Venturer Digital Converter Box | 
 enlarge | Brand: Venturer
Category: CE
This item is no longer available
Rating:  3 reviews
Batteries Included: Yes
Battery: 2 AAA
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: STB7766G
Model: STB7766G
UPC: 062118776604
EAN: 0062118776604
ASIN: B001A0TMI0
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| Features:
| • | Antenna | | • | Features: Composite Video, Digital Channel Search | | • | Other Features: Plug and Play Technology, Parental Control | | • | Modes: Channels 2-69 | | • | Easy Set-Up | | • | Black Finish | | • | Compatible with All Digital TV Formats, TV, Most Major Brands | | • | Includes Coaxial Cable, Remote Control, AC/DC Adapter, Instructions | | • | 5 W x 7 D x 1.4 H "; 10.3 Oz. | | • | 4:3 Aspect Ratio, 16:9 Aspect Ratio |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Analog pass-thru & other nice features August 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Pros:
- Cheapest converter box so far with analog pass-thru for existing stations.
- Smaller size than other boxes. Does not run as hot as some.
- Supposedly the OEM is Winegard, well-respected antenna company.
- Good reception and picture quality
Cons:
- On-screen TV guide is minimal, only the next hour is listed.
I'm an electronics hobbyist, live 30 miles from a large city. With a small, cheap T-stick antenna outside my window, run into a 12db amplifier, I get about 10 watchable analog stations. With this converter I get 25 digital stations , much better than the analog picture quality. With the government coupon, getting one of these is a no-brainer.
If you have an old TV tuner card for your computer, you can run this into it and get HDTV quality on an LCD monitor. This is a way to get high-definition TV without paying for a HD set.
 Don't buy Venturer products! August 5, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I made that mistake; don't waste your money on Venturer junk - worst customer service I can remember (well, if you buy Venturer you are going to need it).
Identical to the Winegard RC-DT09 Good box, with some minor complaints June 27, 2008
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
I did not buy this Adverturer converter box, per se, but I was shocked to see that it is identical to the Winegard RC-DT09 Even the remote is exactly identical. I'm sure they were either both made by Winegard, or Winegard and Adventurer get them from the same manufacturer. I was told by Winegard that they designed and manufactured their own box, to their own specifications, so maybe it is theirs. If you can find a picture of the Winegard, you will see what I mean. I bought two of the Winegards and my neighbor bought one on my recommendation because it was temporarily on sale, and the price was right.
Below is a review I did on the Winegard for another website.
The Winegard is a great converter with many nice little features that make life easier.
First the "pros":
It has channel buttons on the chassis box. This comes in handy in our house where remotes are constantly getting found and lost again. Nice to get up and running when you are in a hurry - not to miss a program.
The menu is full, adequate, and easy to use, with a one-stroke "exit" button. The remote buttons are positive acting and NOT skip/miss like some remotes are. If you like to use captions, it is nice when volume control is used, because the volume bar overrides the captions for the moment it is used. On some TVs/converters the captions cover the volume bar. The "INFO" button, which provides DTV channel information, displays the program information, and a full text box of the program description (if provided by broadcaster.) It also displays up higher on the screen, so it does not interfere with captions.
The remote can go directly from one function to another without turning off the previous function. There is a handy "last channel" button for those who like to switch between two channels during commercials.
Now, the "cons."
The signal bar doesn't have percentages or numbers, just a bar divided into 3 equal parts: "bad", [middle not labeled] and "good." It serves the purpose but, if you like to experiment and record data, and percentage numbers, you are out of luck. Also, there is a "signal" button on the remote, that shows signal strength for the channel you are on, but it gives an annoying beep when it works. You can get the same signal reading through the manual scan control in the menu which does not beep, but it takes a few button steps in and out of the menu.
This box gets awfully warm (some might call it "hot".) "Sleep timer" is factory set at four hours (can be changed/turned off.) When it first shut off, I thought there was something wrong with it. If you like to turn captions off-and-on often, using this converter box remote can be frustrating, because you have to go into the captions menu (two levels) turn the captions on. You have to do the same thing, and also push the button 8 times to turn captions off. I use the TV captions/remote instead.
My Winegard ran fine, but when I tapped the chassis, the audio went out for a second and there was a blip on the screen. I discovered this by accident. I called Winegard, and they sent me a replacement converter immediately, no questions asked. The replacement came delivered with a return shipping label to send back the original converter, so the entire replacement process did not cost me a thing. The replacement works great. You should check with Adventurer to see if they have the same customer service and phone access as Winegard. Retailers like to refer you to the manufacturers. The coupon complicates things. They are not refundable, and can only be used for credit on another converter box. Some retailers may not even take it back.
The Winegard does not have analog pass-through (the ability to switch to analog without disconnecting the coaxials,) but I do that manually with two coaxial AB switches (or with a 2-way splitter and an AB switch) inputting from the antenna to the common line of the AB switch (or splitter,) outputting ONE SIDE (of either A or B side of the switch, or either side of the splitter) to either A or B of another AB switch, and the OTHER SIDE of the first switch/splitter going through the digital box and then coming out of the box, to the other side of the second AB switch. The common pole of the second AB switch (or the ONLY AB switch if you used a splitter) outputs to the TV. If you are handy and have three extra coaxials sitting around, it is cheap and easy. Coaxial splitters and switches should be a few bucks each at your local hardware store/ big box.
If you use two AB switches you set it up to press both A's (or both B's) to either bypass the digital box or go through the box.
If you use the splitter, instead of two AB switches, you only have one AB switch to press, but if you are worried about losing antenna power, note that the splitter will reduce your signal about 3-4 more decibels more than a switch will. I use the A side of the switch for "Analog" the pass through.
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