IVIEW Ciel VHS to Digital Converter

It's really good to be able to go digital and be able to record

My mother was using a simpler version of this decoder for a TV that was designed for the pre-hdtv signals. It started acting strangely and unpredictably. I ordered this box to replace it. It was the cheapest option I could locate anywhere - locally or online. The box performs as expected but it doesn't seem to allow the tv tuner to control the channel. In the other setup, the tv tuner still would pull in channels but with this box we have to use the tuner built into the box. It isn't a terrible change but now 2 remotes are needed to power on the tv and then control this box.

I did not want to buy a smart TV for my workshop (not everything should be WiFi and logins), but I have a spare 27 inch monitor. It works great except for 1080p 60Hz with sports. It looks better on my 75Hz monitor at 720p for games. The 1080i and 1080p video setting have too much screen tear and pixelation. This box is also great because I can control the volume with the remote. I wish it had RCA video in so I can connect my old DVD player to my HDMI monitor.

I had an earlier model from the same company, it lasted 15 years until the remote conked out. The quality of the image is even better.

I use this converter box with my old CRT Magnavox tv. It is hooked up to my over-the-air indoor antenna (won't work without an antenna on an analog tv) & then out to my RF modulator. Works seamlessly & picture is quite clear. Was very easy to set-up. I get more channels with this hooked up to the antenna than my newer HDTV does with the indoor antenna alone. I have tried timer recording, using an external 2TB hard drive. Worked fine, recorded in mts format & was able to watch later on my computer too, as well as on the TV. The instruction manual is fairly detailed, although some of the features are kind of clunky to use with the remote provided & the firmware on the unit. The remote is not really that great, functions are not particularly intuitive. So far I've been able to figure out everything I've wanted or needed to do, even if it's taken multiple attempts or a little longer than I'd like. Others have noted the power cord isn't very long & I had the same issue, had to place the unit a little lower than is convenient, so I just need to remember to point the remote correctly! I really miss having an on-screen programming guide. The descriptions & info given for programming are pretty limited, but they are a function of what the channels themselves provide and not a fault of the unit itself. Most of the issues I have with this are similar that people have with this or other inexpensive units in the same price range, so I'm generally happy with this purchase. For the money, I think it's a good value & hopefully will hold up for some time. Updated 3/22/21: I installed the 02/21 firmware update provided at the manufacturer's website for this specific model. When I did, I lost all sound output from the unit. I belatedly saw that others had the same problem. I contacted iView & they promptly replied the next business day with a different firmware to install (appears to be a rollback for this model) & now the sound has returned. I noticed the firmware version I used, that they had listed for this model, appears to have been removed from their website in the meantime. Just wanted to supply the info, in case anyone else has had the issue & not yet contacted iView. Also, the unit doesn't correctly adjust for DST, which I noticed last weekend. To solve this, you just need to manually adjust the time zone for the unit to the GMT either one higher or lower than what you had been using, depending on whether it's spring or fall, to get the right hour on the unit (which still displays in 24 hr format unfortunately).