NTIA Approves First Coupon Converter Boxes

By Doug Lung
published

Digital Stream has obtained the first NTIA approval for an ATSC digital-to-analog set-top converter box. The converter will be available at major retailers starting in January 2008. NTIA found the two Digital Stream converters, D2A1D10 and D2A1D20, met all of its requirements, are RoHS-compliant and exceed Energy Star requirements. The suggested retail price for the converters was estimated to be $69.99.

Ju H. Kim, Digital Stream CEO, said, “We are pleased to be the first company to offer an NTIA-approved digital-to-analog converter box. The converter will help ease the transition to digital technology for millions of on-air television viewers.”

While Digital Stream may not be recognized by consumers, the Korean-based company has been providing internal DTV components for more than 40 TV models from well-known manufacturers. It offers HDTV built-in modules, receivers, HD media players, DTV antennas and IPTV solutions.

Information on the NTIA coupon program is available at www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.