Coupon Eligible Converter Box (CECB)/DTV converter comparison

Introduction

In the United States, effective 2009-02-17, most television stations are required by law to cease transmitting analog TV (NTSC) signals and transmit only digital TV (DTV or ATSC) signals. This allows the spectrum currently wasted by simultaneous analog and digital transmissions to be reclaimed. Some low power stations may continue to broadcast analog signals. Some stations will not wait until the 2009 deadline to switch. Newer stations are already limited in their ability to simultaneously transmit digital and analog signals and thus have trouble competing with other stations which are allowed full HDTV broadcasts and may switch over to digital only transmission sooner. For example, Charlottesville, VA had only NBC and PBS until a new broadcaster added ABC, CBS, and FOX; they have announced their intention to switch over before the deadline. Analog TVs will require a converter box to receive over-the-air television broadcasts after the switchover. Cable subscribers will usually not need one. Satellite subscribers will not need one if they receive their local stations via satellite instead of via an antenna. At least until 2012?

In order to ease the transition, the government is subsidizing the cost of converter boxes in the form of up to two $40 coupons per eligible household, with a limited total number of coupons. They began taking applications online on 2008-01-01. Apply today, using the link below, if you haven't already in case they run out. The budget should allow for about 37 million coupons but there are reportedly 70 million sets in use. In order to limit the subsidy to broadcast TV recipients, they have imposed some serious constraints on what the converter boxes can do. In an attempt to make the coupon eligible converter boxes unusable for HDTV upgrades, they have imposed constraints that may interfere with even broadcast TV use and have adverse affects on consumers and the environment. Coupon Eligible converter boxes will not have features you would expect on a fully functional standalone HDTV/DTV tuner box.

A converter box will not upgrade your TV to HDTV. You will be able to receive SDTV, EDTV, and HDTV broadcasts but they will all be displayed in standard definition (the resolution of old analog TVs), down converting where necessary. The display quality will not be as good as a low end SDTV digital TV, which while it may have the same resolution as an analog TV looks better because it can use progressive scan instead of interlacing. You will get a few additional benefits including an on screen program guide and the ability to receive additional subchannels. A TV station can divide its bandwidth among several subchannels, broadcasting up to one HDTV program plus lower resolution programs. However, these benefits will be offset by the inability to record programs and watch them at the same time without a second box. Another problem with recording is that your VCR or DVD recorder will probably be incapable of changing channels on the converter box making programmed recording difficult. Even recorders which have an IR sender for changing cable box channels probably won't know the right codes to send for converter boxes. TiVo may upgrade their software to do this. Some DVD recorders can accept software updates on DVD, but you will have to order the updates or download and burn them in the unlikely event that they are available.

With the desire to limit the coupon eligible converters to use with existing sets and following the self-serving advice of HDTV tuner manufacturers, many owners of high end analog TVs were left high and dry. If you have an analog TV with RGV, component (YUV), or VGA inputs or purchased a computer monitor with an analog TV tuner, presently use a TV tuner for a video monitors, you will be limited not only to SDTV resolution but also to composite video. Since CECBs are limited to SDTV resolution, there was absolutely no reason to limit the output to RF and composite. Further, some of these sets are capable of more than SDTV resolution since they double as computer monitors. Thus, these users will need more expensive ($180+) HDTV tuners to take advantage of their existing displays.

You may need to upgrade your antenna to receive digital broadcasts. Visit AntennaWeb for more information.

One would hope that some manufacturers will design coupon eligible converter boxes as subsets of a more flexible design, with optional components omitted to meet coupon eligibility requirements. Many households may require more converter boxes than they are allowed coupons for and they should have the option of paying a little more for a more flexible box, still benefiting from the economy of scale of the converter boxes.

You will generally need one converter box for each analog TV used to receive over-the-air broadcasts. In addition, you may need additional devices for VCRs, DVD recorders, and DVRs (TiVo, etc) to permit recording a show at the same time you are watching one, but these devices may not be capable of instructing the converter to change channels. Once you install a second converter, however, you are likely to encounter a fatal design flaw: the lack of unit codes on the remote to enable you to use either a single remote or two separate remotes to control the converter boxes individually. Thus, you will probably have to purchase, and learn how to use, two separate brands of converter box or resort to kludges like covering the remote control receivers to select the device you want to control.

Converter boxes will add to system complexity and user confusion.

