DISH Network's DTVPal converter box gets reviewed

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For those of you out there who have managed to hang on to your government-issued DTV voucher(s), this is probably the box you've been waiting for. CNET just wrapped up a review of the DTVPal (formerly known as the Sling TR-40), and overall, it couldn't find a whole lot to hate. The EPG was deemed "excellent," the analog pass-throughs were smiled upon and the "solid" reception seemed to delight. They did knock the "overcomplicated" remote and the lack of front-panel buttons, but in the end, those niggles didn't keep critics from calling it "a top choice" for folks on the hunt for a digital TV converter. Tracking one down before your coupon expires is apt to be the real challenge.

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Product summary

The good: Excellent electronic program guide, with several days worth of data; can search for programs by title; solid video quality and reception; good aspect ratio controls for handling wide-screen programs on standard TVs; analog pass-through; can work with TV Guide On Screen devices.

The bad: Overcomplicated remote can't control TV volume and power; no front panel buttons means you're out of luck if the remote goes missing; composite audiovisual cable not included.

The bottom line: The Dish Network DTVPal is a great DTV converter box with a best-in-class electronic program guide and should be your top choice, unless you value the simplicity and superior remote of the RCA DTA800.

CNET editors' review

* Reviewed by:

Matthew Moskovciak

* Edited by:

John P. Falcone

* Reviewed on: 06/12/2008

* Released on: 06/19/2008

The FCC has pushed back the DTV transition several times already, but it looks as if over-the-air analog TV signals will actually end on February 17, 2009. That means owners of analog TV will need to pony up for a DTV converter box if they want to continue getting their free over-the-air TV (read our Quick Guide to the DTV transition to find out if you'll be affected). Luckily, it shouldn't cost you too much, as anyone affected can apply for a $40 DTV converter box coupon from the U.S. government.

The Dish Network DTVPal is one of the boxes that shoppers can buy with the coupon, and we've been heavily anticipating its release since it was announced at CES 2008. Since then, however, there's been a lot of confusion. The converter box was first announced as the EchoStar TR-40 with a $40 price tag, then it was renamed to the Dish Network DTVPal, and now the latest news is that the Dish Network DTVPal and the EchoStar TR-40 are actually different products--yikes. The final story is that the Dish Network DTVPal is slated to be available at DTVPal.com on June 19, with an MSRP between $40 and $60. The TR-40 will come out at a later date at a price to be determined. If we had to guess, based on Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen's "Charlie Chat," the DTVPal will cost about $60 and the TR-40 will cost $40.

Getting to the actual device, there's a lot to like about the DTVPal. To us, the main draw is that the DTVPal's EPG is much better than any other box's we've reviewed. It gives several days of data in a familiar grid layout, with responsive controls and even the capability to search for a program. The rest of the features of the DTVPal are basically average; its reception and video quality are solid, but not standout. Our biggest concern is that the somewhat overcomplicated (and underfeatured) remote control just can't compete with the RCA DTA800's excellent clicker, and if you're picking a box for a senior citizen or certified nontechie, we'd lean heavily toward the DTA800. However, for everyone else, the DTVPal's excellent EPG make it our go-to pick for DTV converter boxes.

Design

DTV converter boxes are fairly drab by nature, but the DTVPal is one of the better looking boxes we've seen. Its main attraction is its small footprint, coming in 1.3 inches high, 5.9 inches wide, and 4.2 inches deep. It has a rectangular shape with rounded corners, and the case sinks a bit in the middle, giving it a subtle wavelike appearance. There are no buttons on the front, which means you can only control the box using a remote. On the center of the unit is a single green light indicating that it's on, and the light turns off when the unit is off. The light is actually pretty bright, and unfortunately you can't disable it in the setup menu.

The included remote is one of the weak points of the DTVPal. Right off the bat, we were disappointed that it lacks the capability to control a TV, which is an important feature since these boxes will often be used in scenarios where an expensive universal remote doesn't make economic sense. We also weren't fans of the remote layout. There's no dedicated button-rocker for changing channels; channel changing is instead handled by the centrally located directional pad. There is a dedicated volume control, but it has an unorthodox horizontal alignment. Beyond that, the buttons aren't well differentiated (especially the buttons that surround the directional pad), and the fact that the page up/down buttons do double-duty controlling aspect ratio and closed-captioning can be confusing. Tech enthusiasts will certainly enjoy being able to access many functions directly from the remote, but overall we much preferred the simple remote design of the RCA DTA800.

