Customer Reviews

Zenith DTT901 Digital TV Tuner Converter Box

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

LG makes these converter boxes and sells them as either a Zenith DTT901 or a Insignia brand (at BestBuy). After much research at AVSForum re selection, here is a quick summary of my own experiences.
Out of the half dozen or so READILY available boxes, this one is by far the best. Some other ones are prone to: locking up requiring a reset, sound problems, running very hot, may be impossible to add channels manually, and have difficulties setting the aspect ratio such that the program fills the screen best. These LG/Zenith/Insignia boxes have none of those problems, but make sure that you get one built after April '08 (there is a sticker on the side of the box with either ie "built May 2008" or something like 05A08). Setup is easy, sensitivity is great. With a set of rabbit ears I get stations from 70-90 miles away (see TVFool website for antenna directions and maps for your own area).
Picture Zoom is settable for each channel, box can turn off the TV, and has an independent volume control. There are a couple of small items not quite up to par: Program guide is VERY simple, only current program and NEXT program are described, power cord is only 5ft long, if you set the converter on top of a large tv on a stand, it has a hard time reaching a floor level outlet. The signal strength meter (used for fine tuning the antenna position)has its own button on the remote, with a bar and amplitude varying beeps, but it lags the antenna movement by second or two, so you have to pause after moving the antenna each time to get a true signal level. Oh, and by the way, the picture quality (PQ)is excellent over the composite RCA outlet, and almost as excellent over the RF coax output. And yes, when turned off, the box will pass analog signal to the TV (APT), I thought that would be important, but all of my stations analog signals are duplicated on digital channels, and once you see a perfect quality signal it is very hard to watch a snowy picture. The DTT901 boxes are approved for the [...]$ rebate coupon (but some websites may have problems redeeming them and you may have to try a BM (brick and mortar store) instead.

I've not encountered any product recently that works so simply and easily as this does. It's a cinch to set up; for more complicated systems which also include DVD/VCR and stereo system, the people manning the 800 number are extremely helpful and patient. I needed their help -- and we had it all done in under 10 minutes. I'm truly amazed by the high quality of the picture on my 27" Sharp with only simple rabbit ears plus this box. I read most customer reviews of this and the others offered by BestBuy, CircuitCity and Target -- this was the clear winner based on these. Now that I have it hooked up, it's the clear winner for me. I say unhesitatingly, BUY IT. I'm buying a second one for bedroom TV before second coupon expires.

I own 6 DTV converter boxes consisting of mix of this Zenith DTT901, the Zenith DTT900, and the Insignia (Best Buy) version of the Zenith DTT900. Although all of these models are essentially the same, the DTT901 has an anolog pass through feature which means you can still watch analog TV which is important for those channels that keep breaking up in digital.

*** Positive Points Include ***

- Small size and easy to setup
- Improves picture quality over analog TV tuners.
- Picks up digital channels very well, even with a simple rabbit ears antenna.
- Lightweight and simple remote that has dedicated buttons for most features.
- Remote can be programmed to turn your tv on and off.
- The bright red/blue LED light make it easy to tell when the tuner is on or off.

** Negative Points Include ***

- The onscreen tv guide is a bit too simple and it only lists the current and upcoming show on the channel you are tuned to.

- Like most converter boxes, this Zenith does a poor job of tuning weak stations and results in a broken or frozen picture until the antenna is moved to improve reception. The analog pass through helps in this regard because you can turn off the Zenith to enable analog pass through.

- The remote only turns the TV on and off. It cannot be programmed to control any other features of your tv.


Overall this is a great DTV converter box for most people's needs. Consumer Reports did a test that gave a slight edge to the Zenith models over the otherwise identical Insignia models.

This works wonders for local broadcast channels. NBC went from being fuzzy but watchable to being crystal clear. The box has some nifty features like a program guide and is really easy to use and setup, and I like the remote. My only complaint is that it only scans for channels up to 59, and you cannot manually go to channels higher than that. I live in a fairly remote area and NBC is the only station I get locally, however I get ABC, CBS, FOX, and more at channels 80+. Not only can I not get them with the box, but while the box has analog pass through (allowing my TV to still see the analog signal), the reception through the box on these channels is worse than it was when my antenna was plugged directly into the TV. So if I want to watch NBC I have to plug the antenna into the digital converter box, if I want to watch anything else, I have to plug it straight into the TV. This won't be a problem for most people, but I just wanted to warn people since it caught me by surprise when I hooked it up. Overall I'm happy with what the box can do, and if I lived somewhere else I would give it 5 stars, but for my purposes, it's disappointing.

The Zenith DTT901 has exceeded my expectations. I already have a digital widescreen TV hooked up to an antenna, but I wanted to be able to record on my analog VCR after full-power television broadcasting goes all digital on February 17, 2009. I have a rooftop antenna from which I was receiving excellent high definition TV signals. The Zenith DTT901 was then added to this antenna by way of a splitter. Even though the Zenith DTT901 does not produce high definition pictures, it does allow my 4:3 analog VCR to play back geometrically-correct 16:9 images on my digital set.

