Digital Converter Box

[F1N3ST]

So....I have a 46" or so Projection HDTV, its kinda old, 1080i though. I am in need of a digital converter box....with component or DVI output. The antenna receiver or w/e is non functional, so basically in my living room I have a 46" tv for DVD's and gaming, and a like 30" for watching TV, news etc... And its getting old. Thanks!

 

[unfalliblekrutch]

I would also be interested in something like that as it would turn my computer monitor into a tv, but I'm not aware of something that can do it

 

[Mloot]

How about Epvision's PHD-205? It seems to have all the outputs you are looking for.

 

[Shadowknight]

Samsung makes a fairly good box as well. By the by, you DON'T want a converter box, like the ones pushed in stores for the DTV transition; that will give you digital signals but NOT HD per government mandate; you'll need a box that actually says "HD tuner" in the description.

 

[F1N3ST]

Yeah, I think regular converter boxes do 480p 🙁, and thanks for the recommendation im going to look into it 😛

Is that $50 coupon thing still going?

 

[Shadowknight]

The coupon won't work on HD boxes, only converter boxes. And I think it was a maximum of 2 $40 coupons per household.

 

[Mloot]

The Samsung is a decent box, but I believe it does not have an analog tuner (for either basic cable or OTA). IIRC, it handles digital signals only (either ATSC or QAM). This may or may not be important to you. One major gripe, from those who have bought the Samsung, is that none of the menus are viewable through any of the 480i outputs (composite, S-video etc). You will have to use one of the HD ouputs to set up the receiver.

 

[F1N3ST]

Poo, the $40 won't work for this then, are there any out there for less than $150, or am I going to have to bite the bullet? 🙁

 

[Mloot]

There is also the Centronics ZAT 502 HD. There is a link in the AVS forum thread where you can buy it for $85. Because it outputs actual HD resolution, it will not qualify for use with a converter box coupon. But, it is still much cheaper than the Samsung or Epvision tuners.

 

[F1N3ST]

Just placed order for above box, should be here sometime next week.

Resurrection of this thread is win..

$95 Total.