Zenith (LG) Dtt901 Digital TV Tuner Converter Box $9.99 after NTIA $40 coupon at kmart B&M

cheapbrass said: thanks for the heads up....i will drop by that Kmart tomorrow. i think this same model is $59 at cc?

I think it's $59.99 almost everywhere. I was lucky enough to be able to combine th3 $40 NTIA "coupon" with a $10 off $40 at Radio Shack, but availablity of the DTT901 is spotty there, and combining the coupons is VERY YMMV.

Good find OP.

I like the DTT901 so far. The remote is a bit small, and the online "guide" is very basic, but it does it's job well, and it has analog pass-through.

FYI...I went to CC and got a 110% PM to the Kmart price. The store was aware of it and did not even call to check stock. I bought two.

Will there ever be or is there now a DTV converter box with a RGB /DB9 jack so you could hook up an old computer monitor (or even a new one) and turn it into a TV?

SophieTheDog said: Will there ever be or is there now a DTV converter box with a RGB /DB9 jack so you could hook up an old computer monitor (or even a new one) and turn it into a TV?

Assuming you are feeding a HDTV Signal into it, I would think providing 1080P would be extremely easy for nearly all Computer Monitors to display. The CRT I'm using right now goes to 1600X1200.

What is the Refresh Rate for the 1080P HDTV Standard ?

To those who could not find a Kmart near you, get this Zenith 901 online to save some gas and tax. Meritline has it @$29.99 + FS after governement coupon. link

question on these converters, do I need it only for over the air signals? meaning what if I have an analog TV and a cable box (non HD), I don't need this new digital converter box right?

2cheap2eat said: question on these converters, do I need it only for over the air signals? meaning what if I have an analog TV and a cable box (non HD), I don't need this new digital converter box right?

If you got cable, you don't need these boxes. It's for people who got free TV now.

Morisato13 said: 1600x1200 is not big enough to fit 1080P. 1080 is 1920x1080... just saying...

So 1200 Vertical Lines would be just fine, as the HDTV Standard is 1080. But 1600 Horizonal is not nearly as WIDE as 1920. Which would make sense, as CRT Monitors are usually the old 4:3 Format.

So it is unlikely that any CRT is going to match the Full HDTV Standard.

unhuman said: Nope, Congress was very careful to make sure these boxes would be useless for anyone with advanced technology. Their goal is to make otherwise useless TVs work. Nothing else.
Too bad for the early HD adopters who bought TVs classified as HD-Ready but didn't include HD tuners. Now they are stuck with using down-converting boxes or buying expensive HD tuner boxes with VGA/Component outputs and no discounts.

unhuman said: Of course, these don't qualify for coupon use.

Bummer.

Horobod said: unhuman said: Nope, Congress was very careful to make sure these boxes would be useless for anyone with advanced technology. Their goal is to make otherwise useless TVs work. Nothing else.
Too bad for the early HD adopters who bought TVs classified as HD-Ready but didn't include HD tuners. Now they are stuck with using down-converting boxes or buying expensive HD tuner boxes with VGA/Component outputs and no discounts.The intent of the $40 discount card program was to subsidise those that are solely reliant on over the air broadcasts and cannot get or afford basic cable or satellite with local programming packages.

These coupons were mainly intended for poor, elderly or rural persons to ensure they could keep getting a signal AND to ensure everyone who doesn't have cable/sat to every TV can at least get a couple and not have to throw out their old sets.

They were never intended to subsidize people that recently purchased a high definition 'ready' monitor in the last few years that didn't include an ATSC tuner. That's why for the boxes that are eligible for the coupon they are limited to RF, Composite or S-Video output at 480i. If you could afford a Plasma/LCD panel in the last couple years that didn't have built in tuners, you can definitely afford to not get another $40 discount on a premium converter box.

You can get boxes that pass through full HD. They're just not eligible for the coupon and cost lots more.

Also, it seems this box has not made it to the upper midwest (ND / MN stores). All of them only carry the really bad Magnavox CECB.

mdpo said: do you have a copy of your receipt? how did u price match with CC? thanks.

Do not have it near, but I just went into CC and got the two boxes. I then said I wanted to PM to the local K-Mart. They asked the price and gave me the 110% PM when I asked.

HOWEVER. I called CC first to be sure they would PM to K-Mart and got the guys name who said yes. I also said that I did not want to drive down there only to have them tell me that K-Mart was OOS. They had them now. He said they did not have to call K-Mart and knew their price.

I bought two of these 901 boxes four or five months ago when they first came out...coudn't be happier, video quality is top notch for these cheapy converters and they pick up the signal very easily unlike the ATSC tuner I use with my computer (though the picture is not downgraded on there).

