Blowing down through the link that NA8 provided gives a list of "
approved" receiver/converters...
I personally would be very careful in getting one without seeing reviews or letting a friend get one first...
I purchased a Korean made unit a year or two ago (that is not on the list) and at first look--worked well. None of the previous complaints (loud fan, lots of heat, etc.)... However, as I started using it I found that there were lots of issues:
1. Our local PBS station (KQED SF, CA) has five digital channels. For some reason the unit started to skip sub channels (like 9.2 and 9.3, while scrolling through 1, 4, 5). Replaced the unit three times (for this and other problems) and each would develop problem after a few days.
2. I had to have the TV set to HDMI mode or else the more often than not, I would have to pull the plug on the DTC to reset it (appeared that if TV was not ready to interact with the HDMI output of the DTC, the DTC would get confused and give a corrupted picture--only Red and Green signals).
3. There is a Digital TV Guide available from most stations. The software in the DTC (my model) was not able to keep the data all straight and would confuse channel lists between stations (PBS entries appear on Fox channel, etc.) or would just give up the ghost and not report any listings.
4. One replacement unit was DOA, and all of the others had the exact same problems (or worse) as the first unit. In fact, I just kept the last unit because it had the same problems as the first unit (in the end I was just happy to have a unit that could receive DTC signals and not toss its cookies after 30 minutes of watching).
In the end, if these units are still in the $200+ range, I would not be the first kid on the block to try one unless you have a really good retailer that will work with you and accept returns after 30+ days.
If you have a "smaller" TV, I would look at just replacing it with a new LCD (or whatever you like) TV that has the DTC receiver built in...
If you have an expensive large screen TV that is HDMI or HiDef capable but is missing the DTC receiver--it is probably worth getting one--but make sure you keep your reciept and return it as soon as you have any goofy problems.
My other two cents--You may have to get a good antenna and antenna rotator. I live in an OK TV reception area, but have lots of hills. I got an antenna intended for mounting outside (looks like a 3.5' long piece of plastic pipe, includes a amplifier too). My TV is in a second floor bedroom and I was able to just put it on top of a book case and receive my signals from SF, Oakland and San Jose in better quality video then I ever could with analog TV. However, I found that this antenna was highly directional and I needed to position it within a few degrees to get a stable DTC signal.
I don't know if it is my antenna, the DTC receiver, signal strength, or the hills around the SF Bay Area (I get a fair amount of ghosts with analog TV)--but the system appears to be less forgiving than normal analog TV regarding antenna pointing...
I would be interested to hear from others and their experiences too.
-Bill
