First Look: Dish Network's DTVPal Digital Converter

[brownover]

Sorry to hear about your wife.
My wife is not really good at technical things and all the remotes she had to use to change from TV to DVD etc just drove her up the wall.
So I went out and bought a Harmony 880 remote.
You set this thing up through a web site and it has setting like watch TV, watch DVD etc. It works really good and I bought it on Amazon for about $100.00.
You don't have to do any thinking to use it.
Just a thought.

Thanks Wolf!

[A guy who read the manual]

Guy, thanks for the update!
...
it is still possible that the only guide information being provided to the TVGOS device are for the local over-the-air digital channels. Note the "Substitute ZIP Codes" which are listed on page 28 of the User's Guide. This implementation doesn't make a lot of sense since the DTV Pal will still be providing a conversion process of the PSIP datastream, and the GemStar TVGOS folks would have to support the Substitute Zipcodes. Why not just implement DVS-706 conversion and be done with it?
...
My hunch is the DTV Pal is providing a PSIP to analog TVGOS conversion for the local digital channels, and the substitute zipcode supports how the information is being presented from the DTV Pal (i.e. channel mapping, etc.).
...
We Sony HD DVR folks are a vocal/techie group, but our numbers are certainly quite small overall. Additionally, as I previously mentioned there are only a dozen or so CBS O&Os currently broadcasting digital TVGOS. I would love to test the DTV Pal and see if it actually supports digital-to-analog TVGOS since I have a CBS O&O in my area.

Yes, I agree the "substitute zip code" you must enter into the "Guide device" must play a role in limiting the Guide listings to OTA channels, whether the analog TVGOS data is generated from PSIP or converted from digital TVGOS. It's too bad the list of zip codes on page 28 wasn't included in the pdf. It's probably just a page full of numbers, but it would have been another clue for me. (I thought the vast majority of possible zip codes were in use. How many "substitute" ones could they come up with?)

Channel mapping is another interesting issue, probably also tied in somehow to the zip code thing. Some or all "Guide devices" probably can't send a channel number like "17.2" or "17.5" ("17-2" or "17-5" on some brands) to the DTVPal over the G-link, so it must re-map subchannels with alternate channel numbers that don't have the dot/dash in them (I assume)? The Guide device is treating the DTVPal as if it is a Scientific Atlanta analog cable box, and so the Guide device can probably only send channel numbers that SA cable boxes would understand.

(Interestingly, the DTVPal remote doesn't have a dot or dash key either. It has * and # on either side of the 0, like a phone keypad. I assume one or both of these can be used as the dot/dash for people using the DTVPal as "normal" converter box.)

I happen to live in an area with digital TVGOS transmitted by WCCO (CBS O&O), but I don't have a "Guide device," neither analog nor digital. I was just intrigued by the puzzle of what the DTVPal is actually doing to keep the Guide devices working.

By the way, I have a preorder in place for 2 DTVPals at an online store that I guess I can't mention here, and I'm still watching for an email that was supposed to be sent sometime today to everyone who preordered. It should explain the impact of recent pricing announcements, so I'll know soon if my preorder still stands. I'm hoping no news (yet) is good news; the guy running the store seems to be the type that will do everything he can to honor the preorders if possible, but he's said that selling them at a loss is NOT something he can afford to do. (He is not redeeming coupons until he can ship the product, unlike some fly-by-night stores that really screwed up by redeeming the non-refundable, non-re-issuable coupons on vaporware. My coupons expire July 2, so I may still have a shot at using them even if my preorder falls through during the next few days.)

[Hall]

I don't think there's any harm in mentioning provantage as they more than likely are NOT, and WILL NOT be, selling these converter boxes after all.

[A guy who read the manual]

Yeah, Provantage is one of the companies that really screwed up. I believe they lost their NTIA approval and can't sell ANY converter boxes anymore, not only the DTVPal. At least, they can't accept coupons anymore. They can probably sell boxes at full price.

The company where I placed my preorder is specializing in OTA DTV equipment, including coupon converter boxes, and has been trying very hard to follow all the rules from the beginning. The owner has posted info about the rules he has to follow over at avsforum.com, which I hope is ok to mention by name. They sold out all the DTVPals they had available for preorder, but they do have several other coupon-eligible models still available for sale. He had an agreement in place to get the DTVPal through official Sling Media distribution channels, and that is what may have gone sour due to the last-minute price change and the "now there are two different boxes" switcheroo.

I believe I read earlier that I can't mention the store by name because it is not a sponsor of this site.

[michael55]

Where can I purchase one of these Dish digital converters for $59.00? In PUerto Rico stores cannot keep up with demand ..They are selling like hotcakes ...please somebody tell me where I can buy this item on the web !! Send me A private IM .....THANKS in ADVANCE ,

[technoguy]

Where can I purchase one of these Dish digital converters for $59.00? In PUerto Rico stores cannot keep up with demand ..They are selling like hotcakes ...please somebody tell me where I can buy this item on the web !! Send me A private IM .....THANKS in ADVANCE ,

The retailer I'm working with will have them available by the end of the moth or on the beginning of July,I'll let you know when arrives.
BTW I like your avatar.

[neljtorres]

Where can I purchase one of these Dish digital converters for $59.00? In PUerto Rico stores cannot keep up with demand ..They are selling like hotcakes ...please somebody tell me where I can buy this item on the web !! Send me A private IM .....THANKS in ADVANCE ,

Like that Michael P.R. 51 state

I brought mine in WalMart in Bayamon they had two pallets of TV converter on Monday!

[davezatz]

I've been cleared to give away my DTVPal. If you want it prior to release, enter here:

The DTVPal Giveaway

[rperlberg]

Where can I purchase one of these Dish digital converters for $59.00? In PUerto Rico stores cannot keep up with demand ..They are selling like hotcakes ...please somebody tell me where I can buy this item on the web !! Send me A private IM .....THANKS in ADVANCE ,

Oh, Miguel, you just don't get how things work here. Maybe if we lived in some godforsaken communist country people could just post store names willy nilly to an internet forum in some misguided concept of free and open communication. But we live in the good old US of A where capitalism rules and fascist site administrators censor posts that mention companies that aren't sponsoring their site.

How ever will PR become a state if you people are still holding on to quaint concepts like freedom of speech?

[Scott Greczkowski]

I've been cleared to give away my DTVPal. If you want it prior to release, enter here:

The DTVPal Giveaway

Dave I got to get you on our podcast so you and I can discuss our findings.