I got one at my local Radio Shack for $9.99 plus 50 cents Massachusetts Tax.

$59.99 less $40 Federal Coupon, less Radio Shack $10 of a $40 Purchase Coupon from the Entertainment.com Book.

Explained to the Clerk the $40 was a Federal Coupon, just like Cash. While the $10 was a Store Coupon. So it was NOT the same as using two coupons on the same purchase.

CC would not price match the box for me even though I had found a local K-Mart for $49.99. CC probably treats dirt better than what I received. Yes I sent them an email complaining about my treatment.

Only issue for me was paying a higher tax rate, but the box was $13 after the coupon and taxes. By they way they tax you on the whole amount of the box not after the coupon. So the best deal for the Zenith is in fact K-Mart. I had to call 5 locations before I found one that had them. Luckily it was one near my workplace. Enjoy.

SalemCat said: Please don't blame the Stores for collecting Sales Tax. It's a loss for them, and a big Pain-In-The-A**.

If you don't like Sales Tax I URGE you to vote differently in your next STATE ELECTION. Don't vote for the same old Representative, Senator, or Governor that has been supporting Sales Tax all along.

One of the definitions of Insanity is voting for the same people again and again and expecting something different to happen.

I don't recall blaming them. I said it was an issue. I read elsewhere in this forum about when you are supposed to be taxed. I inquired about the tax at the store, but in no way did I challenge them or give them any kind of a hard time. Sorry if I caught you on a bad day.

I got this today from Best Buy about the sales tax on these boxes. (I bought one for $59.99 a few weeks ago)

We are writing to inform you of an issue regarding the way in which you Government-Issued TV Converter Box Coupon was processed. The use of this coupon resulted in a limited number of customers being overcharged sales tax in Best Buy Stores in the following states:

- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Wisconsin

The issue was unintentional and due solely to the manner in which the coupon was applied to your purchase. We regret this happened.

In most states we apply the savings from the coupon at the end of the sale, following the calculation of tax. The states listed above have ruled that the value of the coupon is to be decuted from the before-tax price of the Converter Box. This ruling, therefore, results in a lower total tax amount in these states. Our records indicated you were charged this higher sales-tax amount.

We have calculated the difference and are refunding this to you. To be eligible for a refund, customers had to have been taxed on the full retail price of the TV Converter Box. Enclosed you will find a reimbursement check for the over-collected amount. Please note the check expires in 90 days.

We are treating this matter very seriously, and we are taking steps to reduce the risk of this occurring in the future. Our business depends on our ability to provide you with great experiences every time you visit one of our stores, shop online, allow us into your home , or contact us by phone. We want you to know that we are committed to making things right.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, feel free to call our Best Buy Customer Care Departement at 1.866.764.6979 (Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm CST).

Please accept our apology for any inconvenience. We look forward to your next visit to Best Buy.

Sincerely,
Susan Grafton
VP, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer

So you may want to check back at these other stores.

OVERSTOOD said: WTF???

Not only is your post off topic and offensively condescending, your logic is flawed.

The only reason they were able to enforce state sales tax from online cigarette purchases was because of a federal law called the Jenkins Act. The Jenkins Act specifically states that out of state sellers can be required to report cigarette shipments to the destination state's tax collectors.

You are incorrect. The Federal Goverment has prosecuted no one for evading payment of Cigarette Tax by buying by Mail Order. All prosecutions have been by individual States.

Buying by Mail Order to avoid paying your Sales Tax is TAX EVASION. You may not get caught, but TAX EVASION is what you are doing.

What is OFF TOPIC is the endless discussions I see on Fat Wallet of persons bragging how they are evading the payment of Sales Tax, and encouraging others to EVADE TAX as well.

You may not think it is a crime, but in fact, it is.

I will say it again, what should be obvious. If you do not like paying Sales Tax, do not break the law, and encourage others to do the same. Act within the system: you have a VOTE. VOTE against those Politicians who have taxed you.

Thousands of brave Americans have fought and died to preserve your Right to Vote. USE IT.

For those of you wanting to have a more advanced hook-up; both Directv and Dish HD receivers have an over the air (digital)receiver in them. Since both companies have switched to MPEG4 there are millions of old MPEG2 HD receivers that were replaced by the new ones and many of them have both DVI and RGB outputs that would connect to a PC monitor. I have a 22" widescreen monitor set-up this way in my house and the picture has great resolution. I don't know what Directv and Dish are doing with the old receivers but you can certainly buy them on eBay for as little as $25. One word of note for those of you trying to connect to PC monitors though, most PC monitors have poor contrast compared to a TV monitor, you can really see the difference. If you're trying to connect to an older HD ready TV with no tuner, this is the way to go.