RCA Digital TV Converter

Average Joe’s Recommended Converter Box for the “Hanging in There” TV User

The “Hanging in There” TV group is mainly for people that have no plans in upgrading their analog TV sets anytime soon and don’t really put much importance on new DTV features. This group also includes the elderly that just want something simple and effective to continue enjoying TV the way they’ve always had. For these people I recommend the RCA Digital TV Converter.

Model: RCA DTA800B1
Package includes: Instructions, converter box, remote and coax cable
Inputs: co-axial antenna, smart antenna port
Outputs: standard definition via RCA (yellow / red / white) and co-axial
Pros: Remote is simple, universal with the TV and user friendly with its large buttons and writing, box is compact and can be set up in multiple positions for a best fit, can be bought from most major retailers
Cons: Program guide is essentially non-existent and other DTV features are fairly limited so don’t expect any razzle-dazzle from this model

It Gets the Job Done

When evaluating this converter box and discovering its straight-forward ease of use, I definitely had the elderly in mind. I’m sure some of you out there may have been acting as “digital transition experts” to an elderly parent, friend or neighbour these past few weeks. I myself have had my own family members to assist and I found the RCA converter box the perfect fit for an elderly family member who probably will watch his analog TV until he hits the retirement home.



Appearance

The box is compact and has a typical black plastic finish you’d find on a DVD or Blu-Ray player. One feature I found advantageous is that unlike other converter boxes, it has two large channel up and down buttons on the front as well as an on/off button. A green indicator LED lets you know when it is working.An extra bonus is that the box can be placed lying flat, or a small “foot” can be swivelled out to place it upright. This last feature is particularly useful if you want to install the box to the left or right of the TV instead of taking up valuable shelf space in a TV unit (prime real estate for all those other electronics).The remote is excellent in its simplicity and layout. The buttons are large and the numbers clearly written in large type. On top of that, it controls the TV power, inputs and volume via a code listed in the instruction manual so there is no need to keep the TV remote lying around. The remote buttons are also coloured such that it is easy to see which buttons control TV features (grey) and which control the converter box features (white).

Setup

The initial setup isn’t complicated but it’s not as easy as some of the other models available. Then again the setup is basically done once and then forgotten. The good news is the tools are there and easy enough to use to help you point the antenna and to scan for channels.Also, the all-important option to re-scan to add channels without losing the existing channels saved is also present, meaning people with antenna rotators or indoor antennas that need tuning for different channels will be happy.What’s interesting is that this box also has a smart antenna feature. After doing a bit of my own research (no thanks to the salespeople at the stores carrying these boxes), it appears that certain so-called “smart” antennas are able to electronically tune themselves to have optimized reception without needing physical adjustement. Essentially, a true smart antenna is able to internally and electronically adjust itself for different channels without the need to be moved physically, and the way the box communicates what orientation is needed for which channel is via this smart antenna port (kind of looks like an Ethernet port). While this is an interesting concept as it means saying good-bye to fidgeting and moving an antenna when channels are changed, it appears the market for these antennas is not very strong. An indoor and outdoor version of a smart antenna existed but neither are available for retail anymore, which is shame. Nonetheless, the feature still exists as a bonus should you ever find a used one for resale and want to try it out.

Guide and Program Info

The guide on the RCA converter is fairly weak, so it definitely should not be one of the major features you are looking for should you decide to buy this box. The so-called “guide” consists of a channel list showing all channels available by name and an on-screen pop-up of the program info about the current show (should it be available from your broadcaster). There are no browsing features available or indication of what the next program is.The standard on-screen display info shows the program title, channel, time and antenna strength (the latter always being a huge positive so you’ll know whether the antenna needs to be adjusted).

Ease of use

Once the setup is complete and if your expectations are in line, this converter box is easy to use. The key here is don’t look for the new razzle-dazzle DTV features – the box will basically give you a post-transition DTV experience that was pretty much like you had pre-transition. I also found it perfect for elderly people and here’s why:

First, the remote: You have no idea on how important a universal remote is to an elderly person, and neither did I. I had bought a different box for an elderly family member that didn’t completely replace the TV remote. The result was two remotes on the sofa and a lot of confusion. The family member would forget and enter the channels on his trusty old TV remote like he had been doing for years, only to pop his TV out of VIDEO mode and into a screen of blaring static. After many calls to “tech support” (i.e. me) I replaced the box with the RCA unit and hid the TV remote at the back of the drawer. All is well now.

