On February 17, 2009 full-power analog television broadcasting will cease and all broadcasters will transition to digital transmissions. The government and electronics manufacturers have been preparing for the digital transition for years. Those who get their television from cable or satellite providers will be unaffected, but for those viewers who still rely on antennas and over-the-air broadcasts for their televised entertainment and also do not have HDTV's with built-in ATSC digital tuners or have older standard definition televisions without built-in digital tuners, will need some way of converting the new digital broadcasts into something their sets can use.
All HDTVs on the market today come with built-in digital tuners and there are a few standard definition televisions being made with digital tuners as well, but there are still high definition displays, such as front projection systems, that include no built-in tuner. Also, there are many people with perfectly good analog televisions that want to experience the goodness of the digital age without the expense of buying a whole new TV. And these people will be looking for a digital converter box to tune in the new digital channels.
DISH Network will be bringing to market just such a converter box with their DTVPal DVR, but this little box is a whole lot more. The DTVPal DVR will be an industry first -- it is not only a set-top digital converter box, but, as its name implies, the DTVPal is also a DVR (Digital Video Recorder). And unlike the traditional cheap coupon-eligible converter boxes, which are locked into standard definition 480i output, the DTV Pal is cable of tuning in and outputting true high definition signals at their native 720p and 1080i resolution. The only catch is -- there is no catch. This will be the first affordable high definition set-top box that works on over-the-air signals and comes with no monthly service fee. Tivo and the plethora of DVR services provided by most cable and satellite operators all come with a monthly fee for the service and/or a leasing fee for the hardware itself.
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Among the features on the DTVPal DVR will be the ability to view and record local over-the-air digital broadcasts, up to 150 hours of SD and 30 hours of HD recording time, 30-second skip forward for passing those pesky commercials, a completely free Electronic Program Guide with up to seven days of TV Guide listings and PSIP program listings, and 480i/p, 720p and 1080i output resolutions.
The unit is equipped with 1 ATSC antenna input which feeds two over-the-air (ATSC) digital tuners so you can record two channels or watch one while recording another. The DVR is equipped with 1 HDMI output, 1 set of component video outputs, 1 optical digital output, 1 set of RCA-type A/V outputs and 1 channel 3-4 modulated output for compatibility with both analog and digital TVs. There is also 1 Ethernet port and 1 USB 2.0 port that are not yet active, but could be used for future functionality.
The DTVPal DVR will be available for pre-order on November 19th at an SRP of $299 with a $50 instant rebate (net price $249). The DTVPal DVR is expected to ship in December.
More information and pre-orders will be available, starting November 19th at:
www.DTVPal.com.
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