Microtune Adds to Recent DTV Converter Box Woes

Microtune, Inc. has sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration  identifying, "a matter of critical importance to the U.S. government and to American consumers in the successful implementation of the U.S. digital television transition."

According to the company, internal testing has revealed tuner-related performance failures in certain certified coupon-eligible converter boxes that do not contain Microtune tuners. These converter boxes are widely available in retail channels, and Microtune says their failure to meet NTIA regulatory performance requirements could potentially result in the loss of digital TV reception in a number of major metropolitan areas, potentially impacting the millions of Americans who will rely on these converter boxes to receive free over-the-air TV broadcasts. Microtune has made its test results, the methodologies of which have been reviewed and validated by a third-party industry expert, available to the NTIA.

"As a U.S. tuner company and as a stakeholder in the country's historic conversion to digital TV transmission, we believe it is vital to raise an issue that could dramatically impact the success of this transition," says James A. Fontaine, President and CEO of Microtune. "The NTIA has established rigorous and necessary performance standards for the CECB program, which is subsidized by the U.S. government, and the NTIA requires converter box manufacturers to comply with these technical standards. To protect the interests of American consumers, we have vigorously urged the NTIA to quickly audit through expanded testing potentially non-compliant converter boxes that are currently in production, and we have offered to support its efforts by briefing its representatives on our test findings."

For a full copy of the letter, click here (warning: PDF link).

Comments

[steve d]

I like to know what I need to look
for in Digital to analog TV tuner/conventer box.
thanks:
mktgman2003@yahoo.com