Most coupon eligible converter box purchase will probably occur around the second quarter of 2008. The government won't ship the coupons till manufacturers are ready to ship the products and consumers will have 90 days from then to use the coupons. Anyone who didn't apply for a coupon by then, probably won't get one as the supply is limited.

Common Features/Flaws

• Decode all standard ATSC digital TV formats: required

• On screen Program Guide: PSIP required, other formats permitted

• Tuning range: channels 2 through 69 required even though 52-69 are being phased out but may still be used by low power stations or needed during transition.

• Sub-channel tuning: required. DTV can send more than one video program on the same signal.

• AV Inputs

• RF (antenna)Input: required, 75 ohm female F connector

• Smart antenna input: permitted. The single RF antenna input may be used with an automatic external selector to select more than one antenna beam or control an adaptive array.

• Antenna Analog Pass through or bypass switch: permitted.

• 300 ohm antenna input or adapter: permitted

• Composite video/stereo inputs: prohibited? Final ruling doesn't say explicitly but earlier version appears to exclude.

• AV Outputs

• RF (antenna) output: required, 75 ohm female F connector

• Stereo over RF output: permitted

• SAP (secondary audio) over RF output: permitted. Note that DTV uses a system other than SAP and a converter may let you select secondary audio channels via the converter box menu instead of via your TV menu.

• 300 ohm antenna output or adapter: permitted

• Composite Video + stereo audio: required, RCA connectors

• S-Video output: permitted

• Component video outputs: prohibited

• VGA output: prohibited

• RGB output: prohibited

• DVI: prohibited

• HDMI: prohibited

• USB video output: prohibited

• IEEE-1394/iLink/Firewire video output: prohibited

• Ethernet video output: prohibited

• IEEE-802.11/Wifi video output: prohibited

• Closed Captioning: required

• Emergency Alert System (EAS): required

• Parental Controls (V-Chip): required

• Remote Control: required, batteries required.

• Programmable remote which can control TV or other devices: permitted

• Energy Standards

• 2W maximum power in standby: required

• Automatic standby after 4 hours inactivity: required, user override required

• Energy star compliance (1W standby, 8W operate): encouraged

• LED power indicator: required

• AC operation: permitted

• DC operation: permitted

• Battery operation: permitted

• Switched power jack for TV: not mentioned in ruling. Remote control may be programmable to control TV power and volume.

• Note that some units may have a power input jack and require a separate purchase of a DC adapter.

• Accessory cables:

• RF (antenna) cable for connection to TV: required

• Video/Left/Right AV cable (RCA): permitted

• Signal Strength Indicator (onscreen): required

• Other signal quality indicators: permitted

• Other functions

• Video display: prohibited (TV's don't qualify)

• playback: prohibited (DVD/HD-DVD/blueray players don't qualify)

• Built-in Recording capability: prohibited (DVD recorders, DVRs don't qualify)

• Software updates (over the air): permitted

• 16:9 widescreen: center cropping and letter boxing required.

• Signal quality standards: see DTIA technical appendix

• Programmed channel changes, for recording: not mentioned in ruling, or in product information.

Comparison table

Not responsible for errors. Use this table for initial evaluation but be sure to check manufacturers specs to confirm details. If it a feature isn't advertised it is assumed to be absent. Compiling this table is difficult as only sketchy information, if that, is available for most of the products. Some of the companies are so nebulous they don't even seem to have a web site.

This table lists only those features which are not required. That includes accessories. For example, one vendor lists a remote control, A/V cable, RF cable, User manual, quick start guide, and battery for the remote. The government requires the RF cable, remote control and battery, and user manual so only the A/V cable is listed as an accessory.

Note: sansonic has two products listed with government but only one datasheet which does not specifically identify a model number, so features were attributed to the FT300A

Related Products

Computer TV Tuners

If you have a fast enough computer, you can purchase a digital tuner for the computer for around the price of a converter box (without coupon) and get EDTV or HDTV resolution display on your computer, video recording, and automatic channel selection. There are also devices that let you use your computer monitor as a TV (whether or not the computer is powered up or connected) but not record; so far, these seem to be analog TV only. The latter devices are also usually crippled by not having composite or better inputs.

HDTV Tuners

These standalone tuners are intended for use with HDTV monitors.

HD Satellite receivers with digital terrestrial tuning

Some DirecTV HD satellite tuners are known to work as over-the-air digital tuners without subscribing to satellite service.

Low end digital TVs

If your analog TV is nearing the end of its useful life for reasons that have little to do with broadcast formats but you aren't ready to shell out for HDTV, then one of the low end digital TVs might be a candidate.

