Sansonic FT-300A – ATSC Digital TV Converter Box
 9 Reviews |
7 Positive Reviews |
1 Negative Reviews |
   Overall Rating |
Sansonic ATSC Digital Converter Box
- Brand: Sansonic
- Model: FT-300A
- Price: $40.00
- With Coupon: FREE! ($40 Discount!)
- Pros:
- Supports for 4:3 and 16:9 TV aspect ratios.
- Process and Display ATSC A/65C Program and System Information Protocol data.
- Includes female 75 ohm F-Type Connector for VHF/UHF Antenna Input.
- Composite Video and Stereo Audio Output.
- Energy Star compliant
- Full Compliant with ATSC A/74, Receiver Performance Guidelines.
- Support Channel Display, Closed Caption, EAS and Parental Control (V-Chip).
- Display ANT Level and Signal quality on the TV.
- Available Online: Best Place to Order
TV Converter Box Coupon Program
Go Green - Energy Star Compliant
First thing I have to mention, without looking at the specifications. This has a great advantage if you have a TV Converter Box coupon since you can get this amazingly for free! Good or not, I would try this since there is nothing to lose if you have the coupon.
Specifications are nearly the same as all others, but if you pay attention to the small feature differences, aside from the the standard coaxial cable, composite RCA video and audio outputs are also available, so you are run both old and super old analog television. If you have the composite cable inputs on your analog TV, might as well use this than the oldschool coaxial cable for better picture quality.
And if you want to be friendly to the environment, this is fully Energy Star compliant.
$40.00, but can be FREE with a TV converter box program coupon. You can buy this here.
Popularity: 18% [?]
Not having heard any reviews or comments about the Sansonic FT-300A CECB, and with the expiration date on my NTIA coupons approaching, I used my last coupon on the Sansonic box.
As mentioned before, the Sansonic is a compact unit, smaller in every dimension than the Zenith. It is very close in size and shape to the familiar VHS videocassette.
Part of this compactness is achieved by leaving the AC power supply out of the unit, and supplying a 5VDC, 1.4A power supply (“wall rat”) with the unit. The fact that the box has a 5VDC input jack got my interest, as it would seem possible to run the FT-300A on batteries for portable use.
In fact, I have powered the FT-300A on a battery of four AA NiMH cells (DO NOT USE ALKALINE – OVERVOLT RISK!), The plug that connects with the power jack on the FT-300A is commercially available as the Radio Shack 274-1532. Battery life will be quite short, and the batteries MUST be fresh, for as the voltage drops, the tuner section is not supported, and the box, though showing graphics, and allowing the change of channels, displays “NO SIGNAL!” regardless of RF input. About 850mA is drawn when receiving a 480i program, or in the absence of any signal. If a program transmitted in HD tuned in, current increases to about 910 mA. You will NEED to disconnect the battery when not using the box, because about 90mA is still drawn when the converter is in sleep (“off”).
The control features are where the Sansonic falls short. The channel scan is slower than the Philco and much slower than the Zenith. Numerical (random access) and normal UP/DOWN tuning is only by virtual channel. Inputting an actual RF channel number results in “no such channel”, even if that station is in memory. Any station seen is committed to memory, and can only be erased with a fresh channel scan (all channels are deleted and rescanned, a la RCA ATSC-11). This would have seemed to make it impossible to receive every station in any given area, unless they all could be received with one antenna in one position (in other words, a rotator would be useless). For example, I thought it would be impossible to watch WBGU (SSW of me) on this box, unless I sacrificed all Detroit stations (NNE of me), for no channel scan could put both into the memory.
Just when I was about to condemn the FT-300A as useless for DX and useful only for viewers for which all avalable signals were from a common source (e.g., Mt Wilson or the CN tower), I found that there IS a protocol for tuning by ACTUAL RF CHANNEL. It is the “ANT LEVEL” button on the remote, which displays the signal strength and “signal quality” (I am curious what the “signal quality” bar measures), Both meters respond very slowly. While in this mode, you DO have the actual channel displayed (and the frequency, in MHz at the CENTER of the channel!) Now you can tune up and down, using the remote, every actual RF channel. The memory will automatically save any station that it can get a PSIP from. In my case, I can do the scan at NNE (toward Detroit,it will also pick up Toledos at that setting), then turn to SSW (toward the WBGU transmitter), and use “ANT LEVEL” to manually tune to 56, where it will grab and save WBGU.