User interface

The real gem of the DTVPal is its full electronic programming guide. Its layout and the amount of data it can display are superior to the other boxes we've reviewed. You can see four channels at a time, and it displays an hour and a half at a time, which we found reasonable given the limitations of a standard-definition display. How much guide data you actually get, and how good that guide data actually is, depends on the program data provided by the stations. Some stations provide only about a day's worth of data, while other go out several days. There's also a big disparity with the descriptions of the programs, with many programs showing only "No information available" and others giving a brief summary. We're expecting broadcasters to continually improve guide data as the digital transition gets closer, but don't expect complete information like what's available on a TiVo or cable DVR.

DTVPal's EPG can't spice up lackluster daytime TV, but it sure does make it easy to browse what's on TV.

The other great thing about the guide is how responsive it is. Flipping through hours of data is a breeze and we never felt like the box had to load a new screen. Sure, it's nothing like the silky smooth response of the PS3, but it's a big step over the other boxes we've reviewed. The only addition that would have been nice is a picture-in-picture view of what's playing on the channel it's currently tuned to, but we can understand why Dish decided to conserve screen space.

The DTVPal also includes a program search function, which Dish Network calls Event Search. It's accessible via the main menu, and it lets you search for programs using an onscreen keyboard. For example, if you're interested in knowing when all of the permutations of the CSI franchise are airing, you can simply search for "CSI" and it will tell you all the channel, date, and time information for programs with CSI in the title. You can choose to search title data, description data, or both. It's not flawless, as we noticed that the DTVPal tended not to update program guide data unless we actually accessed that channel, but it's still a useful feature once you know its limitations.

Features

Aspect ratio is handled well on the DTVPal. This is an important feature because the DTVPal will most commonly be used with older, analog TVs with a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, but an increasing amount of digital TV is presented in wide screen (16:9). The DTT900 has three options, which you can cycle through with the "Picture Format" button on the remote.

• Full: Fills the screen on wide-screen programs, but distorts the aspect ratio on analog 4:3 TVs. However, this mode keeps wide-screen programs in the correct aspect ratio and fills the screen on wide-screen TVs.

• Normal: Keeps wide-screen programs in their original aspect ratio, but adds black bars on both the top and bottom of the picture.

• Zoom: Maintains the proper aspect ratio on 4:3 analog TVs, but crops out of the extreme right and left sides of the picture.

Connectivity is standard on the DTVPal. There are two RF-style F connectors, which are the connecters that have the screw threads on the outside and the small hole inside. One connector is an antenna input and is connected to the antenna using a coaxial cable. The other F connector says "TV Set out" and is a video output. This means you can send analog video and audio from the DTVPal to your TV by connecting a coaxial cable. In addition to the F connectors, the DTVPal has a composite video output along with stereo RCA analog outputs--the standard yellow, red, and white outputs. If your TV has the proper inputs, you should use this output as it offers superior audio and video quality compared with the RF connection.

Analog pass-through is another feature of the DTVPal, which means that you can set the box to pass the analog signal from the antenna through its RF output, to be tuned by a separate NTSC tuner. For most people, the usefulness of this feature is fairly limited, as after February 19, 2009, almost all analog transmitters will be turned off. Sure, there will be still be a few low-power location stations, or if you live close to the border with Mexico, you might be able to get some analog Mexican stations, but for the vast majority of people this feature just isn't that important. Still, it's a nice convenience for people who'd like to continue using analog stations until February 2009.

The DTVPal can also work in conjunction with a TV or DVD recorder that has TV Guide On Screen, or Guide Plus (also known as Gemstar). The instructions are in the manual, but basically you need to connect a G-Link cable from your TV Guide On Screen-capable device, set up the IR blaster in front of the DTV Pal, and set the DTVPal to TV Guide On Screen mode. We didn't have any TV Guide On Screen-capable devices on hand to test this, but it's a nice extra for those who use the service.

Dish Network should have included a set of composite AV cables, especially now that the DTVPal doesn't cost $40.

Besides the remote and the actual unit, there's not much else included in the box. There's the manual, a single RF cable, and a couple of AA batteries for the remote--that's it. That's pretty stingy, as we expect at least composite-video cable with stereo audio cables (the standard yellow, red, and white cables) to be included with these boxes. Overall, it's not a huge issue--you can pick up a cheap composite-video cable or better quality RF cable for a few bucks--but it really should be included in the box.

