DTVpal DVR - poor reception; blurry picture; bad return policy

electrictroy

Well I got my hands on a DVTpal DVR since I'd been hearing nothing but good things at AVS. I'm now starting to suspect those persons who had negative things to say were censored, because this device has serious flaws.

- I disconnected my Channel Master CM7000 and hooked-up the DTVpal DVR and did a scan. The DTVpal picked-up six fewer stations than the CM7000 had.

- Next thing I noticed as I watched my local channel, a nice strong 20-mile-distant signal, is that the image looked blurred. The DTVpal DVR was not as crystal-clear as the CM7000.

- I decided to stick with my usual VCR or DVR fed by the CM7000 signal, and that I'd get rid of the DTVpal but unfortunately DISH has a no returns policy so I'm basically stuck with this device. I guess "customer dissatisfied" is not part of this company's vocabulary. Satisfaction NOT guaranteed.

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TV Band/whitespace Devices will block my Baltimore/Philly stations. No more channels 2,3,6,10,11,12,13,17,35,45,57,61,65

Loves2Watch

Since it seems to be a faulty unit, why not have them exchange it for one that works properly.

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Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.
Friends don't let friends buy Korean brand TV's.

ziggy29

Option 1 would be to return it for exchange if it's just a bad unit.

Option 2 would be to put it up on eBay to recoup most of your cost.

gotok

If you installed the DTVPal using the same connections as your CM7000 then you are viewing the DTVPal in SD. You need to connect using HDMI or component to get the HD picture.
In my case, my DTVPal DVR gets about the same stations as my Zenith DTT900 converter box.

Was the channel being broadcast in HD? If yes, and the DTVPal was connected correctly, then it is capable of HD with 5.1 sound. Unless your unit is defective, you should notice that the picture quality is much better than any SD picture (from CM7000 or whatever).
I'm assuming you have a HD TV.

Yes, the no return policy and short 90 day warranty are indeed pitiful.