Product Rating: 2.0
This box was average at best and RCA realized that and quickly came out with an upgrade version. It's updated version is the RCA DTA800B1 and it comes with many of the features that were missing including analog pass-through. There have been reports of problems in picking up channels with this converter box. As with all converter boxes on the market you will need to get a high quality digital antenna to fix this issue.
Product Details: The picture quality for this product is reported as being in the "2nd tier" when compared to it's counterparts. This means that there are other TV converter boxes out there that provide better picture quality but that this one is still an upgrade from analog TV broadcasts picture quality. The sound quality for it is considered to be excellent! It sells for $50-$60 depending on where you buy it from. Unfortunately, it is no longer available but as an alternative you can check it's updated version listed above. Another good idea may be to check out our converter box reviews index and purchase one of the top rated ones.
Features: it comes with a program guide that displays the current show title, current show run time, and the upcoming show, for all channels. The program guide also includes a show description for the currently tuned show. You cannot set channels individually this c, the only option is the auto scan function. This could be an issue if there is a channel you know exists and there's just enough static that it won't pick up the channel automatically. In this case there would be no way to add it to your tuned channels. It does however come with a universal remote, which is nice, and also adjustable font settings for closed captioning. This converter box does not come with the three required aspect ratio settings or analog pass-through.
Overall this converter box has good picture and sound quality but is lacking important features that are needed by most people making the transition. If you are in the market for a box we suggest that you consider an alternative that comes with more features.
Updated March 2014
Real User Reviews: As you can see below this box certainly has some customers that are unhappy with it. We did receive a couple positives but very few people came to the rescue to defend this box. It seems, even those that got it working well, eventually saw it fail somewhere around the 1 year mark.
Anonymous Said...
"I have this box, and worked perfectly about a year AND 1 MONTH which makes it warranty non refundable how lucky me! Now its dead, the input jack must be broken, it only gets like 20% of the signal, that makes it hard to watch the channels that only got 20 to 30% of strength and the ones that were at 80 to 90% just now get 20%. So if your still thinking of getting this model think twice I don't think it will be wise for me to try and repair it for just to work some time and fail again. Gonna buy a new one and not an RCA, which I'm disappointment with. Good luck everyone who buys one of these boxes."Rob Said...
"Purchased two of these with our coupons and neither one work properly. They both have different problems. For one the volume doesn't work and the other one will not tune in the channels the other one does. Same TV and same box, go figure. We purchased an Insignia brand and were totally satisfied. The antenna works with the Insignia brand and not the RCA. Unfortunately Insignia is no longer shipping to stores. I think this whole thing is a crock and just a way to extort money from the poor."
Parental Control Setting
Configurable Closed Captioning
Electronic Program Guide
Smart Antenna Compatible
English, French, and Spanish Language Support
Compact Size
What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Converter Box
Remote Control
Power Cord
RF Coaxial Cable
the box does not work we have even bought a special antenna to help and it wont . these boxs are bad they are not picking up the antenna even with the antenna we bought.
ReplyDeleteSooooooo worthless. do not buy it
ReplyDeletei agree box is no good.it will not pick up all digital stations, even when they are only 5.9 miles away. the big problem is RCA won't back up this box by recalling it when they know it does'nt work.
ReplyDeleteThe RCA box works very well!! I suggest to viewers having problems to use a very good antenna as that will make all the difference in the world. Don't use a cheap antenna and expect miracles. I suggest an amplified indoor antenna. Use an outdoor antenna whenever possible. Learn how to operate the box and tune your antenna per signal strength as read from the box.
ReplyDeleteThe converter box itself works very well. But we have problem with the remote. After a few months, may be six months, the controls on the left side of the remote failed to work. We bought two RCA converter boxes DTA8000B, and both remotes are having exactly the same problems.
ReplyDeleteJunk, don't buy, box just went dead. No return no warranty from RCA $50 down the drain.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was just me with this problem. Actually, I thought it was the antennas that I was using. I have purchased several different antennas (from the cheap ones to the amplified ones) over the past month, only to receive the same five channels through this box; but when I turn the box off, I receive other channels. I should have bought two different boxes to compare.
ReplyDeleteBox is no good. Unfortunately there's no way to return it. Stay away form the box. It only gets a 35% signal when another box connected to the same antenna says 78%.
ReplyDeleteI bought 2 (RCA) box's. They both really suck! The signal goes in and out and in and out over & over. Makes it really hard to watch and keep up with whats going on on t.v. Wish they would recall them but with all the $$$$ (RCA) made I'm guessing they wont.
ReplyDeleteI agaree. We had purchased both RCA and Magnavox, both of the RCA have froze up and the magnavox are still going strong. I thought RCA was quality stuff, guess not. We need 2 different ones so I can tape if needed, hoping Insigna will be more quality than RCA. Yes I still tape, old school and poor.
ReplyDeleteMy RCA box from time to time would stop working. The indicator light would just go out and I couldn't turn the box on (or off for that matter) and at times would be with a picture on my screen from days past. Finally my box gave out. There should AT LEAST be some sort of warranty that comes with them since we are forced to purchase them.
ReplyDeleteWe have this box and it constantly, once to several times a week that is, loses the volumn, and we have to turn the box off and back on again to get the sound back, or to be able to control it, the remote control will work, but not the box.
ReplyDeleteOther times, if you drop the control, you lose all of your programming and must reprogram the remote, and sometimes it seems to do it without any cause at all.
glad I finally found this page as all of you have stated this box stinks!!!!!!!!!!! I would never have purchased 2 of the same if another box had been available. You'd think that the gov't that issued all these coupons would make rca replace them
ReplyDeleteThis box is a joke! I purchased two (with coupon) and I truly think the whole converter box idea is just another consumer rip off!
ReplyDeleteThe left side of the remote control for this box never worked from day one! We've had problems with volume and now one of the boxes has gone completely out so now we only have access to one TV. Don't know if its worth trying a different brand or opting for cable!! Cable TV is very expensive but it sure looks like that's what we are being forced to get if we want to watch TV!
I own 4 of these boxes and they all perform the same. I own a GE box also, a piece of crap too, but I use it for a comparison.
ReplyDeleteFor example, the GE will pick up the Catholic channel EWTN which has 5 sub-channels. The RCA pics up only sub-channel 1. End result, loss of sub-channels 2-5 that play on the GE but not the RCA's. I find this an outrage.
RCA was a great American company long ago. Today, it's operated by shady characters that could never equate its past greatness.
I have been using the unit since June of 2008 and just recently a local station switched their "ThisTV" channel 6.3 over to 19.2 but the tuner converter will not pickup 19.2 or 19.1. Yes I did everything correct and have another TV on the same basic antenna with built in DTV which will pick it up. Something is wrong with this RCA DTA800B and I want to know why. I have two units so they cannot blame it on one defective unit. What is it about 19.2 that the unit cannot get. Also why can not it add another channel instead of having to scan all? Anybody know?
ReplyDeletei have 2 of these junk boxes
ReplyDeleteworked good for about a year
loses signal all the time
have to keep resetting box by unplugging it
RCA used to be the best but no more !!!!