Customer Reviews

Channel Master CM-7000 Digital to Analog TV Converter Box with S-Video

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This made in Bulgaria DTV converter has a nice metal box which can help survive bumps and drops without cracking the case. I like the "Update" channel feature. Other converter boxes or televisions only allow you to "rescan" so that previously found channels will be dropped if that channel's signal happened to be weak. How stupid. Particularly with digital's signal here today and not found later approach to signal strength. I waited for this box to be available since my television has a remaining S-video input I can use so I do not have to make major cable swapping changes. I have another converter box (Insignia NS-DXA1-APT also coupon eligible) that has a universal remote feature so that the converter's remote can also control my (Sony) television. But that remote is thinner and is not as comfortable in my hand compared to this Channel Master remote. But if you have a universal remote, Channel Master is saying you can set your universal remote to use the code for "Pioneer" to control this converter box.

I think I got an old manual or a quickly photocopied manual included in my box. A different manual (in pdf format) with some more details can be found at Channel Master's web site:

http://www.channelmasterintl.com/documentation/manuals/CM-7000%20USERS%20MANUAL_200809b.pdf

which also includes the default password for the parental control (0000) setting.

The hottest part of this converter is about 113F degrees (about the center top of the box). The auto off power is not turned on by default. I guess this helps prevent some people from calling their help desk and complaining that the box "stops working after a few hours.

The Channel Master CM-7000 has three buttons on the front: power on/off, channel down, and channel up. There is a slide switch on the back so if you use the RF output of the box into the television's antenna in input, you can choose either channel 3 or 4. My Insignia does this through the on-screen menu using the remote. I think the rear switch method is a better way of doing it.

I like the "Guide" feature that downloads the television programs information that the digital stations transmit. While my other converter box has the same feature, the Channel Master lets you scroll by chronological order (up/down) AND scroll left or right to also check out what's on the previous or next channel while still in the Guide mode. Neat!

The Set up menu is not as intuitive as other device set ups. You have to use the Menu button to get out of the present choice. Other than that, it is not too difficult to navigate.

Oh. And the picture quality is great on my 24" Panasonic with just an indoor amplified VHF/UHF set top rabbit ears, especially on the S-Video output. I can definitely tell the difference in picture quality (sharpness and color contrast) compared to the phono video out or the RF video out. I won't be buying a new television just quite yet.

PROS: S-Video output provides great picture quality if you have a television that can accept it.

"Update" channel feature to add new channels instead of a total rescan (where you could lose some previously found channels because of weather conditions). Channel Master also uses this feature so you can rotate your antenna in one direction to get some stations then rotate the antenna to get more stations. I can get 99% of all my channels with my indoor rabbit ears in one position; rotate the antenna to a different position to get that last channel!

The remote control is a nice size that fits the hand comfortably.

CONS: Could have included cheap RCA phono cables like some other units.

Remote does not include universal feature like other converter box remotes (to also control turning off your television).

Instruction manual could include better details. Set up menu slightly less intuitive.

No analog pass through.

The closed captioning font is small and does not appear to be adjustable.

I've tried 4 other boxes, and this Channel Master gets the best reception, by far. Picture is excellent, there is a 12-hour program guide, and one button on the remote changes the view setting, so you can compare them readily.

S-Video, nice remote, all around a really solid unit. I'm going to get an extra.

Got this box for a week now and I definitely made the right choice in purchasing this brand considering there are a lot of choices out there. I could not agree more with the other reviewer emphasizing the importance of having the S-video option to get maximum clarity. Picture sharpness is just a lot better using this connection especially when you are viewing on a large monitor/screen. Installation and setup was easy, at least for me. I must mention that if you want to use the S-video, you have to purchase the cables for it, both S-video and the audio. It only came with the regular antenna cable which you will need in connecting the converter box to your external or indoor antenna. One negative comment about this unit is the small buttons of the remote control that it came with. It is not very easy to use specially the channel and the volume buttons which I use everytime. The good thing is, I have the option of programming the other remote that came with my TV which has bigger buttons for these functions. Of course, my programmable remote does not have all the features that the converter's remote control have. So, I always keep the original remote within my arms reach just in case I need it. This is the only reason why I did not give this converter box a five star rating. Oh, I almost forgot, using this box gave me other channels that I never knew existed and they're a lot.

Have had the Channel Master for a few weeks now (got one of the first ones after it was certified)and am very happy with it. The set-up is easy to get all the signals and you can update at anytime if more stations are available in your area. Have used it both on a small 12" set and on a 40" set and both have excellent picture. After some research, this unit seemed to be best so far.

At first I did not want to get this box because I already had a digital tuner built into my Panasonic DVD recorder. Then I bought an RCA converter box for my 2nd TV because of the slightly lower price. That was a mistake - reception was poor, and hooking up the coaxial cable between my TV and the RCA converter box produced a spark...had to unplug the TV and reconnect to get the TV to work again. Needless to say, the RCA converter box got returned within 2 days.

After finally getting tired of using the Panasonic as my converter (very slow start-up, slow response to channel change, poor reception, occasional crashes), I got my first CM-7000 1 month ago and used it on my 2nd TV. Immediately, I was able to pick up all the channels that the RCA and Panasonic could not get. Setting up was a breeze. Using the built-in signal strength indicator, it was easy to adjust the antenna (cheap rabbit ear type) so that I had over 50% signal strength in channel 3.1 and channel 61.1. No need to mess with the antenna anymore for all the channels in between.