Cable/Satellite

If you were already leaning towards getting cable or satellite, then there may not be much point in getting converter boxes.

DVD, VHS, or combo recorders

Some video recorders are shipping with ATSC tuners. If you don't need to record and watch TV simultaneously, you may be able to use these to convert your signal. Some of these are already cheaper than standalone HDTV tuners. Bear in mind that they may record only at SD resolution and for that matter only convert SD resolution but may have component and HDMI outputs. If you have limited space for A/V components near your TV, a DVD-R/VHS combo with ATSC tuner might do the trick.

Video Interfaces

These are listed in approximately in order from lowest quality to highest.

• RF (antenna)

• composite video

• S-video

• Component video (YPbPr)

• RGB, SCART (European TV's composite or RGB video + audio on one connector), or VGA

• Firewire (limited bandwidth)

• HDMI

• DVI

Coupon eligible boxes limit you to the bottom two or three rungs of the ladder. DVD quality pictures are degraded by anything less than component video.

Block Diagram

DTV converters are complicated devices. Below is a representative diagram. By the time the converter is done with its job, the signal has been processed in many ways. Using the composite outputs on the converter instead of the RF output, avoids a few processing stages in the converter and the next piece of equipment down the line. The two digital stages that affect the quality are the Resolution_Down_Converter and the Frame_Rate_Converter.

This diagram automatically generated from a description of the interrelationships using graphviz.

Hookup Diagrams

These diagrams are intended to help you think about your cabling requirements before purchasing a CECB. If you have already used up all your inputs, a CECB will make things worse by having line outputs but no line inputs.

In these diagrams “RF” connections go from “Antenna Out” on the first device to “Antenna in” on the second device. “Composite”, “Left”, and “Right” connections go from “Line Out” on the first device to “Line In” or “Line 1 In” on the second device. When looking at these diagrams, think about which devices must be powered up to use various operating modes. Usually, a relay will pass through the “RF” signals when powered down but a device must be powered up, and the device set appropriately, to pass through the “Composite”, “Left”, and “Right” connections.

Below is a simple hookup diagram for a TV that only has an antenna input.

Below is a hookup diagram for a TV that has an antenna input and composite input.

Below is a hookup diagram for a DTV converter that lacks analog pass through.

Below is a hookup diagram for a DTV converter and DVD player. Requires that the TV have RF and Composite inputs. Digital TV quality is reduced by only using the RF connection; if your TV has two sets of composite inputs, you can use those.

Below is a hookup of a VCR and DVD player to a TV with RF and composite inputs. Digital TV is degraded by using RF connection (use second composite line input if you have it).. Cannot dub from DVD to VCR. Simultaneous TV watching and recording of a separate program is not possible. Asumes TV and VCR have a single composite Line input each.

Below is a hookup diagram with a DVD player and VCR, set up for dubbing (though copy protected tapes can't be copied). Assumes TV has one set of composite line inputs and VCR has two.

Below is a hookup of a VCR and DVD player.

Below is a hookup diagram with a VCR and DVD recorder. It assumes that you will be dubbing from VCR to DVD more often than the reverse, though the RF cables are connected backwards relative to the composite cables so you can dub from DVD to VCR at reduced quality. Copy protection may limit duplication of commercial videos. Simultaneous watching and recording of separate programs is not possible since there is only one DTV Converter.

Below is a configuration that allows simultaneously watching and recording two separate programs. It allows dubbing from VCR to DVD, with a video stabilizer to clean up signals from deteriorating tapes. Dubbing from DVD to VHS is possible at reduced quality via tha backwards RF connection; copy protection may interfere. Signal quality while watching live DTV is degraded some by using an RF instead of a composite connection; if your TV has a second set of line inputs, use it.

Things are fairly complicated, and I still haven't thrown in a TiVo, game console, IPTV or media player appliance, or a satellite receiver with local channels not available via satellite and thus requiring over the air DTV reception via an antenna.

Here is an example of how a professional might hook up equipment using a matrix switch that allows any input to be connected to any output, using only Composite connections. "Composite/Left/Right" cables have been abreviated "C/L/R". Of course, they might well connect up Component signals or HDMI digital signals as well. They wouldn't be likely to use this configuation today except as an retrofit to an old professional setup. 8X8 Matrix switches are expensive, starting at $500 and going way up for an 8x8 switch. Thus, it is cheaper to do the switching digitally inside a computer that can provide more functionality, as well. A mix of analog (composite/component) signals and digital (HDMI) signals complicates the switch matrix. This example shows how professionals have traditionally handled the interconnections so that you can dub from any format to any format. A less expensive, smaller matrix switch may be needed for some retrofits.

