. The modulator output is Mono. You can always buy a stereo modulator but it will not turn on and off with the converter box as there is no outlet to control an external device.
You can "Auto Add" and manually delete channels. This is useful if using rotary or multiple antennas (you won't lose what the box previously found).
In my opinion, this is currently one of the best "low end" boxes and it's AVAILABLE!!!
There are "high end" boxes out there that have multiple video (other than 480i) and audio formats but they are MUCH more expensive and are probably useless for people who just want to use their current Analog TVs after the changeover.
Additional box feature descriptions can be found in the user manual.
from Chesapeake, Virginia on 7/22/2008
I am very satisfied with both Digital Stream Digital-to-Analog Converters I have connected to HD LCD television sets. I have an outside Radio Shack antenna that could be inside the attic. (Do not use rabbit ears) Before this installation I viewed nine analog stations, now I get 18 digital channels and most are "high definition". Each of the analog channels has a digital channel right now and some have three channels showing different programs. I am a Direct TV user because I hate high cost cable companies because they lose power and the service is gone including telephone. I’m always having people coming over to use my land telephone during storms.
The remote works great and the units are small in size.
TV converter box fits and works great
from Tulsa, OK on 7/21/2008
I set this up with no problems and no instructions. It picked up all of the local channels in a couple of minutes. I bought this so we could watch the other channels that cable company doesn't show unless you have one of their digital boxes [$]
from OKLAHOMA on 7/19/2008
Bought two, one for den one for recording ota. Works great, universal remote works good, easy to use. Any converter needs signal to work well. Antenna is most important to any box. Most people forget to use UHF antenna. VHF antenna does not work well. I have a roof top uhf antenna, picks up stations 75 miles away (very clear). Analog vhf picks up 50 miles(2 stations very weak).
We use it to watch tv. works well with my rabbit ear antenna. Picture is really clear. Very easy to install. Took less than 5 minutes to install.
from Rural California on 7/15/2008
I found the DTX9950 to be an adequate product that provides very good picture quality, however, be aware that if you are using the built-in channel 3 (or 4) RF modulator and you have a Stereo TV (or VCR) you will NOT receive stereo sound (just plain old monophonic sound). To get stereo sound with your Digital TV picture you'll need to use the three RCA jacks (composite video, L & R audio outputs) on the back of the box. It is likely that the other converter boxes that you can buy with your $40 government coupon are similar in this regard. The sketchy technical specifications never mention this design shortcoming. As other user's have reported, setting the "Preferred Connection" to "Line Out" drops the audio signal level by about 10 db for some unexplained reason, so if you want a reasonable output level similar to what you're getting with analog TV, I suggest that you keep this at its default "CH 3/4" setting. Doing this will give you a good audio level at the RCA jacks, which you might want to lower just a bit using the DTX9950's volume control to about 16 (out of 20) for the very best results. Doing this will give you good sounding stereo recordings with your VCR, DVD-R or when viewing on your TV. Although using the built-in channel 3 (or 4) RF modulator makes it easy to hook-up the DTX9950 when you first get it home, connecting to the three RCA jacks will not only give you an improved picture but it also delivers the best audio to your equipment at the same time.
from Queens, New York on 7/15/2008
DTX9950 - For Queens, New York - This product had some bad reviews before I bought it, but, they were false unless people writing reviews lived in the countryside. DTX9950 not just was able to catch many stations with crystal clear picture using normal analog rabbit-ear indoor antenna, but also improve the quality of sound for digital stations a lot. It scans for available digital channels with a single click on remote (Very good quality remote). Sound quality is very high with DTX9950. It comes with parental control, and, entire menu is very user-friendly. It is a $40 Coupon Eligible box and for about $4-$5 extra, you can insure it for entire year at Radio Shack. I would highly recomend you buy Terk HDTVa indoor antenna if you want to have finest quality video and audio quality. DTX9950 comes with Analog-to-Digital Passthrough so switching between Analog and Digital signals is all about pressing a button. DTX9950 have a built in TV-Guide (Program Schedules) for about 12 hours. You can check time, date, day, signal strength, tv station name, whether tv station you're watching is HD or not, mute, customize type of captioning you want with style of text and background you want, parental control with password protection, and if someone at your tv station spent a bit extra minute typing info. on what the program is about, you will be able to get that also. When you run a scan of digital stations after you're done with connecting DTX9950, change stations, and, with time, your antenna will lock into frequencies. Channes may not be available right after you run the scan, but, will be after 5-10 minutes. Buy with confidence, and if you're planning to buy a better antenna, like mine, Terk HDTVa Indoor Antenna, you will enjoy watching your new digital TV.
from SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS on 7/15/2008
I have been satisfied whith this box and have been using it for almost a month. It functions as expected. My next step is to hoist an antenna to a height that would allow it to be unobstructed by trees or other houses. This box is far better than any other non-pass through boxes from wallyworld that I have seen. Would recommend. Installation almost idiot proof.
Another government trick to get consumers money--and then existing dvd and movie players will now have to be bought. How much more money and inconvenience will government bleed out of us before this "game" is over?
from Albuquerque, NM on 7/14/2008
This is a GREAT unit. I spent a lot of time researching these DTV converter boxes. I went from 10 Channels in analog to 24 in digital and from a snowy picture to a picture similar to DVD quality. The only thing this unit is lacking is a programmable timer to change the channels for the VCR/DVD Recorder. I liked the signal meter feature. I got a nice clear picture even when the meter read in the 50's(with rabbit ears).
it took about 5 minutes to hook up and program, quality of picture is outstanding.
not good at all. i think the zenith one is better because it offers more features
from Napa, CA on 7/11/2008
I live in Napa, California ,a place close to San Francisco and I get 47 channels and every channel gets about 70-90% signal strength. I do not know how it would work with an indoor antenna, but if you own an outdoor antenna I really recommend it
from Maine on 7/11/2008
I bought two of these [...]They work great and very easy to setup.