DTV Coupons: It's Now or Never This Friday is the last day to apply for a $40 DTV coupon from the government. Applications that are postmarked by Friday will be accepted [Consumer Reports Electronics]
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My Insignia converter works fine- although I think there are better ones. I get more stations than I ever did in very high quality.
I think I should have a job before I buy a TV, but that is just me. (I know most would just charge it and blame the CC companies for letting me.)
mine doesn't work so well but i'm pretty sure that's due to environment. there's an aerial attached to the house, i just haven't bothered to go under the house and run the cables from it into the rooms with my tvs.
Since the suspended the transition from February 17 to June 12, they created a NEW PROBLEM. This problem will show itself in about a month because of the poor timing of the end of the coupon program.
One group of people do NOT YET KNOW they could be without their TV reception. They will find out in just a month or two when they RETURN TO COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY after the summer break. Since the transition was moved to the summer break period, this group won't know they can have this problem until they return.
It seems the administration "acted stupidly" in handling the transition this way and cutting off the coupon program early.
Some of Consumer Reports lower-rated boxes can be got for a couple bucks and free shipping on eBay. The higher-rated boxes are going for around $30 (including shipping). Because the coupon is so short -lived (90 days) and no longer available soon and other factors, there is a glut of boxes out there. The coupon doesn't work for eBay sellers.
@LatherRinseRepeat: I've tried most of them out there. The Apex unit was BY FAR the worst one I tried. Dishnetwork's DTVPal+ and the Insignia boxes were the best.
It's not necessarily a matter of affording it. Some of us have multi-room TV systems with tuners feeding the modulators. We also have a similar system at my workplace, so even more tuners needed.
Forget the coupons. Just get a new TV if you can afford it. Most of the DTV converters are pretty much junk. I've got an Apex box from Best Buy and it's pretty meh. Unresponsive remote and poor sensitivity. There are a few stations where the converter box won't even try to grab, but the TV tuner card on my computer can pick those stations up easily.