Converter boxes: More info for making the jump to digital TV

Have you gotten your $40 coupons yet? If so, you might be tempted to rush out to your local electronics retailer or online store and buy a digital TV converter box now—before your government-sponsored discount coupons expire in 90 days.

Before you shop, check out our "First Look" at three low-cost set-top boxes we've mentioned previously. From our review of the Magnavox TB100MW9 ($50), Insignia NS-DXA1 ($60), and Zenith DTT900 ($60), there's good news and some not-so-good news you'll want to consider.

The Good News

• All three boxes do a good job of converting digital TV broadcasts into analog signals that will work with analog TV sets.
• They're simple to hook up and use with any antenna that receives UHF TV signals, and they're compact—about the size of a paperback book.
• Using your $40 coupon on any of these boxes drops your total cost down to about $10 or $20—a cheap alternative for those who don't want to buy a new HDTV or pay for cable- or satellite-TV service.

The Not-so-good News

• All three converter boxes will output only the basic TV resolution (480i) through an RF (or "coax")— the antenna input on the back of your TV set—or a composite-video connection.
• None of the three models we tested have any better-quality connections such as HDMI or component video or s-video.
• They all have basic, bare-bones features that will allow you to watch and record live TV.

The last point can be a sticking point—judging by some of our readers' comments. For example, these boxes can connect to VCRs so you can record programs off-air. But none of them can change channels automatically—an important feature if you normally program your VCR to tape multiple TV shows while you're out for the evening.

You'll find the complete details in our First Look on ConsumerReports.org. For more information about digital TV, the coupon program and other related topics, check out our Digital TV transition section.

We hope to soon have more reviews of other converter boxes, including another low-cost box as well as the Samsung DTB-H260F. That converter box should be of interest to those who own so-called "HD-ready" TVs—such as some of our readers who are participating in the DTV forum of our Electronics Forums.

—Paul Eng

—Paul Eng