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Buzz Out Loud Lounge: Echostar TR40 VS DTV PAL Converter Box
DTV PAL HARMFUL INTERFERENCE
by jmygrant - 9/15/08 10:46 AM In reply to: DTV Pal Box NOT your "Pal !" by *~*WisewordsDo you listen to AM radio---ball games, sports talk, etc? Then do NOT get the DTV PAL----its power supply will overwhelm your AM receivers. I especially wanted to preserve the AM/FM/ColorTV portable unit that I installed in a bathroom. Tiny DTV PAL looked like the solution. WRONG. Tore up the AM signal completely---it is a BADLY DESIGNED POWER SUPPLY that causes the problem. (An Insignia dtv converter from Radio Shack works just fine).
Does EchoStar know about this? Well here's what they say in their FCC COMPLIANCE statement: "If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on [wrong--OFF was still a problem until I UNPLUGGED the power supply!] the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: ... Increase the separation between the equipment and TV converter. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the TV converter is connected. [how about a 50 foot extension cord to the garage???] Consult the dealer [Sears laughed at that one] or an experienced radio/TV technician for help." [A different converter solved the particular problem---but I have paid TWICE and now am left with INTERFERING JUNK!!!!]
So there you have it---they know but they don't care at all.
PS---digital audio sucks---the signal to noise ratio is poor. Turn the volume WAY UP on the TV and in soft audio situations you hear the background buzz or hum of your TV amplifier. Not nearly as good as the analog signal. And with the volume on my little portable unit set at MAXIMUM, I can just hear the TV over the bathroom exhaust fan....
“Caveat Emptor” Bought two DTVPAL ( Echostar)
by mffblf - 12/4/08 8:22 AM In reply to: DTV PAL HARMFUL INTERFERENCE by jmygrant“Caveat Emptor” Bought two DTVPAL ( Echostar) converter’s from Solid Signal ($112)- both went bad within 30 days- both retailer & manufacture are real PITA’s to deal with. Another government program sticking it to us - I should of learned by now.
MFF
That's not all....
by jtybt - 12/4/08 9:35 AM In reply to: “Caveat Emptor” Bought two DTVPAL ( Echostar) by mffblfI've had to return the DTV twice because of multiple problems. As stated, the timer can't be adjusted. The remote doesn't respond half the time. The unit turns itself OFF and ON anytime it likes, often in the middle of recordings. The timers don't seem to keep all your programs in memory so you can't depend on them.
The RCA converter remote also works intermittently.
The Insignia so far has had no issues.
How about the Zinwell ZAT-970A?
by lar01 - 10/5/08 11:23 AM In reply to: Echostar TR40 VS DTV PAL Converter Box by Katie53Does anyone know if this will do the trick?
http://www.tvconverterboxstore.com/servlet/the-264/digital-analog-tv-converter/Detail
Re: How about the Zinwell ZAT-970A
by almost_silent - 11/30/08 9:00 PM In reply to: How about the Zinwell ZAT-970A? by lar01From reviews I have read, the Zinwell offers a slightly better picture than the DTVPal, and has more timer events.
A major weakness of the DTVPal is the inability to manually set the clock to the actual time. The time sent by local stations is supposed to be correct, but is frequently off by a few minutes, sometimes more. The Zinwell allows its clock to be set manually, in case local stations are not provideing the correct time. However the Zinwell uses a 24-hour clock.
I can't say how the two tuners compare. The DTVPal has a better electronic program guide, which can also be used to set up timer events. If i remember correctly, the Zinwell's timer events are set by channel, date, and times.
Got a Zinwell, now need one more box
by lar01 - 2/16/09 9:37 AM In reply to: Re: How about the Zinwell ZAT-970A by almost_silentI got the Zinwell 970A. Picture is great, setting timers isn't fun but once set, what someone else said was true. Simply program your VCR for either 3 or 4 (whichever channel you use with the Zinwell), and the Zinwell will change to the correct channels and send the signal out to the VCR on channel 3/4. If the Zinwell is off or on doesn't matter, since it turns on if necessary and changes on time. There is no programmed turnoff after an event, so it stays on until its final sleep time comes up (default is after 4 hours if remote wasn't used).
I'm now either going to get a Zinwell 950A (newer, uses preferable Silicon tuner instead of CAN tuner), or a DTV Pal or TR40 to go with my second VCR. I like the way the DTV Pal/TR40 seem to let you program similar to a TIVO (from the Program Guide, possibly like a Season Pass?), but keep reading mixed reactions here about the DTV Pal/TR40. And does anyone know if the DTV Pal/TR40 are the same? One is cheaper than the other, so why would I ever buy the more expensive one?
Easiest, of course, would be the DTV Pal DVR, which would replace two boxes and my two VCRs, but $250 is a little steep.