Results were so good I got a second box to replace the Panasonic. Using the S-Video to connect to my 50" TV produced very clear and sharp pictures. Other converter boxes out on the market do the digital conversion for you, but without S-video you are not taking advantage of the digital video quality being received by your converter box. Other features mentioned by other reviewers - easy programming, program guide, etc. - work very well. I love the one button controls for picture size and closed caption. Since I wasted my coupon on the RCA, ended up having to pay full price for the box -- still worth every penny.

I bought this model because reviews say that is has the best picture quality. Those reviewers aren't lying; the picture quality really is as good as they say. The unit is quick to set up and use, too. It will automatically self-program all available channels, then you can go back and delete the channels you don't want. The remote is fully functional, but could have been better designed with larger volume and channel buttons. But that's the only drawback. If you want to pull in over-the-air TV with cable/satellite quality, the Channel Master will do it.

I have an old TV/VCR combo with old rabbit ears. I read the reviews and I couldn't decide which one to buy so I bought both the Channel Master CM-7000 and the TIVAX. The Channel Master beats the TIVAX by a landslide. Really. With the Channel Master, the picture quality is amazing. My old TV looks HD. No kidding. The guide has 4 hours of programming. The options are better. The Channel Master is the better one. I highly recommend it. The TIVAX has a good picture but it is not as crisp and clear as the Channel Master. If you aren't sure which digital converter box to buy, then buy the Channel Master CM-7000. You'll be very happy you did.

After doing lots of research online to decide which converter box to buy, the general consensus seems to be that this Channel Master product and the Zenith DTT901 were the two best converter boxes out on the market as of date. Truthfully, I bought the Channel Master mainly for the s-video connection since I heard this converter box produces the best picture quality out of all the other boxes. I was curious to see this for myself. Well the picture quality looks great on my 20-inch '94 Philips tv. It really looks like I'm watching cable tv. The menus are very easy to navigate. So I'm not sure why others are complaining about this. The channel-scanning is fairly quick and it picked up many channels for me. For those people who aren't getting many channels, it's due to the lack of strong signal in your area rather than the box underperforming. You just need a better antenna. A rooftop antenna is highly recommended.

A few complaints:
1) The remote control is pretty crappy like others have said. The buttons are small and stiff. In fact, they are VERY stiff. You have to push down on them fairly hard. So unless you enjoy having a finger work-out or if you have an elderly relative with arthritis or something, this can be a nuisance. The remote also can't turn on/off the tv itself and even though it can control the volume, adjusting it is a slow process, so you're more likely to use your original remote for that. In addition, I find it strange that there are 4 unused buttons on the remote. Also, you have to pinpoint the remote towards the converter box in order for it to listen to you. In the end, it absolutely sucks to be using two remote controls BUT THANKFULLY PURCHASING A CHEAP AFFORDABLE UNIVERSAL REMOTE CAN FIX ALL THAT. So this small con is not in any way a deal-breaker whatsoever.
2) No analog pass-thru but come June 12 this feature will be of no use so it doesn't matter.
3) When the box is in standby mode (i.e. turned off), the LED light goes from green to orange. It's not too bright or anything but still, it's another distracting light added to my room among other LED lights from many of my other countless electronics. On the other hand I guess this can be a good thing if you need a tiny night-light on. Funny thing is, I noticed the LED light actually seeping through the vents of the converter box and reflecting it off the wall. It's not too noticeable unless you get really close to it. Just thought it would be a funny tidbit to mention.
4) When I first got my product, I heard a small rattle inside of it as if a tiny screw or part got loose. It happens if I tilt the box sideways or upside-down. Thankfully the product still works with no problems so I guess I'm lucky.

This unit does very well with weak signals from distant transmitters (best digital receiver I have - compared to Zenith dtt900 cecb box, Panasonic DVR, ATI PCIe board). It's great to have the S-Video output and the picture is top-notch even with composite video - it looks more like a DVD than TV on our fairly recent 32" glass TV. I used to think of these converter boxes as a way to limp along until I could afford a big LCD TV but with this kind of picture quality on a decent sized TV it's harder to justify an upgrade to digital flat panel. Another nice thing about this box is that you can use it with a universal remote (using codes for Pioneer which have existed for years; I don't have codes for my Zenith converter box). Also, the box and remote look like quality items; the box is metal and the remote has a good solid feel to it.

I've tried four different boxes - DTVpal, Zinwell ZAT, Zenith DTT901, and this Channel Master. The CM is by far the best box, receiving weak channels (50 miles distant) that the other boxes could not pick up. Using the CM allows me to see stations from Baltimore, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia - 3 different markets! It has excellent sensitivity.

It also has S-video, while the other boxes only have Composite video. In effect that's the difference between watching crystal-clear DVD and a blurry VHS tape. My television is not HD, but it's so clear, many people are fooled and think that it is.

The only "flaw" this box has is the lack of analog passthru, but since all my stations are switching to pure digital in June, I consider this feature non-relevant. I don't need it. The TV Guide in the box is 12 hours, and I find it an excellent way to see what future movies or TV shows I want to watch. Additionally the box has 4 "zoom" modes:
- 16:9 (widescreen)
- full (anamorphic widescreen)
- 4:3 (pan-and-scan)
- Zoom 2 (halfway between widescreen and 4:3)

I find the last mode the best setting for my old analog set. None of the other boxes I've tried included that mode, so once again the Channel Master proves itself to be the better choice. Overall this is an excellent box. In fact, I bought 5 of them! One for every set in my house. :-)