Ask Engadget HD: DTV converter, or a new TV?
By Darren Murph 
posted Dec 17th 2008 12:00PM
posted Dec 17th 2008 12:00PM
"I know I could redeem my $40 voucher for a digital TV converter, but I'm beginning to wonder if that's the best thing for my garage TV. I'm not really fond of cluttering the area up with another set-top-box, and really, I'm wondering if this is the perfect excuse to pick up a small HDTV. I'm wondering what other readers in this situation are doing, and if so, which small HDTV should I pick up to replace my existing analog set?"
Sure, we should all feel absolutely terrible about junking that perfectly good analog set and using this as an opportunity to get yourself a new HDTV, but hey, why not donate the old set, take a tax write-off and get a warm, fuzzy feeling in exchange? That's our advice, what's yours?
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For your garage? Converter box all the way. If you're thinking of buying an LCD, even a small one will cost you at least $200. A 13" CRT with a digital tuner will run well over $100. Or, for a few bucks, just put a small box on top of your current set and forget about it. I mean...it's a garage.
Its a matter of economics. If you've got money to spend on a new tv well then get a new tv. Otherwise $20 (plus voucher) is a lot easier to handle then $400 for a new tv.
I'm using one converter box for my bedroom tv and have ordered a second coupon. For a smaller screen I would no way send money to upgrade. I'm very pleased with the results of the box.
what do you do with your handheld TV that you bought for emergencies and power outages??
Use it as a blunt object to throw at intruders?
Go for the converter box. TV prices will continue to come down. If you decide you need a bigger TV or the space savings later you only have 20$ + coupon invested.
C
That's idiotic advice, because it presumes that later he'd want to trade up to a bigger analog-only TV and would still need a converter box to use it.
But analog-only TVs are almost always cathode ray tubes, which are big, bulky, and much less reliable. Years from now only a few will be available, and even fewer will be worth the effort of obtaining and setting up, other than for retro-tech hobbyists.
Much more likely that he'd want to trade up to a larger, LIGHTER, flat-panel digital TV. And thus have no need of the converter box.
How many people reading engadget use only OTA signals on analog-only TVs? 3 maybe? The switchover is irrelevant if you have cable/satelite or an HDTV of. Who here doesn't have either?
It's prefectly reasonable that he wouldn't have cable/sat running into his garage. Especially if he's got satellite, and didn't want to add another STB to a TV that probably doesn't get taht much use.
I have OTA only, and I read EngadgetHD every day. I get my high def broadcasts through a DirecTV box with an ATSC tuner hooked up to my computer monitor. I get 720p broadcasts on a 24" monitor, and all it costs is the $50 I spent on the receiver.
HD content doesn't have to cost sixty bucks a month.
I find small letterbox screens too small. Under 20 inches, I'd rather have a 4x3 screen over widescreen. While I know some places sell DTV compatible small TVs, I'd probably go for the converter box. Unless the clutter is a real concern.
I'd rather spend $200 for a 19-inch HDTV, than $20 for a converter box connected to a "fish bowl".
This year I bought a 19" Vizio HDTV for the kitchen and a digital tuner for my bedroom CTR. I love my digital converter box. I bought the Sansonic for its microchip-based tuner. It has a better ATSC tuner that my 2005 Mitsubishi DLP so I actually hooked to my HDTV to get the better reception. It will down-res 16x9 HD content to 480i anamorphic that looks equal or better than DVD quality. Yes, its not HD, but I wasn't even getting those channels before with my built-in tuner and I only spent $8 for shipping for the device. The Vizio is nice too but that was $300.
One thing to consider is how cold it gets in your garage. If you are up north, the TV is going to have a really hard time turning on due to the LCD backlight's similarity to flourescent bulbs (same thing with plasma, except its the whole cell). If it gets below freezing, the thing isn't going to turn on (but then again, why would you be watching something in a freezing garage?)
Devin said:
"I'm wondering if this is the perfect excuse to pick up a small HDTV. I'm wondering what other readers in this situation are doing, and if so, which small HDTV should I pick up to replace my existing analog set?"
Devin, all HDTVs are digital*, but it doesn't seem as if you realize that not all digital TVs are HDTVs. There are plenty of standard (SDTV) and a handful of "enahnced" (EDTV) televisions that are digital and can tune in just fine to an over the air broadcast post February. However they just don't have HD display capability. A set like this may be what's most appropriate for a small, cheap garage TV.
Running a Google Shopping search for EDTVs for example gets quite a few hits. Also for "digital SDTV". Give it a shot.
My mom has a widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio flat panel digital SDTV for her bedroom. It has a built in DVD player and is thus perfect for her needs.
*except for a handful of protoype analog HDTVs that Japan experimented with in the 80s
HDTV isn't really terribly good looking with over-the-air signals. I'd get cable or satellite if I were you.
Huh?
Both cable and satellite re-compress the signal sent out to antennas. Not that most people can tell the difference but a signal from an antenna is always the best. (with HDTV anyway)
I guess FIOS is tied for the best but everyone else re-compresses.
whoa- what cable or satellite HD service have you seen that can match an over the air signal?
OK dumna--, 1080 and 720 is 1080 and 720 no matter how you receive it Stop spreading false tales to the people. It is bad enough the government is confusing things.
OTA HDTV is perfect, you must have a problem with your equipment
Since, as it has been noted , this guy is most likely to have a satellite or a cable receiver box , the best solution would be neither of the two suggested until now.
I would just add an IR sender to the sat/cable receiver box and the IR receiver to the tv set in the garage, I'm sure that this way his car and his lawn mower will be entertrained during these long winter night in that dark garage.
I did both. I bought a monitor with built-in tuner to use with my computer and watch when I go to sleep because my old TV doesn't have a functional sleep timer. And I got the converter to watch TV while I'm surfing the net or playing a game
It depends on what you use the TV for. If you're watching widescreen DVDs than a 16:9 screen makes more sense. If you're watching 4:3 TV broadcasts than that aspect ratio makes more sense.
Stupid, crude, primitive, unreliable Blogsmith comment system.
I was replying to David S @ Dec 17th 2008 1:21PM, but it acted like a new post. And of course you can't delete or edit a post you've already put in.
As I recall, you could do that on AOL back in like 1993. Not anymore.
I have the TR-40 (Dish) that cost $40 (only cost me $9 shipping) that I use with a portable 8" wide screen CD player, works well while I am on the computer. I will not use cable or satellite.