Second, the remote layout: The remote is uncluttered, there are no new features to cause confusion and the buttons are large and easy to read - great for people with less-than perfect eyesight. Also, closed captioning is just one button away making it easy for people with hearing problems to switch it on and off.

Third, the channel control and power buttons are on the converter box. There have been several times when the aforementioned family member has forgot where the remote is only to find it between the sofa cushions a few hours later. There have also been times when the batteries have died and he’s had to wait for his weekly visit from “tech support” to change them. Believe it or not, many boxes on the market do not have any buttons on them meaning if you can’t use the remote, you’re out of luck. Having the button on the box at least lends a lifeline to a remote-less TV viewer as they are at least able to manually power it on and change channels.

As for the other DTV features that are blatantly missing (the biggest being the guide), I found these features of not much interest to my elderly family member. He was used to the good ol’ days of analog TV and to this day the paper copy of the weekly TV Guide never leaves the side table in the TV room. So I guess no biggie there?

Performance

According to Consumer Reports, the RCA converter box classifies as one of the “better” boxes for picture quality (remember, best = DVD quality on an analog TV). Our in-house testing determined the same: picture edges were sharp and there was minimal blur during fast-moving sequences.

The tuner sensitivity was good as well; compared to other DTV built-in tuners and converter boxes there were no unusual drop-outs or less-than-robust pixilation during bad weather. It was always able to capture the same channels when tested from the same antenna setup at equal or better strength.
Easy to Purchase
One of the best things about this box is that it is very easy to purchase in Canada. It is carried by two major chains: Canadian Tire and Sears. Both are reputable stores with good return policies should you realize this is not the right fit for your TV needs.

Although prices have fluctuated around the digital transition date, Sears always seemed to have a slight edge over Canadian Tire. It retails for just under $60, and there have been no major sales to date on this item. I do give a slight edge to Sears as you can easily order it online and have it shipped to one of Sears’ many pick-up locations to save you a drive into town. Also, if you are a Sears card member you can use your promotion benefits or coupons on this item to save a bit.

Conclusion

This box is your easiest bet and will give you a TV that will pretty much have the same functionality as pre-transition. Don’t expect all the new DTV bells and whistles as the other boxes have, but look forward to something that is easy to purchase, simple to use and the perfect converter box for an elderly person suddenly stuck in the digital TV age.

Dish Network DTVPal

Average Joe’s Recommended Converter Box for the “Anything but Obsolete” TV crowd

In my previous post I identified the “anything but obsolete” group as those that wanted to keep their analog TV for a while longer without breaking the bank, and yet enjoy the new benefits of the DTV viewing experience. For these people I recommend the DTVPal converter box from Dish Network (yes, the satellite company).

Model: Dish Network DTVPal

Package includes: Instructions, converter box, DC power supply, remote and coax cable

Inputs: co-axial antenna

Outputs: standard definition via RCA (yellow / red / white) and co-axial

Pros: Best program guide and user interface I’ve ever seen on a converter box, good picture quality, sensitive tuner, easy to setup and add / edit channels.

Cons: Remote cannot control the TV power, with the digital conversion over in the US the box is end-of-life and can only be bought off aftermarket sources (not retail)

The “WOW” Factor

Having tested a few converter boxes, nothing knocked my socks off like the DTV Pal. Unsuspecting test subjects at the Average Joe household thought that I had a satellite receiver connected to the TV; nobody could believe that this was running off an antenna. The program guide, the antenna alignment tools, the features and snazzy graphics … if you’re looking for the wow factor, this is the converter box that delivers it.
Appearance

The box itself is compact and discrete-looking with its black colour and only one green LED that lights up when in use. It does not look out-of place at all in a modern home theatre setup. The remote is ergonomic and looks high-end, its buttons are all a good size and are clearly labeled. There are no buttons or controls on the box.
Setup

The initial setup is one of the easiest I’ve seen on the market. An on-screen setup wizard guides you step by step through the installation process and lets you optimize your antenna placement before running a full scan, which is a very smart feature to have. Essentially you manually enter the channel RF numbers and use the signal strength to guide your antenna placement. For my test setup, I used one channel from the US and one local. Once your antenna is in the right spot, you go to the next step that runs a full scan; you sit back and watch as it identifies each channel it pulls in.Once the scan is done, it downloads the program guide with a progress screen similar to what the big boys on the satellite services have. I never had an OTA receiver box make me feel so classy. One note: if the box has been powered off for a while, the program guide will need to be re-downloaded with fresh information next time you start it up. The delay could be a bit annoying but this step can always be skipped. Besides that, the guide does update itself automatically every so often and if new channels are found they will be added automatically as well. You also have the option to perform re-scans without losing the previously scanned channels which is great for people that have signals coming from different directions and need to use antenna rotors or re-adjust indoor antennas.
As an extra bonus there is even an option manually punch in the RF frequency of a channel and see if the receiver can grab it, which is good for those hard to-reach channels that you just can’t seem to find in an automatic scan.

