Wal-Mart has announced availability of what may be the first over-the-air (OTA) digital-to-analog converter boxes to hit the retail channel. Apparently 3,400 stores have stocked the $49.87 Magnavox STB and are ready for your $40 coupon (arriving as soon as next week). My concern is that the folks requesting the finite number of vouchers are all Engadget readers with ATSC-tuning HDTVs and/or satellite/cable service – making this a non-issue for them. Meanwhile, Grandma will be out of luck (or at least out some cash) next year when she realizes her rabbit-eared television no longer works and the coupons are long gone.
Well, I was one of those Engadget readers. And I requested two coupons. One for my own rabbit-earred set (no need for it to have cable since I have a hacked Series2 on it, too) and the other one… for my Grandma!
So there will be at least one grandmother who is covered. ;)
Plus, you never know what type of retro-weird TV set someone (my wife) is going to bring home one day that will actually need one of these things to be useful, so just hanging on to one makes a lot of sense.
I actually signed up for the coupon to use with a TV we have in our office that’s a very old, but usable TV hooked up only by rabbit-ears.
I’m betting it will be a nonevent and there will just be several folks who go to walmart and paying – not realizing they could have gotten a coupon for it.
Yeah, I do feel a little bad about taking up a coupon, but I’ve got lifetime service on my series 2 that I plan to use till the day I die.
I asked for a coupon. I have a S2 TiVo that I would like to use in the future.
The real question is if the channel will need to be changed on the converter box or if the old TV will change the channel and the converter box will just deliver the one that the TV tuner is asking for.
If it can’t do that I hope TiVo will support IR codes for converter boxes.
Are you guys using your Series2 with analog cable or with an antenna? If you’re using cable, you won’t need a converter. However, the TiVo will need IR codes to control a converter – most manufacturers reuse codes, so it might be OK without a TiVo update.
I do have cable now, but I really hate paying for it. Mostly I can only stomach it because I have roommates to help defray the cost. If I move out, I’ll be back to OTA.
My old S2 is on an antenna, but not at my house… ;)
As I mentioned, mine is running with rabbit ears. But I’ve hacked the TiVo so I can reach my server and get non-HD shows off of it (been on a Batman: The Animated Series kick lately), so I only really need the broadcast channels in that room.