Digital Stream DSP7700P Digital TV Converter Box (Black)

by Digital Stream

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001FSLYLU
• Item model number: DSP7700P
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,025 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #30 in Electronics > Televisions & Video > Analog-to-Digital (DTV) Converters

Product Description

Digital TV Converter Box with Analog Pass-Through

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Budget converter with good picture quality, October 21, 2009

By 

Ramkumar Balaraman (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Digital Stream DSP7700P Digital TV Converter Box (Black) (Electronics)

Having never applied for a coupon before it was too late, this was the most affordable over-the-air dtv converter option on Amazon after I moved, bought a used 32-inch WEGA for my new apartment, and then realized that between netflix and hulu, I probably didn't need cable.

I have it hooked up to an RCA ANT1450 that is sitting on top of my TV that I picked up at wal-mart. I had been planning to get both the box and antenna at wal-mart so I could return them easily if I wasn't getting any channels, but they just simply didn't have any boxes left.

Pros:
1. Lowest priced box I could find anywhere. I have no idea when all the coupons would expire thus eliminating the artificial price floor on these, but I couldn't wait.
2. Great picture quality on my large-screen SD TV (when the signal quality is good)
3. Auto scan is reasonably quick. Takes about 1-2 minutes to do a complete re-scan detecting about 45 active channels/sub-channels in the process (this obviously depends on your area and antenna)
4. Seems to work fine based on the number of channels it detected for me and the smooth video & audio for nearly half of them most of the time (admittedly I have no other boxes to compare with)
5. Clear, large fonts and menus that are well categorized and very easy to use
6. Has all the standard features; auto-scan, CC options, language options, CC size, program info, signal meter, aspect ratio switching, local-time auto-update, etc. Even has favorites.
7. Compact, minimalist size and design
8. Has analog pass-through that I haven't tried (I believe this is to view analog broadcast tv; probably one or two tele-shopping channels still on the air that are broadcasting in analog in my area).
9. Has RCA ports that you can use if your TV's coax input doesn't work (or to pass through a VCR/DVR) - haven't tried this either. No RCA cable included though.
10. The box shows whatever video & audio it can with the available signal without trying to 'pause and wait'. This is good, especially with the lack of any artifact/static noise. Audio is just broken when the signal is poor without any annoying clicking noises.

Cons:
1. Not a speed demon. Time between switching channel and picture appearing varies from 1-3 seconds, with most taking 1-2 seconds. For channels that have no program or too poor signal to display, the 'Poor signal' or 'No program' message can take between 3 to 12 seconds to appear, which can get pretty annoying
2. Supports quick switching between 4 video aspect modes - anamorphic, 16:9, 14:9 and zoom. This makes quick switching very easy and that's good, but I would expect to not be too difficult to detect the incoming signal resolution and choose the mode accordingly, without the user having to choose the correct mode each time you reach a channel that uses a different native mode from the one you chose last. At the very least, the last mode setting should be remembered at the channel level, i.e. if I switch to 16:9 while viewing channel 4 and then switch to anamorphic when viewing channel 11, the mode should go back to 16:9 when I return to channel 4. This doesn't happen.
3. The program guide is very basic, and I mean VERY basic. You cannot see what programs are on other channels without switching channels, the guide itself takes about 1-2 seconds to update after switching a channel, it displays a very limited number of characters from the program title and there is no PIP browsing.
4. Has controls for TV power & volume adjustment, which do not work for my TV. The set-top box volume adjustment works fine though. This just means that I still need to use my TV remote to turn my TV ON/OFF. [SEE UPDATE BELOW]
5. Remote pointing angles aren't very wide.
6. Included coax cable is very short (probably 2ft) with slip-on connectors (instead of the standard screw-type). Picked up a 6ft coax cable at wal-mart.

Overall: Recommended for anyone on a budget who wouldn't mind the slight delays in switching channels and the really basic program guide. Excellent value given the picture quality - can't get much better than this.

Note: 2 of the current customer images show a DTX9950, which is NOT what I received. My box has the same number as the Amazon product title - DSP7700P - and the same curved-front appearance as the Amazon product image.

UPDATE 10/30/09: I discovered that the included remote can in fact control my TV and it was just my manualophobia that prevented me from doing so earlier. There is no code set button on the remote which had led me to assume it was one of those no-code universal remotes, which it isn't. You need to set the code by holding down the tv power button on the remote, entering the code and then releasing the tv power button. A correct code is confirmed by the tv turning off when you do so. The other option is to just hold down the tv power button on the remote and keep pressing the up button till the tv turns off. The latter was what I did and, 2 dozen up-button presses later, the remote was programmed for the tv. The tv functions are very minimal; power, AV source, Vol Up and Vol down. But I've since realized how entirely adequate just those 4 controls are.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Runs Hot, August 20, 2008

By 

J. Martens (Baltimore Metro Area, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I've had this for just over 3 months and am basically happy with it. With a pair of Radio Shack amplified rabbit ears, I pick up more stuff with this than directly with the analog TV. So that's good.

OTOH, it runs very hot, so I'm concerned about how long it's actually going to last. I avoid leaving it turned on for any longer than I need to, hoping to prolong its life.

44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Works, July 26, 2008

By 

ColorOrange (Ford, VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I helped my next door neighbor set up her Zenith DTT901. All I did was remove the plastic off the battery. The channels downloaded automatically, it was that easy. She was flipping channels in no time. When I received my coupon two weeks later, I couldn't find the Zenith anywhere. So I settled for the Digital Stream. The channels did not download automatically, there were steps to do that. I couldn't get any signal on the second floor but got 12 channels on the first floor.

I give it a four star because of the set up. When I got it set up correctly, it works and the reception is good. The problem is I have satellite network for TVs on the first floor. The converter box is needed for the TV on the second floor. I'll have to move the TV around the room in search of a signal.