Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Craig CVD506 DTV converter box works fine - if you know what you are doing with the antenna. Antenna reception has always been a science and that science just got harder now that we are picking up digital signals.
With a little cajoling this converter gave all the traditionally analog local channels, and then some. All with a pair of rabbit ears and bowtie antenna on a 20 year old 13" color Panasonic! I tested this with a similar Radio Shack antenna with VHF loop. The signal isn't as strong as a Channel Master CM-7000 on the same antenna. 20 to 40 percent vs 70 to 80 percent respectively. But even the Channel Master benefits from a better antenna.
The Craig CVD506 is unique as it has the "smart antenna" plug. I could not locate such an antenna but is supposed to be better at discriminating multi-directional signals for more channels and better signal strength. Perhaps this is where this unit truly shines. Scan time with such a smart antenna is said to take 50 minutes or more. Worth it if it works.
The remote control has obscure placement for the channel and volume buttons. The arrow keys double as channel and volume changers, so that improved the functionality.
Unlike some other units, you must go into the menu to set the picture for 16:9 or 4:3. No simple function on the remote control. I opted for 4:3 for the old set simply to keep a nostalgic full screen image.
The overscan might be wider than normal. The PBS channel logo is partially cut off at the end. While that is no great loss, if the picture is cropping more than it should, it could really effect the framing and enjoyment of shows. Some TV sets may have controls to adjust for overscan. Other channels appeared to frame fine. Must be the framing on PBS.
It does let you skip channels you don't want. Simply scroll down the favorites list, cursor left once and press the OK button. It does have an electronic program guide but you have to wait for it to update each time you bring up the favorites list. Depending on signal strength this may take a minute.
It does give the current show name and next show information on the banner each time you change the channel. It also shows a little antenna strength guide which you can see anytime by pressing the Info button. The channel banner is large and lingers too long for my taste. So I learned to press the Info button to close it immediately. No biggie. On the other hand, visually impaired people actually benefit from the banner size and post time.
In short it is a very workable unit with the proper antenna, positioning, and bit of patience. You may need to rotate your antenna and do an update scan to find new channels without losing the original ones. It is nicely sized for the top of smaller tv's. Plus the black plastic really goes well with my old black Panasonic. I am glad I have it for the potential of the Smart Antenna. A likeable unit.
Just for
I connected my Craig CVD506 to some portable TV's. Using some spare parts I adapted a coax connector to an RCA yellow composite cable then to a mono 1/8" jack. (Like an F-Connector) This allows me to plug into the external antenna feed of a 1983 Bently 5" B&W portable TV. Just roll the tuner to channel 3 and viola! Crystal clear digital image on this 26 year old set! Had a bit of audio noise and a smidge of picture artifacts. Worked even better on an RCA B&W portable of about 5 years with the same cable. Finally, using the RCA jacks to a stereo adaptor, I plugged into my portable 4" color LCD TV. Phenominal picture for size and definition. It just goes to show what these TV's are capable of doing. They just never had a clean enough signal to benefit - until now!
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