THIS is what a DTV guide should be!

Now the best part of it all – the program guide. By the way, Bell TV subscribers may find the user interface very familiar, and with good reason too as Bell essentially use re-branded Dish Network receivers. The program guide displays days of information (if available from the broadcaster) in a very easy to browse and user-friendly table. Not only do you get to see your entire programming selection at a glance, but options allow you to search the listing as well. Compare this to the program guide or “onscreen info” provided on the converter boxes in the big stores and you’ll see why this is easily its best in its class. It even beats out several newer satellite / cable boxes I’ve seen (yes Videotron, I’m talking to you: the 1990’s video game industry called, they want their graphics back). As a bonus, even the channel names can be manually edited in the guide to say whatever you want instead of the default DTV station callsign (i.e. "CTV-HD" instead of "WBRF-18")As if it couldn’t get any better, you can even search the guide for your program title and then set up auto-tuning to plan your night of TV watching and have the channels switch automatically. Once again, go ask those salespeople what do those other converter boxes have?

Ease of use:

The remote is well laid out which simply adds to the great user interface provided by the DTVPal. I absolutely love the “View TV” button which no matter where you are in the menu or guide automatically brings you right back to your show. The main program guide is one button away, and by using the left and right arrows you can access an on-screen minimalist version guide for browsing while watching your show.
Program info is also a button push away, and by default the antenna strength is shown when the main program banner appears which is an added bonus as it gives you a heads up to adjust your antenna if you see the bar a bit too low on the scale. In any case, at any point a warning message is automatically displayed if the level begins to drop to levels where degradation may occur, just like the big boys with satellite subscriptions have. Nice.Two small pet peeves concerning the remote: I would have loved to be able to control my TV power with this remote. The DTVPal remote is so ergonomic and sexy that I would have liked nothing more than to take my TV remote and archive it in a drawer in my TV stand. Oh well. The other thing is you may notice there are no dots or hyphens so keying in a DTV subchannel is a bit awkward: rather than dialling say 4-2 or 4.2, you need to tap in 0042 and the receiver will interpret it as 004-2. A small little inconvenience, but to honest with the guide being as good as it is I find myself changing channels mostly through the guide screen than anything.

Performance:

When compared to other boxes and TV tuners, the DTVPal was found to have the same if not better reception than standard tuners or converter boxes. During certain bouts of bad weather, I found the receiver held onto signals of lower strength much better than my TV tuner. The picture quality is good although other boxes may have marginally better results as per the Consumer Reports chart but there are really no majorly detrimental issues with the picture quality.

It sounds awesome, so where do I buy one?

You have to remember one thing – analog TVs are a thing of the past so a converter box is essentially a one-off piece of technology for obsolete equipment. The bad news is that with the DTV transition being over in the US, the market has shrunk and the DTVPal is no longer available for retail sale.

The good news however is that all those analog TV owners that gobbled up these boxes in 2009 in the US are starting to replace their TVs and are putting their used DTVPal boxes up for sale. With the Canadian dollar essentially at par (if not better) than the American, buying a used DTVPal off eBay or a similar website is your best bet to get this awesome box at a seriously reduced price.

With shipping included, you should be able to find a used DTVPal in good condition for around $50 USD, which is reasonable given the prices of new but inferior converters. As with all online purchases, just remember Average Joe’s golden rules for buying online:

- For used items, make sure the photos in the listing are of the unit that will be mailed to you

- Do your research on the vendor – do they have good feedback, are easy to contact and seem reputable?

- Inquire on which payment service will give you a better conversion rate. Don’t be shy to call your credit card company or compare their rates online to PayPal.

- NEVER ship across the border in anything besides United States Postal Service or Canada Post. Services such as UPS or FedEx will incur you extra brokerage fees that are more than likely not included in the price and are 100% your responsibility to pay once it’s delivered.

- Clean your used item when you receive it, especially in this case the remote which has been manipulated by strangers. I suggest using Lysol Disinfectant Wipes.

