Where is this offered? It's a restricted site on my work computer and the only other one I've encountered is bricks coupons! Thanks.

This is a "Kingbox K8V1" It is a relatively new box but appears to be a clone of the Artec T3A given the visual style of both the box and remote.

I would not buy a CECB based solely on price without researching. A lot of the boxes have significant problems ranging from very bad video quality (GE and clones), to bad audio artifacts (Older Zenith/Insignia and any LG chipset using units in pre April builds), to incompatability with other devices due to IR codes not working from IR blasting devices (Digital Stream, Tivax, Zenith/Insignia) or conflicting with existing devices (DTVPal), to whole features in the unit not working (DTVPal), to overheating (Digital Stream and others) to bad tuner sensitivity and rebooting due to lockups (RCA).

The following two links should provide you with a lot of informatation as to which is the best box for you. Overall, the current front runner is the Zenith with analog pass through or non-APT units made after April when the LG chipset audio bug was fixed).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_CECB_units

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=186

If in fact this is the same as the Artec (again, it looks 100% identical down to the box and remote physical appearance), then the Artec's did use the LG chipset which had had the audio bug, but only in pre-April builds. It also does have some complaints of running warm and shutting down, poor aliasing on diagonal lines (jaggies) and a pink hue to the picture.

This box does have the "feature" of a separate power brick so even though it takes more wall space, the box can also be run on DC power like in a vehicle with proper adapators without requiring a power inverter.

Doesn't say anything about "pass through" NTSC signal.

Right now, unless you want to add a switch, you want a box that can do both via the IR just like the TV/VCR switch on a VCR.

I bought a friend a Zenith DTT901 at CC. Got good reviews. There was 50 - 70 DTT900's and one lonely DTT901. Picture and sound are great (she's in view of Sutro Tower so that helps in SF).

harlock001 said:Wow! I understand that the $40 coupons are only valid on specific models of converters that the Gov has approved. Are the converters with these sort of problems on the approved list? Since the changeover was delayed several years, you would think that there would have been plenty of time to design these boxes correctly.The "approved" list shows all boxes that meet the minimum FEATURE standards and do not provide features that are NOT allowed (e.g. higher than 480i output, digital signal connections, etc..)

Yes, all these boxes have 'issues'. It just is what issues won't affect you or you just don't care about. So, yes, they are on the approved list but they all have different issues. Some are hard 'bugs', others are bad design resulting in lower picture quality or overheating, or device incompatabilities depending on more advanced useage patterns.

The intent of CECB's are not to augment high-end systems with complex switching from PVRs/VCR's etc.. It was to let grandma and grandpa continue watching over the air TV live, without needing to purchase cable, satellite or buy a new TV -- at a minimum.

Many boxes are know to crash, even the Zeniths have crashed with bad digital closed caption data. The worse boxes crash/lockup with low signal quality,etc... Thats why you must do research before buying one. AVS Forums, CNET and ConsumerReports all have done multiple reviews and are the best sources for information.

You're in NY, you definitely can get Digital TV. And the signal is much better than grainy regular TV you're used to, huge picture quality improvement.

I recommend you get a Zeniths 901 available Circuit City, one of the most highly rated model.

CheapInNYC said:Question - are broadcasters sending out digital already? (I know Feb 09 is the deadline). I'm wondering if I can get improved reception on my TV by using the digital box now. Thanks in advance.Yes they have and for at least a year and to 2-3 years is common in many markets.

Go to TVFool or AntennaWeb and enter your address and it will display a list of all your analog and digital channels available to you RIGHT NOW. (TVFool also shows you what will be available after Feb09). They also show antenna direction and distances (and more importantly signal level) to your exact address for each frequency.

www.tvfool.com
www.antennaweb.org

Davidyangdeal said:got the order,but need the coupon code, just did the coupon code application.But I have to wait for 20 days to get the coupon. Can anyone PM me the coupon code, I would appreciate it!It's not a 'code' -- it's a credit card with a unique ID assigned just to you. The card must be processed similar to a credit card by the merchant.

OP, you get red because you could not be bothered to take the time to:

1) Identify the manufacturer of this product in either your title or the body of your deal posting.

2) Identify the model number of this product in either your title or the body of your deal posting.

3) Identify the seller of this product in either your title or the body of your deal posting.

4) Provide us with any information explaining why this is a "hot deal," i.e. price is cheaper than available elsewhere, product has more features than competitors' products, product works better than competitors' products, etc.... This looks to be a very average converter box in terms of both price and features, roughly analogous to posting about a "hot" deal on 2L bottles of 7UP at Walgreens for $1.49.

EDIT: I'm not surprised this is getting red. It's a strange phenomenon that the average person often sides with the one being criticized instead of the critic, even if the criticism is spot-on and appropriate. If anyone giving this post red would like to share why you think it is a bad idea to include basic information about a product and an explanation for why it's a hot deal, please do so.

poohbie said:Were they strict about the coupon having your own name on it? The FAQ on dtv2009.org says that although you're not allowed to sell them, you can give away your unused coupon(s) to someone else (e.g. friends, family) to use.Correct. In the first batch of 22,500,000 coupons ($900 million allotment) you do not have to prove you "need" them and you are allowed to "give" them to others that can use them. However that doesn't change the fact that your name is registered with a particular number. Some merchants have violated the terms by not allowing someone else to use them. The government says that is okay. You are required to sign your name on a separate slip of paper at most merchants, like Wal-Mart. It's like saying to them -- "here, apply $40 to my Visa card, and charge the rest to my Discover card", so they run both cards through and you sign 2 slips of paper.

The first batch actually this week I believe has reached the 22,500,000 coupons sent out. However there were at least 5,000,000 expired coupons that haven't been used and more in the stream that will expire in the next 90 days. No word yet if they are throwing those back into the pool for new requests or if they simply keep the funds they represent.

There will be a second batch though that requires you to confirm that you cannot get TV in any other way (e.g. if you house has at least 1 TV with cable or sat or has a digital OTA tuner already, then you do NOT qualify). This is to make sure that the low income / elderly really DO get help to keep their signal, and not just pay for the common person to not have to upgrade all of their sets. This will be a much smaller allotment and will require additional validation and likely have stricter rules regarding sharing.