The Zenith DTT901 gives a 4:3 VCR the ability to display 16:9 images after selecting "Normal TV (4:3)" from the TV Aspect Ratio section of the Option menu and then selecting "Squeezed" from the Aspect Ratio menu. This setting essentially creates an anamorphic image on the VHS tape which displays both 4:3 and 16:9 pictures with correct geometry when played back using my TV's stretch mode. Now, for the first time, my analog VCR can record 16:9 program material and display it full screen on my 16:9 digital TV. This display mode must be set for each channel separately. For some reason, this method works for most channels in the San Francisco area, but not for all. For other channels, the same results can be obtained by selecting "Wide TV (16:9)" from the TV Aspect Ratio section of the Option menu and then selecting "4:3" from the Aspect Ratio menu. I am assuming that these settings on the Zenith DTT901 will produce the same results with other 4:3 recording devices.

Other great features of the Zenith DTT901: 1. Signal Strength meter with visual and audible references. This feature is a big help when aiming an antenna. 2. An auto-off feature which can be disabled to allow for VCR timer recordings set more than 4 hours after the Zenith DTT901 is turned on. 3. A simplified tuning system which allows the input of a single number to produce a drop down menu of available channels. 4. EZ Add which allows additional channels to be added without losing the original scanned channels. This feature will be handy for those who must rotate their antennas to receive channels from different locations. 5. Analog pass-through, making it possible to watch the few remaining low-power analog stations remaining after the digital changeover, without having to use a signal splitter. 6. Coaxial RF cable, composite RCA video and RCA stereo audio cables, all 4 feet long, are included.

I gave the video performance of the Zenith DTT901 5 stars, but only as it compares to other 480i devices using composite output. The 480i reception obtained from this unit's digital conversion is superior to analog versions of the same channels as viewed on the tuner of my VCR. Some have already commented on the remote being too small, the lack of an S-video output and the program guide being too basic. These drawbacks are not a problem for me, but others may want to consider them. The Zenith DTT901 also qualifies for the $40 government discount coupon, making it a great buy. This Lucky Goldstar-manufactured unit is also sold as an Insignia NS-DXA1-APT.

This box was easy to set up and easy to navigate around to figure out how to work. The instructions are clear and the picture is fantastic. I guess about all the converter boxes have great pictures, but this is the only one I've seen.

There is a "guide" button that tells you what the current and next shows are, and manually adding channels is easy. The only thing to caution about is when you adjust your antenna, there is a lag between the movement and the box registering that movement, so you have to go slow. I recommend the Zenith for it's ease of use.

I went with this Zenith for three key reasons:
- Consumer Reports rated it highly
- It's the only model on sale at all the major electronics stores (Fry's, Best Buy, Circuit City) and is both the most popular and highest-rated box on Amazon -- safety in numbers ya know
- It's made by LG, which by converter box standards counts as a name brand

I can't speak for how this box compares to the others, but I can say that it works as advertised, is easy to use, and surpassed my expectations in one important way.

For starters, yes, watching TV via this Zenith is much better than the crap analog signals we're used to -- even better than the analog cable I was getting, in fact. Ahh, the beauty of digital: anytime your signal strength is above 50% or so, picture quality is literally perfect (all or nothing, zero or one -- that's how it works).

As for the box specifically, I like it for a few reasons. The remote seems well-designed to me (and only needs one AAA battery), with well-placed buttons and agreeable menu logic. The unit itself is a rad-looking cube with sturdy metal construction, and the retail package comes with everything you need: battery, 3-cord composite cables, RF cable.

There was one especially pleasant surprise. There's a connection on the back labeled "Analog Pass-Through" -- supposedly just a temporary thing for people who still want to watch the old stations that will die in February -- but apparently, it also works as a legit RF connection! This brings two benefits: 1. you can use it to connect to your TV's RF input (a.k.a. antenna input) instead of hogging a set of composite inputs, and 2. by doing so, you're now also free to use the box's composite outputs to connect to your VCR at the same time, thus saving it from obsolescence. This might all be true of other converter boxes with an Analog Pass-Through, but I thought I'd mention it since some don't have one.

The only dumb thing about this box is the fact that the front panel displays a blue light when on and a red light when off. Illogical, wasteful, confusing. But maybe that's being too picky.

Anyway, it's been two weeks of crystal clear TV with no complaints so far. Go get one!

PS - Like most converter boxes, this Zenith doesn't have a "VCR Timer" (a feature that changes the channel at a scheduled time for recording), which means that if you want to tape a program, you have to remember every damn day to manually change the channel beforehand. Right now, there's only one model out there with said feature, the Zinwell ZAT-970A, which I also bought. It's turned out to be a piece of crap that loses its memory on a monthly basis, defeating its only supposed benefit, so again, go with the Zenith.

When this Zenith converter works, it is great. But it will turn off, change the input, and do other weird stuff, with nobody in the room!! After several months, I finall gave up and ordered a Tivax. I will have to eat the cost because I cant use the coupon twice. If any of you have had a similar problem, please comment.

I bought the Zenith DTT901 because it had good reviews. I paid a little bit more than a basic box made by RCA which I had also purchased. Well, to my surprise, the Zenith was not able to pick up as many stations as the RCA. (And, yes, I did do all the television, converter box, antenna, and location swaps to make sure I gave the Zenith every opportunity to receive the missing stations.) If you are buying a converter box and want to get the most out of the digital conversion, the fact that the Zenith cannot receive as many stations makes this converter box a poor choice.

This product is great but unfortunately after 3 months of barely using it everyday, it wont power up and if it does it shuts down after 1 minute.
Circuitcity has only 30 days return so I wasted $20 and now off to buy a different brand.