Channel Master CM-7000 Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 4.5

Unfortunately this top notch box has sold out and can no longer be purchased. If you can find it online used or on an auction site for a reasonable price go ahead and get it and we promise you will not be disappointed. Currently there are rumors Channel Master will be coming out with an even better high end box that they plan to keep in production permanently.

This box has proven to be one time and time again to be one of the best available due to its enhanced reception which results in more channels. It has also seen a significantly lower number of complaints as compared others and appears to have significantly better long term reliability. Not only that but it comes with what we have deemed the best picture quality out of any box we have seen.

Product Details: The picture quality of the Channel Master CM-7000  is the best that we have seen out of all converter boxes we have looked at. It  provides an absolutely crystal clear picture that is equivalent to that of DVD quality, which we all know is very good. The sound quality of the Channel Master CM-7000 is just as good as any of the other boxes that we have looked at. Its sound quality rivals that of a DVD.

Features: It is one of only a few models that we know of that comes with S-video output as of right now. It also comes with an excellent programming guide, channel scanning function, and adjustable closed captioning. Unfortunately it does not come with analog pass-through, a universal remote, or auto aspect ratio. Despite lacking these features it is still highly recommend over the majority of other converter box that malfunction or break rather easily.

If you need a converter box then the Channel Master CM-7000 is one of the best ones out there. It sells at a good price and has the best picture and sound quality around. Beyond that is the fact that the it has proven to be reliable over the long haul and you can expect it to work for years rather that months, as is the case with a lot of other converter boxes.

Update April 2014

Real User Reviews: If you are strongly considering this box see the user reviews below that were submitted to us. These reviews will give you a valued outside perspective on the functionality and reliability of this converter box.

Dick Johnson Said...

"The CM-7000 has a great picture, even when I tested it through composite inputs on an old (1983) NEC 17-inch TV monitor. But out of the box it had no right channel audio and I returned it for a replacement to the factory, with authorization from Channel Master's customer service person. The replacement unit came May 2. Audio and video are terrific. The sensitivity of the receiving (front-end) is better than the Zeniths I've installed. I couldn't be happier with my purchase to this point."

Homer Said...

"I just bought the Channel Master for $50 at Frys, and also an Insignia converter at Best Buy for $60. They both are good yet the CM is a better buy for all around quality, the only difference in features is the Insignia has signal display and you can turn your TV on and off with its remote. The CM does not have these options but these are not a big concern because the CM has a much better remote control and picture. If you need a great antenna booster Chanel Master makes excellent ones, I've had one of theirs for 10 years. Just independent consumer passing on what I have experienced." 

Laura Said...

"Plain and simple the Channel Master CM-7000 is the only converter box that worked in my location. An added bonus was a remote that did not resemble the quality of a dog chew toy"

George Said...

"The CM 7000 is the Ferrari of converter boxes.

I started with the cheap Magnavox from Walmart, mediocre at best. When I rotate my antenna towards another city I had to rescan as it has no add feature. It's going to the guest room. 

The Insignia from Best Buy is a great unit but has no S-Video and the program guide is very basic. 

I read the reviews and picked up a CM 7000 for use with my bedroom TV that has S-Video inputs. The picture quality is incredible and the tuner sensitivity is even better than the Insignia. The remote is rock solid and you can point it anywhere you want, unlike the junk Magnavox remote. 

The CM 7000 and Insignia pull in about 100 channels during the night and early morning hours, some ranging well over 200 miles away. I get about 60 channels at all times that never go away. The Magnavox unit hooked up to the same antenna system is nowhere close. 

For those wondering, I'm using a Winegard 9032 antenna about 30' up, rotator and booster. I'm in NW Indiana and I receive stations from Chicago, Wisconsin, Northern Michigan, SouthBend, Quad Cities Iowa and Indianapolis." 

