What the maker puts in writing
All five bullets, in full:
- “[DIGITAL CONVERTER BOX] The digital TV converter box, converts digital air channels to your analog TVs. Allow you to watch TV channels on your analog TV or computer monitor”
- “[ATSC BOX] The tuner box is programmed to receive local over-the-air (OTA) channels through ATSC signals”
- “[CLEARQAM COMPATIBLE] This converter box supports ClearQAM and can be used with a cable provider to watch unscrambled cable channels”
- “[TV RECORDING] iView-3500STBIII digital converter box with clock function supports TV recording function”
- “[UNIVERSAL MEDIA PLAYER]… Supports up to 4TB portable hard drive”
Those are, word for word, the five bullets of the iView 3500STB III at $32.96 — including the fourth one, which calls this product “iView-3500STBIII” without the A.
The published difference is a dollar and three words
3500STB III — $32.96 — five bullets · 220 × 147 × 40 mm · no weight
3500STBA III — $33.97 — the same five bullets · 220 × 45 × 202 mm · 567 g
Title differences: the letter A, and “(New Firmware)”.
And the dimensions cannot both be right
Catalog figures are often given in a different axis order, so the fair test is whether the three numbers match in any arrangement.
This: 220, 45, 202 mm. The other: 220, 147, 40 mm.
Only the 220 is shared. One of them has a dimension recorded wrongly.
The nearest reading: 1.77 in (45 mm) against 1.57 in (40 mm) is the height in both cases, and 202 against 147 the depth. A depth of 5.79 in (147 mm) would be unusually shallow for a box 8.66 in (220 mm) wide; 7.95 in (202 mm) is the more typical proportion.
Measure your shelf against the larger figure.
“New Firmware” without a version
The title says it and nothing else does.
iView’s 3300STB manages slightly more: “A new firmware update is now available to resolve existing issues and enhance overall performance. Please contact iView technial support for detail” — so the update exists and is not automatic.
The standard to compare against is Mediasonic’s HW250STB at $39.99: “Latest Firmware Version: V1.7 (This will be updated if new Firmware version is released).” An actual version, checkable against the unit in front of you.
And the two opposite approaches on this shelf are both instructive. ZJBOX states candidly: “This device is offline, and firmware updates are infrequent.” The ADTH at $159.99 has “dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth [to] support firmware updates and future NextGen TV enhancements” — which is the right design for an ATSC 3.0 box, because the standard is still evolving.
The learning remote remains the real feature
A converter box adds a second remote to the room, and you need both: the television’s for volume and input, the box’s for channels.
A learning remote copies the other one — hold your TV’s remote facing the box’s, press the button, and the handset records the infrared pattern. Teach it power and volume and you are back to one remote.
Only the two iView 3500 models on this shelf have it.
Three outputs, and the third is the reason to buy
HDMI for a modern set. A/V composite for one with yellow, red and white sockets. Channel 3/4 for one with nothing but an antenna input.
That last is an RF modulator: the box generates an analog television signal on VHF channel 3 or 4, you run coaxial to the antenna input and tune the set. It is the only route for a very old television, a portable, or many RV and marine sets.
Mediasonic describes its version better — “Channel 3 / 4 hard switch” — and hard is the word that matters: a physical switch, because you cannot read a menu until the television is already on the right channel.
And the ATSC version is the unmentioned question
“ATSC” without a number means ATSC 1.0, the standard since 1998. ATSC 3.0 (“NextGen TV”) is the successor, and broadcasters are transitioning to it station by station — so a 1.0-only box loses channels as they move.
Only the ADTH at $159.99 does both. Only the Mediasonic at $39.99 warns it does not.
What is not published
No warranty — ZJBOX alone publishes a term, “1 year Warranty”.
No antenna, which every box here needs and only the Tablo supplies.
No HDMI cable, where Mediasonic supplies 5 ft and ZJBOX supplies HDMI and composite.
No front display, where Mediasonic shows channel and sub-channel plus a standby clock. United States digital channels are numbered 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, so sub-channel display is the useful half.
No filesystem for the 4 TB claim, where ZJBOX names FAT32 — which caps any single file at 4 GB, roughly two hours of HD.
Prices quoted in this text were read on October 4, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