While the DTVPal has a pretty solid feature set, tech enthusiasts will notice a few features missing. There's no S-Video output, which can provide slightly better quality than composite. There's also no port to connect a Smart Antenna--which is an antenna that is able to automatically adjust itself to improve reception. Considering the high price of Smart Antennas we've seen so far, this isn't a big omission.

Performance

Reception was overall comparable to other boxes we've tested. From our Manhattan office, we were able to tune into all the major networks and rarely saw any breakups associated with a poor signal. We were also able to receive a whole host of additional channels, such as PBS (from multiple cities), The CW, My 9, plus some religious and Spanish channels. Remember, you'll only be able to tune into the free stations broadcast over the air--that means no Comedy Central, CNN, and so on. When we compared it directly with the Zenith DTT900, it came up a bit short on total channel count, but only by a few. Also remember that our testing environment is urban, and performance will vary greatly depending on local terrain.

Video quality was fairly good overall, but a notch below the best converter boxes we've tested. We compared it head-to-head with the Zenith DTT900 using the composite video input, and we found the DTVPal to be a tad softer, with more jaggies and other image imperfections. It was nearly as bad as the GE 22730, and more comparable to the image quality of the RCA DTA800. We noticed these differences on an HDTV--where the quality differences are more pronounced--so users of standard analog TVs will notice fewer differences.

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Heads-up, DTV holdouts. Your digital-to-analog converter box has arrived, and it's shipping right now. DISH Network's DTVPal (known as the Sling TR-40 in a previous life) can be snapped up as we speak from the DTVPal website or by phone. Best of all, the $59.99 box qualifies for the NTIA's coupon program, meaning that you can procure one for just $19.99 -- if your voucher hasn't expired yet, that is. For those still on the fence, you can check out a review of the box here.

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Industry Favorite DTVPal™ Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes From DISH Network Now Available

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., June 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DISH Network

Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the digital transition leader, today announced

that its DTVPal™ digital-to-analog converter box is available for

purchase nationwide at http://www.dtvpal.com or by calling 1-888-638-9912.

The DTVPal qualifies for the National Telecommunications and

Information Administration's TV Converter Box Coupon Program; coupons may

be ordered by visiting http://www.dtv2009.gov. Consumers can purchase the

converter box for $19.99 after the $40 government coupon is applied; MSRP

for the DTVPal is $59.99.

The DTVPal by DISH Network was deemed a "top choice" by CNET, and is

the only converter box that comes with a nationwide customer care and

service network to facilitate installation, including knowledgeable,

multilingual agents and technicians trained in the digital transition.

"The DTVPal is supported by a trusted and respected national brand --

DISH Network -- and is without question one of the best and most affordable

converter boxes on the market today," said Tom Stingley, executive vice

president of Sales and Distribution for DISH Network. "As a leader in

all-digital television for more than 12 years, we understand the benefits

of digital TV, and we are committed to providing solutions for consumers

affected by the upcoming transition so they may continue to enjoy their

favorite TV programming."

The feature-rich DTVPal is one way for consumers to experience DISH

Network's industry-leading and award-winning technology at an attractive

price. The DTVPal is only one of a few converter boxes that includes a

unique analog pass-through feature, which means it can take both analog and

digital signals -- ideal for all consumers, as many stations are low-power

and are not required to switch to digital broadcasts by 2009.

Additional components include an easy-to-follow setup wizard, a best in

class* electronic program guide with up to seven days of program listings,

parental controls, program search, auto tune timers for program recording

on a connected VCR, closed caption support, a remote control, and signal

strength screen pop-ups that can troubleshoot lost signals.

Consumers can also prepare for the digital transition by subscribing to

pay television. DISH Network offers the best value in entertainment with

the lowest all-digital price every day, along with unmatched technology and

award-winning customer service that has surpassed major cable TV providers

for the past eight years. For as little as $19.99 per month (additional $5

for local channels), DISH Network customers can subscribe to the DishFAMILY

package and receive over 40 popular channels, plus free installation and

activation.

For more information about DISH Network, visit

http://www.dishnetwork.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474). To learn more

about the DTVPal or to order a converter box, visit http://www.dtvpal.com

or call 1-888-638-9912.