Specs
Government Certified And Eligible For The $40 Off Coupon
Compatible All 18 ATSC Formats
Composite Video Out
Stereo Audio Out
S-Video Output
Electronic Program Guide
Configurable Closed Captioning
Parental Controls

What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Converter Box
Remote Control - Batteries Sold Separately
Owners Manual

Artec T3A Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 2.0

The Artec T3A is no longer available for purchase and has been upgraded, several times actually. Once the upgrades happened the company put this out-of-date box out of production. It was missing a lot of features that came standard on newly manufactured boxes as was clearly out-of-date right away. The upgraded versions in order from earliest latest models are the Artec T3A Pro, Artec T3AP, Artec T3AP Pro, Artec T3AP-LL, and Artec T3AP-LS.

Product Details: The picture that you get with it is significantly better than that average analog broadcast quality. It is not quite as good as some other converter boxes on the market but is pretty good regardless. It is crisp, clear, and sharp. When using it you get crystal clear sound. As far as this goes, it rates near the top. These enhancements alone are sure to improve your viewing experience by a significant margin and we think you will be happy with what you get.

Features: With this converter box you get a program guide that is above average, but not by much. The guide allows viewers to see a short text blurb and title on the current and next show. It also shows the run time. The aspect ratio function can only be accessed from the setup menu but this issue is negated since it does have an auto aspect ratio function. With this box you can manually set channels or use the auto set function. Finally, it comes with the ability to adjust the closed captioning font. It DO NOT come with analog pass-through or a universal remote control that can be programmed with remote codes to work with our TV.

This was one of the first boxes that came out and it is lacking several features that you can get in its upgraded version. Currently you can get an updated version for the same price so it would be best not to purchase this older model.

Update March 2014

Real User Reviews: There are no user reviews about this box at this time. Please check back for future updates.

Specs

ATSC Compliant With All 18 Signaling Formats)

Sleep Timer

V-Chip Settings For Parental Control Locking

Closed Captioning That Can Be Adjusted

Electronic Program Guide (EPG)

On Screen Signal Strength Meter For Tuning Channels

Compliant With Energy Star Standards

English, French, and Spanish 

Compact Size

What Is Included With Your Purchase?

Converter Box

Remote Control

Remote Control Batteries

Power Cord

Users Manual/Instructions

Coship N9901T Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 3.5

This is another box that is no longer available for sale anywhere that we can find. It was confirmed with the manufacturer that they are out of production but they couldn't answers as to whether any retailers still has anything in stock or not. Either way they won't be around for long and you will likely have to go with something else.

This converter box is an upgraded version of a previous Coship box. One that we didn't recommend for several reasons. Read on to see what we think of this one.

Product Details: The Coship N9901T provides its viewers with a pretty good picture, which makes it quite appealing right of the bat. It's not the very best, but it's up there with some other good ones. It's sound quality didn't do anything out of the ordinary that made us worry either, so we are giving it a passing grade for that as well.

Features: It also comes with quite a lot of good features. It comes with a program guide that gives users information on shows that are already on TV, including the show title and run time. It also provides these details for future shows. One convenience it comes with is buttons on the box that are good for if your remote ever breaks or is lost. Other standard features it has include a remote control, adjustable closed captioning, and language supports for english, spanish, and french. It does come with the ever important analog pass-through which is a feature its older version was missing. It also comes with composite video and RF outs and VCR timers.

This is one of the better boxes that we have looked at due to its long list of features. If you can find it for a decent price, somewhere under $60, then we definitely recommend it.

Update March 2014

Real User Reviews: We haven't see much in the way of reviews or comments regarding this box but we have provided what little was sent to us.

Tilly Said...

"We've used this converter for about a year now. It works great with the flexibility to switch TV types and has previews of upcoming shows, etc. Nice converter/remote options - easy to set up. We get a bunch of extra channels now that we made the switch and it has made TV so much better for us without having to spend any money. We couldn't be happy with the digital switch. It is now past the warranty period so we are hoping that this box doesn't break all of the sudden, as seems to be the case with a large number of different converters. Fingers crossed!"

Specs
Analog Pass
Configurable Closed Captioning
Parental Control Settings To Lock Out Certain Ratings
English, French, and Spanish Language Support
Viewer Guide For Show Information

Government Certified And Coupon Eligible

What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Converter Box
Remote Control
Remote Control Batteries

Insignia NS-DXA1 Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 4.5

The the original version of this product did not come with analog pass-through but the new version has now been upgraded and includes this extremely important feature.