Conclusion:

Although you may be stuck with a standard definition TV for a while, the Dish Network DTVPal will let you enjoy those years with its awesome features. By far it is the only converter box out there that has that “wow” factor. If you want one: do your research, be patient and you’ll bag yourself a great deal buying a used unit in good condition online.

Welcome to the DTV Era

Happy Digital Transition Day Everyone!

The day has arrived! Across the country analog transmitters are being turned off and new digital TV stations are going to full strength. Important: Be sure to run a new channel scan on your TV / receiver / converter box as many of the DTV stations have changed VF bands, increased their power or just came online.

Also, why not show the naysayers that the DTV transition was worth it and people did notice: take a few moments to write an email to your local digital TV stations and media outlets like the major newspapers to say how thrilled you are as an OTA viewer with their new, sharp digital images and what it has done to your TV experience. Remember, this transition was quite consuming on them in terms of manpower and expenses - be sure to make people know that it was worth it.

Once again, happy digital transition day everyone from YOUR Average Joe.

Converter Boxes - Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask

What’s the Deal With Converter Boxes?

I think the largest amount of questions I’ve received to date were from people scrambling to figure out if they need a converter box and if so, which one to buy. After some extensive testing and research, YOUR Average Joe here to help take the confusion out of conversion.

A little clarification first!

First and foremost, I hate the name “converter” box. The word converter seems to have caused a lot of mix-ups with most people thinking they simply plug it in between their antenna and analog TV and the digital over-the-air signal magically becomes analog again so that they can use their TV as they did before. WRONG! … and I don’t blame you if you were confused. For me a converter is like those white thingies you bring with you to Europe to plug into the wall so that you can use your hairdryer from home. A DTV converter box works differently.

A better name would be a “DTV receiver”. Fact of the matter is it’s used for OTA DTV in the same way as a satellite or digital cable box would be used, essentially over-riding the tuner on your TV. Your old analog TV does not have the digital tuner needed to decode and display over-the-air DTV signals, hence much like its satellite and cable counterparts the converter box does the receiving/decoding and the TV is used only to display. Because you are controlling the signal through the receiver box now, you can only change channels by using the receiver and not your TV.

A typical converter box will come with a remote and at least one cable to connect it to your TV.

So despite whatever the chumps at the big box electronics try to tell you about the one model they carry, the average consumer has to be critical about the box they are buying. Don’t just look at picture quality alone because although that is important not all so-called “converter” boxes are created equally. Other factors that can serve as the tiebreaker in making a purchase decision such as the user interface of the receiver, features such as program guides and channel scans, and the size and layout of the remote.

Jeez, good thing your Average Joe is here to help you navigate these waters! Nothing is simple, eh?

So what is an Analog owner to do?

Basically judging from people around me and some of the questions I’ve received I have broken down the remaining cluster of analog TV owners into four categories.

Next stop: a museum?

I’m Anything But Obsolete – your old analog TV is out-dated but it’s not ready for the dumpster yet. It makes no sense to get rid of it but at the same time you can’t justify busting the bank to bring it up to speed. Having a perfectly good antenna-only analog TV is fairly common (even for people that have pay subscriptions) in places like the kitchen, the cottage, break rooms or waiting areas at workplaces and even in bedrooms. Isn’t there a converter box out there that can add many more happy years of life to the TV and not cost an arm and a leg? Average Joe has a suggestion.

Hanging in There – Whether it be your parents or an elderly neighbour, this is the last TV these people will probably own before they start watching their shows at the retirement home. The goal here is to keep the analog TV working in the digital age with a box that will be easy and effective to use. One box out there seems better suited than others.

The Cadillacs – these are the TVs that cost a fortune back in the day and have plenty of good mileage to go on them. You know what I’m talking about – those big screens that are the size of a shelving unit for example. You want a good receiver that will enhance your viewing experience for many years to come. So what’s out there?

The Write-off – You’ve had some good times but it’s time to take ol’fuzzyvision behind the shed out back. So what new TV should you buy? All new TVs have built-in digital tuners but are some better for an OTA DTV setup than others? Average Joe has looked into it and has the answer.

What to do Before Buying

When you head out to the store don’t just believe what the salespeople are telling you about their boxes. Be sure to ask about functionalities and take a good hard look at the remote, this is what you will be using from now on to watch TV! Ask to see display models or open a box. A good store will have demos set up so that you can compare picture quality and play with cool new DTV features such as program guides and signal strength meters.