* CNET Review, June 19, 2008

About DISH Network Corporation

DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the nation's third largest

pay-TV provider and the leader in digital television, provides more than

13.815 million satellite TV customers with industry-leading customer

satisfaction which has surpassed major cable TV providers for eight

consecutive years. DISH Network also provides customers with award-winning

HD and DVR technology including the ViP722™ HD DVR, which received the

Editors' Choice awards from both CNET and PC Magazine. In addition,

subscribers enjoy access to hundreds of video and audio channels, the most

International channels in the U.S., industry-leading Interactive TV

applications, Latino programming, and the best sports and movies in HD.

DISH Network offers a variety of package and price options including the

lowest all-digital price in America, the DishDVR Advantage Package,

high-speed Internet service, and a free upgrade to the best HD DVR in the

industry. DISH Network is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a

Fortune 300 company. Visit http://www.dishnetwork.com/aboutus or call

1-800-333-DISH (3474) for more information.

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DISH Network's DTVPal converter box goes retail at Sears

Although DISH Network's $59.99 DTVPal converter box went on sale late last month, you've had to order it via the DTVPal website or by phone... until now. The NTIA-approved (meaning you can use your $40 voucher on it) box will soon start surfacing in 511 Sears retail locations along with 194 Sears Dealer stores, meaning that you can actually get in your vehicle and pick one up should you choose to do so. For us introverts, we'd still much rather have a brown box dropped off at our doorstep, but oftentimes there's nothing like instant gratification.

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Cable -Dish Network's DTVPal Converter Box Now Sold by Sears

With the advent of digital television in America, which goes into effect Feb. 17, 2009, Sears, as the approved retailer with NTIA Certification, will be selling the DTVPal digital-to-analog converter box by DISH Network. The DTVPal will be sold in 511 of its full-line stores through the nation and also at 194 Sears Dealer stores.

Structured to meet the stipulated requirements of the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, the DTVPal converter boxes will be sold at the retail price of $59.99. Suitable for all consumers, the DTVPal has analog pass-through. As one of the few boxes suited for this purpose, the DTVPal conforms to technicalities as many of the stations have low-power and do not need to convert to digital broadcasts till 2009.

With a range of amenities, the DTVPal has signal strength screen pop-ups that can troubleshoot lost signals with an easy-to-follow setup wizard and a best in class electronic program guide with up to seven days of program listings. It also has program search, parental controls, closed caption support and auto tune timers for program recording on a connected VCR. The DTVPal has a remote control that gives consumers access to control the TV's volume using a single remote.

“The DTVPal by DISH Network is one of the highest-rated digital-to-analog converter boxes on the market, and we are thrilled to be able to offer it at Sears – a trusted and quality-driven national retailer,” said Tom Stingley, executive vice president of sales and distribution for DISH Network. A leading consumer electronic review Website has given the DTVPal the accolade of being the “top choice,” with its benefits of service, network and customer care through the nation, with installation experts, technicians who are skilled in digital transition and multilingual agents with sound technical knowledge.

“Now the DTVPal is even more accessible to consumers across the country – and at $19.99 with a government coupon, the value of our feature-rich box beats other converter boxes hands down,” says Tom Stingley. DISH Network Corporation has given customer satisfaction to more than 13.8 million satellite TV customers for the past seven years. Customers who used DISH have had access to innumerable video and audio channels, a premier line of award-winning Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), popular International channels in the U.S., the latest Interactive TV applications, and the best sports and movies in HD and Latino programming. Offering a variety of package and price options, DISH also has the lowest all-digital price in America, the DishDVR Advantage Package, high-speed Internet service and a free upgrade to the industry’s best HD DVR.

Approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Sears has been chosen to take part in the TV Converter Box Coupon Program with America’s plan to upgrade to digital television on Feb. 17. Since April 2008, Sears has been selling converter boxes in all of its stores.

As one of the topmost retailers in merchandise and related services, Sears, Roebuck and Co., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation. Retailing a spectrum of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, the company has 926 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S.

A converter box would be required by analog televisions which at present depend on over-the-air broadcasts, to receive a digital signal after Feb. 17. Televisions which are now connected to cable, satellite or other subscription TV services do not need a converter box. In order to confirm functionality, customers are required to get the professional advice of service providers. Nielsen Media Research, in a recent report, says almost 25 million homes have at least one television set that will stop over-the-air broadcasts after Feb. 17. Ten million of those homes, or 9.4 percent of U.S. households have been regarded as "completely unready" and ill-equipped for the change to digital television.

The facility of applying for two government coupons has been extended to households who want to continue using analog TV sets after Feb. 17. To access more information about the TV Converter Box Coupon Program, the digital TV conversion or to download an application, please visit http://www.dtv2009.gov.