Digital Converter Box Suggestions

[John Picard]

This past weekend the weather in Oklahoma was bad. Wind and storms to the west with bad storms and some tornadoes spawned. The lady at the convenience store where I usually gas up and get coffee told me converter boxes don't work worth a shit when this type of weather occurs. She continued that the only way they'll work properly is if they're paired with an outside antenna. A neighbor of hers did that and is pulling a lot of stations as well as is able to get constant reception during storms.

I'm still on analog, and when the deadline in June comes it looks like lights out for me until I can come up with enough scratch for a new TV. Oh well, no great loss.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Just make sure you buy a digital antenna as well. They run about 30 to 40 bucks at Wal-mart. That's the mistake people are making, they're using their old rabbit ears with the converter box. That's what makes the picture keep blinking on and off.

 

[John Picard]

^^ I wonder if I should donate my rabbit ears to a museum

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

^^ I wonder if I should donate my rabbit ears to a museum

Might as well donate them to the sanitation dept.!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Digital TV is an all or nothing kind of thing. The problem at the minute is that until it's switched they're broadcasting digital on low powered transmitters, so the signal isn't very good in bad conditions, that should improve a lot after switch over and they boost the power to the transmitters.
As for the antenna, I know over here a wideband one is recommended.

 

[Sheep]

Just make sure you buy a digital antenna as well. They run about 30 to 40 bucks at Wal-mart. That's the mistake people are making, they're using their old rabbit ears with the converter box. That's what makes the picture keep blinking on and off.

Hate to break it to you but rabbit ears can work just fine for pulling down HD signals. Obviously a roof-mounted antenna is best, but I've read just as many accounts of people using $10 rabbit ears having success getting HD signals as I have with those using antennas five or ten times more expensive.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Just make sure you buy a digital antenna as well. They run about 30 to 40 bucks at Wal-mart. That's the mistake people are making, they're using their old rabbit ears with the converter box. That's what makes the picture keep blinking on and off.

Hate to break it to you but rabbit ears can work just fine for pulling down HD signals. Obviously a roof-mounted antenna is best, but I've read just as many accounts of people using $10 rabbit ears having success getting HD signals as I have with those using antennas five or ten times more expensive.

Maybe that depends on where you live and how strong the broadcast signals are. Everybody around here with rabbit ears has had problems with the picture coming off and on. We have a tv in the lounge at work with rabbit ears and this happens constantly. My parents don't have cable and they had the same problem until they got a new antenna. And several other people have told me the same story.

 

[Sheep]

Just make sure you buy a digital antenna as well. They run about 30 to 40 bucks at Wal-mart. That's the mistake people are making, they're using their old rabbit ears with the converter box. That's what makes the picture keep blinking on and off.

Hate to break it to you but rabbit ears can work just fine for pulling down HD signals. Obviously a roof-mounted antenna is best, but I've read just as many accounts of people using $10 rabbit ears having success getting HD signals as I have with those using antennas five or ten times more expensive.

Maybe that depends on where you live and how strong the broadcast signals are. Everybody around here with rabbit ears has had problems with the picture coming off and on. We have a tv in the lounge at work with rabbit ears and this happens constantly. My parents don't have cable and they had the same problem until they got a new antenna. And several other people have told me the same story.

This is definitely true. It's easier to pull down HD signals when you're closer to where it's being broadcast from. A more expensive antenna isn't necessarily going to help if you're far away from the broadcast antenna, which is why it makes more sense to go cheaper first.