Access HD DTA1080D – Digital Converter Box
 8 Reviews |
2 Positive Reviews |
3 Negative Reviews |
  Overall Rating |
Access HD DTA1080 - Digital-to-Analog Converter Box
- Brand: Access HD
- Model: DTA1080D
- Price: $49.95
- With Coupon: $9.95 ($40 Discount!)
- Pros:
- Optional Remote Control DTA1080U (Universal Remote) and DTA1080D (Dedicated Remote).
- V-Chip Parental Control Ver. 2
- AC3 Dolby Digital Stereo down mixing
- MPEG-1 layers 1, 2, 3 (MP3)
- MPEG-2 MP@ML, MP@HL
- UL, FCC & NTIA approved
- Available Online: Best Place to Order
TV Converter Box Coupon Program
Matches well with black TV setups. Simply attach this converter box to your analog TV’s antenna socket and your analog TV will be able to receive standard, enchanced and high definition (HD) digital channels and get displayed properly on your analog TV. Only 1.3″ in height covering a 5″x5″ area, so easy to squeeze in small spots near your TV. This now has better ventilation which improves it’s cooling.
Only $49.95, but can be bought at a price of $9.95 with a TV converter box program coupon. You can buy this here.
Popularity: 86% [?]
Today I will be writing to you all again with another digital to analog converter box review, rating, and comparison. Unfortunately though I will only be providing specs, prices, and product features. I do hope to include details about picture and sound quality in the future if at all possible. Today we will be reviewing the Access HD DTA1080D digital TV converter.
Product Features: The Access HD 1080D TV converter box comes with a program guide that displays information for current and upcoming shows. The information given includes show run time, title, and descriptions. This analog TV converter also comes with on box buttons that make it easy to control if you happen to lose your remote. One great feature of the AccessHD DTA1080D is that it comes with analog pass-through so you don’t lose lower power stations that aren’t required to make the transition. The Access HD DTA-1080D digital analog converter comes with adjustable closed captioning that can be edit for size, color, font, and language. Languages available include English, Spanish, and French. This analog digital TV converter also comes with an external power adapter which is important because it makes it easy to use in an automobile.
The Access HD DTA1080D digital to analog TV converter box does not come with a universal remote control or a smart antenna port.
Other Specifications of the Access HD DTA1o80D digital converter that are not listed above include:
NTIA Approved Coupon Eligible Converter Box (CECB)
Displays All 18 ATSC Formats
Composite Video Jack (Yellow RCA Plug)
Stereo Audio Jacks (Red & White RCA Plugs)
75 ohm RF Video/Audio Jack (Coaxial Cable)
V-Chip
Sleep Timer
When you purchase this DTV converter box you will find the converter box, remote control, 2 AAA batteries, a coaxial cable, and the user’s manual in the package.
If you are looking to purchase a TV converter then you should consider the Access HD DTA1080D. I cannot speak for its picture or sound quality bit it does come with quite a lot of very good features. Having analog pass-through is a big plus for this digital analog converter. It currently sells for $59.99 and is reduce to $19.99 after using the government coupon.
Source: TV Converter Box Reviews
Purchased this product because it is free with coupon, and still have another coupon in case it dies.
Setup
The channel autoscan takes ~3-5 mintues. It finds all the local stations +
some that the analog could not get at all, although some digital stations are
weaker than the analog equivalent.
Quality
Picture quality is great, audio quality has a little added noise compared to
analog of same channels.
The RF output died after only 2 weeks of usage. We did not abuse the unit at
all: we used it for less than 10 hours/day and unplugged it during the night,
which should not be unreasonable. We have now resorted to the composite out
and who knows how long that will last! Thankfully the composite output
quality is the same as the RF output quality. Plan to give updates if the
composite dies and what happens when we complain to HDAcess.
Remote
The box has only three buttons! Power on, channel up and channel down. Thus you NEED the remote to do necessary tasks, like add channels. Bad news if it breaks!
Features
Has analog passthrough, works just as one would hope.
You cannot scroll through the EPG without changing the channel, which I find
annoying. The EPG does allow you to scroll through 12 hours of future
programming on your current channel.
The box has a signal strength indicator, which can be turned on from the
SIGNAL button on the remote, and turns off upon channel change or the SIGNAL
button. It gives you a number from 0-100, and it needs about 25+ to display
the channel.
The Menu has the following items:
Auto Channel Searching [allows option of full scan OR add channels, which is
very nice in case you can't get reception of all channels at once]
Channel List Editing [you can manually "delete" (i.e. hide) a channel so that
you skip it when you surf]
Change Password [for Parental Controls]
Parental Controls [V-chip]
Advanced Closed Caption [Style, Size, Font, Text Color, Text Opacity,
Background Color, Background Opacity, Edge Effect, Edge Color]
Language [English, Spanish, French]
Auto Power Down Timer [Off, 1, 2, 3, 4 Hours]
Time Zone
Overall
Does what we want it to do, but VERY disappointed that the RF output died
within two weeks of purchasing.
Source: Afterdawn
Get another brand, locating warranty service is impossible. ACCESS HD is distributed by GXI International. The warranty info states: “To locate your nearest authorized service center, warranty and parts, or for general customer service, please call 1-800-393-1246″. All you get is a recording that tries to sell you a new antenna; or a recorded repeat of the steps that are spelled out in the instruction booklet. There is absolutely no mention of service centers, warranty or parts. Customer service is just a recording and a sales pitch. The only human contact offered is to purchase the antenna.
Source: ProductWiki
This converter uses the same design and HD decoding chip that won the Access HD model 1010 praise for best picture quality and tied for first place as Consumer Reports “Best Buy”. This model was introduced and superceded the model 1010 to add the analog pass through feature. The picture quality will not disappoint you – it is DVD quality. The converter is a lot of bang for the buck when you consider it is basically free after the coupon and contains a program guide, closed captions, 3 menu languages, sleep timer etc. I understand the reason there is such an emphasis on antenna issues at the manufacturer (mentioned in a previous review) is that 30% of TVs need a better antenna (FCC’s own data). People think they have a bad box when the issue is they need to upgrade from the rabbit ears they used. I suspect the majority of consumers call reporting channel scanning issues, signal strength issues, pixelation, etc and the root problem is the antenna, not the converter box. The FCC has done a very poor job raising the public awareness that exitsing antennas may not be sufficient when tuning in the digital signal. Only recently, under pressure from Congress, has this message been added to the public service announcements. You will see many comments posted for all manufacturers’ converters related to signal quality issues that really having nothing to do with the converter box – its the consumers antenna that is the problem. Bottom line, this is an excellent converter at an excellent price and it will not disappoint you.
This box is junk. I have used it less than two hours, with a new amplified antennae, and I have NO SOUND out of my TV.
I work at a community TV station and help a lot of our viewers over the phone with their questions. I have seen just about every box out there and I am well-versed in the confusions some people have with boxes and antennas. This is the only commonly available box that I have seen real quality problems with.
I hooked up this converter box for the 1st time last night around 11:30pm on a bedroom TV. I turned it off at 12:30pm to go to bed & decided to move the box to a different location. The box was extremely hot. It was on a ledge so there was no reason for being that hot. I unplugged it for fear it would catch fire during my sleep. It should not generate so much heat. If my laptop computer got that hot, it would be an issue. I don’t want to burn my house down by using this item. Company wants CC# before checking & if they find nothing wrong, I’m charged $25. To report problems, go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
I have a HD Access converter box. worthless…worked OK for one year.. now everything is scrammbled…and no one to contact. another government screw up…