And below is how a professional might hook things up today. One box works as a Digital Video Recorder, DVD/HD-DVD/Blu-ray recorder and player, CD player, media player, internet TV player, video games, web browser, and general purpose computer. A VCR is hooked up for dubbing materials from that obsolete format. Full 6 channel surround sound. Note the trend towards fewer boxes, thwarted somewhat by satellite/cable providers who fail to provide standard signals. Since TV tuners are replaceable modules, no DTV converters are used. This system allows simultaneous viewing or recording of 4 separate programs, 2 from over the air and two from satellite/cable. Recorded programs are saved on the hard drive and can be archived to DVD, HD-DVD, or Blu-ray. This system would provide full HDTV viewing when a suitable monitor was used. If the capability to dub onto VHS is still needed, video and audio outputs could be connected to the VCR as well. A USB or traditional turntable and cassette deck can be connected to convert old audio recordings to modern formats. MythTV is often used as the software on such a system. Copy protected outputs from cable/satellite boxes and HD-DVD/Blu-ray, however, are a serious problem.

Environmental Impact

The government does not require that devices be RoHS (reduction of hazardous substances) or lead-free compliant. However, some manufacturers may provide RoHS/lead free compliant devices because they are manufactured in a country that has regulations requiring it or they intend to sell the device, or variant models, in jurisdictions that require compliance, or because they have already tooled up for RoHS because they normally sell to such markets. RoHS/lead-free compliance is not necessarily a good thing.

The environmental impact of an electronic device includes:

• The impact of extracting and processing the raw materials used in manufacturing. Silver is used in lead-free solders and silver mining and processing generates large amounts of pollution. This plus any other pollution in manufacturing, is the embodied polution.

• Waste due to unusable components. Lead free electronic components typically have a shelf life of only 6 months to 2 years. If they are not soldered onto circuit boards by that time, they become waste and their embodied energy, CO_2, and pollution is wasted.

• The energy used in manufacturing the product, its components, and raw materials, called embodied energy. Along with the embodied energy, is embodied CO₂ (greenhouse gas emissions) which comes from the energy used in production as well as any processes which release greenhouse gasses. The embodied energy in an electronic product typically exceeds the energy that product will consume over its useful life. Lead-free circuits have reliability problems which may significantly reduce their useful life, requiring replacement which incurs additional expense for the consumer and additional embodied energy/CO₂ /pollution. If the useful life of a product is halved, the embodied energy,CO₂, and pollution are effectively doubled.

• The energy consumed by the device during operation. Just the out of pocket expenses for the energy consumed often exceed the purchase price of the product, to say nothing of the environmental impact.

• Side effects during use.

• End of life effects. Pollution due to improper disposal/failure to recycle.

• Effect of retooling. Equipment that was used for assembling lead based circuits cannot be used for lead free circuits. Therefore, all the embodied energy/CO₂/pollution for new equipment needs to be considered.

To the extent that DTV converters preserve the useful life of existing TVs, they may have a positive environmental impact. However, contributing to the proliferation of separate A/V components is a negative impact compared to DTV tuners integrated into other products. In other words, if you were allowed to purchase, for example, a DVD recorder with built in DTV converter functionality, the environmental impact would be lower than if you purchase a DTV converter and a DVD recorder. Thus, the narrowly limited coupons may entice you to make a poor environmental choice.

Standby/On mode power

An article in Home Energy Magazine and an LBL report give the power consumption of video appliances (1999 figures).. TV power consumption varies with size, among other factors, but a typical 19-20” TV consumes 68Watts when on and 5.1 watts in standby (a typical energy star TV uses 1.7W in standby). A typical digital cable box is 23 watts whether on or “off”, about twice the consumption for an analog cable box. A typical satellite TV box, uses 17W active and 16W standby.. 95% of the VCR's power consumption occurs when it isn't playing or recording, in other words, most of the power consumption occurs when it is in standby or switched on to permit signal passthrough. Even a typical energy star VCR uses 3W in standby out of 4W allowed and a non-energy star model twice that. DVD players use 2 to 7W when “off”. Digital TVs typically consume twice as much power, on or off, as their analog counterparts (though the typical digital TV at that time was probably larger and improvements in IC designs may have improved things since then). Cable and satellite boxes are expected to be on so they can download program listings, software updates, etc. Thus, the devices that most need to be switched off may not be able to be.