The control system lacks many of the comfort features of the Zenith and the Philco, such as last channel (AKA channel back, recall), and the “EZ Add” feature on the Zenith (scan for more channels without deleting existing ones, extremely useful, especially on transition day.)
There is no “program guide”. In fact, the only program info displayed is the title of the program currently being viewed, along with the virtual channel, the call sign, the time (in 24-hour format only!), along with the language, the picture format of the program, whether the program is closed captioned, and the TV/MPAA Rating. Showing the format is a curiosity, as whatever goes into this box comes out as composite NTSC.
Build is very much like the Zenith (only smaller), black metal box with plenty of ventilation, solid feel, appearance of fine quality.
As one can see below, the Sansonic certainly qualifies as a multipath-tolerant CECB, and with sensitivity similar to the Philco and perhaps the Zenith. It provides a good picture (in RF or in “red/yel/whi” output) and good sound. It IS useful for DXing provided the user has knowledge of the “ANT LEVEL” mode that allows for actual channel tuning.
Like the Philco, the Sansonic is truly remote-dependent. There is one button on the box, which turns the unit on of “off” (actually sleep).
If it had been introuced only a few years ago, the Sansonic FT-300A would have been regarded as a fantastic innovation. For the regular consumer, however, if you don’t mind the larger size, and having to plug it into an AC outlet, the Zenith, with its front panel buttons (in case the remote is misplaced), and superior operational features (especially channel mapping) has my recommendation.
Rob, N8NU.
Sansonic FT-300A vs. Sylvania 6427GFF
SENSITIVITY MULTIPATH
5 SANSONIC 3* 17 SANSONIC 5
14 SANSONIC 1 19 SANSONIC 5
45 SANSONIC 1 29 SANSONIC 5
58 SANSONIC 2 49 SANSONIC 3
Sansonic FT-300A vs Philco TB100HH9
SENSITIVITY ………….. MULTIPATH
5 INCONCLUSIVE* ………….. 17 EQUAL
14 PHILCO 1 ………….. 19 EQUAL
45 SANSONIC 1 …………… 29 EQUAL
58 PHILCO 1 ………….. 49 EQUAL
Neither the Sansonic NOR the Philco could be forced into failure due to multipath (by turning the antenna) with ANY of the UHF DTV transmitters in the Oregon, OH (Toledo) tower area.
The old RCA boxes and the Zenith DTT900 were not tested directly against the Sansonic (suffice to say the Sansonic performs very much like the Zenith, and the older RCA boxes are just a tiny bit inferior to the Sylvania DTV set).
* Interestingly, the Sansonic has the same problem with WLMB-DT 5 as the Philco and Zenith boxes. Regardless of signal quality, there are “burps” (short losses of reception) at irregular intervals, regardless of signal quality. These “burps” happen at the same time when two CECBs operate simultaneously, but do NOT happen on the Sylvania DTV nor the older RCA HDTV boxes. I have no way of knowing whether this a problem with the newer boxes, or if there is a “non-standard” way WLMB-DT is encoding it’s ATSC signal, which, for some reason, is not bothering the older receivers. (WLMB-DT is a single program, converted from the analog, and it’s picture quality is inferior to that of WLMB-TV 40 in analog).
In the channel 5 sensitity test, the “winner” could be changed by the placement of the boxes and the cables. Apparently, when the lowband signal is attenuated to the threshold of reception, RFI from all the electronics in the room is too strong for the test to work.
One interesting observation was made in the sensitivity tests- the Sansonic seems to have two “modes” for decoding signals. Usually, the Sansonic box output was “in harmony” with the Philco or the Sylvania. Sometimes, however, when the signal was very weak, there would be a delay (about 300ms) in the Sansonic output relative to the other, which would persist after the signal strength was restored. Entering the same channel again would restore synchronicity.
