Zinwell ZAT 950A Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 4.5

Zinwell has put this box out of production intentionally because they have a better version that they have decided to keep stocked and available for the long term. Finally, we have found a company that plans to keep producing converter boxes and have them available for sale even after the digital transition has come and gone.

Product Details: Just like its older brother, (Zinwell ZAT-970A) this one comes with excellent picture quality. It is in the second tier of boxes for its picture quality which means that it is not quite as good as the very best but still a pretty big improvement from the average analog broadcast. Again, it is just like its older brother in terms of its sound quality. Using this converter box will give you crystal clear and crisp sound quality. It rates right at or near the top in regards to its sound quality.

Features: Some of these features include with this box are an electronic program guide, the ability to scan for channels, adjustable/changeable closed captioning, analog pass through, and much much more. The new 950A is better than the older version because it comes with a built in VCR timer so you can record television shows, a silicon based tuner for better signal gathering strength, and 8 ports so that it can work with your VCR for recording.

This is a great product brought to you by Zinwell. The older one was a good one and the Zinwell ZAT-950A is even better.  The company really thought it through and provided some pretty neat and rare feature here. We have concluded that it deserves a very high grade. At a selling price of $64.99 it is also a good buy. Overall it is a great converter box and there are only a few other options that are as good as this one.

Update April 2014

Real User Reviews: For further reading on the quality of this product please read the real user reviews listed below. If this is still not enough check out the comments section as we are always getting new information from users.

Lance Said...

"Don't loose the remote. Without it you can't access main menu, this is no good seeing as mine is in sleep mode set for 90 min. It caused me to replace it with one that's more user friendly and loosing the remote on my new means turn on/off & channel changing requires more manual type effort or children are my go to method in my house. A universal remote was not the answer either as none I tried could communicate with this thing. Just buy one that can be used with or without the remote. That's my 2 cents, GOOD LUCK!"

John Said...

"The only complaint I have about this unit is that the timers sometimes change themselves. I may, for example, ask it to tune to CSI on 9-1 from 9-10 PM and it will instead change the timer to 67-3. One must check the timers regularly to make sure they haven't become corrupted.

Unfortunately this is just about the only converter box with a timer, so I'm stuck with the occasional misfire."

LisaRea Said...

"I bought myself a 950A back in September and am relatively pleased - it does tend to "lose" the channel, when I have the timer set for recording via my VCR. Mine has a "bypass" button: I can leave the unit powered-on, hit the 'bypass' and my analog reception is clearer (than just turning-off the Zinwell).

I recently purchased a 2nd unit for a friend. Same model BUT the remote HAS NO BYPASS button (despite the information being in the manual). So, I think I need to try a different product to see if it has a 'bypass' AND whether that makes a difference for my friend."

Specs

Pass-Through For Analog Stations That Aren't Required To Switch Over

8 Event Timer

Configurable Closed Captioning For Personalized On Screen Display

Parental Controls With V-Chip 

Electronic Program Guide

English, French, and Spanish Language For Captioning And Operation

What Is Included With Your Purchase?

Converter Box

Remote Control

Users Manual
Power Adapter