Because of the embodied energy, replacing an older unit with a newer energy efficient model may not be an improvement. Thus, you should consider the energy consumption of new devices and look for ways to minimize the power consumption of existing devices. Adding a seperate power strip to turn off devices rather than leaving them in standby may help though some devices will lose time or settings when turned off completely. Also VCRs and DVD recorders that need to wake up automatically to do unattended recording can't do so when power is removed. If you use electric heat (excluding heat pumps), power consumption in the winter may be a moot point as it may simply reduce the on time of the electric heaters.

Why Consumers aren't upgrading to HDTV

• Cost

• Copy protection

• Undecided outcomes of format wars. Nobody wants to buy a player and movies, only to have it become obsolete. And without a player and new movies, that investment in HDTV displays is largely wasted.

• Tired of the upgrade treadmill

Copy Protection

Media companies have a long track record of trying to suppress or cripple new technologies on the grounds that it will hurt them; in fact, they usually profit from the the very technologies they tried to suppress. They tried to suppress the VCR, yet they now make more money from home video sales than they do from theatrical screenings. They tried to suppress radio broadcasts of music; now they pay bribes to radio stations to play their music. Today, they impose copy protection on video cassettes, DVDs, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray formats as well as DVI,HDMI, and firewire to maintain their psychopathic price gouging. They gouge consumers and then have the nerve to call consumers criminals when they don't bend over. They have gotten corrupt politicians to pass laws infringing on consumers fair use rights. Consumers would, ordinarily, prefer to own originals. Yet, with copy protection, they have created the peculiar situation where a copy is more valuable than a defective (copy protected) originals. If you can't make fair use copies to take with you when you travel, for use in the car, or for use by kids (who tend to destroy things) and have trouble using free software to play the materials, then what is the incentive to buy? Furthermore, many consumers have ethical problems with supporting criminal media corporations, even if they want to support the artists. At $6 without copy protection, DVDs will practically jump of the shelves, at $30 with copy protection, they sit there looking lonely. And they have been sitting there looking lonely – the industry is upset about the sales slump. But instead of accepting that they themselves are the problem, they are attacking consumers. There is a reason that Wal*mart accounts for 40-45% of DVD sales – because even a few dollars makes a big difference in sales volume. You can make more money selling 10 million copies at $10 than you can selling 1 million copies at $20. They tried to impose this on digital TV transmissions, via the broadcast flag but were shot down, but they continue to try to infringe on your rights by reintroducing the broadcast flag. Join the EFF (it is free) to protect your rights from further infringement. I owned a DVD player for a couple years before the CSS copy protection was broken on DVDs, during which time I purchased a total of about 3 DVDs. After that, I bought hundreds. Then they passed the DMCA.. So, they lost a couple hundred sales due to copy protection, from me alone. And I am not going to be buying Blu-ray or HD-DVD disks either, because of the copy protection. If I can't play it on my PC using my choice of software, I am not buying it. I rent more than I buy, these days. They are particularly hard on digital formats under the false premise that digital copies are perfect copies. They usually aren't. When copying a double layer DVD, do you think people pay $2 for a double layer disk? No, typically they compress the video (losing quality) to fit it onto a $0.25 disk. And with Blu-ray and HD-DVD, the cost of blank media is even higher. Are off the air recordings perfect copies? No. Even if you have prefect reception, the content is censored before broadcast, there are often commercial breaks, and there are often station ID bugs in the corner of the image. Computer software used to be copy protected; that went the way of the dodo bird. They even figured out how to make money by encouraging copying. It is technologically impossible to prevent hard core pirates from copying stuff; instead, companies only hurt their paying customers.

Just a few of the ways copy protection has personally affected me:

• My TV/VCR combo wouldn't work with a DVD player

• When my last TV died and I substituted an RF only model, guess what. My $200 Sony VCR (built post-macrovision) would not pass through the copy-protected DVD signal unmolested, even though it wasn't in record mode.

• Problems playing DVDs on my computers with open source software

• Problems transferring my VHS tapes to DVD to save space.

• Problems with setting up a HTPC.

If you haven't been burned by copy protection yet, or just didn't realize it, you will be.

Links

• DTIA final ruling

• DTIA final ruling technical appendix

• Official List of Coupon Eligible Converter Boxes

• Coupon application

• shopLocal may be helpful in determining which boxes are available at large retail chain stores in your area. Probably won't tell you what is available at independent retailers.

• Wikipedia CECB entry

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