First Look: Dish Network's DTVPal Digital Converter

[partsman_ba]

Also, I assume on the analog pass-thru, that only works if you use the coax connection to hook it to your TV.

How would it pass analog on the composite out? You would need an analog tuner!

[partsman_ba]

Scott,

Good reviewing. Thanks.

How many timer/alarms?

How set:
manually with date, time, channel similar to vcr
on screen program guide PSIP

thanks

Have you had a chance to try some programming yet?

[Scott Greczkowski]

Its like a VCR to set timers.

While it can do programs by name, its probably beter to set days and times. I did not play with the timer feature much.

[ramimac]

Now this may have been fixed with the 622 & 722 but why can they get this box to read the OTA Guide and there boxes can not?????

[zoomer]

Scott nice review, but I wonder where is your OUTRAGE with the change in price? It seems lately your relationship with Charlie and Dish since the Team Summit love fest is making this site a advertisement for Dish. It seems Charlie was nice to you and your friends at Team Summit, but it looks like he was just using you guys. Charlie LIED about the price for this box, Charlie LIES about the number of HD channels Dish has(see screen shot from last chat), Charlie LIED about adding 20 plus HD channels several weeks ago because the next day he removed VOOM so he did not ADD he REPLACED. I think it is time to take off the rose colored glasses and call Charlie the CON MAN he is! I enjoy your site but your loyalty to this unethical man is drawing question to your sites integrity. With all the lies Charlie has been spreading it is no wonder Dish is in court so much. Can we REALLY BELIEVE Charlie when he says his DVR software no longer violates Tivo's patents? I for one will NEVER believe any thing that man says.

Charlie should be held to his previous statements about the tv converter box!

No company has really stepped up and said let’s make this transition happen. Today, EchoStar Corp. has said we will make those products available for $39.99.”

The box will be sold under the brand names of both EchoStar and its acquired subsidiary, Sling Media, for $39.99 at retail, and can be purchased via the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. ...



“That means every home in America, for two TV sets absolutely free of charge, can convert to the digital transition,” Ergen said. “There is no reason the digital transition can’t take place by February 2009, and there is no reason it will cost the consumer a dime.”


The TR-40’s features include up to a seven-day electronic programming guide, program search, parental locks and VCR auto-tune timers. The TR-40 is sampling now and will be available in limited quantities in March and unlimited quantities in June.

[HokieEngineer]

Now this may have been fixed with the 622 & 722 but why can they get this box to read the OTA Guide and there boxes can not?????

Because they want you to pay $$ for the guide data for the locals. It helps them upsell the local channel package.

[ramimac]

Because they want you to pay $$ for the guide data for the locals. It helps them upsell the local channel package.

I was thinking the sale thing while typing it

[rperlberg]

Sweet! Too bad about the remote not controlling the TV. How hard would that have been? I also live with people who are too tech-challenged to handle 2 remotes. Is there a universal remote that can control the DTVpal? I notice in the TVGOS instructions, it specifies to use the code for a Scientific Atlanta cable box. Does this mean that the DTVpal will respond to a Scientific Atlanta cable box remote? That's the kind of cable box I have, and I'm planning on having the DTVpal and the cable box in the same location. Will that cause problems?

[neljtorres]

Thanks Scott for the Information!

[Scott Greczkowski]

Zoomer, I am sorry you wasted your time writing that long message. But you do have a active imagination.

Like Charlie said on the Charlie chat the other night a $39 box is coming. This box however is not it. What's that mean? Your guess is as good as mine.

I am very happy with this box the tuner in it is amazing. As I said I have tested the RCA and Zenith units and they couldn't pick up half what the DTVPal could pick up. That alone is enough to sell me on this box, the other features are just gravy which throw the DTVPal into a class of its own.