Product Details: This converter box provides excellent picture quality that rivals that of the very best ones on the market. It is a huge upgrade over the average analog broadcast and only a slight step below DVD quality. The sound quality is also fantastic and rates out an on equal level to the top digital converter boxes in regards to sound quality. It sells for a very affordable price of roughly $60-$70, the only trick is finding it since it seems to be in such short supply. It's that type of world, one of the few companies that actually offers a fully featured box with great sound and picture quality and of course you can't hardly find it in stock anywhere.


Features: It has a far better than average programming guide that displays the show title, current show run time, and the next show run time for all other channels. It has a "set by program" aspect ratio option that we have not seen with any other converters yet. This means that it allows you can set the aspect ratio to a different setting for different channels, which could come in handy. The Insignia's major advantage when compared to all others is that it comes with a universal remote that can be programmed to work with the TV and converter box. It also comes with the ability to adjust the font style, size, and color for closed captioning. This converter box now includes analog pass-through.

The Insignia NS-DXA1 is one of the best converter boxes we have seen up to this point. It has the analog pass-through feature, great sound quality, and awesome picture quality. Unfortunately it has proven to be one that is hard to get your hands on with very few retailers carrying it. If you can find one I'd buy it ASAP before their gone

Update March 2014

Real User Reviews: We only got several reviews back on this box but they came out pretty good. For further information see the comments below our post where more people have detailed their experiences.

Cnotek Said...

"The Insignia now comes with analog passthrough and they no longer sell the model that did not. You can find it for $50.00 and it works great, good picture and sound, the guide is based on what the network is broadcasting and works great, if the network you are watching broadcast what the show/movie/game is about, our who is playing who? No need for the TV guide to see what's next."

SwLewis Said...

"My Dad needed a converter box to go with his coupons, and the Insignia was available at Best Buy at the time. This box is the generic version of the Zenith, and shares the exact same features.

The towers were 40 miles away, and the reception was perfect on the rooftop antenna. The other box he bought was installed in a large shed surrounded by trees using only rabbit ears, and the reception was a little shakey but picked up all available stations. Impressive."

Specs - Insignia NS-DXA1 Owners Manual Not Available
Analog Pass-Through
Parental Control Setting
Configurable Closed Captioning
Electronic Program Guide
English, French, and Spanish Language Support

What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Converter Box
Universal Remote Control
Power Cable
RF
Coaxial Cable

RCA DTA800B Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

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."

Specs
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

Zenith DTT900 Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 3.5

The original Zenith DTT900 is lacking the extremely important analog pass-through but Zenith has realized there shortcomings and it has been upgraded to the Zenith DTT901 which does include this feature. Outside of missing the analog pass-through feature this is one of the best boxes that money can buy.

Product Details: The picture quality this one puts out is just as good as any other converter box on the market. It has been reported to provide an excellent picture that is only the smallest step below DVD picture quality. The sound quality of the DTT901 converter box has also be reported to be very very good, as good or better than most other TV converter boxes, and an upgrade for analog TV sound. During the transition it sold for around $60 but with it in short supply it now sells for around $90, which is pretty fair considering its high quality.

Features: It comes loaded with a bunch of features. It comes with a program guide that displays the show title, show run time for the current show, and the upcoming show for all channels. It also has a manual and automatic aspect ratio functions. This converter box also comes with a universal remote that will work for in tandem with your television. It also provides users the ability to manually set each channel or use the auto scan function. It does not come with analog pass-through.

Overall the Zenith DTT900 has some of the best feature sets and highest picture/sound quality but it is lacking analog pass-through. If you want this box go with its upgrade version that includes the pass-through function.

Update March 2014

Real User Reviews: For the most part we have received excellent feedback from consumers regarding this converter box. The reception is great, it seems to last, and it is easy to use. The only thing missing here is the analog pass through function.

SwLewis Said...

"This box is used with my old Samsung 19-inch TV. The Zenith comes with some nice basic features. The remote can turn off your TV, which I happen to like. The guide shows the current show and next only, but you can arrow through all the channels.