A very good summary of commercially available boxes is available from Consumer Reports. Feel free to use it to see which features are important for you, and research models of interest on the internet to see what they cost and look like. Don’t be shy to print the table out and bring it shopping with you.


One note: analog pass-through is becoming of less and less importance. Unless a station in your market is not converting to digital, this feature is essentially useless.

Coming Up

Over the next few posts, we’ll look at each of the four scenarios and let you know what Average Joe recommends for the savvy consumer. As each post comes out, I’ll come back here to link it in as well.

No More Snow In Canada!

Finally, a PSA catch phrase that seems to do the DTV transition justice

Check out this print ad circulating in local newspapers that grabbed my attention. I know I was pretty hard on the industry for its very fluffy and almost misleading PSAs in my previous posts , but I just wanted to say "well done" for the ad below!

OTA in Retail Land

Despite a few false leads, there is hope for OTA at the mall

Based on my last posts, there’s not much to help from the major TV networks for the average consumer to learn about and set up for OTA DTV. Sure, there’s a slight smattering of information available for Canadians from major TV networks on their websites, toll-free numbers and TV spots but unfortunately there is also an active campaign to round up the last of the non-pay TV subscribers and sign them up for satellite or cable services. (By the way, kudos to the marketing brains that found a way to take an improvement to a free alternate service and spin it into a way to make a sales pitch to get more subscribers! They’ll have to teach that one in business school.)

Meanwhile, what is happening in the retail world? Electronics stores and other TV-point-of-sales must be ready to jump on the DTV bandwagon, right? I mean someone out there must be willing to extol the benefits of DTV’s crystal clear uncompressed picture, new programming features and all those new OTA gadgets. Surely a business plan exists to generate some sales when as many as 1 out of 5 Canadians still receive their TV over the air.

To see what the average consumer would encounter from the retail world, your Average Joe has gone “undercover” to three big national electronics retail chains. At each of these stores, I’ve asked for information and products to help me complete a new OTA setup for my HDTV. At each location, the staff was asked the following questions to see how much they knew about the digital transition, how much OTA gear they actually had, how much they knew about their OTA products and how willing they were to sell it to me in the place of other alternatives such as satellite and cable boxes.

Typical questions consisted of:
• What digital channels can I receive in this area?
• What antenna do you suggest? (for various setups)
• What date is everything going digital?
• I think my elderly parents’ TV is analog ... will they need a converter box and do you sell any? (Which do you recommend?)
• Have you been selling a lot of this OTA stuff?

Let’s check out the scorecard at these stores:

OTA gear selection: Limited. Best Buy has about 1-2 models of basic converter boxes and a few indoor antennas available online and in store. The store display was limited to shelving at the back end of a row. It wasn’t easy finding it.

Stock: The locations I visited all had good had stock of a few indoor RCA antennas. Only one type of converter box was available though. Limited accessories.

The Good: Friendly and eager staff, always ready to answer my questions. 30-day return policy.

The Bad: Very limited knowledge of OTA DTV technology and limited options to match. The staff seemed confused and different associates gave conflicting information.

Prices: Ouch!

Recommended: NO

The two stores I visited were well stocked (albeit limited in selection). The staff was friendly and eager to help. I liked that they encouraged me to try out an antenna, as I could bring it back within 30 days if I didn’t like it.
Despite being eager to help, the staff generally wasn’t very informed on OTA and OTA gear.

Although all staff members were aware of the digital transition date, unfortunately no one was able to tell me which stations were and will be available in my area. At least one associate mentioned that unlike satellite or cable, the station selection could not be guaranteed and varied per location. When I asked if I could get TSN on this antenna, most said I would have to try it out and see (hmmm not really sure where the cable-only TSN broadcast tower is though).

When I specified that I was interested in also getting the channels south of the border, no associates were able to tell me what the ranges were on their indoor antennas and if they could recommend the antennas they had in stock. However, one optimistic fellow said I shouldn’t have any issues as it was the same broadcast tower that served the entire area so if I could get the locals I should get the Americans as well. Yikes. Another associate recommended their most expensive model; when I asked what the difference was he said that it could support 1080 while the others couldn’t. (For the record, an antenna has nothing to do with the resolution of the picture being transmitted to your TV. It can improve the reception of the signal but not the image format of the signal! I’ve received 1080i on an old UHF loop antenna from the 80’s.)

As for the prices – they were overblown and over-rated. Online searches for the same equipment showed that it could be procured for cheaper even with shipping rates from most online retailers. For the same price range, several other better options also existed from more specialized stores.

