A relatively obscure Korean company is the first to be certified ...
A relatively obscure Korean company is the first to be certified by NTIA to supply coupon-eligible DTV converter boxes. Original design maker Digital Stream Technology got NTIA approval to supply two box models, the D2A1D10 and the D2A1D20, the…
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company said. NTIA confirmed the approval, saying Digital Stream Technology is the only company it has certified. Its models will list for about $70, the company said. Both have the same features, said Chris Lee, company vice president of business development. Neither has a smart antenna interface, a feature permitted but not required, under NTIA rules. Digital Stream Technology expects to ship boxes in early 2008, the company said. The company, a supplier of HDTV receiver components, has allied in the past with Daewoo and other Korean CE makers. Rivals we polled said they expect certification soon. LG will announce its NTIA certification “when it’s official,” said John Taylor, vice president of public affairs and communications. RCA Audio/Video is in the middle of the certification process for its DTA800 converter box, said Vice President Dave Arland. “We fully expect to be certified before retail availability in January,” he said. The company has a website, www.KeepMyTV.com, on the ins and outs of the DTA800, the DTV transition and how NTIA’s DTV coupon program works. RCA has contacted more than 100,000 consumers with information about the site, he said. Hundreds have signed up for updates, he said.