With rabbit ears and 12 miles from towers, the reception is just fine. The box itself has air vents on all sides (heat kills boxes), made with a metal case, and has buttons on the face to change channels and power.

Overall, this has been a sturdy, reliable DTV converter box. The only major problen is that you can hardly find them anymore. Best Buy has sold the Insignia brand, which is the generic version of the Zenith box, but those are getting scarce as well.

I am starting to think that the DTV box manufacturers are keeping supplies deliberately low on purpose."

Anonymous Said...

"I like this converter box, though the remote's design isn't completely friendly and the onscreen graphics seem to be something out of the 1980's. The best thing is the box runs very cool, which means you can leave it on 24/7 without worrying if it will burn itself up.As a comparison, the Digital Stream DTX9950 which is sold at Radio Shack gets very hot while in operation."

Specs
Parental Control Setting

Configurable Closed Captioning

Electronic Program Guide

Energy Star Compliant

English, French, and Spanish Language Support

What Is Included With Your Purchase?

Zenith DTT900 Converter Box

Universal Remote Control

Remote Control Batteries

RF Coaxial Cable

AV Cable

Artec T3A Pro Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 2.5

Update February 2014: This TV converter box has now been upgrade many different times. It appears as though the company can't simply settle on a box that comes with all features so they keep adding them slowly as they see fit but strangely taking other features away at the same time. The upgrade versions in order from earliest to latest models are the Artec T3AP, Artec T3AP Pro, Artec T3AP-LL, and Artec T3AP-LS.

Product Details: It has been reported to have a picture quality that is in the "2nd tier". This means that its picture quality is very good, an upgrade from analog TV, but not quite as good as what you could get with the very best on the market. The audio quality that you get with it is also very good. Its sound quality rates up there with the best on the market and is better than most analog broadcasts, in fact it is so good that it rivals DVD sound quality. This box is typically sold for $40-$50 depending on where you purchase it from. This converter box is no longer available at most retailers but you may be able to snatch one up on eBay. As an alternative you can purchase one of its upgrade versions listed above.

Features: It comes with an above average program guide that shows the program title, total run time for the current show, and total run time for the next show. It also comes with an auto aspect ratio function so you don't have to manually set it yourself. With this box you can also manually set each channel or use the scan function, a feature that we've seen with every other one to date. Finally it has its own settings for contrast, brightness, and hue. It however does not come with analog pass-through.

Overall it is a pretty good converter box but is missing the key analog pass-through. When it 1st came out it was one of the top boxes but it has been superseded by four or five other Artec models. We do not recommend this box due to this and suggest that your purchase one of its updated models. You can find new versions for the same price that include analog pass-through and other important features as well.

Update March 2014

Real User Reviews: Unfortunately at this point in time no users have come forward with their reviews of this product. A quick glance at Amazon also shows only 3 reviews. Two consumers gave it 4/5 stars and the other gave it 2/5.

Specs
V-Chip Lock Parental Control Setting
Configurable Closed Captioning
Electronic Program Guide
On Screen Signal Strength Meter
English, French, and Spanish Language Support
Compact Size

What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Converter Box
Remote Control
RF Coaxial Cable
Power Cord

Tivax STB-T9 Digital TV Converter Box Reviews

Product Rating: 3.5

Update October 2008: The Tivax STB-T9 has been upgrade to the Tivax STB-T8 which includes analog pass-through. This one is now sold out and unavailable at most online and retail stores. If you are lucky enough to find it on eBay is may be worth grabbing quickly before it's gone forever

At first we were pretty upset when we heard that this one was out of stock but then we found out it was simply because they are keeping things simple at Tivax. Instead of coming out with a ton of different version they simply upgraded this one to include a few key features that were missing and then took the inferior box out of production. Way to go, a company that finally gets it.

Product Details: The Tivax STB-T9 is one the best converter boxes money can buy when comparing picture quality. This box has gives out a DVD quality picture that is a huge upgrade over analog TV. Besides this our reviews also revealed that it also has very good sound quality. It clearly puts out much better sound quality than you would get when watching in analog, but its sound quality not above and beyond what you get with most other converter boxes. This little guy can be purchased online for between $45-$60 depending on the timing of your purchase. Overall it provides a picture upgrade and a slight sound upgrade over the traditional viewing experience that you would be use to getting over the analog airwaves.