In the end, Best Buy doesn’t even qualify as an Adequate Purchase for OTA gear.



OTA gear selection: While slightly better than its sister store Best Buy, very limited selections with some locations being worse. Expect the same basic converter boxes and indoor antennas. Converter boxes were separated from the antennas. One store had a display with a guide for selecting based on reception strength.

Stock: Poor in general. Two locations I visited were ransacked with almost empty racks; in some cases, certain antennas at another location were placed under the wrong price tags.

The Good: Friendly staff, 30-day return policy.

The Bad: Again, a lack of DTV knowledge. Several employees questioned my choice of OTA and tried to upsell a pay service so that I could get the most out of HDTV. Another suggested I buy a new TV instead of a converter box for my analog clunker.

Prices: If you listen closely you can hear my wallet crying

Recommended: NO

It seems Future Shop and Best Buy employees attended the same DTV training course. Although the staff was friendly and professional at all times, they just didn’t have the goods to help me with basic questions. Most associates recommended their premium indoor antenna for my basement TV. (Considering I can barely get 2 bars of cell service down there I don’t think this was the best advice)

As for extra OTA gear and accessories, some associates were able to tell me that my LCD HDTV I purchased last year did not require a converter box except for one fellow who still wasn’t sure. Unfortunately no one was able to tell me how (or sell me items) to set up two TVs off the same antenna, with most advising to just buy two antennas. Most associates didn’t know of the existence of DVRs for OTA and referred me to subscribe to a pay service to get a free PVR rental on promotion. Others said none existed while one other advised me to go to another store (hey, kudos for being honest at least).

If I thought Best Buy was bad price-wise, I was fast forwarded into financial debt by Future Shop. Again, your dollars are just better spent elsewhere.


PLEASE think twice before you buy your converter box from Best Buy or Future Shop. A quick Google search online can save you serious dough, just compare the price of this converter box from Future Shop (top) to the exact same one from another online-only Canadian retailer (below).




OTA gear selection: For a mall retail store, there is an honest effort to stock some selection in indoor antennas and converter boxes. One location actually had an outdoor antenna in stock in the back room. The online selection gets even better and they are the only of the big bunch of retailers that carries an OTA DVR (online only).

Stock: While one store I visited was running on empty, the others were adequate. What really saves them here is their online merchandise which was ready to roll.

The Good: Don’t mistake them for experts, but the friendly staff here is actually knowledgeable. 30-day return policy and free in-store pickup for items ordered online is enough to get on my good side.

The Bad: They are unfortunately in bed with their pay-TV parent company so watch out for the upsell.

Prices: Still somewhat high but at least they have different products of better quality to back it up. Research before buying, please.

Recommended: Soft Yes - if you want to go retail, this is your best bet compared to the two above. Specialized stores will have better prices and guidance though.

I was pleasantly surprised with The Source when I visited their locations. The staff was overall quite knowledgeable and correctly recommended outdoor antennas to have the best chance of catching distant signals from across the border. Unfortunately, most staff could not tell me what those channels were or where the signals were coming from (important as I would get them from two directions and most likely need a rotor). At one location one member actually had an OTA setup at home and was able to rattle off the channels he caught and gave me some tips based on his setup. There were no major gaffes or bumbled responses, despite one location that tried to upsell me to satellite service to get guaranteed reception… and of course the guaranteed monthly bills that go with it.

Despite the blatant cross advertising for their parent company, they also have a much wider variety of products available on their website such as larger antennas from reputable manufacturers, and a DVR/PVR made for over-the-air broadcasts.

Guess who owns The Source? Believe it or not, this is the first thing that pops up on their digital conversion webpage.

Prices for some items were a bit over what I was expecting, but for their online items the fact that it is shipped for free to the store for pick-up offsets certain differences with online-only retails that would charge a fortune to ship large items. Again, it’s just a matter of doing your research.

Conclusion

So in the end, it was an interesting experience to see how some stores can make a half-hearted attempt at selling OTA gear. I can only think of the impression this must give to new, uneducated consumers looking to try OTA DTV for the first time. Imagine dishing out almost $100 for a store-recommended indoor antenna for use in your basement (of all places) and only bringing in 2 strong local channels. What would you think about OTA TV? I can also imagine these stores scooping up these disappointed and misinformed clients when they come back to return the equipment with the higher-margin pay TV services as well.

Next time we’ll discuss what other resources are out there to help the average consumer make his purchasing decisions and get the support he needs to make an informed decision for OTA DTV. As always, stay tuned!