Converter Boxes - Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask

What’s the Deal With Converter Boxes?

I think the largest amount of questions I’ve received to date were from people scrambling to figure out if they need a converter box and if so, which one to buy. After some extensive testing and research, YOUR Average Joe here to help take the confusion out of conversion.

A little clarification first!

First and foremost, I hate the name “converter” box. The word converter seems to have caused a lot of mix-ups with most people thinking they simply plug it in between their antenna and analog TV and the digital over-the-air signal magically becomes analog again so that they can use their TV as they did before. WRONG! … and I don’t blame you if you were confused. For me a converter is like those white thingies you bring with you to Europe to plug into the wall so that you can use your hairdryer from home. A DTV converter box works differently.

A better name would be a “DTV receiver”. Fact of the matter is it’s used for OTA DTV in the same way as a satellite or digital cable box would be used, essentially over-riding the tuner on your TV. Your old analog TV does not have the digital tuner needed to decode and display over-the-air DTV signals, hence much like its satellite and cable counterparts the converter box does the receiving/decoding and the TV is used only to display. Because you are controlling the signal through the receiver box now, you can only change channels by using the receiver and not your TV.

A typical converter box will come with a remote and at least one cable to connect it to your TV.

So despite whatever the chumps at the big box electronics try to tell you about the one model they carry, the average consumer has to be critical about the box they are buying. Don’t just look at picture quality alone because although that is important not all so-called “converter” boxes are created equally. Other factors that can serve as the tiebreaker in making a purchase decision such as the user interface of the receiver, features such as program guides and channel scans, and the size and layout of the remote.

Jeez, good thing your Average Joe is here to help you navigate these waters! Nothing is simple, eh?

So what is an Analog owner to do?

Basically judging from people around me and some of the questions I’ve received I have broken down the remaining cluster of analog TV owners into four categories.

Next stop: a museum?

I’m Anything But Obsolete – your old analog TV is out-dated but it’s not ready for the dumpster yet. It makes no sense to get rid of it but at the same time you can’t justify busting the bank to bring it up to speed. Having a perfectly good antenna-only analog TV is fairly common (even for people that have pay subscriptions) in places like the kitchen, the cottage, break rooms or waiting areas at workplaces and even in bedrooms. Isn’t there a converter box out there that can add many more happy years of life to the TV and not cost an arm and a leg? Average Joe has a suggestion.

Hanging in There – Whether it be your parents or an elderly neighbour, this is the last TV these people will probably own before they start watching their shows at the retirement home. The goal here is to keep the analog TV working in the digital age with a box that will be easy and effective to use. One box out there seems better suited than others.

The Cadillacs – these are the TVs that cost a fortune back in the day and have plenty of good mileage to go on them. You know what I’m talking about – those big screens that are the size of a shelving unit for example. You want a good receiver that will enhance your viewing experience for many years to come. So what’s out there?

The Write-off – You’ve had some good times but it’s time to take ol’fuzzyvision behind the shed out back. So what new TV should you buy? All new TVs have built-in digital tuners but are some better for an OTA DTV setup than others? Average Joe has looked into it and has the answer.

What to do Before Buying

When you head out to the store don’t just believe what the salespeople are telling you about their boxes. Be sure to ask about functionalities and take a good hard look at the remote, this is what you will be using from now on to watch TV! Ask to see display models or open a box. A good store will have demos set up so that you can compare picture quality and play with cool new DTV features such as program guides and signal strength meters.

A very good summary of commercially available boxes is available from Consumer Reports. Feel free to use it to see which features are important for you, and research models of interest on the internet to see what they cost and look like. Don’t be shy to print the table out and bring it shopping with you.


One note: analog pass-through is becoming of less and less importance. Unless a station in your market is not converting to digital, this feature is essentially useless.

Coming Up

Over the next few posts, we’ll look at each of the four scenarios and let you know what Average Joe recommends for the savvy consumer. As each post comes out, I’ll come back here to link it in as well.