Features: This converter box provides a better than average programming guide that shows each channels future show lineups for a couple of hours in advance. A guide that you would not ordinarily get without it. It also allows users to manually set one digital channel at a time or scan for all digital channels at once. If no signal is found but a user knows that one exists they can use the on-screen signal strength meter to monitor the strength while adjusting their digital TV antenna to pick up the channel. Lastly, the menu and controls area also allows you to change the font, font size, and font color for your closed captioning text.

This Tivax box comes out as a winner when compared to all other government certified boxes due to its good picture and sound quality. The only major issue it is that it does not come with analog pass-through. Without the pass-through function you could be susceptible to losing some channels that aren't required to make the transition. If you are looking for a similar converter box to the Tivax STB-T9 but need analog pass-through then you should get the new Tivax STB-T8.

Update February 2014

Real User Review: A site visitor, Karen recently used the information on our blog to make a decision about which converter box was right for her. She went with the Tivax STB-T9 and has been using it for several weeks now. You can read the messages below that she has sent me about here experiences with her new box and digital television in general.

Karen said...

"Thank you for your website reviews. We have relied heavily on them in making a decision as to which converter to purchase. Our coupon expiration was closing in so after endless attempts to buy in local stores and then making even more daily phone calls to see if they had received any converters, we decided to buy online. According to your info and availability, we ordered the Tivax STB-T9 today. With a cost difference of $8.95 after the government coupon (and before shipping) it seemed like a good choice."

She also said...

"Well hi Jesse, I received my Tivax converter yesterday as did my neighbors. It was simple to hook up. The manual that came with it was very helpful. We receive our TV reception with rabbit ears to which we have added a booster. I routed the Tivax through the booster to the TV. I lost one channel that had been very weak but gained two more channels. The reception is must better on all of the channels then it had been. The pictures are very clear and the sound good. I did find that I had to boost my sound all the way up on the TV remote to get more play in the Tivax remote. This is vital in our house because my husband is very hard of hearing. My only complaint is the small remote but I knew that when I purchased it and it is easy to program and operate. I am VERY HAPPY with my purchase and would recommend it to anyone."

Big City User Said...

"Thank you for this website for all of the information provided on many converter boxes. I used all of the information from the official write-ups to determine my final choice. 

I bought this box because of the write-up here and postive reviews on CNET and Amazon. I was concerned about the negative reviews that were quite extreme but took a chance on the Tivax. It seemed to be the lesser evil of all converter boxes.  

I have owned this since May 2009. I watch TV on weekday evenings for multiple hours and it is on for 6 hours plus at least 1 day on the weekend. So comments are based on mid-to-heavy usage.
I also live in a major city to put in context for reception purposes. 

Summary: Great picture quality, good sound, great reception - used to receive 9 channels with rabbit ears, now I receive over 30 channels. 

Box: Sleek and small 

Remote: Cheap look and feeling. Has short reception - not very tolerant of clicking at angles. The remote has to be pointed directly at the unit. I have dropped it a few times, but it continues to work. 

function: When changing channels it does take time for the new channel to show up on screen, but not an issue for me. People have complained about this, but COME ON PEOPLE. What do you expect from a converter box?? If you want better, get cable. 

I did have the box shut down on me repeatedly one day. I unplugged it and let it rest for a day and it's been fine ever since. I think it was due to voltage burst; so make sure you use a strip. I haven't experienced any of the issus that some of the users have. No other issues for the 7-8 months of use. 

It does what it's supposed to well. It is not high-tech; so don't expect it to be." 

Specs
V-Chip Lock Parental Control Setting
Configurable Closed Captioning
Electronic Program Guide
On Box Buttons
On Screen Signal Strength Meter
Smart Antenna Port (unable to confirm)
Energy Star Compliant
English, French, and Spanish Language Support
Compact Size
75 ohm Connector
6.50”W x 2”D x 8.5”H (Approximate)

What Is Included With Your Purchase?
Tivax Converter Box
Remote Control
Remote Control Batteries
RF Cable
AV Cable
Attached Power Cord