DTVPAL-PLUS review - Page 4

EscapeVelocity · 07-20-2009, 09:49 PM

Id be really interested in that too Aaron. I remember holl_ands posting some, but I cant seem to find it again.

Aaron62 · 07-21-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piggie

I have looked for place where the different tuner chips and circuits are discussed. Do you know of a place?

CNET talked about the tuner sensitivity,

Now, Dish continues to muddy the waters with the DTVPal Plus, which is essentially exactly the same as both the TR-40 CRA and the DTVPal, except it includes a more sensitive tuner and costs $70.

From Dish Network releases DTVPal Plus, promises better reception | Crave - CNET

Piggie · 07-21-2009, 07:28 PM

Without a doubt the DTVPal Plus I own is superior on fringe VHF. So the extra money is worth it to have that sensitivity. I bought one of FleaBay that probably was someone that used both coupons to pay for the one they kept. They said they had two and only needed one.

It cleared my waters in the bedroom where I have a very old ATSC TV that isn't HD, so it's perfect.

EscapeVelocity · 07-21-2009, 07:34 PM

I might get the Zinwell 970a for its metering abilities.

Piggie · 07-21-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EscapeVelocity

I might get the Zinwell 970a for its metering abilities.

Is that the one that has a signal and quality meter?

The DTVPal Plus has an antenna pointing screen. But from what I can tell the meter on it is just the same quality meter. But it still is great for working below lock.

EscapeVelocity · 07-21-2009, 09:15 PM

It has dual meters, quality and strength, and manual channel add, and manual channel scan with continuous metering. Also it has a nice Sanyo UBD00AL tuner (the same one in the original well regarded Zenith DTT900) add to that a VCR timer functionality and analog pass through.

EscapeVelocity · 07-21-2009, 09:29 PM

Consumer Reports says this....

Quote:

Zinwell ZAT-970A

Picture quality
Picture quality was among the best, close to what you see with a good DVD.

Audio
It delivers good audio from its RF and line-level left/right audio outputs (which you'd use with the composite-video out).

Features
One of the few boxes available with a program timer: allowing you to program up to eight instances in which the box will turn on and tune into a specific channel at a certain time. That enables you to record digital off-air broadcasts onto a VCR or other recording device, but you cannot program the box to turn itself off. Has analog pass-through, which allows the TV's RF input to tune to off-air analog channels, either, while the box simultaneously tunes to digital channels and displays them through the composite video output, or when the box is in standby. Allows you to directly tune to a new digital channel without having to do a scan-for-all-channels. Additionally, if no signal is found on a particular channel, the signal meter in the menu allows you to monitor its strength as you optimize the antenna position. So if you know a channel exists, you can tune to it and adjust your antenna until the signal is strong enough for the box to tune it in. While the title and run time for the current and next program is available on the info bar, there is no program guide to give information about coming shows or shows on other channels. Also, there are no options for adjusting the size, font, or color of the closed-caption text, a capability offered by most other tested boxes. It has a detachable power adapter.

Koolit · 08-06-2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyT

But just how accurate are those signal meters, and are the measuring to the same exact standards?

I totally agree with TonyT on this one.

I have 3 RCA DTA800B and today I bought 2 DTV Pal Plus at Sears for $49.99 each -(2x) $40 coupon. I compared all the 5 boxes side by side using 57" Projection TV via RCA cables.
For the purpose of this comparison, I tuned to only 1 particular channel that I am having problem with Pixelation and occasional black screen. Obviously, my long range outdoor antenna is shooting directly at the tall trees. DTA800 signal strenght is fluctuating from 0 - 35%. When the signal drop down to 10% it causes Pixelation and beyond that is black screen.
I hooked up the DTV Pal Plus using the same setup. I am getting 81% signal strenght on the same channel. Cool, that's a big improvement, but how accurate? The picture Pixelates when the signal level drop down to 65% and black screen at 56%. How could this be? I assumed DTV Pal Plus uses 50% stepping to increment the signal meter but not the actual RF sensitivity.

DTV Pal Plus audio is 1 step louder than RCA DTA800B. I say, the Video quality of RCA DTA800B is much crispier and more detailed than the DTV Pal Plus. Btw, DTV Pal Plus remote control will not work on TV (a BIG NO). Good thing I have DishPro Remote Control.

Bottom line, if you are looking for all the features that you think a TV Converter Box should have then consider DTV Pal Plus. At my age, I'll go with RCA DTA800B. I like the picture quality and the convenience of using 1 remote control with easy to use big buttons. Oh... DTA800B also have an EPG and that is good enough for me.

Just my 2 cents

Jay · 08-06-2009, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koolit

I totally agree with TonyT on this one.

I have 3 RCA DTA800B and today I bought 2 DTV Pal Plus at Sears for $49.99 each -(2x) $40 coupon. I compared all the 5 boxes side by side using 57" Projection TV via RCA cables.
For the purpose of this comparison, I tuned to only 1 particular channel that I am having problem with Pixelation and occasional black screen. Obviously, my long range outdoor antenna is shooting directly at the tall trees. DTA800 signal strenght is fluctuating from 0 - 35%. When the signal drop down to 10% it causes Pixelation and beyond that is black screen.
I hooked up the DTV Pal Plus using the same setup. I am getting 81% signal strenght on the same channel. Cool, that's a big improvement, but how accurate? The picture Pixelates when the signal level drop down to 65% and black screen at 56%. How could this be? I assumed DTV Pal Plus uses 50% stepping to increment the signal meter but not the actual RF sensitivity.

DTV Pal Plus audio is 1 step louder than RCA DTA800B. I say, the Video quality of RCA DTA800B is much crispier and more detailed than the DTV Pal Plus. Btw, DTV Pal Plus remote control will not work on TV (a BIG NO). Good thing I have DishPro Remote Control.

Bottom line, if you are looking for all the features that you think a TV Converter Box should have then consider DTV Pal Plus. At my age, I'll go with RCA DTA800B. I like the picture quality and the convenience of using 1 remote control with easy to use big buttons. Oh... DTA800B also have an EPG and that is good enough for me.

Just my 2 cents

Welcome to the board Koolit. Picture Quality is a bigger deal on those 55"+ TVs; much easier to see artifacts and imperfections. Glad to see the DTA800B is working well for you.


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