No More Snow In Canada!

Finally, a PSA catch phrase that seems to do the DTV transition justice

Check out this print ad circulating in local newspapers that grabbed my attention. I know I was pretty hard on the industry for its very fluffy and almost misleading PSAs in my previous posts , but I just wanted to say "well done" for the ad below!

OTA DTV is Great and Free From Monthly Bills – and Nobody Seems to Know.

So how is the news getting around about this big shift in TV broadcast land?

In the US, TV stations were required to run rolling banners at the bottom of their programming and having frequent public service announcements as the transition date came near. The US federal government stepped up its publicity as well and made sure people with low incomes got subsidized converter boxes if they could not upgrade their analog-only TVs. On the media waves, the transition were being discussed by politicians and local broadcasters, even Conan and Letterman were getting into the act. There was criticism and discussion on why the taxpayers should pay for converter boxes for obsolete TVs and if the date should be pushed given the economic conditions at the time. Needless to say, there was a lot of “transition talk” going on.

You can't miss that! US analog TV broadcasters ran public service announcements and had banners rolling at the bottom of the screen to notify viewers of where their fuzzy picture was heading.

Here in Canada, we are almost a month away from the digital conversion date. Besides the fact that the major broadcast networks are required to run public service announcements (PSAs), there has been little publicity. There is no talk of subsidized converter boxes. Media coverage has been sketchy at best ... the headlines and news programs have been relatively quiet except for some blurbs from local channels showcasing their new digital transmitters and announcing downtime of the analog transmitters for testing and transition work.

Everywhere I’ve looked, there seems to be confusion or just ignorance on the transition. A neighbor at the cottage asked me about satellite service in our area because she thought broadcast TV was ending altogether in Canada on the 31st. Another family member laughed when I mentioned that they could have 1080i from a rooftop antenna. An elderly lady I know bought a new antenna when her US channels suddenly went dark last year ... for her analog TV. When that new antenna didn’t work either she gave up and subscribed to cable. Nobody at the store who sold her the antenna was aware that the digital switchover.

When almost 1 in 5 Canadians still watch their TV for free over-the-air, shouldn’t there be more fanfare and information circulating?

Ignorance isn't bliss - when the cable went out during a critical playoff hockey game, frustrated subscribers had no idea that the local CBC station was broadcasting the game at full blast from its new digital transmitter ... for free in 1080i . Most of the affected viewers could have watched it by using a coat hanger as an antenna.

What’s interesting is the way the digital transition is being presented. Instead of announcing the crystal-clear signals, the new programming selections (sub-channels) and enhanced sound and image quality that will be available with this new format, the focus appears to be on the hardware conversion basics. No one, and I mean no one, is (or want to be) presenting this transition as an improvement in how OTA TV viewers watch their TVs.

Why? Well the fact is that with the exception of the CBC, cable and satellite companies (or their parents) own many of the local broadcast stations. For them, the real cash is in the subscriber fees. While I will not go as far as accusing them of misleading the public, it is obvious there is no business case in promoting the benefits of OTA DTV. If you were them, why would you?

In fact, many of these companies are doing the exact opposite – using the digital transition to drum up business by scooping up the last remaining segment of viewers not signed up to a pay TV service. Don’t want to figure out if your antenna and TV are OK for DTV? No problem, subscribe to cable. Not sure if your TV has an ATSC tuner? Just sign up for satellite service and we’ll take care of the rest.

It's not a matter of conspiracy. The truth is the big satellite and cable companies are scared. If the US is any indication, free OTA DTV and streaming internet TV are here to rock their world. They don't want to lose those juicy HD and digital fees they sprinkle all over our bills like chocolate shavings on a cheesecake, and look forward too month after month.




Canadian media giants are looking to the south and getting nervous. If the US model can serve as an example, OTA DTV is enough to put a serious dent in their revenue plans because yes, it's that awesome.

Next time, we'll take a look at what's being said about the digital transition in Canada in more detail. Stay tuned!