People have been waiting for the DTVPal digital converter box to be released almost since it was announced. To refresh your memory, the DTVPal has three main features which distinguish it from other boxes:
- a program guide with up to seven days of listings
- event timers that can change channels
- analog pass-through
According to this account of the latest Charlie Chat, DISH Network has now released some new details about the DTVPal. The DTVPal will be available on June 19 and the price will be $59.99. Also according to the chat, the $39.99 converter box is a separate product and it will be available later. This seems to be an official confirmation of the $59.99 price for the DTVPal. This is a bit disappointing (free with coupon has a nice sound), but it is still priced comparably to other converter boxes.
In other DTVPal news, Scott Greczkowski has written a comprehensive review of the DTVPal. This is the best look at the DTVPal that I have seen, and his included pictures give us our best look at the DTVPal yet. Interestingly, he states that the DTVPal could receive stations that the Zenith DTT900 and the RCA DTA800 converter boxes couldn’t. The DTT900 is known for having a good tuner, so this is an interesting development. The many delays have given me doubts about the DTVPal, but this review makes it sound pretty good. I just hope that they become available before our coupons expire later this month.