Source: Worldwide TV-FM DX Association
The Sansonic FT-300A is another coupon eligible digital TV converter box that is easy to install and operate. As you’d expect, the FT-300A accepts free, OTA digital signals and converts them to 480i, with an adjustable 4:3 (standard) or 16:9 (widescreen) aspect ratio. The FT-300A has RCA (composite) connections as well as standard coax connections. Unforuntely, there is no Smart Antenna or S-video. It can also display antenna level and signal quality on the TV. The Sansonic FT300A has also been ranked as a Consumer Reports best digital TV converter box, a ranking it deserves due to it’s rich feature set and very modest price.
Some user-based reports indicate the FT-300A has:
Good reception, better than the
Sansonic FT-300RT although not as crisp as the Channel Master CM-7000.
An external power supply, so you could run it off batteries and be portable.
Audio reproduction is bested by the Winegard RC-DT09.
Missing an S Video output that is found on the Philco TB100-HH9.
A full function remote control.
Easy to install and operate.
Source: DIGITAL TV CONVERTERS
Sansonic FT300A Analog Digital Converter Review, Rating, and Comparison
Overall Rating: B
Picture Quality Rating: The Sansonic FT-300A analog to digital converter box was again one of the few that were tested that provided viewers with a near DVD quality picture. For this reason we have rated the Sansonic better despite its lack of all features. The Sansonic FT-300A is comparable to the Tivax STB-T9 and Lasonic LTA-260 in regards to picture quality.
Audio Quality Rating: A comparison of the Sansonic FT300A shows that it is similar to the Tivax and Lasonic in regards to sound quality. It is considered “good” and a definite upgrade from the sound quality of analog TV.
Product Features Comparison: When reviewing this digital to analog TV converter box it was found that the major benefit of the Sansonic FT 300A is its smaller size. This Sansonic model only provides current programming guides. It provides users with information for the currently showing program but does not give the user a guide of what shows are coming on soon or a guide for other channels that are not currently being watched.
Unfortunately the Sansonic falls below the Lasonic and Tivax in regards to overall features. The Sansonic FT300A digital converter box is lacking features but also sells for a lower price. Overall a review of the Sansonic FT300A revealed that it is still a good converter box since it gives users a great picture. We do recommend this product at its price of $50 when compared to other digital converter boxes that come with more features because they have a higher price.
Again, the only major issue with this converter box is its lack of analog pass-through. If you are looking for a converter box with analog pass-through I suggest you check out the Tivax STB-T8, RCA DTA800B1, and the DTVPal.
Source: TV Converter Box Reviews, Ratings and Comparisons
Audio reproduction could be a bit clearer. Nice picture quality although not as good as say the channel master cm7000.
Source: AfterDawn
So far works for me. Thanks for showing the best supplier. I was about to buy from SolidSignal for $44.99 and with a coupon, I still pay $4.99. Thanks for pointing out SummitSource that gave it for $40 and with the coupon, it is free! As for the performance, everything seems to work for me, although I am not a person that compares one digital converter box from another. I just bought this and I didn’t need to buy or return it since it works perfectly for me.
WTH, I bought this at Meritline.com, for $104.99 for buying two of these boxes. Thinking I need to pay two. With the coupon, I still paid some money and was not totally free. What a rip-off. Anyway, I will mail it back and get from the supplier you recommended. Times these days is hard and I need all the money I can save.
I got ripped off too. It was not free for me. The price was $54.99 at etronics.com
The FT-300A is small, sleek and it has one of the best TV tuners in the business for great pictures. We sell this box mostly to our friends because it is the best box for the money. The remote and menus are good.The program guide shows the current program, channels can be added separately.
The manufacturer gives excellent customer support. It comes with a 1 year Warranty.
We highly recommend it.
Source: DTVBoxAnswers.com
hi, i have this converter box, want to know which antenna do you recommend that plugs in to this converter box, so i can get my local channels, i tried a 10.00 phillips antenna and it wasnt strong enough. thanks.