How do you manually reset the Zinwell ZAT-970A's clock?
by lar01 - 3/18/09 1:23 PM In reply to: Re: How about the Zinwell ZAT-970A by almost_silentYou said in your posting that one advantage of the Zinwell ZAT-970A is that you can manually set its clock. I own one, the time it is showing is now several minutes fast, but I can't figure out how to manually reset the clock. Can you please explain how? Thanks.
Zinwell ZAT-970A does have Program Timer for VCR function!
by cwinexas - 2/16/09 8:24 PM In reply to: How about the Zinwell ZAT-970A? by lar01The Zinwell so far has been functioning pretty well but sometimes the picture breaks up, says bad or no signal, not sure if that is the fault of my antenna or something about the broadcasting area, or something I havent learned about to fine tune, but it does have the 8 event timer that only one other converter has according to my research, and who wants to give up what we have all taken for granted for so long, to set your VCR to tape your favorite programs to view later??? With the Zinwell you can set up to 8 times for the TV to change to a set channel, you dont select time duration, you still have to do that with your regular VCR program timer function, set the VCR to channel 3 all the time in other words and set the time and length, daily, weekly etc as you normally would on the VCR, then set the Zinwell to the channel to change to and the start only time...you can select once only, daily, which will include Saturday and Sunday, no weekday only option, weekly or monthly.... the part that needed clarification is the whole process, its not in the very minimum directions that came in the box but I did find the manual on line at
http://www.zinnetusa.com/download/zat-970A/UserManual-20080603.pdf but there is still one thing that needs clarification on setting the time, it says and just think start time when it says wakeup.......
"Time: Press ENTER and numeric buttons to input your
wakeup time. Once the timefs up, no matter what the
system is in standby mode or in playing mode, the
system will automatically switch to the channel you want
and start to play.
Press EXIT button, it will ask you gAre you sure to
save?úW . Selectg Yes" to save the timer or select
gNo" to cancel the operation."....here is the heads up!!! it left out a couple of steps important to getting the time set and saved.....after highlighting the step to set the time by pressing enter, you will see a curser under the set time of the one of 12:00 AM, say you want to start something a minute before 9PM to make sure you get the beginning, you can use the number buttons to change the time to 08:59 when you get to the AM, and want to change it to PM, you use the up or down channel, now here is what they left out in the manual instructions....heads up!! you must push ENTER again and make the curser go away, now you can press EXIT and get the message to save? which is always set on no as default, so you must use the volume down(the button to the left of the ENTER center button) to change to Yes, push ENTER and then and only then press the EXIT to finish the program....if you follow the given directions without these other steps you actually go back to the default time and/or exit the whole program without saving, over and over again.....I hope this saves you the time it took me and frustration to figure out, and here is another heads up....when you think about it if you set your VCR program to a Mon-Fri daily time, it wont hurt if the TV is off during the weekends that the channel goes to that station at that time, however if you manually start recording a program with your trusty VCR remote on Saturday or Sunday like your favorite game while you are away to watch later and then you leave, the converter will still change the channel at the M-F set program time and you may not have what you wanted to record when you get back to view the end of the game or whatever...just a heads up on that one, there is no way to unselect that program timer change with just a one step button..... the online manual explains a lot about the parental controls, password, other technical settings I dont understand yet that did not come in the box with the scimpy directions so you will probably want to bookmark the manual.....so, so far, I think this is an OK converter, definitely would not want one that the remote didnt control at least the volume and have a mute as this one does have, hope they have replacement remotes if this one ever goes out, it would be a total drag without the remote but the base unit does at least have channel up/down and on/off, but that's it....but it doesnt have the smart antenna input, whatever that is, you cannot change the font and placement etc of the captions like some can, the volume is limited to what you have set the volume to on the regular remote, like if you mute with the regular remote you have no volume control at all on the Zinwell remote and its sort of tied to how loud it will go to what you have set your regular volume remote to, so be prepared to deal with 2 remotes just about all the time but at least I can still tape my daily or whatever programs and have life somewhat as I knew it before all this made me have to spend so much time dealing with just keeping a TV on without paying cable fees.
Zinwell malfunction
by lar01 - 3/27/09 8:49 AM In reply to: Zinwell ZAT-970A does have Program Timer for VCR function! by cwinexasI've loved my Zinwell 970A until last night. I set up timers for two programs, one at 8 pm one station followed by another at 9 pm on a different station. I also programmed my VCR to record from 8-10. Was I disappointed when I discovered that the entire two hours that were recorded were of the same station that I had it tune to at 8 pm. It actually still showed the second timer as still active, with the correct station, yesterday's date, and 9:00 pm when I checked it at about 10:30 pm. There was nothing wrong in the way I set it up, but the second timer just never triggered. Anyone have a constructive suggestion? It's hard to be hooked on a TV series and then lose an episode because your converter box just decided to ignore its instructions.
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